Community Forums

gsf35099 · 03-25-2019, 12:36 PM

Wow, I didn’t realize there were that many Astoria’s out there that had smaller tires. My Astoria calls for 275/70/22.5 and we love the ride.

In my small cabinet above the driver is a sticker with all the info for vehicle weight and tires.

DBenson · 03-25-2019, 07:08 PM

Serpentine belt - has anyone had theirs replaced? I am beginning to hear an increasing amount of "squealing"..... Do you need to access from above the the engine? not sure where the above engine access for 2008 astoria is located ??

gsf35099 · 03-25-2019, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBenson

Serpentine belt - has anyone had theirs replaced? I am beginning to hear an increasing amount of "squealing"..... Do you need to access from above the the engine? not sure where the above engine access for 2008 astoria is located ??

I replaced mine last September. Accessed it from top by lifting the bed and accessing the engine. Still a tight fit and actually climbed in the engine compartment as the belt is way towards the back and you have to feed it over the fan blades both off and on. Squealing probably means a bearing on a pulley. Might want to replace the idler and tension pulleys. Good luck.

Britcanuck · 03-25-2019, 10:56 PM

We love our 2010 Astoria and it will be a while before we trade it off. The two major complaints are the waste hookups and the 50 amp hook up. I have come to terms with the waste by making all connections while the suspension is still full of air. The electrical is a real pain in the butt. The cable is so stiff in cooler temperatures it's a struggle to get it stowed. It can be done, but for some of us
slightly handicapped, it's tough. Has anyone had any great ideas to install a spool winder either hand or electrical or has anyone found a super flexible cord
I'm sure that I am not the only one with these issues so I hope someone has some great ideas

Ramairiii · 03-26-2019, 09:28 AM

The belt is accessible from under the coach with the removal of the muffler which is simple. Changed my belt last fall because my belt broke as I was pulling out of my driveway (luckily). It had been squealing all summer. In my case I found my alternator seized up and replaced it as well as a new belt tensioner. Did all the work myself with help of a friend. Very straightforward. My coach I has only 15000 miles on it. Getting ready to take it out of underground storage the middle of April and have fun again this year. We love our Astoria (2008 Pacific Edition). Hope this helps others. Keep on RVing!!!!

DBenson · 03-26-2019, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBenson

Serpentine belt - has anyone had theirs replaced? I am beginning to hear an increasing amount of "squealing"..... Do you need to access from above the the engine? not sure where the above engine access for 2008 astoria is located ??

For fyi reference for anyone in future - here are some part numbers for my serpentine belt and related items for 2008 PE Astoria

Belt - Cummins part #3974248 or Gates #K080922HD
Idler (cummins calls it a their pully) Cummins part #3965147
Belt tensionor - Cummins part #5264111

Jzack · 03-27-2019, 04:26 AM

Has anyone figured out what the "mode" button does on the gear shift control panel? I've read through the manuals and they just say that 'some units have two driving modes' but nothing else. So I pushed the button while driving. I didn't notice any difference in shift patterns but a little red light did light up on the panel to signify something was happening.

Carel · 03-28-2019, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jzack

Has anyone figured out what the "mode" button does on the gear shift control panel? I've read through the manuals and they just say that 'some units have two driving modes' but nothing else. So I pushed the button while driving. I didn't notice any difference in shift patterns but a little red light did light up on the panel to signify something was happening.

Hi Jzack,
I think it is ecomode and normal mode.
In eco mode it shifts earlier. I never tried it, but I think you should notice that it shifts up at lower speeds.
Greetings from Holland.
Karel

SteveOGilroy · 04-02-2019, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBenson

Serpentine belt - has anyone had theirs replaced? I am beginning to hear an increasing amount of "squealing"..... Do you need to access from above the the engine? not sure where the above engine access for 2008 astoria is located ??

Yes, in 2017 with about 60K miles on the coach at that time. I had Freightliner do is as part of the regular service. They gave me the old belt as a back up and it looks & feels good. No cracks or ware indicators.

The pulled the access panel up in the bedroom. The service tech did say that pulling the panel was difficult, it seemed to be stuck to the frame with sealent.

Good luck. Post pictures of the process.

SteveOGilroy · 04-02-2019, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carel

Hi Jzack,
I think it is ecomode and normal mode.
In eco mode it shifts earlier. I never tried it, but I think you should notice that it shifts up at lower speeds.
Greetings from Holland.
Karel

I drive in the ecomode nearly all the time. It seems to shift earlier. My MPG may show a slight improvement but can not swear to it because the driving environment is not the same. But it “feels” good to think I’m saving a little!

SteveOGilroy · 04-02-2019, 10:52 PM

We are putting new carpeting in, a new microwave and a new shower.

Has anyone replaced the carpet? We’re keeping the tile areas the same. I hope the slides still work on the newer carpet, it’s a little taller with a 3/8” pad.

Shower we are looking for a 35x35 inch neo angle pan. Our current pan has developed a leak. A few small cracks near the drain.

For the microwave we are staying with the Sharp convection microwave but venting the unit out the side of the wall.

We’re having it done at Coach Specialists in Mansfield TX.

We have also replaced the Norcold N811 frig with the newer 10 cuf model Polar NA 10LX. That was an easy swap....except for carrying 150 lbs in and out od the door.
Wish us luck.

SteveOGilroy · 04-02-2019, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBenson

7 year Owner of 2008 Damon Astoria - I just went to wake it up from the winter sleep and found chassis batteries dead. After a charge and a good start, the ABS alarm on the driver panel was going off. Doing only what I knew to do, I pulled out the good old manual and flipped to the ABS page and read about this feature. I share this only to say that I recall reading not to change wheels/tire size as the ABS computer is pre-programmed for current tire and size........important to note that I am only a RV enthusiast and lack mechanical and technical ability to provide any advice (thus the reason I read every post to learn from all of you smart guys). I just share that this area is something to look at for you to validate before any change of tire size. But if we can get bigger tire sizes, let me know the way as I have always wanted to up my sizes for improved ride and control, etc - thank you

Thank you.

Jzack · 04-08-2019, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Britcanuck

We love our 2010 Astoria and it will be a while before we trade it off. The two major complaints are the waste hookups and the 50 amp hook up. I have come to terms with the waste by making all connections while the suspension is still full of air. The electrical is a real pain in the butt. The cable is so stiff in cooler temperatures it's a struggle to get it stowed. It can be done, but for some of us
slightly handicapped, it's tough. Has anyone had any great ideas to install a spool winder either hand or electrical or has anyone found a super flexible cord
I'm sure that I am not the only one with these issues so I hope someone has some great ideas

Found these links in this months issue of MotorHome magazine for powercords that aren't as stiff in cold weather. I've found that coiling the cord up in a figure 8 pattern seems to work better too for some reason.

www.etrailer.com

www.smartplug.com

For the waste hookups, the previous owner of our coach had a short, 45degree attachment pipe at the outlet with a hand adjustable hose clamp so the hose can be loosened while hooking up so as not to bind. This setup hasn't given us any problems YET. We're still newbies however

Jzack · 04-10-2019, 04:41 AM

Also about waste hook-up-

Found further back in this long Astoria thread that the Y-pipe can be rotated to a better position by just grabbing and turning by hand. One fellow even rotated it to face straight out the compartment and cut a new hole. Still others found success by cutting an even larger hole for the waste pipe.