Tech Talk: October 2007

Dirty Power

I have an Onan generator located at the rear of a 38-foot type A coach. Each year I’m required to have the armature cleaned and new brushes installed, as the generator fails to produce power. The technician tells me fine road sand is getting into the generator, because the bottom is open to the road. How can I fix this problem?

Don Wannamaker, F124927
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Road grit can get into the generator and wear on the armature and brushes. There is no good way for you to clean your generator, so the best protection is to prevent material from getting in there in the first place. (Do NOT power wash the generator intake.) Although nothing is foolproof, here are two suggestions:

1. Mud flaps. Make sure the mud flap in front of the generator is sufficiently large enough and in good working order. If there is a large distance between the rear tire and the generator, consider a second flap to provide even more protection from road dirt and debris.

2. Running conditions. Although the generator is designed to work while the motorhome is moving, do consider the conditions. If you’re traveling on dusty or muddy roads, you may want to leave the generator off. Much less material will get in if the generator isn’t actively taking in air while driving in these conditions.

While generally well-protected, generators are not completely environmentally sealed. Although the vast majority of motorhomers won’t have a problem with dirt fouling the generator, preventive measures are warranted for RV owners who have experienced such trouble.

We have a 2003 Winnebago Minnie Winnie with a Norcold refrigerator. The unit has worked flawlessly until the last time I took the coach out of storage. I cleaned out the dirt daubers and hooked it up electrically. The refrigerator would not cool. However, when I fired it up on propane, it cooled right down. When we got to our location and I switched it over to electric, it worked fine. This unit has a “black box” control unit. Must I replace that unit?

Gordon & Faye Bergland, F310332
Mesquite, Texas

Before replacing any parts, a little testing would be appropriate. Turn the refrigerator on and select it for electric operation. Use a 110-volt test light or voltmeter and check the 110 volts AC output at the black box (control module). If the module does not immediately provide 110 volts AC, it is defective. It should not need a warm-up period on propane. If the module does provide 110 volts AC and if the heating element does not get hot in 30 minutes, the 110-volt-AC heating element is defective. An ohms test on the heating element should give about 44 ohms for an 8-cubic-foot refrigerator. If you aren’t comfortable doing the tests yourself, go to a Norcold service center for help or call the company’s customer service department at (800) 543-1219 to see whether they can supply you with the recommended test instructions.

I would like to know whether you’ve considered doing an article about the newer hybrid vehicles that are now available or soon to come out, along with their specifications. Of particular interest is whether they can or will be able to be towed four wheels down. With gas prices soaring, I would like to tow a vehicle that can get great mileage. I especially would like a completely electric car if the range were decent. They could even be set up to charge. I have heard the old saying “if you can’t afford one, you shouldn’t buy one,” but when I bought my first coach gas was still in the 80-cent range. I would think this would be a hot topic in your magazine, since I don’t foresee mileage going up too much on type A coaches.

Jerry Townsend, F273263
Lemont, Illinois

At this time no all-electric cars appear on our list of vehicles approved for four-wheels-down towing; the list of 2007-model vehicles can be found on page 60 of the January 2007 issue of Family Motor Coaching. On that list you’ll find the Ford Escape Hybrid and its Mercury counterpart, the Mariner Hybrid, as the only hybrids that are approved for flat towing.

I suggest that you find the estimated mileage for some of the smaller approved vehicles and compare those figures against the hybrids’ estimated mileage. A single-fuel vehicle with high posted mileage may be a better buy than a hybrid. A hybrid may not be a catch-all where mileage is concerned. Because of their relatively high price, it could actually cost you more in the long run to buy a hybrid when there are other high-mileage vehicles out there with much lower prices.

I put two Goodyear G670 tires on the front of my 2000 Pace Arrow Vision motorhome (Ford chassis) and can’t get them to balance. I had these tires installed at a tire dealer in Texas and changed one of them out in Mobile, Alabama. Now I’m back at home and the business that initially installed them is not working on 19.5-inch wheels and tires anymore, so no help there. By the way, the tires that were replaced were Goodyears and were doing great; I only changed them because of their age. Any suggestions?

Robert Crocker, F303787
Schertz, Texas

I (Jim) have G670s on my coach (also 19.5-inch wheels), although it’s a 1999 P-30 chassis, with no problems whatsoever. It rides much better than it did with the Kumho tires I pulled off the front end. I use balancing wheels rather than stationary weights. The balancing wheels are approved by the tire companies, although not recommended.

I suggest you find a knowledgeable tire shop that’s used to working on RV and truck tires, and stick with it so the technicians there get to know your coach. Once you find that shop, have them “reclock” the tires on the rims. Sometimes people think the tires are bad when all that is happening is the “high” side of the tire and the “high” side of the rim match, causing a slight out-of-round condition. Reclocking the tires on the rims will change this mismatch. Have the tires rebalanced as well, and while they’re doing the dynamic (spin) balance, the techs can check the tire’s roundness. If all this still fails to cure your tire problems, I’d call Goodyear’s customer service department and provide documentation of all your efforts to correct the problem.

To reclock your tires, the tech marks the same location on each rim and tire; dismounts the tire; and rotates it 180 degrees; then remounts it and rebalances it. If the shop doesn’t know what you’re talking about when you ask to have the tires reclocked, it might be a good idea to find another tire shop.

My 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt requires me to pull a fuse to save battery drain while towing. Naturally, the fuse is in an awkward location. Is it possible to leave the fuse in for a short run of three hours, and can I plug in a trickle charging solar system to offset the battery drain?

Bernie Larsen, F174124
Granada Hills, California

Yes, to both questions. It is possible that your battery will last three hours.