wolfe10

Guys, There have been some really good points made on this thread. I really hate to see this degrade to name calling/personal attacks. Yes, I deleted the last several. Let's keep this discussion on a higher level. Thanks. Moderator

Totally agree. 5 minutes on Gasbuddy the day I know we need to refuel will save hundreds of dollars a year. Good investment of my time.

Here are the variables that engine manufacturers "juggle". Yes, you can change one, but it WILL affect the others: Power MPG Emissions Engine longevity THERE ARE NO FREE RIDES-- NO SILVER BULLETS!

Link??? I saw no mention of Marcus Lemonis on FlyingJ/Pilot's website or business links.

No, at least our 2003 ISL 400 has the Allison 3000. Suspect all of them do. The advent of Transynd/synthetic fluid allowed Allison to up permissible HP/torque.

Depending on what area of the country you are in and what kind of scenery/activities you are interested in: FL-- check for affects of Irma before deciding South TX-- south of Corpus Christi, not north this year because of damage from Harvey. The whole Rio Grande valley is fine/was not affected. AZ South CA Tell us more about where you are leaving from and what kind of scenery/activities are you are interested in and we can be more specific.

Agreed, that would cause the shore power BREAKER to trip. But, not the GFI.

Since you, not Michelin will end up spending your money to replace these tires based on AGE, not sure their view is really that important. Agreed, tires will age "less fast" sitting in a warehouse than on a vehicle, but they still age faster than a tire that has not yet been built. Unless it is an emergency and you have not been able to locate "younger" tires, I would not pay for tires more than 3 months old.

Try turning off the main breaker in your coach 120 VAC panel. If it still trips, look closely at your pig-tails/adapters. If it does not trip with main breaker off, turn off all individual breakers and reset the GFI. If it doesn't trip, start turning on the individual breakers to try to identify the culprit. And, indeed GFI's can get weak and/or fail, particularly if exposed to water.

I would start by cleaning the electrical connections at the generator. Also, check for good connections on the back of the remote panel. After that, you're into troubleshooting.

If the diagnostic code is not "translatable" to an Allison code, easy answer is to use the electronic shift pad to download the Allison code directly: Ignition/key ON, engine OFF Press up and down arrows at the same time. Press up and down arrows again at the same time. That will bring up the diagnostic codes. The window will show "d-1" for first stored diagnostic code and then two digit codes after that. If no stored code, it will show "d-1" followed by "- -" If there is a d-1, press the mode button to bring up d-2, etc. Continue until you get a d- number followed by "- -" BTW, Tom Johnson, owner of JG Lubricant Services, posts here on the FMCA Forum as well: http://community.fmca.com/profile/20842-hzjcm8/?wr=eyJhcHAiOiJmb3J1bXMiLCJtb2R1bGUiOiJmb3J1bXMtY29tbWVudCIsImlkXzEiOjMxNzEsImlkXzIiOjE2NjE0fQ==

Jeff, Yes, welcome to the FMCA Forum. Several choices, depending on how/where/how long you store your coach: If you have shore power, just leave it plugged in-- with the inverter/charger properly programmed. Even a 15 amp house-type outlet is adequate for this. If no shore power and stored outdoors, consider a solar panel and controller. The other option as mentioned is to turn off as much as you can. The "salesman switch" usually near the door turns off SOME 12 VDC loads. Many times it does not turn them all off. Things like propane detector, refrigerator PC board, etc may not be wired through it. Probably a good idea if you will be keeping the coach stored for more than a short time to use an AMMETER to check draw with the salesman switch off, to verify that you do not have a significant draw. Lastly, wet cell batteries do "self discharge"-- so, even if fully disconnected/no load, they will discharge. This is where the "how long" question comes in.

Conservative answer is that a pure sine wave inverter will either be the same or BETTER than the MSW for running a refrigerator. Some do run successfully on MSW, but that may limit you on your choice of residential refrigerators. Check with the refrigerator manufacturer before ASSUMING. Not sure I would mention either way that it is for an RV, but there are a number of homes "off the grid" that use inverters to power household appliances. As far as rewiring, the only reason for doing anything other than a direct sway: If the new inverter is a higher amp model, requiring larger gauge wire and/or the remote panel and perhaps wiring from inverter to panel re different. I would favor one good quality PSW inverter to too. And the size a 1500/2000 watt inverter will generally have a built in ATS so it automatically switches over to an external power source from either shore power or generator.

All 4 switches are used to turn on/off a RELAY that then powers the pump. You need to find the relay and check for power in/power out.

Bill, As you know, there are a number of factors that go into tire life-- sure, UV exposure is one. So is correct PSI, correct alignment, tire balance, etc. And absolutely, if you park your coach for months at a time with tires uncovered, you WILL shorten their "safe to use" life. Exactly how much-- my ouija board isn't that good. And, driving allows the emollients that protect the tire from UV light to migrate to the surface. So, the more frequently you drive, the less of an issue UV light poses. In some CG's where we have good shade, I would not even consider pulling out tire covers. Same if the site is oriented such that one side doesn't receive direct sun exposure.

jenmacias2015, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Please tell us what chassis you have. If you have hydraulic brakes (gas chassis and a very few DP's) with the engine off and brake pedal pushed, the electric/emergency boost pump comes on. Absolutely normal. You need to trace down where Power Gear gets its "parking brake is engaged" signal. Do you have schematics for your coach?

Correct. It is NOT a high failure rate item. And, since you have propane "back up" it is not something that will leave you in a bind.

No reason to replace tires every 3-4 years unless they are very badly cared for (run at low PSI, exposed to sunlight all the time, etc). With proper care, double that life expectancy but with professional inspections beginning at 5 years (this advice from Michelin). Most of the systems are the same as you diesel truck plus 5th wheel. Yes, larger and sometimes more complex, but I will start a list of differences-- others can add to it: Air system, including air pump, dryer, air suspension and air brakes. Aquahot if so equipped. The good news is that most of the chassis and driveline components share their origin with OTR trucks, so designed for a million miles with proper "care and feeding".

ISPJS, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. How did you fare in Irma? We have a number of friends in FL. A lot less damage to their particular areas than anticipated.

Bill, I suspect you HAVE identified the thrust of this thread: identifying those roads that do not have toll booths than transiting can come back to really bite your pocket book and in many cases you have no idea of for how much.

Guys, Let's try to keep this thread on track. Thanks. Yes, using a GPS to search for alternate routes is a useful feature. Moderator

Yes on the Caterpillar 3126, the water pump is on a separate V belt (crank, idler, water pump).

That suggests an inverter issue, as the refrigerator PC board and heating element "don't know the difference" between shore power and inverter. Check to see what other "normally powered by inverter" appliance and circuits are not powered. Check breakers in any sub-panel powered by the inverter. Check the (normally) two breakers on the inverter itself. Lastly, some RV manufacturers a have two outlets behind the refrigerator. Only one may be inverter-powered.

Jimmy, Let's go through this: Was the refrigerator cooling system worked on, or the engine? Does the refrigerator work on propane? If so, you know it is getting 12 VAC to the PC board. Do other appliances (commonly microwave) have power from the inverter. Does the refrigerator work on 120 VAC shore power/generator? That would suggest that the refrigerator PC board and heating element are good.

Be sure to check your vibration dampener (on the crankshaft, inboard of the pulley). If it is OK, shimming out the pulleys from the vibration dampener should be pretty easy.