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RE: Looking for RV maintenance (Ford) in the Denver area?
If you are in the Boulder area, I very strongly suggest that you give The Auto Place a try. It's on Arapahoe Ave. near 55th St. They are a AAA certified garage and I've had all the work done by them on my 24' unit. Over the last ten years ( the RV now has over 182,000 miles) that work has included new brakes, shocks, alignment, fuel injectors, plug CAPS. I do my own oil and filter changes.
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chinrv
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05/17/12 12:17pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: New Motorhome Owner - Dog show person
You really shouldn't bother with an electrical hookup and long cords. You'll be able to use your generator during "normal living hours"; even the pro handlers with a bunch of dogs to groom (blowers and hair dryers) just use their generators. Try to really visualize what your day will be like, and why your generator wouldn't be sufficient to deal with all your needs. If this will be your first RV, before going on your first trip, load it up with your needs (food, water, etc.)and drive somewhere near to you where you can pretend you're at a dog show and go through all the motions of being at the show for a day or two. That would include cooking, running the generator, using the water tanks and plumbing, using the ceiling fan, air conditioner, pottying and feeding the dogs, and so on. If you have a county or state park nearby, or even a Flying J type truck stop, just go through all the things you'd imagine you'd be doing. No matter what or how you end up, definitely spend time at the show talking with the other RVers and get some pointers for future show parking.
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chinrv
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03/28/12 12:34pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: New Motorhome Owner - Dog show person
You might also try to get on a forum for your breed, and ask those questions of other owners.
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chinrv
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03/27/12 04:47pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: New Motorhome Owner - Dog show person
It might be a really good idea to go to your next dog show, walk around the RV's parked on the show grounds and ask those parked there. Generally, parking without elec. hookups is very low or no cost at most shows. If the show is at a county facility, there may be a low standard fee that the county charges. Probably the fancier the show the more they might try to charge. Also, the cost sometimes depends on how much space you want: x-pen set-ups , a double or quadruple parking space set-up, hook-ups, etc. Expenses/cost wise, you'll never save money comparing buying an RV and fuel costs with the cost of staying in a motel, especially sharing room costs. But that also goes to just owning an RV in general. Owning and traveling in an RV is just a whole different mind set compared to staying in motels. We bought our first unit in 1998 "for the dogs", moved to a large unit 1 year later, and then to a slightly larger unit 1 1/2 years after that. We've been traveling in our present unit with the dogs since 2001 and have 180,000 miles on it, and haven't looked back. Good Luck
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chinrv
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03/27/12 02:36pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Water tank heater
Probably the igniter. I had the exact same problem, and would remove and wirebrush the igniter, which would work for a while. Finally I just replaced the igniter and it's worked perfectly ever since.
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chinrv
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03/24/12 10:55am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Full size mattress preferance
We went to a foam mattress factory store and had them custom cut our rear corner bed foam mattress - it wasn't a standard size or shape. Also, instead of just getting one 6" thick mattress of one foam density, we had a 4" thick denser foam mattress, and on top of that a 2" thick softer foam unit. They both have their own mattress covers and fitted bottom sheets, but it's pretty easy to bend the 2"er to get the sheets changed on just the top mattress, and we leave the bottom mattress alone most of the year. The cost was considerably less than ordering and buying a custom made regular type of mattress. Plus, we got to personally decide and pick the density of our mattress, and it is way more comfortable than the original mattress. I did have to tape together a few pieces of cardboard to make an exact template for them to use in cutting out the exact shape and size of the two pieces. One of the best things we did for our RV.
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chinrv
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03/21/12 04:43pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Chinook models
Our 1999 Chinook Concourse was consistently in the 9-12 MPG range with the E350 Ford V10. The MPG just really depended on how much of a hurry we needed to be in to get somewhere. We made many trips from Colorado to the East Coast and to California and usually drove as fast as traffic would legally allow, often only stopping in rest areas/truck stops to catch enough sleep to be rested to continue. Our use was to travel in it, not to go to some campground for weeks at a time, and it was just perfect for that. Below zero a few trips and above 110 going across CA a few times. The Chinook never let us down. Hated to sell it, but we needed a bigger floor plan. We visited the factory before buying it and were very impressed with the whole operation. Unfortunately the company couldn't keep up with the economy. Personally, I think they tried to do too many tricky models instead of just producing fewer high quality models.
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chinrv
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03/20/12 10:59pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Rear entry vs side entry door on a class c
Why hasn't anyone mentioned simply going out the two front doors in the cabin? When we had our Chinook we used the driver and passenger doors as much as the back door. It's no big deal.
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chinrv
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03/18/12 04:27pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Rear entry vs side entry door on a class c
We had a '99 Chinook, and while it was a very high quality unit, it did present some problems. We always traveled with dogs and having them exit out the back instead of curbside was always a potentially dangerous situation. Having to open the couch to a bed every night because there wasn't an option for a rear bed was also very inconvenient, for us, although a number of units sold today still don't have a rear bed option. Again, the quality of the Chinook was top-of-the-line and we did put 60,000 miles on it in a year and a half. By the way, Chinook did produce an RV in the mid 1990's with a curbside entry, but only made a small number of units.
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chinrv
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03/14/12 09:16am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: V10 oil pressure sending unit
Well, I finally located the oil pressure sending unit switch, with one red/white wire coming off it. Originally it looked to be a connection to a manifold extension or something and I thought it might be an oxygen sensor, but it's in a very hard to see, and work on, location. As Navegator points out, the connector and wire is probably brittle and that's just the way it seems. So I just made sure the wire wasn't loose, replaced the Motorcraft oil filter, changed the oil, and decided to leave well enough alone at this point. The weather is now warmer, no problems on start-up, so it's just wait and see. Thanks for all the information contributions from you list folks.
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chinrv
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03/13/12 04:06pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: V10 oil pressure sending unit
...Sure hope I can find the solution to my problem before this thread runs out... (I'd put a smiley face here but I don't know how)
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chinrv
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03/11/12 01:10pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: V10 oil pressure sending unit
Our 2001 Dynamax has a Ford E450 with a 2000 date on the door pillar. It has an idiot light and a gauge that indeed does show varying oil pressure readings. I always assumed that the readings were actual oil pressures not just an on/off situation of having or not having oil pressure. Weather permitting, I'll be under the RV today or tomorrow to start looking for the oil pressure sending unit, by removing and changing the filter and also to see if there are any wires anywherethat might lead to something that looks like the connector for the pressure switch. There are pictures of the unit online and they show that the unit screws into the engine...somewhere...and has 2, possibly 3, wires coming out. Luckily this isn't a problem with running or ruining the engine, just something that has to be fixed to prevent any future problems.
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chinrv
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03/09/12 09:27am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: V10 oil pressure sending unit
After spending several hours looking for info on the oil pressure switch, it seems that there are are lot of part numbers and a big range in prices. The part number "SW5696" appears to be the correct one for Motorcraft, but there are all sorts of alternate numbers for Ford as well as OEM type suppliers. The biggest problem for me at the moment is that I can't locate the unit itself under the RV. It's been said that it USUALLY is next to the oil filter, but there's nothing at all attached to the filter housing, and no wires anywhere nearby that might lead to the pressure switch. I found one generic diagram, but it's not at all helpful. I was hoping to first just make sure the wire connection was OK, but I can't seem to even locate it. QUESTION: Have any of you V10 owners actually, personally, replaced this thing and can offer an explanation or point me to some useful information. It does seem the non-reading on the gauge in colder weather is a problem that's been going on with the Ford engines for a number of years, but this is my first experience with it. My next step is to change the oil and install a new filter just to make sure the filter itself is not part of the problem. Again, any personal experiences would be really appreciated.
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chinrv
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03/08/12 11:39am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: V10 oil pressure sending unit
The engine has the correct amount of oil; the oil changes were always done at 3000 - 5000 miles using Ford's Motorcraft 5-20 oil and Motorcraft filters. The engine sound when the gauge isn't giving a reading is exactly the same as when everything is showing correctly. It seems to me that the problem is with the oil pressure sending unit itself, and not with any other malfunction. If I didn't look at the dash, I wouldn't even know something wasn't working. Since we've had this unit from day 1, and I've driven it 99.9% of the time, I kind of have a feel for when something doesn't feel or sound right, as does anyone else who's driven the same vehicle of their own for more than 10 years. That's why I was wondering if anybody had a similar situation with the sending unit. But from the replies, it seems like this is not a common enough problem, and it'll have to get checked out by someone with the proper diagnostic tools. Naturally I don't want to just try throwing parts on it and hope something works. Oh, well.
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chinrv
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03/07/12 07:44pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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V10 oil pressure sending unit
Has anyone experienced any intermittent oil pressure signal sending problems in their Ford V10? Sometimes, recently, upon startup the oil pressure gauge doesn't give any reading at all and the idiot light stays lit. Restarting it usually works, and/or reving it a little will cause the needle to start working, and then the pressure reads its normal level. This situation happens only occasionally, and only when first starting it up in the morning. It's a 2000/2001 Ford E450 V10....about 180,000 miles.
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chinrv
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03/07/12 03:58pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: HIGH Mileage Ford V-10 'C's?
We bought our Dynamax V-10, 24'unit new in 2001 and it now is about to go over 180,000 miles. Some years we drive a lot; some years we don't. Up until the last few months nothing major (meaning big$$$$) was needed - new batteries; brakes; new tires every 65K or so, replaced the motor on the electric steps; changed the oil and filter every 5K or so, using Ford oil and filters. However, this autumn we replaced the original Bilsteins with new Bilsteins, new brake pads and rotors; front end bushings; and alignment. A few weeks after all that, it started to run really rough, so new spark plug coil packs were put in; a few weeks later it started to run rough again, but not the same kind of running problem...put in new fuel injectors. So, after 10 years and 170,000 plus miles of pretty basic expenses, we had to spend a few thousand dollars to get it running right and safe. The floor plan of our unit is just what we like, so looking for a new RV and spending over $110K to get a replacement wasn't in the cards. The house outer shell definitely is showing the miles - cracks in a few seams and paint aging, etc. We live in Colorado, never store the unit, drive it all year as a second vehicle when needed, and even when the weather is cold it only takes a few hours to prep the RV for a trip, and we are on the road.
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chinrv
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12/28/11 05:50pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Front suspension/Bilsteins
Could the rubbery feel in the steering wheel mean worn ball joints? There is no vibrating or wandering at speed, the tires seem to be wearing properly - just when braking to a stop. Again, any information from anyone having experienced worn out front suspension parts and recognize these symptons, please offer your thoughts.
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chinrv
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09/27/11 07:29pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Front suspension/Bilsteins
The steering doesn't yank from side-to-side, or pull to one side the way brakes would pull. It tracks true, but just feels like a looseness caused by a squeezed-too-many-times rubber cushion (bushing). "Back in the day" we replaced rubber bushings with poly bushings in sports cars, which was OK for a small car with tight handling, but probably not for a 7 ton RV. As for the Bilstein warranty, when an alignment was done several years ago, and I asked out of curiosity for future reference, I was told that since the RV originally came with the Bilsteins and not outright purchased by me personally with a seperate sales slip and warranty, I couldn't get free replacements. Maybe they were just blowing smoke because they didn't want to bother. That's why I'm posting this, to see what experience others have had with Bilstein longevity. Our RV has been pretty good for the 175,000 miles and things do wear out. The more info I can collect before taking it to a shop makes any decisions easier.
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chinrv
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09/27/11 12:35pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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Front suspension/Bilsteins
Ford E450, 24ft Class C, 2001 Isata, 175,000 miles. It originally came with Bisteins, probably the HD models because the RV has always had a VERY hard ride. Several questions: How long will the Bilsteins typicaly last? So many owners post about replacing their original shocks with Bilsteins, but no one ever talks about what happens after another 100K to 150,000 miles. Has anyone replaced their Bilsteins because the shocks wore out?? ...and, how did you determine they were shot? Our RV has always handled fine in all types of driving situations, and that doesn't seem to have changed. But, I know things do slowly wear out without the driver being aware of the gradual decline. We've had this RV since new and probably 90% of the mileage is Interstate driving.
Second question/problem: Recently there is a noticeable rubbery or squishy feel to the steering wheel when braking to a stop from 10 - 15 MPH or higher. Just a slight left or right vagueness while holding the wheel firmly as the RV slows way down, especially when braking hard. I'm thinking the bushings in the front suspension are worn out.......any thoughts or experience with this type of situation??? If the bushings need replacement, it would make sense to also replace the shocks IF they're worn out, and an alignment would also need to be done because of the front-end work.
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chinrv
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09/27/11 10:00am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Kwikee steps problem
......fitting snugly...not snigly.....sorry.
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chinrv
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09/13/11 03:48pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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