1nolaguy

I know this is a very late reply. Somehow this post was emailed to me today. If anyone is still following I am curious how the OP was able to keep the old penguin II thermostat alive to control the LP heat. Both our Penguin II units died about 3 years ago, while we were in Florida. I replaced both units with Haughton/Recpro A/C-Heat Pumps, which have their own internal thermostats that are also controlled by a remote. While I left the Penguin II "brains" inside the ceiling install the OEM 5 button controller no longer functioned and the LP furnaces no longer work. I do not think it is a furnace issue but that they are not getting signal from the 5 button control. In your situation how did you address this?

Last year I replaced the OEM water pump in our 2005 Safari Cheetah with a PowerMax's Shurflo 4008 |101-A65/E65 |12V 3 Gallon RV replacement water pump ($64 from Amazon). While I do not have a accumulator the design of this pump should not be effected by that extra equipment. Also, if you have an accumulator you would not want a high volume pump. Most pumps in general do not like to be short cycled.

Can you PM me the details on this installation?

UPDATE: Well, I replaced the old 4/7 pin connector and all worked and then it did not. I purchased the tester linked by Myron Truex above and it showed the new 4/7 pin adapter to be installed correctly. I hired a local mobile tech to double check the wiring and lights and all were determined by him to be correct. At this point we checked all the lights twice and the seemed to work properly. We hooked up and towed about 20 miles. Stopped to check and discovered the front right wheel hub on fire (presumably unrelated to the light issue). The coach is now back in storage. The toad is at the dealers with the brake system being rebuilt, and we have decided to make this trip via car and staying in hotels. I am beginning to think this is Providence telling us to not travel or give up RV'ing. That decision is still to be made. With two significant negative towing incidence( first the hub sheered off our dolly when dolly towing and now the fire) in the last two years my wife says towing anything, at least for now , is off the table. Such is life.

Mike this is very interesting. The repairing dealership did say they had to replace the brake lines as well as all the rotors, calipers and pads (all 4). The more I hear the more I am thinking it has to do with the car's braking system rather then the installation of the tow package. This car is only 8 months old (less than 6K miles) and the electronic emergency brake has always been a bit of a concern.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I had forgotten but our ezee TPMS did not sound a heat alarm but since the car was being driven behind instead of towed it might have been out of range. Yes Tom. I forgot to include in my OP that our Eezee TPMS heat alarm did not go off and I do have sensors on all 4 toad wheels, however because the car was being driven behind and not towed at the time it is likely the sensors were out of range.

This post should probably be split up and posted under several headings but I do not have it in me to deal with that now. While it deals with towing 4 down it also has to do with fire safety and reality when traveling. Last year we decided to replace out 2005 Mazda for a car that could be towed 4 down. Dealing with a dolly at 70 was becoming too much of a hassle. After much research and evaluation we bought a 2023 Chevy Equinox RS FWD. I had it outfitted with a Roadmaster tow plate and an NSA Elite Brute II tow bar. From the git go we had issues getting the lights to work but that was eventually solved. ( I know, so far this looks like a toad discussion). Two days ago we left on a bucket list trip from Louisiana to Washington State where we plan a cruise to Alaska. We drove the first 100 miles or so disconnected as we felt uncomfortable towing in Baton Rouge traffic After crossing the Atchafalya Basin, a raised roadway about 20 miles long, my wife notified me on the walki talki that the brakes were making a grinding noise. When we got off the bridge we pulled over and my wife got out to check the wheels. She yelled to me the wheel was on fire. The rotor on the front passenger side was in flames. I grabbed an extinguisher we keep at the door next to the passenger seat and emptied it low and directly on the flames. The whole canister. The flames went out but then started again a few seconds later. While my wife called 911 I ran back to the RV and grabbed the two canisters of liquid/gas fire suppressant I had purchased two years ago at the Monacoer's rally Tampa FL. I emptied the first and extinguished the flames only to have them return a minute later. I emptied the second can laying on the ground so I could reach behind the wheel so as to spray suppressant on the back side of the hub. The flames went out again. I pulled the coach forward a safe distance of about 75 feet and ran back to the car just as the police were arriving. About that time the flames reappeared and I ran back to the coach and into the bedroom where I kept a 4th extinguisher. I again emptied it, laying on the ground to spray behind the wheel. Now, covered with yellow powder, the flame appeared finally not to re-ignite, just as the fire truck arrived. While it seemed like an hour the whole time from when we stopped until the fire department arrived was probably less than 10 min. Quick action protected the coach and most of the car. We had it towed to a Chevy dealership who advised that apparently the brakes locked. The wheel hub, break rotors, pads and brake lines all need to be replaced all around. The cause is yet to be determined and our trip is now going to be without the RV. The purpose for this posting is to point out that often we think if we have one or two fire extinguishers on board that is plenty. We have been traveling since 2018 and I always thought of them as a bit over kill having more than one or two and frankly thought if I ever used one it would be as a good Samaritan putting someone else's fire out. Had I not had four it is likely our new car and its contents would have been up in flames by the time the FD arrived. Had we been hooked up it is possible we could have lot the car and the motor coach. It can happen that quickly. I can not stress enough how grateful I was to have multiple extinguishers and to know where all of them were located, in a spot that was easily accessible.

Great project. How much weight (net) do you think you have added? Not so much an issue for DP but might add a strain on the slide motor. Just curious.

UPDATE: OK been working g on this since noon. I checked the strip on another truck with 4 pin an it worked fine. Using a VOM set for continuity I first checked all the wires from the strip to the end of the 4pin plug. The electrical whip on the strip was to short so I used a matching (color code) extension and hardwired them together using a solder joint and covering with shrink wrap. I pulled the 4/7 adapter (discovered OEM was Hopkins also) and checked continuity of 4pin to 7 pin and also from connection where wip from adapter connects to wire harness leading up front. All good. While apart I cleaned all connections with electronic cleaner and treated with NALOX. Put it all back together. Everything works on coach. Everything works on strip except left turn signal. At this point I am thinking it must be a bad connection where the 4 pin plug goes into the 4 pin socket. The fit is very easy so maybe it is worn?

Tom, sorry for the confusion. The RV has a double adapter similar to the one linked by Scotty above. Although these have coverings on the connector side and I have sprayed them, I have found no clear way to sand or abraid the inside of the tubes on the female connection. I will try today to pull the existing adapter and clean all connection (those coming in and those going out. I will use NoAlox (have some) before replacing wires. If that does not work I will replace adapter unit.

Thanks Scotty, that is the same one I was looking at.

Bench tested strip (cheap o e from Amazon) and found loose ground wire at fuse. After fixing it I tested it in my truck and all worked. Not sure if this will be a fix or not, so tomorrow it's back to the rv. I want to pick up a new adapter just in case as the rv is not near anything convenient. Does anyone have experience with Hopkins Towing Solutions products? Tom, I am having issues with both the 4 pin and 7 pin adapter. Since it is OEM from 2005 I am thinking oxidation my be playing a part.

Yes. That is the two lights(magnetic), strip light, and tail lights on new toad are all led. The Original signal lights and brake lights on the rv are incandescent.

I gave been fighting with a hook up issue since last fall and it is about to have me put a for sale sign on this rv. Don't laugh you know you have been there. Long story short, after replacing all the tail light sockets and bulbs and reading all the ground lines, it appears that the issue is with the 4 pin/7 pin combo connector. I have cleaned it with electronic cleaner, worked it with a fine brush and still with issues. The tail light / brake light and signal lights on the coach, as well as the running lights, all seem to work OK. When I plug in 4 pin auxiliary lights (tow, truck light strip or magnetic base tow lights) the running lights work but nothing else. Before I replace the 4pin/7 pin combo connector is there any thing else to check?

Update: this continues to be a conundrum and I am running out of time. I replaced the tail light strip(led) that plug into the 4 pin connector. I've checked all connections, redid ground, and still having issue. Left signal does not com on, and brake and running lights work when head lights are off but not when head lights are on. Help!