American Coach: 1997 American Dream remodel

[NHRA225]

I did the Fuel plate change over 150,000 mile ago, mine was factory 300 hp and I added the # 5 Kit- 150 Hp plate kit from TST Engineering
(TST Power Kit without Video)
Best thing I ever did.

[gacamp]

Originally Posted by NHRA225

I did the Fuel plate change over 150,000 mile ago, mine was factory 300 hp and I added the # 5 Kit- 150 Hp plate kit from TST Engineering
(TST Power Kit without Video)
Best thing I ever did.

Unfortunately that kit is no longer available for the '97 and newer engines.

[GlennLever]

Mine is an all stock 325HP Cummins 6CTA model C8.3-325 engine no 4535827B Ref. No. 53-34874-004. It does everything I needed it to do.

[stkt]

Appreciate the info on that upgrade. NHRA225, your coach must have wings! Can't imagine an additional 150 hp. Bummer it isn't available now.

Just left the service center. There is a belly pan that spans the frame rails from the front of the engine compartment cover forward to where the luggage compartment begins. When working under the coach weeks ago I saw some gaps, apparently where some sealant had degraded over the years. The problem was I couldn't reach it - it's so high when you're laying on your back on the ground you cannot get to it, and if you sit up between the transmission and the passenger side frame rail you can't maneuver to get to all four sides.

Factory had some extension on a caulking gun and a guy with really long arms - had the job done in thirty minutes. Another good experience at the service center. One bad bit of news is the labor rate has jumped to $120 per hour.

[dlaughlin]

Originally Posted by GlennLever

I have also replaced our old mechanical units with digital units, and they do hold the temperature much closer to the set temperature, a very worth while update.


Have you also replaced the old original detector beside the thermostat?

I curious to what is above the new unit pictured in the bedroom (new TV?).

SKTK and Glenn - I'm trying to upgrade to digital thermostats from the original Coleman units on my '98 Tradition. Do either of you gentlemen have any photos of the wiring placement? Also, how did you get the low/high speed fan to work as needed?

Thanks!
Dennis

[GlennLever]

Originally Posted by dlaughlin

SKTK and Glenn - I'm trying to upgrade to digital thermostats from the original Coleman units on my '98 Tradition. Do either of you gentlemen have any photos of the wiring placement? Also, how did you get the low/high speed fan to work as needed?

Thanks!
Dennis

I had mine replaced back when I was having work done for me. I had actually forgotten that I had that done and is one of the very few things that I had done that still works.

I did lose the function of the low speed fan (fan only operation (not heat)) on the digital Thermostat.

It was replaced with the Coleman Digital heat/cool thermostat 69845

I do not have the paper work for the wiring diagram, but did a google search and found this.



I am not sure if this is correct for the thermostat but if it is it shows high and low speed fan for A/C and no control for fan in the heat mode.



If you need it I will go over and pull the thermostat off the wall and take a picture of how it is wired.

I hope this helps?

I found this also

Service manual for 12VDC Wall Thermostats from Coleman

[stkt]

Good morning Dennis,

The thermostat I used is the non programmable Honeywell RTH5100B. You can pick it up at the big box stores. The wiring and physical install is simple, took me all of five minutes for each thermostat. The good news is that it regulates temps much better than the stock thermostat. The downside, as Glenn said, is you lose the dual speed fan function, something I didn't use anyway.

I've been using these thermostats for two Summers now without any problems or the need to replace batteries (double As I think).

Hope this helps.

[GlennLever]

Originally Posted by stkt

Good morning Dennis,

The thermostat I used is the non programmable Honeywell RTH5100B. You can pick it up at the big box stores. The wiring and physical install is simple, took me all of five minutes for each thermostat. The good news is that it regulates temps much better than the stock thermostat. The downside, as Glenn said, is you lose the dual speed fan function, something I didn't use anyway.

I've been using these thermostats for two Summers now without any problems or the need to replace batteries (double As I think).

Hope this helps.

What ever digital thermostat you use it is WELL worth the upgrade, the temperature swings in the coach are much less, the coach is much more comfortable.

I have not missed the dual speed fan at all.

[stkt]

Posted from 1999 Dream Air bag question:

Good work finding the tanks.

The front tank with two purge valves is commonly referred to as the "wet" tank. The reason for the two purge valves is that the tank is really two tanks inside one, thus the two purge valves. Air from the compressor enters the "wet" side of the tank (smaller side) and flows via a check valve to the other side of the tank. This tank is connected to the separate single purge valve tank you see with the one purge valve, which also has a check valve. These tanks are for, among things like the air horn, etc., your brakes. One reason for this engineering is to allow you to test for check valve integrity. There are normally three colors used on lanyards installed on the three purge valves, gray for the wet part of the single tank, green for the other part of the single tank, and red for the separate second tank. When you activate the purge of the wet part of the first tank (the the gray lanyard you would install), it will and should drain quickly because of the small volume. Once done with the gray there should be air when you pull the next lanyard, which is normally green and attached to the second purge valve on the same tank. Once the green lanyard has emptied the tank there should now be air when you pull the red lanyard, which will be attached to the second tank. If the answer is "no" to any of the above, then a check valve is not functioning properly and requires service.

When you look at the purge valves you will see a small round extrusion on the side of the valve. in the middle you will find a pin type shaft with a hole in it. You can use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the shaft out, up, or down to release the air.

The rear tank is located just where the luggage compartment terminates in the rear of the coach. Its up high in the chassis so it can take a bit to look at it. I believe the purpose of this tank is to only act as a filler for the rear bags. Also, there is no purging of this tank.

Hope this helps.

[stkt]

Jim,

Here is a pic of one of the purge valves wit the lanyard installed.

[stkt]

I've met, as a result of this great forum, yet another Vintage American coach owner here in Michigan. Tim has a 98 Eagle that looks like it came off the showroom floor. He's recently done some DIY work to the leveling system and radiator that I thought we'd share with everyone.

The jacks failed to work, and after a great amount of research and study, Tim decided to open up the pump rather than purchase a new one - a brave man! Upon opening up the pump he discovered a gear had failed. The manufacturer is Lipper, and some of the pics below are from that company's troubleshooting site. Another pic shows an in tank strainer, which he believes contributed to the failure. Tim replaced the strainer with an upgrade, also shown on the pic below. I found this project interesting in that I haven't seen that pump apart before, and the precision utilized in its construction. The tolerance on some of those pieces is said to be 1/10000!

From the manufacturer site:



Leveling jacks pump removed:



Pump disassembled (notice the broken gear):



Gear housing removed:



Cont. below

[stkt]

cont.

Here is the old strainer removed from the tank:



Repaired tank reinstalled on the coach:



Pic of the replacement strainer upgrade:



Tim indicated he saved a ton of money repairing this pump rather than replacing the entire system, which would have been what the factory would have done. Great work.

[stkt]

Tim decided to replace the radiator on his vintage Eagle himself. All of us Spartan MM chassis owners know how expensive the factory radiator can be - some have paid as high as $2400 for a replacement. Apparently Tim had a better idea. After securing the specifications for the existing radiator, Tim contacted cgi.com. They took the specs and fabricated a new radiator for him, all for around $500. Here are some pics of the work:

New radiator assembly put together and ready for install:



Piping removed, cleaned, primed and topcoated with hi temp paint. Note the replacement cost for the two large pipes is over $800, so it pays to keep them in top shape - also makes the engine compartment look great.



Completed piping, hoses (BLUE!), and clamps reinstalled on the 8.3:



Completed install of the radiator:



Here the story didn't end. Those of us with mechanical engines are accustomed to the coolant test strips, green coolant, SCA infused water filters, and the need to change out the coolant periodically. Tim contacted Cummins who recommended the extended life coolant. When my radiator was replaced 18 months ago the standard green coolant along with a SCA infused water was installed, there was no mention of changing out to a different coolant. With Cummins blessing, Tim replaced the standard coolant with the red Fleetguard Compleat OAT coolant along with a water filter that does not contain any SCA (he's in the process of getting all the air out of the system). There has been some prior debate on this subject but Cummins told Tim this is the coolant they are replacing in all their Cummins engines. If anyone has input on this coolant switchout it would be appreciated.

[NHRA225]

Great Job on the Pump and Radiator- post a link to Him on Here !
Coolant. Changed my system over to Final Charge quite a few years ago,no difference in temps But it's good for many years of service