richard5933

It was one of the units where the screen popped out and hinged up. They make a few single DIN units with larger screens, the downside is that the screen hides whatever is above the stereo when it's in use.

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here. There are lots and lots of car stereo heads on the market right now so it's hard to make recommendations without a bit more information. It looks like the unit you had was a single DIN size. Do you have room for a double DIN or are you limited to single? Are you open to the idea of putting your CD collection in MP3 format? If so, you open up a world of newer stereos with lots of new features. With a micro-SD card you can put a huge collection of CDs in a tiny space and have them all available for playback. Check out the Crutchfield.com site for options. They have about the best selection I've seen. They do carry one that has the same size and layout as yours, but not sure if it has all the features you need. Kenwood KVT-7012BT

Sounds like a great idea. I've often thought that the fact that every good RV shop has a weeks-long waiting list for service is an indication that more RV service centers are needed. I wonder how it would work in relation to manufacturer's warranties on the various components? Seems like a lot (if not most) of the service appointments we read about on this forum are for warranty related work. Sometimes it's a chassis warranty problem (engine/tranny), sometimes a house system (a/c, water heater), and sometimes a warranty problem on the actual RV build itself (bowed slide, etc.) Of course, it you talking about doing only off-warranty work then I think you'd have customers lining up to get in.

I'll add some kudos to the list... As many know, we recently installed a Vitrifrigo 12vdc/120vac compressor fridge in our coach to replace the 44-year-old Norcold compressor unit. I went to start it up the other day in preparation for a trip. We're scheduled to leave tonight. Yesterday when I went to load the groceries I realized that the compressor was cycling on for only 2-3 seconds before turning off. A few frantic calls to Vitrifrigo's main US office in Florida, a little bit of trouble shooting, and they had a new part out the door via overnight shipping. Installed the part myself this morning and it appears the crisis is over. The fridge is already down to temp and ready to load.

There was a thread about this a few weeks ago.

The other advantage with any unit that protects at the post is that protection is provided for the shore cord as well. Can't get that with an on-board box.

Interesting thread. I know that it started quite a while ago, but I had a similar thing happen on a Yanmar diesel engine in a tractor. Primary fuel pump housing cracked after only a few hours, causing a pretty serious fuel leak. When I got the warranty replacement it had an improved mounting system with added brackets. Same thing happened a couple of months later when the air cleaner mounting brackets cracked. What was explained to me is that diesel engines are often set up and tested in one application. For example, the unit on my tractor was apparently designed and tested to be used as a skid steer engine. When it was repurposed as a tractor engine it was suddenly being called to run at a different RPM. This change in RPM caused a different vibration pattern to set in, and with it various problems such as the fuel filter and air cleaner mounts. I'd be curious if something like that happens with the engines being put in motor homes. They were originally designed and tested for use in one application with a specific transmission combination (OTR trucks with a manual transmission, for instance), and then the engineers decide to put that engine in a motor home to increase power. They combine it with an automatic transmission, and suddenly the engine is running at a speed slightly different than originally tested and along come problems like cracked fuel lines. Just a working theory, and I'd be interested to see what others think.

Isn't the concern of running automotive type (toxic) antifreeze in any of these systems on the circulating side due to the risk of a leak forming and the toxic antifreeze contaminating the potable water supply?

Of course, there are also places like Kwik Trip in Wisconsin that will let you start the pump with any credit card at the pump. However, the pump will automatically shut off at $125. Then you've got to start the process all over again. Not terrible but it can be confusing if you forget about it and expect to pump lots more.

We've got the Progressive Industries on and we're quite happy with it. I notice that the other one you listed doesn't have nearly the same weather shielding,

Then you've never experienced the joy of an 8V71.

There's a reason they have the climbing lanes on the long grades. There's also a reason you'll see truckers in the right lane going slowly with their hazard blinkers on when the grades get steep. We have to do it in our coach from time to time. It's just part of the fun. Just pull to the right lane and keep downshifting until, as Brett said earlier, you have a little throttle left to spare, even if it means going 30 mph up the steepest grades.

All you really need to prove is that it will cost him more to do nothing than to negotiate a settlement. I'm sure that most of these situations never actually get to the point where proof of prior knowledge or intent is necessary. If this dealer has more than two customers he's not going to want this dragged through the news. Hopefully.

It was mentioned earlier in this thread that the ultra-low-sulfur diesel doesn't hold moisture well resulting in it settling to the bottom of the tank and increasing the problem with microbe growth. Other than either pumping out the bottom of a tank or draining the bottom of the tank (if a drain is installed), is there a chemical solution to get the accumulated moisture out of the tank?

Would you have bought the coach even if you knew that the mileage was that high, assuming the price had been adjusted accordingly? If so, then my first approach would be to get the dealer to adjust the price. You might have a good chance of such as adjustment given the following. Of course, I'm not an attorney so you would be best to check this out with one before taking action. Kentucky does have rules regarding mileage disclosure: 190.300 Disclosure of mileage upon transfer of motor vehicle or motor home. (1) Any transferor must give a written disclosure to the transferee in connection with the transfer of ownership of a motor vehicle or motor home: (a) Disclosing the cumulative mileage registered on the odometer. (b) Disclosure that the actual mileage is unknown, if the odometer reading is known to the transferor to be different from the number of miles the vehicle has actually traveled. (2) It shall be a violation of this section for any transferor to knowingly give a false statement to a transferee in making any disclosure required by this section. Effective: January 1, 2015 History: Amended 2014 Ky. Acts ch. 27, sec. 24, effective January 1, 2015. -- Created 1976 Ky. Acts ch. 246, sec. 7, effective June 19, 1976. 190.310 Liability for violation of KRS 190.270 to 190.320 with intent to defraud. (1) Any person who, with intent to defraud, violates any requirement imposed under KRS 190.270 to 190.320 shall be liable to the transferee in an amount equal to the sum of: (a) Three (3) times the amount of actual damages sustained or fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500), whichever is the greater; and (b) In the case of any successful action to enforce the foregoing liability, the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court. (2) An action to enforce any liability created under subsection (1) of this section, may be brought in a Circuit Court of a county in which the purchaser of the motor vehicle resides. Effective: June 19, 1976 History: Created 1976 Ky. Acts ch. 246, sec. 8, effective June 19, 1976. Assuming that the dealer in Kentucky provided the required written disclosure, and assuming that it reflected the incorrect odometer reading, it would seem that a simple call to the appropriate state agency (Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commission) could create quite a problem for the dealer. Even more so if the phone call is preceded by a letter from an attorney notifying them of your intention to take action and of your desired outcome.

Winter number eight Michigan style or in the more southern states? Once winter gets in full swing around here in Wisconsin, 120w of heat would never keep a bay warm enough to prevent freezing temps unless it was insulated like a sealed cooler. Not sure what the reason would be to avoid running the pink anti-freeze through the fresh-water side of the AH as the manual instructs? If the rest of the plumbing is done that way already, seems like a no-brainer.

I guess I could throw that back at you in reverse? What manufacturers specifically recommend replacing OE rubber bushings with polyurethane bushings? I can only speak directly about my research on these regarding the front end of a bus chassis, but logic would say that the theory holds true for many (if not all) types of vehicles. Polyurethane bushing have different elasticity and hardness qualities than rubber. There will be differences in ride quality, handling, vibration transmission, and other factors. When engineers spec out these things on a chassis, they're not just randomly picking some rubber bushing off the shelf because it's the cheapest or because it fits. They choose the bushing based on a number of factors that contribute to ride quality, safety, handling, etc. I don't have an engineering degree, so I'm not keen on just randomly changing a component of my suspension system because it's supposed to last longer or provide better handling, at least not without doing my homework to be sure that it's a wise choice. Here is just one of many sites out there that spell out the differences: https://www.suspension.com/blog/rubber-v-polyurethane-suspension-bushings/ Like I said in my previous post, I'm not saying that it's wrong to install the polyurethane bushings. I'm just saying that before someone jumps in and installs them it's wise to do a little research and see if the positives will outweigh the negatives. There will be both. Kind of like a situation years ago when someone at the tire shop convinced my father that he should ante up and get the more expensive 'better' tire that carried a 60,000-mile wear warranty. He did and proudly drove the car home. Next day he drove it right back and had them put on the tires he originally asked for. What went wrong? The 'better' tires had a much harder rubber compound designed to make them wear longer. Problem was that the trade off of getting a longer wear life was a drastically harsher ride and increase in road noise.

Not to be a trouble maker, but sometime just because a part will last longer doesn't mean it works better. Polyurethane bushings are available to replace lots of rubber bushings. They do change the ride and handling characteristics though, so it's important to research the results on the particular chassis in question to be certain that any negative consequences don't outweigh the positive ones. Not saying that polyurethane bushings are bad, just that they are not recommended in all applications on all chassis types.

Welcome. Glad to see we're not the only ones on the block that appreciates old machines. Great look ride!

It's strange when I compare Flying J prices through Gas Buddy. In some parts of the country they are within 10 cents or so to other stations. In other areas they are 30-40 cents higher, sometimes even more. I'd love to know how they set their prices. They must have some type of algorithm to set these. Just doesn't make sense on the surface though how they can stay in business when other stations are so much lower, unless maybe they do this in areas where the other stations are just too inconvenient for commercial truckers to get to.

Either it's charging the battery or not. If the voltage in the coach batteries is dropping with the engine running, there's a good chance that your alternator is not charging. Unless your chassis batteries have failed. I still think that it would be key to get your chassis batteries to a local auto parts store or battery store to see if they can even take a charge. Do you have a toad or can you borrow a vehicle to take them for testing?

If the voltage is dropping with the engine running AND it also drops while plugged into shore power (I assume with the external charger connected to them) then something is obviously not right. What is the voltage coming out of the engine alternator?

IF the isolator or solenoid (whichever is in use here) is bad, then the problem with the inverter could easily have killed other components or even batteries. The isolator is a device which allows the chassis alternator to charge the house batteries while the main engine is running. It could be near the house batteries. Hopefully someone else knows more specifically. The house batteries are not what's going to take you to the shop. The chassis batteries are the ones you need to worry about when driving. The house batteries may help you stay comfortable, but they won't get you where you want to go. If your chassis alternator is working, then your chassis batteries should not be dropping voltage with the engine running. When you said that the voltage is dropping did you mean with the engine running or off? Whatever you do to get to the shop, please be sure to factor in the upcoming storm. You certainly don't want to be on the road with questionable batteries with a storm closing in on you. Stay safe and dry.

Never said it was less expensive, just that at times getting a residential fridge installed isn't practical.

Not every coach can take a residential fridge without doing cabinet modification. Sometimes it's quite a bit of remodeling to get the opening sized right, and sometimes it's a problem just getting it inside. Can't speak to the specifics of this application, but there are situations where keeping at least the shell of the Norcold in place would be the optimal solution. Theoretically this should work if the shell is in good condition - all that's happening is replacing a failed/dangerous refrigeration system for one that works. These things are really nothing more than a big insulated cabinet with a refrigeration system attached.