luckydog1949

Our CAT C7 overheated in 2013, not long after buying our '05 Horizon. We didn't know anything about cleaning the CAC and radiator, then; so, we stopped at a CAT dealership on I-90, somewhere in Western SD. It cost a little over $200 for them to clean leaves, crud, etc. out from between and off the surfaces of the CAC and radiator. I believe that the leaves were brought in by squirrels wherever the previous owner stored the coach. I did some research and found out about extending the slobber tube so there wouldn't be engine oil coating the front (inner) side of the assembly; so, I took care of that. It did a lot toward keeping everything clean. A good thing to check.

Thank you WILDEBILL308.

Our Norcold 1200LRIM had the recall completed a couple of years ago. The recall unit tripped, and I was able to reset the recall once. The next time it tripped, it could not be reset. Further inspection showed clear evidence of leakage from the cooling unit; so, the recall did it's job. I ordered a Dutch Aire (aka Amish) replacement cooling unit; and began the chore. After watching a few (every one I could find) YouTube videos, I figured I had it down. Amazing how much every one of those videos leaves out! When I ordered the replacement cooling unit, I also ordered an automatically deploying Halon fire extinguisher to mount at the back of the refrigerator. The Dutch Aire unit is NOT under any recalls, and is, reportedly, better built so as not to present the same hazard; but, the additional safety factor of the fire extinguisher is well worth it. Getting our refrigerator out was a little more difficult than most, because, when the old one was installed, a sealing flap at one side was caught and wedged the unit in the housing. A heat gun and staples took care of that, once the fridge was out. I took off the old, leaky cooling unit and laid it outside. The new unit arrived surprisingly fast; and, we went to the freight yard, with our Nissan Frontier, and picked it up. They loaded it with a fork lift. We cleaned up the back of the fridge, removing old sealant and applying new metallic tape to replace old, failing tape. We had quite a bit of trouble getting the new unit in and lined up properly, so that it seated as necessary to reinstall the screws and for the back of the insulation panel to come flush with the back of the fridge. If you do this, I recommend making sure that the condensate drain tube is routed carefully; because it will get in the way. Of course, it got in our way even when it was routed carefully, just not as much. I also recommend that you hold off on putting foam insulation in the cavity until you have it lined up and screwed in. It dries faster than you would think (far less than a minute.) Our cooling unit replacement may be the only one for which a hunting knife and machete were necessary... The last picture is with everything in place and the refrigerator is ready to "slide" back into place. That's "slide" as in I wish I had a block-and-tackle outside. The bottom didn't want to go in, and took a lot of wrestling to finally get there. Then, it had to be pulled out three inches to realign the metal brackets on the bottom-outside corners with the brackets in the compartment, so the four mounting bolts could be installed, after wrestling it back in. All in all, it was well worth it! We know we are safe in our RV; and, we have a refrigerator that works very well, and with which we can boondock, or just stay those extra few days with limited connections, without worrying about hookups, batteries, cloudy days, or putting up with the smell and noise of our 7.5 KW generator. It is a Recreational Vehicle, after all...

We have the same problem with our filler neck, and have just gotten used to it. The top quarter-tank takes a long time to fill. Might check out some of these fixes, thouigh. We still use Flying J often. We have the Frequent Fueler card, so we get 5 cents off; you don't have to wonder if there's enough maneuvering room; most have a decent restaurant; and they have no problem with overnight stays, if you need it. If their price is truly outrageous, we go somewhere else, though. I keep telling people that motor homes are truly wonderful... until you have to bathe them or feed them... Happy Travels, Tom

Herman, we were on our way back from our Alaska trip when we had problems with the valve stem. We left here on May 1 and just got back to Louisiana on October 10th. It was a great trip, except for the experience with VAS. Storage room was at a premium, though, so no spares. Tom

I've become so frustrated with ALL "roadside services", including VAS, that I've just given up on them all; so, I haven't pursued it further. I don't need the aggravation... We disconnected the towed, found some new valve stem cores, and I replaced the core. Thankfully, it was the outside dual. That got us to Bell Fourche, SD, when I found that it was leaking, again. In spite of me telling them that I had already replaced the valve stem core, the tire shop did exactly the same thing (expecting different results.) That got us to Murdo, SD, where I found it losing air, again. They replaced the entire valve stem; and, it's holding well. We are back at our home base, in Louisiana, after a stop at the Winnebago factory (for other issues.) We replaced all of our tires in March/April, before our trip to Alaska; so, we were facing the possibility of destroying a new tire. And, VAS's proposed "solution" (that they would only tow it - on the flat) would have done exactly that. That's not the "peace of mind" I expect from a roadside "service" organization... Safe travels, Tom

I couldn't find anything on the forum by searching, so I'll ask here. The Electronic Compass & Outside Thermometer display in the dash of our 2005 Itasca Horizon on an XC Freightliner chassis has gone out. We noticed that, during our trip to Alaska this summer, the direction would vary a lot from our GPS display (SW while the GPS showed N). (No, the Alaska Highway is NOT 100% paved, no matter what anyone tells you. It may have been at one time; but, they tear up large distances, leaving washboard surfaces, every year to "repave" ) I thought a sensor had come loose and had started wobbling, since it wasn't always the same directional difference. Now, it's just gone blank. Before I start disassembling anything, does anyone know where the sensor(s) are, and how to get to them?

The same day I posted my comment on the forum.

(I stumbled across the above post in another Roadside Assistance thread.) If I wasn't so ticked off at the FMCA Roadside Assistance Program, right now, I'd be rolling in the floor laughing! TODAY, I called FMCA Roadside Assistance for help with a tire on which the valve stem core had failed, dumping all of the air out of our passenger-side, outer, rear dual tire. I had new tires put on our rig in March 2016. I discovered the valve stem core problem right after rolling into a campground in Montana. I was told, after asking for roadside assistance and telling the woman who answered that we did not have a spare tire, that, "We don't do that sort of thing. All we will do is tow you to a place where it can be repaired." So, FMCA Roadside Assistance will tow my motor home, ON A FLAT TIRE, to somewhere, where they will now not just have to replace the valve stem core, but will have to replace a $500 tire, at MY expense! There is no telling how much damage would be done to the motor home body, in that process. The tow would have probably cost far less than it would have cost someone to bring out, and change the valve stem core. I "joined" the roadside assistance program because my health is such that I need the help, NOT so they could thumb their nose at me when I needed that help. Since it seems that we will just be left to fend for ourselves, mark me down as someone who WILL NOT RENEW THIS SERVICE AT ANY COST, and probably won't pay for another one...

I've signed up for FMCA Roadside Assistance. We'll see how it goes. We have a 36' DP. Couldn't find any scary disclaimers; but, time will tell...

I've had bad experiences with both GS and CN. Usually caused by the person on their end not having a clue. English shouldn't be difficult for anyone for whom it is their language of birth. I've dropped both... Anyway, I came on to see if anyone had anything to say about FMCA Roadside service. I guess it's either too new, or just too good to complain about.

"This Michelin guide gives the "facts" on their tires. The two are quite a lot different in size, revolutions per mile, etc:https://www.michelinb2b.com/wps/b2bcontent/PDF/RV_Tires_Brochure.pdf" Thanks for the link. I'm working on replacing five tires before our big trip, this summer. I does seem to me that Michellin stops manufacturing RV tires during the winter months and so they are harder to find, then. But, the local Michellin Advantage participant says that even though they've been on back-order "since before Christmas" they should have some in within about two weeks. I do hope he's right. Tom

We were trying to go West through East Texas to go to my FIL's funeral during the evacuation for Ike. Every time we'd come onto a major intersection, the police would make us turn North. At the very next opportunity we would turn back to the West until we *finally* got to Copperas Cove... Not a good trip in any way. Tom

Carl, No, at that time, we lived in Vernon Parish, LA, and rode out the hurricane. She was still a Cat 1 when she hit us, roughly 125 miles inland! The stick-and-brick was damaged; but, there wasn't a scratch on the HR fifth-wheel parked right beside it... I told my wife that it was a sign that we needed to begin full-timing. The house sold as soon as it was repaired, because housing was short; and, we drove away and haven't looked back. In Jan 2013, we traded for a Class A; and, we are still traveling. My SIL and her husband lived in Pasadena, TX, at the time. It took them 36 hours to reach our house when they evacuated, trying to avoid the hurricane; but they only managed to secure their spot directly in Rita's path... We were only without power for a week; but, they were already back home within two days with absolutely no damage to their home. Tom

We have the original KVH in-motion dome on our 2005 Itasca Horizon. We use it to listen to satellite radio via the "Sonic" channels on DirecTV while traveling. No reason to pay for Sirius, which IMO is too expensive, anyway. Being full-timers, with DirecTV, we're also able to get east and west coast network feeds, also.

Operation LZ was held in Forest City, Iowa, August 26 - 30, 2015. It was sponsored by the people of Iowa and the Winnebao-Itasca Travel club (WIT). We were in town having work done on our coach earlier in the month and made sure to be back for this. It was a "welcome home" for all Vietnam vets. The Traveling Wall was there, as were the Sky Soldiers, with a few Hueys and a Cobra gunship. Rides could be had, for a fee; and, I got my wife up with me in one of the Hueys. They wouldn't let me sit in the door, like we did in Vietnam, and even made us wear seat belts; but, we had a blast! One crew chief, Bill, had been a door gunner in-country; and, we had a good conversation. I was an infantryman, who was transported by Huey, and, after three tours of duty, was awarded the Army Air Medal for all of the combat missions. There was an air show, some speakers, and a brief appearance of some hot-air balloons. Some good comradery, good food, and fine hosts. We enjoyed it. Was anybody else there?

We use a UPS Store mailbox for our address; and, we *still* had to give the registrar of voters the address of the RV park we stay at while we're at our home base in order to vote (in Louisiana.) But, that is because we moved into this part of Louisiana after selling our home (which was nearer the coast) and had to change our drivers' licenses. If you already have a physical address that you've used for a long time, just change your mailing address to the UPS Store box (PMB - Personal Mail Box.) The Patriot Act threw a huge monkey wrench into the full timer lifestyle where addresses are concerned. It did take a while to get the DMV to allow us to use the UPS Store address on our licenses, though (and on our CCW - (CHP in LA.)) The UPS Store is at least as good as any other mail forwarding service and will send your mail wherever you tell them to... for a fee, of course.) The store we use will actually go over the mail pieces with us and shred whatever we don't want them to send to us. If they are busy when we call they call us back after the rush ends. I'm not sure all stores will do this, though.

. Found water leaking from somewhere behind the Splendide W/D that we had installed in the 2005 Itasca Horizon a little over two years ago when we bought the coach. We had moved it over from the fifth wheel we traded for the motor home. I emptied the cabinet above the W/D so I could see behind it and found the water coming out of the drain pipe when the water was pumped out at the end of the wash cycle. I confirmed that the grey water tank was open and empty. I tried running a drain snake down the drain to clear it. It would only go about two feet down and hit a very hard blockage. So, it was THAT time... I reassembled the stand that I'd built the last time I had to pull the W/D out of it's cabinet, took off the cabinet doors, removed the trim around the cabinet so I could remove the shelf above it, removed the hold-down brackets, and pulled the dryer out onto the stand (which was setting on a throw rug to make sliding easier.) I disassembled it, and the p-trap was clear. I removed the vacuum breaker from the top of the pipe on the right and ran the snake down it. The hard blockage was where the p-trap entered the pipe. I managed to squeeze my big head, and a flashlight, in to where I could see down the pipe. The p-trap pipe had slid all the way into the drain pipe, hitting the other side of the pipe, blocking it completely! I loosened the nut and slid the pipe out so the larger pipe was clear, tightening everything back up. After studying it for a while, I decided that the flimsy pipe clamp at the top of the drain pipe (on left) didn't hold it well enough to prevent the bottom from sliding to the right if the joint nut loosened up. It's the clamp that you can't even see in the picture... I also added a clamp at the bottom of that pipe, using galvanized metal tape; and, screwed it into the wall so it could no longer move to the right. I really don't want to have to go through all this, again. I didn't take a picture of the final work, because... well ... I was just worn out. Just picture a clamp on the pipe to the left, just above the "p" in the p-trap, holding it in place. I thought I'd share this, hoping that it might help someone else in the future. Happy travels, Tom

How does the addition of a product like Amp-L-Start affect this? The Amp-L-Start monitors the charge state of your chassis batteries while plugged in to power and, when the charger begins charging the house batteries, "siphons" a charge over to the chassis batteries to keep them up. I would think that the chassis and house batteries would then have to either be all the same, or ones that "play well together" (AGM and wet cell.)

Couldn't delete the duplicate post. Moderator help? if you get the time.

Tommy W. Thompson U. S. Army Twenty Years and 21 days (1967 - 1988) Sergeant First Class (E-7) Infantry for my first ten years (11C, 11B, and 11H), reclassified into the AG Corps for the last ten years (71L) Vietnam, three tours between 1968 - 1972 (stateside during that time frame at Ft Polk, LA for BCT, Ft Gordon, GA for AIT, and the rest at Ft Benning, GA). Then went to Fort Carson, CO where I met and married my wife of almost 40 years. We were then assigned to The Berlin Brigade, AFEES (renamed MEPS while we were there) Amarillo, TX, 1st PERSCOM (Heidelberg, Germany), and retired from Fort Polk, LA. Second career: USPS (same weapons qualification requirements) Retired in 2000.

I thought it might be nice to have a place where prospective buyers could gather information that they might find helpful when shopping for a new (or new to them) motorhome. What mileage do you get from your DIESEL motorhome? What engine do you have? What is your RV length? What is the weight of your rig? What is your normal cruising speed? Do you tow (weight of toad?) Please, keep advice on driving habits short and to the point (long theses ruin the information readability and is the same as for cars, trucks, etc.) I'll start: We get 6.5 mpg, uphill, downhill, on the flats, towing or not. We have a CAT C7 (no DEF required - 2005). 36' long Itasca Horizon with four slides. At last weigh-in the rig weighed 29,840 lbs. We have, so far, always cruised at the posted speed limit, but not to exceed 65 mph because of our Toad's limit. Toad is a 2007 Honda CR-V 2wd which weighs about 3500 lbs. When we had a fifth-wheel, it was hard to find believeable information of fuel "economy" for tow vehicles. And, don't get me started on the gimmicks touted to increase your mileage...

We are with http://blueskyrvinsurance.com/ and are very happy with them. We chose them several years ago when their price proved to be lower than Progressive. We're much happier with them and appreciate that they aren't as "ad happy" as Good Sam. There is another company, named Overland Insurance Services that you might want to check with, too.

We've had both at different times since we started in RVs in 1992. You will have problems with them both and, at times, will become very frustrated at being stranded, abandoned, and having to argue with the company's representative to get what you're paying for. Recently left Coach Net and went back with Good Sam Emergency Service.... Got tired of arguing with Coach Net reps who obviously knew absolutely nothing about RVs whenever I actually had to call them. We'll see how it goes this year. If it goes as expected, I'll check into FMCA coverage for the following year...