Cruise Control Recalls
Ford recently extended its cruise control switch recall to include 2003-model F-150 through F-550 Super Duty trucks. The original recall covered 1994 – 2002 vehicles.
Today I contacted Ford’s RV customer service (800-444-3311) to inquire as to whether the recall included the Ford type A motorhome chassis, as the V-10 engine is basically the same one used in some of the recalled vehicles. I was told that it did not include the type A chassis.
This makes no sense, as I am sure that Ford has not provided a different switch just for the type A chassis. I suspect that Ford has overlooked the relatively small type A chassis market on this recall. If this is the case, we are looking at a potential fire hazard. Would you please check on this, and if there is a problem, bring it to Ford’s attention. FMCA has much more clout than one motorhome owner can generate.
JAMES WILLICK, F302286
Jacksonville, Florida
I can fully understand your concern, so I contacted a member of Ford’s customer service staff who deals with recall questions. While some type C (E-chassis) coaches were involved with this recall, no F-53 (type A) chassis were involved. The reason they weren’t involved is because of the basic design of the braking and cruise control systems. The recall involves a defective switch on the master cylinder on the vehicles listed. The F-53 chassis has a completely different design and does not use this switch. I hope this puts your concern to rest.
Funky Furnace
We bought a new 2005 Gulf Stream Ultra Super C in November 2005. The motorhome’s furnace has not worked for a whole trip yet. It is a 30,000-Btu Suburban model 6316BK with four outlets. It has one outlet in the bedroom; one outlet under the pantry; one under the stove (in the middle between these two outlets is the intake); and the last outlet is in the entrance step well pointing forward toward the cab. The thermostat is located on the outside wall of the bathroom opposite the pantry.
When we turned the furnace on, it seemed to be working fine. Then sometime in the night the furnace began to blow cold air. I would get up and turn the furnace off and back on, and it would start blowing warm air again.
The dealer changed the thermostat on the wall. Now the furnace seems to cycle very fast. I sat and timed the furnace for one hour, and it ran four minutes and then was off for four minutes. This was the case all the time. When the furnace is off for the four minutes, for the first minute something in the furnace continues to run, but it is not blowing air, so I’m not sure what this is, and the dealer here doesn’t seem to know either.
In addition, the dealer said that they have changed the board on the furnace and checked the furnace ducting, and we’ve put in new batteries. I still don’t think it is working right, because the furnace cycles very fast.
To test, I stayed in the motorhome in our backyard running the furnace again. I set the thermostat at 73 degrees Fahrenheit and began taking notes on the furnace operation. Here’s what happened:
1. The temperature when the furnace came on was 73.2; it ran for three minutes, then went off; the temperature was 73.5.
2. The furnace was off for two minutes with the temperature still reading 73.5.
3. The furnace came back on for three minutes, with the temperature reading 73.6, and then went off.
4. The furnace was off for two minutes, with the temperature reading 73.6, and then it came back on.
5. The furnace stayed on for four minutes, then shut off again with the temperature reading 73.6.
6. The furnace was off for two minutes, then came back on with the temperature reading 73.6.
7. The furnace was on for three minutes and then shut off with the temperature reading 73.6.
This continued all night, with the on and off times varying just a little; the longest the furnace was on was four minutes, and the longest it was off was four minutes. The temperature outside the motorhome was 40 to 45 degrees. Do you have any idea what could be wrong with this furnace and/or how to fix it?
In addition, I noticed that the slideout is not working. It will extend out about 3 inches and then seems to bind up and stop. I checked the fluid levels and ensured that it’s not jamming on anything. I did notice, though, that the slideout in the stowed position is sitting about 3/4-inch lower than normal. I have it booked to go in for a diagnosis on this problem. Any help would be appreciated.
ROD & CHERYL LARDEN, F368085
Delta, British Columbia, Canada
Something you said regarding the furnace and slideout problems may be related to what is referred to as a high-resistance voltage drop. If the existing conductance factor between the house battery bank negative post and the ground cable connection to the motorhome frame is marginal, it could be further compromised as the temperature goes down, such as at night. Only a voltage drop test performed by an auto electric professional could prove or disprove that.
Initially, your furnace problem reminded me of a similar new motorhome heating problem (an erratic lack of heat) a few years ago that neither the dealer nor the factory could resolve. In that case, the root cause was a substantial lack of return air to the furnace for proper combustion.
I won’t go into the details of this one, since circumstances between motorhomes vary, but here is a way for you to prove or disprove this theory in the case of your unit. Take a small fan “” AC- or DC-powered “” that you can control the speed with a rheostat. Place the fan directly in front of the furnace’s return air grille in your motorhome. Start the fan on a very low speed and turn on the furnace. I would preset the furnace thermostat to a substantial number (say 80 degrees or so) to ensure continuous furnace operation. Obviously, a cool/cold period of time will be required. If you determine that this makes a difference (improvement), you may need to vary the fan speed to satisfy conditions. Additionally, and again if improvement is noted, I recommend that you remove the return air grille (if possible) and look inside the ductwork to see whether there are any apparent obstructions. (In the case of my above-mentioned motorhome situation, several feet of unneeded 5- or 6-inch-diameter air duct was just crammed in every which way, which effectively blocked the airway.)