My new (to me) 2013 Bay Star 2901

[murraymcleod]

We just traded in our 2003 Itasca Sunova for a 2013 Bay Star 2901 in great condition! There seem to be a lot of differences and improvements made to RV's between 2003 and 2013, so I've been busy trying to figure-out all the bells and whistles in the new coach.


The first question I have is what is the purpose of those little 2" or so inverted plastic vented "domes" under the wood cabinets? I have one in the main cabin area and one under a bedroom cabinet. I took the cover off of one and it looks there's a small LED light underneath. Are these some sort of warning or alarm lights??? I can post a pic of these if needed...



Another question pertains to the entertainment electronics up front. There appear to be two 1x4 Connex HDMI splitters, both powered and plugged into the 115v outlet in the upper left front cabinet. Don't know if these came from Newmar or were add-ons by the previous owner, but I can't believe any HDMI output from the DVD player or Sat system up front would need to be split into four (or eight!) different outputs, since there are only two TVs in the coach!



Are these coaches wired with an HDMI cable that goes from the front cabinet all the way back to the bedroom TV (there does appear to be an HDMI port-not sure if it's an input from something or output to something- in the back of the bedroom cabinet near that TV)? Maybe each is only being used as a two-way splitter, one from the front DVD and the other from the front SAT receiver, to also allow play-back on the bedroom TV ?



It's difficult to tell what wires come out from those splitters and where they go, as it's all tightly zip-tie bundled and jammed into that small cabinet with a large Sony receiver. I hate to have two 115v devices plugged in up there draining my inverter output if they're not needed. Thought I'd ask here first though, before I start to disconnect it all to make heads or tails of it!


And lastly, I've read all the posts about Newmar slide-out motors working loose and the need to check their bolts. These Newmar slides seem to make lots of funny clunks and squeaks as they move in and out and up and down....is this a symptom of a loose motor, or are these slides just more complex than those from 2003?


Thanks in advance for any tips you can pass my way!


P.S. Sorry for the thumbs down icon, as that looked like a question mark to my old eyes! Definitely a thumbs-up so far for this new coach!

[scbwr]

Originally Posted by murraymcleod

We just traded in our 2003 Itasca Sunova for a 2013 Bay Star 2901 in great condition! There seem to be a lot of differences and improvements made to RV's between 2003 and 2013, so I've been busy trying to figure-out all the bells and whistles in the new coach.


The first question I have is what is the purpose of those little 2" or so inverted plastic vented "domes" under the wood cabinets? I have one in the main cabin area and one under a bedroom cabinet. I took the cover off of one and it looks there's a small LED light underneath. Are these some sort of warning or alarm lights??? I can post a pic of these if needed...

Those are the temperature sensors for the thermostat.


Another question pertains to the entertainment electronics up front. There appear to be two 1x4 Connex HDMI splitters, both powered and plugged into the 115v outlet in the upper left front cabinet. Don't know if these came from Newmar or were add-ons by the previous owner, but I can't believe any HDMI output from the DVD player or Sat system up front would need to be split into four (or eight!) different outputs, since there are only two TVs in the coach!



Are these coaches wired with an HDMI cable that goes from the front cabinet all the way back to the bedroom TV (there does appear to be an HDMI port-not sure if it's an input from something or output to something- in the back of the bedroom cabinet near that TV)? Maybe each is only being used as a two-way splitter, one from the front DVD and the other from the front SAT receiver, to also allow play-back on the bedroom TV ?



It's difficult to tell what wires come out from those splitters and where they go, as it's all tightly zip-tie bundled and jammed into that small cabinet with a large Sony receiver. I hate to have two 115v devices plugged in up there draining my inverter output if they're not needed. Thought I'd ask here first though, before I start to disconnect it all to make heads or tails of it!


And lastly, I've read all the posts about Newmar slide-out motors working loose and the need to check their bolts. These Newmar slides seem to make lots of funny clunks and squeaks as they move in and out and up and down....is this a symptom of a loose motor, or are these slides just more complex than those from 2003?

My slides make a few noises and I just think its normal. You can check bolts under the bed for the bedroom slide out and in the storage compartment for the living room slide out. We bought our 2012 last year, and when I checked them a month ago, the bolts were tight. Seems to me the Bay Star slide outs aren't prone to the bolt problems, but it's worth checking them periodically.


Thanks in advance for any tips you can pass my way!


P.S. Sorry for the thumbs down icon, as that looked like a question mark to my old eyes! Definitely a thumbs-up so far for this new coach!

Congratulations on your new rig! We've been very happy with ours. I do suggest checking and tightening all plumbing fittings. Also, I reduced quite a bit of cabin noise by going tightening cabinet mounting screws and tightening the lag screws securing the couches to the floor. Also, check your manual re getting the front end aligned after the rig is loaded with gear. The technician that did mine said that it hadn't been done, and it improved how the rig handles.

My rig came with Sumo springs and a rear track bar I'm having a Roadmaster steering stabilizer installed today. The rig handles pretty well, but I'm hoping the stabilizer will reduce the push from trucks passing and how the steering reacts when the right tires hit the edge of the road shoulder. And it should help if there is a front tire blowout - hope I never find out!
I will be posting about the stabilizer after I have some time on the road with it installed.

Enjoy!

[Patti Brown]

Those 2 little black dome thingies are the temperature sensors for the front and back HVAC unit thermostats. BTW, if the front one is next to a wall light, like in our previous 2014 Bay Star 3308, the light (which is not LED in that generation coach) will heat up the sensor and make the thermostats think it is much better than it really is.

Congratulations on the new coach. We love using our Bay Star!

[scbwr]

Originally Posted by Patti Brown

Those 2 little black dome thingies are the temperature sensors for the front and back HVAC unit thermostats. BTW, if the front one is next to a wall light, like in our previous 2014 Bay Star 3308, the light (which is not LED in that generation coach) will heat up the sensor and make the thermostats think it is much better than it really is.

Congratulations on the new coach. We love using our Bay Star!

I replaced those bulbs in ours with LED bulbs. If the OP wants info, just let me know.

[dmholt]

We have a 2012 Bay Star 2901 and think it's a great coach. I've wondered about those little black dome things too, so it is great to learn what they are. I've checked our slide out motor bolts, but they are good and tight. I have read about a few Bay Star owners who discovered loose bolts, but it does seem that the diesels with really big slides are more prone to the loose bolt problem.

Our slide outs make lots of little noises too, but that is apparently normal, and Newmar says not to lubricate them. I had the front end aligned last year after we bought the coach and did the cheap handling fix (CHF). Both of those helped the handling. This year I added the Roadmaster Steering Stabilizer, and that has helped the handling some more. It has also reduced the amount by which large trucks blow me around.

The one thing I wish we had that you probably have in the 2013 model year is shades for the front windows. We have accordion curtains that pull around the driver's and passenger"s windows and the front window. They are a pain to fold back together and attach behind the driver's and passenger's seats.

I have never dived into all the wiring for the TVs, DVDs, etc., so I can't help you there. Enjoy your coach. I'm sure you'll love it.

[scbwr]

Previous owner installed MCD shades in our Bay Star. They are really nice but they certainly are pricey!

[murraymcleod]

Thanks to all for the answers! One of the first things I did was to change all the interior lights to LED's as the 30+ filaments seemed to eat up battery life pretty quick (in the driveway anyway)! I found some (so far) good LEDs online that are only about a buck each, but there are three different socket styles in my coach (including the little light that reminds you when the outdoor light is on), so it was no small feat to order LED's to replace all! I won't worry about the storage compartment lights, as they're rarely on. Anyone need some free halogen bulbs?!


Ours didn't come with shades either, but I had some left-over Levolor pull-down shades from our kitchen windows, so installed them in the coach. 22" ones for each of the forward side windows and a 40" one for the center window that pulls down to cover the "hole" between the (very) short visors pretty well.



Also just finished swapping out the Winegard DTV dish on top for a DISH dish, as that's what we have at home. It wasn't too difficult, and I was surprised that I figured out most of the wiring and it all worked well when I finished! We previously used a "carry-out" portable dish, so now we'll be at the mercy of satellite visibility depending on where we park in campsites. We don't watch that much TV while camping anyway...


The only thing I haven't yet figured out is the need for the HDMI splitters up front, and what the HDMI port in the bedroom cabinet leads to (or from)! The TV in the bedroom seems to get antenna reception and has an HDMI input from the DVD/BD player back there, but front satellite doesn't go through that wall HDMI port (verified by hooking a small portable TV to that port).


We're now ready for our first trip in the new coach...off to the Oregon coast for five days! Yee-Haw!! (Only worry now is the price to fill up that 80 gallon gas tank!)

[murraymcleod]

All went mostly well with the new coach; tested electric and gas heating, electric and gas refer, generartor, etc. Everything worked well.


Now to the slide-outs....still made all kinds of weird noises when operated. When we got home I opened the generator compartment, where the large slide-out motor on driver's side is located (I assume there is only one motor for that slide?). I looked at things while the wife extended the slide, and the motor was bouncing around all over the place! Yes, as others have found, the bolts were loose! I was able to tighten the two bottom bolts, but could not access the two upper bolts which seem to be in a restricted space area way above the generator where my hands won't fit.



Does anyone have any hints about an easy way to access those bolts? I know there are MANY posts about these bolts, but could find nothing about how to access these easily in the 2013 2901.



I haven't checked the bedroom slide motor bolts yet, but plan to today. Those seem easier to access after removing floorboard under the bed...?


By the way, while messing around with the bolts, and being near the generator, I checked the oil there and discovered it was at the minimum level, and looked pretty dirty (with only 140 hours on the generator)! This is after the dealer who sold me the coach said they had gone over everything to assure all was in top notch shape! Moral: Don't believe a thing the dealer tells you about a used coach!



Again, thanks in advance for any info provided!

[Podivin]

In the case of the generator, all I would expect a dealer to do is to start it and make sure that it generates power - to them that qualifies as 'top notch', IE; it's working. Changing the oil in the generator is a profit area for them, they're not going to do that for free, at least not without you specifically asking.
They likely also didn't change the oil in the main engine.

[Toltec]

My Canyon Star has two sets of DVD splitters in the front cabinet. The input of one is for the DVD player. The input of the other is for The Satellite receiver. The outputs go to all three front TVs.

[murraymcleod]

Originally Posted by Toltec

My Canyon Star has two sets of DVD splitters in the front cabinet. The input of one is for the DVD player. The input of the other is for The Satellite receiver. The outputs go to all three front TVs.

I only have one front TV, and the splitters don't seem to feed the bedroom TV. But I did notice that there are HDMI outlets in one of the patio storage bays, so that an outside TV could be plugged in there. I haven't tested it yet, but that's probably where the second DVD and Sat "split" outlets go...


Don't think I'll ever need a TV outside, so I still may remove the splitters and their associated inverter power drain someday!

[murraymcleod]

Having been on a couple trips now, both with hookups and a boon-docking trip, and I have some more questions.


The coach has something called a "heat pad" with an on/off switch in the bathroom. The salesman said it was to keep the waste and water tanks warm in cold temps. Don't think I'll ever need this, but I'm wondering if this heater works off 12 volts or only 120 volts? The manual doesn't mention it. I did tape over the bathroom switch so it won't be turned on by mistake!


The emergency exit window in the 2901's bedroom on the side of the coach seems rather small. I can't imagine being able to exit through there and falling six feet to the ground! Anyone have any experience actually using this exit? The rear window (maybe an option not on all models?) is much larger and would have made an easier exit route I would think....


When I press the brake pedal with the motor off, there is a grinding/motor sound that comes from under the coach. Is this some sort of F53 auto brake assist or what? It doesn't make the sound while driving.



And lastly the parking brake. It seems to work in my limited testing, but the pedal only seems to go down about an inch or two, and then no more. I read that the F53 parking brake acts on the drive shaft, so does this limited pedal travel distance mean my parking brake pads (if there are any) aren't worn much?


Thanks in advance for any info provided!

[dmholt]

I agree that the little bedroom window is a terrible emergency exit. Not sure how my wife and I would fare falling out of it, to say nothing of getting our two good sized dogs through it. I have seen some older coaches with the rear window used as an emergency exit, but not newer ones. Maybe there are problems with sucking exhaust in through a rear window that opens. Perhaps a liability issue for the manufacturer.

The grinding noise is a power brake assist assist so that you still have power brakes even if the engine shuts off.

[murraymcleod]

Speaking of exhaust issues and liability, that aforementioned small exit window is right over the generator exhaust pipe in our coach, and our CO detector in the bedroom went off the last time we ran the gennie with that window cranked open a bit. Good thing it did go off, as my wife developed a headache right after that which is a classic CO exposure symptom....don't ignore the CO detectors!