Tech Talk

La Palma Puddle
Q: I have been experiencing an intermittent loss of coolant from my motorhome engine. It is a Ford V-10 in a 2000 Monaco La Palma with a total of 14,000 miles.

Noisy Brakes
Q: I have a 1998 36-foot Fleetwood Pace Arrow. I am having a problem with my front brakes.

Fuelish Question
Q: In the October 2006 “Tech Talk” column, your response in the “Diesel Fuel For 2007” (page 20) letter answered some questions I had about diesel fuel. However, I have a question that was not answered.

Q: I have a question about a 1986 Fleetwood 22-foot motorhome that was given to our family two years ago. After using it on a couple of short trips and one longer trip out east, I would like to know if it is possible to change out the four-barrel carb to a two-barrel.

Q: I would really appreciate any direction you can provide. I have a 2000 Dutch Star diesel pusher with door steps that won’t work.

Q: I am a retired diesel engine design engineer and cannot overlook the technical mistakes in the article on diesel engines (“Diesel Talk”) on page 60 of the September 2006 issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine. The author refers to “piston movement …

In the August 2006 “Tech Talk” column, it was reported that Mr. Louis King of Decelomatic Corporation had passed away and his company was no longer in business.

Q: I recently began to notice stickers on the diesel fuel pumps warning that 2007 and later models cannot use the fuel without damaging their engines. So what do you do if you have a 2007 diesel? Do you have to get special fuel at special pumps? If all the pumps are changed to new fuel, will it work in older models? (Sounds like the old leaded-unleaded conversion.)
Roy C.

Q: Following is a letter we sent to DaimlerChrysler Corporation regarding using a new Dodge Dakota as a towed vehicle behind a motorhome. The company did respond, saying that it is a new design on the Dakota and that they will try to make the towing information more “visible” to both dealers and buyers.

Q: I’ve been a member of FMCA since the late 1960s, and this is the first time I’ve contacted “Tech Talk.” I am having a problem finding service for my Mountain Tamer, which is an exhaust brake retarder for gasoline engines. The unit was manufactured by Decelomatic Corp.

Q: I had the same problem described in the “Triton Starter Problems” letter that was published in the February 2006 issue of FMC (page 20). I had a 2000 model F-53 chassis with a 22,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).

Q: I recently purchased a Saturn Vue to use as a towed vehicle. Prior to the purchase, I checked your magazine (the January 2006 article on towing), and also with the dealership sales manager and the salesman who sold me the vehicle.

Q: I have a 1998 Holiday Rambler with a 275-horsepower Cummins ISB engine. I bought it used in 2003, and as far as I know, there have been no modifications.

Q: My motorhome has a 1997 Chevy 7400 Vortec V-8 engine with a Banks lifetime air filter. Can you explain how to connect the air-conditioner fan to a switch so I can turn it on and off when I want to (only the fan, that is)? The reason I’d like to do this is when I go up hills in the summer months with the dash air on, the engine starts to heat up, the engine loses horsepower, and the fan clutch makes a lot of noise.

Q: I am investigating the purchase of a new Silverado with the 5.3-liter V-8 engine and a four-speed automatic transmission with a rear-locking differential. Noting your 2005 towables guide, you only reference four-wheel-drive Silverados as being towable.

Q: I own a 1999 Monaco La Palma with the Ford Triton V-10 engine. For the last year or so the starter fails to engage right away when the ignition key is turned.

Q: I have read articles on supplemental brakes until I am blue. I find I just get confused.

I have a 1996 Georgie Boy on a Chevrolet P-30 chassis, and it’s like rolling along on rocks. Everything in the coach sounds like it’s going to vibrate apart.

Incorrect information was reported for NHTSA recall 05V362000 issued by Monaco Coach Corporation, which appeared in the October 2005 issue (page 22). It was stated that the recall affected 22 2004 Monaco coaches.

Q: I have a 1992 30-foot Newport motorhome from Cobra. Unfortunately, the coach is an orphan as Cobra went out of business around the mid-1990s, and one side of my windshield has a crack in it.

Q: I have a late 1990s type A chassis with a Chevy 454-cid engine. It has 46,000 miles on it and I’d like to make it ride better.

Q: Now that we are seeing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in taillights and interior lights on service panels, when do you anticipate that LEDs will begin to overtake incandescent 12-volt lightbulbs on RVs? It seems that would be the natural progression, and we all would benefit from the lower power consumption.
Peter Jordan
Via e-mail
A: I don’t really foresee LEDs replacing either the incandescent or fluorescent lights found inside motorhomes in the near future, other than those that are already used as accent lighting on the ceilings and along floors. At present LEDs are very expensive, and a main concern for coach manufacturers is the bottom line.

Q: I recently had to have our motorhome, built on a Chevy P-32 chassis, towed. The ignition switch had failed and resulted in no power in any of the circuits, including the parking brake system, which requires 1,200 psi fluid pressure to release the spring-applied brake.

Q: In the “Engine Shuts Off” inquiry that appeared in the October 2004 issue of FMC magazine (page 30), Carl Kummer, F272373, indicated he was having fuel valve shutoff problems on an 8.3-liter, 300-horsepower Cummins engine. I had the same problem on my coach and found the following.
The fuel shutoff valve has two coils: one that activates with the starter circuit to pull the valve in, and a second “holding coil” to keep the fuel shutoff valve energized while the ignition is activated.

Q: I am trying to find a good product to deal with the problem of cleaning the black streaks that come down the exterior of the RV. Do you have a recommendation?
Adam Radzik, F335007
South Orange, New Jersey
A: There are numerous cleaning products available that will remove black streaks from the sides of motorhomes.