richard5933

The only thing that I see which may or may not be of concern is the voltage at the house batteries while you're plugged in (shore or generator). That looks like it is charging at the bulk level (or whatever your charger calls the higher charge level), which is fine for a while but not where I'd want the voltage to long term. My charger runs at 14.4v until the batteries are fully charged, then it drops a little for a short while and then finally settles in at 13.2v for a float charge. It stays at the 13.2v float charge all the time if nothing is drawing from the batteries, and once a day it goes to 14.6v for about 15 minutes to keep the batteries from having problems. Dropping to somewhere around 13.2v is important, because continuing to charge at a higher voltage causes more out-gassing and more water evaporation. My suggestion would be to continue taking voltage readings for a few days after the batteries are fully charged and see what happens. If you just replaced the inverter/charger, I'm sure that there are settings which would allow you to set up the charging pattern that is best for your particular battery situation. If you are unsure of the proper charging voltages for your batteries, go to the manufacturer's website and find the data sheet. They should list the various charge voltages they recommend.

You could be correct, but the gauge has been at that point over the summer during normal operation - hovering between 170 and 175 - for hours without a problem. Never saw the gauge go over that this time. But, the temp gauge might not have been reading actual temp. It's sticking into the water to read temp, and if there was an air pocket or other weirdness from a stuck thermostat it might have been getting a false reading. The temp gauge uses a separate sending unit from the one in the shut-down circuit, so it's possible for one to read normal and the other to read overheat. When I saw the gauge suddenly climb and then go back down, I'm guessing that's when the thermostat finally opened. I hope no damage was done, but no real way to tell just yet. Once things got going again the engine appeared to run okay, and there is no noticeable water in the oil or oil in the water. Fortunately, if overheat was the problem, the shut down system does work. Hopefully not five months till I can investigate - last year I was able to get a little work done during the winter with a few days here and there with temps above 40 degrees, and by early March we start having enough sun during the day to warm things just a tad and get a at least a couple of days a week where I can work outside on the coach.

Yes - definitely is something in the 'crank reset' circuit and not fuel related. Right now I'm trying to narrow down what caused the 'crank reset' button (breaker??) to pop out and shut down the engine. From reading the other thread I posted just before, it seems like there are only three things that play into the 'crank reset circuit' - low oil pressure, high temp, and coil/crank clearing. I don't yet know what the coil/crank clearing is, but the other two showed okay on the gauges so if they tripped the system then I've got a faulty switch somewhere. I'll do some circuit tracing once the outside temps get above 40-ish again.

Of course, this thread that I just finally found may have the answers I'm looking for. https://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175356&page=2 I've started reading through it and it sounds like someone had similar issues and a post in the thread walks through the operation of the crank reset circuit. I'm open to other suggestions as well. Strange thing is that it worked for a year since we had the bus, suddenly failed yesterday, and now is apparently working again. Perhaps some moisture got into a switch/relay and froze up the works?

Rich - Not sure if I can answer all this, but here's what I know... The bus has a 24v system for the engine and chassis systems. That is not connected to the generator at all. The house systems are 12v, and they are not connected to the generator at all. The generator has its own start battery which is brand new. Engine is definitely before any electronics at all. The governor is strictly mechanical. When the engine runs it runs well. There is a battery charging circuit in the Kohler control box, but we don't use it. When the generator is not being run I've got a Xantrex Echo Charger to keep the generator start battery topped off. After starting the generator, I bridge the generator battery to the house battery bank so that it can be charged from the 70-amp 12v charger that also charges the house batteries. There is no alternator on the generator. I could use the on-board charging circuit, but for two reasons I don't. The on-board charging circuit is not a smart charger and can over-charge the start battery, and the on-board charging circuit is really weak. When I was running things yesterday, the generator head and its systems appeared to work as they should. I had a steady 119 volts with about a half load on the system. The dual 30-amp output breakers on the generator control box did not trip and seemed to not be involved in this at all. The only thing that tripped was the red "cranking reset" button on the front of the control box. Since it's not shown in the wiring diagram that's in the book from Custom Coach (yup - I've got the original manual and wiring diagrams from CC) so I will have to trace the circuit manually. However, it's really really cold right now (teens) and I just don't have the gumption to be out there doing this now. Since we are not going to use the coach till early spring, I'm in the research stage right now so I can be armed and ready once the temps start to rise again. I did check the belt today on the water pump. It's in good condition and properly tightened. It does spin with the engine so I assume the water pump is spinning. Of course, it's a new water pump so there is always the possibility it failed, but that's unlikely (especially since things did start working yesterday after the initial problems). My first step will be to change the thermostat. Right now I've sent a note to a supplier in the UK trying to get information on the proper thermostat for this engine in this application. Probably a standard 180-degree stat, but I wanted to be sure. Next I will have to trace the circuit to see what could possibly trigger the "cranking reset" to trip. Probably going to find it connected to the oil pressure and high-temp switches, so I'll have to confirm that they are functioning properly. We're not in any type of crisis mode here, but I do want to figure out what caused the problem so that when we hit the road in the spring I don't suddenly find that we don't have a functional generator.

Good thought. Do you know if the "cranking reset" is connected with just the engine protection circuits (high temp & low oil) or if it's also connected with the generator output? When it trips, the engine shuts off immediately since it controls the fuel solenoid. The output circuit breakers never tripped at all. Next time I'll let it warm up a bit more and see what happens.

The water pump/belt issue which was mentioned had not occurred to me at all. That gives me something new to investigate. The bigger issue I'd also like to understand more is how the "cranking reset" button and the related circuit works. I can't find it on the manuals I have. Hoping someone has some experience with this.

It was the proper diesel rated coolant. No conversion to OAT.

Coolant was replaced with the same as is in the 8V71 in the spring. Don't see any reason it would go bad between then and now. I did check level in the fall when winterizing. The radiator cap looked good at the fall check. Not sure it's the problem here, as it was still cold yesterday during the problems. The lower hose was warm, but the upper tank (which is separate from the radiator on our installation) and upper hose were still cold. This was why I suspect a sticking or malfunctioning thermostat. Seems like the tank would still be warm, even with a faulty cap, if the coolant were flowing through the upper tank. I will have to check for an air pocket today now that the Perkins is cooled down.

Water pump was replaced last spring, as was the antifreeze. I know that the freeze point is good. I'll have to check that the shop got the belt on correctly and that it's in good shape. For some reason hadn't even though about checking the water pump situation. Thermostat is separate from water pump, so it wasn't done, I'll have to r/r once it's warm enough to work outside again. Yes & yes. Draws from the same tank as the main engine, and there is good fuel with antigel in it.

It was time for the monthly generator run so I went out to the coach and got the old Kohler up and running. Took a few tries but it did start and come to life. I probably didn't hold the preheat button long enough to start the first time. The old Perkins is a bit tired, but the oil pressure came up in a very short time and the engine evened out at a smooth idle. Not bad considering it's in the 20s today and the Perkins has no block heater. I turned on the electric heaters in the coach to put on a load, about 5,000 watts total, and things seemed okay. However, after about 10 minutes the engine just shut off for no apparent reason. Oil pressure seemed okay, and temp was still climbing and was just above 140F. I tried to restart but the engine just turned with not even the slightest hint of starting. I went to the generator bay to try it there so I could listen to what happened. When I turned the switch to 'run', the usual loud click of the fuel solenoid was absent. Then I noticed that the "cranking reset" red button had tripped and was sticking out. I was able to push it back in till it clicked. After that the engine started but only ran for about 30 seconds before shutting down again. I repeated this a couple of more times with the same result. There was no sign of catastrophic failure - no oil leaking, no antifreeze leaking, and all fluids looked okay. After about 15 minutes of letting things rest, I tried again. The engine started and ran fine. It stayed running this time. I let it run for a few minutes from the generator bay, and then shut down to check again for obvious problems. Things seemed okay so I tried again from the main panel inside. Again the engine started and ran fine. Oil pressure was steady about about 45 psi. Temp was slowing rising then suddenly climbed to 170. It was starting to go higher, and just as I was reaching for the shut-down switch it dropped back to a little over 140 and started to climb slowly again. I ran it for about half an hour total while I watched the gauges. Enough to check off the 'run generator' item off my monthly checklist. Now I have to add 'diagnose generator' to the list. Here's my thoughts: Seems like something triggered an automatic shut down. I'm not totally sure how the shut down circuit works in the Kohler control box, but the fact that the 'cranking reset' button popped out points me towards this. Add to that the fact that upon initial reset it ran for about 20 seconds and shut down again, and I'm pretty sure that some type of auto shut down circuit is in play here. The temperature gauge climbing suddenly to just over 170 and the dropping back to 140 leads me to think that I've got a sticking thermostat. Possibly this caused the shut down, but I'm not sure. I didn't see the gauge at the moment of shut down. When I checked the engine after the initial shut down, the lower radiator hose was warm but the tank and upper hose was cold. This adds to my theory that a sticking thermostat was in play here. I've checked the manuals I have for the generator that I downloaded from the Wanderlodge site, but none of them mention the red 'cranking reset' button, so I really have no idea where that plays in the system or if it's in the auto-shutdown circuit. I would love to hear what others think could be at play here. Maybe someone has more familiarity with the auto shut down on the old Kohlers that can add some wisdom here.

If it only works with the ignition on, then I would think that your system is plumbed with a loop of radiator anti-freeze running through a heat exchange which allows engine heat to be used to make hot water. Sounds like the engine heat side is working, but for some reason the system isn't igniting and making its own heat. That would explain why it's not working off the house batteries. After checking the fuses (some will be located at/near the Webasto unit itself), run through the troubleshooting steps in the manual.

Since the only real change before/after the problem started was the filter change, that would be the focus of the inspection for me. Possibly you got a bad filter? Possibly a bad gasket? Wouldn't take much of a manufacturing defect to cause a problem. Assuming these are screw on filters, it would only take a few minutes to swap them, either for the ones that were just pulled out or a new set. Then you could eliminate the easy items on the list, which are often overlooked.

You might have a piece of debris clogging the hot water side of the shower water faucet valve. If it's one that has replaceable cartridges and/or washers, you can open it and check. We just had a faucet at home with almost no hot water flow. All the other faucets were fine on hot, as were all the cold water taps. In the end there was a piece of debris about the size of a large pepper flake which had worked its way into the hot water side of the cartridge. It had wedged itself in there just right as pretty much blocked the flow. Doesn't take much to stop up the flow on a 3/8" OD tube (only 1/4" ID).

We have a similar storage tube, which is mounted across the bulkhead on a pass-through storage bay. You can see it on the upper right corner of the photo - it's black but otherwise the same as the one in your link. When the sewer hose is stored in the tube with the end caps on it doesn't leak, but just in case we took a few precautionary steps. First, we tilted it ever so slightly down towards one end. Second, we used a 'feminine hygiene pad' under the lower end to catch any drips, should they occur. This is a trick we learned from a boating friend, who told us that they use these pads all the time in their engine room to keep the occasional oil drip from getting into the bilge water. We take care to rinse the hose and shake out the excess water before storage, so far so good. After we did all this, we ended up getting an extension hose. The extension hose is collapsible and has very tight end caps. It is stored fully compressed and gently coiled up inside the tub you see in the right side of the photo. I'd probably put both in there if I was to do it again.

We are 35' long and have no leveling system. We do carry stacking blocks, but to date have not used them. Of course, it does take some doing at times to park level, whether it be carefully selecting a site or parking on the site just right, but we've been pretty good at being comfortable nearly every night. At a few boondocking parking lots there have been issues. In those cases we park so the out-of-level is front to back and not side to side. Helps keep up from rolling out of bed. A properly sized wheel chock should be about 1/4 the height of the tire. Ours is 10" tall. We carry one with us, although on a level site we don't use it since we're not jacking up the coach. We carry ours in case we have to park on an incline, in case of mechanical failure, in case of flat requiring jacking to change a tire, and because there are a few maintenance maneuvers which require releasing the parking brake.

Here's an alert I found posted on the Delaware River and Bay Authority website: ____________________________________________________________________ As a vehicle enters a Delaware Memorial Bridge toll lane, the toll system reads both the number of axles and the vehicle profile. If a customer is towing a trailer or is operating a large recreational vehicle and enters a dedicated E-ZPass lane, the system may register the transaction at a commercial rate. To eliminate the potential for a misclassification, the DRBA advises customers to pay the toll manually. The E-ZPass transponder must be removed before entering the lane and placed in the read proof bag during the transaction. In addition, all E-ZPass customers should always check their statements to make sure that the charges are accurate and immediately report any discrepancies to their customer service center. This alert does not apply to campers or RVs with dual tires. ____________________________________________________________________ Not sure of any details other than this alert, but perhaps this was part of your problem jleamont. Sounds like they have an internal problem accurately reading the tags on RVs.

Could a bad battery also be keeping the charger at the 14.19v level? Perhaps it's seeing the bad battery the same as a discharged battery and is pushing through the higher voltage in an attempt to get it charged. I'm curious if the voltage level will correct itself once a known set of good batteries are connected and charged. If not, I'd be concerned that the charger would overcharge if it stayed at 14.19v at all times.

Funny, my I-Pass (EZPass) from Illinois has me listed as a 'small truck'. There ore only four classes in the I-Pass system for vehicle: Auto, Small Truck (2 axles), Medium Truck (3-4 axles), and Large Truck (5+ axles). We're listed as Small Truck. Funny thing, from what I can tell they have been collecting the proper tolls as we travel through the system.

Wasn't trying to be critical of your post. I was just posting information since there were a few comments in the thread that seemed to be mixing things up a bit between a two-stage regulator and an auto changeover regulator.

Some states issue both a car and RV transponder. In this situation, the car one is stored in the special bag when being towed. It is necessary to change the profile to be sure that the correct number of axles get charged, whether with or without the towed.

Then I'd say you're good to go. Your batteries charging. Chassis accessories affect the chassis batteries, house accessories affect the house battere. There are both. Things like the dash a/c fan, dash stereo, etc probably run from the chassis batteries, as would anything that only runs with the key turned on.

Did you check it while driving on the freeway or after you got off the freeway? If this was the voltage after, then it sounds ok. Probably was higher while actually driving. If you have a way to keep the meter connected while driving you should be able to see the voltage go up a bit when the engine is operating at freeway speeds.

Thanks. I'll have to add this to my list for the first service call after winter. Of course, I'll have to decide what to do with the tires before that, as the adjustment may not be necessary if I switch to the 12R22.5 tires. I've got the books for the bus, and I'm sure that the tech at the shop also has experience with this. Between all that I'm hoping we can get this sorted out.

This can be done without hooking up a pressure gauge? And to correct what I wrote earlier - I'm not currently able to hit the stops when turning. What I'm referring to is the tires being able to slightly rub on the outside of the air bag when the steering wheel is turned to the extreme. Different, but probably equally bad. While my current tires have a little life in them, I'm seriously leaning towards swapping them all for the Toyo 12R22.5 at the start of the spring driving season. This would hopefully eliminate the problem with the 315s rubbing the air bags on a hard turn, since they are about 1/2" narrower than the 315s. Guess GM put the 12R22.5 tires on there for a reason. My suspicion is that the previous owner put on the 315s because that was what he had on hand. He ran a fleet of commercial buses, and I'm sure that he just had his guys install what they had on hand and didn't even look closely at the specs. Besides, I think that most people assume that the 315s are the modern equivalent to the 12R22.5 size, but apparently not in every way.