The beginning of a new Adventure

Topic: The beginning of a new Adventure (Read 2182 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #25 – November 20, 2017, 08:37:09 am

Best advice. Don't push too fast/long first couple of days. Initial CG setups will take longer and you don't want to be tired from a long drive when you do it.

Work out hand signals with your better half so you can get her help backing into sites. Make sure she looks UP as well as at the ground.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #26 – November 20, 2017, 09:18:58 am

You said you have driven a 26' gasser, so this new coach won't be as big a shock to drive as it was for some of us "newbies". When you do your parking lot practice (prior to leaving NAC), pay close attention to the turning radius. Your new-to-you Foretravel will be 10' longer, and it might not have the same the same wheel cut. In the 4 years we have owned our coach, ALL of our "sweaty arm pit" moments have been due to ME badly misjudging a turn.

These errors usually occur when entering (or leaving) strange RV parks, or when stopping for fuel. We had to sit at a fuel pump one time for almost an hour, waiting for a delivery truck that pulled in front of us to move so we could pull out. It's even more critical if you are pulling a towd. You can't pull forward - you can't back up - people are getting pissed at you...and you sit there REALLY wishing you had a "DO OVER". If I am contemplating entering a potentially tight spot, I try to look at it using Google earth on the laptop. That has often saved me from getting in a bind.

Good luck on your maiden voyage!

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #27 – November 20, 2017, 12:21:06 pm

Well I have driven it, and parked it.
It is big and will take some time to get used to.
I do like it!

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #28 – November 20, 2017, 02:39:58 pm

Congratulations and Enjoy!

Michael

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #29 – November 22, 2017, 08:08:19 am

I just bought a 19 year old house that has 70 mph winds, lots of bumps, etc for 122k miles.
The systems are 19 years old and I assume some of the maintenance work was not done all that well. I also assume it has been sitting unused for a while.
I expect to have lots of issues for a while until I get it under control. At that point I hope to keep it up and use it for a long time.

I had a couple of hours to go in every coach at MOT and none fit my needs as well as this one. Some were at least 5x the cost. It is obvious to me the previous owners took care of it. For me it is a plus they didn't update things as I want to do updates to our taste.

If you read a post from me about a problem please understand I am not complaining just wanting to use the collection of knowledge I have found here.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #30 – November 22, 2017, 08:23:43 am

Quote from: mattschilds – November 22, 2017, 08:08:19 am

For me it is a plus they didn't update things as I want to do updates to our taste.

Sounds like you are going into this with a excellent attitude. You make a great point - a coach that has not been updated is a blank canvas, ready for your custom touches. Take care of any mechanical concerns first, so you know you have a safe, reliable driver. After that, you can take your time with the cosmetic, comfort and "bling" upgrades. After you use (or live in) it for a while, you will generate a "to do" list. As soon as you scratch one item off the top of the list, another will appear on the bottom. After 4+ years, I'm still working on our list. That's why I call our coach my "hobby". It happily absorbs all my spare time (and cash).

Good luck!

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #31 – November 22, 2017, 01:31:56 pm

Maybe one more tip that you won't need but it was a big help for us.

We rent in-door storage and the back-in spaces are VERY narrow, i.e. not much space between vehicles. We appreciate that our new neighbor is a boat owner which gives us a little extra room.

Initially, however, when we first got our FT, we took it to a nearby empty parking lot and marked the position of the wheels. I then locked the steering wheel to turn and backed up into a marked parking space. After finding the correct initial starting position to end up where we wanted to be with a "locked steering wheel, I measured the turning radius. Then, we went to storage facility and marked the starting position with tape on the floor, next to where tires would be. When we brought the FT into the facility, we re-aligned the tires to the "x" marked spot, locked the steering wheel in the turn position, and backed up exactly where we wanted to be.

We also did same to get through "garage door entrance" and to ensure alignment there, I added a small "stick-on" to upper windshield - visually aligned with telephone pole - to facilitate aligning the FT before getting to "x" spot, used to begin turn. Since clearances are so narrow, DW watches carefully and gives hand signals to make minor corrections. USUALLY works like a charm, unless we are tired or she is mad at me. :-)

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #32 – November 24, 2017, 10:06:03 am

Well phase 1 of the new adventure is over. I got it home and parked without hitting anything other than bugs. It got pretty close to a tree in the driveway with the top of the coach. The driveway leans pretty hard at that point and even though the wheels were well away from it the top almost hit +- 6". Nice Sandi was spotting for me. It went in our driveway without having to raise the back. The tree is going to have a bad day tomorrow.

The first 5 or 6 hours were pretty stressful as I had no feel for how to drive the coach. Tight shoulders, getting tired really quickly. Brett's advice to take it easy the first couple of days was perfect. The third day it kind of clicked and I could relax and just drive. Yesterday I drove about 7 hours and was tired but not near as bad as day 1 after 3 hours. Took I85 through downtown Atlanta yesterday which was pretty intense with lots of traffic and people are just flying.

Met a friend from Ontario I had not seen in 10 years yesterday and we had lunch and talked for hours. Getting to see him and catch up was a highlight of the trip. Getting to drive his Porsche GT4 was a nice bonus. Pretty amazing car.

There was a ton of road construction going on on 85 north of Atlanta I made my way through after dark. Poor signage, lots of traffic, and marginal headlights made it less than fun. I would be rolling along in the right lane and I would go around a bend or over a hill and the lane would just end or turn into an exit. I was taking it pretty easy and trying to keep away from as much traffic as possible so it worked out.

The oil leak on the first day tossed me for a loop but I think I have figured out where it is coming from. I am pretty sure it's just the crush washer on the oil drain plug letting oil pass by when pressure builds up. I will be a bit messy to fix but easy enough.

The M11 is a dream motor, plenty of power, smooth, and just fun to drive. I was rolling along on a nice smooth road and wasn't paying attention to my speed all that well. I looked down and was well into ticket range on a 70 mph road. For the most part I just drove the speed limit with the economy button turned on. 1500 rpm is 70 mph and that seems to be the speed the coach likes.

From the start I had house battery issues. They would hold a charge for a while at first but pretty quickly they just dropped down to around 6 volts. Not knowing the coach and how any of the systems worked let to some frustration. I had all the manuals and was able to do some troubleshooting.

Replacing the batteries on day three was not optimum. I didn't get to spend time shopping. Sandi called around and found an Interstate dealer with 3 8d's and a shop I could get the coach in near Jackson MS. A couple hours and the better part of a CB later managing the power got a lot simpler. The last two days and nights the Aqua-Hot got a workout and it is amazing. The new batteries seem to have solved all the electrical glitches and made the last two nights really enjoyable.

I stopped short last night as I didn't want to bring it into our driveway at night. Woke up at 4:30, on the road by 6, a fuel, and breakfast stop was in order as I ran out of food and diesel is .30 cents cheaper in SC than NC. I put the coach on a scale that gave me axle weight but not individual wheel weights. 10,340 on the front axle and 18,360 on the rear. Full of fuel but almost out of water so the base weight will go up at least 800 lbs. Still pretty far from the 34,880 GVWR.

I have a pretty big to do list but it can wait until tomorrow. I am going to get the coach plugged in then take the rest of the day off. Thanks to all for the tips and encouragement over the last couple of weeks.

Sorry for the rambling post but I wanted to get it written down before I lost it.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #33 – November 24, 2017, 10:28:04 am

Glad you made the trip without any skin damage. You have a coach that is very common on the forum so just ask questions when you need to. The oil pan doesn't build up pressure, but the oil gets thinner. Hard to believe that the drain plug washer could be the problem, let us know the cause of the leak when you find it

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #34 – November 24, 2017, 11:07:49 am

Quote from: craneman – November 24, 2017, 10:28:04 am

Hard to believe that the drain plug washer could be the problem, let us know the cause of the leak when you find it

What points me to that is the pattern of oil on the underside of the coach.
I am assuming the dry point farthest forward is the source. That dry point is at the drain plug. There is zero oil towards the front of the coach from there. The spray pattern is consistent with this being the source as it fans out from there. There is no constant leak if the motor is not on and being run down the road. Now that I am home I am going to raise it and block it up and run the motor to see if I can find the drip.
In 900+ miles I can't really see the oil level change much at all so it's not a lot of oil, just a big mess.

I am open for suggestions but this is the best I have at this point.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #35 – November 24, 2017, 11:19:29 am

It is the plug leaking according to your picture. Have you tried to tighten it? There are posts about the drain plug getting stripped by over tightening, as that is an aluminum pan. I don't remember all of the solutions but one was to re-tap with either a bushing or oversize plug. Can you get a picture of the area rearward showing any oil residue greater than at the plug?

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #36 – November 24, 2017, 12:19:55 pm

Awesome post, thanks for the info -

Glad you made it home and had no issues.

Driving at night especially in rain is more of a challenge. If you don't have the headlight modification and are going to drive at night, consider working on getting improvements there - LOTS of threads available by search on the forum on the topic. If original headlights, polishing lens or replacing housing along with upgraded wiring/bulbs one option - best is $3,500 for headlight upgrade back in NAC at X-Treme - careful, they do a lot of nice modes, many coach bucks later....ask me how I know!
Batteries - new ones well cared for will last a LONG time. - again a lot of posts out there - basically

your charging side of your inverter should be set for the type of batteries that you have - if you put in the same type as you took out, should be fine, but easy enough to check by reading manual and checking unit
Try to limit how far you discharge batteries, preferably no more than 50% discharge - again much on this topic via search as to how to measure, a nice battery monitor is actually a wonderful addition, usually installed along with solar - more discretionary coach bucks...again, ask how I know...
NEVER let batteries sit in a state of discharge for any length of time

Aquahot is very nice - plan on annual service and the occasional significant expense vs. Propane furnace, but I love the quiet clean heat, multiple zones and endless hot water. For all my repair $$$ vs my old propane furnaces in my prior U-270 would not go back unless AH was not an option when I and if downsized (likely that a small coach would have simple propane furnace)
Beware the tendency to "awfulize" - thinking an oil leak, or electrical glitch or some other issue is going to cost mega coach bucks. Usually is is something very simple and fixable at a relatively low cost. The back threads on this forum and this group will help you a lot with your coach - a ton of info here on the 1995 - 2003 coaches - occasionally a problem will be in the multiple coach buck and up category, but usually it is just something that needs to be accurately diagnosed and fixed at a reasonable cost. A plus if you can DIY on some of the more mundane things.

Tim Fiedler

Sure Start Soft Start

TCER Direct generator-gas-prod 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #37 – November 24, 2017, 12:34:44 pm

Quote from: mattschilds – November 24, 2017, 10:06:03 am

It got pretty close to a tree in the driveway with the top of the coach. The driveway leans pretty hard at that point and even though the wheels were well away from it the top almost hit +- 6".

Remember that when you are driving on city streets with lots of tall light poles, signs and trees close to the curb. The slope (toward the gutter) of the "slow" outside lane can position the top right edge of your coach perilously close to obstructions. I try to stay as close as possible to the road center line in those conditions.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #38 – November 24, 2017, 12:42:17 pm

Quote from: craneman – November 24, 2017, 11:19:29 am

Have you tried to tighten it?
I didn't have the correct wrench with me on the road as I had to fly in so my took kit was pretty sparse.
I put a large adjustable on it and it was at least pretty tight. I am going to make up some supports so I can raise the back end and prop it up. I want to feel safe under the coach. It will probably be tomorrow I need a decompression day. I need to find the correct washer then I will just drain the oil and check it out. I put a piece of cardboard below the pan and it doesn't drip when the motor isn't running.

Can you get a picture of the area rearward showing any oil residue greater than at the plug?
There is zero behind that drain plug and the spray forward spreads out from that point like a fan I am pretty sure that plug or something really close is the culprit.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #39 – November 24, 2017, 12:54:28 pm

Quote from: Tim Fiedler – November 24, 2017, 12:19:55 pm

ask me how I know!
I have been reading a lot of your posts. I think it's cool you like your coach as much as you do.

your charging side of your inverter should be set for the type of batteries that you have
I had the manual out trying to troubleshoot the charging before the batteries died so when he finished the install I knew just where to go to change it back to a wet battery from the AGM's that were in it. There sure are a lot of books to read through. Four big thick notebooks and an owners manual. It is going to take some time.

Try to limit how far you discharge batteries, preferably no more than 50% discharge
I plan to spend significant time learning about the batteries. So far I have not seen the voltage drop below 12.5.

Aquahot is very nice - plan on annual service and the occasional significant expense vs. Propane furnace, but I love the quiet clean heat, multiple zones and endless hot water.
Amen!

Beware the tendency to "awfulize" - thinking an oil leak, or electrical glitch or some other issue is going to cost mega coach bucks. Usually is is something very simple and fixable at a relatively low cost.
I will admit to freaking out a bit when I first saw the oil. The thing that saved me from going over the edge was the lack of oil volume, and Keith from MOT talking me through the possibilities. I raced dirt bikes for a lot of years and one of the major lessons is to stay calm and think through stuff.

The back threads on this forum and this group will help you a lot with your coach
I wouldn't have bought this coach without a resource like this one.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #40 – November 24, 2017, 12:58:54 pm

I hope you don't need this link, but if you do it will save you time.
Engine Drain Plug Insert

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #41 – November 24, 2017, 01:04:36 pm

Quote from: craneman – November 24, 2017, 12:58:54 pm

I hope you don't need this link, but if you do it will save you time.
Engine Drain Plug Insert

Cool, thank you.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #42 – November 24, 2017, 01:10:28 pm

if you now have wet batteries - be vigilant regarding filling the batteries (maybe add a fill kit) and corrosion in the compartment and on the cables

Tim Fiedler

Sure Start Soft Start

TCER Direct generator-gas-prod 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #43 – November 24, 2017, 01:25:54 pm

Quote from: Tim Fiedler – November 24, 2017, 01:10:28 pm

if you now have wet batteries - be vigilant regarding filling the batteries (maybe add a fill kit) and corrosion in the compartment and on the cables

Yes batteries are going to be hard to check and fill. I will do something to make it simpler to take care of them.

I hadn't thought about corrosion in the compartment. I will keep an eye on it.

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #44 – November 24, 2017, 01:37:53 pm

This type is what I used on my '81 found one on ebay used for 4 golf cart batteries for around $25.00

Flow-Rite RV2000 Pro-Fill RV Edition 2 Battery Kit New | eBay

Re: The beginning of a new Adventure

Reply #45 – November 24, 2017, 04:18:39 pm

Quote from: mattschilds – November 22, 2017, 08:08:19 am

I just bought a 19 year old house that has 70 mph winds, lots of bumps, etc for 122k miles.
The systems are 19 years old and I assume some of the maintenance work was not done all that well. I also assume it has been sitting unused for a while.
I expect to have lots of issues for a while until I get it under control. At that point I hope to keep it up and use it for a long time.

I had a couple of hours to go in every coach at MOT and none fit my needs as well as this one. Some were at least 5x the cost. It is obvious to me the previous owners took care of it. For me it is a plus they didn't update things as I want to do updates to our taste.

If you read a post from me about a problem please understand I am not complaining just wanting to use the collection of knowledge I have found here.

The BEST thing about this Forum is that we have ALL been in your position, pretty much. Ages of coaches and condition may vary ... but we have all been in the headscratching position of needing to reach out and wonder if we are asking a dumb question. NO question is DUMB. May we have a show of hands on how many of us discovered the button/outlet/lever/adjustment/gizmo that was right in front of our eyes for 2 years, but the lightbulb never illuminated in our brain??? I cannot tell you how good it feels when I am able to provide a solution to someone else's issue by telling a tale of my own. (I have had plenty ... and could have sold tickets to several!) We look forward to hearing about your exploits and issues ... never fear. This is a Support Group for Foretravel people ... your non-coach owning friends will have their eyes glaze over if you try talking to them about this stuff ... but us??? NEVER!