[TERRY]

George:

Is the Guest/Mariner (I think what used to be called Guest is now Mariner or vice-versa) plugged into a 120volt outlet in engine bay? If so, check to make sure the 120volt outlet is “hot”. It’s probably on a separate breaker that you should check. Do you have a receptacle checker like in the picture? If not get one, its great for checking outlets.

If the breaker is “on”, the dash switch you mentioned it “on”, and the 120volt receptacle that the Guest/Mariner is plugged into is “hot” then the charger should work. If it isn’t working, then as Tom says look for inline fuses as well as getting the owners manual for the charger out to troubleshoot. Are you sure the Guest/Mariner is hooked up correctly? Who installed it?

Jeff Rowe installed four new Interstate Group 31 12 volt batteries in our coach when we bought it as part of his zero out process. The install was done in April of 2014. In October of 2014 after only modest use of the coach I couldn’t get the chassis batteries to turn the engine over. The ancient (circa 1999) 24volt charger (not a smart charger like I believe your Guest/Mariner is) couldn’t charge the batteries. So I carefully pulled all four of them and took them to the Interstate distributor in Milwaukee. They charged each of them and load tested them. They found one of the “new” batteries had failed and replaced it without charge.

You could probably pull the batteries, charge each of them, take them to NAPA and have NAPA load test them (unless you have a battery load tester). Since they are NAPA batteries, I would think that NAPA would happily charge them and load test them.

If you decide to pull the batteries, please read my PC thread about pulling batteries and the safety precautions you need to take. You have MORE than enough amps in those batteries to weld tools and jewery to the chassis!

http://prevostcommunity.com/forum/threaddetails.asp?Category=Electrical&ThreadID=3436&ReplyID=30179

Edit: Was able to upload a picture today and found the link to my description on removing and replacing the batteries.

[TERRY]

Thank you Jerry! I will check with him on Monday!

Best,

[TERRY]

You are about to find out how difficult it is to do a diagnosis of anything via a forum or email.

It is incredible how much your senses come into play when trying to solve problems, and how many little things you can do and check in minutes that neither of us might be thinking about or saying right now.

And most of all we are not only trying to diagnose a problem, we have the ultimate problem of communications in which what one of us says is not necessarily what the other hears.

[TERRY]

It really is your coach, Mark. Look closely and you can see the rose petals.

There’s my coach.

Actually a friend owns that coach and it is for sale.

[TERRY]

Happy New Year from the Leibenspergers!

[TERRY]

I agree with Triple Foxtrot. Similar to the race car. Bought the race car in 2005 and have been learning ever since. What I do find frustrating is the learning curve and figuring out how to do things “the first time”. Trouble is that many things I will only do “once” and won’t experience the euphoria of doing those things a second or third time quickly and with confidence. I’m expecting that over time, I will increase my trouble shooting and figuring out how to do things skills. And has been said so many times … thanks to the Prevost Community and Jeff Rowe, things are going well.

[TERRY]

I have learned that I get better results when talking to horses by talking to the head than to the feet.

Perhaps this question is better directed to the developer than to a salesman.

[TERRY]

This would be a great application for one of those new gauges I see on the NASCAR cars. It appears they are blue or green when things are normal, then they go yellow, then red, and flashing red. Or maybe they flash fives times or so the new color when they first enter that color range.

Does it make sense that green ends at 250, yellow is from 250 to 300, and flashing red starts at 300? Or if the trans temp gets to 300 is it too late?

I’ve mentioned this before … when I was in the airplane business we ran Pratt & Whitney R-985s developing 450hp on take-off in a Beech 18 and DeHaviland Beaver. The various engine temp and pressure gauges in the aircraft had yellow and red ranges (they might have been hand painted in the field) so that pilot could easily tell if he or she needed to reduce power, land, or take some other corrective action. I am disappointed our Prevosts don’t have the same thing. To make matters worse, I believe the transmission gear lube temp gauge in our Prevost is identified as “Oil Temp” and we apparently have no real “engine oil temp” gauge which I think is really, really stupid. Its something I would expect to see in a small cheap car, not Detroit Diesel powered, Allison Transmission equipped Prevost motor coach.

Do any of you other Prevost owners have an engine oil temp gauge on the dash?

[TERRY]

Great pictures and great work..What does someting like this cost to accomplish?..thanks Victor

[TERRY]

I know the conventional wisdom is to install a camera to look rearward so it shows traffic along the length of the coach. If I were to install blind spot cameras my location would be at the top, just above the door and driver side windows. We have our mirrors that do a good job of showing potential conflicts along almost the full length of the coach, but a roof mounted camera that shows from slightly ahead of the bumper, to perhap as far back as the second bay, and out maybe 6 feet will do so much more.

Obviously a car in the blind spot will be clearly visible. But with the extreme turn angle of our steer wheels a camera like a roof mounted one is going to show what our coach is going to swing into during a sharp turn. My concern is the boulders or posts or other low obstructions we cannot see that the front will swing into . Rear pointing cameras will offer no protection or warning when we are about to hit something with the front bumper end or the lower portion of the door.

[TERRY]

Now I’ve told you about combing your hair with sand paper. I’ve seen more hair on a billiard ball!

[TERRY]

Feel your pain Chris, after all could have been anyone of us….I am a new owner of a 2000 Vantare and am learning every day.This is a great site. Sounds like you will at least have a like new engine and warranty….Hope you have alot of good memories with the coach after this….

Victor and Madonna

2000 Vantare xl

[TERRY]

Yes I know that but don’t engage the lock if the air leaks out because you may forget and start bus and air will build up and lock you out , then you will either have to turn power off or drain aux air was just trying to help you sorry if I was not understanding

[TERRY]

call Wrico in Eugene Oregon

or

Powertech

Sounds like your generator regulator has gone out

[TERRY]

As a kid I lived in Secaucus and often I went into NYC. Going from Secaucus through the Lincoln Tunnel brings you through what we called the “tunnel cut” just prior to entering the tunnel. It was narrow for buses at the time which were 8′ so with an 8’6″ coach you are going to be challenged to stay in the lane. You will share the road with buses that go that way every day and those drivers are used to passing with inches to spare. You don’t want to go through Jersey City to use the Holland Tunnel.

Just be on your “A” game, keep right and you will be fine. Then all you have to do is figure out where you have to deliver your passengers and the best way to get them there. Once in the city you will be OK.