Spring Class A Checklist

[Sandy___Shirley]

First year doing our own spring thing with a Class A

We did our own winterizing, in our driveway: empty tanks, blew out the water lines and added antifreeze to the drains

We have been running the motor and generator for an hour each month over the winter.

Now it is time to get ready for 2017 camping, without the RV dealer. We plan to take our motorhome to the local Ford dealer and would like to know what all we should ask him to look at.

We will check the “RV stuff”. Fill water tanks, check water pump and lines, check propane at stove and heater, check electric, check frig, etc.

Our current list for the Ford dealer is:

Change engine oil
Check all fluid levels: power steering, coolant, transmission, windshield fluid, etc.
Check fluid levels in generator
Check all batteries, including the three under steps that run inverter for frig.
Inspect tires, tire pressure, and brakes if necessary (only 5,000 miles so far)

Is there anything else we should ask the local Ford dealer to do?

[DrewE]

gbopp wrote:

mike brez wrote:
It is bad to start your engine once a month if you are not going to take it out for 30 min. or so ride.

A few years ago someone posted on the forum about this subject. Their system was to start the engine and run it less than a minute.

Running it a short period would circulate the oil. It would not build up enough heat to cause condensation.

It seems to make sense but, I've never tried it.

That seems equally as useless to me. You run the engine just until it really gets lubricated, ensuring that the maximum wear and tear is done, and then shut it off. Why bother at all? It's not like oil separates or goes bad if it sits, nor will it drain back into the sump notably more in four months than it does in one month.

Cold starts are pretty hard on an engine. It only makes sense to avoid them if they serve no useful purpose; for winter storage, that generally means simply not starting the engine. (The generator gets run for different reasons: to prevent the carburetor from gumming up due to gas evaporating, to keep the slip rings from getting too corroded from sitting, and perhaps to drive off any moisture that has accumulated in the windings. None of these apply to the main engine, assuming its new enough to be fuel injected.)

[gbopp]

mike brez wrote:
It is bad to start your engine once a month if you are not going to take it out for 30 min. or so ride.

A few years ago someone posted on the forum about this subject. Their system was to start the engine and run it less than a minute.

Running it a short period would circulate the oil. It would not build up enough heat to cause condensation.

It seems to make sense but, I've never tried it.

[eadeal55]

Just got my Bounder back from the local Ford dealer. Annual inspection requirements drive me there, and since an oil change is $30, I let them do that also.

I have them look at the belts and hoses, since that is not covered in the inspection process. This year they replaced the serpentine belt since it was beginning to show wear after 12 years and 42K miles. Cost was about $120.

Every three years I take the Bounder to a truck service/repair place and have them do the inspection, service and also have the generator serviced, since they can do generators and the Ford dealer does not.

I do my house and chassis battery maintenance in the spring, check the levels and make sure no corrosion is present. I also check the roof A/Cs to ensure the bolts are tight.

[crasster]

midnightsadie wrote:
sounds like your handy, do the ford stuff yourself ,that way you know it was done.its not rocket science .

X2, if you are able to, I'd just DIY. This stuff should be pretty simple to do and then you'll know it was done RIGHT. Also you'll most likely use a better quality oil filter and oil than a dealer.

[wolfe10]

Starting and engine but not operating it under load (i.e. driving it) just adds moisture to the crankcase.

Will a service writer at a Ford dealer know that-- not unless they work on a lot of motorhomes. This question never comes up on daily drivers, as no one just goes out and starts the engine to let it run in the driveway.

Said another way, making a decision that could affect the longevity of your engine based on what a service writer knows/doesn't know is rolling the dice.

[Sandy___Shirley]

mike brez wrote:
It's good to run the generator once a month but under a load.
It is bad to start your engine once a month if you are not going to take it out for 30 min. or so ride.

Thanks, I will verify that with the Ford dealer this Friday when I see him. Taking it out is not all that simple.

Unplug the electric, back off the leveling blocks, move the blocks out of the way, then go for a spin.

Getting back on the blocks is not all that simple. My driveway slants a bit and the left rear wheel has about 5 inches under it. I try to park it level on the tires without the jacks extended for months.

[mike_brez]

It's good to run the generator once a month but under a load.
It is bad to start your engine once a month if you are not going to take it out for 30 min. or so ride.

[Sandy___Shirley]

gbopp,

Thanks for the advice. No I did not put a load on the generator, just ran it for an hour to keep the fluids moving. Will do that next season. I installed a 50-amp line at the corner of the driveway and just leave it plugged in all winter. Hopefully the dealer can do the rest of your suggestions.

midnightsadie,

I am handy, but at 70 I’m not as flexible as I used to be. I’m starting to sound like my grandchildren, “call the guy”!

As in our signature, we are members of the S.K.I club, we are Spending our Kid’s Inheritance! We can now “pay the guy” to do it for us!

[midnightsadie]

sounds like your handy, do the ford stuff yourself ,that way you know it was done.its not rocket science .

[gbopp]

Just my opinion but, I would change the generator oil. It's cheap insurance.
I don't know if a Ford dealer will work on a generator? It's an easy DIY project.
Did you put a load on the generator when it operated for an hour every month?

Clean the battery terminals. A little corrosion that you can't see can cause problems.

Also, I assume you can check tire pressure yourself? It should not just be checked at the beginning of the season. If you don't know how, learn.
If you can't, at least get a Tire Pressure Monitoring System.