wildebill308

I would be more concerned with learning how to drive it and just go. You can now worry about if one is 12’ 4” and one is 12’ 8” high and how much higher they will be as the tanks empty versus full. Bill

Welcome to the forum. NAPA is a good source for chassis parts.

It is my understanding that when you reach 1350ºF it de-fuels so the EGT temperature comes down. I haven’t been able to check this but I think the higher the number the higher your EGT may run. I have been looking at the aeroturbine muffler. I too don't know that I believe their hype about this muffler but I did believe the hype on the Banks 4 in turbo muffler. I have installed one but don’t have enough mileage on it yet to say if it helps. Not much louder than stock,by the way it fit as an exact replacement for the stock muffler I was able to use the stock clamps and hangers. Did you know you can check for upgrades to your economind and IQ on Banks web site? Bill

I want to know if anyone has been brave enough to tow a 2011 Civic with an auto trans 4 down. The manual states you should NEVER tow / emergency tow, get a truck to pick it up. This could be just CYA from Honda. Looking for someone to try it out for me. I am currently using a tow dolly and would like to tow 4 down. Bill

I don’t think we are going any where until the 19th or 20th of Mar when we head for Bandera TX. I hope I can get mine installed by then. Did you know you can run on the #1 seating and it runs as if the Banks was not installed? You could see what the temperatures are then move up to whatever setting and see what the temperatures run. Banks claims they have a built in max temp that when reached will cut back so you won’t over temp the engine. I also am interested in what temps I am running that is one of the reasons to get the Banks setup. Bill

Johnmicb, Thanks for your response and welcome to the forum. I have the EconoMind® Diesel Tuner + Banks iQ® in a box waiting for my avalible time and the weather to cooperate. I plan on doing the install my self. What shop did your install and what did they charge? I plan on having it done pretty soon as I am planing a trip in the hill country my self. Going to Fredricksberg and the Bandera area the end of next mounth. Bill

Joe Welcome to the forum. I don’t know your level of experience with this engine is. Don’t let the fact that the V10 is a higher revving engine worry you. There is a built in reve limiter and you can’t hurt the engine by letting it rev. You should have no problem with the coach pulling any of the grades out west. Bill

I think it is something to run away from. Bill

Why won't K&N release the air flow/ dirt stopping data? I would think if it was superior it would be a great sales tool. I would believe their claims if they had the testing done at a certified independent lab. I would like to see some of the oem air cleaners tested to give a comparison. Bill

You can drain it when it is stopped. I use a clear glass container so I can see if there is any water or crud coming out. You don't need to drain a great deal of fuel out I would say just till it runs clear maybe a half pint. I have drained my filter twice and never found anything. Bill

I tow with a tow dolly because every car that we currently own can’t be towed 4 down. When I look for a replacement I may go with something I can tow 4 down but for now this works great. Bill

Take it back and tell them you are not happy. Have them show you how the surround sound works not just the radio. Just a thought have you tried turning your home theater amp receiver on to see if it works? Bill

I don't know how much Camping World would charge perhaps you can call them and find out. I don't know your level of ability or experience. The biggest thing would be doing a good prep and cleaning of the surface before you put on the coating. The rubber coating material would fill all the cracks and voids and stop any leaks. Most leaks are at the edge seams or any penetration in the roof. Like I said prep is the big thing. Bill

bryanw47, When you do your change and flush of your cooling system I recommend using the full strenth antifreeze. Find out how much your system will hold then add 50% full strength antifreeze then filling the rest with distilled water. This will take into account the water you cant get out when you drain the system. Bill

That is a good article I red it. The problem was I didn't know it wasen't going into 6th gear. I don't have a indecater as to what gear it is in(if it does I haven't found it ) it onley showes the highest gear selected. I didn't know untill I was on 35 north and runing 65 and realised I was runing lower rpm at 65 thyan at 60. Bill

I may make Coffey Creek. By the way I think I have figured out why you got such different mileage going to and coming back from the 6 state rally. You were going north going and south coming back. Everyone knows when you are going north it is up and going south is down. So going down south you would naturally get better mileage. It has to be true I read it on the web. Bill

Just a follow up on what some say about driving at 60 mph. I have found that my unit won’t shift into 6th till I hit 62 0r 63 mph. Just make sure you are going fast enough to be in top gear. I am going on a trip to Colorado in a couple of months so I will see what I get on reasonably flat roads heading up there. I got 8.5 towing a Honda Civic on a tow dolly before. Bill Herman, what kind of fuel additive are you using.....

I would look at top coating your roof and re doing the seams. There are several You tube videos showing how to do it. I bet it would be cheaper than Camping World. Bill

Why not see what the manufacture says in the owners Manual and follow that. If you can’t wait call Mercedes and ask them how to brake in the engine. I would not use any of the “tried and true” methods from 40 – 50 years ago. New engines are made too much tighter tolerances and much better quality than in the good old days. Bill

In the first post the OP said one or two doors come open. The latches may have been miss located when they were installed and don’t have enough of the latch catching the structure so they come open when the body flexes. Bill

No one has tried this? Or thought about it?

Yes a dolly can be extra work but I ended up with 3 vieacals that could not be towed 4 down. Who would have thought Honda would make the 2012 Civic so it couldn’t be towed 4 down. I didn’t want to spend the money on a different car right now so I bought a dolly from Acme. This unit has disk brakes. I looked at several used units but they were verrey used and were nearly as expensive as the new ones. So far I have used it on a couple of short trips (under 500 miles) and had no problems. The last campground had pull through sites that were long enough I didn’t un hook the dolly as it didn’t stick out in the way. I went to a bigger rally and they made you down load and park the dolly by the entrance. There was a stout fence to chain it to. Yes it is a little harder loading the dolly and getting every thing tied down but I watched some other people having there problems with their tow bar. Yes I may end up with something I can tow 4 down but for know this works. Just a note to Andy Shane, you have to leave the key on so the steering is UNLOCKED. I have read several posts that mentioned leaving the wheels locked when towing on a dolly and that is incorrect. Bill

tim1peanut,raystandley,RamblinFever,BlueBounder,Munro,speciald,richanb,luckyboat, welcome to the forum first time posters. This may be a record for first time post. I guess the problems with slides sparks lots of interest. Blue Bounder I looked at the service bulletin and my 2003 isn’t covered but thanks for posting it.What part of FW are you located? On my 38N Bounder I always have the motor running or the generator or hooked up to shore power. I wouldn’t try to move them just on the batteries unless it was an emergency. I like to put pads under the jacks before extending the slides as I don’t have to crawl as far under the coach. I don’t extend the jacks until the slides are out. I am a big believer in maintaining all the systems. Bill

Wolfe10, Thanks for that link it has a lot of good info in it. Bill

Well got back from Fredericksburg Texas yesterday. Short trip only 469 miles round trip. Went down the back roads going and coming back picked up I35 at Belton. I filled up and checked my mileage today 8.496 mpg. I learned that I wasn’t driving fast enough. I ran about 55 going down and on the way back on I35 I was running 60 –65. I was watching the tach and noticed that I was running lower rpm at 60 than at 55. Apparently I wasn’t going fast enough to get it to shift into 6th at 55. I was running in economy mode all the way. I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this happening on their coach. This is a 2003 Bounder 38N 300HP Cummins with Allison 6spd. The more I drive this coach the more I am learning, I almost have a 1000 miles on it since I bought it. By the way I like my Kroger fuel points my price for diesel was $3.296 lots better than it has been. Bill