PTTech

Something else to look for is the solenoids on the 6 packs can leak internally. I've taken mine apart and cleaned and made sure the flat rubber seal inside isn't deformed to where it won't seal. And of course, it could be something like a leaking airline or fitting between the valves and the bags. Chasing slow air leaks can be very frustrating.

On 2/29/2024 at 6:56 AM, Dr4Film said:

Most places are likely OK with RV Glass and two piece windshields. However, with single glass and single curved glass type windshields there are only a few companies that know how to install those special windshields and what to do to prevent exactly what happened to you.

Luckily, I am not that far away from one of the country's premier RV windshield shops, RV Glass Solutions in conjunction with Coach Glass. That is the only place I would have a single one-piece curved windshield installed.

Hopefully, they will be able to correct your problem so that it doesn't happen again.

Richard, I'm curious about your location, You say you are close to RV Glass, which I think is in Oregon, but your signature says you are in Florida. Do they have another location down there? I live in W. Washington and have been thinking about going to Coburg to have windshield work done.

Greg

20 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

 

Right from the "Horses" Mouth...

https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/163662/float-lithium-manufacturer-says-no.html#:~:text=Float charging%2C or maintainers are,of <5% a month.

 

I'm a little confused. This is quoted from the post you linked to:

"Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) answered · Oct 20 2022 at 7:17 AM BEST ANSWERACCEPTED ANSWER

Hi @jpcirig

For lithium batteries you should see the 'float' stage as a 'not discharging' stage:

An lfp battery has a resting voltage of about 13.2-13.4 volt, by setting 'float' voltage to that level, if there is power use (for example in a boat or RV: lights, DC equipment, alarm), this power will come from the charger (if the load is not bigger than the charger can supply)

So: the battery is not really charging in the 'float' stage and won't damage the batteries."

I've read of many users that are charging with lead-acid profiles. Seems like the majority say it just won't top off the battery as quickly as a Li-ion charger would.

22 hours ago, wamcneil said:

I replaced the original 2003 xantrex with magnum ms2012 3-4 years ago. 

Can I ask why you replaced the Xantrex? Do you know if

the same issues apply to charging lithium with the Xantrex as the Magnum?

On 1/30/2024 at 8:04 PM, MJ.STIGER said:

LOL. Yep watched that video. I like his videos too.  

That is the battery i am thinking about putting in. I know i have room for 1 of them Maybe two. 

Right now i have not had any issues with the current batt and amp hrs. But going this route would likely put me right where i need. Not planing on running much on inverter. Have not tried to run AC yet. But my drives when i do are long days close to 6 hours. 

FYI, I bought the LiTime 400ah 12 volt battery. One nice thing about it is it has a max discharge rate of 250 amps so one battery can do the work of two. You can run a 2000 watt inverter off one battery and have no extra cables. I mounted mine in the rear closet right over the rear run bay so it would not be susceptible to freezing temps. I think it was about $1400 on Amazon. Still on the bubble about using a dc-dc charger or just running it off the BigBoy. 

I've seen a few comments on eliminating the BIRD function of the BigBoy, but wanting to keep the boost to charge the chassis batteries. I saw this question at the bottom of this post in the Tech section. 

Any thoughts?

On 8/12/2023 at 1:26 PM, Ivylog said:

I had my doubts about needing a dc-dc limiter. I’ve found my 08 Navigator’s alternator doesn’t overcharge or overheat charging my 800AH of Lithiums. Installed a remote temp sensor on the alternator and it stays the same as the terms of the top radiator hose.

What did you use for a remote temp sensor? Are you still running without the dc-dc charger?

Something to consider is the anerobic sealant I've used is basically permanent. It's like red Loctite.

Our air ride and leveling is a complicated system of solenoid valves, air bags, air-lines and connectors which works great until it doesn't.  An experienced tech should be able to track it down. It's likely in one of the six-packs which can be replaced or rebuilt. I've heard of a number of cases of mud daubers making homes of the exhaust ports on those valve blocks. I screwed in some silencers on mine which made the system quieter for those camped next to me and prevented the little buggers from making trouble.

Mike, I always amazed at the people that are ready to criticize how someone like you did it.

I'm equally amazed that I didn't get any criticism of how I did my rear suspension repair myself. Probably just don't have enough followers for anyone to take me seriously. Anyway good to see you on this site. Take care.

Greg

On 1/25/2023 at 6:24 AM, jacwjames said:

I took the time to use some foam and seal all the voids in the front and rear of the coach between the chassis rails.  Monaco didn't do a good job here so sealing this up prevented the cold air from blowing through while driving, especially in the rear.

 

Jim, Could you expand on this? Where did you find the gaps to fill?

Not official, but most of the ads and postings I've seen on other sites point to it being on a Freightliner chassis. The VIN decoder should nail that down.

Thanks for the confirmation. Helps me figure out the logic on their circuit. I can never leave well enough alone. I'm hoping to make it double throw, Momentary On-OFF-ON.  I've been staring at schematics for a few days trying to figure out how to do it. That way I could just tap it on the arm rest to engage for a pulse or flip it to on to leave it on. I always feel like I'm fumbling around trying to find the floor switch.

I was on the Carling site https://www.carlingtech.com/rocker-switches-v-series-ii-iii. It's amazing how many varieties they have and the selection of custom covers. You can even order custom text. I think I bought my last one at mouser.com. 

Guys, I have a question of one of you that has the armrest switch. I have a '04 Panther that came with only the foot switch, but the wiring and hole is there for an armrest switch. I'm assuming it's a single throw switch with just an OFF-On Function, but I'd like to confirm that. I'm trying to get a part number of that rocker switch and can't configure it until I know.

Thanks,

Greg

On 11/3/2022 at 3:55 PM, Dr4Film said:

Greg,

It was the Essex Company located in Carpinteria, CA. I called them directly first then they gave me the company in southern CA to order the new keypad.

Thanks for the clarification. I ended up buying a series 1700 keypad from A-1. Hopefully I won't have anything else to report about this!

On 7/2/2020 at 3:02 PM, Dr4Film said:

Don't know the brand of YOUR keypad but mine is made by Essex. I had one key go in my original keypad back in 2009 and had to replace the entire keypad which I had purchased from Northwest RV Supply. That one lasted only about 5 years and again one key stopped working . That's when the company said that the original old style was very susceptible to sitting in the  sun a lot. They recommended that I order the upgraded keypad version from a company in southern California. That one is still working and has been there for over 6 years now.

The company is called A-1 Electric

https://www.a1electric.com/index.htm

Richard, Which company said the KE-1700 series was susceptible? Essex or A-1? Just curious who is recommending what. Looks like I'm in the market for a new keypad and mine is the 1700 series. Not excited about having to replace it again after this. These things are getting very expensive.

Thanks,

Greg

On 10/2/2022 at 7:08 AM, Dr4Film said:

Greg,

Good decision!

I am guessing that the rear slide did not close tightly enough especially with the red pool noodle still attached and sticking out. Not good when it is raining as it rains a lot in Washington as you already know.

That's funny that you noticed. The previous owner put it on and forgot to pull it off before retracting the slide. We took it off after the picture. Slides work great. Topper and awning fabrics all need to be replaced.

If anyone is interested in resurrecting our original coach, let me know quickly. We are swapping some parts like recently replaced tires, shocks and airbags from the old one to the new. We haven't settled on a buy back amount from insurance. Would likely be around $20-25k

Just a quick update. We considered repairing it, but were very concerned about the uncertainty of cost of repairs and the stigma of a rebuilt title. The tipping point was when another coach almost identical to ours came up for sale close to our home. We made a deal to buy it from the original owners. So, we are going to let our old one go. It's bittersweet, but the right thing for us.

Greg

On 9/17/2022 at 4:52 PM, 96 EVO said:

Sorry to hear!

You don't mention the make or model of fridge?

Since it was parked at your storage facility, I assume it was sitting fairly level?

It was a Norcold 1200. No recall box. It was sitting level. 

I'm not really too concerned about the salvage title, either. Wasn't really look for a project, either. If I think long-term, it's probably the thing to do.

It's been a little over a month since I got the call from our storage unit manager that our 2004 Safari Panther motorhome had caught fire the night before. It was in a covered sprinkled area and the fire dept was right next door, so they put the fire out quickly. Still, it caused quite a bit of damage.

It started in the refrigerator which I had foolishly and ignorantly left plugged in and had operating for the few weeks between short trips. If I had known then what I have learned since about the frequency of these fires and the tools available to prevent them, I would have done things differently. I have no idea if any of the recalls had been performed. I'm still having a hard time believing that the risk of these fires is allowed to continue.

We had it a little over a year and had been working on getting all of the mechanicals, RV systems and visual upgrades done for what we hoped would be a future full-time home for an undetermined season of our lives. Replacing the RV frig with a residential refer was on the list, but mostly because of better function and efficiency.

Now we are trying to determine if we should repair it or let the insurance company total it and move on. It's a pretty unique coach with all of the features we wanted. It's in excellent mechanical condition and drove like a dream. I had been considering a full paint job and some other interior and system upgrades, so we have some cash to add to the insurance settlement for the repairs. I'm trying to avoid having it totaled and having a branded title for what is mostly cosmetic damage.

Anyway, wanted you all to know that, yes there was another RV fire. Also thought I'd throw out if anyone out there is considering selling a good condition Safari Panther 4213, we may be in the market.

Greg

Paul, I came across this post while researching cure for leaking ball valve / seal. I have a 3010 in my Safari Panther.  Didn't realize it's another treasured item that may give me problems later. How can I get one of those boards for a spare?

Greg R.

On 9/1/2021 at 3:18 AM, throgmartin said:

Brett:

We were a Sani Con dealer up till 2 months ago so did a lot of installations. I always ran 10 gauge wire back to the battery bay and included a 30 amp re-settable fuse. 

I do want to say we dropped the sani con line not because of quality issues but Thetfords new pricing structure which wiped out half our margins. The sani con turbo systems are the best on the market for macerators. When they went to the new pricing program I felt it wasn't worth our time to deal with them any more. At one time we moved more sani con systems then any other dealer in the country.

Do you know a good place to buy one of these systems online? Can't find  a dealer in the Seattle area