Briarhopper

A 20 degree difference is not really enough to be concerned, but just to be clear for those who pass by this thread. If you inflated your tires to 105 psi at 65 degrees, then they will read lower by roughly 2 psi at 48 degrees. If you are checking at 48 degrees early in the morning and the daytime high is going to be back to 65, then you allow that the psi will be roughly 2 psi low when you check, but no need to add air. If your cold inflation pressure is 105 psi and you plan to be driving in 20 degree air and your coach is sitting in 20 degree air when you check, you would inflate your tires to 105 psi. If you had a heated garage and your coach was sitting at 70 degrees and you were going to pull out into 20 degree air, you would inflate to 110.

It may be the position of the thermostat for the rear unit is positioned so that the temp stays below 69 during the day and when you shut off the front unit it warms and kicks in. Other thought is there maybe an automatic switch that only allows one unit to operate. Is the electrical shore line connection to park power 50 amp or 30 amp?

The 50 amp surge suppressor should work in both cases. It won't know whether your plugged into an adapter or not. If all your stuff works using the 30A adapter, then the only differences between feeding the coach with a 50 amp connection or a 30 amp adapter is: 1. Your total available amps is reduced from 100 to 30. 2. The 30 amp feed is single phase instead of double phase. Neither item should effect whether or not the surge suppressor functions. However, since electronic gizmos can be persnickety, to be certain, you could email or call the tech support of the surge suppressor you intend to purchase.

How much weight the coach can safely carry and tow is a function of engine, transmission, chassis, tires and brake systems. We had a 36 foot coach with a 454. Fully loaded at roughly 18,000 lbs, it was capable of towing an additional 2,000lbs for a total of 20,000 lbs. Assuming similar weight and tow ratings, the MG is probably within the original capability of the coach, but checking the weight ratings would be a good thing to do. If within the ratings, then it's just a case of your ability and comfort using the gears and brakes to negotiate the hills. Assuming your Dutch Star has an automatic transmission, the engine and transmission will run cooler NOT in overdrive if you are near the weight limit and when climbing.

I looked at the 2011 Explorer manual 4th printing on ford.com. The manual could be written better, but it does say the front wheel drive is towable four down and the method and procedure appear to be the same as the 4x4. BH

Brett and Dan hit the hammer on the head of the nail squarely. The range and BBQ grill you can light the old fasioned way by holding a match or lighter next to the burner. I can add if your 2000 AB is like our 2000 AB, there is one manifold (multiple connection) that feeds both furnaces, the fridge, the water heater and the range. The water heater is the shortest line, but lighting the range is easiest and the other appliances should have gas fairly quick after that. Not sure, but I think the BBQ grill may be on a seperate line from the tank so it may take a minute to light. BH

I would always say consult the owner's manual. Here is a link to a previous discussion that may shed some light: http://community.fmca.com/topic/2819-towing-a-mini-cooper/page__hl__%2Bmini+%2Bcooper__fromsearch__1 BH

Different weights depending on climate has more to do with starting a cold engine and low temperture lubrication. Multi-weight motor oils pretty much take care of that issue unless you are talking extremes and that is when we plug in our block heaters if we have them. Looking at 5W-20, the 5W is a rating of viscosity at low temperature (cold engine) and the 20 is a rating of viscosity at high temperature (hot engine). The 20 is the weight of oil that provides proper lubrication in the hot engine which is 200 degrees F +/- and not affected that much by whether the air temp is 97 (here in the heartland today) or a little warmer (maybe) in the Sunshine State. The hottest the engine will be is on a steep sustained climb somewhere north of Florida. The manual may spec a synthetic or synthetic blend. One note on getting a Chassis manual is the chassis for a 2006 coach coudl be a 2005 or even 2004 in some cases. Just my thoughts. BH

Rhymmer, My thoughts in blue. My apolgies if some seems redundant. Still struggling with the same issue as I was preparing for a job interview the last three days. I have been running the engine and generator to keep the power up. I have tried working with the remote, checked all the lights on the panel. The remote is set for 30 amps. There are no blinking lights. In an earlier post you mentioned the LEDs on 458 front panel (Solid chg and blinking invert). The two together mean the charger is on and the inverter is in standby mode. A question I have when the generator runs are the batteries charging if all is working well? Yes, if all is working well. However, shore power or generator will not charge the batteries if the 458 breaker is tripped. Thats the button with the 25 on it. Would there be any difference if I was hooked up to a 50 amp service as far as the inverter issue?(iam guessing not) It's possibly though maybe not likely. The power sharing feature of the 458 set to 30 will limit the amount of charge current going to the batteries. This is to prevent the 458 from pulling too much current and causing the shoreline breaker to trip. The 458 does three things; It charges the batteries, as an inverter it provides power to the coach 120 volt system and it automatically switches from 120 volt shore power to inverter power if the shore power drops out. Charging and inverting are two seperate functions of the 458. A possible scenario that fits your symptoms is: Plugged into 30amp shore line with power sharing set to 30 and heavy 120 volt usage prevented the 458's charger from keeping the batteries up as 12 volt appliances were operated. The inverter was on but in standby mode due to being plugged into shore power. When usage tripped shore power on the second day, the 458's auto changeover function shifted the coach 120 loads to the inverter and then the 458's breaker tripped because the load was too much for the inverter. As long as the inverter is on or in standby mode it tries to pick up the coaches 120 volt loads if not connected to shore power and immediatley trips the breaker because of the load. WIth the 458's breaker tripped it stopped charging and eventually the batteries became too depleted and you awake to a dark coach. The above may not be what happened at all, but it does fit the bits and pieces. If looking at the front panel (not remote) of the 458 shows a lit chg LED and a blinking invert LED while the shore line is plugged in and powering the coach 120 volt, then the above scenario may still fit. If the two are lit as described while shore line is plugged up, turning the inverter off by pressing the invert button on the 458 (not the remote) once may allow you to reset the 458 breaker. Hope this helps. BH

Welcome, If you need to drive more than a mile or two to get to an air hose, just check your tires before driving, note how many pounds you need to add, drive to the air hose, check the pressure and add the pounds you determined before driving. Best to check early morning before the sun hits the tires. If you sleep late as I do sometimes, just bear in mind that the sunny side could be a few pounds more than the shady side and no need to let air out if they are. If you like the idea of carrying a compressor, here is a link to a previous discussion: http://community.fmca.com/topic/2487-air-compressor-best-typesize-for-motorhome-tires/ You could also do a search for "compressor" from the forum main page and get more topics. BH

Had an interesting and educational conversation with the lab after sampling engine oil for the second time in the Cummins. Happy to report no big flags. This last sample was taken at 5,000 miles and 5 months since the previous sample. Most of the mileage has been in longer runs over 2 to 7 day periods and we have sit parked for a majority of days in the 5 month period (21 total travel days and the rest parked). Two little bitty flags worth noting and very pertinent to the topic of oil change interval. The base number was down but still above acceptable level and adequate to combat acidity. Iron was up slightly, but still below acceptable level. Both the dropping base number and rising iron can be contriubuted to engine conditions while sitting; base number dropping due to acid formation as Brett mentioned above and the iron rising due to rust formation internally in the engine. Theorectically, going forward the base number will be improved each time I add a little oil, but at some point will be overcome by the formation of acid and will likely be the big flag that indicates time to change the oil. The other likely condition that will call for an oil change will be overall contamination, which if understand correctly, will happen with operation rather than no operation. We'll sample again at 10,000 miles or 12 months. BH

A few added thoughts. Oil weight is important in all engines. It is critical in some of the newer Ford engines as the oil system not only lubricates, but supplies pressure to timing mechanism gizmos. If you use the wrong oil or fail to change oil when needed, the ports can clog easier and bad things can happen. This may be the case in a lot of modern engines, but I am only familiar with Ford. BH

Welcome, The info I have on the 2009, 2010 & 2011 model years does not list the Transit Connect as towable four down. The best information would be to look up the latest printing of the owners manual on Ford's web site. Check for manual supplements to make sure nothing has changed. BH

Fords fleet web site should have the manual as a pdf, I think.

Many truck stops have certified scales. I usually walk into the desk and let them know what I am doing first. Then just drive onto the scale, usuallly a call box to let the desk know who you are. They likely will ask for a company name and truck number (I just use My Last Name Company and truck # 1). They will squawk back when they have your weight in a matter of seconds. All handled by remote from the fuel desk and there likley will be no one at the scale The scales will have 3 or 4 platforms that allow trucks to get their individual axle weights, so just position your axles on different platforms. If your coach just has two axles and you are towing, let the towed sit on the last platform and get a weight on it. The weights will be for each platform (axle) and on the weigh ticket it will list steer, drive and trailer axle weights. If you want or need each wheel postiion weighed and the platform is dead level with the pavement on either side, you can then re-position to get one side of the coach on the scale platfroms and one side on solid ground. Though, many truck stop scales are not set up to allow single side weighing. Cost will be $10 per weigh +/- Moving companies also have scales and they may be set up better for weighing one side. You need to call ahead to make sure they will let you weigh and pay. The weigh ticket may be different so just make sure you understand what they give you. The RV tire guides available online from Michelin, Bridgestone, etc, have weighing instructions that may be useful to review. BH

If the old sealant is dry and cracked it is best to remove it. I use a combination of dull putty knives, a painters tool, utility knife, etc. Main thing is be careful not to make holes in the membrane. Some sealants will peel off once you get them started and others come off in bits and pieces. If it has any gooeyness left, a cooler day and/or shady spot may help. A little bit of residue that is stuck tight won't hurt as long as it is clean. Areas that the old sealant was gone may need to be cleaned with a scrubby pad and water before resealing. BH

The LEDs described indicate the 458 was set to charge and inverter in standby mode. If shore power dropped out, the inverter automatically trys to pick up the load. If the load was too much for the 458 the (25 button) breaker would then trip. While the breaker is tripped, the 458 will not charge the batteries from shore power or generator. If the breaker only trips when not connected to shore power it is likely due to the inverter load. Turn the inverter off by pressing the invert button once (invert/wet LED should go off and not blink) and see if the breaker (25 button) will reset.

The LEDs described indicate the 458 was set to charge and inverter in standby mode. If shore power dropped out, the inverter automatically trys to pick up the load. If the load was too much for the shore breaker, it would be too much for the 458 (25 button) breaker.

The breaker tripping indicates over current in the inverter/charger output. Questions: Have you ever been hooked up to a 50 amp shore line and if so, was all working properly as fas as you know? During the current stay, has the shore power cut off for any length of time? You mentioned tripping the breaker the second day?? When the 458 breaker (button with 25 on it) trips, are you connected to shore power or generator or neither? Is the chg/gel light still showing green and invert/wet light still blinking? BH

Since you have kept the tires at the same pressures and traveled for 39,000 miles, take a few minutes and measure your tread wear on each tire and each tread. The treadwear will give an idea of how the load is being carried and also if you are grossly overinflated. If all tires are wearing more in the middle of the tread, confirms over-inflation. If one side is wearing differently that the other, it is an indication of load imbalance. Above assumes proper alignment of wheels and axles. BH

Midland and/or Radio Shack are the two that come to mind. The small desk unit with a telescoping antenna seems to receive better. Any unit that uses an AC adapter with a DC input can be plugged into the DC with the right DC adapter (Radio Shack). The SAME is very useful if you are in one location, but for travel days a unit that can scan or be dialed for the strongest WX station can be more useful to give info pertinent to where you are. I find that having access to internet while on the road is better than the WX radio because I often do not know all the locations the WX radio is referencing in the statements or warnings. I can compare the WX radar on the phone or laptop to a map or Garmin and have some idea of where we are in relation to the WX event and can change course & speed to avoid becoming part to event. The NWS graphical forecasts are great for planning a day ahead as you can see local, state, regional or national representations of severe weather, rain, wind, etc. Knowing where the wind is today or might be tomorrow will be handy in the Spring. BH

QGJ, I have used all three. Mostly a matter of preference. The more you spend the more accurate (maybe) and smaller psi increments. Its hard to beat a good ol' service gauge (type with brass rod that slides out and stays), but they usually have 2 lb increments. A big digital readout is nice and some dials are easy to read too. I have a digital and a service gauge and for some reason, I usually grab the service gauge. Call me old fashioned I reckon. BH

Since there have been no replies with first hand knowledge. Depending on your route, you may be able to use Google Street View to check out the roads every few miles. Just go to maps.google.com and click "Get Directions", input your start and finish, then click and drag the little man right above the zoom tool on the left. If street view is available for your route, it will highlight on the screen. BH

This may not be applicable to an engine under warranty. I plan to use oil analysis to detemine when to change the oil. When we bought the coach we have, I wanted an idea better than a guess as to the engine condition, so I sampled the oil. I figure why not continue the practice. This is the first engine I have used oil analysis on, so it's a trial for me. Don't know why it wouldn't work for checking oil that only had 1,000 miles on it other than the warranty issue. Might be worth a call to Cummins and see what they say. A lab report might be as good as an oil change service record. Might be other service factors to consider though. BH