blakeloke

Carroll.87, Your coach doesn't need air pressure to start. One of the whistles you hear is probably low air system pressure. Without air, you will not be able to release the parking brake. But, the engine has to be running to build up enough pressure. So, to get to that point, follow Rich's lead above. I'm assuming the coach isn't plugged into shore power? If you have the means to plug in that would be a good start. This should help the batteries start charging. If you don't, you may be able to jump start the batteries enough to get your generator started. Once you start it let the generator run for awhile (20 minutes or so). Your generator should charge your batteries to let you start the engine. Do all this after you've checked condition of your batteries as Rich mentions above. Now, here's something you may not be aware of if your generator cranks but won't start. If you are low on fuel (1/4 tank or less), the generator won't start by design. You might check your dash and arm levers for a "start boost" switch. Our coach has the feature (not sure if yours does) but when you push the switch, and turn the ignition key, you'll also get a power boost from your house batteries. Blake

Wow....really nice car. I don't see a tow bar base plate on it! Dave......thank you for your service to our country. Blake

RodgerS, What does your opinion have to do with the original posters question? You have hijacked this thread with zero practical knowledge of motorhoming and the fun we have with it. I am not interested in your "court of law" BS. I'm on here because I really want to gain knowledge from folks that have EXPERIENCE and share mine as well. Buy your 5th wheel and be done. Blake

Sure Rich...... 2005 Monaco Windsor. RR8R Chassis. Data sticker indicates manufacture date of 3/2005. Blake

Concur with Brett on Koni or Bilstein. Price may be deciding factor. Blake

Welcome to the forum......we've found that Sam's Club has very competitive prices on batteries. I purchase all of our batteries there (tractor, mowers, MH, motorcycle, car, truck-----and flashlights ). Blake

Trishw, Years ago we upgraded our Monroe shocks to Bilsteins. At the same time we changed out the tires from Goodyear to Michelin. Glad we made the switch. Our coach has much better road manners now. Check out this website if you plan to order the shocks yourself. I ordered ours from there. Make sure you get the application correct as the first set I ordered were not correct (tower top mount rather than eye bolt top mount). I actually still have them....brand new in box if anyone wants them....free. Bilstein F4-BE5-F627-HO. I never got around to returning them and when I ran across them it was too late. I'll send them to someone if it fits their coach and they plan to use them. http://www.shockwarehouse.com/index.cfm?mode=results&selected_model=30568&selected_year=2004 Blake

HemiGpa and Robin, Yes, welcome to the Forum! There are a lot of active experts here (excluding me!) so hopefully you'll be able to take advantage of that and lend us whatever experience you have or gain. BTW.......that's an awesome "Hemi" in your profile pic! As Herman mentions, this is a beautiful time of year to visit Texas. Actually, it's my favorite time. The trees are full again and flowers have been blooming for several weeks now. Enjoy your trip out. Blake

Rick, Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on your upcoming retirement! My wife and I recently retired and we are enjoying it immensely. Just to qualify my response.....we haven't yet tried to obtain a loan (post retirement) but don't think you would have an issue given your assets substantially exceed what you are intending to borrow. I'm not a Financial Planner/Advisor but really question the advice you were given. In today's current market it would be hard for me to think that personal investment growth would exceed interest rates on a used motorhome. I understand there is a tax offset that you are able to itemize and that should factor into your decision. I'm kind of a pessimist when it comes to personal finances and question/research everything our Advisor says to us. To date he has been forthcoming and seems to have our interests in mind when it comes to fiduciary responsibilities. For example: we are in the market to purchase some property and perhaps relocate to a different area. When asking him about how to pay for it his response is that let's look at it when you've decided. If you can get an interest rate that is lower than what realistic market returns are then by all means secure a loan. If not, pay for the property in cash. I put some trust in that statement because if we do pay cash......he has that much less of our $$s to work with which in turn means less income for him. Blake

Joe, Thanks for your post and research. We are due for service and will check with the owner of the shop we use as to what filters he uses on our equipment. Fortunately, he owns the premier shop in our area and specializes in Benz, Lambo, Ferrari and other top autos. He's been taking care of our stuff since we moved here over 9 years ago. Plus he lives across the street and has a Tiffin Phaeton! Kay.....bummer....are you able to pursue recourse through your oil change shop? Blake

Joe, Thanks for the tips. Was under the coach spraying soap yesterday to see if I could detect the leak. Hadn't thought of looking at the fittings for airing tires and tow. Funny, I had to replace the wiper arm on the drivers side yesterday also and had the generator slide pushed out. I looked right at the quick connect and it didn't dawn on me to spray that and the other fittings. I'll tackle that today or next! Will need to run by Northern Tool to get a heavier set of jack stands first (durn....my second most favorite store beside Tractor Supply!). Blake

Joe, Deb is pondering and will reply soon......we ask the kids to give us Cracker Barrel gift cards!...... Hope the weather is turning for the better up there! Blake

Update: Guys....really appreciate the help. I swapped out the governor on the compressor today. PSI built up to 130 and held at 120. There still is a bleed/leak somewhere albeit slow, but the topping compressor comes on as designed and shuts off at 120 PSI. Joe's recommendation to go to NAPA was awesome......$17.99 included the set screws and gasket. My skinny rear barely fit to change this out and highly doubt that Carl and his 6'8" body could fit in this little space. Most of you have been able to work through these issues rather quickly but I haven't until retiring since I've been up in Moon Township PA for the past 4 years and other global spots previous to that. Your knowledge is invaluable! Blake

Ours is in the "off" position unless we need to use it. If traveling down the road and one of us wants a fresh cup of coffee, it is easier for us to start the generator for a few minutes. So we do that. When boon docking at Wally World, we'll also run the generator. We try to park further away from the crowd but there are usually big rigs nearby that are running refers and other campers running their gen sets. At lights out.....we turn the generator off. When really dry camping, out in the woods, we'll run the inverter in the evening, and set the generator to come on automatically at about 45% - 50% battery power. Blake

Oneway, For the type of "luck" you are having you seem to be taking it in stride and better than I would. Good luck getting the remaining 4 tires and hope the rest of the trip into California is uneventful. Blake

Tom, Very well written and entertaining! Hope you and Louise have a great Easter. Blake

Hey all....Good Friday and Happy Easter! Like many on this Forum we have been camping and RV'ing for many years. Me, I started out as a scout sleeping on the ground in a tent, then a nicer tent, then a bigger tent, then a tent trailer, then a pull behind, then a better bigger pull behind (had to upgrade pickup for the bigger trailer), to the current coach we have now. It took us nearly two full years of research and talking to others before we bought our coach. This included driving about everything that any dealer had within 300 miles of our home. Probably drove the sales folks crazy but glad we did. I'm not sure if we will upgrade our coach because we love everything about it. The only regret that I have is that it does not have a tag axle. Crossing the deserts in West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California can be a real bear for us when those crosswinds get to howling. So now when they do.....we just slow down a might. One year we were camping out in Red Rock Canyon California with my uncle who has a 34 HR Endeaver gasser (the topic message is here). Winds above Tehachapi got so bad we had to pull over......his coach was listing to starboard severely (he thought his coach was gonna tip over). I pulled up next to him to shield him from the wind. Continued on once the winds died down. So George, I would never say a disparaging word to any RV'er because of what they were camping with. Because I've been the one with a "hunting" trailer in a destination campground parked next to a Prevost and was treated with dignity and respect. I too feel as though all on this Forum treat me as an equal and truly want to help when I have questions. I also try to contribute but I haven't near the experience as some of the experts here.....and I really value their opinions! Blake

Toby and Jane, I haven't any experience with what you are asking but wanted to welcome you to the Forum. Is there a downside to just keeping your Haulmark on the home equity line of credit? Blake

Hey Joe, Our Windsor would have the same issue. Fortunately, we have a macerator pump that uses a small 1.25" hose. Some folks don't like a macerator because they are slow but we've never had a problem.....except for the time Deb accidently threw a knife down the black tank when she was dumping the dish water (dry camping). I had the dry heaves fixing that problem. Maybe a macerator would be an easier solution? Blake

Based on your research and comments.....I say buy what you want. Blake

Hi Rochel, Welcome to the Forum. We always travel with our pets here in the States and have never been asked for documentation. However, we have been to some campgrounds that ask what type of dogs we have and how big they are when we check in. Once we say they are poodles we haven't been denied. Albeit they are standard poodles and leave large pasture patties that we have to pick up (Carl will like the reference to pasture patties). Some campgrounds may ask for an additional fee per pets and children. Enjoy your retirement and the States. We have a great country and many things to see here. Blake

Cap, Have you narrowed down the wet conditions to only during rain/snow events? Or, are you seeing water most all the time? As Carl mentions above, the water may not be coming from the slide area at all. Check to see if water may be leaking from fittings in the bathroom etc. and migrating to the bedroom carpeting. You may have done this already by keeping your water supply & water pump off. If so, check other potential sources such as fridge, furnace & water heater covers for potential sources of entry and migration. A few years ago Deb found water on the carpeting in our dinette area. At first I thought it was one of the poodles but after we cleaned that up and it persisted, further investigation led to the ice maker capillary tubing had a small pinhole in it. From that leak water migrated down across the tile and into the dinette. Blake

Carl, I believe Joe is saying that Monaco charges $65.00 for the air governor that he paid $18.00 for. Blake

Thanks for the help guys! Brett.......this looks to be a simple swap out.....think I will tackle it sometime this week. Joe.....our governor is located on the compressor. Bad thing is that the plastic air lines rub against the frame rails. They don't look bad now but I think I may cushion them with rubber hose or something similar. Walt.....thanks for the part number.......noted on labeling the hoses! Blake

Kay, Thank you for the link. I'll try that for the black tank and grey tanks on next trip out. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to get Calgon and Dawn in our propane and freshwater tanks! Just kidding of course but our propane and fresh water sensors don't work correctly either. Perhaps I will switchover to guided wave radar or capacitance probes one day. It's been years since any of our sensors have worked. Like the article, we have just lived with it. I did pull the sensors in the grey and black tanks when they first failed after about a year after we bought the coach. That was a PITA because of all the junk I had to remove just to get to the sensors. Oddly enough, we never had any problems with our pull behind trailers at all. Blake