Generators and bad gasoline
Disclaimer… I’m not a generator tech- I do have a rudimentary understanding of them, have had a few introductory classes on them, and service our own Onan Emerald, so…
Today I had (on the end of a list of things to service) an Onan Microquiet 4K which would crank but not start. In trying to start it, I could smell the unmistakable smell of old gasoline.
Battery Maintenance
I’m just finishing up my second custom inverter install for a client, and for this coach we had room for 9 group 29 batteries (yowza!).
The area we had to install them was previously occupied by the frame mount LP tank, so the height was somewhat limited (no room for 6 volt GC batteries), but the group 29s fit quite well.
Furnace Troubleshooting (the first step)
I recently had a furnace come in- complaint was that nothing happened- no fan, no heat.. nothing.
Whenever I have a furnace problem, the first step I take is to go to the thermostat. This one had a simple heat only, mechanical thermostat. I pull the cover off, switch my multimeter leads to read amperage and hook up the leads across the thermostat terminals.
Measure Twice…. Order Once…..
When I mess up, I have a tendency to mess up repeatedly! This past week I managed to make two good mistakes, once in a price quote, once in a special order…
Air Conditioners and more Air Conditioners
Well, the past couple of weeks have seen a slew of air conditioner service- starting with a simply check out of a new (used) rig.
On this rig (1995, or 11 years old), everything checked out fine- standard cleaning of the LP appliances, testing 120 volt and 12 volt systems, leak testing the LP system, etc. Then I get up to the air conditioner. One glance at the filters, and I figured it would be a candidate for a good cleaning, and I was right.
Orphaned Parts
One of this weeks tasks was troubleshooting a non working electric step. When the appointment was first made, I thought “No Problem”, as Kwikee steps are pretty easy to troubleshoot and repair.
But… when the coach arrived, I discovered that the step is a B & L electric step- no longer in business.
Kwikee Step Repair
UPDATED…
Unfortunately, it looks like the Kincor kit I mention below is no longer available- Kwikee changed the motor enough that it is not possible to take it apart- the unit is not sealed.
An alternate repair method using an Auto Parts store motor is discussed in this RV.NET forum posting.
Original post below——————————–
Electric steps are one of those luxuries that are a near necessity- in a Motor Home, you often need a step to enter, and yet once you are in, you cannot push a manual step in, and when you are in the rig, pulling the step out is impossible.
Centurion Converter
The industry has seen an influx of electronics not only built in China, but designed and marketed by apparently offshore companies. Many of these items are pretty difficult to obtain parts and/or service manuals for (a problem not limited to offshore manufacturers).
I recently had to deal with a Centurion CS3000 45 amp converter/load center which was working, except the cooling fans would not run. A quick check of the fans (typical computer type “muffin” fans) said they were good, they just were not getting any power. Normally this would require the replacement of the converter, but after a few minutes of research, it appears that this is no longer available (a part that’s only a few years old). Read more
