J79Engine

We use USA Brake system in our 2012 GMC Terrain, hookup, place in neutral and pull one fuse..very easy. Some people have the system and the system is still available or parts can be purchased from a company in Arizona. Ask me I’ll tell you all about them.

The ABS system light illuminated again after two years of trouble free. However it went out and stayed out once I got on the highway. I think it may have been heavy rain and dampness that turned the sensor signal on, so I'll just watch to see if it happens again. Hard to locate a Workhorse authorized dealer or garage in the Cincinnati area that will take ownership of support.

I used two entire boxes of drier sheets spread in every drawer and in every cabinet plus I place a trap in all basement areas with peanutbutter and cheese mix. Caught two in the basement had no indications of any inside above the basement area. I also washed the entire interior down with strong disinfectant to erase any living we did before last winter, all was good!

All good info. I normally drive in the right lane staying around 55 mph especially while towing our toad. I will however get up on a ladder to see if I can adjust the rear camera since at the moment it looks down onto the front of the toad and I see nothing behind other than using my side mirrors. I have always depended on the sun shadow to let me know I am far enough in front to change a lane. If there is no shadow I just calculate with experience leaving ample room for errors. I have yet to figure out how to prevent the people who get mad when you can not move over to allow them access to the highway mostly cars and pickups get mad but many think it is their right not to giveway and adjust their speed to fit the traffic on the highway for some reason they don't check who is next to them until they are running out of access road ahead of them. Then as Goose said in Top Gun they give you the finger, maybe more than once !

I checked everywhere in Ohio and on line, got a small bite from SimpleTire.com they claimed there were only four tires nationwide of that size XRV 235 80R 22.5 Michelin at a cost of $447 plus FET of $47.00 plus shipping costs and they did not participate in the FMCA program. I tried to get him to lower the cost since the tires were 2013 year dated but he would not budge. So I am going locally with Toyo Brand tires for the 4 rear tires at a cost of $372.00 per tire size 245 75R 22.5. I did check all my rear tires that are currently installed and they are mixed left side is 245 75R 22.5 Goodyear tires but right side rear is Michelin 235 80R 22.5 tires noteing tires are not to be mixed sizes on the same axle so maybe a good thing Im changing them and the year date on all the rears is 2001 which is real bad. I will get them changed Friday. Thanks for the help, would have liked to get Michelins but I'm just trying to get safe shoes for the best price before the Summer is over. We plan to go to Tyndall AFB Florida in October ( visiting the flight line area so I may help them out with their F4 Phantom aircraft) so we need good tires and they were way over due to be changed. The front tires are Michelin 235 80R 22.5 and both were installed in 2011 when I purchased the MH from a dealer so they are good.

I checked everywhere in Ohio and on line, got a small bite from SimpleTire.com they claimed there were only four tires nationwide of that size XRV 235 80R 22.5 Michelin at a cost of $447 plus FET of $47.00 plus shipping costs and they did not participate in the FMCA program. I tried to get him to lower the cost since the tires were 2013 year dated but he would not budge. So I am going locally with Toyo Brand tires for the 4 rear tires at a cost of $372.00 per tire size 245 75R 22.5. I did check all my rear tires that are currently installed and they are mixed left side is 245 75R 22.5 Goodyear tires but right side rear is Michelin 235 80R 22.5 tires. Noting tires are not to be mixed sizes on the same axle so maybe a good thing I'm changing them and the year date on all the rears is 2001 which is real bad. I will get them changed Friday. The front tires are Michelin 235 80R 22.5 and both were installed in 2011 when I purchased the MH from a dealer so they are good.

Thanks Brett. As much as I like Michelin I think rather then wait for 2-3 months I will go with the less expensive tires since all four will be on the rear drive axle.

Thanks, I had an idea that may be the case so if I must go with these rather than the michelins then I will not mix them. Might be better due to the stiffness to keep the Toyo tires on the rear than on the front. I will hang out and try to get the Michelins......FMCA time to use your influence to reduce my wait time for new tires....Hint...Hint....! Thanks also to Desertdeal for your info...

I need opinions here.from experience. I currently have 6 Michelins (235/80R 22.5) installed but the 4 rear tires are original and were reported as dry rotted. I have not been able to replace them, even by calling Michelin North American HQ. They said there is a 2-3 month back order for this size. I called another local dealer and they said they did not handle Michelin tires but thought Toyo brand was as good but is a more narrow tire (245/75R 22.5) I asked if they could be mixed on the same axle and they are checking as well they are checking the load factor there is a price difference the Toyo tires are $372 a tire plus $40 a tire to install plus a floating (floats inside the tire) weight cost for each tire. Michelins are more expensive for sure but I'm comfortable with Michelin tire not sure about Toyo tires? Does anyone have experience with the Toyo tire verse the Michelin tires? I need tire like now so I can go out in October or earlier! Thanks Mike S.

double automatic windshield shades? I think I seen them at the rally in Indiana but we heard they cost a lot to have installed aftermarket? We have drapes in our 2005 Sunvoyager but think changing over to windshield shades would be great if we travel in the South Western states eventially. Any suggestions?

I agree, but do not want to retire! Iam having too much fun working but maybe in 2015 I will cut back more. However I will attend the Perry Georgia rally in 2014 with my bride of 43 years and our weimaroner who is every bit our baby girl and she knows it! Tri-State Traveleers

Your MH looks pretty good and has low mileage, hope your 2015 planned trip goes well! Take it out often before so you can work out any small problems and tell us what you discover.

WoW, I did not know the RV industry was doing this type testing on MH transmissions. We have been doing oil testing for many years on aircraft engines which varies depending on what is found in the sample. The sample can drive maintenance to remove the engine and will pin point the cause in most cases or at least tell you if it is a bearing or carbon seal. The oil should be drained and flushed at least once before ( a few hundred miles between oil samples) retesting to make sure the level of lead is maintaining the above normal level or if it is increasing. The second test once done will tell you how quickly you need to get it fixed. This is how we handle the oil testing in the Military Aviation industry so the same should work for your problem solving.

I just used a product that supposed to take away the Oxidation but it did not work completely. I think maybe I need to do it twice since I can look down the sides and see some dull oxidised spots and shiny spots. However I noticed green in the crevices where the roof meets the sides tried brushing with cleaner but think I will take it to a truck wash and allow them to use a high pressure washer to remove the green faster then work on getting the Oxidation completely gone. The front end came out great and looks almost new. Work in progress I think for now! 2005 SunVoyager 8.1 Gas, 38 foot workhorse.

Good Travel story I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing! Iam on lunch break still working or as my wife says "you have not worked in 20 plus years" so I guess as a consultant I just play here at GE Aviation. LOL

I seen a few of the big 30 to 36 foot MHs in the UK when I was there visiting relatives last April surprised me because many roads are too small to handle the size of them. Fuel at 9 dollars a gallon is not nice either. Brother in law has a class B with 2 peddle bikes hanging which gets around allot easier. I sold my 1976 Cevelle station wagon to a church when I was stationed there at the Heath (87), they were happy to use it as their church bus (8 passenger).

Sure looks like a condo on wheels, enjoy and heaven looks good too!

Well in Ohio we do not need a CDL or Non CDL which I never heard of until this thread. However I do have a CDL class B which I got while driving part time as a school bus driver and have kept it renewed since 15 years ago. So I think that I am covered with my Ohio CDL class B to drive our 38 foot towing a toad in any state. Trust me driving a school bus loaded with middle school kids is allot harder then driving a 38 foot SunVoyager towing a toad! J79ENG, USAF Ret 89

I was just told to replace my rear tires due to condition of them, I asked for an age check to begin with since the coach is a 2005 SunVoyager 8.1 Gas. I just attended the Rally up in Indiana and want to attend the Rally in Kentucky but don't want to put 4 new Mich. tires on it to sit all winter, still working at 65 plus. So hopefully driving carefully at 55 MPH will get her into winter hibernation and then I will install 4 rear tires in the Spring.

I have a 2005 Workhorse chassis, 8.1 gas 38 ft Sunvoyager. My question: I have two roof mounted AC units one in the bed room and one out in front area. The one in the front area sometimes makes a rumbling noise like it does not want to stay running after it has been trying to cool for some hours. Then I switch to the bed room one which both have in roof vents to pipe air to the front or back but I normally do not run both at the same time if parked at the house because I think it may be too much draw for the 30 AMP line I put in at the fuse box back when I had a 5th wheel. So is it OK to just run both on a 30 Amp step down shore cord to reduce the run time on the AC units or are they not meant to run continuously under load? When I rest the front AC unit for a few hours and then turn it back on it operates fine. There is also a slide inside under each unit that allows a heavy down flow of AC air or if you close that slide vent it forces the air flow to go through the ducts in the ceiling then coming out various smaller vents between the front and back of the coach. I do not know which is easier on the AC units but it seems happier when I have the slide vent open compared to making the unit send the air through the smaller vents and pipes. I installed a thirty Amp outside receptacle to plug in the 5th wheel camper years ago which goes directly to the house fuse box, maybe I should upgrade that to a 50 Amp receptacle? Just for information: I also put in a dump waste pipe. Piped it through the basement and "Y"d it into out main sewer pipe. The rules do not allow it but if you call it a "clean out" access then it is OK to install. Just should not leave it hooked up when not dumping or it would raise eye brows. We use it if we used the system on the way home and it is also good for winterizing the coach and dumping MH antifreeze in the Spring. We have a 20x40 driveway cement parking area beside our house that the MH likes to sleep in when not being used. Family Dog with 38 foot Vacation Motorhome 1.pdf

Well I spent the entire weekend sprucing up the MH to get ready for the rally and leaving on Tuesday early. As I stated earlier I got the MH back from the dealer where he replaced the ABS speed sensor on the right rear wheel and he found what they though was a bad battery which they changed at their expense! Well the battery or system died on me at the gas pump on Saturday and I had to use the over ride to start it. So the remainder of the weekend was dictated to washing the coach and then trouble shooting it myself to find the problem which was hanging around for two years and three batteries. So I got the meters out checking the load at the battery and at the starter connection. I found the battery to have 12.7 volts so it was good, put a load meter on it and it had 1,000 cranking Amps so it was real good. So I removed the cables from the battery which the dealer had to have dome when they replaced the battery three times. To my surprise the bolts were totally corroded as was the ground cable connection. So I went and purchased new battery connection bolts/studs and wire brushed the ground lead then put it all back together. I though that would make a difference because electricity when faced with rusty contacts it sees it as a barrier which it does not flow through easy. When I turned the ignition key the engine fired up like it was supposed to and proved that all this time I just had a bad lazy or non trained mechanic at the dealers making the same mistake every time the coach was brought in for slow starting...One never knows who is working on the coach when you turn it in to the dealer for repairs. My Bad for allowing it to go on this long before checking it myself but lesson learned to know what the problem is before you get it repaired if possible. In this case I would have saved us allot of time and stress now that I know it was minor maintenance but the goal of getting it ready by today drove me to forget my age and just investigate or trouble shoot the coach myself. Mike S. USAF Ret. 89

I am glad I read this topic however my concern has always been with germs coming out of the water holding tank. I always have put bleach into the water tank and then after a few days of soaking I run it through every water line in the MH emptying it into the gray and Black tanks then allowing the bleach water to sit in the waste tanks for a few days before killing all the weeds in the garden on our wall under the parking area of the MH. Now that I will not use bleach any more how do you make drinking water safe to drink out of the tank or from the hose in a full hookup site? I replace the in line filter each year but is that enough? I am a little cautious after suffering food posioning from just brushing my teeth in Istanbul Turkey while on a business trip so I do carry crates of bottled water for us and the dog to consume only using the water for showers and toliet reasons, oh and washing dishes 2005 SunVoyager 8.1 gas / 2012 Terrain Toad USAF Ret 89

Guess I am too new, don't know where to look for a PM and it does not jump out at me! I did get the MH back yesterday. They replaced the right rear speed sensor and said the system was checked as working now $167 total cost. They also replaced the chassis battery which powers the starter on our 8.1 gas which they replaced a week ago but when checked after a 15 mile round trip was not charge above 25%. They said that was the reason for slow cranking... and replaced at the battery at their expense. I am not convinced, jury is still out. The engine has never cranked above slow like it is about out of power except when I over ride with the other two batteries then it starts fast like I think it should all the time. This has been a on going crank problem since I purchased it in 2011. I am glad I have the battery over ride crank power it makes me feel safer like carrying a jumper battery. I would like to know if it is normal for the engine to just barely crank over until it starts about 5-10 seconds or if it should turn over like all other vehicles, much faster? I know this is kind of off the original topic but same MH.

Rich, Thanks, you were correct. I took it in to the dealer and he found a bad sensor on the rear wheel, said he had to order one as they did not have it in stock. Hope they get it quickly as we are going out next Wednesday, 17th to the Glamarama 2013 in Goshen Indiana. They also found the motor battery almost dead again, lucky it is on them. They replaced it a week ago after I asked them to check the wiring from the starter solenoid or to the battery because the battery that was in there for under two years went dead. I also told them the rocker switch in the step well would not turn off. They said they replaced the switch and replaced the battery which they prorated the cost with no labor charge. So Friday I told them they should re check what they did to ensure there was not a short in there some where. They told me the batteries are stored dry in their parts department so most likely I just got a bad battery from them. Time will tell! However I turned off the battery as soon as I got parked at home so whatever caused the battery to die it did it fast over a 35 minute drive from the dealer to my house. I really hope they get this done before Friday. I also told them they had a rodent problem as I discovered a mouse nest made from insulation in my storage area. They told me they knew because there is a land fill just across the street from them. They suggested I place dryer sheets in every storage area because mice apparently don't like the smell of them and avoid the MH when lined with them. He said they have a couple of customers who bring their MH in with fresh dryer sheets each time there is work to be done. Two years ago I had to replace 8 wires up over the entry door which were found during a installation of our satellite dish wiring running to the TV.