Are there any Avanti owners in the forum?

[mcruc]

Originally Posted by DGShaffer

Is anyone else noticing this issue? I have a friend with an Avanti and have found that the floor has a serious depression that looks like it was caused by the slide

I do notice it when the slide goes out after being in for a while but it always flattens out after a day or so, it appears to me that the vinyl rolls out ahead of the roller when the slide comes in. There's a "bubble" of flooring that's probably about 1/2" tall. flattens out which tells be either they don't glue the flooring all the way intentionally or they didn't glue the flooring

Not the case with this one? Ours is a 2806 which has a much larger slide (and presumably heavier)

[mcruc]

Originally Posted by timwoodburn

I've ordered the proprietary cable and tuner assembly for this radio, but forgot to get an antenna. Do you remember which one you got?

How tough was the antenna to install? Do you just take the passenger side roof pillar apart and get access to a cable from the antenna you drop into a hole in the roof?

The antenna is an SRA-25, it's the low-profile marine version made by somebody I forget but it's sold under multiple names. I went with Shakespeare since they made it obvious that they included the flush-mount base which you need (you're not putting bolts on the inside of the MH roof)
I think they all do include this base but it had a part # and it wasn't clear.
I got it via Amazon for $60 from MountGuys it looks.

Yes, not too painful at all. Remove the interior panel(s) from the passenger pillar from the dashboard up -- just the pillar, I recall once it's off you're good but you do need to finesse the panel off and on up around where the pillar meets the roof.

You'll see an alloy box structural frame member. I think they route some A/C wiring near there. I sent a small camera up there to look around on a fish-tape initially but it is what it looks like from below, about 10-12" of dead space above the interior roof up to the actual roof. You can pretty much see up there if you crane your neck and look up through that box frame member.
I saw some reference points from inside (like how far back from where the roof slopes down to the windshield) and drilled a 1/8" pilot hole (from above) and verified that I could see that (put a flashlight on the outside) from inside and that everything was clear for a coax to not rub on. I think I checked that with the bed up/down but do that.

Double-check it about 4 times more and now drill the hole for the antenna downlead, I think it's about 3/4". Fiberglass is about 3/8" on the roof.
Use a fish-tape from below to get close to the hole and you're good to go (I grabbed the fish tape from the outside and always use electrical tape to tape it all up for the way down.

Once you drill the first 3/4" hole in the roof of your new motorhome trust me it's all easy from that point Like I said, double-check it a bunch of times.

I can send you a picture (haven't tried pics in this forum) from the outside if you want showing where the antenna is, basically your downlead is going to be about 6" to the front of where the drop-down bed mounts to the roof superstructure. I think my antenna is about 16" in from the passenger side of the MH.

I then simply set the flushmount baseplate in a bed of marine adhesive (underwater rated) and did the same for the antenna onto the base. fill the hole as well. The marine adhesives are way more tolerant to vibration/flexing than silicone which can peel away and let water in. 3M makes good stuff (like a 4000 UV marine adhesive) which I've used but I use a less $$ variety these days (3M has been crazy-priced in the past) sold at any marine place which is the same. It's a glue and sealant (I checked and I use Sudbury Elastomeric Marine Sealant)

Good luck - nice to drive 500 miles and listen to the same radio station!

[timwoodburn]

Originally Posted by LEZM3

looking for Avanti owners

Got my Avanti 3106 in the shop 2 days now while they try figure out what the right oil filter is for the MaxxForce 5 engine. Apparently they have never seen one without a spin-on filter, and this one has a cartridge.


Even International seems confused. Anybody know what goes in there?

[timwoodburn]

Originally Posted by LEZM3

looking for Avanti owners

I've ordered a 100 W solar panel and controller for my 3106. I've installed one on a former rig of mine and went directly from the roof to the battery input of the my inverter. This was a lot shorter distance than to the battery tray.

But I can't find the inverter/converter on this coach. Anyone know where they hid it?

[MHahn]

Originally Posted by timwoodburn

I've ordered a 100 W solar panel and controller for my 3106. I've installed one on a former rig of mine and went directly from the roof to the battery input of the my inverter. This was a lot shorter distance than to the battery tray. But I can't find the inverter/converter on this coach. Anyone know where they hid it?

Tim,
In our 2806, the Xantrex converter/inverter is in the rear-most exterior hatch on the passenger side of the coach. It's mounted on the top of the compartment, secured to the floor of the coach. The shore power cord and the transfer switch are on the opposite side and feed directly across to the Xantrex. I'm not sure that the 3106 is wired the same, but I hope that helps.
Best Regards,
Mike

[mcruc]

Like Mike said it's fairly visible in the 2806 but your rear compartment is much taller.
It can't really be enclosed due to the need for airflow for the fan. Plug the unit into shore power and listen if nothing else, those things aren't quiet!

[timwoodburn]

Originally Posted by MHahn

Tim, In our 2806, the Xantrex converter/inverter is in the rear-most exterior hatch on the passenger side of the coach. It's mounted on the top of the compartment, secured to the floor of the coach. The shore power cord and the transfer switch are on the opposite side and feed directly across to the Xantrex. I'm not sure that the 3106 is wired the same, but I hope that helps. Best Regards, Mike

Thanks Mike.

The 3106 has a thru-compartment there. And it's empty all the way across.

I've checked in all the compartments, and I'm not sure what this thing looks like, but I don't see any devices mounted anywhere in them.

Be nice if they had a diagram of all the component locations, huh?

[timwoodburn]

Originally Posted by mcruc

Like Mike said it's fairly visible in the 2806 but your rear compartment is much taller. It can't really be enclosed due to the need for airflow for the fan. Plug the unit into shore power and listen if nothing else, those things aren't quiet!

That was great advice!

I had noticed a hum in the rig before when it was plugged in but never paid any attention to it. This time I traced it to the bedroom. It was coming from under the bed. When I opened a drawer I was able to look behind it and see a roomy compartment full of wires and duct work. And the Xantrex. There was also a Tee shirt and a pair of underwear that pushed out of the drawer and fallen into the compartment. Unfortunately, they were not my size.

Had the convertor not been charging the batteries in "absorption" mode the fan would not have been running and I would have not known where to look. It does not normally come on in "float" mode.

Next, I checked in the pass-thru storage compartment and found a 2' square access panel. I removed it and got to one side of the Xantrex. Access to the rest of that unit can be had by removing the floor of the storage bin under the bed. That's where I hope to gain a direct connection to the house batteries from my solar panel. I'm thinking about routing the cable from the panel down through the rear cap and up through the floor. Don't know where the monitor will end up, but we'll see.

[timwoodburn]

Originally Posted by mcruc

The antenna is an SRA-25, it's the low-profile marine version made by somebody I forget but it's sold under multiple names. I went with Shakespeare since they made it obvious that they included the flush-mount base which you need (you're not putting bolts on the inside of the MH roof) I think they all do include this base but it had a part # and it wasn't clear. I got it via Amazon for $60 from MountGuys it looks. Yes, not too painful at all. Remove the interior panel(s) from the passenger pillar from the dashboard up -- just the pillar, I recall once it's off you're good but you do need to finesse the panel off and on up around where the pillar meets the roof. You'll see an alloy box structural frame member. I think they route some A/C wiring near there. I sent a small camera up there to look around on a fish-tape initially but it is what it looks like from below, about 10-12" of dead space above the interior roof up to the actual roof. You can pretty much see up there if you crane your neck and look up through that box frame member. I saw some reference points from inside (like how far back from where the roof slopes down to the windshield) and drilled a 1/8" pilot hole (from above) and verified that I could see that (put a flashlight on the outside) from inside and that everything was clear for a coax to not rub on. I think I checked that with the bed up/down but do that. Double-check it about 4 times more and now drill the hole for the antenna downlead, I think it's about 3/4". Fiberglass is about 3/8" on the roof. Use a fish-tape from below to get close to the hole and you're good to go (I grabbed the fish tape from the outside and always use electrical tape to tape it all up for the way down. Once you drill the first 3/4" hole in the roof of your new motorhome trust me it's all easy from that point Like I said, double-check it a bunch of times. I can send you a picture (haven't tried pics in this forum) from the outside if you want showing where the antenna is, basically your downlead is going to be about 6" to the front of where the drop-down bed mounts to the roof superstructure. I think my antenna is about 16" in from the passenger side of the MH. I then simply set the flushmount baseplate in a bed of marine adhesive (underwater rated) and did the same for the antenna onto the base. fill the hole as well. The marine adhesives are way more tolerant to vibration/flexing than silicone which can peel away and let water in. 3M makes good stuff (like a 4000 UV marine adhesive) which I've used but I use a less $$ variety these days (3M has been crazy-priced in the past) sold at any marine place which is the same. It's a glue and sealant (I checked and I use Sudbury Elastomeric Marine Sealant) Good luck - nice to drive 500 miles and listen to the same radio station!

I completed the sat. antenna installation today and it was pretty straight forward, as you said. Of course, having an idea where to bunch that hole in the roof was a big help. I routed the cable down the pillar and tucked it in between the side wall and the dash, then underneath to the radio and I was done. Thanks for your help!

[timwoodburn]

This is not a big thing, but it is annoying.

When I switch the batteries from "USE" to "STORE", they are disconnected and will not come back on line until the Avanti is connected to A/C. That means I have to plug it in somewhere or start the Genset.

I can hear a relay when I throw this switch, but not when I switch back to "USE". It's always worked this way during the short time I've had the coach, but I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to. Am I right?

[mcruc]

Something's wrong - it's not supposed to work that way. You should hear the relay from over in the control center when it's switched off. That part works for sure

I believe switching it back on should also produce the same noise. The control center at least on the 2806 is in the forward-most lower compartment on the driver side. Has a ton of stuff attached to the wall (electrical control center, the leveling system controller, common hot and ground posts/etc) Listen in that area when it's switched to STORE (you need a really long arm or another person and see if you can locate which box it is and see if it makes any noise going to USE.

When you either plug it in or run the generator, can you switch it to USE immediately or does it take a few seconds before it will switch? I'm guessing the latter. It would appear that the control center is looking for a solid 12V signal from the batteries before switching over. I recall you just replaced the house batteries so they should be good.
Both the generator and the A/C plug in start the converter/charger (and that's the slight delay before it starts putting out it's DC) That starts out with a 13.8V which apparently is enough to trigger the relay.

I'm assuming that once it's switched over via A/C or generator, that it stays in use mode when unplugged or generator shut off?

[ehc]

Just returned home from attending the Thor Diesel Club rally in Goshen, Indiana. TDC is a chapter of FMCA. Thor industries actively supports this club. The rally was held at the Elkhart Co 4H Fairgrounds. In addition to seminars and vendors Thor had their tech's on site for repairs in and out of warranty. I had two minor out of warranty issues repaired without cost. Also the Thor Tech's are available to answer questions about you rig. We were the runt of the litter with our 2012 Avanti 2806, there were Serranos, Palazzios, Tuscanys, Mandalays, as well as other rigs. Anyone interested in joining should check out the TDC website.

[timwoodburn]

Originally Posted by mcruc

Something's wrong - it's not supposed to work that way. You should hear the relay from over in the control center when it's switched off. That part works for sure I believe switching it back on should also produce the same noise. The control center at least on the 2806 is in the forward-most lower compartment on the driver side. Has a ton of stuff attached to the wall (electrical control center, the leveling system controller, common hot and ground posts/etc) Listen in that area when it's switched to STORE (you need a really long arm or another person and see if you can locate which box it is and see if it makes any noise going to USE. When you either plug it in or run the generator, can you switch it to USE immediately or does it take a few seconds before it will switch? I'm guessing the latter. It would appear that the control center is looking for a solid 12V signal from the batteries before switching over. I recall you just replaced the house batteries so they should be good. Both the generator and the A/C plug in start the converter/charger (and that's the slight delay before it starts putting out it's DC) That starts out with a 13.8V which apparently is enough to trigger the relay. I'm assuming that once it's switched over via A/C or generator, that it stays in use mode when unplugged or generator shut off?

Not directly related, but I did get my solar panel/charge controller issues sorted out. I went to the converter/inverter and connected to the battery output. It was a much shorter run than to the batteries. But now that the PV setup is producing, when I switch to "STORE" juice is being provided to the coach electrics, just not by the batteries. And I am able now to switch back from "STORE" to "USE". I can hear the solenoid in the Battery Control Center pick. I can live with this.

[timwoodburn]

Anyone have a source for the Halogen bulbs that come with the Baraldi range hood in my Avanti?