Tech Talk Archives 4

[Neweller]

. A
401 8/26/2001 11:14:14 PM 8/29/2001 Greg York gwyork@attglobal.net Newell & DDEC In what year did Newell start using 6V92TA and
8V92TA engines with DDEC? Were any or all 1987
coaches DDEC? What were the major advantages of
the DDEC computer controls?

[Neweller]

Q
402 8/27/2001 6:52:21 AM 8/29/2001 Brent Coursey bcoursey@ineva.com Rust on '78 Newell We are looking at buying an older Newell in the '78 - '82 year range. We looked at one that had alot of the metal panels underneath the coach rusted out and this caused some rot on the plywood panels above the metal. I also noticed a crack on the external skin about 4-5 inches long above the entry door. My question is, when you see rust like this, how hard is it to fix? Could the crack above the entry door be signs of some internal structural problem. The coach has 475K miles on it. As a general question, what should we be looking for in a coach of this age.
Thanks In Advance

[Neweller]

Q
404 8/29/2001 2:39:27 AM 8/29/2001 Greg York gwyork@attglobal.net Late '80s Central vs. Roof Air I am trying to understand how "Central" air
conditioning is implemented in the late '80s
coaches. Where is the ducting? Where are the
air units located? I am making the assumption
that this might be a quieter system than the
roof mounted units. Are there any drawbacks
to the central air system? For instance, can
an older roof unit be replaced with a commonly
available off the shelf unit today? What is
the availability of replacement parts or units
used in the central air system, by comparison?

[Neweller]

Q
406 8/29/2001 2:52:48 AM 8/29/2001 Greg York gwyork@attglobal.net '89 Road Air System On 1989 coaches, there is an option referred
to as the "Road Air System". This appears to
consist of a 24V alternator, split voltage
battery system, and a 5KW inverter sufficient
to run one or more air units from the 8V92.
From a design standpoint, I understand the
theory and attractiveness of improved efficiency
as a result of lower current flows in a 24V
system. Was this a popular option? Will a
coach with this system installed suffer from
higher maintenance costs, parts availability
issues, or decreased reliability?

[Neweller]

Q
407 8/29/2001 9:53:43 PM 9/2/2001 Dean Stoops 67gto@bright.net Rust on '78 Newell I am restoring a 78 Newell. On my coach the steel floors under the holding tanks had rusted badly from 25 years of moisture accumulating there. I removed the tanks and the flooring down to the frame, sandblasted the frame, put a new floor in and reworked the tanks. Most of these things can be rebuilt if you haven't got too much money into the coach. The crack above the door is something I have never seen but if you sight down the side of the coach and the rivets are straight with no diagonal wrinkles in the siding it should be straight. Just some thoughts from a newbie!

[Neweller]

A
408 9/2/2001 5:39:30 AM 9/2/2001 TechTalk Staff techtalk@newellcoach.com Basement Air Elec Loads We would expect to see loads more in the area of 13 - 15 amps per unit. However, there may be some other small loads showing on your ammeters. More to the point, if the a/c is performing well..."if it ain't broke,..."

[Neweller]

A
409 9/2/2001 6:45:36 AM 9/2/2001 TechTalk Staff techtalk@newellcoach.com Rust on '78 Newell With an owner willing to perform the required maintenance and repairs, a Newell will last virtually forever. However, at 23 years of age and 475,000 miles, the challenge is obviously the cost to repair and restore versus value of the restored coach, modified by the "hobby enjoyment" and pride of accomplishment of the restoration project. A major variable is how much of the labor an owner can perform rather than have contract out at retail labor rates.

[Neweller]

A
410 9/2/2001 7:00:14 AM 9/2/2001 TechTalk Staff techtalk@newellcoach.com Late '80s Central vs. Roof Air This is a pretty wide ranging question, but we'll offer some discussion as thought starters. The central air units installed in the 80s were "split systems," with the condenser and compressor units installed in the belly areas, and the evaporators installed upstairs, blowing cooled air directly into the interior. Typically, little or no ductwork is used. The noise levels are comparable to roof units. An advantage of central air is the clean roofline, giving the coach a nice, tidy appearance.

[Neweller]

. A disadvantage is increased maintenance, partially because of connections for the freon lines that run from the underfloor compressor/evaporator units and the evaporators upstairs. In addition, availability of repair parts have become a problem after some 15 years, while roof airs are virtually self-contained, allowing an entire obsolete unit to be easily replaced with a current model. It is not very practical to replace an older roof air with a central air unit, although not necessarily impossible. Simply a question of time, effort, and money.

[Neweller]

A
411 9/2/2001 7:11:43 AM 9/2/2001 TechTalk Staff techtalk@newellcoach.com '89 Road Air System We installed several of these systems in the 80s using 5000 watt inverters. They operated satisfactorily, but suffered from poor reliability. The inverters suffered a variety of failure modes. We concluded that we preferred way to operate 120 volt a/c units was from the a/c generator set or shore power. In recent years, on special request, we have equipped a few new coaches to operate an a/c unit from a Trace or ProSine inverter. However, we still don't like the high amount of dc current flowing through the cabling from the batteries to the inverter to produce enough power to operate an air conditioner. A simple loose connection can start to arc, heat up, and create a significant problem. There are those who disagree, but the Newell staff is not enthusiastic about operating 120 volt air conditioning from inverters.

[Neweller]

A
413 9/5/2001 7:45:12 PM 9/7/2001 Don Koenig donkoenig&juno.com Irregular Bridgestone Tire Wear I had to replace a dual pair of Bridgestone R293 tires becouse if irregular wear. Most of the tread had a depth of 9/32 which is about 40% of the original tread. About 14,000 miles earlier I had the steering tires with"cupping" swapped for the outside drive tires as recommended in the Newell documentation. First question, has anyone else had tires "self destruct" so quickly?

[Neweller]

Q
414 9/5/2001 7:53:40 PM 9/7/2001 Don Koeng donkoooenig@juno.com Bridgestone R293 labels After replacing two of these tires I looked closely at the 4 tires I could see. All 4 had the label "max load single 6430 at 105psi". A "max load dual 6000 at 105 psi" was on 2 tires and a "max load dual 5640 at 95 psi" was on the other 2. All are LR G PR14. Is the label incorrect or are there classes of LR G Bridgestone tires?

[Neweller]

Q
416 9/5/2001 8:09:23 PM 9/8/2001 LOWELL G MICHELS lgmgwm@aol.com 35 to 40 ft no slide out I WOULD LIKE SOME INFO WITHIN CERTAIN LIMITS. WHERE DOES THE TAG AXEL BECOME REQUIRED? CAN A SHORTER COACH STILL HAVE THE 500HP DETROIT? IF I WERE TO COME TO MIAMI, WOULD I DO BEST TO HAVE AN APPOINTMENT? I ASSUME THAT THE LONG LIST OF OPTIONS ARE JUST THAT AND CAN BE ADDED OR DELETED AS PREFERRED. LET ME HEAR FROM YOU. THANK YOU, LOWELL MICHELS MY HOME PHONE IS 952 454 3456---OFFICE 1 800 456 5600---CELL PHONE 612 963 6122--HOME ADDRESS 8095 UPPER 129TH CT APPLE VALLEY, MN 55124

[Neweller]

Q
417 9/5/2001 9:23:22 PM 9/7/2001 d.castor jkc0106@aol.com towable vehicles can anyone advise which suv is most compatible to tow?

[Neweller]

Q
418 9/6/2001 11:03:54 PM 9/7/2001 David S. West SlingerGn.aol.com My 1970 Newell Motor Choach I have just gained a 1970 Newell, I know very littel about. Like the size of the engine,were to get a repair book on opperating parts and body,the value of the 70" Newell,and were can I go to have repairs done in the Roseville, Ca. area. Thanks Dave.

[Neweller]

Q
419 9/8/2001 2:29:03 PM 9/9/2001 Clyde Moore clydemor@cwnet.com My 1970 Newell Motor Choach Mr. West.

Please give me a call. I am in Yuba City and have a 1967 Newell. I may be able to answer many of your questions.

Clyde Moore 530-67109275

[Neweller]

A
420 9/10/2001 8:20:12 AM 9/12/2001 Ed Sandidge esandidg@aol.com Proper Tires? For those who need tires with more load handling capabilities than the Michelin 11R24.5, Goodyear make a G286 tire in both 11R and 12R24.5, load range H. The 11R has 7,030 lbs single/6170 dual. The 12R has a whopping 7,660 lbs single/6,720 dual. Both are rated for 65 mph speed. You can check them out on the Goodyear website.

[Neweller]

A
421 9/10/2001 3:52:50 PM 9/12/2001 ken mccarl mccarlk@home.com info needed i have a 1984 newell 40 ft coach that suffered fire damage in the rear, need pics of the engine compartment, and tire size for the rear tires, also info on where to get rear aluminum wheels, thanks ken

[Neweller]

Q
422 9/10/2001 6:05:08 PM 9/12/2001 Dave Copeland d_copeland@msn.com towable vehicles There are many SUVs that tow well. I have a 2002 Ford Explorer that I tow behind my Newell. When ordering you have to specify that you want to tow 4 down and they have a switch that the dealer adds. Very easy to operate. The only way you can tell that a SUV is behind a Newell is to look in the rear view camera.

[Neweller]

A
423 9/11/2001 10:39:21 PM 9/12/2001 Bob Marlatt insidegolf@cablespeed.com Alignment I have noticed that my new front tires are showing some wear on the outside tread with only a couple thousand miles, is there a recommended toe-in or toe-out alignment? It is my understanding that the straight-axle can only be adjusted in this fashion.