tomevansfl

Anybody tried retreads?  They used to be a thing for cars in the 60’s-79’s. Supposedly are still used on Semi’s and commercial passenger planes. My concern is the sidewalls. 

Calix Institute is an internet privacy advocacy organization and as a nonprofit qualify for unlimited and unthrotled internet T-mobile. You do have to use their mobile hotspot device. The program is a legacy program carried over from Sprint before the merger. 

Like Warren mine are cracking in the same area on my 2001. Mine look like JDCrow’s except the upper lense is amber. I’d like to replace the lower red set and is turn signal. Any idea what would be an appropriate replacement?

9 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

My personal experience and reading and talking to others.  A steering stabilizer on a Dynasty and above chassis is somewhat superfluous.  There is not as much wander like here is in the lower ends like my Camelot.  David Pratt, our present site owner, put an ADJUSTABLE Blue Ox TruCenter on his 2005 Executive.  If I were inclined to put a stabilizer on the Upper end, it would be the kit that Henderson’s sells with an adjustable trim or centering mechanism…the non adjustables  have issues as roads change.

I followed Pratt’s example and added a TruCenter to my Camelot. It was nice and tightened up the steering.

 

It would appear the  BlueOx TruCenter has been discontinued. 

Congratulations from the land of Mickey Mouse!

I have to have my key switched to accessory to operate the leveling system. 

I was unable to get on the roof but inside I removed the grate and the only brand identifier I could find was “DuoTherm”.  Is this a Dometic Penguin unit?

Thanks. I’ll be stopping by this afternoon and get the brand to order one to fit it. I’ll put plastic over it until the new cover arrives. 

On my most recent trip my cover blew off, also. We haven’t had rain predicted and I haven’t been able to go to the storage facility to check. As I recall the one in the bedroom is a different brand from the front. Will it hurt if it rains while the “guts” are exposed? Will it leak?

On 8/26/2022 at 8:53 PM, Cubflyer said:

On my HR the "primary/main" fuel filter is mounted in a compartment on the drivers side, behind the A/C condenser.  My condenser swings out to open after unlatching it with a special key.  My primary filter had a clear bottom....  the secondary filter on my 8.3 Cummins, is mounted to the passenger's side of the engine (as engine is mounted in coach).  That filter has a electric sensor plugged into it (that detects water).  I am not familiar with a Neptune....  hope you get it going

Ken

Is there a source for the special key to open the condenser door. I believe I have the same set up but I didn’t get a key for that door when I bought the Coach. My Monaco added fuel filter is directly above the rear hydraulic jack on that side. Hard to see unless you know where to look. 

Thanks everyone.  You have given me some much-needed direction to start investigating the source of the staining.  I'll be starting the investigation this weekend.

On 10/19/2023 at 1:00 PM, Chargerman said:

Sorry to post something that is off topic but it looks like your power cord needs some attention where it enters the surge protector before you have a bigger issue with it  

Thanks, I'll look at resolving this issue.

There is a slide adjacent to this bay, but it isn't directly above.  I'm not sure if it is hydraulic.  When fully extended, it will make a low clicking noise when it reaches full extension.  Below are photos of this area with the slide out I took on other trips. The door in question is the last one on this side.  The slide is more or less over the bay in front of the electrical bay.

I will be going to the storage facility over the weekend and I'll look at the hinges for rust.  There is a hydraulic jack behind the next bay forward.  The next bay has the condenser for the dash air conditioning.  The first fuel filter and hydraulic jack for the rear driver's side are behind the condenser radiator (black grill).

It could be the hydraulic jack on the rear of the driver's side leaking because when we were breaking camp the rear hydraulic jack on the passenger side (opposite side) didn't fully retract.  I had to re-extend the driver's side jack fully to get the passenger side jack to fully retract.  Then the driver's side jack (the one behind the dash air condenser) fully retracted without issue.

Thank you all for your suggestions.  I had never considered rust or hydraulic fluid from the slide or jack.  I'll check for all three when I return to the storage facility this weekend.

Most of our trips so far have been local weekends.  Last weekend we went to Sebastian Inlet State Park.  The drive was a little over 2 hours and when we arrived I found this when I hooked up the electrical.  I have never seen this before.  It appears to be coming from the top of the electrical bay door next to the engine. 

Below is a photo of the exterior door and a photo of what's behind it.  It looks like oil of some kind, but it doesn't appear to be coming from inside the compartment, as there is no fluid in the electrical bay.  Any suggestions where/what is leaking? Thanks in advance.

I wanted to replace mine with an LED light, and Amazon had an LED version identical to the original.  It came with both amber and clear.  Amber is supposed to not attract insects.  Insects cannot see that color light and thus aren't attracted to it.

9 minutes ago, philcarrell said:

You are not the first to do this.  Glad you figured it out

Nor will you be the last. We’ve all experienced it. 

On 8/8/2023 at 11:56 AM, Carl Michael said:

Thanks I have contacted the credit card company and they will investigate but might take 3 months   Carl 

Should not take 3 months. That’s why I have all my accounts with my local credit union. In the past I’ve had to dispute a charge only once, they decided on refunding the money within 5days.
 

Most banks will put the money back with a hold until they finish their investigation. Most credit cards will credit the money to your account within 5-10 business days. If they rule against you they will reapply the charge. 

With the credit card, be specific & detailed. I once despite’s a charge and the vendor wrote a letter and lied. I then had to go to battle with the credit card company. 

I believe this is the video referenced above:

The personal experience by a fellow RVer:

Both are worth a watch by every RVer and passenger car driver as well. 

If you decide to buy a code scanner/reader, make sure it is capable of use on heavy duty trucks/semis. Also, confirm you have a 16 pin OBD II port on your rig. If you have a round port, count the pins in it and make sure the scanner comes with an adapter that matches your your rig’s pin count. My scanner came with a round 9 pin adapter but my Diplomat has a 6 pin port.

You can order an adaptor that has both such as:

OBDII 6Pin 9Pin J1708 J1939 Cable for Truck https://a.co/d/iOXy6WT

The scanner I have is:

HUMZOR OBD2 Scanner Diagnostic Tool, Car/Heavy Duty Truck Engine Fault Code Reader, NC601 Supporting 16/9 Pin Interface Read Code Erasure Code, Compatible with Light and Heavy Truck, 2 in 1 Scan Tool. https://a.co/d/dwYJPSn

Not sure of the quality yet. I haven’t had it long enough to judge. I believe it is made by NEXAS. 

On 7/28/2023 at 7:04 PM, Martinvz said:

Tom, LED lamps are polarity sensitive. Try turning them 180 degrees and reinstalling in the sockets. Then check that they work. If this does not work then you have a bigger issue. One might be that the LEDs might need an inline resistor as the relay needs the appropriate resistance. 
You should do this every time when you hook up the toad or trailer. Just good practice. 

Thanks Martin, I'll turn them around in the sockets next time I'm at the RV.  It is in storage until our next trip scheduled in October.

I ordered these to replace a burned out incandescent brake light bulb in my Diplomat (I replaced both at the same time). Melphan-Auto 1157 Led Brake Light Bulb Red, 12V-24V 1157 7528 2357 2057 BAY15D LED Replacement Light Bulb for Brake Tail Running Parking Backup Light for Car RV Trailer Boat, 54SMD 3014 Chipset,4PCS https://a.co/d/cvJfcia

The info/description said when using as a turn signal light, you may need to load resistors to avoid Canbus error code or hyper flash. 
 

I was alone when I replaced the bulbs with the LEDs so I turned the headlights on and both sides lit up much brighter than the incandescent bulbs so I assumed everything was fine. Two days later my son was following me and he said the brake lights didn’t work but the taillights worked when I turned the headlights on while driving through rain but he said the taillights went out every time I applied the brakes. 
 

Now I just need to figure out how to replace the resistors or which relay to substitute and what kind of relay to replace it with. 
 

Anyone have this scenario? What did you use as a replacement relay?

On 7/25/2023 at 11:01 PM, Mike Wahl said:

Here is a photo of our front run bay which is located under the drivers window.  I have replaced mine with a LED flasher so I could go to LED light bulbs.  If i remember correctly the original is in this same location.  The 2nd photo shows what the original flasher would look like.

 

I blew a brake/tail lamp bulb so I decided to replace both sides with LED bulbs I ordered from Amazon. I was by myself at the storage facility so I turned on the headlights. They worked. Two days later my son was following me in the rain and said I had neither bake nor tail lights. I checked the fuse in the front roadside bay and it wasn’t blown. Do I need to replace a relay? There is a separate set of turn signals that I didn’t replace with LEDs. They work as usual. 

On 7/15/2023 at 3:02 PM, Tom Cherry said:

Interesting.  And you obviously know that just putting in Lithium’s is not a cure-all or fix all.

I’m not a Xantrex expert and folks have been baffled about some of the idiosyncrasies of them….especially at an advanced age.  Assume you have removed 12 VDC cables from the Xantrex and let it sit, off and idle, for a while.  That generally resets it. If your House battery switch does the same….disconnects power, then you might try powering down,  remove the Xantrex cables…turn back on the house and wait a while….then power down….reconnect and see what’s going on.

Next up, we have a file (Files section) called Battery 101.  It addresses a lot more a out flooded and AGM.  However, if you wanted to actually measure, accurately, without a meter that really doesn’t work well on deep cycle batteries, do the recharge and draw down test.  Then measure the voltage on each.  Since you can’t get the Inverter to work, then that might be tough for a good DC drawdown.  

BUT one sure way.  Drive with a jumper cable between the positives for a few hours. Your House should be fully charged….measure the voltage.  Then see if the Xantrex works.  Some inverters DO require a good battery for the internal ATS that switches the incoming power (used for charging as well) to outgoing.  If the batteries will NOT invert or work then.  Put back ON the Jumper cable.  With the Chassis in parallel, the Xantrex ATS should switch.  If it doesn’t….internal issue and maybe the House bank isn’t an issue.

The other issue….never depend on the cables to be  foolproof  We have had many issues of a bad Ground to the chassis Ground stud.  Chase both house and chassis and remove or loosen and rotate side to side or clean.  Good PM….will also ensure you don’t have issues with the investment in Lithiums.

That is the only way to really troubleshoot,  Good Luck,

Thanks, Tom.  I'll peruse the Battery 101file (I wasn't aware of this file or service offered in the file section) and try the methods you recommend and see if that can identify an issue.

Thanks Gary. Sorry if I misled. My generator was on while driving but not at idle at any time except while waiting for a traffic signal change. That was the only time the alt charge light did not flash at irregular intervals, it only flashed while going down the road. I’m glad it doesn’t mean there is something “broken” in my electrical system. 
 

My charger (Xantrex) says float charging. It is when I use the inverter to supply the residential refrigerator that no power is detected. The Xantrex buzzes or clicks when switched on and then switches off. I am interpreting that to mean my house batteries are at the end of their service life. The only time I have used the house batteries has been the 24 or so hours before leaving to pre-cool the refrigerator for the trip. The last two times we just left the perishables in the ice chest until we were on generator for the trip. Our fridge cools down very quickly so that hasn’t been an issue. We are going on a week-long trip in two weeks.
 

My wife has scoped out the grocery stores near our destination so we decided to run the generator to operate the house air conditioners on the 2-1/2 hour drive and let the fridge run for that time so it will be cold when we arrive at the grocery store near our campground. 
 

When I replace my house batteries I plan to replace them with lithium and add solar and upgrade the charger/inverter to work with the lithium.  Until then, I’ll wait until the fridge has run on generator or shore power long enough to reach operating temp before adding perishable food to it. 
 

Thanks again for the help. 

26 minutes ago, Steven P said:

@tomevansfl. What you may be experiencing is a pretty common issue.  Slight overcharging w the genny and engine running.  Next time, try turning your headlights off and see if the warning goes away.  If you don't usually run your genny while driving and this only happens w the genny and engine running,  that's probably it and not a concern.  Mine does it a fair amount of the time, especially when my inverter is in "bulk" charging mode. I have an Amp L Start so the chassis batteries will stay charged when on genny or shore power. Hope that makes sense. 

Otherwise, check your chassis battery voltage w the engine running and see what you have across the posts, not on the dash gauge. It's always possible for an alternator voltage regulator to go out. 

Thanks, Steven.  My chassis batteries were replaced with new from Cummins last September.  I didn't have my headlights on, but I'll turn them on next time so see if there is a difference.  This was the first time I noticed it, but I think it may be the house batteries that is causing this. 

I've had my Diplomat for about 2 years.  I usually go to the storage lot the day before a trip and turn the inverter on so the residential fridge will be cold the next day when we leave, On the day of departure I usually have about 75-80% of battery level left.  My wife packs the cold stuff and we put it in the fridge when we head out.  One thing though, the last two times I did this the fridge wasn't on when we arrived to head out and was still warm inside. When I tried to restart the inverter, it would buzz and turn off. I double-checked the inverter and the fuse wasn't tripped.  This leads me to believe the house batteries are going.  They were the batteries in the RV when we bought it.  I think the date on the batteries is 2017 so that is most likely the problems with the house batteries. The next chore is to inspect them thoroughly. When we travel I always have the generator on so the fridge will be on and we can use the house A/C's.  We live in central Florida, so A/C is a must!

Fortunately, the fridge cools down quickly and by the time we arrive the fridge is cold enough to transfer food from the cooler.

Again, thanks for the info. I'll be checking those potential issues over the next two weeks as we get ready for a week-long trip to Ft. DeSoto Park in Clearwater, FL.

I have a 2001 Diplomat.  My system is older, so it may be a little more primitive.  On my return home from a park near my house, I had the generator running so I could keep the house a/c's on. (last week was one of the hottest and most humid in history.  I noticed the Alt Charge light started flashing.  When I was stopped at a traffic light, the Alt Charge light didn't flash or come on. It was only when I was moving/accelerating. It was intermittent.  All gauges seemed to be in the normal range except the voltage gauge.  It seemed to stay just below the 14 range. The starter seemed to run a little longer than usual, but nothing that really concerned me.  I had just drained my primary fuel filter (less than a year old) and replaced my secondary fuel filter installed by Monaco on the chassis frame. So I just attributed it to the filters continuing to prime.

Above mentions the battery isolator relay.  Does this sound like the issue? Also, how would I check/test it.  Also, does any one recognize the brand? This is my battery box: