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RE: 2009 Tiffin Phaeton Engine Rebuild
I just rebuilt a 6.7l out of my Ram 3500. Just parts and machine work were close to $11,000. That cost doesn't count removal of the engine, tear down, diagnosis, reassembly, and reinstallation. That was all courtesy of myself and was easily 40 - 50 manhours of my labor. Some shops are charging $180/hour nowadays in the Midwest, and seeing you are on the East Coast it is probably much higher. While that is not 100% relevant, it just goes to show that things have gotten very expensive (as we all know). Close to $80k seems like a lot for that job though, but I'd bet at least half is labor, leaving the rest to bigger and perhaps more expensive parts. Good luck!
I am curious, what went wrong with the engine? I am "slightly" partial to Cummins, but even with that aside, they are normally rock solid for 100s of thousands miles under pretty intense duty cycles (*exception the 6.7l above :) )
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SuperBus
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10/01/23 05:30am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Alaskan Marine Highway Experience?
Thanks for all of the great insight everyone. It does seem like a lot of complicated logistics (as anticipated) plus potentially quite expensive (always seems to be the case). As one of the other posters mentioned, it is probably more realistic to cruise. However, there is always that allure of a great road trip.
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SuperBus
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09/30/23 06:02am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Pex crimpers
I use an Apollo crimper with Apollo clamps and fittings. I keep an assortment of fittings, a few bags of clamps, and of course a crimper on my coach. It's a great tool and even has a small LED that lights up when the clamp has been crimped to the right amount. I have had zero issues with this arrangement, save the 90-degree barbed to 1/2" FIP swivel fittings. The pipe side will almost always need tape to seal properly.
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SuperBus
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09/23/23 06:07am |
Tech Issues
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RE: refrigerator
Generally speaking, it shouldn't be an issue. I've never seen our full-size side by side pull more than a few amps. Even a smaller inverter should handle it easily (you'd want to do the math, just to be sure, I suppose).
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SuperBus
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09/22/23 04:04am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Wheel Wells upgrades - For info to others.
I know that stretch of road pretty well. I am not sure what is worse, the road or the drivers!
Not that I wish you any misfortune, but in case you ever "test" that diamond plate, let us know how it holds up! I always fear in the back of my mind what a blowout would do to my coach. Unfortunately, I am not sure what could be practically effective against such violent force from a large heavy tire.
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SuperBus
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09/20/23 04:05am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Alaskan Marine Highway Experience?
Thanks for the input, everyone. Seems like the ferries are a viable option, even if just for my toad. Perhaps I will follow-up on this post in the future with my experience after the trip.
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SuperBus
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09/20/23 03:58am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Boondocking near Yellowstone and Grand Teton
I would agree; the surrounding National Forests could work. However, Yellowstone is massive and Grand Tetons isn't all that small either. We just got back from a trip to both, where we stayed in between the parks at Flagg Ranch (National Park campground). It was conveniently located, but it was still an hour from the first real attraction in either park. You may want to keep that in mind depending on the goal of your trip to those parks. If you are further outside in one of the National Forest Parks, it'll be a good drive before you are inside the National Parks at your trailhead, boat launch, thermal feature, etc.
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SuperBus
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09/17/23 06:08am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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Alaskan Marine Highway Experience?
This topic has been moved to another forum.
You can read it here: 30408727
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SuperBus
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09/16/23 05:27am |
Class A Motorhomes
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Alaskan Marine Highway Experience?
Hello All,
I am in the very preliminary stages of planning a trip to Alaska. It is at the soonest a 2025 trip. One of the places we'd like to see is Glacier Bay National Park, which is only accessible by plane or ferry. Has anyone used the Alaskan Marine Highway with a large coach (one w/ a tag axle)? What was your experience if so? Reading the website, they can accommodate up to 48' (must book over the phone). We've had our coach on a ferry before (across Lake Michigan) and it was a fun experience.
Thanks.
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SuperBus
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09/16/23 05:27am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Steering wobble.
Certainly the other factors you mentioned could be in play, but I would also recommend checking out your steering stabilizer(s) if equipped.
I wish there was a stabilizer! That thing really helps with hitting bumps or potholes with only one wheel!
Got ya. I brought it up as I put a NEW, expensive, well known aftermarket stabilizer on a 1-ton truck once, and it immediately developed death wobble at highway speeds. I put the OEM unit back on and no more death wobble. Lesson learned: a good stabilizer is incredibly effective. Anyway, this is not your issue, so good luck!
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SuperBus
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07/25/23 04:46am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Steering wobble.
Certainly the other factors you mentioned could be in play, but I would also recommend checking out your steering stabilizer(s) if equipped.
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SuperBus
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07/23/23 04:33am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Odd Experience While Camping - Lesson Learned
Although not related to that event last year, I've been trying to find a good security system option for my coach. I'm interested in it primarily for theft when the coach is unattended and outside, but it makes me think about if it would be possible to have a panic button(s) like I do at home for use in the event of a serious issue. I guess that's a cell phone these days, but the old-fashioned part of me would like the comfort of an integrated security system. I just have not been able to find anything I like. Way back when, there was a system called Trek Mate - but they are long gone and nothing similar seems to exist now.
Anyway, before I take this off topic, nearly a year later, several more camping interactions in since I crossed paths with the strange guy, we have not had any more issues. As mentioned before, it was a bit of a fluke, but a good reminder to remain aware of your surroundings and the people around you.
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SuperBus
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07/23/23 04:30am |
Family Camping
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RE: Can’t get motorhome off leveling jack
You may have an intermittently failing leveling valve on that corner (for your air bags). If that is the case, obviously you'd want to get it replaced to resolve the issue. But, in the meantime, dumping air using your jack controller might correct the issue by moving the leveler through some of its stroke, thus getting it to allow air back into the air bag and raise that corner of the coach back up.
Thank you Super bus for your assessment. I am sorry I have not enough experience in these systems to understand what you think I should do. If there is something I could read that would help me to understand I would be grateful. I don’t understand what the jacks have to do with the leveler. Are these two different systems (the jacks and the self leveler)? All the jacks retract fully. It is that the front left jack was sitting fast on the wood block when the night before there was plenty of room between the block and the pad.
Well, don't thank me yet, I could be wrong! :)
They are separate systems, the valve I am referring to is part of your suspension. It is a valve mounted on the chassis with a linkage connected to your axle/wishbone/etc., set to a certain length. The job of this valve is to maintain ride height of your coach when the air suspension is active (i.e. your engine is on). For example, if you add a bunch of weight to a corner of your coach, the weight would cause the airbag to compress some. The linkage on the leveler will then move in conjunction with the connected suspension component, and the valve in the leveler will open an allow some pressurized air into your airbag to regain the ride height lost due to the compression caused by the extra weight. Vice versa, if weight is removed from the corner, the airbag would get taller, and the leveler valve would let some air out of the bag to get back to the same height.
The reason I suggested you consider this as a potential failure point is that when you level your coach, your airbags most likely exhaust thus lowering your coach and stroking the leveler valve to one extreme range of its motion, an area it doesn't go to often. From personal experience, I found a bad valve won't allow the airbag to fill back up properly after you've restarted the coach and raised the jacks. This would result in your jack pad still being in contact with the ground/block of wood/etc., not because the jack has an issue, but because the suspension did not fill up and lift that corner of the coach. As the block is taking up the small amount of clearance that would have normally been between the ground and the jack, it is still in contact.
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SuperBus
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07/20/23 08:23am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Newmar bay star bedroom slide
I am not sure what that might be, but I would recommend giving Newmar Customer Service a call or an email. They've helped me make sense of a few head-scratchers several times.
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SuperBus
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07/19/23 05:08am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Can’t get motorhome off leveling jack
You may have an intermittently failing leveling valve on that corner (for your air bags). If that is the case, obviously you'd want to get it replaced to resolve the issue. But, in the meantime, dumping air using your jack controller might correct the issue by moving the leveler through some of its stroke, thus getting it to allow air back into the air bag and raise that corner of the coach back up.
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SuperBus
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07/19/23 04:44am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Onan Generator
I usually turn on the Aquahot electric heating element and run the heat pumps. That'll put 40 - 50 amps worth of load on the generator. The theory is, I suppose, that "free-revving" an engine is never a good idea (hence the need to apply a load, since generators run at speed) and sitting engines have plenty of issues with drying, rusting, etc. (the frequency and duration).
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SuperBus
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07/16/23 05:18am |
Tech Issues
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RE: campsite availability from FL to NY/MI mid to end of August
As far as Michigan goes, its like what a lot of other replies have said - essentially anything good or good enough is booked out as far as the park allows. As a resident, it drives me nuts; gone are the days of "Hey, its a nice weekend, lets drop the chores and go camp!". Post COVID has changed our camping style from many close-to-home weekend trips to two or three big trips to far off destinations planned 12 months ahead. Thats life, I guess!
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SuperBus
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07/15/23 05:47am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Gulf State Park
I personally have not been but my parents frequent the campground to escape the Michigan winters. They echo the same comments as above. If I had a more predictable schedule and could confidently make advanced reservations, I would certainly go there based on what I hear!
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SuperBus
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07/14/23 05:39am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Air Bag fill or Jacks up First
Typically, your air gauges are monitoring pressure in your main (drive axle) and secondary (front/tag axle) air tanks. If your tanks are reading the same and your air bags seem to be losing height at the same rate, I would think the leak is upstream of the tanks. I had an issue where the brake protection valve was leaking on my front tank which was had a symptom like leaky airbags.
The best suggestion I could offer is get it aired up and block the frame so you can get under it safely. Once under the coach start spraying all fittings with soapy water and see where the leak(s) are. I had an issue where the brake protection valve was leaking on one of my front tanks which was had a symptom like leaky airbags. I could have spent a lot of time and money trying to fix that through different troubleshooting methods, but the old soapy water trick revealed the problem quickly. Good luck!
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SuperBus
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07/14/23 05:36am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Air Bag fill or Jacks up First
When we first started out in our coach I would bring the jacks up then let the bags fill. However, HWH recommends allowing the bags to fill prior to lifting the jacks. I've been doing this the last few years and the only issue I noticed is that, depending on the grade, I'll sometimes get a good "pop" once enough weight is removed from the jacks and the coach can "slide" on the pads a few fractions of an inch as the suspension moves through it's arch. The only times I don't do air bags first is if we are on a terribly unlevel site and one or more wheels are off the ground.
I'd have to go back and check my manual, but I don't recall Newmar saying to do it one way or another.
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SuperBus
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07/08/23 05:56am |
Class A Motorhomes
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