stoutz429
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Re: Solar Trickle Charger on Roof
OP here. If I am understanding Richard's post correctly, it is saying that the BCC of my 2001 Fleetwood Bounder should be allowing my engine battery to recharge along with the coach batteries when I am plugged in to shore power? When I purchased the coach used, the dealer told me my coach batteries do not recharge while I am driving the unit, only the engine battery. He said the coach batteries only recharge while plugged in to shore power, but he didn't make any mention of shore power recharging the engine battery. Rick in PA497Views0likes0CommentsRe: Solar Trickle Charger on Roof
Thanks, everybody, for the input. If this thing is trickle charging my engine battery, does anyone know if it still provides that charge when I have disconnected the battery via the disconnect switch? Something has been draining my battery to the point that, if I don't use the motorhome for even a week, it doesn't have enough charge left to even start the engine. I've been told it's the power steps draining the battery, but even if I shut off the disconnect switch, it still dies in about a week. Rick in PA497Views0likes0CommentsSolar Trickle Charger on Roof
On our 2001 Fleetwood Bounder there is a small (about one square foot) solar panel mounted on the roof above the front air conditioner unit. Our assumption is that this maintains a trickle charge to something in the motorhome. Our question is - to what? Does this maintain a charge to the 12-volt engine battery, the six-volt coach batteries, or something else in the unit? Appreciate any feedback. Rick in PA8.4KViews0likes18CommentsRe: Water Pump and Generator Problems
Thank you, davebrown, for the advice on the water pump and the generator. After some charging time for the battery, the generator now starts. Would you know if replacing a controller for a water pump is a do-it-yourself project or better left to a professional?262Views0likes0CommentsWater Pump and Generator Problems
We just picked up our 2001 Fleetwood Bounder motorhome from a local dealer, where it had been since mid-December getting some body work done. It spent most of that time sitting outside the facility in very cold Erie, PA winter temperatures, sometimes well below zero degrees, waiting for a service bay to free up so our work could be done. Despite repeated pleas over the course of the three months it was there to make sure the batteries were kept charged, both the engine battery and the coach batteries were dead when we picked it up. We eventually jump started it and made the drive home, where we promptly plugged the coach into an electrical outlet to recharge the coach batteries. We then discovered two problems that did not exist when we dropped off the motorhome with the dealer. First, we noticed the water pump was running and could not be turned off (this may have even contributed to the dead batteries.) The coach was winterized, so there was no water in the system to pump, but any attempts to shut the pump off at any of the switches was unsuccessful. We were finally able to turn it off by removing the DC fuse from the panel. The second problem we encountered was the inability to turn on the Onan generator, either from the dash or from the switch at the generator itself. It clicks but does not start. Before we return the rig to the dealer to address these problems, I thought I would check with you forum readers to see if there was some simple thing we weren't doing that could correct these two issues. Any ideas would surely be appreciated.1.8KViews0likes5CommentsOutdoor storage in very cold climate.
Purchasing a class A motorhome to be used and stored in northwestern Pennsylvania. Desire to store it indoors during our extreme lake-effect cold winters. However, in the event we are unable to secure heated indoor storage and are forced to park it outside during the winter months, what should we do to make sure it is fully winterized for our long cold season? Mostly concerned with what to do about fluids and batteries, but open to ideas about all aspects of winterizing for extreme conditions.3.6KViews0likes17CommentsRe: Unhappy with deal. Want to cancel Purchase Agreement.
OP here with good news. After very friendly conversation with dealer expressing our concern over the interest rate, they offered to restructure the deal by reducing the purchase price to an amount that would create monthly payments that fall to a level nearly equal to what we would have paid with our desired interest rate. So the bottom line for us becomes a total purchase amount that we feel is right in line with the amount of risk we are willing to take for a motorhome this old. We can't praise the dealer enough for their professionalism and understanding as we stumbled through the purchase process. We learned a lot from our mistakes on this one and will be much better prepared when the day comes to buy our dream machine for fulltiming after retirement. Many thanks to all of you who responded to our post. The guidance we took from your suggestions was invaluable to getting the deal we could feel comfortable with.3.9KViews0likes0CommentsUnhappy with deal. Want to cancel Purchase Agreement.
We have been negotiating the purchase of a used class A motorhome over the last few days. The negotiation has progressed to the point where we have signed a Purchase Agreement and placed a down payment on the unit. Even though the RV is 12 years old, we told the dealer up front we would have to finance part of the purchase price. We placed a deposit to hold the vehicle while the dealer reviewed our offer. As it worked out, our offer was accepted. The sales rep then used our deposit as down payment money. He told us that used RVs usually finance at around 6%. We used this rate when crunching the numbers to see if the deal would work for us. When the dealer's finance person shopped for financing, she was only able to get it at a 14.95% rate. This totally blows our number crunching out of the water, as we were expecting a much lower rate (and yes, we know most lenders won't even consider financing an RV this old). The bottom line is, we have signed a Purchase Agreement, made a down payment, and applied for financing through the dealer. However, now we are very unhappy with the deal because of the large difference in the finance rate. My question is, can the deal be canceled even though we signed a Purchase Agreement prior to learning about the poor financing rate, and if so, would the deposit/down payment money be lost?20KViews0likes62CommentsRe: How old is too old?
I have a question I think fits in this thread rather than as a new topic. My wife and I have been out of RVing for ten years and are about three years from retirement. We are considering fulltiming after retirement. A motorhome caught our collective eye on the internet within the last few days - a 2001 Fleetwood Bounder 36U, gas engine on a Ford chassis. It has all the amenities we want and is being sold by a reputable dealer in Iowa. We live in Pennsylvania. Before making the 850 mile trek to Iowa to look at this rig, we want to know if other forum members feel this class A that the dealer claims has no negative mechanical history, 56,000 miles on the odometer, stored indoors by the previous owner, and a $35,000 list price would be a good choice for our RVing needs. We would use it for weekend camping, trips to visit family, and some extended travel for vacations lasting two weeks or more, with the potential for fulltiming upon retirement in perhaps three to five years. After having owned three new motorhomes over the years, we are definitely not interested in buying new, but are looking for a less expensive way to get back into RVing. Would the expenses associated with owning and operating a motorhome this old make this prohibitive?688Views0likes0Comments
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