RV pre-tip maintenance

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Jim W. & Kathy O.

Active member
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Posts
28
Location
Upper Michigan
Hi,

    A big thanks to all who replied to our first intorduction a few weeks ago.  We have been busy with a few things at home, but now we are getting preped for our 'maiden voyage' on Memorial Day.  It won't be a tremendous trip,,, just 800 miles round trip, but we are thinking this will give us a 'leg up' on what we may need, encounter, etc, before setting out on our Michigan to Arizona trip in July. 
    When we got the RV in late March, about a 400 mile trip, there were three mechanical issues we wanted to discuss with people on the forum. 
        1.  The gas tank capacity makes it necessary to stop every 200 miles for fill up... is that expected for a 27 foot Coachman (with 47,000 miles on a V8 460 Ford)?
        2.  As we were cruising at 55-60 mph, the vehicle felt like it had a high differential rear axile (like it needed to shift to a higher gear but wouldn't)
        3.  On our trip back home, the RV had a feel to it like it was a combination between a truck and a dump truck.... any thoughts about whether this could be a universal joint problem or is this a typical feel for an RV?  Having not had the experience... we don't know.
Thanks again
Jim and Kathy
 
I Travel often from ILL to Az and plan my stops around the Flying J's  With their Discount Card every cent helps.  If you don't have one  Apply now.  They are usually a couple to 3 hrs apart.  Gives you a chance to stretch your legs and chow down.  Also you can get in and out of FJ's , where as other stations are miserable to get in and out.  Check out the FJ's on the web and see what I mean.  Also it's a good place in Amarillo FJ to lose your wife if need be.  I did but got her back LOL  Have a great trip and enjoy the RV.
 
1.  The gas tank capacity makes it necessary to stop every 200 miles for fill up... is that expected for a 27 foot Coachman (with 47,000 miles on a V8 460 Ford)?
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I'm guessing this is a Class C on a van chassis?  The fuel tank is relatively small on those, considering the typical mpg of a motorhome.  The Class A Ford F53 chassis comes equipped with a 75 gallon fuel tank, but the van-based chassis is smaller. But if you have the Class A chassis, than 200 miles is definitely not normal and I wonder if you are not being overly cautious? Once you get a feel for how far you can actually go without running out of gas, you may be comfortable at 300 miles or so.  Have you figured out the fuel consumption average yet?  Probably in the 7-8 mpg range?

2.  As we were cruising at 55-60 mph, the vehicle felt like it had a high differential rear axile (like it needed to shift to a higher gear but wouldn't)
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Well, it does have a high ratio rear axle - it must to move that much weight around. It is hard to comment on the shifting without knowing the underlying chassis type and model year, the terrain you were traveling on, etc. It won't get into overdrive as quickly and easily as a car, though.  But it is possible your engine is not performing well, which would tend to keep it out of OD at 55 or so. You should have the E4OD 4 speed transmission and 55 is about where it would get into 4th gear. Does it upshift if you back off the pedal a bit but down shift again as soon as you apply more gas?

3.  On our trip back home, the RV had a feel to it like it was a combination between a truck and a dump truck.... any thoughts about whether this could be a universal joint problem or is this a typical feel for an RV?
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate a bit on this feel? Your RV is a truck, so truck like handling and performance is, well, normal. But I'm not clear on why you think a universal joint may be bad. Is there a  noise or vibration in the drive train that makes you think so?
 
Hi, Shayne,
    Thanks for the information about the pit stops.  Jim says after all his trips out west he knows about those too, but didn't know about any discount cards.  We'll look into that.
    As for loosing your wife on the trip... sounds like a good story.... and it will make me think ahead about not staying in the bathroom too long!
Kathy
 
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