We have owned three gas MHs since 1998. Today we purchased a Tiffin 34' diesel pusher. I loved the driving control and the layout. Since we plan a long trip this year, seemed to be a good upgrade. Kind of the dream MH and on the bucket list!What do I need to know now that I have gone to the dark side of diesel ownership?? I am a true novice on fuel, maintenance and all things diesel. HELP!!Thanks in advance.

Open your wallet. Diesel ownership will cost you $.

Welcome to the Tiffin family! You will enjoy the ride quality and overall power. We recently made the switch too, so feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

A couple things you'll soon figure out:1. You'll arrive at your destination relaxed and refreshed after not fighting the coach down the road.2. Cost of ownership of a diesel is about the same as a gas coach...speaking from experience, of course.Enjoy your new rig to it's fullest.....Dennis

I wouldn't own a MH gasser. Been 100% diesel 27 years running in several diesel coaches. Even the cars are diesel powered!

Congrats on your new coach. I was in your shoes some 8 years ago, and I am still learning, especially from the pros on this site.To get you started, my first, and hardest thing to understand was the function of the accelerator in a DP vs a gasser. In a gasoline motor, when going up a hill, you depress the accelerator to increase engine RPM, and climb the hill. In a DP, the engine and transmission work together. Higher RPM does not mean better. You need to learn the "sweet spot" in your engine, mine is around 1400 to 1700 rpm's, you can usually find the sweet spot on the manufacturers web site. When going up a hill, you keep your RPM's in this "sweet spot" and you let the engine/transmission decide what gear to be in. Coming down the hill, you use your engine brake, or exhaust brake, to keep your speed down and under control, trying to avoid using the brakes as much as possible.Then, there is the issue of air brakes, which act totally different from hydraulic brakes and feel quite different. Air pressure, supplied by on-board compressors, keep your air lines under pressure and your brakes retracted. Stepping on the brake pedal allows air to release, which then allows the brake pads to come into contact with the rotor/drums (depending on what kind you have). Usually beginners stomp on the brakes, causing sudden jerking in the coach. You will need to get a good feel of your brakes and how feather them to slow down or to stop.There's a lot more that you will need to learn. Plan on using the "search" feature of this site under the Class A Motorhome category to find out a lot more about fueling, filters, tires, and general handling and maintenance.

New to diesel owner | Good Sam Community

33 Replies

mchero
Explorer
May 31, 2014
I think it's pretty obvious to read the manuals first.

Fantastic JoeH, I have herd from many that those classes are very popular! Looking for an update after the classes!
JoeH
Explorer III
May 31, 2014
mchero wrote:
JoeH wrote:
If you have a freightliner chassis, I recommend attending Camp Freightliner. Link to Camp Freightliner It's well worth the time and the cost. They go thru chassis/engine/transmission and will have any specifics required for your particular coach based the serial # you provide them up front. It's 2 days, they provide 2 lunches and a dinner.

What Joe did not tell you is tyhat you have to register a year or more in advance. VERY POPULAR class.

RM

I registered about 3 weeks before I attended.. luck of the draw. Just like campsites at popular places, people cancel and openings become available.
Tom_Barb
Explorer
May 31, 2014
ScottG wrote:
Tom is correct.
If you have no air pressure, the brakes will be firmly applied. It takes air pressure to over ride the spring that actually causes the brake pad to move against the drum.

Just on the parking brake circuit.
catkins
Explorer II
May 31, 2014
Thanks for the comments. Keep them coming!
wolfe10
Explorer
May 31, 2014
mchero wrote:
Just make sure you pre-fill the filter with CLEAN DIESEL B4 spinning her on! Get air in the fuel system & you risk burning up the starter trying to get her started! A small pump has to be manually pumped to get the air out.

Actually, I suggest reading the manual from your chassis maker, as there is NO "here is how they all prime".

Certainly, some engines can self prime, others have a manual primer pump and others you really need to pre-fill the filters.
mchero
Explorer
May 31, 2014
Just make sure you pre-fill the filter with CLEAN DIESEL B4 spinning her on! Get air in the fuel system & you risk burning up the starter trying to get her started! A small pump has to be manually pumped to get the air out.
sealevel_ram
Explorer
May 31, 2014
The advice about carrying a spare fuel filter is good, based on our experience.

We have been stopped twice due to a clogged filter, both times in Wyoming in cold weather, which may be just a coincidence. Luckily, the filter on my unit is easy to change.

Wouldn't go anywhere without a spare now.
ScottG
Nomad
May 30, 2014
Tom is correct.
If you have no air pressure, the brakes will be firmly applied. It takes air pressure to over ride the spring that actually causes the brake pad to move against the drum.
Tom_Barb
Explorer
May 30, 2014
WayneLee wrote:

OK, I think we have a problem here.........

Air pressure retracts the brakes. It's the BIG SPRING that applies the brakes. Air pressure acts against the spring releasing the brakes.

No... only in the parking brake mode, normal operation is pull the parking brake out air is released from the parking brake canister brake is applied by the spring. Push in the parking brake button in, air pressurizes the parking brake canister and the coach is able to roll.

apply the foot brake air is applied to the normal brake system stopping the coach, foot pressure is released from the pedal and the air that stopped the coach is released, allowing the coach to roll.

If you loose all air pressure, the parking brake will come on by spring pressure. to tow a air brake system you must apply air to the system, or use the "T" bar spring retraction tool to release the parking brake.

Emergency stop feature on most systems is simply a valve that is held closed by normal air pressure, when the pressure drops below a set pressure the valve opens and dumps all the air left in the tanks into the normal stop side of the normal system bringing the coach to a quick stop. when the tanks pressure bleeds off the parking brake will hold the coach from rolling away.
vic46
Explorer
May 30, 2014
Here is some reference material:

Alaska manual touted as one of the best:

http://doa.alaska.gov/dmv/dlmanual/cdlmanual.pdf/

Alberta manual:

http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/documents/content/Air%20Brake%20Nov%202007.pdf/