Newbie fleetwood geklein

[GEKLEIN]

Good day
My name is Gerald. I live in southern Illinois and am recently retired.
I bought a new home had a garage builds and put a used class a in it about 2 years ago.

I've been to the golfed twice local campsites and Washington DC to see the Vietnam Memorial and The Wounded Veterans Memorial With A friend and a retired Marine who is suffering from the effects of Agent orange.

So far this year it's not been out of the garage. I joined this forum to see if I can get some advice and some help. I'd like to take it over the mountains but I'm afraid to take the trip does anyone have the best advice for which way to go?

The engine heater does not shut off when the air-conditioners on. The good of that is that I found that it's more cost-efficient to run the air-conditioners off the generator. However I Likes things to work. The local Ford dealers have no clue how to handle of engine of this size. Any recommendations?

I accidentally tore a 18 inch slit in the protective covering of the awning. Recommendations please for repair tape or someone who can replace that section without replacing the whole awning. If not I'll tape myself as best I can and wait till it all falls apart then replace it but I'm too cheap to replace it just for looks.

I hope to get some response I look forward to that and it appears as if response to this system will trigger into my email which is helpful because I'm still learning how to use posts and replies. Again recommendations were best to look would be appreciated. For any old hats to take pity on us newbies thanks and have a great day.

Gerald

[z3406]

It would be helpful if you told us the year, make, model and mileage of the RV. Also how old the tires are.

[Volunteer]

The fix for your awning is fairly straightforward and not too difficult. Over the years I've used two methods to repair tears in my awning. Most well-stocked RV parts stores have the various repair kits, including sewing with heavy twine and self-adhesive patches. To prevent further damage I use anti-flappers to keep the wind from whipping the awning on each side.

Sorry I can't be of much help with the AC/heater situation but I never use my dash air during summer travels. Like you, I crank up the Onan and run the roof unit. Doing that will also help you get up mountains since there will be no load coming from the engine's AC compressor.

Welcome to the best life I've lived so far ... because even with the trials and troubles, moving around in my very well-used Discovery keeps a big old smile on my ugly face. Good luck to you.....

[GEKLEIN]

Originally Posted by Volunteer

The fix for your awning is fairly straightforward and not too difficult. Over the years I've used two methods to repair tears in my awning. Most well-stocked RV parts stores have the various repair kits, including sewing with heavy twine and self-adhesive patches. To prevent further damage I use anti-flappers to keep the wind from whipping the awning on each side.

Sorry I can't be of much help with the AC/heater situation but I never use my dash air during summer travels. Like you, I crank up the Onan and run the roof unit. Doing that will also help you get up mountains since there will be no load coming from the engine's AC compressor.

Welcome to the best life I've lived so far ... because even with the trials and troubles, moving around in my very well-used Discovery keeps a big old smile on my ugly face. Good luck to you.....

THANK YOU OF COURSE i SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF AN rv STORE. Explinaion there is no rv anything within hours of the corn field of southern Illinois.

I had never heard of flappers. I will investigate that. I have a catalog in the motorhome. That is my first stop out the door. Re the air conditioner. I now realize that the auto shut off of the AC is a good thing when the motor is stressed. I hope for but do not expect quick reply for the AC issue. I have searched the webs a lot!

AS ALWAYS I APPRECIATE ALL FEEDBACK AND YOURS WAS HELPFUL.
THANK YOU

Gerald

[mojoracing]

Sounds to me like the doors in your hvac system are not working properly. When you turn the knob to air conditioning and adjust the temperature colder, it should close off the duct from your heater core. Not sure what year your rig is or if it is diesel or gas but these doors are usually vacuum operated on older rigs and electronically operated on newer rigs. I would look under the dash and along the firewall and find the particular door (called a blend door) that shuts off the flow of warm air from your heater core and see how that door is controlled. It may be as simple as reconnecting a vacuum line to a servo or vacuum pot or perhaps a rod has become disconected or something is physically jamming it. Good luck!

[Gary RVRoamer]

Most any automotive heating & air conditioning shop ought to be able to diagnose and repair the HVAC system. It is not all that unusual for either the heater control valve to stick or an air diverter door to malfunction. The RV builders don't always do the most reliable work when installing the dash heat & a/c system and mating it up to the components supplied from the chassis maker (Ford in your case).

Some Ford dealers handle RV chassis work well, but others not so much, Might have to drive a ways further. There are lots of places with RV expertise in Indiana, not all that far from southern IL, so maybe head east instead of west or north. Fleetwood has a factory service center in Decatur, IN (Ft Wayne area).

I'm a bit confused, however. You put "Fleetwood" in the topic title and posted in the Fleetwood owners forum, but the line you added to your signature says it's a Thor Four Winds motorhome? Thor is a different manufacturer than Fleetwood. Could you re-verify what brand and model Class A you actually have? Perhaps you should request that a moderator move this topic to the Thor Owners area!

[Volunteer]

Gerald, just one final note from me. While I have no financial interest in this company, I have found them to be very helpful with online and telephone orders. They're located in Houston, Texas, but ship around the world and are pretty darn fast with what they do. And they have a great catalog. Here's their URL:

RV Parts and Accessories for Sale - PPL Motor Homes

Admins, I hope this is OK. By his own statement Gerald is new to our lifestyle and hopefully will ask numerous questions in this forum. For a fact, it's the best one out there.

[GEKLEIN]

Originally Posted by Volunteer

Gerald, just one final note from me. While I have no financial interest in this company, I have found them to be very helpful with online and telephone orders. They're located in Houston, Texas, but ship around the world and are pretty darn fast with what they do. And they have a great catalog. Here's their URL:

RV Parts and Accessories for Sale - PPL Motor Homes

Admins, I hope this is OK. By his own statement Gerald is new to our lifestyle and hopefully will ask numerous questions in this forum. For a fact, it's the best one out there.

SORRY TO LOOSE YOUR EXCELLENT ADVICE.

I will give that to a mechanic friend who knows so much more than I.

I have the data and he the knowledge. Two truly different kinds of knowing.


THANK YO SO MUCH AGAIN!

GERALD

[GEKLEIN]

Originally Posted by GEKLEIN

Good day
My name is Gerald. I live in southern Illinois and am recently retired.
I bought a new home had a garage builds and put a used class a in it about 2 years ago.

I've been to the golfed twice local campsites and Washington DC to see the Vietnam Memorial and The Wounded Veterans Memorial With A friend and a retired Marine who is suffering from the effects of Agent orange.

So far this year it's not been out of the garage. I joined this forum to see if I can get some advice and some help. I'd like to take it over the mountains but I'm afraid to take the trip does anyone have the best advice for which way to go?

The engine heater does not shut off when the air-conditioners on. The good of that is that I found that it's more cost-efficient to run the air-conditioners off the generator. However I Likes things to work. The local Ford dealers have no clue how to handle of engine of this size. Any recommendations?

I accidentally tore a 18 inch slit in the protective covering of the awning. Recommendations please for repair tape or someone who can replace that section without replacing the whole awning. If not I'll tape myself as best I can and wait till it all falls apart then replace it but I'm too cheap to replace it just for looks.

I hope to get some response I look forward to that and it appears as if response to this system will trigger into my email which is helpful because I'm still learning how to use posts and replies. Again recommendations were best to look would be appreciated. For any old hats to take pity on us newbies thanks and have a great day.

Gerald

THANK YOU.

HELP IS BETTER THAN GUESSING. Like so many guys (it seems to be a male thing) I try fail repeatedly then ask. I am beginning to understand this is where to ask is the norm.

[GEKLEIN]

How to I change the name from Newbie Fleetwood Gerald to Newbie 2007 four winds Gerald? I am sure the answer is in the blog somewhere but I thought I would get use to asking.

Thanks in advance,

Gerald