Is it normal to have so many problems?

[BigALBigRig]

Hey folks,

Man has it been a difficult first few months. Leaks, mold, systems not working.
I "got a deal" from a local dealership on my Magna 630 and they performed a pre delivery inspection but the problems I've encountered on my motorhome are endless. The highest priority items seem to be:

1. Hydro-hot. The diesel fed system is switching on but not staying on. I've added the proper water/antifreeze mixture but the system cycles off after only a few minutes. Secondary electric system seems to be operating normally.

2. Air-ride. My leveling system loses pressure at night and by the time we wake up the kids are rolling off the bed due to the slope. The air is definitely leaking from the system. Also, it takes about 15 minutes to achieve the proper air for travel mode.

3. Wiper motor. The wiper linkage broke and one of the wiper linkage arms was lost somewhere in Nevada. Where can I find a replacement?

Alex

[CountryFit]

so you think these as "so many"? wait to understand.

(these are nothing... if you are not skilled to tackle 'em yourself, have an rv shop do it for you. in a scale of 1-10, 1 as easiest and 10 as hardest, these are just 1 probably. ask mr d about engine...).

welcome on board!

[bneukam]

Your air system is the most serious. I would not drive it very far until you find the source of the leak and get it fixed. If it takes 15 min to achieve ride height you have a serious leak!
Brett

[BigALBigRig]

Thanks Bneukem and Countryfit

Yeah, air system is definitely on the front burner. That's beyond my expertise. It will need to be brought in for service.

The Hydro-hot issue is frustrating. I had the unit disassembled and followed the trouble shooting but without success.

Hydro Hot is activating. It sounds like the entire unit is running but then after exactly 130 seconds, the unit shuts off. Maintenance manual says that there when this occurs there is no ignition. I cleaned the combustion chamber and checked all the connections but it did not fix the problem.

I think I've narrowed it down to:

1. Nozzle needs to be replaced. (I already ordered one)
2. Electrodes are not activating and thus there is no ignition.
3. Diesel fuel pump is gummed and not delivering fuel
4. Diesel fuel pump is faulty

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by CountryFit

so you think these as "so many"? wait to understand.

(these are nothing... if you are not skilled to tackle 'em yourself, have an rv shop do it for you. in a scale of 1-10, 1 as easiest and 10 as hardest, these are just 1 probably. ask mr d about engine...).

welcome on board!

No, don't ask me, just go to the Cummins forum and search on "dropped valve in #6".
Since I wrote that I've found about a dozen more owners of other brands that have had the same thing happen. It's not just a Country Coach problem, some are Holiday Ramblers and Foertravels.

[2 Stroker]

Alex
Need to got top of page to User CP and fill in your profile so everyone can give you the info you need down the road.
Year-motor so on.
2 stroker

[BigALBigRig]

Thanks Stroker

[cruzbill]

Not really such a long list......As for your wipers, they MAY be made by AM Equipt in Eugene Or. Ours on our Beaver are.

AM Equipment Windshield Wiper Systems & Durable DC Motors

Didn't Winnebago buy CC? Call Winn in Coburg, Or.

Try NW RV Supply in Eugene for wiper or other parts.

Good luck!

[Chargerman]

Regarding your Hydro Hot I think your thought process is pretty sound but you should also replace your fuel filter when you change the nozzle. I would then suggest that you check to be sure that you are getting a steady fuel supply when the fuel pump is running. Lastly, if this all in order but it still will not fire check to see if you are getting spark at the electrodes.
If you are mechanical the suspension air leak is worth a look. I found many small leaks at fittings and the manifolds that were easy to correct by either tightening fitting or removing the hose from the quick release fitting and snipping off a short piece of the tubing, cleaning it thoroughly and reinstalling. BE SURE TO BLOCK THE FRAME PROPERLY BEFORE GETTING UNDERNEATH.
I think it's important for you to understand that the maintenance and repairs will be never ending. I personally enjoy working on our Coach and constantly improving it. If you are not mechanical, enjoy tinkering, or don't mind paying someone to work on it for you rather regularly it will be a very discouraging and frustrating time for you

Best of luck!

[Smitty77]

Welcome Big Al!!! And it can be frustrating for sure...

And to help other who might read this thread down the road, especially while possibly researching the purchase of a rolling used house on wheels, a few comments:

-Very few Dealers, are really ever going to volunteer a 'good deal'!

-When shopping for a used coach, trust no one (X-Files thing.). And or, trust via validation. Having a selling dealer to a pre inspection, well a fox and chickens come to mind!

-Do pay for qualified independent inspection. And use this to appropriate negotiate and price our offer on a coach.

-And though I said to not trust a Dealer, good ones do exists. If a Dealer someone is negotiating with is a good one. Then bake lower costs repairs into the agreement of the purchase price. (I knew we wanted some mod's, and repairs on our coach. Negotiated the price first. Fair but not killer deal, on a consignment coach. But then I also negotiated I think it was 100 Hours of Shop Rates At Costs (Then it was $105, and we agreed on I believe it was $70 an hour. Plus parts at costs, plus 5% to cover handling, on the specific items I wanted to have repaired and or replaced.) (Now, the Service Manager was not pleased about his deal, but the salesman I was working with, and Dealer Manager, made him see the light on how this was a good thing for the Dealership.

-Push hard to see any receipts for the coach. Mine being on consignment, I insisted that they contact the owner to obtain receipts. (Which turned out to be simple, as he had bought and serviced the coach at this dealer. All he had to do was authorize the print out of the service history for me...).

I'll stop here on tips to others for before the purchase. Many good threads exists about these kinds of things.

Big Al - Get a list going of critical items to repair, and one on nice to have fixed changed items too. Then keep a hunk of funds for contingency on top of this. And work our way thru what needs to be done. Take the time to learn your coach, use it for a good period of time and then refine that nice to have fixed modified list as needed.

Go have some fun, and remember your helping the economy!!!
Best,
Smitty

[2 Stroker]

Can't go wrong here. Wish I had a C-13.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...C605&FORM=VIRE
2 stroker

[smlranger]

Several suggestions that you may or may not be able to try:

1. If you can get to Tucson, there is a fellow there who does mobile RV repair and he can do just about anything. He is an expert on Aqua Hot/Hydro Hot systems and most anything else on the coach. Ken Cameron.

2. Kevin Waite in Junction City, OR is a former CC builder/tech and now operates K&M Mobile RV Repair. Kevin also offers tech support for an annual fee. If you can do your own repairs, Kevin can walk you through them. He is also an excellent source for parts for CC's. 541-953-6162.

3. Surely you need to get your air suspension issues sorted. However, if you find you want some CC experts to sort out other issues with your coach and you can travel, suggest you consider a trip to Junction City, OR. That is a mecca for all things CC. You have several choices of places to get things fixed; Premier, Oregon Motor Coach, the Winnebago/CC factory service center (Winnebago bought the former CC factory and now builds Winnebago DP's there. They employ many former CC techs and have a full service repair facility. Their chassis guy, Eric, can certainly get anything with your chassis sorted out).

Good luck with it and, as noted here by others, there will always be something needing fixin' on one of these beasts.

[B Bob]

BigAl,

We bought our Affinity in the Phoenix area nine years ago. I had a much bigger list than yours. I got a "deal" on mine too but former owner had let things go and it took my 3-4 years to get most things fixed. And even after I got things fixed I still have stuff go wrong. But now I kinda know how to handle them.

I spent several years getting out hardly used hydro hot to run well. Your issue does sound to me like a fouled burner. The other problem I had that you have not mentioned is that my 2002 fuel line to the hydro hot did not like the newer diesel and I had the line replaced.

Like a few others in this thread I would check out the air leak too. I have some air leaks myself but not as much as you. Keep in mind that sun position affects the air pressure in the bags. My coach will tilt towards the shade side at mid day and then go down towards level when the sun goes down. I mostly just turn on the auto level when the coach is not level and it goes level in a couple of minutes. I have been having problems with the rear of my coach not going up enough for about a year now. When I go through Iowa later this year I am going to stop by HWH for a fix. If my air pressure is down to zero it could take my coach 5-6 minutes to get up to 115 psi and have the relief valves blow.

[BigALBigRig]

Wow. So much helpful info. B-Bob says a faulty burner...first time I heard that. I truly hope that is not the case.

Wipers: So the wiper issue was a biggie this weekend. It prevented us from driving to our weekend getaway spot due to inclement weather forecasts.
As it happens the linkage are IS NOT missing. I just couldn't see it.

The arm socket is there and it seats back into the ball linkage. The problem is that the socket is worn out and a little oblong shaped on one side. Think of a hip joint that need to be replaced.

I am one of the most handy guys around so I am determined to fix this thing on the cheap but there is a part of me that says go and get yourself a new wiper linkage assembly and be done with it.

As for the air..anyone have any tips on ways I can remedy this myself? Am I out of my depth?

Thanks
AL