The Latest Assortment of Stuff

[chaajoad]

This is unreal. I've had trouble figuring out hot water on the '99 Bounder - posted it here several times and got good suggestions (thanks!) - but tonight I figured it out. I was walking my wife and 9 yr old through the rig, showing them stuff I'd learned and how to work things when - BAM! I was turning on the oven hood light and there was a little rocker switch labeled "water heater - on/pilot off!" I was floored. How stupid can I get? But this is a great example of what no walk-through and no manuals lead to. We're doing our first weekend trip next Sat/Sun and I'd prepared my wife for cold showers. The water now is perfectly hot. Who would have thought to check an oven hood for a hot water switch?

Stopped at a Les Schwab (tire place) and was told the tires are all in decent tread shape but about 7 years old - looks like they came with the unit. If so, they are in remarkable shape for 50,000 miles. The Schwab guy (whom I trust) said industry standard is 10 years - I know the board consensus is 6-7 years. One tire had the beginning of small stress cracks. His opinion was there was no imminent danger but I needed to think about replacing all eight soon - total cost of $2200. Ouch! But I'll do it sooer, rather than later. A flat tire in a car is one thing - in this rig, I think you'd see your life flash before your eyes. Besides - again mentioned here - the cost of the body damage repair alone (assuming nothing was hit, etc) would be well above $2200. Still, it hurts.

But ... we're making a list of everything to take. We know we'll forget something but that's how you learn. correct?

Now for a few questions:

I still haven't really worked on the whole TV thing. I have a new 17" LCD ordered for the bedroom. I'm hoping just hooking it up to park cable will get all the TV we want. Do I need to supply a box of some kind ... ?

And finding shades for the 4 wall-mounted lights has proven impossible. They need to be small (about 5" in height) with a finial top. I'll keep looking but any suggestions ...

I was able to get the driver's seat and the back passenger's seat to swivel but not the co-pilot's seat. The little pull thing at the base of the seat just flops around - no tension at all. I'm thinking it's busted. Not a big deal, but ... maybe I'm doing something wrong. Like maybe the REAL release is under the bed. Makes about as much as sense as the hot water switch 

Last thing - I might work on it a bit later today (Sunday) but when the entry door is locked from INSIDE, I can not get it unlocked. I had to drop from the passenger window. Potentially embarrassing, I guess - is this something someone else has experienced? I'll try some WD40 before going further.

Thanks for everything so far. Any future troubles at all, this will be the FIRST place I look!

Danny
Poulsbo WA

 

[Shayne]

As for as having a walk around-- A good one is very important, yet few of us can grasp everything the 1st shot unless we've previously had the opportunity to be exposed to this lifestyle.? As for the lampshades.? Check the Library for the Salvage stores, Such as Colaw's and others.? These places know exact what you need and ship all? over the country. Also? for the seat, we had a similar problem, Come to find out the little spring under the seat had broken.? Went to an Ace Hdwe and bought one.? ?I had removed the seat and was determined to find it,? and did.? ?AS for your switch, also be careful you don't trip the safety switch or nothing will ignite. On ours it's for the sensor and is located under the fridge very near the floor and evidently I had unknowingly kicked it and off it went. couldn't get any thing to light and it was an extremely cool night in Northern Indiana on New Years Eve.? Cold in Fact.Well once I noticed the little green light was out, it was Bam on the forehead as Larry the Cable Guy does.? How stupid can I get.? Well, I flicked that and all was well and I learn to check for the little green light regularly. As for the door Lock just lube it up real good and hope it improves, May have to take it out and check it.? Not much can go wrong with them, but sometimes they are just an aggravating cuss.? Possibly might just need to be realigned.? ? Good Luck and happy you found the switch.? Been reading your notes and figured there had to be one somewhere simple, just a matter of finding it. And yes manuals certainly help,? Heck, one of those salvage yard might possibly have a book are 2 to help.

 

[carson]

Good Morning, Looks like you are getting close to your adventure.
Allow me to comment on the TV situation. A couple of things to look for:
    First, make sure that the video feed reaches the new TV. There is usually a video switcher box located in the front top compartment, allowing you to feed the cable signal to the rear TV set, by pushing the proper buttons. They are labelled.
  Second, once the Tv gets the video feed, you will need to go thru the AUTO-TUNE procedure on the TV Menu screen in order to search for all available channels in the particular RV park's cable system. All parks are different, unless they are in the same town.
  Lastly, ensure that your rooftop antenna amplifier is turned OFF.
That should do it. I suppose that your new TV is NOT an HD system, in which case others may wish to chime in.
    Good luck on the trip.

 

[John From Detroit]

If it is a key lock that is frozen WD-40 is good for a quick fix but get some proper long-term lock lubricant,  WD-40 is short lived

As for the seat, sounds like the rod that hooks the lever you pull to the pin that locks the seat in position is not connected, should be easy to fix and just get down there with a flashlight you should be able to see it.

NOTE: this was not explained in my owner's manual  Though most of the other issues you may have were

You should wirte the company, they may be willing to send you a manual for the MH. and as for hot water heaters, 'fridges, air conditioners and all the other stuff that is bolted into a Motor home.  Often, if you visit the web page for it's maker, armed with your model number.  The manual is online and can be downloaded as a PDF.  Now there are 2 major advantages to PDF flies over paper.

1: They are small.... You can fit dozens and dozens of them in an area right about the size of your hard drive.


2: They are hard to loose,  I've got mine right under my hand as I type this (That's where the hard drive is, under my hand)

So except for the manual that tells me what to do with the )(@*)#(*@ computer won't boot.... They are real handy.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Re your tires: I have never, ever,  before heard anyone suggest an "industry standard" of 10 years for tire life, RV or otherwise.

If your 99 Bounder has 16 inch wheels, you can do better than $2200 for 8 tires.  Chances are that there is a 16" light truck (LT) tire available in your size and load range and that should not cost more than about $150 per tire , mounted and balanced.  I put some excellent  Goodyears when I had a  96 Southwind - check around.  If you have 19.5 inch wheels, $2200 for 8 is in the ballpark, assuming that includes mounting, balancing and all taxes and fees.

Les Schwab gives great service, but in my opinion their tire prices are pretty steep.  I f needed 8 big, expensive tires, I would shop elsewhere before agreeing to their price.

 

[Jeff]

Danny:

Check out Michelin prices at Costco, they beat Schwab by a substantial margin when I replaced our Pace Arrow tires a few years ago. Had to order them that took about 5 days.

 

[chaajoad]

Thanks for the tips, guys ...

I spent a few hours in the RV this afternoon puttering around as I enjoyed the Seahawks victory. Hooked up a DVD/stereo to the main TV and it works like a charm. Won't blow you out of the RV but for about $40 new on ebay, it's all good. I'll keep messing with the door, look for the seat spring and ck for lampshades with the salavage place mentioned.

Larry? Here's a stupid question. Did you pay a shop to mount the tires? I have a Costco nearby and like it a lot - do they do auto work? I've never noticed. Roamer is right about servicewith Schwab. For that $$$, I can open up a retail account and they'll finance the tires w/o credit check PLUS you get the lifetime roadside service in the event of tire failure. But ... if I cab save a bunch of cash. As a side note, the guy at schwab has his cell # on the card - said to call him ANY time and he meant it.

 

[BernieD]

Check out Michelin prices at Costco, they beat Schwab by a substantial margin when I replaced Pace Arrow prices a few years ago. Had to order them that took about 5 days.

Jeff

Unfortunately, Costco doesn't work with the larger truck sized tires used on diesel pushers. After my recent tread delamination, I decided I was going to replace all 6 tires. Surprisingly enough, I found the best out the door price (mounted, balanced-Equal, disposal and taxes) at Camping World, including 1 year no pay/no interst. Large RV truck tire prices have gone thru the roof and also have become very scarce. None of the Phoenix area truck tire suppliers and dealers could match Camping World's price and availability. Heading over this afternoon for installation tomorrow AM.