Community Forums

Cantiberos31 · 03-21-2014, 09:20 AM

Hi all, i'm new to the DP side of motorhomes. My new to me Beaver has the 8.3 cummins with 70k and this weekend I will be servicing everything that will need it. Any recommendations to things that should be checked (besides the obvious oil, tranny, and coolant levels)? I am going to change the serpentine belt as the adjuster is almost maxed out.

I will be taking it out next weekend for the maiden voyage and i would like to make things as smooth as possible.

Does anybody have a service manual for this coach? I noticed a 1995 patriot on on the beaver sticky but I'm not sure how similar the two are. Thanks in advance all. Happy motorhoming!

gemert · 03-21-2014, 03:10 PM

Congrats on the new Beaver. I'm jealous! I just bought a 2003 and its still at the dealer getting ready for us. Have a great time.

Steve N Sal · 03-21-2014, 03:17 PM

Congrats on you new to you coach and hope you enjoy all your future travels. Also Welcome to the forum and glad you joined us.

ImagineIF · 03-21-2014, 06:13 PM

Inspect the tires and their date code. After 5 years inspect them often. At 10 years throw them away. Many of the heavier coach owners change them at 7 years. Weigh each wheel position with coach loaded for travel, fuel tank full, and other tanks as full as you would use them. Use that data to determine the MINIMUM tire inflation. Load test the batteries. Exercise all power transfer systems, commercial, generator and inverter. Drain and fill black, gray, and fresh water tanks keeping an eye on the gauges to see if they are reading approximately correct.

Enjoy your coach! We had a Beaver Contessa and really enjoyed it.

Loren Rice · 03-21-2014, 06:53 PM

Congrats on your new to you rig. Two years ago I was in your position. I had owned gas rigs for 30+ years but never a dp.
So there are some important differences in these heavy rigs verses a car or even a smaller rv.
The coolant in the cooling system may be a long life stuff that is pinkish red or orange. It has a chemical package in it that can be checked with a test strip. This is important cause when it gets low or if it's to strong I understand can cause serious problems. If your engine is a replaceable sleeve type engine the low side allows cavataion which eventually ruins engine. To much and you take out the water pump seals. Neither condition is cheap to repair. If you need to add a bit of coolant always use distilled water, so you don't put in hard water which make calcium deposits and start to plug up the system. I now carry several gallons of distilled water, to be used either when topping up my batteries or in the engine.
Never mix green antifreeze with red --much different and doesn't work.

Batteries need to be kept clean and water level maintained. Make sure your starting batteries are fully charged, cause low starting batteries take out alternators. Alternators try to recharge a low starting battery,fast as possible. But starting batteries on big rigs have a lot of capcity and if your house battery is also a bit low -- this combination can hurt alternators,often does.

Tires as explain in the previous post is important on heavy rigs. Tires that look perfect will fail without warning when they get old-- one of mine did, and I had a friend that had a converted bus also had a tire older than 6 years and it failed. Not knowing any better he bought a new tire (never had been mounted and used) off the shelf in a small town, from a shop there. It turned out to be older than 6 years -- it blew within a hundred miles. Air pressure in tires on big rigs-- if it gets below 80% of what is stated on the side wall is considered flat and flat tires fail. So a tire can look ok but be too low. Check tire pressure just be fore leaving
These are a couple of things that can really cause problems-- but many things are similar only a little bigger if you have already owned a mh you will find your way ok.
Hope I've helped a bit,
Loren

Cantiberos31 · 03-24-2014, 12:10 PM

Thanks for your recommendations. I inspected all 3 of my jacks and it looks like 2 or 3 have been repaired. From what i can tell the 4 bolts holding the jack mounts on were sheering off. I took the 3rd mount off and sure enough two of the four bolts were broke off. Replaced with grade 8 bolts, washers, lock nuts and nuts. The originals look like cheap galvanized bolts.. Has anybody else had this issue?

Also, with the coolant.. looks like i'm running the green stuff. Should i flush the side mount radiator and replace with a better kind? what type and brand would you recommend me using?

Loren Rice · 03-24-2014, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cantiberos31

Thanks for your recommendations. I inspected all 3 of my jacks and it looks like 2 or 3 have been repaired. From what i can tell the 4 bolts holding the jack mounts on were sheering off. I took the 3rd mount off and sure enough two of the four bolts were broke off. Replaced with grade 8 bolts, washers, lock nuts and nuts. The originals look like cheap galvanized bolts.. Has anybody else had this issue?

Also, with the coolant.. looks like i'm running the green stuff. Should i flush the side mount radiator and replace with a better kind? what type and brand would you recommend me using?

There is a debate which antifreeze is best some don't like to have to keep checking the orange for proper balance-- preferring to just change out the green every 2-maybe 3 years. It does require a few gallons (perhaps 7) of antifreeze if you change it out, and costs go up more if you have it done. So that is why the long life stuff is around, to minimize the number of change outs of this fluid. I don't know the current cost per gal of the orange /long life or green, perhaps someone who has this done recently can help with information on that. Think though one needs to find out what a change out of both fluid types costs.Then maybe depending on how long you see yourself owning this mh 1-3 years vrs many, one might determine a direction that way. Don't think one is better than the other in freeze protection though.
Loren

docj · 03-24-2014, 04:13 PM

Congratulations on your "new" MH. Beavers are great coaches. I assume you knew when you posted in this portion of the forum that your Beaver was not built by Monaco. As a result, don't expect to get much expertise from the folks who frequent this group. If you are serious about wanting manuals for your coach, I suggest you consider joining the Beaver Ambassador Club which has an extensive literature collection available to members.

Loren Rice · 03-25-2014, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cantiberos31

Thanks for your recommendations. I inspected all 3 of my jacks and it looks like 2 or 3 have been repaired. From what i can tell the 4 bolts holding the jack mounts on were sheering off. I took the 3rd mount off and sure enough two of the four bolts were broke off. Replaced with grade 8 bolts, washers, lock nuts and nuts. The originals look like cheap galvanized bolts.. Has anybody else had this issue?

Also, with the coolant.. looks like i'm running the green stuff. Should i flush the side mount radiator and replace with a better kind? what type and brand would you recommend me using?

One more thought on your current green antifreeze. Sometimes you can find a date on the cooling system. Think I'd look for a tag or some other indicator and try to see when it was last done.

I am glad to know of your bolt experience-- think I'll crawl under my rig an have a look.

Loren

richardgood · 04-10-2014, 09:09 PM

Regarding the Antifreeze. Buy some Hydrion litmus paper which has a range from 8-10. Antifreeze should be in a range from 8.2-9.6. The inhibitors oxidise when exposed to air and the PH slowly drops. Below 8.2 antifreeze becomes corrosive and will eat up radiators, frost plugs and pump impellers. Pink winterising anti-freeze has no inhibitors. The red anti-freeze has extended life inhibitors, thus its longer life.