Itasca/Winnebago 40U upgrades

[jerichorick]

Well, I just couldn't let it go any longer. That OME shower faucet is a joke. It is the same one my folks had in there 20' tag-along travel trailer some 40 years ago. Winnebago didn't go out of their way to provide comfort, safety and looks with this one.

I was looking at a video of a 2007 Allegro Bus yesterday and I saw what they had in their shower. After a bit of searching online today I found the one: DF-SA150-** https://smile.amazon.com/Dura-Faucet...ds=DF-SA150-SN This is manufactured by Dura Faucet. I ordered the chrome one just a few minutes ago. It should be here by Monday. I'll report the install and post some pictures when it happens.

Rick Y

[D Lindy]

That should be a interesting install!! At least on our 2012 I see no way to access the control to change it short of removing the wood paneling in the bedroom. Hope for pics of what you have to do to access it. Good Luck.

[jerichorick]

Well, I did it. The following pictures may help. Replacing the shower faucet was not as simple as I first thought. The 4 screws seen in front are to secure the white plastic shower surround to the black fiberglass backing. Here are the steps I took to do the job.

1/ I removed the bedroom door. I pried the top door trim in the hall out to gain access to the trolley latches. Getting the door off them was a bit tricky but doable.

2/ I removed the trolley track, noting where the stop and latches went.

3/ Next the trim nailer/track base had to come off. A bit of care was needed here for getting it free of the door frame trim.

4/ I cut the seam tape where the ~26" panel & ~8.5" panel came together. I had several staples that had come loose from the right side of the small panel. I removed them and used a hook tool to pull the small panel out, working the tool up the wall behind the panel. Once off I had access to the back of the shower faucet plumbing.

5/ With the water off to the coach, I removed the shower hose and the plumbing nuts and then faucet mounting nuts. All of these were a strong hand tight and needed no tools to break free. DW pulled the old faucet out for me and aligned the new one up for mounting.

6/ After securing the new faucet in place I connected the plumbing lines and shower hose then turned on the coach water. We had no leaks! Melissa gave it a test and all was well. Now to put things back together again.

7/ I placed the access panel back on the wall after pulling the old staples off the mounting surfaces. (Yup. I missed ONE!) Because I don't have a 3/16" crown stapler yet (on order through ebay) I used packing tape on the seam. The panel has a good friction fit.

8/ We put the trolley base back up and mounted the trolley track.

9/ Now the door had to be reattached to the trollies. This should have been a simple task. Not to be . Fat fingers and poor eyesight is my best excuse. There is a keeper at the bottom of the door that follows a slit in the door. Once the door is mounted on this AND in the track at the top the trollies can be attached into the mounting brackets on the door top. We finally got our coordination working and the door was mounted. I made adjustments to the hangers to align the door edge nicely.

10/ With a hammer and a board I tapped the hall door top trim back in place. Time for a shower!

When showering I noticed that care should be exercised with the faucet handle. It is easy to bump which could cause the water to become too hot or too cold, or off.

I hope the pictures are understandable without notation. Any questions, simply ask and I will do my best to clarify.

Happy trails and a refreshing shower at the end of the day.

Rick Y

[Jim Estes]

Nice job!

My generator only wants to start with the big engine running. It will go through the pre-ignition sequence...priming/pre-heating...but will not turn over. I have not done any troubleshooting yet. What battery bank cranks the generator? I was assuming it was the cranking batteries. I keep it plugged in to the 50 amp shore tie...always...especially during winter time.

I suspect it may be a bad connection or ground issue...if the house batteries are the generator cranking batteries...

I lite it off at least monthly...and exercise all systems...

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Jim Estes

Nice job!

My generator only wants to start with the big engine running. It will go through the pre-ignition sequence...priming/pre-heating...but will not turn over. I have not done any troubleshooting yet. What battery bank cranks the generator? I was assuming it was the cranking batteries. I keep it plugged in to the 50 amp shore tie...always...especially during winter time.

I suspect it may be a bad connection or ground issue...if the house batteries are the generator cranking batteries...

I lite it off at least monthly...and exercise all systems...

Jim, I truly don't recall which bank starts the genset. Let me try mine.

How good are your house batteries? It is firing off them. If they sag below 11V when you try to crank the gen you have your answer. Try starting it at the oneplace center and watch the voltages. My house battery drops a few tenth on prime and to 11.9 on crank. In cool weather it takes longer for it to fire off. Let me know if this helps.

Happy trails,
Rick Y

[Jim Estes]

Good thinking! I know they sit around 13.3 normally...when floating...I will give it a try...

[Jim Estes]

I wonder how much those AGM six volt batteries cost 😱...I have no doubt they are the original ones...most likely around 200 bucks each...pay to play comes to mind about right now! It is what is...

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Jim Estes

I wonder how much those AGM six volt batteries cost 😱...I have no doubt they are the original ones...most likely around 200 bucks each...pay to play comes to mind about right now! It is what is...

Which inverter do you have? Lifeline is a great battery. I have the original NAPA AGM's in this rig. The Magnum is keeping them working just fine. Some folks get all worked up about deep cycle/start hybrid AGM's. I think that is what Winnebago used in this coach. I have a 6 string 12V system. Now. About the $200. I think you are a really good shopper you a deep wisher. I doubt you can find any good AGM for that price. I hope I am wrong. Let us know what you find.

Rick Y

[Jim Estes]

I have the 2800 Inverter...and you are no doubt correct about the batteries...hope did not last ling in that endeavor...but I have to have em...

Tks!

[D Lindy]

Rick; Give me a heads up when you have to replace your house batteries. That way I can start saving a lifetime worth of savings to replace mine the next year. I'd make a wild guess of around $1500 to replace the 6 NAPA's with 6 more NAPA's.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by D Lindy

Rick; Give me a heads up when you have to replace your house batteries. That way I can start saving a lifetime worth of savings to replace mine the next year. I'd make a wild guess of around $1500 to replace the 6 NAPA's with 6 more NAPA's.

Your right Dana. My suggestion to Jim and all of us with the Magnum TSW is to consider doing a lithium-ion upgrade. I have read a few threads where a set of salvaged electric car batteries were used. You can sell what you don't use from the Li bank. I believe that the newer Li's are not as sensitive to temperature change as the earlier ones. If I go that route I will be guided by my stepson. He has a home built system in a converted pickup. He is a wealth of knowledge. I hope I have a few more years before I have to change out the batteries. I would consider doing the start battery at the same time. So far my batteries seem to be holding up just fine.

[D Lindy]

Well got the price for a new medicine cabinet for our unit to put in the commode room from Lichtsinn RV, HOLLY MOLLY, this thing must be gold plated they quoted $712 for the medicine cabinet. Guess I'll be having the local Amish cabinet maker make me one being as I already have a bottom of custom matched stain to make it match the rest of the wood work.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by D Lindy

Well got the price for a new medicine cabinet for our unit to put in the commode room from Lichtsinn RV, HOLLY MOLLY, this thing must be gold plated they quoted $712 for the medicine cabinet. Guess I'll be having the local Amish cabinet maker make me one being as I already have a bottom of custom matched stain to make it match the rest of the wood work.

Don't yea love being a RVer, Dana? Why are we considered money trees by the industry? Just think of how many more RVs and RV things would be sold if the McDonald's principle were applied.

Rick

[D Lindy]

Same as replacement parts for a car, if you built a car with replacement parts only it'd cost yo 200% more then from a dealership.