Charging System
I recently inherited a 1998 41-foot Beaver Patriot motorhome. Even though the motorhome has been plugged in, power from the batteries is not reaching the motorhome circuits. Everything is dead. Local motorhome repair technicians do not seem to know where the problem is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Gerald Hash, F436966
Roseburg, Oregon
This is really hard to diagnose without a hands-on look, but I would start with the basics. Is the voltage in the batteries 12.5 volts-plus? Is voltage increasing when the inverter/charger is turned on? Is the battery cutoff switch on? Is current passing through the cutoff switch? Is current passing through the battery isolator? Is current getting to the fuse panel? The key is finding the interruption in one of the steps above and correcting it.
Gen Set Storage
Using a fuel stabilizer protects gas engines during storage. Draining the fuel system protects the engine as well. I have a motorhome with a gas-powered Onan generator. The motorhome sometimes sits for three or four months between trips. Would using a fuel stabilizer adequately protect the generator?
Lowell Bergen, F415297
Keizer, Oregon
Yes. Consider, too, that although you may expect to park your coach for three to four months, that period might extend unexpectedly to six or seven months, so use Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer each time.
Here’s what I suggest you do before each storage period. Because of the humidity in Oregon, top off your fuel tank to reduce possible condensation and apply Sta-Bil while still at the station. (The attendant should be able to do it for you since you can’t fill your own tank in Oregon.) On the way to the storage facility, operate the generator. Doing this will allow the Sta-Bil to protect the fuel passages in both the coach’s engine and the gen set’s engine.
Changing out a clogged generator carburetor could cost in excess of $1,000, depending on the location, so a Sta-Bil application is well worth it.
Mapping Options
We used Microsoft’s “Streets & Trips” mapping program for a number of years, but it has been discontinued. We want a system whereby we can plan a route ahead of time. The Microsoft program’s “route planner” allowed us to determine our camping spots for an entire six-month trip. It had full navigation ability, which directed us as we drove, and we could see the map in advance and approve of the route. If the route was not to our liking, we could change it all before taking the trip. Can you recommend a similar program?
Robert Harmer, F405847
Cape Coral, Florida
While there are several GPS units on the market for RVers and long-haul truckers, I suggest you look at a Garmin product, the RV 769LMT. Here’s a link: http://sites.garmin.com/en-US/rv/. I don’t know whether its trip-planning feature will go up to six months out, but the RV 760LMT has several features that should appeal to an RVer. It has a 7-inch display; will accept the RV’s size, height, etc.; and will plan your route accordingly so that you won’t find yourself in a situation that won’t accept your coach.
Tire PSI
I recently bought my first motorhome, a 2007 Fleetwood Excursion 39S. Being a newbie, I spend every free moment reading and researching RV information. I’ve read several articles/forums and understand that the unit must be weighed wheel-by-wheel in order to determine correct air pressures. My question: What are the appropriate pressures when the coach is not loaded for trips and will only be driven to and from service centers, etc.?
Bruce Neumeister, F455732
Hamilton, Ohio
Welcome to the motorhome life! You made a good choice joining FMCA.
Once you’ve weighed your coach, determined the optimum tire pressures when loaded for a trip (using the individual wheel weights and tire manufacturer charts), and filled the tires to those pressures, you needn’t change the pressures unless you change the weights drastically. There’s no need to confuse the issue by having a different psi for each situation. Remember, all tires on an axle should have the same psi based on the heavier wheel position.