wayne77590

Gary, My wife is a survivor of ARDS and has COPD and smoke bothers her. In Montana a couple years ago she went to the ER because of the fires in Idaho and the smoke drift. We also try to avoid camp fires. We close up and turn on the AC, even just the fan will filter a lot of it out of the MH. Closing the windows and turning on the AC works for us. She is not on Oxygen, yet, and hopefully never will be. We share your concerns.

Jim, With Maureen's statement that it only rolls forward and not backward sure sounds like the drum brake mechanism. Hey, what do I know, the only experience I have with that system is that my FIL had one back in the 70's and it sure brought the coach to a halt one time when throwing it into park. Neither of us thought at the time that there was no pawl to engage the transmission and that only the drive shaft drum brake was engaged. It sure worked when he had to use it. I'm still leaning towards that mechanism or the pads. I'm just thinking out loud - if it is AutoPark where it is put into the park position on the gear shift then it most likely is in the system and not the drum brake. If, in 1994, they had a separate engagement lever then it could be the drum mechanism or pads. My FIL's coach did not have a manual lever. It had to be thrown into park to engage the "emergency" brake on the drum. Also thinking out loud - with the forward momentum of the vehicle for 30 miles there could be an uneven wear on the pads causing the vehicle to roll forwards, but when rolling backwards there is enough reverse torque on the pads to let it engage. I wish I were an expert on this instead of just thinking out loud. I'll sit back and wait for Maureen's follow-up.

Kay, A 40' MH towing a car does not maneuver around many of the RV Islands. I'm just glad I don't have DEF at the present time. Now here is a picture. At a PFJ station, truck side, the manger came out and put a cone out indicated that the pump was not operating. An RV came in from the opposite direction to put DEF in the tank. When finished the manager moved the cone so the RV could exit the entry way.

I just can't understand why any mechanic cannot look at the drum brake shoe that clamps the drive shaft when the vehicle is placed in park and determine if the shoes need to be replaced. That part should not be rocket science. Granted, if something is wrong with the system that makes the clamp engage, well that requires someone with a different knowledge base. That may well be a deeper problem if the system is AutoPark. Doesn't AutoPark only engage when the transmission is placed in park causing the drive shaft drum brake to engage? If it was driven 30 miles in park I would be really surprised. Maureen, how do you set the brake when you stop? Thanks.

Just being polite! Don't want the MH to think we are calling her that "yellow" thing.

X2 on all the previous puns. Also Carl, I live close by. Would you like to borrow my knife and get rid of the toppers?

I feel for you. We call our Winnebago "Citrus."

All the above. I have also parked on grass, but not for that long of a time. However, it rained and if you have leveling jacks think about putting something under them. Once with 12x12" 3/4 plywood the wood still sunk into the ground about 2-3 inches. The wood did keep the jack from sinking in.

Is it still under Winnebago warranty? Wow is right. I would definitely contact Winnebago for help.

You do know that you have to hold your mouth different for each software applications and if it is not correct - well it just doesn't work well.

You be safe, and be very careful when parking. Put on the tennis shoes so you can run fast to put the chocks in place, or hand them out the window to a neighbor and ask them to chock the wheels. Hope you get it fixed soon and please so keep us informed.

I also have hot water when we arrive at a camp ground and about 50 miles down the highway when we depart. I don't have the AquaHot, but I do have the Motoraid Water Heater. "The Motoraid uses heat from the chassis engine cooling system to heat water in the water heater while driving. Hoses are routed from the engine to the heat exchanger surrounding the water heater tank" I personally would opt for the Motoraid instead of the AquaHot because: I have basement AC/Heatpump. In the temperate climates it has worked very well but it is augmented by the propane furnace. If there is a great temperature difference the furnace and heatpump are activated until there is a temperature balance and the furnace goes off and the heat pump continues. Should the AC/Heatpump fail, I have the propane furnace to continue to keep us toastie. The unfortunate side is that when purchasing a new motorhome, one may not have a choice without expense on removing or adding an item. A lot of the newer MH's come prebuilt with the AquaHot.

Mark the transmission fluid stick with a scribe or something and then just tell the mechanics to ignore the full mark and use the scribe mark. But as a safety I sure would check it anytime it comes out of a shop! That is fascinating.

I didn't use FMCA's program but I did use the one I have (GS) and I needed to get towed 40 miles. I asked the driver of the wrecker when I arrived what it would have cost if I had to pay for it myself. He stated $750. Glad I have it.

Jerri, Could it be possible that the circuits in the bedroom are in series with the GFCI plugs? Look to see if there are GFCI plugs, anywhere from two to three or maybe more. You can spot them by the reset button between the sockets. Press the reset and if you hear it click it was probably tripped. Hope this helps and that is the problem.

ObedB, I'm a proponent of Firefox. I have used it on both Windows and MAC and it is the browser of choice. It has many add-ons that make it more attractive, like adblock plus and Ghostery (Both also available for other browsers) Just a matter of preference. I also keep Safari and Chrome as a spare in case something doesn't work. Not all programs are written for every browser so when there is a video that will not play on one or the other I just switch to one that does work for that video. It is not going to hurt the system to have both Firefox and Chrome on your system. Personally, IE is just so filled with useless stuff, but again that is my opinion. I never liked it on the Windows machine either.

Dyson Animal V6 - What a great little vacuum. It only has about a 20 minute battery but it charges fast and the 20 minutes lasts for us to do the entire MH. We have an 80 pound Husky and the hair is, well everywhere. The Dyson Animal has many attachments and there is a small beater brush that can do car floors, trunks, and pick up any kitty litter you may have. Expensive little machine but worth every penny. IMO We also use it around the S&B for other small jobs. Big dust mop then vacuum the dust mop, great for rugs and other items. works great for the cars.

I have been using he SMI Air Force 1 system for 8 years and switched cars during that period and switched the AF1 over. It has worked very well. Just connect the lines and go. Nothing needs to be put on the floor inside the car when you move - the system stays there. Good luck.

Maureen, If you are traveling alone think about the chocks. Someone needs to keep their foot on the brake and someone needs to go out and put chocks under the front and back of the rear wheels - both sides. Be careful and stay safe.

I'm not going to tell on myself! Sheesh! Let Todd and the Minions delete my wise-crack words of wisdom.

I believe it and glad I told you about it. You'd still be searching for a spot. It's silly but that is the way it is in NE. Happy trails.

....so be careful what you post!

Look under it and see if there is a big clamp looking thing around the drive shaft. Have someone engage and disengage the parking brake. If that clamp moves, that is the parking brake and it either needs adjustment or the pad needs to be replaced. If not, other help will be along.

I got mine from miniinthebox.com. Yep, out of China, but what the hey isn't everything now-a-days.

Yep! Experience varies considerably. I had Window computers since Window's for Workgroups and I think even on back from that. In all the years I let it update I never had a problem. Go figure. It just happens. Hey folks, even the MAC has a few problems with upgrades. In my case I have to go back in and reset everything that they think everyone wants as a general setting. It just happens.