Community Forums

AspireDoug · 03-21-2017, 09:33 AM

I have to take my coach in for service on Friday. I was told that MHSRV now has a good service department......we will see.

One of the bearings in the cog assembly for the large drivers side slide out is broken. The bearing is split in half. I tried to get the bearing out and it will not move. I jacked up the slide out as much as I could and I could not get the weight off the shaft. I remember where someone had to cut the whole cog assembly out because the shaft broke (someone in West Texas but I can't find the post now). So I have a new cog assembly on the way here and will bring it with me when we go to MHSRV. They are supposed to fix the problem on Friday.

My question is what to do about the house batteries when you take the coach in for service. We usually take everything out of the fridge and I turn off that breaker. Even without the fridge the house batteries will go dead in 6-8 hours I am guessing. I just bought new batteries last week so I don't want them going completely dead. Is there a way to turn off enough breakers to leave the coach for service for a few days and not have the house batteries damaged? I also have a dash air Freon leak and a check engine light I need to have checked out but we will have to go to a different shop for that work. A few days prior to picking up my new coach in August of 2013 (2014 Aspire) I dropped my MHSRV and my salesman ask if I wanted to see my new coach. Of course I said yes and when we went back to see it the batteries were completely dead. I don't know how long they had been that way but I fought them for new batteries to no avail. I hope someone can help.

Doug

Sweetbriar · 03-21-2017, 09:55 AM

To be absolutely sure disconnect the negative lead coming of the last battery of the bank.

Besides emptying the fridge don't forget the two raw potatoes and the onion that are in a bag under the sink or in the back of a cabinet somewhere.

waterboy10 · 03-21-2017, 09:58 AM

Why not insist they keep the coach plugged in? They should be able to do that.

757driver · 03-21-2017, 10:40 AM

Doug,

As John suggested insist they plug it in is the best option.

Disconnecting the negative battery lead will not be practical as they will need to work on that slide and it will not be long before they re-connect the lead.

Turn the inverter OFF at the inverter remote panel. Leave the charger ON. Empty the fridge and turn off the breakers in the inverter AC panel (above the drivers seat) for the microwave and the fridge. Unplug anything you have plugged into an inverted outlet. Leave the step power switch in the down position so that the steps don't keep going in and out each time the door is opened and closed. Turn off the house climate control. Turn off all lights. Check your basement lights are off. Check the engine and generator compartment lights are off. Turn off the battery switch at the door as you leave.

voltdoc · 03-21-2017, 11:03 AM

With the inverter off (will depower fridge, all audio/video gear, etc) and the battery MAIN off your house batteries should go at least a week without a serious discharge if they were full up when you started.

Problem is the dealer can't be depended on to remember to keep it that way, especially if they need power for the slide.

As others said insist you be plugged in at the end of the work day. If you can make that arrangement make sure you leave the charger on.

MxChief66-1 · 03-21-2017, 12:09 PM

Doug, if they plan to start the day you drop it off it will likely go under the cover for the repair. Each of the covered bays have full hookups and their standard ops is to have it plugged in. Once work is done and moved out of bay all bets are off.

We've stayed overnight their on several occasions and can't recall ever seeing an Entegra in a bay without being plugged in. I'm sure their will be a first eventually.

Mark

AspireDoug · 03-21-2017, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxChief66-1

Doug, if they plan to start the day you drop it off it will likely go under the cover for the repair. Each of the covered bays have full hookups and their standard ops is to have it plugged in. Once work is done and moved out of bay all bets are off.

We've stayed overnight their on several occasions and can't recall ever seeing an Entegra in a bay without being plugged in. I'm sure their will be a first eventually.

Mark

Thanks for the info! I have bought and sold several coaches with MHSRV but never once used their service department.

Doug

Bigd9 · 03-21-2017, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

To be absolutely sure disconnect the negative lead coming of the last battery of the bank.

Besides emptying the fridge don't forget the two raw potatoes and the onion that are in a bag under the sink or in the back of a cabinet somewhere.

Sounds like "experience speaking"????

hawgguy · 03-21-2017, 06:29 PM

I was the guy with the broken cog shaft. I'd be surpised if the bearing was bad. I posted the fix process somewhere here - let me know if you can't find it. Gasman was a tremendous help with a telephone consultation. I live in the middle of nowhere so had to do it myself.

As far as your concerns powering down - you should be fine. I recently left my coach for body work for a week and I don't think it lost even .1 volt. Obvoiously refrigerator is empty. 12 volt cutoff turned off and ALL circuit breakers off. I was worried. I wasn't about to disconnect battery cables and, as it turns out, you shouldn't need to.

TXBart · 03-21-2017, 08:47 PM

I recently took my coach to MHSRV for service. They had it for about 2 weeks. I told JP my house batteries were a little weak and asked that it was plugged in as much as possible. As others said, when it is being worked on it is undercover and has the plug in available but they're pretty busy and I doubt they will leave yours in a spot to be plugged in. When I picked mine up it was in the back, gravel lot but my batteries were in good shape.

As for fridge, you sign a form that says the fridge is empty and there is no perishable food on board anywhere.

AspireDoug · 03-22-2017, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawgguy

I was the guy with the broken cog shaft. I'd be surpised if the bearing was bad.

The bearing is broken in half (see pic)! Even trying your trick and jacking up the slide I could not get the weight off the shaft. This will be the first item (of many) on the 2014 Aspire that I did not fix myself. I'm going to let them replace the cog shaft incase I'm right and there is something wrong that is putting too much weight on the shaft.

Now if they can fix this I can get it into a Cummins shop for a check engine light and a dash A/C issue (Freon leak and possible compressor issue).

Doug

HarleySG · 03-22-2017, 07:56 AM

I just had the following service done on my classic. My shop in Denver has had my coach for a month. All circuit breakers and Inverter are off. Geez, I just hope my batteries are still in good shape. I normally have my coach plugged in all the time to maintain my batteries. Should be able to pick it up this week.

I asked the shop to please be conscious of the House Batteries, because we don't want to get into a discuss, of who should pay for the replacement of 4 AGM batteries.

ECM Upgrade
Engine oil Change
Engine front cover seal replaced
Air dryer and cartridge replaced.
Air suspension leveled.
Generator Oil change and service
Replace front tire.

Cheers!!!

hawgguy · 03-22-2017, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AspireDoug

The bearing is broken in half (see pic)!

Wow!

Memory may fail me. But what I think I wound up doing was to remove the shear pin, disconnect the shaft AND remove the other(good) bearing on the other side of the cog shaft. This allowed for the shaft to drop down and disengage its teeth from the rail. Entegra had sent me a new shaft, cog and new bearings. There is a pin that goes through the cog into the cog shaft that I drilled out. When I replaced all of the new parts I put a spot of JB weld on top of the pin to secure it.

AspireDoug · 03-22-2017, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawgguy

Wow!

Memory may fail me. But what I think I wound up doing was to remove the shear pin, disconnect the shaft AND remove the other(good) bearing on the other side of the cog shaft. This allowed for the shaft to drop down and disengage its teeth from the rail. Entegra had sent me a new shaft, cog and new bearings. There is a pin that goes through the cog into the cog shaft that I drilled out. When I replaced all of the new parts I put a spot of JB weld on top of the pin to secure it.

I ordered the complete kit (bearings, cog, shaft, pin, and weld washers). I had to use a Dremel to cut off the washer that is supposed to be bent out of the way. It was welded too far inboard. Here is a pic of the bearing after I tried to get it out. It just keeps breaking the flange off and the bearing has not moved a 16th of an inch. These bearings should last the life of the coach. If there is that much weight on them the bearing should be much larger.