[AL]

Then let me give a tip on brakes. This only applies to coaches with tag axle parking brakes and then only those that have 16/24 combos.

Those are NOT readily available. In fact most will tell you they are not available at all. Prevost will supply them, but the cost is north of $300 each. If you buy a 16/24 piggyback, and a type 16 service brake chamber, and use the parts on the type 16 to complete the piggyback truck parts stores can get you both parts and the cost last time I bought was around $130 for everything.

If anyone else is replacing brake chambers a type 30 can be as cheap as $30 if there is a sale, but $35 to $39 is normal. A 30/36 which is the combo on the drive axle is around $120 to $130 at truck parts stores. Don’t forget to try NAPA using the fleet card.

Your coach may have other size brake chambers or only a parking brake on the drive axle. Whatever you do replace the brake chambers with exactly what is on the coach. It is really tempting to replace the hard to find 30/36 with the cheap and readily available 30/30 as an example, but do not do it.

[AL]

I finished getting the air bags and shocks off of our H3 Saturday. Ours were also original but some even had threads showing so they were not going to last much longer. I am also replacing all the Norgren valves and the 3 ports for the tag axle have been the most aggravating to remove. I don’t know how they are on the XL, but on the H3 they are located on the inside tubing between the drive and tag axle. The only way to get to them is the small space between the transmission and the differential and it is all working above your head. I am going to replace all the tubing for the suspension as well. The old “while we’re at it” always sneaks in so I have changed the tranmission filter, will change the air dryer element and replace the brake chambers and slack adjusters.

WHEW!! I am tired just thinking about it!!!

[AL]

Fred, Believe it or not the information in this thread tells it all. Scratches require sanding. use progressively finer grits, and go to 1500 or above if you are looking for perfection.

Buffing is similar in that there is no silver bullet and you may require progressively less agressive compounds.

A person’s worst enemy is the desire to rush the process. If you allow heat to build up your coach sides will buckle and distort.

You have some great advice in the posts above.

[AL]

That white dried soap you saw in your gray tank was not dried soap but fat or grease be carful how much you put down there from the sink washing dishes or dish washer .Is the kitchen sink and dishwasher all that hits gray tank, I aways thought all body fluid water, shower, lavatory and comode went to black. And non body contamited went to gray if im not correct please correct me. Gray water may be dumped in a storm drain if needed because it dose not have any infectious fluids that the body could emit. CRAP I HOPE IM RIGHT i have dumped gray water in a storm drain at wallmart.

[AL]

What part of the Keys are you going to?

[AL]

Jon,

Thanks for the dimensions. I was thinking about building a set of ramps to get some working room under the bus (since I don’t plan on building a pit in the barn), I can adjust the height of the stands for the normal ride height when on the ramps. Then let the chasis down on the stands.

[AL]

Tom,

We are on lot 272…. it’s the loop behind the lake if you are looking from the main entrance…

Bill

[AL]

Al,

Thanks for that suggestion… I pulled the geny out and I think I see the white wires there seems to be a bunch of them the connection seems good to me.

I went into the coach and it starts right up this morning from the cockpit or at the geny…. The problem seems to be when the house is drain or the bus isn’t running….

Tom said the 12.89 last night on the geny battery should have been enough to fire it up… Anything else I can check? or test?

When I was in KC the other week the auto gen engaged and at least tried to start the geny last night it didn’t even do that…. To Tom’s question when I manually tried to start it…. I just heard a clicking noise like it was trying to start…. as soon as I restored shore power and let it sit for about 5 minutes it fired right up….

There is a 12V disconnect in the Geny bay… it was on which I assumed was the correct postion… when I turned it to the off position the LED on the Geny control box hour meter etc… when dark

Thanks for the help!

Bill

[AL]

Notice that the air lines are color coded, blue for the suspension, Don’t forget threadseal, no teflon tape. Cut some steel plate if you are on loam to get a decent footprint, we used run out brake rotors, they worked fine as well.

[AL]

No.. I didn’t email them I called them and was directed to Shannon Adams who was very helpful… it took her a couple of days to get it together for me, then she sent me 3 emails containing the original build sheet, electrical diagrams, and Vantare user info.

Be sure to have your coach number available for her.

Good luck and Happy New Year !!

Diane

[AL]

your right on the money Jon, I shut off my aux air pulled the airline off the gen and the Gen, bags dropped and took a little awhile to drain all the air from the aux system but didnt effect anything else,

I am taking time off for christmas the back to air leak hunting and finish the back line on my generator I saved the worst for last .)

[AL]

Hi Jon, I hadn’t heard that about the motors, interesting. I’m still
figuring out this whole Webasto furnace thing and this is the first time that I’ve
had mine apart. They don’t seem all that complicated (famous last words). I
took apart the 12v drive motor this afternoon and it all looked good to me, I tested it and it
runs fine. I looked at the fuel pump too and that seems to be ok as well. When I
fire the furnance up it spins for about 10-15 seconds then clicks for couple more seconds and then shuts
off. I checked to see if it was getting fuel and the line was bone dry so I figured maybe the
motor or the fuel pump? I should mention that the first thing I did was replace the fuel
nozzle and check the ignition coil and those are good. I also checked the solenoid and the fuse(s) and all
the obvious stuff that I can see, but no go. There is a sold fuel line
coming from the fuel pump to the center of the nozzle holder. Tomorrow I’ll
check it to see if that has a clog in it. I didn’t know that I should have been running this thing every month, it’s been since last year that it was running, my bad there. I sure hope it’s not the control unit that’s broken, those things are really expensive!

Thank you all for any insight.

Fred

[AL]

I agree– we will have to work on improving his parking spots at NASCAR races

John

[AL]

Just got off phone with Katie at Belle Terre….we’re in and looking forward to this great gathering…may just have to stop at Shady Oaks in Mobile on our way home again to explore Dauphin Island and Bellingrath Gardens…again, well worth it as well as a night on Battle Ship Causeway!

[AL]

Thanks Everyone,

I am wanting to accomplish the task myself and doing it over time until finished. I appreciate the replies, I am not always able to immediately reply, but do appreciate the feedback and think there is some great information to be obtained from everyone.

Regards

Richard