Are there any Avanti owners in the forum?

[mcruc]

I think those are just a standard G4 base halogen bulb. Probably 5w? Same as the compartment lights, should be able to get them anywhere.

I replaced all of our bulbs with LEDs if you're interested, better light and 1/10th the current draw if that. For the range hood, I used (2) G4-CWHP10-DAC (cool white) from superbrightleds.com They are $15 each however but should last quite a while unless they fail right away (which two of the smaller panels of the 18 or so compartment lights did)

You'll note that Damon used LEDs in all the overhead lights except the two warm white ones over the front over the driver and pass. That same part I mentioned in the warm white is what I used for the front two.

[timwoodburn]

Originally Posted by mcruc

I think those are just a standard G4 base halogen bulb. Probably 5w? Same as the compartment lights, should be able to get them anywhere. I replaced all of our bulbs with LEDs if you're interested, better light and 1/10th the current draw if that. For the range hood, I used (2) G4-CWHP10-DAC (cool white) from superbrightleds.com They are $15 each however but should last quite a while unless they fail right away (which two of the smaller panels of the 18 or so compartment lights did) You'll note that Damon used LEDs in all the overhead lights except the two warm white ones over the front over the driver and pass. That same part I mentioned in the warm white is what I used for the front two.

Thanks for the help with the range hood lights. I was able to find a replacement bulb at Ace Hardware and now I can see what I'm doing when I burn an omelet.

Speaking of lights, i discovered by accident that the outside patio lamp was warped from the heat of its bulb. It had created a large hole in the top. The lamp is located on the other side of the wall from the entertainment center. I had seen a leak at this location shortly after I got the coach. Thinking it must be coming through the holes that channeled all the antenna cables into the cabinet, I re-caulked the area and dosed it heavily with Flex Seal. But now I am thinking the hole in the top of the patio light fixture is the culprit. Now to locate a new lamp...

[timwoodburn]

On a trip to western Canada with my Avanti 3106 when the charging system alarm light came on. It flickered on and off for a day or two until I got someone to look at it. The batteries did not appear to be charging, judging by the voltmeter in the panel.

Two shops told me the alternator was bad. I had it replaced, but got strange results. Now when I start it, the alternator does not charge the batteries, but the red battery alert light is off. The chassis batteries take me down the road, showing about 12.2 volts.

After about 1 hour of driving, the red battery light suddenly comes on, and the voltage jumps to 13.4 volts where I would hope it would be.

Turning off the engine, and immediately restarting it starts the whole sequence over again

Got me scratching my head for sure. What's going on here?

[timwoodburn]

Bishko Manuals has a complete shop manual on CD for the 2010-2011 Workhorse W16D chassis. $90 + shipping. Tel. 800-544-3312.

[cshepherd]

I am looking for an Avanti 3106 to purchase. Would prefer a 2011 or newer, I want the cummins. If you know of one please contact me at 435-632-9075.

thank you

[mcruc]

Originally Posted by timwoodburn

...

After about 1 hour of driving, the red battery light suddenly comes on, and the voltage jumps to 13.4 volts where I would hope it would be.

Turning off the engine, and immediately restarting it starts the whole sequence over again

Got me scratching my head for sure. What's going on here?

Tim, what'd you ever figure out on this? I do have the service manual for what I'll call the "power distribution unit" they used on many of these. I've tried (not too hard) to figure it out but it always surprises me.

Yeah, the alternator can charge the house batteries going down the road sometimes and the generator apparently can feed the starting batteries for a while. That was enough for me to quite looking at this without a beer..

It all goes through this power control center which on my late 2012 2806 is the most forward compartment on the driver side.

It would appear this thing has both the starting battery and house battery circuits available since there's that "bridge switch on the dash" obviously. Given that, I think that's the place to focus on.

I think either there's a bug or by design, but any charging source "levels out" both circuits before disengaging one or the other depending on whether the charge source is the alternator or an AC device.

I'm guessing your earlier troubles were with this relay and/or the unit itself.
I'll look at my service manual and see if I can figure this out.

[timwoodburn]

The problem is still not fixed. We were able to get home from our trip to Canada by plugging into shore power every night and supplementing the output of the convertor with a 7A battery charger. That would let us run at least 200 miles, but without A/C or any other chassis systems switched on.

Then I discovered that on a long grade, spinning up the engine to something like 4,000 RPM caused the alternator to suddenly start charging. And when it did, the Battery Charging System Failure light would come on also. It now became our Battery Now Charging light.

It appears that Damon used the Workhorse W16D chassis for this coach, before switching to Freightliner for the 2012 model year. Neither Thor or Workhorse could provide a wiring diagram for this machine.

I have finally, after weeks of searching, located a service manual for this chassis. It contains all of the how-tos about the chassis as well as the wiring diagram for it. The book, and many other service manuals, is available from Bishko Books, tel. (800)-544-3312. It comes on a CD and runs $90 + shipping and should arrive next week.

This wiring diagram will show us where the wires go after they leave the alternator. I have a local Tech here that will tackle the job when the CD gets here. I'll let you know what he finds.

[Avanti2806]

I have a 2011 2806 with a Freightliner MC-l chassis. All of the technical manuals are on-line at freightliner (if you have an account).

I download bits and pieces as I need them.

Cummins does not recommend running thie engine at 4,000 RPM.

[Gdgb23]

Recently purchased a 2009 Damon avanti 3106 with 60k miles (workhorse/maxxforce 5). We took possession on a Friday and set off for NY the next day, returning to Tennessee a week later. Total miles traveled were about 2100. Below are some observations and questions.

1. Using coolant at the rate of 1 gallon per 500 miles. Can't find any signs of external leak. Pretty sure it's the EGR cooler leaking. Positive note, it only burned about 1/2 quart of oil for total trip. I got a quote for $1500 for fix? Does that sound right? Should the dealer fix? I noticed this the day after I took home and it did not began leaking "overnight".

2. The previous owner installed Firestone airbags for ride assist. They worked when we left dealer, now they dont. Probably a blown fuse but have not checked yet. Anyone have experience with them?

3. Wipers won't turn off in heavy rain. Searched other post about a wet plug shorting it out. Anyone have this issue?

4. Microwave doesn't work. It turns on and makes noise but does not get "hot". During PDI I checked but did not actually cook anything. Asked tech and he said it worked fine. My bad for trusting.

5. TV went out while plugged into shore power. All other AC outlets and stuff works. We did have a electric heater plugged into an outlet run by the inverter. Could I have over loaded the inverter even though we were plugged into shore power (30amp). Checked all fuses and breakers, they were all good. Where is the inverter, and does it have its own fuse, or does it have to be reset?

6. The victron 600s battery monitor reads 2 volts when roads are wet. The solar panel monitor and house meter read 12-14 depending on state of charge. Could the victron have a short somewhere that gets wet?

7. Squeaky engine pulley. I did not notice on test drive. Question here is how much does it cost to have a pulley replaced?

8. The black tank flush is not letting in any water. Am I missing a step? I hooked up hose and turned on water, opened dump valve. The tanks did sit 1/2 full at dealer lot for a few months. What's the best way to get working/clean tank out?

All in all it was a good trip. The leaking EGR upsets me, and I am still waiting on a response from the dealer (camping world nashville). We averaged 11.5 mpg at 63mph, no toad. I hope that goes up a bit after the EGR gets fixed. Any thoughts or your own experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Colin

[westy67]

Just found out about these. Seem to fit the bill real well. Too bad they are not making them anymore.
All looks very favorable. Looking to upgrade from a 1994 Damon Intruder. Does anyone want to offer up any additional comments? Good, bad or indifferent. Freightliner with Cummings better than Workhorse with Maxxforce 5? Has anyone driven both? Are hey loud when driving? Or just a normal diesel hmm. I live n Florida- Tampa Bay area. Thanks

[SuzyCothran]

I am very interested in buying a 2010 Avanti 3106. Since almost all these posts are several years old, I'm wondering what you think of this RV once it has a little age on it.

[Gdgb23]

I would stay away due to the engine in them. It's a max force and has an egr cooler that is known to leak coolant into the engine when they go bad. I had one and it went bad twice. Real pain in the butt.

If it has a cummins id say go for it depending on the pre buy inspection of course.


2015 Fleetwood Excursion 35b

[Reid]

We have a 2011 Avanti 3106 with the Workhorse chassis and MaxForce V engine and love it!!! We travel about four months of the year (3 months at Key West Naval Air Station - KWNAS Dec-March) and with a few exceptions meets all of our requirements.

We've not had any of the EGR engine trouble that gdgb23 mentions. I do see the EGR icon come on when the engine is doing it's thing in recirculating a part of the exhaust gas back into the engine.

We usually tow our Mini Cooper on a dolly trailer and get about 9-10 mpg when towing; when not towing, about 14+ mpg.

The storage compartment in the rear is LARGE... We've not seen any other current Class A that has this much rear storage.

We did not like the flimsy Carefree brand awning. Even though it was electric, you had to manually deploy the support legs (if you didn't, the door would hit the underside of the awning); getting the legs out and then putting them back when ready to retract was a 5+ minute job each way. It was also too short. We had a 17' Dometic weather pro awning installed and love it.

We have to dry camp a good bit of the time at KWNAS and have made some changes to the electrical system to accommodate this. I installed four 6-volt batteries for more amp hours of use; also a 128 watt solar panel on the roof.

The faux leather upholstery has become a problem... the small defects we began to see on the arms of the dinette in 2013 have grown much larger; with 12" x 2" wide strips of fabric coming off of the backing. So far have not had much luck in talking with Thor though the manufacturer of the fabric seemed willing to do something.

Hope this info helps...

Reid Gantt

[SuzyCothran]

Reid:

I find it very interesting that you are able to dry camp in Key West with this unit. I thought it was awfully hot inside without the AC running. Also thought there was not much breeze able to flow through the windows. Apparently these were not problems for you. Any thoughts? I really like the floor plan and even the price was in our range, so if I could reconcile myself that we could dry camp in it, I would feel so much better about it.

Also interested in your comment about the upholstery. I really found the chaise comfortable. I'm a 5-footer with significant restless leg syndrome, so I need a separate place to sleep (and wiggle!) Regardless of the unit we end up with, I'd love to find something that comfortable.