2003 Fleetwood Excursion

[DWAYNECHERAMIE]

RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS RIG W/42,000 MI.,HAS CAT 3126B. I HAVE CHANGED ALL FLUIDS UPON PURCHASING IN MAIN ENGINE,GEN SET(ONAN QUIET 7500) & ALLISON TRANS,INCLUDING ALL FILTERS.

I HAVE PUT 6000 MI. ON IT ALREADY. PLAN ON CHANGING OIL,OIL FILTER & FUEL FILTER @ 6000 MI. INTERVALS,PLAN ON DOING SAME TO GEN.SET @ 150 HR.INTERVALS.GEN SET HAS 1200 HRS.

I THINK THIS RIG IS A BEAST--RIDES LIKE A CADDY!!

WOULD LIKE INPUT ON LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THIS 3126B & ONAN 7500 GEN SET.

THANKS DWAYNE

[smokeater75]

Hi there, when my wife and I went to New York in September we stopped at the onan plant in Indiana. We have the same gen-set in our 2003 Monaco Windsor, I was wandering the same thing. I talked to one of the service techs there and he told me that he has seen a lot of units come in over the years with over 17000 hrs. on them. If you maintain it on a regular basis it sounds like it will last a long time. Hope this helps Smokeater75.

[wolfe10]

Dwayne,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Following manufacturer's schedule for maintenance, your chassis will go hundreds of thousands of miles.

With the Caterpillar engine, be sure the initial valve adjustment has been done. Should be done between 30k and 40k miles.

[dickandlois]

Hi Dwayne, Welcome to FMCA.

You take care of the coach, they return the favor. There are a number of coaches out there with over 100,000 miles, many over 200,000. That is allot of time sitting in the driver set.

Your Cat has around 42K miles, so its almost broke in. Good maintenance like you mentioned. The generator manuals mention replacing the belt around 1000 hrs. The belt drives the water pump.

Then there are the normal maintenance items. Tires, alignment, breaks, ride-height, air ride parts an suspension work. The maintenance of the turbo system and lubing the Jake or Engine brake.

Rich.

PS --Dwayne ! we use lower case when writing a post. Upper case is like yelling.

[DWAYNECHERAMIE]

Yes sir Mr.Rich,thanks for the info. DWAYNE

[DWAYNECHERAMIE]

Thanks alot for that info.

[DWAYNECHERAMIE]

Thanks for the info.,was also wondering about fuel/water seperator.I have the 1 filter system,I understand it has to be the 2 micron.Wondering when should I drain the water when the engine is running or stopped

[DWAYNECHERAMIE]

Thanks for the info.

Was also wondering about fuel/water separator .I have the 1 filter system. I understand it has to be the 2 micron.

Wondering when should I drain the water when the engine is running or stopped?

[wildebill308]

You can drain it when it is stopped. I use a clear glass container so I can see if there is any water or crud coming out. You don't need to drain a great deal of fuel out I would say just till it runs clear maybe a half pint. I have drained my filter twice and never found anything.

Bill

[wolfe10]

To expand on Bill's post, ONLY open the fuel filter drain with the engine off. It is on the suction side of the fuel system. If opened with the engine on, quite likely you will suck air into the fuel system.

And, if you have a clear bowl fuel filter (plastic bowl) you can tell at a glance whether you have water or sediment in the bowl. No need to drain unless you have contaminants. Said another way-- if all you see is golden fuel, no need to drain!

Check the bowl first time you stop after driving a hundred miles or so on a fillup. By then, if there are contaminants, they will show up.

[api100]

Wolfe made an excellent point about getting air in your fuel line. That happened to me a few years ago while visiting the finger

Lakes in NY. Had to call a repair truck from over 50 miles away to fix the problem.

Proper maintainance is most important, but it's a good Idea to always have a great roadside assistance program like Good Sams.

Stuff still happens. Enjoy your new coach! Andy

[DWAYNECHERAMIE]

THANKS VERY MUCH GUYS!! DWAYNE