CorinthWest

Rikadoo, not to beat a dead horse here, but.......I moved to Texas from California back in '98. Got my Class A Commercial here so I could help the local school and work as a back-up bus driver. I don't do that anymore, so last year I TRADED my Class A for a NON-COMMERCIAL Class B. It was just a pit stop at the DMV (with no waiting whatsoever - in and out). I think they even used the same photo. No more physicals, no more commercial insurance, no more rules and regs. Texas, the best move I ever made in my life. Love it here.

I found a permanent solution to your specific problem........move out of California.

Funny you posted this. I killed 2 mice in my coach (stateroom) over the last week. Not sure how they are getting in. Could be a thousand little entry points. And the week before, I killed 2 mice in my PRIUS (yes, the CAR), and 1 in my house! Go figure. Must be that time of the year, or something. I suppose it goes with living in the country.

You might have a bad BIRD module. Put a volt meter on it. I have one on order from Mega Tech in Oregon. They were out, but they are expecting a new shipment in next week. Apparently they were waiting on a relay to complete the assemblies. But they said available "first week in May".

I assume you've already checked REV?

I replaced both my wiper arms, blades, and pivot hardware last year. I got my parts from Mill Supply. They were very helpful and have a LOT of pantograph wiper parts. I don't know of anyone with a better selection. They'll also send you a free catalog. 1(800) 888-5072 Good luck.

Kevin/Ron - WOW. "Ask and ye shall receive". Thanks guys. Some of what you posted looks like it came out of my Holiday Rambler Owner's Manual, because it's almost exactly the same. But your advice is appreciated. Since you have both done this before, what do you guys do about the Water Heater bypass valve? Open or closed?

Fasthobie16 - Yeah, I'm sure the family will complain if they taste (or smell) chlorine. Will rinse thoroughly. Excellent advice. Gary - I am aware of this phenomenon. Good advice. I learned this the hard way in our house water heater eons ago. They don't call them "immersion heaters" for no reason. LOL Thanks, guys.

Greetings all. In all my years of owning RV's, I have never had the opportunity to "sanitize" a water system. We always just emptied out the fresh water, blew out the lines, and stored the unit for the winter. Then added water in the Spring. Regardless of rig, the water always tasted like it came from a plastic milk jug. That's just the life of an RV'er. Now we have a "new to us" '04 Holiday Rambler that was stored for years with water in it. Yes, it froze. About a dozen fittings, valves, lines, faucets, spigots, vacuum breaks, filters, toilet, and water pump all starting leaking (understatement) as soon as I put pressure to the system. What a mess. I just spent the last month sealing up all the leaks and fixing/replacing things. It's tight now, and everything works as it should. But since the coach was neglected by the previous owner, I want to go the last mile and "sanitize" the water system before I let my family drink any water from it. So my question is this - the "book" says "to sanitize, put the hot water heater in bypass mode and then pour in 4 gallons of bleach infused water and run all the spigots". Why "bypass mode" on the heater? Don't nasty things grow in the hot water heater tank too? Seeking advice. I know I should (and will) flush the hot water heater tank. But this won't kill any bacteria in it. I can't think of any reason to close the "bypass" valve when sanitizing. But I can think of a reason to leave it open during the process. Will I hurt anything? Thoughts? TIA Afterthought edit - It just occurred to me that the hot water heater holds 10 gallons and the fresh water tank holds 60 gallons. The instructions say to use 1 gallon of water for each 15 gallons the water tank holds. Then add 1/4 cup bleach to each resulting gallon and pour into empty holding tank. This adds up to 4 gallons of water and 1 cup of bleach. But this isn't taking into account the 10 gallons of fresh water in the water heater. But if you put it in bypass mode, it won't matter. Hmmmmm..... Therefore, if I drain the hot water heater before the operation, the 4 gallons of sanitized solution will be immediately pumped into the hot water heater and there won't be any left to circulate through all the spigots. If I don't empty the hot water heater prior to the operation, the mixture will be weak (14 gallons of water to one cup of bleach). But if I put the water heater in bypass mode, I avoid the problem altogether. Perhaps this is why they say to put the hot water heater in "bypass" mode for the sanitizing operation.

Michael, I/we are in the same boat. We bought our coach with a non-working 1200 (we were told it worked). The cooling unit is out on it. I've looked at all the options and have decided to go with the JCI unit. The only question is if I will put it in, or have them do it. But the one thing I wanted to mention is that when I called JCI, I inquired about a DUAL compressor 12V unit for the 1200, like they offer for other refrigerators. They said that they are introducing their 1200 dual compressor 12V unit THIS month, and they are taking orders. We live in Texas where it gets VERY hot. My brother, who lives in PA., got a JCI 12V single compressor for his coach and put it in himself and he loves it. But I'm concerned about it keeping up with the Texas heat - although I haven't heard anyone complain on any of the RV boards. Everything I have read said the single compressor 12 V unit stays cold and people are happy with it. But after looking at all the pictures of burned out coaches and reading horror stories of people that lost everything and barely escaped with their lives, I think I would replace it anyway. These 1200's are fire hazards, and Norcold knows it. Which is funny since the last 3 Norcold's I have owned are/were bullet proof. One of them is 46 years old and still working great! Good luck my friend.

Hi, Scott. I used Toyo's on my last MH due to cost, and was happy with them. Got good mileage, but road a little rough. Also tended to develop flat spots when parked for long periods. Dropped the air pressure to soften them up a little. But there simply is nothing better than Michelin RV tires, IMHO. They are designed for and with the Recreational Vehicle user in mind. I've just put them on my "new to me" 04 HR Vacationer. A little pricey however.

Update #1: I plugged in the old ROKU 480 HD I had laying around in the MH. It's connected directly to the front TV (flat screen) using an HDMI cable for now, and it appears to be (mostly) working. I can't get Amazon Prime streaming because it keeps saying something about "app needs to be updated". But other than that, HULU and the free stuff works just fine (I like "FREE"). The reason this is a big deal is that this particular ROKU device (480 HD) has "composite out" (RCA jacks) that will plug into the new (soon to get here) Magnadyne video switcher coming from Amazon. The video switcher has composite video "in" (RCA jacks) for the DVD input and will convert the signal to a standard channel 3/4 output using an internal RF modulator, and allow it to be switched to any TV (front, back, or patio). I can then select "DVD" (I'll change the label) on the switching unit for either the front, rear, or patio TV's, and get the ROKU signal on channel 3/4. I like it. It should work well, although the video quality will suffer. But then who goes on the road to watch TV anyway? Wife said she's thinking we will use the newer ROKU in the house (with HDMI) and tell Dish to take a hike. It should save us something like $70 a month, she figures if we "dump the dish", and go with ROKU and a streaming service. "DUMP THE DISH" - I love it. We spend like $150 per month for basic Dish Network service, and we hardly watch it. There is a lot more "Live" streaming options out there these days, which is pretty much the same as TV. Update #2: I found an old (mostly disintegrated) manual/handbook on the Winegard Roadtrip Minimax SatelliteTV Antenna (it even shows a picture of it). The switch inside the driver's side overhead also has a label on it that says "Winegard Roadtrip". Don't understand how "KVH" plays into all of this. Perhaps they made the Wingard "Roadtip Minimax" for Winegard? I dunno. But I suppose it doesn't matter. The general consensus is.....this thing is junk, and I agree. Is there like a museum or something to whom I can donate this dinosaur? Or perhaps someone has a boat that needs an anchor? Thanks to everyone for your assistance and advice. This has been a great place for information, and to meet and discuss our collective motorhomes and issues.

In that same compartment, I found a little plastic door that went to the front of the "receiver" - I think it was the DVD player built into the front of the receiver because it looks just like the door on the picture of the unit in the guide. Anyway, wife and I were just chatting about it and if I remember correctly, my brother said that these old sat dish systems are now obsolete entirely. He switched to a ROKU unit and is very happy with the streaming services it provides since they are now offering "live" feeds, and it was significantly cheaper than Dish or Direct. The only down side was you have to have a WiFi signal. And since a cellphone can be used as a MiFi hotspot, this isn't a problem. I have several ROKU units and I guess I will simply install one of them in the coach and call it good. We have Dish in the house, and my wife has set up a Dish Anywhere account so that she can watch various channels on her laptop. We aren't sure if the ROKU will be able to get to the Dish streaming service or not. I'm going to give it a go and I will post back on my findings. Bottom line - "bump" on roof needs to go to the dump. Thanks, Timothy. (going to shed to get ladder......)

So THAT is what those old "KVH" warranty papers are doing in the (messy) file I got with the coach - LOL! Well, one mystery solved. Thanks, Timothy! Isn't there supposed to be some kind of a satellite dish "controller" box, perhaps also KVH, to go with it?

Well, the 2004 Holiday Rambler rebuild project is progressing. I've now got 5 pages of things I have fixed. Still waiting on some parts, but my help keeps reminding that "you are getting close".....LOL. Sometimes it doesn't feel like it - 2 steps forward, and one step back. Anyway, I am posting on a subject of which I have absolutely no experience and I'm seeking advise. On my HR, there is a "dome", and I assume it contains a "dish". I think this coach had the "DSS" option installed at the factory. Inside the coach, I have found and identified all the coaxes except 2 black ones in the driver's overhead, that go to some kind of switch that is still mounted in the compartment. In the back of the driver's overhead compartment, there is also a 3 port coax plate, and there is nothing connected to the front of it. Behind it, there is a coax cable to the "dome", a cable to the passenger's side overhead (video selector box?), and a cable to the rear exterior coax connection located in the rear shore power connection bay. And now the kicker - this is ALL that is in the coach. No video selector, no receiver, no sat dish controller. I've tested the bat wing and the amp works and I am able to get both the front and rear TVs working. I've ordered a Magnadyne video selector box from our friends at Amazon. So I've got all this covered. But I'm not sure what to do with that "bump" on the roof. My brother says it's obsolete and can't be used, and that I should just take it off and throw it away. Is he correct? I'm not even sure who made it. Seeking your valued advise. TIA

Call me cynical.....but anyone drinking anti-freeze deserves whatever happens as a result. Lawyers....... What do you call 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? Answer: "A good start"

Front map lights on mine are controlled by the dash light dimmer switch. All the way up turns on the map lights (with a click). Down turns off the map lights and then dims the dash.

I'm no electrician, but I HATE the romex they use in these coaches (and anywhere else). When you look up "cheap" in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of romex cable. I've strung plenty of wires, and I ALWAYS use flexible metal conduit. Best thing since sliced bread. You can even get it pre-strung with wire. But then that's just my personal preference. That and a quarter won't get you a cup-o-java.

I suggest starting with the model number of your step. You can find it on a label on the underside of the step base plate (the part that mounts to your coach). It should have 9 digits that start with a "9", and it should say "Kwikee" on it. The 3rd and 4th digit is the model number ("series"). Then I would call Lippert and ask them (phone number above). Or you could pick out a 2 step and see if the part numbers for the motor and electronics are the same. Just a thought....... I know there are MANY variations in the parts - load motor vs. indexed, different types of drives, different electronics, etc., so I would be surprised if the parts are interchangeable. But I don't think the load on the motor would be your concern. There should be very little effort to move the steps in/out, whether it is 1 or 2 steps. But I'm no expert on the subject. What I do know is that if you don't know what you are doing, they can hurt you. So be careful.

cbr046: Good post. Snap-On makes a neat tool for finding shorts too. But definitely, when all else fails - start "wiggling". LOL

Martin, I typed that wrong and corrected it. Mia Culpa. My steps are Series 25. The Part number is 902508000. The 3rd and 4th digits are the model. Here is the info I have from Lippert: Customer Service: 1 (574) 537-8900 (ask for Christina Schult - she was wonderful and sent me the original blueprints for the model 25, which I can post if anyone is interested). Note: The Kwikee part number 902508000 crosses to a Lippert 902509000. They explained it to me, and it had something to do with the buyout. But I don't recall exactly. I just wanted my new steps, which I got through e-trailer. PERFECT replacement. LOL

Interesting that you posted this. I am replacing my Kwikee steps in my 2004 Holiday Rambler Vacationer this weekend. The previous owner bent them to all to heck and back, so I bought new STEPS (sans motor and electronics). I was in the process of switching all the gear over and noticed the red and yellow wires were reversed in the motor connector. These steps worked before I took them apart. I am putting them back together again exactly the same (except with the new steps) so I don't expect any issues. But I have to get some stainless hardware tomorrow (yes, I'm a little OCD). Anyway, I thought it was odd that the wires to the motor were switched at the connector, especially when the connector is KEYED to only go one way. I have some Kwikee info I can share. Can you post a pic of your steps? Are they 2 step or 3 step? Mine are 3 step and they are a Series 25. Also, the people at Lippert were VERY helpful when I called them. P.S. I went to the trouble of removing the label from the old steps and used 3M double sided tape to attach it to my new steps so I don't lose the model, serial, etc.

99 times out of 100, this turns out to be bad wiring on your trailer hitch. Sometimes, like someone else said, it's hungry critters, other times it is caused by bottoming out the rear of the coach and pinching the wires against the receiver, and then other times is it simply shoddy workmanship or deteriorated wiring. If this isn't it, I would start looking at the clearance lights for a pinched wire.

Thanks, Stephen! Yes, the original fell apart on the previous owner and he simply took the guts from the OEM unit and used one of the the terminal bolts and both nuts from it to tie all the cables together (effectively eliminating the disconnect altogether). That's how it came when I bought it, and how I've gotten to this point. I know I SHOULD have gotten a better quality disconnect(s). I didn't know how cheap these were until I ordered the OEM and got it. When this one fails (or the one for the house batteries in the back), I intend to order 2 good marine replacements. Thank you!

So you've got a Norcold 1200 too!