RCL
Explorer
Joined 21 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
All Activity
Re: 7500 Onan Gen won't stay running.
one thing to check is the fuel line to the generator. I was getting a code 36 and did all the usual things, fuel and air filters, to no avail. My gen set is on a slide, and the fuel line was cracked and leaking. That flexing on gen in and out caused it to crack. When the gen set was sucking on that line, it pulled air in and the gen set would lose prime and quit. Replacing that line fixed the problem. Dick L. '04 HR Imperial609Views0likes0CommentsRe: Dull Headlights
I'm a firm believer in the "Daniel Stern" fix recommended by DSDP Don. Many coach builders use "off the shelf" chassis and the wiring is inadequate. On my previous coach, a '97 HR endeavor, there were at least a couple of extra feet of wiring for the headlights to allow the coach builder some flexibility in the headlight placement. This extra wiring and its small gage caused the voltage at the headlights to be at least a volt below the battery voltage, causing the lights to be dim. You have to measure the headlight voltage at the connector at the back of the light with the headlight connected and on. You may have to insert a small wire into the connector to be able to contact it with a voltmeter. As I remember, you can get a kit from Stern, or, if you are handy, you can buy the parts at your local auto parts store.628Views0likes0CommentsRe: Increase Ground Clearance for Driveway
DSDP Don wrote: "ncrowley".....I have the same issue and I got tired of dragging ramps down to clear where my concrete drive met the sidewalk. I found that Source Engineering, a company that primarily makes aftermarket parts for Monaco coaches was selling a lift kit for the rear end. After I bought the kit, I realized it was pretty easy to make, but it was easier to just buy the kit versus trying to find the correct components. Here's how it works......You add two small air solenoids to the rear of the coach. In normal mode they supply air to your ride height valves and your coach works as designed. When you push a momentary switch on your dash, the solenoid bypasses the ride height valve and directly fills the airbags. On the Monaco they were originally designed for, they got 3" of lift. On my Freightliner chassis I got 3.5" of lift. Your shocks are the limiting factor. The kit is $250.00 and comes with all the parts you need. It's a pretty quick install, because all of the airlines are quick connect. This is a photo of my ramps. The lower right corner where the ramp meets the sidewalk was the issue. Now I clear by about an inch. This sounds a lot like the modification I made to my '04 Holiday Rambler shortly after I bought it in 2007. I wrote it up and it is in the files section of Monacoers. I needed extra clearance to make the transition from the street to my driveway. I still use that modification every time I take the coach out. The only problem I have ever had is that I didn't protect the valves adequately from corrosion and had to replace them a couple of years ago. The Monacoers site is restricted to Monaco coach owners, so it is not accessible to non owners. Dick L, '04 HR Imperial701Views0likes0CommentsRe: p30 stumble problems/ fuel pressure regulators
I had an '83 Southwind years ago which was prone to "stumbling" mine was caused by "cross firing" between cylinders. When the ignition wires aged, the spark could jump between a firing cylinder and one which was in the intake cycle, causing a sound like a "sneeze." New wires would usually fix it. I ended up buying NAPA lifetime wires because they would exchange them with no questions. I also found in a manual somewhere (don't recall where) that the routing of the ignition wires was important, keeping the wires between firing and intaking cylinders separated to minimize the cross firing. One thing to realize is that the voltage required fireaplug goes up as the pressure increases, which is the case when the fireing cylinder is under full throttle. That makes the spark more likely to find another path. My "sneezing" always occurred under load condition. Dick L613Views0likes0CommentsRe: Alternator overcharging batteries
If your two banks of batteries(house and chassis) batteries are charged through a diode isolator there is one scenario that I haves experienced. In my case, the alternator output was determined by the voltage seened at one bank. This method adjusted the alternator output to compensate for any resistive drop in the high current charging line to that battery. It turned out that the chassis battery line had a bad crimp connector in it.The alternator upped the output voltage to compensate, but the house batteries saw this higer voltage and were cooked. This was on my '83 Southwind. Dick L518Views0likes0CommentsRe: I keep throwing a fan belt
Years ago, I had a Southwind with a 454 that regularly ate fan belts. I could either set it too tight,which caused the belt to break in a short time, or too loose, which caused it to slip and the battery to go flat as the alternator was slipping. I bought a belt tension gage and finally got the belt to last for a years worth of driving (about 7k miles). Mine was an '83 and shortly after Chevy went to a double belt configuration. A single belt was simply marginal when driving the alternator, AC, water and air pump. The other issue with that engine was that it regularly went through spark plug wires. Finally went with NAPA lifetime wires and replaced them almost annually. Routing was critical to keep them from crore-firing. If a wire from a firing cylinder was routed next to a wire from a cylinder in intake cycle I got "sneezing" where the Intaking cylinder was fired. This occurred under full throttle. Dick L '04 HR Imperial469Views0likes0CommentsRe: Leveling motor home in driveway
Unless you are going to live in it on your driveway, why bother? Many worry about the level because of the refrigerator requirements, but ar the fridge limits, you wouldn't be able to stay in the bed. Camping would Be a different story Dick L.288Views0likes0CommentsRe: From Mass to Cali and back
We have done this trip from California to Connecticut, in a motorhome, every year since 1983. We can do it in 5-6 days, but this is a trip to a destination, not doing any sightseeing on the way. That's 3200 miles each way. It means many hours on the road. If you have 3 weeks, you think carefully about what you want to see, because there won't be time unless you severely limit yourself to only spending a day or so ar each spot. If, on the other hand, you are bent on spending several days at a specific destination, such as Yosemite or the California redwoods, it is do-able. The route we have settled on is San Francisco to Cheyenne on I-80, then To Denver and I-70 as far as Columbus, then north to I-80 and the rest of the way to New York area. This avoids most of the toll roads. Dick L, 04 HR Imperial124Views0likes0CommentsRe: turn signals on coach
Gasman 2 wrote: Dana, I believe Freightliner used a diode in the turn signal circuit. Its located in a wiring harness in or under the steering column. This diode has been known to fail. As suggested call Freightliner with vin and get info to chase this down. I'll second that. I had a '97 Holiday Rambler Endevour which lost the diode. Freightliner was very helpful in solving my problem. The doide is buried in several feet of a large wiring bundle and rather than trying to dissect it out, I opted for simply running another line with a new (actually a couple of paralled diodes) to handle the current. The wiring schematic I got from Freightliner enabled me to find the end points of the wire containing the failed diode. Dick Lucas, '04 HR Imperial336Views0likes0Comments
Groups
Motorhome Group
Join in here to discuss all things motorhomes.Jan 20, 202538,705 Posts
