Dwight Lindsey

Thanks everyone for the help on this. We arrived safely home with the temporary serpentine belt bypassing the AC compressor. A local RV repair facility is going to replace the AC compressor. All things considered, this all worked out very well. When we drove to Bahia de Los Angeles in Baja, we were driving on very narrow roads and very long stretches with no shoulder, no pull outs and no services. We were very fortunate that the belt did not break on one of those long stretches. It broke as we were leaving town and we could easily get back to the campground on the beach, and to the auto repair shop, a couple of miles at a time with cooling off periods. It was a very long drive about 3.5 hours each way in a Jeep to get the new belt. We went to the Autozone in San Felipe and I bought ALL the belts, one of which we used. We returned the others for a full refund. All in all, a very good result. Thanks again for all the help. I learned a lot. Dwight

Jim: I added a couple of gallons of water to the overflow tank. Engine temp has been fine today. I have a planned coolant change anyway, so I'll drain and fill soon. Dwight

We got a belt on, bypassing the AC compressor. It works. I did a long test drive this morning around Bahia de Los Angles and then we headed up the mountain and North to Rancho Grande on Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. About 3.5 hours driving with no issues. The belt is working! We'll stay here two nights and then head to Pete's Camp in San Felipe. The compressor failure caused us to spend 3 extra unplanned nights in that beautiful place, parked right on the beach. We did need to drive a long way to get the belts, but other than that the delay was not a problem, we like that place When we got to the AutoZone in San Felipe to buy the belts, I bought many belts, not knowing exactly which one would fit. The 69.5 and 70 inch belts did not fit. 72 or 73 inch would have worked but I didn't buy those . . . By changing the routing, my Son-In-Law made an 80 inch belt work Now, when I get back home, I have to sort out how to get the AC fixed Dwight

I doubt the alternator is locked up. As previously said it would be unusual for both to lock up at the same time. We'll see this afternoon. I now have a high resolution copy of the diagram and I do see that bypassing the AC and the alternator seems impossible. I just loaded it here, see below, and it's low resolution again. I'll try to post it to the files section.

If I can find them, I'll get a replacement air conditioner compressor and a spare, as well as a spare alternator to keep in the coach. And of course spare belts. If we were in the U.S. when these things broke, it would be relatively simple to get towed to a truck shop. Here, we're a long ways from anywhere. We like Baja, we'll be back and I'll be more prepared. In the specific situation I'm in, a spare belt would not have solved the problem. I now have a lot of belts of different lengths and if we find one that works to bypass the AC . . . I'll keep a spare of that as well.

I unplugged the alternator this morning and the pulley does not turn. Sammy thinks the bearing is seized up. I have an appointment with Sammy today at 1:30 PM and he'll try to get a belt on the water pump, fan and alternator. I bought all the belts I could find yesterday in San Felipe and if the 69.5 or 70 inch belt won't drive those three things, maybe one of the shorter ones can drive just the water pump and fan. There is some chance we'll get this fixed at least enough to drive, today. We won't actually drive today, because I won't chance driving or potentially getting stranded on these narrow roads after dark. If we get the water pump and fan working today, we'll drive North tomorrow.

Thanks Benjamin: I couldn't read the pulley labels on the routing diagrams that Richard sent, so I just did a google image search and found an original image that is slightly higher in resolution, I can barely the labels, but I can read them and now that I can read the labels on the pulleys in the diagram, I realized that the water pump must rotate the opposite direction. The fact that it must be the smooth side of the belt surprised me, so I'm glad to have your confirmation on that. I feel more confident now. If the AC clutch can be freed up and the pulley spins, we'll get this done and get home. Thanks everyone for the help, very kind and helpful as always Dwight

Absent a routing diagram for the belt, can someone tell me which direction the pulleys move? When looking at the pulleys from the back of the coach, do they all spin the same way? Clockwise or counter clockwise, when viewed from the back of the coach?

We got some belts in San Felipe today. 8 hours of driving. We did get an 82 inch belt, which should work if we can get the AC compressor pulley to spin. We'll try to free up the clutch tomorrow. We also got a 69.5 inch belt and a 70 inch belt. A 69.75 inch belt is what the coach manual says is one that should do the water pump, fan and alternator in a 2 belt configuration. So one of those belts may work to get water pump fan and alternator to work. We also got a couple of shorter belts, which is a Hail Mary pass that might let us just run the fan and water pump, which will get me home. Any hints about belt routing would be much appreciated. Dwight

We're working on getting some belts. Difficult here in Baja. Meanwhile I'm starting to think about replacing the dash air compressor. My RV Data Card says dash air conditioner SCS 1689747, which is not made anymore. Suggestions?

My air conditioner compressor has a pulley for the 8 rib serpentine belt

So I've got an update, and a puzzle. We took the motorhome to a local mechanic, Sammy, in this very small town on the bay of Los Angeles, population between 800 and 1000, depending on how many Gringos are here. My manual says that I should have two belts, a DAYCO 14565 for the AC and a DAYCO 3911581 for the alternator. Sammy is sure that there's only one tensioning idler and that there's only one belt. The DAYCO 39911581 is, according to my google search, 69.75 inches long. We measured the broken belt, which we have. The ends match, so we have all of the belt. It's 82 inches long. So without being an expert on idler pulleys, I think he's right. He says that the dash air compressor is seized up and the alternator and water pump are fine. So now I need to sort out how to get a shorter belt, that will run the water pump, fan and alternator. I wonder if it's the 69.75 inch DAYCO 3911581 I'm going to need to drive something like 4 hours in each direction, even if they have the belt and if I get the wrong one, we'll need to repeat the process. So I might try buying all the suspect sizes. Once we get a belt or belts I don't personally know how to arrange it on the pulleys. I'd appreciate any advice and especially diagrams showing how to put the belt on. Dwight

OK, it does seem as if there are two belts DAYCO 14565 for the AC and DAYCO 3911581 for the alternator, which must run the water pump as well. I just got turned around and the temperature didn't redline during that short turnaround. I'm letting it cool down again before trying to get down the mountain about 2 miles. I'll try to get under the coach and feel the alternator, idler and water pump after I'm off the mountain. I can live without the alternator, to get home. I can't live without the water pump and fan running. Is the fan direct drive? Or is it on a belt. No mention of a "fan belt" in the manual Dwight

OK, I've got the remnants of the belt and my manual says Dayco 3911581, which seems to agree with a 2001 Diplomat from the parts list. We have the entire belt, the ends match up. I'm thinking that something seized up, probably the dash air compressor. I had noticed that we weren't getting good cooling from the dash. I'm not going to get that replaced here, so I'm thinking of a shorter belt that bypasses the dash air compressor, if that is the problem. Dwight Has anyone done this before? What length would a shorter belt be? It's an 8 rib belt

I just tried to climb out of Bahia de Los Angeles in Baja and dramatically overheated. The engine de-rated and I got a STOP light on the dash. I managed to pull over and am stopped on a steep climb above the bay. I found a piece of the serpentine belt . . . so that is the issue. I'm stuck here at least until the unit cools down. I hope I can get turned around and back off the mountain later. I'll search the files to try to find the part number and information for the serpentine belt, which I'm sure I can't find here in this little town. Meanwhile if someone can give me a shortcut to the part information, I'll be grateful. I've got Starlink setup, so I can get internet while I'm stopped here. Dwight 05 Knight ISC 330

Rotate your headlight switch to the off position

Bobby: I don't know why there would be a relay in those circuits. If you have a wiring diagram, you could find out. If the issue is a relay, try cleaning the terminals. I occasionally have a slideout that won't move and the fix is to pull the relay out and re-insert it several times to clean the contacts. Dwight

Jim: I can't help with the voltage issue. You might try hitting the pump with a hammer. Not kidding. Just tap the top where the pressure switch is. Long ago I had an issue with the water pump not working. I tapped it several times and it worked again for a year before failing completely. Dwight

Kenneth: In my 2005 Knight, the countertop is Corian. You could take one of the stove cover pieces to a Corian dealer and ask them if they can confirm, or suggest another manufacturer. My wife dropped one of those pieces and broke off a corner. I took it to a cabinet shop that did Corian and they repaired it perfectly, you can't see the repair. Dwight

I took my Knight to an Auto Radio shop and they installed a new radio, 2 DIN, and made an appropriate opening in the plastic dash panel and made a beautiful black bezel to surround the new radio. I just drove up and walked in. Had a new radio in about an hour. Those shops are all over the place, I just saw one as I was driving by in the motorhome and since it's parking lot was big enough, I drove in and parked. Left an hour later with a bluetooth and sirius radio. The labor charge was minor. It was a long time ago now so I don't recall the exact charge, but I recall I was pleased with the total price. I do a LOT of upgrades on our Knight myself. For this one, it was simple and easy to get it done by the shop. Dwight

My suggestion of the Marantz was just because it's less than 17 inches wide. As I recall, in my cabinet where the speaker wires are . . . 17 inch wide receivers don't fit. At that time, many years ago, I found a Sony that fit.

What I did was measure the cabinet and look for a home theater amp that would fit in the cabinet. I ended up with a Sony. The ostensibly "powered" subwoofer that came installed and was somehow related to the RCA amp/DVD changer, was not in fact powered. I looked around and found a subwoofer that would fit in that cabinet near the kitchen table. At the time, about 8 or 10 years ago, what I found was a Velodyne Micro V, which happens to be a 1000 watt subwoofer. If i crank the subwoofer, I can rock an entire row of coaches in the RV park! I actually have it turned way down and leave it there. It sounds great. A friend who makes HIGH END (if you have to ask . . .) home theater speakers gave me the trick to wiring those . . . you don't put the wires in the "subwoofer" connections on the amp. When I did that, I had a 60 cycle hum. You put the wires in the regular speaker connections and it works great. The wires in the cabinet above the driver's head, where the RCA was, are not really long enough to be comfortable. I built a "house of cards" platform with cardboard boxes on the drivers seat and on the steering wheel with a board across those two stacks of cardboard. The amp went on the board, about 6 inches in front of the cabinet and I barely had room to get all the wires in place. Not fun, but it worked. At the time, I put a DVD player on top of the amp, with Velcro to keep it in place. I've since removed it and thrown it away, since we don't watch DVDs any more. We're streaming now, no more satellite or DVD. Streaming with Starlink, which works great. My system has been working great, I'm quite content with it. You'll need to sort out your own needs and do some shopping for current components, which may well be smaller and less power hungry than mine. I suggest starting by measuring the cabinet that your RCA was in and that your subwoofer is in. I would then suggest that you shop online looking at the dimensions of the components. I think any amp from SONY, LG, Yamaha, PIONEER, ONKYO etc. would be fine if it fits in the cabinet. Unfortunately most amps and receivers are 17 inches or more wide and as I recall, that wouldn't fit in my cabinet. Here's a Marantz that's 11 1/16 inch wide, it'll for sure fit: Marantz - M-CR612 Network CD Receiver https://www.crutchfield.com/S-KasvMpN4Xxm/p_642MCR612/Marantz-M-CR612.html?XVINQ=GM0&XVVer=1B7G&awcr=626216979797&awdv=c&awnw=g&awug=1013931&awkw=kwd-692020529173&awmt=p&awat=&gclid=CjwKCAjw3oqoBhAjEiwA_UaLtuiQt1-63IFGWOYcrI-2RwAqhDGpUjp0KugFbtCwGRYwqHwT1Al13xoC_1gQAvD_BwE Best Buy has that one as well, and I'm sure Amazon does. If you really want a DVD player, just get a small one and put it on top of the amp. Dwight

Amazon has the CAMCO Electric Conversion Kit: https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Hot-Water-Hybrid-Heat/dp/B0024ECCJW?th=1

Lance: It would be helpful if you could post the manufacturer and model number of your water heater. See if that is somehow visible when you remove the outside cover of the water heater. This video may help you sort out what you have:

A couple of years ago, when I was just concerned about possible belt failure and before it actually happened, I called Cummins in Ventura California and asked them about repair. They quoted 2 hours labor for 2 guys to take the generator out and the same to put it back in. Then any labor and parts for the repair and testing. It sounded to me like 12 or more hours of labor plus parts. I don't recall their labor rate, but I suspect it is North of $100 per hour. I do recall thinking that it would probably be a repair costing $2000 or more. And . . . they said it would be about 30 days before they could even look at it. I thought at the time that a forklift would be necessary and when the belt finally failed, I inquired about renting a forklift. $400 rental and $400 delivery and pickup . . . While I wasn't confident about the manual material lift working, it worked perfectly and I did the job myself with a rented manual material lift that cost me $80 for the week. Dwight