wolfe10

Actually, cold weather is NOT a friend to higher MPG. Cold air is dense air and contributes to added aerodynamic drag-- a significant factor pushing that huge "box" down the road. Yes, intake air temperatures will be a little cooler, but with the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) your engine will see pretty cool air all the time (compared to a turbo diesel without CAC).

Joey, Very few of the on-line RV forums allow one to advertise their coach for sale. irv2 does. Craigslist as another free option. Good luck.

Nan, Glad you are back working. So, what was the problem?

Nan, Yes, the breakers on the generator need to be ON for power to go to coach. Sometimes hard to tell if they are tripped. Best to turn them both OFF and back ON. If you have an ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and you are safe working around 120 VAC, you might pull the lid off the ATS and check for power IN and OUT to the main breaker box. If no power on the IN side, there will be J box where wiring from generator connects to coach wiring on its way to the ATS.

Wow, never ran into THREE fuel filters unless one is for the generator. For the main engine: Primary/water separator and secondary yes. What are the PN#'s?

Bobandjanie, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. You might post a picture of how yours is installed. Would give us a better idea of the problem. Thanks.

I agree on the Skagway train ride. BUT (large but) there was a rock slide last week, so the RR was down until they get it dug out. We did it on a previous trip. Amazing that there were those on the ship expressing dissatisfaction with the ship excursion desk when their RR excursion was cancelled due to the slide. Must not THINK MUCH-- like the ship personnel (or even RR personnel) have control over rock slides in that very steep, narrow valley. Dianne is going through editing her pictures from the trip right now. Lots of whale (Humpback and Orca), bald eagles, sea otters, sea lions, etc. We never get tired of visiting, particularly in the Texas summer heat. Guess we will start a new slogan-- "To see better wildlife in Alaska look outside, not on the dance floor".

What brand jacks?

Byron, Agree the charger may not be the root cause. But, it can be if voltage too high and lack of maintenance. Here is how it progresses: Charger overcharges/voltage too high. Batteries boil. Water level not maintained. Hottest cell boils dry first. Once dry, it fails, making a 6 VDC battery a 4 VDC battery/12 VDC battery a 10 VDC battery. Charging a 10 VDC battery (one dead cell, whether in two 6 VDC batteries in series or a 12 VDC battery) at 13+ VDC is WAY OVER-CHARGING IT. Battery death is imminent.

Pull out your Freedom Inverter manual or look on-line. It is a smart charger, but you need to tell it what you need. You will tell it: 1. Battery bank size (in amp-hrs) 2. Battery technology (wet cell, AGM, gel) 3. You will tell it ambient temperature range (unless you have the optional battery temperature probe). Correct charging voltage in hot temperature is LOWER than when it is cold out. So, if no temperature probe, you will change this setting seasonally. Depending on age of coach, this programming is accomplished by (from earliest models to new): Dip switches on inverter/charger OR dip switches on back of remote panel OR programming from front of remote panel.

With wet cell batteries, most accurate is to fully charge and then test with a HYDROMETER-- under $10 at any auto parts house. Have you programmed your Freedom 20?

Have driven the Alcan 3 times and cruised the inside passage 9 times (returned Monday from our last cruise). Both are great, but scenery on the cruise is truly spectacular, not just "nice".

jeffmfi, Yes, welcome to the FMCA Forum. Two causes of batteries boiling. As already posted, the most common is for a cell to go bad. When that happens to a 6VDC battery, it, in reality becomes a 4VDC battery. So, a charger, doing exactly what it should (in terms of charging voltage) will WAY over-charge those remaining good cells. Another cause is that a "stupid" charger or smart charger improperly programmed will charge at too high a voltage.

Yes, you have it correctly identified-- remove the outer panel to access the screws. The picture you posted has both 120 VAC (the breakers) and 12 VDC (the fuses) in the same enclosure. Yours may be like that or in separate areas. Procedure is the same either way. And, as you posted, be sure shore power is disconnected, generator off, inverter off.

Agree, loose connections are the #1 killer of ATS's. #2 would be burned points from switching under heavy loads.

Agree, sudden blowouts can occur. But, probably a VERY small number, compared with those that loose pressure over time and then fail. So, agree, a TPMS can not prevent all tire failures, but it can prevent the vast majority of them.

Let me clarify that: The RED (Rear Engine Diesel) IS, repeat IS a diesel pusher. If a FRED (Front Engine Diesel), that is a completely different beast with front engine (hence the name) and different suspension, etc. Engine size is another issue. When looking at engine size/power, power to WEIGHT ratio is more telling. On long grades, with our first coach (1993 Foretravel U240 with 250 HP Caterpillar 3116) I have passed 500 HP coaches on long grades, as our coach weighted about 1/3 of what that other coach weighted.

I have found the Wix cross reference guide excellent for determining both specs and Wix (good quality) replacements: http://www.wixfilters.com/Lookup/filterlookup.aspx

Mike, Indeed, there are several good/safe ways to use multiple 120 VAC sources. Most RV's use ATS's because they are "automatic"/require zero owner work. Most marine applications DO use manual switches and they are a viable option in an RV. More KISS theory, but do require owner "work". And certainly another option is to manually plug shore power cord into outlet supplied by generator. As with all 120/240 VAC wiring, you do need to know what you are doing!

Best answer. With a call from Winnebago, a dealer's service manager is very likely to work you in. Be sure to explain that you are traveling, not looking for service from your local dealer when you bought elsewhere because of price, etc.

Roger, At least in the picture, looks like there is metal visible surrounding the slide opening. And there surely will be metal forming the "framing" of the opening. Assume you do have braces at all four corners.

A good idea. And, even 2X2's would work fine. I did something very similar when a hydraulic line split to the slide cylinder for our bedroom slide. Got it home just fine (FL to TX). I used 4 2X2's I cut from scraps of 2X2's I found in a dump near a small CG where we were to hold the slide at each side/top and bottom. If we had been near a box store, would have just bought some 2x2 and cut them the correct length. Be sure they are placed so that both ends are on structural members, not just wall board. Use velcro or in an emergency, even duct tape to hold them in place.

Have you checked voltage at the batteries? House? Chassis?

Filters/filter housings are generally chosen by the chassis maker, not the engine maker. The engine maker just gives the specs (CFM's). So, check with your chassis maker.

First step is to have the tire inspected by a tire expert-- hopefully to determine the root cause of the failure. Only a small percent are manufacturer defects. Said another way, a manufacturing defect will usually show up in way less than 5 years.