[Tom]

I forgot to mention that for the 22 years we have owned coaches I have used nothing bu Delco 1150 batteries. I have no experience with any other brand, but I can say every Delco battery has lasted my self imposed 5 year life span and with no required maintenance I have not had to do anything in between replacements.

Before I went ahead and considered a different charger or even charging the batteries periodically I would install a new set and monitor the voltage daily. A fully charged set should be at 25.6 or very close to that. After 2 or 3 months of sitting the voltage will be around 24.8 to 25 volts so any faster rate of voltage loss is a signal something is wrong with a battery or there is an unidentified load on the batteries.

[Tom]

Let me ask the battery question another way. How long have you owned the bus ? Have you ever replaced any of the 4 ?

Reading your message on trying to start the bus was me a month ago. Just going out to the bus barn to fire it up. It rolled over somewhat slow and that caught my attention but not strong enough to light the fire. I knew the batteries were dated early 2009 and planed to replace this fall due to age service. On the second try…roll to nearly a halt.

Rather then even fool around with finding which battery was the issue, off to NAPA for 4- group 31’s. When NAPA checked the date code on the batteries in the store mfg date codes were mis- matched. Ordering 4 fresh from the warehouse gave me all the same dates 2-12.

Bottom line if the batteries are 3 years old my suggestion would be to replace. The best would be Lifelines from Tom and they should last 5-7 years.

When you decide to buy, if they are flooded batteries insist they be no more then 6 months on the dealers shelf.

AL

[Tom]

Tom

Depending on where you place the mud flap, it will influence the temps.Some of that can be offset with things like vented engine doors, etc. Those kinds of adaptations all influence the engine run temps. We had an 89 40′ Newell with an 8V92 that never ran even slightly warm. I put this really nice mud flap on the back, right below the rear bumper to stop the slobber tube effuse from messing up my toad and guess what. The engine, all of sudden, started running warmer by 10-15 degrees. The slobber tube stuff was still there on the toad and my pretty mud flap got dirty with oil and grime. One day on a whim when I had nothing better to do, I removed the mud flap and my hotter engine cooled right down. The toad was still dirty with slobber tube stuff. Since you have the slobber tube catchment device in place, I would look elsewhere for the culprit. Look for a loose hose fitting, cracked hose, etc. unless of course your slobber tube catchment is cracked, hoses are loose, it’s full, etc.

Rob

91 LeMirage XL

Missouri

[Tom]

Lee,

I could not ever get a wiring diagram from Liberty, they keep that information close to their chest. Any chance you could find the owner of your old bus?

[Tom]

Tom,

Jon’s reference to the full rear mud flap and cooling have been researched over on Country Coach Owners site. After several CCO’s ran with and without the full flap the bottom line was, run without. Better cooling due to better air flow was found after removing the full flap. One guy said he only found one advantage for the flap and that was advertising for the manufacture.

Looking at the full flap one would think …thats’s really a great idea. With the creation of the low pressure area behind the bus just the reverse takes place.

[Tom]

What a great looking coach. I’d sure like to own that one!

[Tom]

Hey Tom,

Hope you do it soon and let us know. My H3-40 developed an oil line leak in the back of the engine and it is now awaiting service at DD in Tampa. I sorta think the work can be done through the tag axle wheel well and frankly Miss Barbie probably wouldn’t let them into the coach anyway.

[Tom]

lots of motorcycles at Pelican Lake.

[Tom]

Buddy,

It is pretty clear you are going to fit in real well here. When we are dry camping I always wish I was back home because there I can just step outside and pee off the deck. If the deer and squirrels can do it, no reason I shouldn’t.

[Tom]

Sounds like an “OOPS”

[Tom]

Thanks so much for your reply.. Our Prevost is a Vantare conversion and the vin # is: 2PCV33494V1011750 .

Again thank you so much. I have scouted out several leaks around the marker lights in the front, but will recheck all that you have suggested.

Diane

[Tom]

I want to add that the staff in the front office and on the grounds are very nice people and they are trying hard to work with what they have. While my review is very critical, it is all about the campground.

[Tom]

That’s a great rate for prime time Bob..

[Tom]

I suspect (but do not know for sure) that DuraCoat is just a name for some type of clear coat. It is likely a clear polyurethane or polyester applied using the powder coating process. As long as the coating is not compromised and retains good adhesion the wheels will look good and upkeep will be nothing more than washing dirt from the wheels.

But if the surface is broken and moisture gets under the surface, corrosion will begin. I believe that corrosion will travel and literally lift the clear finish off the surface of the aluminum as it expands. The wheels can be washed and waxed but the only thing that will stop the corrosion is to strip the clear finish, repolish the wheels and recoat the wheels. I can say that finishing anything that is aluminum is a challenge and as long as the finish is intact, adhering to the aluminum life is good, but once corrosion starts beneath the surface there is no substitute for a complete stripping, proper surface pretreatment and a new coating.

Every plane owner is painfully aware of what it takes to stop or reverse corrosion beneath the surface of an aluminum paint job.

[Tom]

Congratulations Tom and Jon and THANK YOU for a great community/forum!

Brian