Tech Talk Archives 3

[Neweller]

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263 2/26/2001 7:47:41 AM 2/26/2001 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com Oil grades There is a lot of confusion about this subject. However, although many Detroit Diesel service techs are not aware of this exception to their general rules, the short answer is that multi-vis Delvac 1 oil performs very well in Detroit Diesel 92 series engines. If you are not comfortable using multi-vis oil, you should consider using Detroit's private label SAE40 synthetic, available through Detroit distributors.

[Neweller]

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264 2/27/2001 9:34:58 AM 2/27/2001 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com Electric Heaters Yes, the Cadet heaters are the same as the Square D.

[Neweller]

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265 2/27/2001 4:13:41 PM 3/3/2001 Jack Krokstrom jkrok@hotmail.com Gas Furnaces When traveling down the road in my 1991 coach the burners seem to blow out and blows cold air.What can be done to prevent this happening.

[Neweller]

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266 3/2/2001 12:57:40 PM 3/3/2001 John Clark jvclark02@cs.com Amp hrs I don't claim to be an expert, but I have found that one to two amps per battery, per day is pretty much in the ball park. If more than that, you might check your battery "type" setting or check your batteries for outgassing. A weak or shorted battery cell, corroded connections, or even a dirty battery surface can run the numbers up rather quickly.

As to your the steer tire question, most (Bridgestone, Toyo etc) will have a a smooth very prominent rib 3/8 to 1/2 thick rib running around the outside of the tire. It's sole purpose is to slow or prevent the cupping that often occurs on front tires. The tread is also different and seems to create less road noise than the drive tires. It's probably just me, but I swear the ride is better also.

[Neweller]

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267 3/2/2001 1:12:03 PM 3/3/2001 John Clark jvclark02@cs.com vaccuum venturi assembly I replaced a friends Newell venturi assembly with a 12 volt vacuum pump. You can power it from the ignition key "on" circuit, or connect it to the heater/ac fan control, like I did, so the pump runs only when the heater or a/c is on.

[Neweller]

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268 3/3/2001 6:25:43 AM 3/3/2001 John Clark jvclark02@cs.com link2000 Hi Harold:
I tried to answer your first question not realizing you had two differing situations. The Link 2000 owners manual (1994-97) may answer your questions; page 16 and page 19-20.

If not, you can call Xantrex (they are a Canadian based conglomerate that bought out Heart Interface & Trace Engineering) at 800 446 6180. You may have to play a little phone tag, if you don't like to be put on hold, but they have been pretty good to me on their technical support. Good luck! John Clark

[Neweller]

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269 3/3/2001 8:08:04 AM 3/3/2001 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com link2000 The buildup of "negative hours" on the Link was a pesky little anomaly to solve and took about a year before we uncovered the culprit. But the answer and solution turned out to be simple. In order for the Link to correctly register positive and negative current flow, ALL current must flow through the shunt located on the ground cable between the engine batteries and the frame mounted grounding stud. If you check the ground cable from your starter, you will probably find that it is connected directly to the grounding stud. This allows current to by-pass the shunt and not get "counted." Move the starter ground to the stud on the battery side of the shunt, zero out the Link, and your Link will read correctly. This situation has no effect on proper charging performance, but simply causes the Link to improperly score the game.

[Neweller]

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270 3/4/2001 11:52:24 PM 3/7/2001 Perry Burney easycarela@aol.com Proper Tires? I have a 1989 40ft. Newell w/tag. It has a new set of Michelin 11R 24.5 XZA-1 tires load range G. Is this a proper tire for this unit, and what are your recommended pressures for each axle?

[Neweller]

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271 3/6/2001 7:48:15 PM 3/7/2001 Dean 67gto@bright.net Waste tank I'm planning to build a new black/grey water tank for my '78 Newell. A friend told me that the original tanks that Newell made were of 1/8" mild steel. If I build a tank of mild steel I'm thinking of trying to coat the inside to resist corrosion. Does anybody know if Newell did anything on the original tanks or if I should coat this one. Anybody got any suggestions for what to coat it with? Thanks, Dean

[Neweller]

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272 3/7/2001 8:38:32 PM 3/7/2001 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com Proper Tires? Your 1989 Newell was built to operate with 11R24.5 load range H tires, a tire model that Michelin does not offer. The problem is that load range G tires, like your Michelin's, have a maximum load capacity of only 6430 lb. @ 105 psi, while load range H tires have a capacity of 7030 lb. @ 120 psi. Your Newell probably has a front axle weight in excess of the total capacity of 12,860 lb., so load range G tires are not adequate. If in doubt, weigh the front axle of the coach, but we think you'll find that it is more than the 12,860 lb.limit of your tires.

[Neweller]

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273 3/7/2001 8:48:33 PM 3/7/2001 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com Waste tank We suggest that you avoid a mild steel tank and have a new tank fabricated from polypropylene sheet material. Newell discontinued mild steel tanks and began using polypropylene in around 1980 to prevent corrosion failures in these tanks. Because of the labor involved, polypropylene tanks are expensive, but they have the potential of lasting a lifetime.

[Neweller]

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274 3/12/2001 9:21:49 AM 3/13/2001 Arthur Knapp agkcpa@hotmail.com Battery for Refrigerator On my 1983 Newell, the 12-volt power source for the refrigerator (a Dometic 3-way) is the coach start batteries. This setup has caused my start batteries to run down a few times while dry camped.

My question is, is this the best place for the refrigerator to get it's 12-volt power, or should I reroute the wiring to the house batteries? Currently, it is wired directly to the battery terminal (with a fuse in line). I would do the same wiring, just to the house batteries instead. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Neweller]

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275 3/13/2001 10:00:06 PM 3/13/2001 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com Battery for Refrigerator The Dometic AES (Automatic Energy Selection) refrigerator 12-volt mode is designed to operate from the engine, not the house 12-volt system. However, 12-volt mode should only function when the coach engine is operating and the alternator is generating dc power. There is a connection to the ignition switch that activates the 12-volt mode. If the refer operates on 12-volt power while parked with the ignition off, the automatic mode selection is not operating correctly. You can have this problem diagnosed and corrected, or you can simply turn off the 12-volt mode on the refer control panel, as the refrigerator should operate properly on LP mode while driving. By the way, the 120-volt mode can be activated by selecting automatic (AES) operation or turned off on the control panel as well. If 120-volt is selected, and is functioning properly, the refer should switch automatically to 120-volt mode when ac power is available through the shore cord or generator. In summary, the AES power selection priority is 1) operate on 120-volt power anytime ac power is available, 2) if ac power is not available, operate on 12-volt power if the engine is running, and 3) operate on LP if neither 120-volt power is available nor the engine is operating.

[Neweller]

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277 3/20/2001 7:44:09 AM 3/20/2001 Tom Patterson tom@tompatterson.com Window Channel Felt I have a 1966 Streamline, which was the forerunner of the Newell. Looking at pictures of a 1968 Newell, it appears that the sliding windows were still the same. The window channel felt on my sliding windows has deteriorated and needs to be replaced, but I am having difficulty in finding replacement material. Any suggestions ?
The material is one inch wide with a 3/8 inch fabric bottom, and felt sides. The channel itself is 7/16" wide, and 3/8" high with a 3/16" sliding glass window.

[Neweller]

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281 3/26/2001 9:14:50 AM 3/28/2001 John Clark jvclark02@cs.com Waste tank You might call Ardemco in Costa Mesa CA, 1 800 253 0115. They have hundreds of tank sizes.

[Neweller]

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282 3/26/2001 11:25:23 AM 3/28/2001 Gary Reddick greddick@earthlink.net Chrome Illusion Paint Repair I am having some spot repair paint work done on my coach graphics done locally. The graphics are painted with Chrome Illusion Paint. The paint repair will be done using DuPont Chroma Premier KK720FX Pure Fire Prism. My painter asks if a clear coat should be applied? Please advise... I intend to have 3M Scotchcal Paint protection Film (Permashield) applied
when the paint work is completed.

[Neweller]

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283 3/28/2001 5:04:48 PM 3/28/2001 TechTalk Staff TechTalk@newellcoach.com Chrome Illusion Paint Repair Chrome Illusion paint requires a clear coat. We recommend that you follow DuPont's specific recommendations as to the material and the application for the clear coat.

[Neweller]

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284 3/28/2001 6:55:43 PM 3/29/2001 Raul Cortez raulcortez@aol.com Waste Tank Reading.... I am currently parked and have my main manual dump valve in the closed position. I also have the air operated air valve in the open position. I understand that by doing this, I can bypass the holding tank with all my grey water. The only water that will stay in the holding tank will be the black water? My digital level reading seemed to be working just fine up in til the point that it gets to the 3/4 full. One day it reads 3/4 and then the next morning it reads 1/2 full? It has been fluctuating like this for the past couple of days. Is this normal? Or do I have a leak in the manual closed valve? Is there a overfill line that will let the black water "spill" over so that it doesn't get too full? Or do you think that I have a slow leak in my manual valve? I just want to know if this is normal and if not what can I do to fix it?

[Neweller]

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285 3/28/2001 7:04:00 PM 3/29/2001 Raul Cortez raulcortez@aol.com Thermostat problems.... If I remember correctly, I spoke with Tommy Key, one of the Newell service advisors, once about a problem that I have with my A/C thermostats? I remember that he said that they were recalled on my 1995 Coach #401.
I forgot to get them replaced back in November when we were at the shop getting some emergency work done. The problem that I am having is that they don't seem to turn the A/C off when they reach the desired temperature? The A/C runs continously, stopping only sometimes but not consistently. I don't know when I will be back in Miami OK? So my question is: can they be replaced by any qualified A/C technician? If so how do I go about getting the new thermostats? My Coach has three thermostats. My visit to the Newell factory was very memorable and very pleasant. I recommend everyone who has the time to visit the factory. You will feel very welcomed by everyone throughout the company. I was very impressed with the professionalism that everyone expressed. Thank You.

[Neweller]

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286 3/29/2001 9:06:03 AM 3/30/2001 otto burleson otto@spinn.net Thermostat problems.... AC compressors - delay as long as 4 minutes after fan comes on.
I know the furnances have a anticipator feature - is this also a feature on the ac? Same thermostats run both ac and furnances