Leveling Jacks
The leveling jacks work perfectly on my 2001 National RV. However, when they are retracted, the warning light indicating that the jacks are down sometimes will stay on for 10 miles or more (and on one occasion, 50 miles). On each occasion, I check several times to assure that the jacks are up. They always are. Is there a solution?
John Bowes, F151874
Zellwood, Florida
In my opinion, you have an electrical problem, not a hydraulic problem. The electrical contacts on the jacks need to be cleaned. I believe one or more contacts are not closing the circuit, either because of too much resistance, road debris, or misalignment. If you don’t feel safe when crawling around under your coach or you don’t have sufficient clearance, take it to a shop for the repair.
Another possibility: On some brands of jacks (RVA, for example) the warning is triggered by improper hydraulic fluid level. Consult your owners manual for instructions on checking the fluid level. If you do not have the owners manual, search online for the manufacturer’s name and technical contact information.
Radiator Information
Our Monaco motorhome’s aluminum radiator was leaking at the tube-to-tank fabrication point. I contacted C, G, & J Inc. in Gadsden, Alabama. Linda Brunton helped solve my problem. She had several drawings of Monaco radiators, which she promptly e-mailed to me to help me order a replacement. I was extremely surprised by the fast service. I live in Michigan, and three days later the radiator arrived by ground common carrier. The workmanship was excellent. C, G, & J Inc. is a great source for anyone with cooling problems.
Clem Campbell, F434650
Milan, Michigan
This is very good information, as some Monaco products have cooler leaks, which reduce the turbo boost, power, and fuel efficiency and must be repaired. Thank you for sharing.
Flickering Lights
I have a 2006 Roadtrek 210-Popular. I’ve had a flickering light problem for at least a year. On a month-long trip, the lights flickered the entire time. We returned home and all was fine again.
While traveling, we dry camped and also stayed in parks where we plugged in to electric. The 120-volt-AC side (coffee pot, TV, etc.) seems to work fine when plugged in or when using the generator. It doesn’t seem to matter if the inverter is on or off. Lights do work when the motorhome is not plugged in and is running on the house batteries.
While dry camping, the furnace works fine when running on the house batteries. But when the generator is started, the furnace fan revs up and down to some serious rpm. If I stop the generator, the furnace returns to normal.
A light bulb burned out, and I replaced it with an LED bulb; this bulb does not flicker when the rest do.
Why would the furnace rev up when using the generator but not when using the 12-volt system? Why would the new LED bulb not flicker when all the other bulbs are flickering? Everything is tight that I could tighten. I disconnected the batteries and plugged the 30-amp cord in to the electric. When I did that, the lights started flickering again. I guess that means I need a new converter; is that correct?
Sherwood Hoffman, F213357
Las Cruces, New Mexico
It could be that the converter is putting out “dirty” DC current, but further testing would be needed before condemning the converter. It’s best to use an oscilloscope, but you also can use a voltmeter set on AC at one of the flickering lights. I would hope for an AC reading of less than 3 volts. With the meter set on DC, the voltage should be steady. A high reading on AC and a swinging reading on DC would point to a problem with the converter. You should read 13 to 14 volts at the house batteries when connected to AC power. A higher voltage would increase the fan speed, and the presence of some AC ripple would indicate the possibility of a failed component.
If the meter tests are okay, look for a poor ground somewhere. Since it appears that more than one problem could be causing your lights to flicker, you might want to consult the FMCA Forums at FMCA.com.
P-30 Parking Brake
I have a 1998 Winnebago Adventurer on a P-30 chassis. The hydraulic parking brake is activated when the gearshift is placed in park and a yellow button on the dash is pulled out. There are two brake warning lights on the dashboard; one on the right side and one on the left. When I disengage the brake, shift to drive, and push in the yellow button, the right-side light goes out, but the left light stays on, indicating the parking brake has not released, when in fact it has. Can you tell me why the left light stays on?
Boyd Johnson, F61748
North Chesterfield, Virginia
I believe it is a problem with the contact in that light’s circuit. You need to trace the light’s wire to its switch or its contacts. Clean the contacts to make sure current will flow, or change out the switch, depending on which type is in the circuit.
Winter Camping
If we are camping in weather that is calling for snow, should we pull in our slideouts, or will it be okay to keep them out?
Marie Semitekol, F262999
Schaumburg, Illinois
I’m thinking that if you know it is going to snow, it would make sense to retract the slideouts and avoid any issues that snow might cause. Plus, I’m guessing it would stay warmer inside the motorhome with them retracted.
If you plan to venture out this winter, I would suggest that you read Gary Bunzer’s article “Winter Travel” (November 2009, page 50). Among other things, he mentioned slideouts and offered ideas for those who choose to open them.
Gary wrote: “With the slideouts extended during a wintry stay, tape 1-inch foam sheets to the exterior “roof” section of each slideout. Typically, the roof section of a slideout lacks the same degree of insulation found in the rest of the RV roof, and the added panels will help. If the slideouts are equipped with automatic awnings, the foam panels can add a little support in case of an overnight snowfall.”
To read the entire article, go to FMCmagazine.com and click on the “Back Issues” tab.
Electrical Issue
Much too often we have experienced a baffling issue with power to our motorhome, a 2001 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37K. Our electrical center with converter is located in a cabinet above the kitchen table, mounted on a hinged access door. When the motorhome is connected to shore power, with load or without load, the power is lost; to date, our only method of restoration is to “hinge” the door repeatedly. We assumed that this movement meant a loose connection somewhere in the large bundle of wires in the cabinet.
An experienced RV electrical repair person and I loosened every connection, checked them, and reconnected them. We also separated the general and AC breakers because of some heat buildup.
Nothing has worked. Could we get some fresh ideas? Fleetwood representatives have said they thought it to be a converter issue.
Bobby Brown, F434523
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
It would be necessary to fault trace the alternating-current (AC) system to find the problem. While the outage is occurring, I recommend starting at the first connection of the shore power cord and following the wiring all along the way until coming to the place where the AC stops; this should be the faulty connection. A noncontact AC detector would be the ideal testing tool. If you don’t feel comfortable working with hot wiring, please use a licensed technician. Above all, be safe!