Finally back in California!

Topic: Finally back in California! (Read 1053 times) previous topic - next topic

Finally back in California!

November 28, 2015, 12:00:34 pm

We finally picked up our 2004 U320 in Kentucky and made it back to California 2500 miles later!
The coach performed admirably with only a few small problems and we had a great trip for our maiden voyage. We had lots of compliments on the coach - even one from a Newell owner! The only issue of concern was the "check engine" light that came on in Oklahoma with the Silverleaf displaying a code of "Vehicle rate of speed change". This also triggered the warning beeper which continued to beep whenever the engine was on. A good thing that the stereo works so well!
Cummins Pacific was able to clear the code when we got back and changed all fluids in the coach and the differential seal. We also replaced the shocks with Koni FSD's. Next week we are installing our Air Force One braking system and then should be ready to go!
There's a lot to learn about our new coach, but we are getting there. One item that no one knows what does (even James Traina) is a rocker switch under the stove. It is labeled "Foretravel" and when "rocked" turns on a green light on it. I can't hear or see anything happening when pushed. Any ideas?
I'd like to thank everyone who offered suggestions and particularly Gary Omel for being so patient in answering questions and sharing so much information with us!
We're very pleased with our new-to-us coach and look forward to future travels!

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #1 – November 28, 2015, 12:38:26 pm

Congratulations, I'll bet it is a nice looking coach. The 42' tags are a good size.

If it is like our 2001, There should be a group of three switches (all with indicator lights) for the Aquahot on the face of the kitchen cabinet below the cooktop. Then a single switch with a light. It looks like a rocker switch but you just push it and it pops back into place. (It is called a momentary contact switch and it activates a relay) That is most likely for the water pump. It needs to be on for the pump to work when water is in use. Someone with a 2003 will post something. These coaches do change in subtle ways from one year to the next.

If it is not that, Then it is maybe something the previous owner had added. i have done lots of those.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #2 – November 28, 2015, 02:02:55 pm

As Roger suggested, we have a momentary switch that turns on a green light in the switch on our '03. If it is the water pump switch it will turn on and off a green light in the bath area, potty room, and in the utility bay. Could check by turning on a faucet and listening for the pump to run.
Dick

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #3 – November 28, 2015, 04:04:49 pm

Have cummins disable that sensor. It is for trucking companies to prevent the RPMs from going to high so their drivers do not go too fast.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #4 – November 28, 2015, 04:17:02 pm

Quote from: bonanzak35 – November 28, 2015, 12:00:34 pm

One item that no one knows what does (even James Traina) is a rocker switch under the stove. It is labeled "Foretravel" and when "rocked" turns on a green light on it. I can't hear or see anything happening when pushed. Any ideas?

Bill,

It could be a switch for a hot water warm up line. Our switch is hid in the cabinet in our bathroom. To check this theory out turn on your water pump at any of your switches and let the pump come up to pressure and cycle off. (leave pump switch on) Now turn on the mystery switch if your pump cycles back on after ~30 seconds you most likely have a water warm up system. If this is what you have it is a great water saving device that comes in handy while you are dry camping.
Remember this is just a WAG as it could be an activation device for warp drive also.

Pamela & Mike

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #5 – November 28, 2015, 04:26:21 pm

Our 42' has a custom option. Maybe yours does too. We have the typical factory supplied water pump and fresh water tank, 110 gallon and the water pump and water fill are part of the main intellitec switch panels.

We ALSO have a fully forward second fresh water tank, pump and fill valve for a total of 220 gallons. The momentary rocker switch turns on or off the fill valve for the front while a locking rocker switch handles the front water pump.

I have to say that if you are using tank water for drinking as we do, 220 gallons is a good match for the supplied black and gray tank sizes.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #6 – November 28, 2015, 06:14:23 pm

Pamela and Mike. i put in a warer recirculation system. A momentary switch turns on a timer circuit that opens a solenoid valve which lets cold water flow out of the hot lines back into the fresh tank and replaces it with hot water. It runs for about 20 seconds and then shuts off. No more waiting for hot water. And no wasting water waiting either. If you are using internal water the pump runs. External water, the pump does not run. Either way you can hear water running back into the fresh water tank.

Hot Water Recirculation

It may be an instant hot water heater relay switch.

Hard to tell.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #7 – November 28, 2015, 06:17:26 pm

Quote from: bonanzak35 – November 28, 2015, 12:00:34 pm

I'd like to thank everyone who offered suggestions and particularly Gary Omel for being so patient in answering questions and sharing so much information with us!

Congratulations Bill, and welcome to the forum & the FT family...that's a very pretty coach!

Gary O. has a little micro chip (like a computer) in the back of that fantastic FT brain for just about everything Foretravel, you lucked out getting hold of him & having him teach you about your coach...he's "top gun" when it comes to shooting down coach issues. I hear tell he's also the one who first came up with the idea of the 3rd valve....like, way back when....

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #8 – November 30, 2015, 12:04:46 pm

Well, I've tried the suggestions and still nothing on the switch! I was really hoping it was a hot water recirculation switch. I have attached (I think) a couple of pictures of the switch just below the stovetop in the hope that someone would recognize it. Should have done that in the first place!
There is a water filter housing under the sink, but it has sort of a cap on it and no filter. The housing says that it is an Everpure EV3065296. Is this the only water filter on the coach (besides the screen filter on the 12V pump)?
Pamela and Mike's suggestion that it could be a warp drive activation switch is very interesting as we had decided to name our coach "Enterprise"!
Thanks again for all the help!

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #9 – November 30, 2015, 01:18:28 pm

The water filter under the sink has a bypass plug in it. The plug comes out and the new filter goes in. There should be a black lever on the filter mount that shuts the water off while you make the switch but there is always a bit of dribble.

There may be other filters in your wet bay, that is where they would be. They are usually set up to filter incoming water.

Where do you turn on power to the water pump?

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #10 – November 30, 2015, 04:31:16 pm

Hi - Bill
Congrats on the "New" coach. Here's another WAG. Could this be a propane activation/shut off switch? I don't know if Foretravel did this, but we used to have them on the boats. A solenoid opens a propane valve at the tank to use the stove when the switch is on.
Enjoy the new toy. - Cheers Ric

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #11 – November 30, 2015, 04:37:32 pm

Looks to me like one of three momentary switches that turn the water pump relay (and green led) on or off. The other two are in the bathroom and in the wet bay.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #12 – November 30, 2015, 04:51:29 pm

Roger, Ric and Tom,

There are three water pump switches - above the stovetop (in picture), over bathroom sink and in the wet bay. I do not find any water filters in the wet bay, unless they are hidden behind a panel.
The coach is all electric from the factory, so there is no propane tank anywhere.
The "Foretravel" switch under the stove does not seem to affect the water pump switches in any way. It may just remain a "mystery" switch.
One other question - The water in the fresh water tanks was rather stale and I am sanitizing the tank. I originally opened the fresh water drain by the 12V water pump. Some water does come out, but very slowly. It appears that there is an electric solenoid valve in the fresh water drain, just before the manual valve. Is that what this is? I thought perhaps the mystery valve controlled this, but no luck. To speed things up, I have just been pumping the fresh water tank out through the faucets and then draining the grey water tank.
Hopefully, it's OK to post these questions in the Discussion Forum!

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #13 – November 30, 2015, 05:18:57 pm

Quote from: bonanzak35 – November 28, 2015, 12:00:34 pm

We finally picked up our 2004 U320 in Kentucky and made it back to California 2500 miles later!

We're leaving NC heading back to the San Diego area tomorrow morning also.

On our way we'll be looking at a 2006 Phoenix 442. Hope we also have positive results.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #14 – November 30, 2015, 05:48:36 pm

Quote from: bonanzak35 – November 30, 2015, 04:51:29 pm

It appears that there is an electric solenoid valve in the fresh water drain, just before the manual valve. Is that what this is? I thought perhaps the mystery valve controlled this, but no luck.
Hopefully, it's OK to post these questions in the Discussion Forum!

Bill, congrats on your new coach. Ask away, that is what makes this forum great. That "valve" is a pressure switch that indicates your fresh water tank level. Hope this helps. David

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #15 – November 30, 2015, 05:52:54 pm

Bill, there should be (there is in mine, yours may be different) a tank drain, hot line drain and cold line drain valve in the bay where the water manifold is. Look down on the floor. There is also H&C line drain valves in the first bay behind the dr side front wheel. We have a 36' 2001. Yours may be set up a bit different.

Best to drain the entire tank and water lines. Add water and disinfectant of your choice (bleach is commonly used, search for sanitizer) through the city water hose into the fresh tank and through all of the water lines. Let it sit for a while and than drain. Add some fresh water and flush again.

See recent posts.

Fresh water sanitizer

Fresh water sanitizer

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #16 – November 30, 2015, 10:29:57 pm

Bonanzak35, back to the mystery switch...
FT labels all the wiring. If it is factory installed at time of build the wires should be printed at least with a number. That can then be cross referenced to the wiring diagrams. Most wires have the name of the device they go to.
Good luck.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #17 – January 22, 2016, 05:04:30 pm

Bill,

Highly unlike answer will follow this caveat (because our switch doesn't have a green "on" light), but we have/had an unlabeled mystery switch in the kitchen of our coach. It sits to the far right, beyond the three AquaHot switches and the water pump switch. What is/was it? "Mood lighting" under the valences in the living room/dinette area.

We couldn't figure out what our switch was because we always tested it during daylight. Finally, we asked the previous owner (duh!).

Since buying our coach, we have realized there seem to be so many custom-ordered, unique variations, we almost hesitate to venture an opinion!

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #18 – January 24, 2016, 06:11:34 pm

Hi, Richard,

Thanks for the suggestion! I am pretty sure our "mood lights" are labeled "Accent" on the regular light switches. We do have a green light that is to the right of the Aquahot switches that comes on whenever the diesel burner for the Aquahot is on.
I thought I had the mystery switch/light figured out by following Ed's comment about checking the wire labeling and cross referencing it to the wiring diagrams. I did this and found that the "C" circuit powers three items, one being an optional instant hot water system. However, it seems that the instant hot water option is equipped with a separate hot water faucet, which we don't have. I was hoping that it would be a recirculating hot water system switch as Mike suggested, but do not hear any pumps (other than pressure pump) ever turn on. There is a small tank that is connected to what looks like an air valve or distribution manifold near the Aquahot that is a current mystery. I thought it might be a holding/pressure tank for a recirculating system, but have not been able to verify that.
I'm not yet giving up on the switch/light!

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #19 – January 24, 2016, 07:14:45 pm

We had one of those mystery switches. Turned out ours turned on strip lighting under the Corian counter tops in the Salon, Kitchen and the Bathroom. We use it as a night light when the Grand Kids visit.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #20 – January 24, 2016, 08:18:39 pm

I also have a mystery switch, I have the 3 Aqua Hot switches, the water pump switch, 2 accent light switches for valance and under counters. And then the Mystery switch far right under stove. All of these switches are located under the stove. No one at MOT knew what it was for. I turn it on and nothing happens, so I will just leave it off because, nothing happening is no fun.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #21 – January 24, 2016, 08:37:03 pm

Forgot to say Congrats on the new coach.

Re: Finally back in California!

Reply #22 – January 24, 2016, 08:45:07 pm

We have an extra switch also. It's the 12volt side of the instant hot. 110v is on the front panel also. Both are independent.

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