Briarhopper

Appreciate the feedback. At the moment, the unit has developed repairman's syndrome and I can't seem to replicate the earlier problems. Thinking maybe there was some dust in the stat or power fluctuation or other gremlin.

FEI: The smell is added to propane. It is possible to have propane that does not smell, though I believe it would be illegal to distribute, it does happen. Google "propane without odorant' to read more. BH

Not sure of the type hose, but if you really liked it and it will do what you want, you may be able to cut the end off and get a 1/4" npt - hose barb fitting and 1 or 2 hose clamps and be in business. In lieu of clamps you could find someone to crimp the fitting on the hose. I'd use the dryer on any tire or anything where the compressed air is in contact with a metal rim or tire rubber. The moisture is damaging to tire rubber, metal rims, etc. BH

Have a Duo-Therm A/C roof mounted. The same analog thermostat operates a seperate propane furnace. Recently started cycling too quick in A/C mode. It will start and then withinn a few seconds kick off. It has also kicked off and within a few seconds started again. Along the same time noticed that the temperature setting had to be about 20 degrees warmer to operate the A/C or furnace. In other words had to set it to 85F to get it to kick on and heat (or cool) to 65F. Do these symptons point to thermostat or could there be a problem inside the roof unit?

Dan, I just gotta ask. Do you close the door when you plan on using the dog gas?? BH

A good motor shop might be able to rebuild the motor. Seems like good motor shops are hard to come by these days though.

JimMarkle, You might know this stuff already, but just in case. The Escape and trailer will be close to the Bounder's tow capacity of 5,000 lbs. Using a trailer, you would also need to keep the tongue weight below 500 lbs and the only way to do that on a motor home hitch is balancing the load on the trailer. So, the trailer either needs to be just the right size for an Escape or have movable axles. The trailer weight will of course add to the gross combined weight and the tongue weight will add to both GVWR and rear GAWR. So, need to watch those numbers to stay below the ratings. BH

Welcome. The coaches I have had have a master switch that has to be on for the lights and other 12 volt stuff to work. Its usually in a central location, maybe near the main door or if there is a panel in the kitchen area. It may just be labeled "12V" or "Disconnect". There could also be a battery disconnect at the coach battery, which may be seperate from the chassis battery. Some coaches also power the 12 volt lights, etc anytime the 120 volt power cord is plugged into your home power or campground power. If you have manuals, they might help. If not, post the brand and model of motor home (or any info you know) and someone here may have specific knowledge or help find more info. BH

I do not know if HWH does or does not recommend using white lithium on any of their jack rods. I just found the HWH maintenance guide which recommends removing any grease or silicone based lubricants using WD-40 and using WD-40 to clean the jack rods, but only if needed. HWH has a large amount of info on their website. Some a little hard to dig out. BH

Depends on how safe you want to be and where you are towing. Considering safety, any given vehicle will stop in a shorter distance with more brake square inches than less. Considering location, different states have different regulations. Kentucky, for instance, technically only requires brakes on 2 wheels, BUT you have to be able to stop on level ground within 40 feet when traveling at 20mph. I think some jurisdictions require brakes on all axles. There have been other discussions on the forum and a search for "brake" or "axle" should populate your screen with more info. Brake linings on all wheels will last longer with more brake square inches, assuming proper set up. BH

Good info from BW and HM. The coach and chassis manuals will (should) address some (if not all) issues you need to consider. They will address winter storage, but may not address the extremes you might have, depending on if you live just north of a Bukeye or just south of that really big pond. Another thing to consider is the winter weather stress on the exterior. Indoor would be best. I'm not a fan of covers, but thinking about leaving one for several months over winter outside makes me think more considerate of their protection. Would at least check the roof and wall sealants, seams, etc. BH

Not familiar with the coach. If it is like mine, a momentary switch activates a relay/disconnect. The relay has some moving parts that make the connection and other moving parts that hold the connection closed until the control switch applies power to the other side to open the disconnect. If the control switch/button is a momentary switch then it is likely activating a relay type battery disconnect as described loosely above. If this is the case and holding the control switch in the on position keeps the relay closed then it would seem to point to the relay being faulty. The relay is closing, but the gizmo that holds it closed without power from the control switch has left the game. If this is the case, holding the button for a moment and tapping the relay carefully (with a non-conductive tapper) may unstick the gizmo. If that works, you probably still need to replace the relay. I suspect most work this way, but I do not know for sure. If not as described, I would locate the relay/disconnect mfg & part # and look for a description online as to how it functions to determine best troubleshooting steps. BH

Welcome. There are different configurations of control switch(s) and solenoid(s). If you post year, make and model someone may know the configuration and where to look for components. If the control switch is momentary, my wild guess would be it has a solenoid that is not staying closed which may be due to the solenoid or possibly the control switch or an unkown factor. BH

There may be something binding that is not apparent with push and pull. If you can disengage the motor and use a wrench or crank to turn the shaft where the motor attaches, it may lead you to the problem. Does it always shear at the same position and travel direction or is it totally random? BH

Not that this is conclusive, but Ford changed the owners guide for the 2012 Escape by adding a supplement in February per the online owners section of ford.com and they did not change the owners guide for the 2012 Escape Hybrid. This info subject to my competence at looking it up, so use at your own risk. For the Fusion and all Ford vehicles, their web site has available owner manuals, guides and supplements for several years.

Check the sites you like on the iphone. Many have desktop widgets or controls to access their content, especially the weather, like weatherbug.com. Ease of use may not be on par with the mobile apps, but content and capability is usually more. Google maps, yellowbook.com, bing.com and others can locate resturants and businesses. Using Internet Explorer, you can usually save a shortcut for a web site to your desktop by right click and drag of the website icon located at the left of the address bar.

Its a Model KY spec E. I was able to locate the manual number for a spec E thru Quickserve. These appear to be the same but available thru the public site. See if they look like the right manuals. Owner manual link: http://www.cumminson...ls/981-0155.pdf Service manual link: http://www.cumminson...ls/981-0503.pdf

If it has repeated the 5+/- minute shut down several times, it may be related to the automatic choke system. If it is stuck (mechanically or electrcially) partially closed could make it hard to start, allow it to run fine and then shut down when it warms up and it would be hard to restart because it would have choked down. If the engine slows a little before it dies that would fit. If it dies like you hit the kill switch, maybe not. BH

My opinion only, but as long as you are not extremly heavy on your tires, it should not be a problem sitting for a month or two. Might be a problem sitting for 3 or more months. Some tires will take extended sitting better. I would consult with the tire maker. They may tell you just to air the tires to the maximum sidewall pressure (while sitting only) and all will be well. On replacing levelers, my only experience is with HWH and I have had to replace a spring. Wasn't exactly easy, but I imagine a lot easier than installing a new jack. If I had to replace springs on a regular basis, I would buy a spring installer or fabricate one to make it easy and safe to do. I imagine some installations could make spring replacements very difficult, so my approach may not be feasible. BH

Will it start when it is cold and only hard to start after it runs for 5 minutes and stops? If yes, and you let it cool down will it start easy again?

Welcome RayBaker, It could be a splitter, a connector or broken conductor. Also could be a switch. You can trace problems with a multi-meter, but need to know some basics about the system, whether it has an amplified broadcast antenna, satellite antenna, etc. On locations, splitters can be behind the wall plates, but I have also found them in ceiling ducts. Do you get signal to all TV's from the broadcast antenna or satellite? BH

Koliver, My mindset is similar to yours, so I looked around before I made post #8. Maybe should have included the quotes then, but would have required more effort, but since you asked. Specific to surface a tire sits or rolls on, I found the following in the respective RV tire guides. They also have info on inflation or lifting the weight off. Michelin: "some storage surfaces can cause tires to age faster" Bridgestone: "Avoid letting tires sit on asphalt for long periods of time because they can absorb damaging oils from it. Goodyear: "Thoroughly clean your tires with soap and water before storing them to remove any oils that may have accumulated from the road.” Okay, so its not a scientific explanation, but should elevate the practice a little above the "somebody told me" status.

Not sure I can help. To make sure I understand: When you turn off the coach master 12v switch which kills power to the coach 12v system it causes the solenoid to click lke it is engaging and disengaing and when you turn the master switch on and power the coach 12v system, the clicking solenoid stops clicking. Is this correct? The solenoid in question is the solenoid that connects both coach and chassis batteries together to boost start the chassis engine. Correct?

Generally mold/mildew on the surface of inorganic material can be cleaned as it doesn't eat into the material. Mold on wood, paper etc, is more difficult to deal with. The best solution is to remove the material and replace. Sometimes, thats not so easy or economical to do. If you can expose the damaged material, you may be able to kill the mold, but if not completely removed or killed, it will begin to grow again when the conditions that promote growth occur (warmth and moisture). Bleach is great stuff, but is also harmful to organic material (including humans), so be careful if using. There are other chemicals available that remediation companies can get that are safer to use, but not sure if they can be bought over the counter anywhere. There are also paints or coatings that therorectically retard mold returning that can be used to coat affected materials after you have did your best to kill the mold. If it is bad enough, it may be worth a call to a professional remediator. You can also find good info on mold prevention and remedaition at epa.gov. Some of the info is aimed at schools and commercial buildings, but an RV is just a small building that moves.

My two bits worth of understanding is that you want to avoid surfaces that may contain oils or chemicals that could affect the tires. Safe bet is to place a barrier between the tire and surface. I would think good clean concrete pavers would be okay, but if in doubt a piece of clean plywood can’t hurt. Have always heard that any vehicle in long term storage should be lifted and placed on blocks to take the weight off the tires. Seems if you used the lift jacks to take most of the weight off, that would be a good compromise, but that’s just my idea. Don’t think this is an issues if you drive it once every 2 or 3 months (my idea again). Michelin says to inflate to sidewall pressure while stored and I’m guessing it is to help with the weight on the tire. Aside from the tire question, parking on grass, may want to consider how much, if any, additional moisture will collect on the underside. Equipment parked outside on grass seems to rust sooner and faster and not everything under a coach is undercoated.