Installing Temperature/Compass Gauges
In your March 2014 issue, Alex and Janet Bartha asked if temperature/compass gauges are available for installation on motorhomes (Readers’ Forum, page 93). Have you had any responses?
Gil Fritz, F350649
Salina, Kansas
RV writer Mark Quasius shared the following information:
“I have done this installation in my motorhome twice. The first was an in-dash unit that I put into our 2004 Allegro Bus, and the second was the same unit but in an overhead pod that I placed beneath the front TV in our 2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus. It’s the same model as used in many higher-end diesel pushers and is built by American Technology Components Inc. (ATC), based in Elkhart, Indiana. I didn’t find them readily available through normal aftermarket channels, so I bought them from ATC (www.atcomp.com; 574-262-1258), which had no problem selling directly to me.”
Painting A Propane Tank
We own a 2004 Coachmen Shasta Revere Type C motorhome. The propane tank underneath is showing some rust spots and peeling surface color or paint. We have asked both our RV repair shop and the propane dealer about repainting the tank. The propane dealer said not to paint the tank. Our RV repair facility told us it is okay to paint it. Who is correct?
Don and Joan Haury, F403595
West Monroe, New York
I cannot find any specific regulations prohibiting the painting of your propane tank, so you might wish to follow these directions:
Use a wire brush to remove all rust or flaking paint. Sand the tank using 120-grit sandpaper to smooth rough areas. Wipe the surface using a clean cloth to remove sanding dust.
Wash the tank using dish detergent and water to remove grease and residue. Rinse the tank using clean water. Allow the tank to dry completely.
Use painter’s tape to mask all parts of the tank that you do not want painted. Apply tape over the data tag to ensure that it is not concealed by paint; you may be refused refill service if the data is not readable.
Shake a can of rust-inhibiting metal primer as long as directed. Apply a coat of primer to the tank using a steady, side-to-side sweeping motion. Allow the primer to dry for the time recommended by the manufacturer. Apply a second coat of primer. Allow the primer to dry completely.
Following all the manufacturer’s instructions, spray your chosen color of rust-inhibiting paint over the entire tank, and repeat with a second coat. You might want a third coat. Once the paint is completely dry, remove the masking tape.
Vanishing Oil
We recently ran into a problem with our motorhome that we can’t seem to figure out. We are wondering whether anyone else has experienced or heard of this.
We own a 2007 Newmar Dutch Star, which we bought new. It is powered by a turbocharged 400-horsepower Cummins ISL engine with approximately 36,000 miles on it. During our last trip in the fall of 2013, the engine suddenly began to go through an excessive amount of oil. We discovered that we were losing about 1 gallon — not 1 quart — of oil approximately every 300 miles. I am very careful to keep an eye on the oil pressure and temperature gauges, and neither had given me any indication that the engine was losing oil.
I contacted Cummins and was told that as long as the oil pressure stayed within guidelines, it would be safe to drive home. The pressure gauge indicated between 50 and 55 pounds of oil pressure, 20 to 25 at idle — well within the guidelines. To be on the safe side, we stopped at certified Cummins shops in Omaha, Nebraska, and again in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to have technicians look into this problem. After three days, neither of these repair shops could locate anything wrong with the engine.
However, oil continued to disappear. All told, we replaced approximately 14 gallons of oil in close to 3,000 miles of travel. There is absolutely NO indication of a leak anywhere. We have not found any oil under the motorhome when the vehicle is parked; there is no oil on our towed car; no oil in or around the engine compartment; and no oil dripping from the exhaust. There is no evidence of burning oil, such as blue smoke from the exhaust. The exhaust pipe shows black soot, but it is dry, not oily.
When we arrived home in Montana, we took the motorhome to a local Cummins dealer, told the service technicians about the problem, and let them have the coach for an extended period to look into the issue. After having the motorhome for more than four months, they finally gave it back and told us they had exhausted their options and ideas as to what could be causing this oil loss. They checked the turbocharger, the cooling system, and everything else they could think of, but they still could not come up with an explanation as to where the oil is going. They, too, were unable to find any leaks. We have now changed the oil and filter twice in the past 1,000 miles without any improvement. One suggestion was to try using a heavier weight of oil.
Has anyone out there run into a situation such as this? I am about ready to buy into the “aliens are sucking it out” theory.
Russ and Linda Whitcomb, F403881
Helena, Montana
I asked FMCA Technical Advisory Committee chairman Brett Wolfe, who is knowledgeable about diesel engines, to address this problem, and here are his thoughts.
The turbocharger would be the first thing I’d suspect, but you said the Cummins dealer checked it. If the failure were occurring on the intake side of the turbocharger, there would be oil in the hose/pipe from the turbocharger to the charge air cooler. If it were happening on the exhaust side, there would be an oily residue just downstream of the turbocharger in the exhaust. Determining whether the turbocharger is involved is easy to diagnose.
There was/is a well-documented issue with the wrist pins on a handful of ISL engines. Do you know whether any of the technicians performed a leak-down test on the cylinders? That would reveal whether cylinder wall wear is causing the loss of oil. Generally, if there is an issue with a cylinder, there will be excessive blow-by. Has the crankcase vent hose been checked for excessive flow?
While a gallon of oil every 300 miles is excessive, if it is being burned in the engine, I’m not certain whether it would be noticeable in the exhaust. Think of pouring 1 gallon of oil into every 40 gallons of diesel, assuming your motorhome is getting 7.5 miles per gallon. The oil would be significantly diluted in that amount of fuel.
Checking Tire Dates
The tires on my motorhome were in excellent condition, but the DOT date put their age at 10-plus years. I wanted to replace them with fresh-dated tires. I spoke twice with my local Goodyear dealer before going there in April 2014. I was told all the tires they sell are fresh DOT dates. I purchased two steering and four drive tires, which they mounted and balanced on my aluminum rims. I paid $2,700 and headed out. Four days later, I found that the DOT dates indicated the tires were made in 2013. Because it is 2014, I expected 2014 DOT-dated tires. Am I wrong thinking I would get 2014 dates? If given the option to wait for 2014 dates, I would have waited. I want our FMCA members to know that they have to ask to see the DOT dates before the tires are mounted.
Jonathan Fine, F298935
Sunrise, Florida
I commend you on being safe by replacing your 10-year-old tires before you had a catastrophe. As for the age of your new tires, I agree with you that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) tire identification number on the sidewall of the tires, which indicates the manufacturing date, should be checked before mounting. However, if you had, and you decided to wait for a new batch of tires, you might have been waiting awhile. The motorhome market is much smaller than that of cars or even off-road vehicles, so fewer tires are produced. And maybe your tires aren’t as old as you think. On the DOT tire identification number, the two digits before the year indicate the week of 2013 when the tires were manufactured, starting with 01 for the first week of January and going through 52 for the last week of December. So, perhaps the tires were manufactured late in 2013. You could check with Goodyear’s customer service department, if you wish.