[doris]

Doubt that I can be of any help as I assume this is not the old ‘autoawn’ (air and electric) zip-dee. I would suggest, however, that not being able to extend is MUCH BETTER than not being able to retract. You may want to wait for professional service.

[Archived]

I agree with Joel, and if I understand how the auto-awn Zip Dee works, the motor allows spring action to move the awning out, but the motor is the force required to retract the awning. That being said if I am correct in the assumption I would check to insure the awning is not bound up and will in fact extend, but also that the motor will retract it when required. It would not be a good thing to try to extend the awning and not have it extend, and then to somehow start driving the coach only to have it pop open as whatever is binding it releases.

I would hope those with expertise on that vintage awning would jump in here.

[Andy]

we have an appointment at Liberty next month. I’ll add it to very lengthy list of repairs we need. Every day we wake up wondering what next? And when does this start to become enjoyable? Lol.

[joel]

When you buy a Marathon.

Just having fun

---

1999 XLV X-6872,  liberty #440

[Archived]

Two things I learned many moons ago and I think this relates to every Prevost conversion.

First, no matter the vintage coach they are complex and will always require some items to be repaired. There is a whole lot going on in our coaches and unlike a house we have multiple electric systems, extensive plumbing systems, multiple heat and air systems, and very capable entertainment systems. Even if nothing breaks we are not immune to the need for maintenance such as air filters, water filters, hose replacements, etc. Then consider the fact that our house on wheels is being pounded to death by the bumps and potholes as we travel. My point is we have a lot going on and as good as all conversions are they are electro-mechanical devices that are going to need occasional work.

The second lesson I learned was I can mitigate a whole lot of expense and inconvenience if I understood the coach, its systems and how to make certain repairs or do certain maintenance.

We have two products that share the same space. We have a Prevost bus that has extensive maintenance requirements to keep it in tip top shape, and we have a house contained within that bus with a lot of things that will require attention. Initially with our first coach I had Prevost and Liberty handle maintenance and repairs. It was inconvenient because of the need to take the bus somewhere to get it worked on, plus it had the potential to get expensive. So with no experience I decided to learn as much as I could. I only did it on an as needed basis so when something stopped working or needed routine service I was able to learn how to do the work.

I am not suggesting everyone should do their own work because that requires a place to do the work, tools and an ability to analyze and repair plus some skill in working with tools. But there is a whole lot of what I do that requires little or no skills, just a willingness to roll up my sleeves and go to work.

Some coaches are dogs. They seem to be constant problems and when one thing breaks and is fixed something else will happen next. Those can be any conversion, any year Prevost and any model Prevost. Some are relatively trouble free. Some have age related problems and no coach is immune to them. I think up until 10 years or so most coaches are pretty reliable, but as they continue to age rubber parts on the Prevost chassis are going to need replacement such as air bags, brake chambers and Norgren valves. Tires and batteries have shorter lives so by 10 or 12 years of age the coach may be ready for its 3rd sets of those.

The same applies to electronics that are obsolete almost the day after they were installed or appliances that have just started to become unreliable.

I do know to never defer maintenance or repairs because once it becomes acceptable to ignore one problem ignoring the second is easier and after a while the whole coach is screaming for some loving.

[Archived]

We’ve come to accept the maintenance issues. After all our coach is 12 years old. Our ice maker never worked and I had a sub zero repairman out yesterday and pulled our old 2003 ice maker out! It’s older than the bus. I imagine that all the appliances are original and will need to be replaced in the very near future. Luckily they took good care of the chassis side of things. But we’ll need new batteries and tires next year. After some rain recently we discovered a leak in the roof, over the passenger seat. And while driving the coach back from AZ we ended up with a 7″ crack in the driver windshield. So Liberty is replacing that along with a list of other issues. I’m figuring out the systems and how they work. I know how to use tools and can fix simple things like latches and tightening screws etc. But I’m not mechanical, despite my father having been a mechanic. So most things will have to be fixed by others unfortunately.

Jon, we got the 30amp issues solved by moving the coach to an rv park and plugged in to 50amp. We’ve been staying in it off and on for a couple weeks now. And we have an indoor space to store it in Feb. my concern is this indoor place only has 30amp on two legs with a total of 60amp. I’m hoping it will be sufficient to run one ac unit and refrigerator.

[Archived]

30 amp is usually only a single leg and you are very limited in what devices can be powered up.

[Archived]

If just storing with minimal loads, fridge and battery chargers in float, you should be fine on 30 amp. Not sure what inverters you have, but they would need turned down on each leg to 15 amps max.

[Jimmy]

If you can hear the motor run in the awning, usually the awning itself is in a bind…you will need to get on the roof and see if the awning can be freed up…otherwise if this is the case it will free up while going down the road and pop out however far the motor has already turned…..otherwise I would put wire tie straps around it so this can not happen until it gets checked out….

[doris]

Thanks Jeff