obedb

I am now using Power Service winter formula because it does get cold in Colorado this time of the year. Did not use it my Western Star as an owner operator, because the local favorite was Howes. I have seen it do it's magic while gazing into a saddle tank. When I put our Phaeton to bed for the winter, I will probably add some Howes just in case I have to move it over the winter. Yes Brett, the manifold heater will be repaired as soon as we get home, just in case.

Engine (3126 Cat) was running like a dream yesterday. Gross is a little over 32,000 and the ten mile pull with a lot of it at 7% yielded a top speed of 45 with engine temp in low normal range. I eased off of the accelerator a bit to settle in between 35 to 40. Richard/ I am reluctant to stop the additives as a test, to see if the previously mentioned problems start again. Wolf Creek pass is fun when engines are running well.

Detroit's Series60 is a very good engine. I know that they are available in Prevost conversions. Take a look at at them as a used DP.

In Pennsylvania, a good or high resolution picture from a digital camera or cell phone of the vin along with the manufacturers weight ratings works at tag and title agencies that seem to be common in the state. They are for profit companies and are often easier to deal with than Penn Dot. We have lived in PA for 38 years and have used them many times. By helping the customer, they profit.

I find myself longing for a coach with a side radiator. I wish I had done some research on the advantages. A new owner of a 2002 Foretravel 36ft DP that was factory refurbished before he bought it made me envious. Side radiator resulting in generous access to the engine, as well as a lift able bed that affords generous access to the top of the engine. Seems to me that dirty radiators and charge air coolers would be easily cleaned. Plus two speed radiator fans that can be turned off on cool days saving fuel and turned on in advance of a hard pull. Perhaps problems like Glenn's would be minimized? By the way the 2002 Foretravel was considerably more expensive as a used RV then our 2003 Phaeton. Am I wrong about the advantages of that configuration?

Our Cat idled rough enough to be almost embarrassing. I waited a short while and then set it at a grand to make it sound better. When I started it in Durango on Thursday morning I noticed immediately that the tach was not doing a dance. I will keep adding Lucas for a while and always add Power Service because research tells me it is worth it. Huffy Puf got me interested in it. The product has been around since the 50's I think. Where additives are displayed Power Service is always prominent. It adds 7 cents a gallon to cost. Heading over Wolf Creek on Monday. Looking forward to a better running engine. Knock on Wood. Went over and back from Pagosa Springs today in our toad. What a beautiful ride. Stress free in a Subaru Forester. Talked to a fellow trucker up top from my home state of PA. Had 100 pound bags of potatoes on. Just shy of 80,000 lbs. gross. 7% most of the way down to that sweeping right hand curve. Oh well! Yes, I miss it! As always, thanks for your interest and knowledge.

Engine still starts quickly with no smoke using the block heater, and "knock on wood" the rough idle has stopped. I have been using Power Service since starting the long trip we are on, but two fuel stops ago I started using Lucas Injector Cleaner at 150% the minimum level. Sure hopes this keeps up. I am gonna buy it by the gallon and use the leftover quart bottles to measure Power Service and Lucas dosage. Anyone else have any experience wit the Lucas product?

I would like to know how this poorly handling Beaver Coach problem is remedied. It could help members out with similar symptoms. I hope that Glenn will let us know how he solves things and about what it costs. Herman/ You obviously have a great sense of humor and I applaud that. Mine isn't bad. BUT!! We bought a new Georgie Boy 34 in 1988 with problems from the gitgo. So when we bought a newer DP built by a respected manufacturer, we expected greater reliability. Ours has some issues and I observe that owners of other brands also do. Is there evolution or just the same old same old with more expensive features? We still love our comfort in this unit. We hope that we can continue to afford that comfort.

I spent part of my trucking career as an owner operator and a buddy of mine who owned an older rig made the observation that with your own truck, you are either in them or under them. Mine was much newer, but while doing PMs, I got to know what even a newer rig looks like from underneath. I don't mind working on my 2003 Phaeton and you are right, it is a good way to sneak away to the storage lot when we are home. My DW is not computer literate or I would not be writing this.

NOW that really hurts!!! Guess you will just have to learn to drive 55. I wouldn't though. If a good shop told me that it was probably the gear, I would replace it. Why would a premium coach builder put on an important part that can't serve their customer for the long haul? Motorhomes are a hodgepodge.

Adjustable drag links seem to less and less common today. Even on 18 wheelers. Back in the day trucks came with a field adjustable steering gear and the frame next to the gear had a hole in it to get to the adjuster. Adjustable draglinks were also the norm. I have never had to reposition the pitman arm on the box, but a good front end man would have the tool to reposition the pitman arm after the steering wheel has been centered by counting lock to lock and dividing by 2. If you have a smart wheel you may not want it messed with. I just reread your post. Thought your caster had been checked. Find a good alignment shop that will work on motorhomes. Let them check everything out for good working order or possible road damage. You do need some positive caster for good handling, and specs vary. I would spend the money on steering gear adjustment.

Based on what you describe and the age of your rv you may need your steering gear or box adjusted. Many shops take it off of the unit to adjust it. They go by the book using sensitive torque measurements as they adjust it. It needs to centered to be properly adjusted. However when the gear is remounted if the vehicle does not have an adjustable drag link then the effort is wasted. The steering wheel should be turned to one stop/say counter clockwise and then carefully count the turns or fractions to the clockwise stop/ divide the result by two and turn the wheel in this case back clockwise that amount. The gear is now centered, but if there is no adjustable drag link on the unit as I, said time and money is for naught. Your motorhome will still wander going straight down the road because the gear will have to be taken off center to attach the drag link. Positive caster makes a vehicle handle better only if the steering gear is properly adjusted and reinstalled centered. I learned to adjust them knowing a talented no nonsense can do mechanic. I have used the method described with the wheels off of the ground and centered, gear or box still in place, and adjustable drag link unattached. Properly done the steering wheel may need to be removed and recentered. FMCA # F105607 Call if you like.

Re Anti Gel: Howes is a favorite in my area. I have seen how effective it can be by being able to look directly into a truck's saddle tanks. When wax crystals form a diesel will barely run and when the crystals worsen, it shuts down. As long as the engine is still running a healthy dose of treatment and some patience on the accelerator will probably work. When they shut down the work really starts. I bought Power Service winter formula fuel treatment from Walmart for cold weather use, but I will still keep some Howes at the ready. We plan on being in Colorado for a few more weeks. With today's heavily blended bio diesel, if you want to run in cold weather, take precautions.

DW already questioning our decision to buy this coach. We don't boondock with this thing so the block heater will always have the engine ready to go. I will repair the manifold heater when we get home. Doesn't look too challenging and I can use the repair shop that I used for the heavy work on my Star Car to give me a fair price on parts. As far as ether goes/ used a lot of it in my early years of trucking (1965 was my start ). Back then ether and bitter mornings went together. Two people are best. One on the key and the other experienced person spraying ether into the air cleaner. Thanks for your advice!!

I had to trash a large piece of carpet to get to the access panel. I now have a 40" x 24" opening with a generous view of the top of the engine. The carpet was even glued to the doghouse and the cover. What a mess, but that will be a cosmetic project for the future. With block heater use the engine starts very easily and no smoke. The manifold electric heater is clearly not working. Couldn't trouble shoot the relay because the engine is warm enough to keep the ECM from sending a wait to start signal to the dash and (my guess) not closing the relay. I removed the short cable from the heater positive terminal and very carefully wrapped with moisture sealing electrical tape and zip tied the end. Now I can use starting fluid if shore power is not available.

Don't get it? Turned 70 last August. So what?

I guess the manifold heater is not working. Found the plugin for the block heater under the bed. What a great place!! This AM there was no wait to start light and the engine fired within a few seconds. Still runs a little rough at low idle but there are a lot of sensors in the system. Perhaps one is at fault. Will get that checked soon.

Thanks Rich for the help. Turns out the switch was not bad. It has 6 wires by the way. I dug through the wiring harness and the adjacent wires also. Gets kinda bundled up under there. I found a butt connector that didn't belong in undisturbed wiring. Pulled on it and one end fell out. Put a new one on just in case. The wipers work now. Anyone looking for a switch from a Phaeton in the early 2000's? I have $68 plus freight invested. Just kidding. Who is gonna need it? Probably not a high failure item. I am the second owner. Who knows?

Thanks Xplorer.

The parts man told me the vendors name, but I can't remember. There is a large capital R on the switch and the name DENSO on the invoice. The switch has number 1395457 on it. Thanks Rich for the quick offer to help.

I replaced the switch, but the wipers still won't run except when the washer button is pressed. Fuse is good. Perhaps there is a second one? 2003 Phaeton. Could use some trouble shooting ideas. Access is probably not easy for a do it yourselfer.

We have a Dometic NDR 1292 in our 2003 Phaeton. We bought it in May of this year from the original owners and when not in use it was garage kept on a level concrete floor. It performs beautifully. We set the unit on #2 because anything up the scale to #5 freezes many of the contents. Couldn't be happier with the unit. Do we have anything to worry about?

3126 330hp in a Phaeton 40 ft. No primer pump and only 1 fuel filter. Changed just before the start of our trip that now has not quite 1900 miles on it. The symptoms started last Monday morning after three days in a park. If I exercise it daily everything seems normal. You are right about the engine model as usual.

7 days into our planned 2 1/2 month trip Cat 330 starts hard and really smokes for a minute after about three days in a park. The smoke seems almost brown. My series 60 would smoke a very short time on the coldest of mornings, but otherwise never. Cat runs fine after a warmup. Power seems normal.

Let's see! A few years ago the manufacturers were warning not to over do the bio or the warranty might not be honored, and now everything will be ok?? Perhaps some of the newest diesel equipment have had some changes made to the build process, but I wonder. Maybe the reps you talked to at Redmond will soon be jumping into a foxhole and pulling their helmets down. I remember the state of Minnesota getting all pumped up about bio diesel. They went with heavy concentrations of the stuff, and they couldn't keep their equipment running when winter set in. Snow plows were either setting in the yard or along the side of the road.