Community Forums

dvmweb · 06-17-2021, 10:13 AM

So “We” got rid of the DP bus and went back to a new gasser.
Downsizing, simplifying.
We had a 2013 FW DP for our family.
Well members of our family are growing up and moving on so it is getting down to being just her and me.
We traded it in, got a pretty good deal, for a new 2021 FW Fortis 34MB. She really likes it. Floor Plan. Kitchen with pantry. Relative simplicity. Less costly to maintain. You know.

First Episode:
Well, the first weekend out (last) the waterheater tried to kill us. It nearly caught on fire because propane tube leaked at the air gate slots. It had been misinstalled and the flame shot out from there. It burned the wires to/from the ECO and shut it down. Probably saved us.

Madam emailed the salesman and business manager about the problem on Sunday. I called and left a message at REV industries, Fleetwood’s parent company on Monday am.

The dealership scampered around and got us sorted out by Wednesday. A moderate miracle there for sure. No attorneys were involved , yet.

Part B:
We had a stackable washer and dryer installed. The dryer wouldn’t dry. Checked the vent and it wasn’t flapping so I taped it open so we could dry the clothes. They also dented and scratched the front of it while installing it. They’ll replace that when the new one comes in.

Had that checked and …
There was about 7 feet of dryer hose packed and kinked up behind the unit. They fixed that.

And finally Chapter III:

The in dash AC blows hot air while under load and works fine at idle. So, we’ll need to go to the Ford dealer with that.

The (mis) adventures of being an RV owner, eh?

mack73 · 06-17-2021, 12:53 PM

The joys of being the first owner and sorting out all the less than stellar craftsmanship.

Dealt with quite a few of those things on my '21 Bounder - thankfully nothing like a potential fire. But things like the main propane line coming off the tank rubbing on a metal edge and already starting to make a mark with only delivery miles. Unsupported bundles of wiring hanging off a single wire's crimped connection... yeah that would pull off in no time. Overspray covering half of a headlight. A aluminum burr between the plywood and the TPO roof that was getting ready to poke through... had to cut it out and put some dicor on before it leaked. Clearance light grommet half missing that was undoubtedly leaking in the rear cap, etc

Probably spent 40 hours going over every square inch and sorting it all out. I just remind myself that 40 hours now will save hundreds of hours later chasing down some random intermittent issue

D20 · 06-17-2021, 01:15 PM

Regarding your A/C, that is likely not a Ford issue. If you have the Proair/Evans Tempcon as in the attached picture, you probably have a sticky valve issue. FW dealer is the one to look at it as Ford only supplies the compressor and some hoses. The arrow points to the coolant valve.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D20

The coolant valve is not closing all of the way. When you speed up the engine, the coolant pressure increases and goes by the valve. Common problem, from what I read.

Mine also was working intermittently but it finally is working correctly. I guess I cycled the valve enough from hot to cold to free it up so it would close all of the way. Time will tell if it stays “fixed”.

I would suggest that you start by cycling the valve from all of the way hot to all of the way cold over and over by using the temperature control on the dash. Give it some time in each position to give time for the valve to move all of the way. Additionally you can pinch the coolant hose just before the valve to try to get the valve to seat. Or if you are desperate, you can install a ball valve in the hose just before the coolant valve and just close it for cold air.

I assume you have an Evans Tempcon / ProAir system. Good info here for further troubleshooting. https://www.proairllc.com/design-eng...empcon-guides/

Gary RVRoamer · 06-17-2021, 02:36 PM

Quote:

The in dash AC blows hot air while under load and works fine at idle. So, we’ll need to go to the Ford dealer with that.

Maybe not a Ford issue unless the compressor has failed (unlikely). The rest of the dash a/c came from Rev and is probably an Evans/Tempcon system like D20 says. But it may not be an a/c hardware issue at all anyway. Read on...

It may be "working as designed". If the horsepower demand on the engine is high, the engine ECM cuts off the a/c so that the compressor isn't stealing power that is needed to move the coach. That should happen only under extremes, though, e.g. a really steep grade. So the question may be how much load and how much is the a/c stealing?

petewolff · 06-17-2021, 03:30 PM

The joys of owning a new coach .
Picked up our new Fleetwood PaceArrow in Texas and drove it issue free back home to North Carolina.
First trip was a month later to Disney with 2 grandkids , daughter , wife and 2 dogs.
Arrive at our overnight camping spot and none of the slides will go out.
Found a General RV dealer on the way to Disney that took pity on us and agreed to look at the issue. 6 hours later we were back on the road with working slides .
On the was home they stopped working but I was able to track it down to 2 bad fuses .
Problem continued on and off along with non working dash a/c .
After a couple of phone conversations with a very nice lady at Fleetwood (REV) she suggested that we bring the coach back to them in Decatur IN for repair.
Not really convenient but the best thing we could have done for sure.
They let us stay in the coach at night and they repaired it during the day.
Excellent techs , no leaving the coach for weeks in their lot and a great tour of the factory that built the rig.
Non working dash a/c was a Freightliner issue but REV (Fleetwood) made all of the arrangements for that repair as well.
Anyway we had much better results going directly back to them as opposed to dealing with our local dealer.
Takes a while to identify and correct the issues on a brand new coach and like a house there is always something that requires attention.
We travel with a pad and pen on the dash and note whatever issues we encounter along the way.
Once home I clean the rig and address the list.

77Travco · 06-17-2021, 03:56 PM

The Fortis 34MB looks like a nice coach!
We also "downsized" to a short and simpler gasser. We almost put down a deposit on a new unit but didn't want to wait and bought a "like new" Bounder 33C. I have replaced the Kwikee step gear but no other real issues so far. I think the original owner got it all sorted out for us. Safe travels!

RRR · 06-17-2021, 06:16 PM

Sounds like nothing has changed at FW since 2016.

dvmweb · 06-30-2021, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Maybe not a Ford issue unless the compressor has failed (unlikely). The rest of the dash a/c came from Rev and is probably an Evans/Tempcon system like D20 says. But it may not be an a/c hardware issue at all anyway. Read on...

It may be "working as designed". If the horsepower demand on the engine is high, the engine ECM cuts off the a/c so that the compressor isn't stealing power that is needed to move the coach. That should happen only under extremes, though, e.g. a really steep grade. So the question may be how much load and how much is the a/c stealing?

That is what I thought, but …
Even on the flat with normal load it does it.
Taking it to a Ford garage to get looked at.

dvmweb · 06-30-2021, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petewolff

The joys of owning a new coach .
Picked up our new Fleetwood PaceArrow in Texas and drove it issue free back home to North Carolina.
First trip was a month later to Disney with 2 grandkids , daughter , wife and 2 dogs.
Arrive at our overnight camping spot and none of the slides will go out.
Found a General RV dealer on the way to Disney that took pity on us and agreed to look at the issue. 6 hours later we were back on the road with working slides .
On the was home they stopped working but I was able to track it down to 2 bad fuses .
Problem continued on and off along with non working dash a/c .
After a couple of phone conversations with a very nice lady at Fleetwood (REV) she suggested that we bring the coach back to them in Decatur IN for repair.
Not really convenient but the best thing we could have done for sure.
They let us stay in the coach at night and they repaired it during the day.
Excellent techs , no leaving the coach for weeks in their lot and a great tour of the factory that built the rig.
Non working dash a/c was a Freightliner issue but REV (Fleetwood) made all of the arrangements for that repair as well.
Anyway we had much better results going directly back to them as opposed to dealing with our local dealer.
Takes a while to identify and correct the issues on a brand new coach and like a house there is always something that requires attention.
We travel with a pad and pen on the dash and note whatever issues we encounter along the way.
Once home I clean the rig and address the list.

What was the problem and what was done for the dash A/C?

petewolff · 07-01-2021, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvmweb

What was the problem and what was done for the dash A/C?

THe dash ac was a Freightliner issue.
During chassis assembly the high pressure line was improperly routed and as such landed at the compressor at a bad angle. The assembly tech then forced the line onto the compressor fitting and it did not seal.
REV (Fleetwood) made arrangements with a Freightliner service center just up the road and we took it to them.
Both the high pressure line (all 40 feet of it) and the compressor had to be replaced. Had to wait overnight for parts but it got fixed.