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Forum
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RE: How long should a battery last?
For two days I would just freeze ice jugs and put several in the freezer section and several in the refer section. You start with fully charged batteries frozen jugs, and cold food, while driving you are powering your refer from the alternator. Once the ice jugs melts after several days use the ones in the freezer section. If you use your battery power just for water pump and a few lights you should be fine for several days. When it comes time to replace the battery, replace it with 2 GC batteries wired in series and you will last a week and still be at 50% plus SOC, with your electric refer off.
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Gjac
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03/24/23 02:18pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Parking brake will not disengage
If it is the workhorse chassis which is what it sounds like from your post, there is a pressure switch inside the steel box. When you put the shift lever from park to any gear you should hear the pump come on. Do you hear the pump? If so, it is probably the pressure switch. The older ones were green, but I understand the newer versions are brown. If you can confirm you have the workhorse chassis with the auto park system, and the pump comes on you will get more help.
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Gjac
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03/24/23 01:49pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Battery isolator charge vehicle battery on shore power
I do not understand why I would add a solenoid? Wouldn't I add a wire between the 2 battery terminals on the isolator with an inline 12 volt
switch?? This is one way that is simple, another way that you probably have built into your chassis already, is to turn your key to ACC and that should combine both batteries. While plugged into shore power check both batteries to see if you get 13 plus volts.
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Gjac
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02/12/23 07:05am |
Tech Issues
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RE: New here! 1986 Holiday Rambler Alternator
Your alternator if original is probably around 80 amps. When mine went out on the road I replaced it with a 180 amp one which was able to charge my 2 6vGC house batteries as well as the chassis battery. If you go to a shop that rewinds motors and alternators, they can rewind one using your same case. I would check the alternator yourself before you remove it to see if it is actually bad. Jump start the MH and check to see if you can read 14v or so on the battery if so, it is still good. If not move up to the alternator output itself and see if it is outputting 14v's, if so, you may have a fuse or bad wire to the battery, if not you know for sure the alternator is bad. Just because you have new batteries doesn't mean your alternator is bad because the engine won't start. It maybe something as simple as corroded or loose wires to the battery or even a starter issue.
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Gjac
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02/05/23 01:01pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Dipping my fuel tank
I used a motorcycle jack to drop mine. It was not a difficult job. It took about an hr or less to unbolt and lower the tank, another 2 hrs to run to the store and buy a new pickup hose and then install it. It was a half day job when all was said and done. An empty or near empty tank makes the job easier to move the tank and line up the holes to reinstall the bolts.
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Gjac
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02/05/23 12:23pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: yet another door look bites the dust
I have replaced mine twice over the years when they broke and the third time, I made a steel backing plate to join the two pieces of the zinc alloy striker bar that broke. It has held up well. Someone posted on here a while back about a new lock that he thought was steel but could not verify that it was. This alloy which some call pot metal is brittle and soft, it is cast and not forged or drawn like steel making it much weaker. You need to take it part to see what is actually broken. It could also be the plastic cam inside that moves the sticker bar.
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Gjac
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01/26/23 08:34pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Roadtrip by car vs RV, a couple of thoughts...
For short trips with lots of miles, leaving the RV behind often makes sense.
- You can travel faster.
- You buy less fuel.
- You are paying premium short stay rates for campgrounds.
- You are probably going to go out to eat several times anyway.
Reduce the miles or longer duration trips and it starts tilting back toward RV. This has been my experience also. When I retired in 2004 I kept track of each trip we made on a spread sheet. Trips less than 3 days it was cheaper to take the car, longer than 3 days the RV was cheaper for me. 95% of my trips were dry camping no FHU campgrounds so this might factor into costs. My trips averaged from $67/day in the lower 48 states to $107/day for a 3 mo trip to Alaska. The biggest expense has always been fuel. Fuel to Alaska and back was about $5000 about 1/2 the cost of the total trip. However, by car and hotels where can you find a hotel for less than $100/day let alone eating out and fuel for the car. An RV trip is totally different experience, I had my bike, fishing rods and rubber raft with me, was able to stay inside the NP's and NFS campgrounds with the RV instead of trying to find a hotel outside and driving into the scenic areas. The trip up and staying at the NP's in the US and Canada was just as nice as the destination. Having said all that, we flew out to Las Vegas last Nov. for my nephew's wedding, rented a car and went to Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Sedona, visited friends in Snowflake and Phenix AZ and returned to LV to fly home. It was a good trip now that we are older, just not the same as taking the MH. I did not figure the cost, but it was much more than a MH trip.
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Gjac
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01/25/23 09:39am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Flying J / Pilot to install megachargers for med/heavy trks
There seems to be a lot of peripheral arguments both for and against EV's. As run100 just posted above its hard to get all the facts about EV's, but to me math does not lie. So, if you look at it in simple terms and compare apples to apples most EV's that I have looked at take 30 KW's to drive 100 miles. In my state they just raised my electric rate to 33 cents per KW. So, to drive 100 miles in an EV it cost $9.90. My Rav4 hybrid gets 42 MPGs on average, so it takes 2.4 gals to drive 100 miles. At $3.00/gal that is $7.20 at $4.00/gal that is $9.60. That is not cheaper for me where I live. When I looked at a tesla several years ago, I plotted a trip to Florida. Their GPS gives you all the charging stations along the way. They varied from 34 to 50 cents /KW which I'm sure by now they have gone up also. At 50 cents a KW it would cost $15 for every 100 you travel. $225 from CT to Florida vs $144 in my RAV4 at $4.00/gal. So, unless you live in a low-cost state, have access to free charging and don't drive long trips where you need a fast charger, to me an EV is not cheaper to drive.
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Gjac
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01/22/23 12:43pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: generator fuel line
I have a 2003 Duch star on a spartan chassis. I figured out the fuel line to the gen set must have an air leak. Or something I have to keep bleeding the gen set. Has anyone ever had with problems and got it fixed? It runs great from a 5 gallon can.
Have the identical problem. Dropping my fuel tank is the LAST thing I want to do to fix it.
My current "fix" is to detach the fuel line at the generator, connect it to a pump action siphon, and start pumping until I get flow. Then reattach to the generator.
However, I'd like a better more permanent fix before dropping my fuel tank.
So I'm going to try the "catheter" approach. Got this idea during an angiogram when my doctor routed a catheter up my arm vein into my heart. Very slick.
I'm buying a small fuel line to run inside my current fuel line.
We'll see. I had this same thought I spent hrs trying to fix it without dropping the tank. I had some small dia plastic tubing which was stiff enough to push through, but it could not make the right angle bends. I think the fuel line would be much softer and would tend to bunch up when you push it in. Dropping a near empty tank was not so bad, probably an hr to actually drop it, going to the parts store to buy a new line installing the line, and reinstalling the tank was about a half day when all was said and done.
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Gjac
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01/16/23 10:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: generator fuel line
Yes I have had this problem. The hose clamp to the rubber hose came loose allowing air into the line, the hose itself looked fine except for a crack and deterioration under the clamp but having to drop the tank to access the line I changed the hose also. If you can get to the top of your tank without dropping it see if the hose clamp is tight or if the hose is cracked under the clamp and just a 1/2 in of hose can be cut off to get rid of the cracked portion. I used a motorcycle jack to drop the tank and only had a 1/4 tank or less of gas in it. Good luck.
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Gjac
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01/11/23 10:52am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 24 feet versus 26' dilemma, have to decide fast
Every RV is a compromise. If you don't plan on a tow car, and just spend one or two nights at a camp spot then move on, I would stay with the 24 ft C. You will probably spend more time outside camping than inside except when you are driving it, and a smaller unit is easier to drive and park. I would look at some of the transit-based Class C's and compare the ride to a Ford or Chevy Chassis. If inside space is still an issue you can always get a 24 ft with a full wall slide.
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Gjac
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12/18/22 11:40am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Can you name that sound (squeaking)?
Chris your u joints and carrier bushing looks good, you can put a wrench or socket on a breaker bar on the tensioner pulley and remove the belt or just relieve the tension and wiggle each pulley to see if there is any play in them. Also you asked earlier how to check the break squealers, sometimes with out wheel liners or hub caps you can see them with a bright light and a mirror on the end of the break pad. Also if the pads are thin say a 1/8 or so they could be rubbing. Taking the tire off to check to check is not that hard either. While it is jacked up you can wiggle the tire to check you wheel bearings also. Good luck.
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Gjac
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12/04/22 09:41am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: BEST way to get to Myrtle Beach from Boston MA by CAR
If you stay on I95 and get over the GWB by 6:00 AM there will be little traffic and no toll. By the time you get to Baltimore or DC the rush hour traffic will be over. Of course, accidents and construction can always change things.
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Gjac
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11/30/22 12:28pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Freshwater fill - city water issue?
If all else fails they are easily replaced I think I paid about $12 for it. After cleaning it several times which worked for awhile I finally had to replace it.
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Gjac
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11/29/22 06:46am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Ford V10
What year is your coach? Drive by wire started around 06?
2007 year That means your chassis is probably a 2006. Is there an engine code that shows up like a PO505, PO506 or another code that indicates an idle issue? You say it only idles, if you step on the gas will it stall?
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Gjac
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11/27/22 07:58am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Ford V10
What makes you believe it needs to be replaced?
It will only idle & the code reads throttle body stuck. I would check the senor first as Matt suggested and then spray some throttle body cleaner like CRC and see if that fixes the problem. There is also an IAC valve (air idle control valve) that sometimes sticks that can be cleaned also.
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Gjac
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11/26/22 08:20am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Can you name that sound (squeaking)?
It doesn't sound like brakes to me, but just to eliminate that possibility I would just jack up the wheels and then spin them to see if the calipers are sticking. The next thing I would do if you feel comfortable, is bring it up to 20 mpg where the noise starts and shut off the engine and coast does the noise go away? That would tell you if it is something in or on the engine like a worn bearing in a pully. Without the engine noise it will be easier to isolate the noise you are hearing. Also, if you put it in park and rev the engine does the sound change pitch or go away?
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Gjac
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11/26/22 05:35am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Ford V10
What makes you believe it needs to be replaced?
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Gjac
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11/25/22 07:45pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New Chevy chassis
Chassis is unchanged, and didn't really need to be changed. It's a much better driving experience than the Ford chassis, but doesn't come in as many wheelbase variations. It tends to get used mainly for small to medium Class C RVs because of not having longer wheelbase options. The new engines for both are more powerful for the same gas mileage, which is good, but the difference isn't huge. The Ford has 350 HP vs 401 HP for the Chevy, seems a lot to me. Plus, there seems to be more room in the cockpit for the passenger's feet, and a better ride as you stated. I'm just surprised no one on here has posted that they bought one yet.
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Gjac
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11/22/22 09:42am |
Class C Motorhomes
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New Chevy chassis
I hear a lot of discussion about the new Ford 7.3 liter engine but have not heard any about the new Chevy chassis. Has anyone purchased a new MH with the Chevy chassis? On paper it looks to have more HP and Torque.
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Gjac
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11/16/22 06:59am |
Class C Motorhomes
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