Something easily overlooked in maintenance

[Senior Chief]

Originally Posted by sc3283

Mark your clamp screw somehow(touch up paint, finger nail polish etc) and you will see, they do not loosen.....it is the rubber beneath the clamp compressing, thus creating what appears as a loose clamp. This is why I mentioned repeated tightening of clamps will eventually force the clamp through the hose.

Somehow I'm not getting your concept.

A person checks their hoses and finds a loose clamp. You're saying the hose is compressed- but from what?

You haven't tightened the clamp yet.

Rubber can shrink a bit as it ages and hardens, I guess, but I wouldn't think that is the major culprit in loose hose clamps.

And while I agree that tightening the clamp on a hot hose will drive it deep enough into the rubber that an imprint is made, I doubt very strongly that a nylon-reinforced hose is going to be cut with a hose clamp- its hard enough to do with a sharp knife.

JMHO, of course.

[sc3283]

rubber hose combined with a worm gear clamp is the same as a bolt/nut with a lock washer

the pressure from the lock washer keeps the bolt/nut tight...correct?

the resilience of the rubber does the same with the clamp. Clamps just do not randomly loosen themselves. The force exerted on the clamp diminishes due to the rubber compressing/loosing resilience. This gives the impression the clamp loosened but in reality it is the hose that has compressed.

Like I said....mark your clamping screw in your clamp....recheck it in the future and you will find the screw didn't loosen but almost all the time will find you can give that screw a twist which gives the impression the clamp came loose

[scgator]

In recent years, manufacturers have started moving away from rubber and neoprene to silicon based hoses that REQUIRE attention from time to time as an integrity measure; the hoses are more durable, but do respond differently to vibration and heating and cooling.

[rrs-ase-evt]

Good to see that I am not the only one that does PM work, this is what I do for a living and I would rather come home and work on my MH instesd of fire apparatus. There will be cold leaks for the engine coolant hose(s). But as stated before be careful not to over torque the clamps, you can start to cut into the hoses over time. Nothing worse than to have a hose blow off while driving. So many PM checks and I think the owner of his or her MH can do a much better job than what a dealer or shop would do. Keep up the good work everyone. Ron

[Damon Outlaw]

Thanks for the reminder. I haven't check mine yet but will when I do my oil change and chassis grease.

Do all motorhomes suggest greasing the chassis every 3,000 miles? I thought that seemed excessive, but I do it anyway. Seems like they always need a little grease and I do hear a squeak now and then when it is due, and I can look for torn boots, etc.. And one of the zerks plugged up enough I had to remove it and clean the grease out of the fitting and behind it. I usually add enough grease until the boots are firm or I see grease moving out of the joint. Is this correct? I've got 8 zerks, greased around 10 times and used 1 14oz cartridge of grease. Sound about right? The mechanic that checked my alignment said everything looked good and tight.

[rrs-ase-evt]

It doesn't hurt to lube every 3000 miles. I look at it this way, while your there with the grease gun you can possibly spot problems that may happen later? Just becareful not to over grease and start to fling grease around where it should not be ex: brake rotors, shoes, pads, etc. I will be performing the PM's on my MH just before I put it away in the winter so fresh oil and lube will be present while she is a sleep for the winter. All fuel, oil, coolant filter, air brake dryer are changed and the air filter is removed to check for any foriegn objects. Sometimes I just take the intake hose off and check with a mirror and light. Don't forget the drive shaft if you have fittings. All engines and manufactures have different PM schedules, either by hours, calender, or mileage so check your manual for PM schedules. If you can afford the cost, I have never heard of a engine blowing up because you changed the oil more than what was recommended. It is all about enjoying your MH and the PM is part of the fun, at least it is for me. Many fine RVers on this forum that have the knowledge to do there own work, I have already learned alot from some senior members, enjoy. Ron

[Wanderman]

Excellent Advice!
If it's ok I'd like to add it to my last article about De-winterizing my RV.
That's at:

WanderMan: How to Go From Winter's Slumber to Spring's Re-Awakening!

Not to mention I WILL be checking those, even the hard to get at ones.

Thanks!

Rich "The Wanderman"

[bertman]

I am new to this MH lifestyle as we purchased a new Itasca Ellipse in December. I came from a boat too where I did all the maintenance. I thought crawling around in the bilge of a 43' boat was hard! I can't even see the motor in the motorhome! How in the world do mechanics get to the motor? There is a access hatch in the rear bathroom but requires removal of the sink vanity to open! A few hour job! I can't see sliding around on a creeper under the engine to do any kind of maintenance. Most of the maintenance items would be on the top of the motor. I don't believe I could fit on a creeper under the forward part of the coach to check hoses or stuff up there, either. I need a hydraulic lift! How do you people get to all the hoses and fittings?

[MSHappyCampers]

Great advice Muffin! I will be having full maintenance done next week and will sure remember that! Thanks!