More questions from a newbie....

  So we're about loaded up for tomorrow's first camping trip in our 1992 Challenger 32' motorhome.  We're only venturing about 40 miles from home, and staying 3 nights.  I have about everything figured out, with the exception of manipulating my awning Is it supposed to be spring loaded to the "stow" position?  The PO had never used it, so he had no idea.  After 37 minutes, I finally goy it extended, and found it to be in good shape.  However, the only way that I could retract it is manually rolling it up by hand, which requires a ladder.  There IS like a little crank handle on one of the struts, but it just seems to lock or unlock something.  Has no gears or anything to retract the awning.  I think it's only there to confuse me. 
  Another phenomena is that the faucets run water like normal with no hose hooked up,  I did fill the tank with my water hose, then disconnected it, but I don't hear any pumps running.  How is the water reaching the faucets?  Sounds like air pressure....
  There's only one leveling scissor in the rear (right side)....is this normal? Seems there should be one on
either side...
  Basically after the deal was done, the PO informed me that the gas gauge don't work.  (I'm not a very good buyer OR seller),  sending unit seems to be easy to get to, will try that first.  He was very meticulous on his method of gauging the fuel quantity, however.  He fills the tank, drives to next destination, re-fills tank, and does the math.  He showed me the figures, gets 7.8 miles per gallon. 
  Antenna extends and retracts good, but can't find the end of the coax inside the rig.
  Should we run the Onan generator run while we're driving, or is that not a good idea...
  Other than that, were all set.  Engine ready, gen set runs sweet, all hoses stowed and ready, all lights good (even pull behind trailer lights).  Haven't tried sparking the propane furnace yet, but appears to be in good condition.  Cheers! 

B737doc said:

  So we're about loaded up for tomorrow's first camping trip in our 1992 Challenger 32' motorhome.  We're only venturing about 40 miles from home, and staying 3 nights.  I have about everything figured out, with the exception of manipulating my awning Is it supposed to be spring loaded to the "stow" position?  The PO had never used it, so he had no idea.  After 37 minutes, I finally goy it extended, and found it to be in good shape.  However, the only way that I could retract it is manually rolling it up by hand, which requires a ladder.  There IS like a little crank handle on one of the struts, but it just seems to lock or unlock something.  Has no gears or anything to retract the awning.  I think it's only there to confuse me. 

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YouTube is your friend for anything you want to learn how to do.    https://youtu.be/9Ss72UZXdpw

Another phenomena is that the faucets run water like normal with no hose hooked up,  I did fill the tank with my water hose, then disconnected it, but I don't hear any pumps running.  How is the water reaching the faucets?  Sounds like air pressure....

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You should hear a pump running. Turn the water on and leave it on for a minute and you will hear it. They never operate on air pressure.

There's only one leveling scissor in the rear (right side)....is this normal? Seems there should be one on
either side...

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Yep there should be one on the left also.

Basically after the deal was done, the PO informed me that the gas gauge don't work.  (I'm not a very good buyer OR seller),  sending unit seems to be easy to get to, will try that first.  He was very meticulous on his method of gauging the fuel quantity, however.  He fills the tank, drives to next destination, re-fills tank, and does the math.  He showed me the figures, gets 7.8 miles per gallon.

Click to expand...

Just replacing parts that might be defective is a horrible way to troubleshoot something. Either hire a mobile mechanic or don't worry about it. I never allow any vehicle of mine to get below a half a tank, especially an RV. 

Antenna extends and retracts good, but can't find the end of the coax inside the rig.

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Call the seller.

Should we run the Onan generator run while we're driving, or is that not a good idea...

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Not a problem at all.

You should hear a pump running. Turn the water on and leave it on for a minute and you will hear it. They never operate on air pressure.

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Not for long, it is true, but if the rig has an accumulator, it uses air pressure to smooth the flow of water and is sufficient to cause water to flow for a little while.

My 94 Challenger did not have an accumulator, but maybe his does.

There's only one leveling scissor in the rear (right side)....is this normal? Seems there should be one on
either side...

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Should be two, but if its really a scissor jack (manual crank down?), its not for leveling. It's really just a stabilizer to reduce suspension "wiggle" when parked. You can't lift the coach much using that type of jack - maybe a few inches at most.

the only way that I could retract it is manually rolling it up by hand, which requires a ladder.  There IS like a little crank handle on one of the struts, but it just seems to lock or unlock something.  Has no gears or anything to retract the awning.

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You should have a metal rod with an L-hook on the end that is used to flip that lock tab and pull the awning out while standing on the ground. It should roll back up by itself when the lock is released. There should also be a strap that rolls up with the awning, located near the center. Sounds like both may be missiong, but any RV supply store can provide them.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/awning-pull-rod/4430

After 37 minutes, I finally goy it extended, and found it to be in good shape.

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And how many seconds?  Did you really time, the amount of time you spent on the awning?  OR is it part of the 737?  ;D

I'm assuming your already gone on your trip and don't know if you will have WiFi where you are or not so you may not see this
until you get back - however IMO I don't think for a 3 day trip that it would be worth getting the awning issue figured out 40 miles from home.
If it were to get stuck open or locked up you might be in a pickle.  Just saying work on it at home.  If there is NO spring tension it's
possible that the spring rusted and has broken and therefore won't retract your awning. There could be other reasons for sure.

On faucets running - if I have used the water pump and then shut if off it will still deliver water through the faucets - maybe a few gallons
but it will slow down then and eventually not supply any more until the pump is turned on again.

Can't find the TV cable?  Is there a TV in the unit?  That the PO left?  Could it be hooked up to the TV already?  Just saying it's not
something you usually unhook in most cases.

Good luck on your maiden trip.

    Arrived at our campground, attendant says we can't ride the bikes (motorcycles) through the park, only to go in and out, no joy riding.  (Perfect)... shore power connected, everything working good. Go to hook up the water hose to the "city water" connection, and water spewing everywhere from hose connection.  Looks like hose has been abused and punctured from pliers. Going for new hose at Wally World.  With water hooked up, all is good.  I tried filling "potable water" tank, but water leaks out from underneath just as fast as I put it in.  Never did hear any kind of pump runnng.
  The next mystery was the hot water tank.  Selected "pilot" on control thermostat, opened propane tank, put a lighter to it, she fired right up.  Sooo, my understanding is,  the "potable water" tank is used when there's no water connection at the site, and may contain a pump that moves water to the faucets. Still not sure how to make sure the hot water tank is full. I'm guessing if water is coming out the hot water faucet, its full???  I'm thinking there should be some kind of "blue juice" in the toilet.... we're gonna look at Wally World for that. 
  RV drives GREAT and has PLENTY of power.  I've found that around here, I can coast with my foot off the gas pedal a lot of the time.  All instruments working except fuel gauge, Awning working good and easy to manipulate (still unsure what the little crank handle on the forward strut is for). 
  We are very satisfied at this point with the purchase of our used RV, and for $6,500, for us, it was a STEAL!!!  Thanks and God Bless for responding!  You guys are AWESOME! 

Don't waste your money on the blue juice. What you want is water, lots of water. When you dump the tanks put a few gallons in to start with. Then every time you use the toilet hold the handle down for about five seconds. The hot water tank automatically shuts off when it is full. The water pump operates by pressure. When you open a water valve the pressure in the line drops causing the pump to run.

Sounds as though the drain for your potable water tank is open. May be a valve, or just a simple thread cap on a pipe or tube.

Yes, the water heater fills when ever there is water pressure in the system, whether from the campsite ("city water") supply or the tank & pump.  Just open a hot water tap until water runs out.  However, many RVs have a valve (or set of valves) that allow water to bypass the heater tank and go direct to the faucets. Unheated, of course. They are usually located at the back side of the heater tank, where the water lines enter/exit. Make sure those are not in the "bypass" position.

Do not light the heater without water in it. There is a pressure/temperature relief (PTR) valve on the front of the heater. If there is water in the tank, it will spew out of the PTR when it is opened [briefly]. Remember, though, if the heater has been on that may be extremely hot water, so be careful.

B737doc said:

  Still not sure how to make sure the hot water tank is full. I'm guessing if water is coming out the hot water faucet, its full??? 

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No. Do not assume the water heater is full if you're getting water out of the hot water faucets unless the water coming out is hot.  The way to check it is to go outside and open up the heater access door. The upper right hand corner there will be a valve assembly with a small lever on it. With water turned on either by the water hose from shore power or the water pump is pumping water from the fresh water tank, flip that lever so that it's sticking straight up. If the heater is full, water will pour out the side of the valve. You may get wet so be prepared.  Just partially flip the lever if the valve is hot because you could get burned from the hot water.

Found 3" water fill line for the potable water tank cut and hanging on by one thread.... apparently we don't need it.  The wife just got out of the shower, and is happy!  My job here is done!!!