Community Forums

Deerhunter · 01-06-2008, 04:12 PM

Greetings
I'm new to the Newmar Owner's forum and would like to ask about three different problems that someone else may have just the answers I'm looking for. I have a 2003 Dutch Star.

1. Overhead lights over the dining table and the sofa bed. They are round and about four inches across. How do you change the bulbs on these?

2. Bedroom Slide - when you start the slide to go out, the closet area on the forward side rubs so hard on the floor it is starting to make the closet and drawer cabinet to separate at the bottom. When I push up on the slide it will lift up and clear the floor. How can this be adjusted up a little highter to clear carpet?

3. I took the RV to my favorite place, Lazydays in Tampa. If you have ever had service there I hope it was a good thing. Mine wasn't.
My dash airconditioning would only be cold when the engine was cold. After the engine warmed up the aircondition air was only cool. After noticing hot air on occasion blowing thru the vents when I was switching the aircond to vents, I stumbled up on the possibility that the heater was not shutting down and the hot and cold air was mixing. I left it at Lazydays for a month and when I picked it up the aircond worked great. I guess I should have checked the heater too. They stated that they changed the valve that switches off the heater when AC is selected. When I decided to make a trip up north in late OCtober to go deerhunting, I realized that the front heater did not work. What I need to know is where is the shut off for the water coming from the engine to the heater. I believe this is all that they did for me to cool the AC.

Okay, that's it. 3 items I sure could use some help on.
Thanks very much
Denver (real name)

Deerhunter · 01-06-2008, 04:12 PM

Greetings
I'm new to the Newmar Owner's forum and would like to ask about three different problems that someone else may have just the answers I'm looking for. I have a 2003 Dutch Star.

1. Overhead lights over the dining table and the sofa bed. They are round and about four inches across. How do you change the bulbs on these?

2. Bedroom Slide - when you start the slide to go out, the closet area on the forward side rubs so hard on the floor it is starting to make the closet and drawer cabinet to separate at the bottom. When I push up on the slide it will lift up and clear the floor. How can this be adjusted up a little highter to clear carpet?

3. I took the RV to my favorite place, Lazydays in Tampa. If you have ever had service there I hope it was a good thing. Mine wasn't.
My dash airconditioning would only be cold when the engine was cold. After the engine warmed up the aircondition air was only cool. After noticing hot air on occasion blowing thru the vents when I was switching the aircond to vents, I stumbled up on the possibility that the heater was not shutting down and the hot and cold air was mixing. I left it at Lazydays for a month and when I picked it up the aircond worked great. I guess I should have checked the heater too. They stated that they changed the valve that switches off the heater when AC is selected. When I decided to make a trip up north in late OCtober to go deerhunting, I realized that the front heater did not work. What I need to know is where is the shut off for the water coming from the engine to the heater. I believe this is all that they did for me to cool the AC.

Okay, that's it. 3 items I sure could use some help on.
Thanks very much
Denver (real name)

"007" · 01-06-2008, 04:52 PM

Busy day today.

Welcome Deerhunter ( Denver) to the Newmar forum and irv2.

#1 Overhead lights you have to turn the white bazel and at the same time pull downward the lens will come off. The 12v lamps are high intensidy and you can find them at a Marine Boat dealer. Don't put your fingers on new bulb use a cloth or paper towel your oil on skin will not help lamp.

#2 Bedroom slide your night table may have caught on rug if the slide was opened with locking bar not released. You have to get in back and inside bed box and see if you can tighten the unit to facia panel or just push into the facia and reattach to facia and wall of box. It as you discribed not pulled off to far some people have completely disingaged them from mountings.

#3 Your heat control valve EVANS is not closing completely to shot off the hot water from your engine radiator. I have placed a plumbing BALL valve in the hose to completely stop the flow of the hot water.
BALL VALVE

Norm Payne · 01-06-2008, 06:44 PM

Excellent reply. The 12 volt halogen lamps can also be bought at Home Depot.

Route 66 · 01-07-2008, 03:05 AM

#3. I suggest Independence or North Trail for Newmar service, as they are both Newmar dealers.

David Smith · 01-07-2008, 02:17 PM

For the light bulbs, also check Ebay. I just bought 20 of them for $.95 each. Before that I had bought them at Lowes and Home Depot for about $7.00 each, compared to the $14 that my previous dealer was asking.

Deerhunter · 01-08-2008, 05:07 PM

007 Thanks very much for the welcome and the reply.
I like your idea and location on the heater water shut off valve. My problem is that the heat is already shut off somewhere and I have cold AC only. Do you know if the Cat 300HP has a water shutoff somewhere in the system that may have been closed by Lazydays Service department?
Thanks
Denver (Deerhunter)

"007" · 01-08-2008, 07:37 PM

I would not have a clue but your statement would say to me that maybe the control for your heater what ever it is maybe not operating from your dash display control. An air line is open or crushed if you have one or the line from radiator is pinched not allowing the hot water to your heater. Could have a blockage in that hose also. The only way I would guess is to try and trace the lines from engine to heater or open off the hose from heater and see if you have water flowing out of it.

Deerhunter · 01-09-2008, 03:57 PM

007 Thanks - I was thinking about looking on top of the engine this weekend to see if there was a shutoff at that position.
I never thought about the vacuum or air line that controls the valve might be pinched. Guess my best bet will be to look for the obvious first and proceed from there.
Thanks for your help.
I've been all through the owners manual and there is very little help listed in it.

Bikeboy57 · 01-10-2008, 04:08 PM

Go simple first on the heater deal. Get the engine hot, and then pop the gennie bay open. You will see the heater hoses that go into the front unit. Are they hot? If they are, then the bypass valve is stuck shut for some reason. The way the Evans unit works is hot water circulates up to the front all the time. If you call for heat, it lets some into the heater core for the dash. If you do not call for heat then, the water bypasses the heater core, and returns to the engine. Go to the Evans Tempcon site for a schematic of the system.

If those hoses are cold, then that loop is shut off at the engine. Look for the heater hoses coming off the engine and heading for the front, there is usually a shutoff valve mounted right at the engine.

Jarhead1 · 01-10-2008, 05:22 PM

I would stay clear of North trail for any type of service.They work like snails and i question their knowledge.

Deerhunter · 01-12-2008, 03:38 PM

Richard - Thanks very much for both suggestions.
I like the simple way first and will do that tomorrow. I'll post the results of what I find.
Hope you are enjoying the weather out in Ft. Worth. Current weather here in Vero Beach is 72 with occasional light rain.
I'm off to the website you mention for a schematic of the Dash heater.
Denver
PS: more boots than Imelda? That must be thousands

Deerhunter · 01-13-2008, 04:43 PM

Richard
Thanks very much for your advice on the HVAC and interior lights.
As far as the lights, I turned them counter-clockwise and pulled the lens right off. Found out the bulb was good by trying it in a different light. I'm trying to track down the source of voltage now to fix the problem.

Next looks like the heater was turned off at the engine and I do have a valve problem. Im going to bypass the electric valve and use a cable driven valve instead.

Thanks for all your help.

Note to all.

I've found that there are other folks out there who have probably experience the same problems you are having. Using this forum and just asking has and will continue to save hundreds of dollars in repairs not to mention the loss of use of your RV while it is in a service center somewhere. I am thankful for those that respond with ideas. Each and every idea needs to be considered before just jumping into it. Patience and understanding still fairs out in the end.
Thanks to everyone for your contributions to my problems.