dianahc

Doing well - last leg of our trip home today. Time to turn on the propane again!

Fortunately there was only one baseboard vent in the bedroom and it is just barely exposed when the slide is in.

OK, I’m glad that my skepticism was correct. Our old rig was a 30 amp gasser with only propane heat, and we never shut it off either. But it’s reassuring to get confirmation that we haven’t been stupid or illegal

Yup - I do know that the water heater (and fridge) can be run on propane/12V while driving, but without confirmation, I didn’t want to turn on the furnace. Odd that I couldn’t find that explained in the manual. We haven’t done much cold weather camping yet, and our first coach was a much more basic gasser - so even after 4.5 years, we’re still learning! Someone on another board suggested that driving with the propane tank on is illegal in some states and provinces? Other than in tunnels, is this true?

I would if the check valve from the water heater hadn’t crapped out on us several days ago. 😡 (Although it inexplicably worked this morning, and I didn’t have to shower in the public bathroom, so who knows!)

After finishing fueling, I checked exhaust pipes, and fiddled with the thermostat controls to figure out how to just turn on the rear furnace and voila! Comfy! Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I’ll wait until my chauffeur needs a potty break before turning it on. We have a full tank of propane and barely used any so far on this trip - the heat pump worked just fine just south of Gilroy, as it didn’t get much if at all below 40, but we’re going to need it tonight in Barstow. I doubt anything would have built a nest on the RV during the **** that is Phoenix in the summer, but I’ll check it at our next stop - oops, right now!

Dumbish question: we’re traveling home from a visit with our kids in CA, taking the inland route down I-5, through Bakersfield, the Tehachapis, stopping for the night in Barstow, then on to Phoenix tomorrow. We have a new-to-us 2007 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40PDQ. Without editorializing about my choice to ride on the bed rather than the passenger seat (tailbone issues), how do we heat the bedroom while driving? It’s chilly outside and getting pretty cold back here. Do I have to turn on the generator and run the heat pump? It’s going to be below 40 if it’s not already. Or is it OK to use the propane furnace while driving? I’ve looked through the manual and didn’t see anything that explained it. Thanks!

2007 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40PDQ. It’s our personal coach. I’m not a fan of spending the money, but I’m also not a fan of stuff not working when we’re traveling. And while my husband is an expert at home remodeling, his expertise is not in plumbing or electrical, and he’s recovering from radiation therapy, so he’s not as strong or mobile as he used to be. Until he further recovers, he needs to save his strength for driving us. The mobile tech who repaired the windshield was surprised the installer hadn’t used glue. The gaskets are 11 years old.

I’m thinking of having them look at the plumbing overall. The water system valves, the tank sensors (most don’t read remotely accurately), the R/O water system which I still don’t trust for water for my coffee or the cats (I just feel safer bringing bottled water and prefiltering through a Brita filter); the toilet ball valve, or possibly swapping out for a toilet that will work with a Toto washlet. Also, one of the tires seems to have a leaky/stuck valve stem; service the jacks; treat the seals and repair if necessary; have the roof looked at, including caulking; and have some surface repairs done (there’s a peeling patch of either clearcoat or paint on the rear, and SOMEBODY didn’t watch out for the orange tree branches on the left as he was making the left turn into a rather ample-sized space at our overnight stop in Bakersfield - we’ve got scratches all down the side of the rig). And the door is sticking again and needs to be adjusted - last year we almost go locked out and had to cancel an entire day’s visits waiting for a mobile locksmith. I’d love to have the vinyl tile and old carpeting removed and replaced with wood laminate too, but that might have to wait until next year, cost-wise. We got her a year ago and I want to get her serviced and fully up to snuff before our next trip, which may be a long one. And I don’t want another start to the trip like this one. Last February, the windshield cracked while we were stationary. We got it replaced, and had barely used it since then (it was used as an extra apartment for a while, but only a few miles from home). We set out for the 700 mile drive from the Phoenix area here to the Gilroy area, and as soon as we hit on the freeway, heard a terrible intermittent whistling that got worse. We pulled over at the rest stop west of Tonopaugh, and discovered the huge windshield was separated from the frame completely from the top and almost halfway down the sides. Long story somewhat shorter, I found a mobile tech to come from Quartzsite (under warranty, fortunately), who announced that the good news was he was not going to have to take the time to clean off the old glue, because (the bad news) there wasn’t any used when they installed it. !!! SMDH. He fixed it, we had to sit for a couple of hours to let the glue set before carefully driving to Quartzsite to spend the night, which made our trip take 3 days instead of 2, but that wasn’t a big deal. But it was stressful. I really like this coach, but she’s 11 years old, so (deferred by prior owner) maintenance issues need to be addressed.

The snowbirds are coming! We have a few months of being back home in AZ while hubby gets a hernia repaired, then hitting the road again in the spring, I hope. I’m thinking the coach might be spending some time in the shop during that downtime.

It’s all good - I turned the hot water on and off sharply from off to full and back several times and the pressure came back - at least for now. I had a nice shower this morning and washed dishes and the lav taps work. Maybe I knocked the debris out of the valve, or maybe it’s going to take a complete dump in the next few days. We get home on the 1st or 2nd.

Our issue was with all taps, so most likely the check valve. Knock wood, it seems to be working again at full pressure - for now. I think we need to get one of those prefilter apparatus set-ups so we don’t let hard water and sediment get into the system in the first place. Living in AZ and occasionally using the coach as a mobile casita for guests and/or escape pod (I will NEVER live in the house during remodeling, EVER again!), we have put some hard water into the tank.

Well, having just tried to take a shower - it’s KIND of working. Pressure is less than half what it should be. Grrr ...

I had narrowed it down to that being the most likely possibility by more internet searching, while waiting on the good advice to come in. Y chromosome part of the team banged on the pipes in the water bay. It’s working again, for now. Will get serviced when we get home. Thanks!

2007 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40PDQ. We are staying in an RV park south of Gilroy for a couple of weeks. The hot water was working perfectly on the 120 V system for the last week. It worked last night. I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and turned on the hot water and almost nothing came out - turn handle towards the cold side and it works. Same on the other lav sink and kitchen sink. This morning I tried to turn on the 12 V (propane) heater. Heard it light, I think, but after an hour, still no hot water - or more than a slight trickle - when handles are turned to hot water. The manual doesn’t seem to address this issue. I’m thinking this is a simple issue, but no idea what to do. Thanks for any advice!

Never backed it up (this was our second trip with this new coach and toad). "a good inspection of the tow bar may be in order. If one side did not lock, or jammed, the toad could be pulled at an angle." That is indeed next on the agenda. Will report back when that gets done (mechanic is busy and we're not in a hurry at the moment - next trip is not for over a month). I don't have a pic of it hooked up, though it looked just fine, nothing was changed but the tire, including not touching the tow bar, and it was towed home without further incident.

I'm the owner of this unfortunate Jeep - I met Tireman9 on another forum - I don't think he knew I was a member here when he helpfully posted here looking for input into what happened. We're as certain as we can be that the steering wheel was unlocked when we took off - I stand outside the Jeep while my husband puts it into towing mode, and I watched him unlock the steering column and turn the steering wheel in both directions to make sure it moved freely. We made a right turn out of the RV resort, a more gentle right a couple of hundred feet later onto the highway and then drove straight until the blowout alarm on the TPMS went off. We had the rearview camera on the Jeep (from the hood up and back), and never noticed anything wrong. When we stopped, the front wheels were facing forward, and after the tow truck driver removed the fairing (and we picked up the blown-off fender and driver's door trim up the road a bit) and changed the tire, my husband double-checked that the steering column was still unlocked - it was. By the way, we had had our mechanic install the TPMS just before we left on this trip. In retrospect, I'm sure SOMETHING was visibly wrong - at least two people honked at us as they passed us - and we thought they were just being friendly - not a mistake we'll make again! Our mechanic was sure it was an alignment problem, although it was perfect when we had him check out the Jeep before we bought it from a private party in December - but it was still true, despite the stress it must have been under being dragged with the wheels sideways. We bought 5 new tires (and new metal valve stems), as we didn't trust the not-very-old Chinese tires (Sunfull - DOT 2316, and they were the right size) and the never-used full sized spare got us home, but it was original equipment on the Jeep. Amazingly, our mechanic was able to re-install the plastic fairing, fender and trim after buying new plastic clips and it doesn't look much the worse for wear. We have a Garmin 760 GPS which we had paired with a rearview camera in our previous rig, which we did not take off when we sold it, so I bought a new rearview camera which we are going to mount much lower than the integrated camera on the back of the HR. We even investigated having the mechanic remove the steering lock mechanism, but it would be very costly for labor due to the airbag - he talked us out of it, and doubted that that was what happened. There are no open recalls or reports on problems with the steering column on the Jeep Liberty, and the "death wobble" that has been reported in Jeep Wranglers and/or Cherokees (can't recall which) relates to a front end mechanical set-up that is not relevant to the Liberty (so I've been told). But I am still uneasy at the idea that we may never know what caused the wheels to turn and for us to drag the Jeep that way for possibly 20 miles, or how to make sure it will never happen again. Next on the list of things to investigate - is it possible the Blue Ox tow arm didn't lock on one side? Could that have caused the front wheels to get stuck sideways after making the right turn out of the parking lot? I don't like mysteries - I'm a scientist, and this is something that should be answerable, dammit! Now, I'm uneasy about our upcoming 5000+ mile summer trip. Thanks to all who wrote in and helped, and especially Tireman!

Does WeBoost just boost cell signal, or does it also boost internet data signal? My husband and I have had a disagreement about this.

Tell me more about the external antenna - is that the same as the WeBoost?

So, a few months ago, I told my tale of problems getting signed up with the new Verizon/FMCA $49/mo plan with free Jetpack (I had earlier gotten a small tablet as a hotspot, which I was promised could be swapped for the FMCA deal when it finally got put together, and it turned into a nightmare to switch). Having reliable and unlimited internet is very important to me because I am still working part time as an attorney, and I have to work while we're on the road. I have now been on three RV trips in our new-to-us RV (YAY! We're now proud owners of a 2007 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40PDQ, and we upgraded our Jeep toad to a 2007 too!). We moved our WeBoost 4G-X to the new coach too. I have had the following experience with the Jetpack and Verizon: It did NOT work in the RV park in Apache Junction AZ where I took it on the first trip, but I didn't mess with it much - we were only there for two nights taking driving lessons on the new rig, and I didn't have to do any work. It works fine while we're on the road. While driving the 700 miles from the Phoenix area to south of Gilroy CA, I only really lost the signal in the Tehachapi mountains for about 5-10 minutes. HOWEVER, on our next trip, which was nearly a month long, when we got to Betabel RV Park about 7 miles south of Gilroy (the south end of Silicon Valley) and right off of US101, the damned thing didn't work worth CRAP. I couldn't stay connected; could barely open Facebook, never mind opening and staying connected to my secure work VPN or streaming a video from Netflix. I was there for 2-1/2 weeks, with a big opinion to write, and I ended up having to drive up to my daughter's house to use her internet to get most of it done. HOURS were spent on the phone with Verizon, and all I got was lame excuses about "poor line of sight" access to the cell tower, "terrain, and congestion," and similar excuses. However, the connection DID work occasionally - sorta - the first three days, and it was a little more stable at after midnight or so. First clue. When we left Gilroy/San Juan Bautista, we went to Las Vegas for a few days, staying at a BIG RV resort (Oasis) near the airport and right next to I-5, with no mountains or even hills around us - and had the same damned problem - the Jetpack was essentially WORTHLESS in the park. When I got home, I complained bitterly to Verizon, and after repeatedly denying it could be the Jetback, they finally agreed to swap it out for a new one. Don't even ask how horrible that transaction turned out to be and how many more hours were wasted on the phone with them, as well as having to drive to the Verizon store where they didn't know anything about my being supposed to swap out the Jetpack. Note - the Jetpack doesn't work worth crap in my home in Goodyear AZ either - in the middle of a large community. Varies between 1-2 bars, and drops my VPN connection constantly, when I have tested it at home. I use my home internet when home, of course. Two weeks ago, we went on a 1 week trip to Distant Drums RV Resort in Camp Verde AZ - right next to I-17. The Verizon internet connection was WORTHLESS. I complained again, and this time they sent me a new SIM card. I replaced it today, and still only got one bar at home. I called Verizon again, and again spent a long time on the phone with tech support. Basically, their conclusion is that there are too many Verizon users in the RV parks competing for the same bandwidth. So there you go - they are selling us equipment and "access" to a fixed amount of bandwidth. The more RVers who use Verizon in your RV park (or neighbors at home), the worse (i.e., essentially USELESS) your signal will be. I'm livid, and disappointed, and feel cheated. And I'm copying this post and emailing it to the senior people at Verizon and FMCA that I worked with at the beginning of this miserable odyssey.

The actual trip is not just a marathon drive - we're taking 2 months or so. The current plan looks approximately like this: Goodyear to Gallup: 297 miles (stopover) Gallup to Santa Fe: 199 (staying 3 or 4 nights - TBD) Santa Fe to Pueblo CO: 295 (staying 1 or 2 nights - TBD) Pueblo to Cheyenne WY: 197 (stopover) Cheyenne to Hot Springs SD: 254 (4 nights) Hot Springs to Garryowen MT: 328 (hoping to have time to see the Custer Battlefield there, but only staying one night) Garryowen to Bozeman: 228 (stopover) Bozeman to Glacier NP: 324 (9 nights) Glacier to Radium Hot Springs AB: 225 (6 nights) Radium HS to Kamloops BC: 288 (stopover) Kamploops to Vancouver BC: 213 (3 nights) Vancouver to Olympia NP: 208 (4 nights) - this is where we might want to go by ferry instead Olympic NP to Astoria OR: 228 (2 nights) Astoria to Tigard OR: 95 (stopover and to see my cousin) Tigard to Bend: 168 (stopover) Bend to Crater Lake NP: 127 (3 nights) Crater Lake NP to Redding CA: 194 (stopover) Redding to Gilroy(ish): 283 (10 nights) After that, I'm more vague, because I don't know how long we really want to stay in the Bay area, but something like this: Gilroy to Pismo Beach: 156 Pismo to Long Beach: 199 (a few days to see friends and family) Long Beach to home: 362 (a long haul - maybe stop in Palm Springs, but ... in early August it will be miserable there)

This information is now 7 years old, so I thought I'd poll the community for an update. We are doing a big loop trip this summer from Phoenix, Santa Fe, Black Hills, Glacier, Banff, Vancouver BC, Olympic NP, Crater Lake NP, Bay area, LA and home. I started wondering if maybe between Vancouver and Olympic NP, we MIGHT be able to go by ferry, to make for a more enjoyable trip It seems we can (or could, as of 7 years ago). We have a 40-41' DP towing a Jeep. Is there a specific ferry company/companies we should use? I assume there isn't a direct connection between Vancouver and Port Angeles? Is there anywhere to stay in a 40' RV near Victoria (on Vancouver Island)? Any idea how long (time) each leg of the trip is? We have 3 cats who stay in the RV - will we be able to access the RV while on the ferry? We don't NEED to be able to do so, because they are chill cats, but I'd like to know in advance if it's possible to check on them. Thanks in advance for any advice! Diana

Still no call or any other contact from Verizon, except a customer service survey. Oh yes, I answered the survey.

I got this email a few minutes ago - it is entirely generic, doesn't address ANY of the issues with the FMCA deal, including returning the tablet. I'm still waiting to hear from Verizon directly, but I'm about to leave the house for a couple of hours. You’re approved to add a new smartphone. We picked out a few we thought you’d enjoy. Shop phones