wolfe10

jchaney12, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Please tell us more about your toad. What year and how many miles? Is the tow bar level when towing-- if not, how many inches up or down from coach to toad? Ross, Are you referring to the CV joint?

clestra2, Thank you for the update and welcome to the FMCA Forum. From the horse's mouth: https://www.smartcarofamerica.com/threads/453-official-flat-tow-instructions.126105/

Agree. That is why our coaches all had a second filter (carbon) under the sink.

Guys, PLEASE, let's get back to the original topic. This thread is not about Chuck or RVtravel.com. The topic IS : "The Future of FMCA". Let's not get side tracked. Your constructive suggestions welcome!

Have you contacted Red Bay/Tiffin with your VIN?

Don't know the set up on your particular coach, but it is common to use a 5 micron SEDIMENT ONLY filter for all water going into the coach. Though it is usually not harmful to people, the sediment found in a lot of well water can clog up plumbing and be deposited in the water heater. It is NOT a good idea to install a charcoal filter here, as you do not want to remove the chlorine from water you will be storing in the potable water tank. Most coaches have only the single water inlet that can then be directed by a valve to either just provide water to the house or to the potable water tank. It is fine to have a charcoal filter "post pump". Removing chlorine, etc just before use is fine. Many coaches have just that arrangement, a sediment only filter in the wet bay and a charcoal filter under the sink for drinking, ice maker, etc.

AMEN. Criticizing is easy. Offering solutions is more difficult. To me, the discounted membership offer is a WIN-WIN. Member win by getting a discount on membership. FMCA gets a capital infusion at an extremely unique-- a historically unique time. Thinking outside the box will help separate those organizations that come out of this pandemic and those that do not. IMO offering the discounted membership is a much better idea than cashing in invested funds right now to pay for ongoing expenses.

IF (yes, big IF) you are going to hire a CEO based on their hobbies, leave me out. Did I have a hobby when running large automobile dealerships-- absolutely. But, to tell me what my choice of hobby/stress relief was a requirement for employment-- not rational. Even when I was General Manager of the largest Chevrolet dealership in New Mexico, my hobby/stress relief was sailing. Yes, even in New Mexico. If on my interview for the position I was TOLD my new hobby was to join a Corvette club and go to all their rallies, I would not have taken the position. Again, it comes down to job description. Running an organization effectively is quite different from being the policy maker for that organization.

Guess I'll be a contrarian here. A full time manager with a staff of 35 covering such a wide range of activities and reporting to an outside board should NOT have the time to take off and RV. Rent one? Attend a convention staying in one? SURE. But we need a full time manager, not part timer. The CEO of FMCA is a policy IMPLEMENTER. The Executive Board is the policy MAKER.

Many of us use the "unread" post synopsis as our FMCA Forum home page: https://community.fmca.com/discover/unread/ That allows you to quickly scroll down and click on any posts of interest since you last visited the site.

I agree-- VERY unlikely you will be stopped and asked for your license. Also agree-- VERY LIKELY that if you are involved in an accident and do not have a license to operate the vehicle you are driving, that your next call will be to a (very expensive) lawyer. Not sure operating under the "how lucky do you feel" concept is recommended.

Absolutely correct.

This would be a separate valve-- IF you have one. It would be in the engine coolant line (i.e. engine coolant), not potable water line. Normally, the hose from engine cooling system goes to BOTH water heater (motor-aid) and to the dash heater core. If is common to have a valve that allows you to divert all engine heated water to the dash heater core. That is the valve, again IF you have one, to check.

Bontrager, Yes, welcome to the FMCA Forum. If you are talking about Motor-aid, check for a valve in the engine room-- could also be one at the back of the water heater that would direct engine-heated water to dash heater core vs water heater. Start by checking the back of the water heater, as winterizing should not have affected engine-room components.

That is the EVAPORATOR. What brand is it? Does it freeze up even with fan on HIGH?

Yes, we have lost a good friend. A friend to anyone with an RV and a closer friend to Dianne and me. Gary and I, along with Walter Cannon (RVSEF) presented many "Ask The Expert" seminars at the FMCA Conventions as well as on the FMCA Technical Advisory Committee. He will be missed. Brett

Agree with Ray-- start by checking on the FMCA Towing Guides (log into the FMCA website and you will find the towing guides under "Magazine". BUT (yes, large BUT) there have been enough "rethinks" by vehicle manufacturers that checking with the manufacturer is still a good idea.

Yes, rear axle only. And, there will be 4 brake cans on the rear, two on each side. One is the parking brake= spring applied, air released. The other is the service brake= air applied, spring released/retracted.

Quite likely the brake shoes are rusted to the drum. Continue trying to rock forward/ backwards, but do not overheat the transmission. Particularly if it has sat for awhile this is more likely than that both brake canisters have failed. Could it be an air issue--- possibly, but much less likely than just stuck shoes. Another option is to use "percussive persuasion" on the drums to free up the shoes. Be sure to have safety stands in place before doing this.

theinbaugh, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I have no first hand experience working with the MB/Sprinter chassis, but hopefully others with knowledge will chime in. Assume you have checked suspension components for wear. Even with low mileage, if bushings are rubber, at 10 years old, they may be shot. I did go to Henderson's Line-up to see what they have for upgrades. Go to: https://supersteerparts.com/ Type in "Sprinter" in the search box.

Fuel filter is still a good place to start-- not expensive or labor intensive. There is NO average life for a fuel filter-- feed it one tank of contaminated fuel and it could be clogged. Only clean fuel and it can go many tens of thousands of miles. Could it be something else like one or more coils breaking down-- sure. But before spending the $$$ to either pay a tech to put it on a machine or start throwing parts at it, the fuel filter is a reasonable place to start.

Ya, would love to see an itemized breakdown on that $5,400 estimate. Never seen a gold plated tow bar, but .............. Or maybe they have an on-staff heart surgeon doing the installation-- at his normal heart replacement rate.

Yes, that is exactly what I do. But others believe in balancing all 6.

Where are you located? Just mount or mount and balance? If balance, just front or all 6?

While the FMCA Guide is an excellent "first source", Cadillac is the final "how to". I say that because we have seen a few "here is how you set up the vehicle to be towed 4 wheels down" BE CHANGED BY THE MANUFACTURER after production and printing of the owners manual-- some even to the point to issue new pages to the owners manual. Hopefully, someone with first hand experience with exactly your same model will chime in, though this is not one of the more common toads.