How many motorhome owner do most of the work on their motor-homes

[dykedelta1]

the lift pump only works momentary to prime main pump. I wired in a 7 psi inseries pump to use if lift pump fails . You cancheck your lift pump by listening to pump turn on for couple seconds when switch is turned on .It is alway aidea to thinkm in terms of "WHAT IF".That theory has worked for me for 65 years in Aircraft design and maintemance .I have to admit I am a born mechanic,mechanical and Aero Engineer with experience in Heat and air also .I do my own Refir work .I know both types refers prety good.I know analogy of systems .I do get lost on computor controls though. On Ford as engine HR I used Emergency fuel pump mounted on frame Rail to preclude an in tank pump failure on road which could be very costly. i also used dual engine drive train computors ie Nascar thinking .I also wired lockin convertor to separate switch on dash .Now with 98 endeaver I have not done these type reduntant mods,really I do not know much about cummins and its computor controls .Oh Well my 2 cents .John

[dykedelta1]

yes Tony I too am A&P mechanic but those large wheels canget you down ,I amretired 80 years behind me .WhatChassis you got? What type torque convertor ? Gas or Desil .really I like these forums .John 1410799IA

[dykedelta1]

and by way you cummins drivers ,watch for rusted out water line from radiator to tranny cooler,and steel nipples uesd in brass valves ,they rust off .lremember the What If rule ,well applied that and found steel line and waterline nipple ready for failure .Wold of been a bad situation out on road .John D

[wackymac]

Our Fleetwood Fiesta is almost 10 years old and I have done everything to it that was required except for warranty work. New tie rod, new magnatron in the microwave oven, new start capacitor in the rooftop AC, new circuit board in the furnace, 2nd generator start switch, extended rooftop holding tank vent, replaced accordian shower door with shower curtain, removed tub and shower surround, painted surround and installed new tub, new toilet, installed 3 extra house batteries, change oil, lube, etc. We wouldn't be able to afford the MH if we had to pay someone else to do all the work.

[wa8yxm]

I once worked as a small engine mechanic. That does not help me much with an 8.1L though Still,,, I do most of my own work and a good deal of work for others too.. Can't afford not to. I've done electrical work (Adding circuits, troublshooting circuits) I've done mods, I've done body work, Changed tires (22.5") and even springs (A trailer) I have the tools.. I've "Fixed" Automatic satellite systems that did not work properly (Ok, so it was working properly, just the operator who needed an adjustment) and more. (Though I never worked in the field I am a certified electronics tech).

I was once chatting with a "young lady" (Ok so she's not all that young having put three children through college) and I told her I was interested in watching what she was doing cause I'd never seen it done before.

Her reply is rather close to how I feel... She said she had not done the job before either, but how hard could it be, it's Mechanical.?

You remember how you took it apart,, Re-assembly is the reverse,, that's all there is to it.

[wackymac]

My experience?---Worked as a vending machine mechanic, 5 years as an in-store appliance repairman, an xray tube technician, 8.5 years in a machine shop, a ride mechanic at the Santa Cruz Beach-Boardwalk, 6 years doing all the maintenance in a 200 person furniture factory, 4 years as a building engineer for Macy's. My biggest project was in 1968; putting a 350hp 327 Chevy V8, a TH 400 and a 1957 Pontiac rear end in a 1958 VW bus, 13.29 seconds @ 106 mph with 4:56 gears in a quarter mile. I also built 2 Chevy V8 powered sand rails. I helped a friend of mine put a 401 cu.in. Chevy and an Olds Torinado drive train in the back of a 1978 Ford Fiesta.

[dykedelta1]

new question; some one told of using fans in refer.cannot find thread now ,any help ? John (dykedelta1@aol.com)

[Wanabee FTer]

Just use the search feature at the top of any irv2 page.
Here's a recent thread on the subject

[winston2112]

I have a 1999 winnebago chieftain - F53 Chasis and want to redo the brakes myself.
Has anyone tried this and if so how do I do it? Unable to find a manual with regard to brakes. Please help.

[Pogo]

I do most of the work myself. This is my first diesel so apart from oil and filter maintenance, I won't work on the Cummins. But, the electrical, HVAC and plumbing I will do. I don't want to pay big bucks for a "tech" to do what I can do myself.
And, thanks to you fine folks on irv2, I have learned a LOT about RV's.
I have been in the old car/hot rod hobby for years and have done most of that work, and I am a retired mechanical contractor and combination building inspector. Learning how to keep the RV in great shape is kinda fun, actually.

[Gary1965]

OK, I will be the isolated case here. I do none of the work myself. I am not real handy......This is my 3rd RV, but first DP.......I now find myself more interested in learning. Not so much for the savings in money, it is just a hassle to travel 70 miles to a dealer. I love the knowledge in this community.

[ArTravler]

I have a 1999 winnebago chieftain - F53 Chasis and want to redo the brakes myself.
Has anyone tried this and if so how do I do it? Unable to find a manual with regard to brakes. Please help.

I have a 97 F53 chassis. I rebuilt the brakes on the unit and replaced the fluid. I replaced the front calipers but not the rotors. My rotors were ok but when I went to change the brake pads on the front the pistons in the front calipers were frozen up. It took a good size monster C-Clamp to get the pistons compressed in. If the 97 and 99 unit brakes are the same it is not hard to rebuild.

I get my parts from Oreilly Auto Parts. They only have listings for the F53 up through 1997 so I do not know if they will be the same or not! Brake pads go from $30.00 to $139.00 a set depending if you want standard pads or carbon metallic. You can buy the rotor complete with standard pads for about $100.00 for each caliper (there is a core charge).

You will need a heavy duty hydraulic jack and jack stands or some other means to support the unit while the wheel is off. I purchased heavy duty jack stands and then found that I could not get them under the unit. I ended up making supports by stacking three 8”X4”X14” sections of wood beams and bolting them together. I also left the jack in place.

The bolts are torqued @ 150 foot pounds so have a brake over bar with a cheater pipe or impact wrench to break them loose. You will need a torque wrench to torque the nuts when the tires go back on.

My 97 F53 has disc brakes on front and rear. After you get the tire off you will remove the caliper. There are two pins you drive out. Use a large punch and hammer to dive out the pins. See the photo to see what the pins look like. On the front wheels there is a stop made out of hex bar on the steering system that the pin will probably hit when you drive it out. The stop is screwed in place so you can take a wrench and take it off until your job is finished.

Take a large C-clamp and place over the caliper and brake pad. Tighten the clamp and compress the caliper pistons. Make sure you do not overflow the master cylinder break fluid reservoir. When you compress the piston fluid is going to flow back into the reservoir. You may need to draw off some fluid from the reservoir. Mine is located in the left hand forward wheel well.

If you have difficulty compressing the caliper pistons you may have a bad caliper. You will know! I ignored my problem the fist time and boiled the break fluid when I went to top off the gas tank. I had to remove the wheel and do the work all over again plus replace the caliper. Luckily the caliper pistons failed before they ruined the rotor!

If your calipers are good it is just a matter of popping out the old pads and putting in new ones. Check your rotors for wear, mine were ok! Make sure you support your calipers while they are off, do not let them hang by the brake line. I used some wire (like an old cloths hanger) to tie the caliper to the frame.

If you need to remove or replace your rotors, you need to reference a F53 chassis manual. Mine has gone on a walk about! I sure hope it shows up soon!

If you need to replace your calipers it is a matter of disconnecting the brake line and attaching to the new caliper. When you remove the brake line either cap it or place it higher than the reservoir or all the fluid will drain out. Fill the new caliper before you attach the line. New washers are usually supplied with the caliper.

When you put the calipers back on make sure you grease the pin slots and pins. Place the caliper in place and drive the pins back in with a hammer. The new pins that came with the new calipers were thicker than the old ones. They were very difficult to start in the slot. The pins are made of two pieces of metal with rubber bonded in between. I put them in a vice and compressed the rubber a few time. They went in ok after I gave them the vise job!

After all the calipers are back in place you will need to address the brake fluid. I recommend you flush your system with new fluid. The best way is to purchase a hand vacuum pump for about $35.00. The pump has rubber fittings that will fit over the bleeder nut. Make sure your fluid reservoir is full. Loosen the bleeder nut and pump the fluid out into the pump reservoir until you see new fresh fluid coming out. Tighten the bleeder nut. Do not let any air in before you tighten the nut. My order of bleeding was right hand rear, left hand rear, right hand front, and left hand front. Don’t let the master cylinder reservoir go dry in the process or you will get air in the lines and have to start over again.

Hope this helps – GOOD LUCK

And yes, I do all the work on my RV. The only thing that would stop me is having the right tools or equipment.

MAN, I SPELLED BREAK WRONG IN MY PHOTOS, SORRY

[deandec]

"OK, I will be the isolated case here. I do none of the work myself. I am not real handy......This is my 3rd RV, but first DP.......I now find myself more interested in learning. Not so much for the savings in money, it is just a hassle to travel 70 miles to a dealer. I love the knowledge in this community."

I was in your position for the first few years when I was working and had expectation of continuing streams of money.

Then I retired and realized I could spend the time, used in driving to drop off the rig and the returning to pick it up, or waiting for the service to be performed, in a better way.

Since then I have progressed from oil and filter changes to electrical repairs, tranny service, installing new gizmos etc. Actually, for an old desk jockey it is a way to stay busy, save money, learn new stuff, and actually accomplish something on those MH repair and service days.

[Gary1965]

That is what I will aspire to !!