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A few glitches on the road


mant

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Hello,

We been on the road for about 2 months and am beginning to see some minor glitches to the rig. We have a 06 Holiday Rambler Admiral, Chevy/Workhorse. The first was the backup camera system, it started out working ok, then it was cutting in and out, now nothing. Thinking it over I think I would like to replace the display with maybe a all in one unit, camera, radio, gps, what do you think?

Next is the rooftop AC, we have 2 the front started blowing with the fan only, the compressor kept trying to kick on but couldn't, I took the cover off the front roof AC, and discovered the start capacitor fried, now to find one on the road any thoughts. I think the rear AC in gone two because now it only blows warm air?? Any thoughts as to where I can get these in southern Colorado?

Last our Atwood hot water heater stopped heating, I looked it over and all seems ok, I switched the power from 110v to 12v and it fired up, any thoughts, circuit board? The good news is everything else has been flawless!

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The water heater, I would check to see if you had power going to the element. Then with the power shut OFF, I would remove the 2 wires off the element and check continuity between the 2 contacts. If you have continuity the element is good if not its bad. This is if you are comfortable working with 120v electric and if you have a meter. Did I say when you check for continuity that you should turn the power OFF...............

"It is better to have more truck than you need than to need more truck than you have"

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Start capacitor-- Go to Amazon.com and search for "start capacitor". You will need to match your capacitor to what you find in the list.

 

That is if you can't find an appliance repair store which has one in stock.

 

Southern Colorado is a pretty big place, the city/town may help find a place.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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Thanks I will check out the element today, but why would it run on 12v and not 110v? We will be in the Cortez area on Mon., presently we are in Moab and no one has the capacitor, Amazon does but we will be on the road but the time it gets here. I'm glad it's nice and cool at night!

 

Another glitch just popped up, the Norcold refrigerator is making a funny whining sound while its running??

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Thanks I will check out the element today, but why would it run on 12v and not 110v? We will be in the Cortez area on Mon., presently we are in Moab and no one has the capacitor, Amazon does but we will be on the road but the time it gets here. I'm glad it's nice and cool at night!

 

Another glitch just popped up, the Norcold refrigerator is making a funny whining sound while its running??

It might be a muffin fan or 2 in the coil area installed to circulate air if the condenser temp gets above approx. 135°. I assume your coach has a refer chimney and is not in a slide so the presence of a fan is not certain.

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Thanks I will check out the element today, but why would it run on 12v and not 110v? We will be in the Cortez area on Mon., presently we are in Moab and no one has the capacitor, Amazon does but we will be on the road but the time it gets here. I'm glad it's nice and cool at night!

 

Another glitch just popped up, the Norcold refrigerator is making a funny whining sound while its running??

 

The water heater uses 12v to operate the controls regardless of the heating source. It's not uncommon that a problem on the 120v heater side does not affect the LP heater operation, or vice versa. Your refrigerator can have the same type of failure in fact. In your case though, I agree with George that what you're hearing may be fan noise from the back of the fridge.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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Thanks I will check out the element today, but why would it run on 12v and not 110v? We will be in the Cortez area on Mon., presently we are in Moab and no one has the capacitor, Amazon does but we will be on the road but the time it gets here. I'm glad it's nice and cool at night!

 

Another glitch just popped up, the Norcold refrigerator is making a funny whining sound while its running??

I am assuming when you say the water heater is running on 12V you mean it is operating on propane. Go outside near the water heater and when the water heater is actually heating the water you will hear the propane burner operation. Also you will feel the heat from the flame being exhausted outside.

 

About the fridge. Where are you hearing the whining sound? Is the sound the loudest outside at the vents for the fridge? Is the fridge in a slideout or in the side which doesn't move in and out? If the fridge is in a slide out it should have a fan or perhaps two, mounted just above the cooling fins, which pushed the air out the top vent. If the fridge is not in a slide out, then they usually don't have a fan.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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The water heater wouldn't do anything at 110v but fired up when I switched to 12v. The refrigerator is not in a slide and I here it inside the coach, it's a funny noise more like a whir.

Some water heaters have an on/off switch on the water heater on the back where the wires & propane attach.

 

If it is not the on/off switch then the water heater on 110V, either has a bad heater element or no 110V to the water heater. Should be a separate CB for the water heater somewhere in your rig. .

 

About the fridge. So when you go outside at the fridge vents, you don't here the "whir"? Then it is not a fan in the back of the fridge. Since you hear the sound coming from the fridge, I assume the sound goes away when you turn the fridge off, including disconnecting from shore power as well as turning off the fridge with the controls on the fridge so it is not operating on propane either.

 

Does the sound get louder with you open the door to the fridge or freezer compartments?

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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On the water heater, I guess I should check the 110 switch, that would be easy.

On the refrigerator, the whir stops when I open the refrig and the sound is there regardless of what power source. How do I access the fan to see if it coming from there?

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On the water heater, I guess I should check the 110 switch, that would be easy.

On the refrigerator, the whir stops when I open the refrig and the sound is there regardless of what power source. How do I access the fan to see if it coming from there?

Not all water heaters have the switch. But it is worth looking at. Do you have a volt/ohm meter to check the element and/or to see if there is 110V at the water heater?

 

So the sound stops when you open the fridge door. I can't think of anything which would be on with the door closed and off with it open. I'm at a loss to help further.

 

About the fan at the rear of the fridge. It is unusual to have a fan since your fridge is NOT in a slide out. It is very hard, if not impossible to see, without taking off the vent on the roof above fridge and looking down. Besides that fan would not come on and go off by opening the fridge door.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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Well that is the least of my glitches! I am at this moment stuck on Rt550 out of Durango awaiting a tow truck. I think I fried the transmission, it overheated and now no trans. I thought letting it cool would work but nothing. There is a strange sound coming from the front of the trans. Pump maybe? So Tow back to Durango and the shop can't look at it until next week. Have to be in Sioux City by Sunday. So toad to Sioux City and then come back to Durango then back to Vermont, Jersey, Fl.

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Mant, I know that situation. A couple of years ago the input shaft on my transmission broke and I got towed to a transmission shop (Bay City, Mi). My two nephews got the idea to come rescue me They were in NE Ohio (my destination). A guy there rebuilt the transmission even though in his words "It didn't need it". 1300 miles later the new pump bushing spun costing me a pump, new front steels and frictions (due to the guy grinding on them), and sending the torque converter back to the mfg'r for repairs. Two years and 14,000 miles later the plantarys in the rear of the transmission exploded. I lost lock-up and reverse just south of Columbus Indiana. I couldn't find anyone to even look at it and the owner of the campground was grumbling about me even being there with Labor Day weekend coming up so my wife and I pushed the truck backwards to hook up. We took off towards Minnesota not knowing how far we would make it. We got to Minnesota at a top speed of 57 MPH and long story shorter $2300 later my transmission is fixed by a guy I know and trust..I am planning on retiring my truck soon and would have rather put that money into another truck..........

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I'm thinking the worst, having to replace the whole trans. It's an Allision 1000, there is a shop in northern New Mexico that sells re manufactured units, don't know if I'll need one or not. I wonder what the cost is? The shop needed serial #s to price out an exact replacement, I didn't have it, so I'll have to wait for the shop. The shop in Durango can't look at it until next Thursday.

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The interesting part of the worst place to be stuck, 10,400. Ft right near the top of the pass she quits, in the middle of the road 2:30 in the afternoon and it is starting to rain. I was able to roll in reverse onto the shoulder so I was pretty much out of the road. Good thing for Good Sam Roadside Assistance. They set up the tow, had to wait 4 hrs for the tow truck but that was fine I was just glad someone was coming. I didn't realize you have to tow a class a on a flat bed, so big truck with big flatbed shows up. The driver take a look and says no go, can't get you out of the shoulder and onto the flatbed? I've been around a lot of wreaks and I knew he could do it so after pondering and pleading he set up and pulled me uphill while I steered from inside the rig! Took awhile but he got it up there, wow! Considering he pulled my 21,000 lb rig uphill and up the tilted flatbed and not being able to lock the trailer tires(they rolled up to let the flatbed down so they have to freewheel), so he did all that pulling with only the tractor tires locked! Pretty impressive! I road the rig all the way up the tilted flatbed while the driver feathered the controls trying to bring the flatbed down without bringing the tractor front tires off the ground! He got it and we turned the whole thing around at top of the pass and crawled down the mountain. It was the worst place to be stuck, but the bright side was watching it get resolved!!

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I'm thinking the worst, having to replace the whole trans. It's an Allision 1000, there is a shop in northern New Mexico that sells re manufactured units, don't know if I'll need one or not. I wonder what the cost is? The shop needed serial #s to price out an exact replacement, I didn't have it, so I'll have to wait for the shop. The shop in Durango can't look at it until next Thursday.

I had an Allison go out on me a few years back and I got a used one on eBay for $800, palleted and shipped to the repair shop. We spent a week in a Motel 6 that cost $280. All together, parts, labor, food, motel was $2800 or there abouts. Dealer wanted $4950 for the trans, $6400 installed. The shop manager wasn't too keen about doing the job with a used trans but he also didn't want to turn away $1500 pure profit. A new trans will run you between $5000 and $7000 depending on where you are, the size of the dealership and availability of the parts.

 

-Rich

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2004 Coachman, F-53, 36'

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