Oil change/chassis lube CAUTIONS

[asodergren]

Originally Posted by seahawkiii

Hi all - For the past 2 years I have taken our Anthem to a reputable heavy truck maintenance facility for fluid changes and chassis lube and believed they did what they said they'd done. And I think they did what they said they'd done to the extent of their knowledge.

This fall, we decided to take the Anthem to an Entegra dealer who is also a Spartan repair facility a 4 hours drive from home to get the slides adjusted and a general checkup. On the second day the coach was down there I got a call from the tech doing the chassis check and he mentioned at most of the zerks on the chassis we very dry and appeared they hadn't been greased in over a year. He said he pumped a lot of grease but the upside is that the seals all appeared to be in decent shape. Of the 30 plus zerks on the Spartan chassis he thought the "common" or "easy" to see zerks got attention and the others were neglected.

So I learned a potentially expensive lesson - although herding our coach 4 hours away over the mountains to an Entegra dealer is a PITA it may well be the best choice for our safety and budget.

John

We have driven our Travel Supreme in 49 states and all but 1 Canadian province over the last 8 years. Without exception, I have been dissatisfied with every service performed in the states and totally satisfied with those performed in Canada. By FAR, the worst service I have ever received on ANY equipment I have ever owned was at the Spartan factory service center in Michigan!!!! The bottom line is that it is a total crap shoot. You can pretty much count on poor service.

[JohnLoves2Sk]

On my old Jeep I put bright orange grease fitting caps on every fitting, to make them easier to find. Have not done that on the new-to-me RV yet, but will in the spring.

[Milford 47]

Originally Posted by seahawkiii

Hi all - For the past 2 years I have taken our Anthem to a reputable heavy truck maintenance facility for fluid changes and chassis lube and believed they did what they said they'd done. And I think they did what they said they'd done to the extent of their knowledge.

This fall, we decided to take the Anthem to an Entegra dealer who is also a Spartan repair facility a 4 hours drive from home to get the slides adjusted and a general checkup. On the second day the coach was down there I got a call from the tech doing the chassis check and he mentioned at most of the zerks on the chassis we very dry and appeared they hadn't been greased in over a year. He said he pumped a lot of grease but the upside is that the seals all appeared to be in decent shape. Of the 30 plus zerks on the Spartan chassis he thought the "common" or "easy" to see zerks got attention and the others were neglected.

So I learned a potentially expensive lesson - although herding our coach 4 hours away over the mountains to an Entegra dealer is a PITA it may well be the best choice for our safety and budget.

John

Had the very same deal happen at the Oasis Freightliner Center in Fayetteville. Fellow slid around on the creeper and when I checked after getting home he got more grease on the area around the zerks than in them plus missed all the higher ones. Still cost me over 200 bucks and I wouldn't up doing it myself. 2016 Tuscany 42GX

[Milford 47]

Following along on this subject, what is your grease preference? I always use a premium grease but there are several choices and the last tube I used was Lucas.

[dickb46]

I'm sure glad I have a Freightliner. All I have to do is take it in, come back the next day, give the dealer $1000 and I'm good for another year.
They even toss in an oil change.

[Craneboy302]

757 driver can you email me that list of fittings?? I’m sure I missed some. I have a 15 aspire with a straight axle. Thanks b.

[Gary.Jones]

Craneboy

Just copy and paste it from this forum directly to word processor or notes software. Couple of clicks.

Gary

[Rebel IL]

If you have a side radiator, do not forget the fan drive shaft. Spartan or FL, there are 3 on each shaft. None of you discussed that, and most shops miss them because you cannot see them from the pit!!!

[757driver]

Originally Posted by Rebel IL

If you have a side radiator, do not forget the fan drive shaft. Spartan or FL, there are 3 on each shaft. None of you discussed that, and most shops miss them because you cannot see them from the pit!!!

No shafts and no grease zerks on my Spartan chassis. Depends on the year.

[757driver]

Originally Posted by Craneboy302

757 driver can you email me that list of fittings?? I’m sure I missed some. I have a 15 aspire with a straight axle. Thanks b.

As mentioned you can copy the one here, but I don’t think it will be totally accurate for a straight front axle.

[Flanz]

Originally Posted by 757driver

I use this list which I obtained from a forum member.

Thanks Don,

Just completed greasing the chassis and your list is spot on!! I’m glad I followed it because I would only come up with 29 grease zerks. The one that I never saw was above the steering gear prior to the shaft going into the MH. Fortunately, Spartan always greased it.

Thanks again for posting the list.

[Satellite20]

This is a great thread to read. I now need to know where to get a listing of grease fittings on my National RV, Sea Breeze model. It sits on a Work Horse chassis. Any idea where I can get the list and should I take the list with me to the service shop?