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Old 11-24-2012, 04:17 PM   #21
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The switch on the dashboard only shuts down the coach batteries - not the chassis battery. My chassis battery switch is in the engine compartment towards the upper, left side. I don't know if Winnebago or Freightliner always put them in the same place. They started putting the chassis disconnect switch in around 2005 or 2006. Your dealer can tell you if you have one, or call Winnebago Owner Relations with your VIN number, and they can tell you or call Freightliner Customer Service with the last six digits of your VIN number.

Maybe someone else could say for sure when they were added.

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Old 11-24-2012, 05:57 PM   #22
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Chassis Battery Drain & Generator

I just re-read your original post and see that this is your first motorhome. The engine and transmission control units can drain the chassis batteries in several weeks, sooner if the batteries are weak. The cutoff switches that others mention can help, but they were not standard on the '05.

That brings me to another point. Your generator manufacturer recommends running the generator at least two hours per month. If you can not run it for two consecutive hours, it should be run at least an hour each time. This is not just for exercising the engine, but to drive moisture out of the generator windings. I have had premature generator failures in an ocean front home and boat, and this is likely the cause. Too bad it took buying a MH to learn this lesson.

Running the generator every couple of weeks will help keep the chassis batteries up if you have a Trick-L-Start installed. This device allows the chassis batteries to be charged by shore power or the generator and became standard equipment after '05. They are inexpensive, so just get it installed. You will appreciate it.

I store my 39K indoors at a storage facility. Only 110V AC is available, but every several weeks I plug in for a few days to get a full charge. This is in addition to trying to run a total of two hours on the generator each month.
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Old 11-24-2012, 06:09 PM   #23
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Deuce - My 2004 39K does not have a battery switch in the engine compartment as mentioned above. Another power drain on my 2004 is the inverter. Turning off the dash switch does not turn off the power to the inverter so if you happen to leave it on the house batteries discharge. I turn off the inverter on the panel aft of the galley stove.
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Old 11-25-2012, 04:01 AM   #24
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Talking

Spell check struck again.

My comment was supposed to read "real toad choker" as in HEAVY rains. Heavy enough to choke a toad (frog).
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Old 11-25-2012, 01:54 PM   #25
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When the coach comes back from the dealership I will be sure to look for a battery cut off switch. But I plan to store it on a friends farm and be able to plug it in. When it's plugged in, the chassis batteries will charge as well as the coach batteries right?
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Old 11-25-2012, 04:21 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deucenut View Post
When the coach comes back from the dealership I will be sure to look for a battery cut off switch. But I plan to store it on a friends farm and be able to plug it in. When it's plugged in, the chassis batteries will charge as well as the coach batteries right?
Chassis batteries will only charge when on shore power if you have the Trik L Charge device installed. I believe this was not a standard item until 2006. If you don't have one, suggest you get one and install it.
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Old 11-25-2012, 07:33 PM   #27
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Chassis batteries will only charge when on shore power if you have the Trik L Charge device installed. I believe this was not a standard item until 2006. If you don't have one, suggest you get one and install it.
So it only charges with the motor running unless there is a trickle charger. That is really odd. Why on earth would Winnebago set it up like this?? I am assuming they charge when the generator is running also?
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Old 11-25-2012, 09:05 PM   #28
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So it only charges with the motor running unless there is a trickle charger. That is really odd. Why on earth would Winnebago set it up like this?? I am assuming they charge when the generator is running also?
Deucenut,
Everyone of us who've purchased either Winnes or Itasca's have wondered the same exact thing. We all PAY a ton of money for these nice Kleenex boxes on wheels and, we ALL feel we've got the latest, greatest of technical gadgetry. Well, not so fast. For some odd reason, Winne and Itasca, and others too, felt a charging system for the chassis batteries was not warranted prior to about '06.

Most of us have remedied the situation with either the install of "Trik-L-Start" or, like I did (because I was unaware of TLS), I installed a three stage battery charger, permanently mounted inside the electrical breaker cabinet, under the foot of the bed. It takes care of the chassis batteries without issue. But, I'd suggest a Trik-L-Start. Type that in your search engine and it will lead you right to it. It's an easy install. The average is about 1/2 hour. The way the the Trik-L-Start works is, it siphons off a portion of the charging voltage that's destined for the house batteries. It has no effect on the house batteries though. Pretty simple system in a little box. It comes with wiring instructions that are very straight forward.
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Old 11-26-2012, 05:33 AM   #29
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The gen is the same as shore power. You need a Trik-L-Start..

About $30 and 30 minutes.

Regarding your storage on friend's farm. Be VERY aware of the EXPENSIVE damage mice can do to your rig and farms have lots of mice. They ABSOLUTELY love wiring insulation and Dicor. I just had to completely re-seak my entire roof where the little *@##%&*- literally destroyed every sealed seam. Last year $600+ to have wiring repaired and I live in town.
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Old 11-26-2012, 06:21 AM   #30
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Duecenut, congrats! The 39K has many nice features as you have found out. I think you will find that the 39K owners on this forum have had theirs a while and have been thru most of the 39K specific issues. So, any questions you have, please ask, glad to assist.

Do's and Don'ts:

Don't run the kitchen slide out with the basement doors up all the way.
Do check the cupboard doors above the counter at the end wall to see that they are shut before you open the kitchen slide.
Do clean the radiator and CAC often. Check the posts by me and others who have cut access holes in the radiator fan shroud(access under the closet floor) to get a thorough cleaning accomplished. It is the ONLY way to get a thorough cleaning without removing the radiator.
Do check the exterior seal under the kitchen slide, if it is coming loose, don't bother with having the dealer replace it; it will come loose again. There is a fix for that. If yours is coming loose or does in the future, PM me and I'll tell you how I fixed it. Winnebego fixed the issue in later models but don't know if it was as soon as 05.
Don't hesitate to pick our brains(what is left of them, that is)
Enjoy the ride!
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Old 11-26-2012, 11:54 AM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OldChief7155 View Post
The gen is the same as shore power. You need a Trik-L-Start..

About $30 and 30 minutes.

Regarding your storage on friend's farm. Be VERY aware of the EXPENSIVE damage mice can do to your rig and farms have lots of mice. They ABSOLUTELY love wiring insulation and Dicor. I just had to completely re-seak my entire roof where the little *@##%&*- literally destroyed every sealed seam. Last year $600+ to have wiring repaired and I live in town.
Yes this has been a major concern of mine. About two years ago, the rats/mice went after my friends vehicle and his tenant's vehicle as well. Although it only happened once. I am hoping it doesn't happen again. I have to keep it at my buddy's place as I have no where else to keep it. I am hoping it is for the very short term as we are trying to sell our house and buy a place that the motorhome can stay at. If it's for the long term, I am going to look into building some type of temporary structure that will definitely keep the critters out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by doorguy View Post
Duecenut, congrats! The 39K has many nice features as you have found out. I think you will find that the 39K owners on this forum have had theirs a while and have been thru most of the 39K specific issues. So, any questions you have, please ask, glad to assist.

Do's and Don'ts:

Don't run the kitchen slide out with the basement doors up all the way.
Do check the cupboard doors above the counter at the end wall to see that they are shut before you open the kitchen slide.
Do clean the radiator and CAC often. Check the posts by me and others who have cut access holes in the radiator fan shroud(access under the closet floor) to get a thorough cleaning accomplished. It is the ONLY way to get a thorough cleaning without removing the radiator.
Do check the exterior seal under the kitchen slide, if it is coming loose, don't bother with having the dealer replace it; it will come loose again. There is a fix for that. If yours is coming loose or does in the future, PM me and I'll tell you how I fixed it. Winnebego fixed the issue in later models but don't know if it was as soon as 05.
Don't hesitate to pick our brains(what is left of them, that is)
Enjoy the ride!
Thanks for the tips. My list of things to check when the motorhome comes back from the dealer is getting longer. How do I know if the seal on the kitchen slide is bad? Does it hang down or is obvious?
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Old 11-26-2012, 11:57 AM   #32
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The gen is the same as shore power. You need a Trik-L-Start..

About $30 and 30 minutes.
I seem to remember when I had the generator running, I hit the battery level buttons and both the house and chassis batteries were around 13.6. But I might be wrong. I will definitely check when it comes home. If it did, then I would think I must have a charger for the chassis batteries. Maybe the previous owner installed it or maybe its a late 2005 and Winnebago installed it at the factory.
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Old 11-28-2012, 08:40 PM   #33
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So I called the dealership today because I was wondering what kind of progress was being made. Dealership told me the motorhome went into the glass shop on Monday. Apparently the windshield was not leaking, not from the top anyway. It was leaking from the bottom, so they resealed it. There was no mention of rust on the windshield frame, but I doubt the dealership would tell me if it was there. So I asked where the water was coming from since it was leaking from the top. The service guy said there was a large hole in the sealant for one of the clearance lights so it is likely coming from there. He told me they would be sealed up and all would be good.

Today it is at the alignment shop. Apparently the left wheel bearing needs to be adjusted and it should stop pulling under braking. I'm not a mechanic, but I do know a little bit. How on earth can a misadjusted wheel bearing cause the coach to pull to the left under braking but no other times???? Seems strange to me. Seems to me that the brakes need adjusting, but I guess we will see when I get it back. I tell you one thing, if it pulls on the way home, I am turning around and going back to the dealership.
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Old 11-29-2012, 09:45 AM   #34
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Open the gen compartment hood and run your hand along up there along the bottom of windshield. My bet is you'll find some rust. Pull the side trim off and the rubber trim pulls right out. I just did mine and found minimal rust. Wire brushed it, primed it and put the trim back on. Did the same to the top seam. It, too, had a small amount of rust.
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Old 12-02-2012, 01:54 PM   #35
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Some 39K quirks to remember:

1. If you are outside and DW is inside and getting ready to roll out slides, tell her to always ask you if it OK for the kit. slide. You don't want to be in a compartment with the doors in the fully extended position. The paint doesn't like it.

2. On the kitchen slide, always check to be sure the cabinet door over the rear countertop is shut. If you latch is loose, it could pop ajar during the ride and the slide would love to chew it up on its way out. I was fortunate, it only caught the handle and being the cheap pot metal it is, it just sheared off.

3. Check your seal under the kit. slide. If it is coming off, don't bother asking the dealer to replace it; it is expensive and it will come off again. W. fixed the problem in later years, but I don't know which year they began the fix. If yours is the "stick on" design, I have a permanent fix for it.

4. Look into cutting an access hole in the top of your radiator shroud(access under the rear closet floor, left side floor panel lifts up0. this is the only way to effectively clean the radiator and CAC w/o removing them which you probably don't want to do.
There are posts on this procedure.

Enjoy the coach, it is a nice floorplan.
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Old 12-02-2012, 08:43 PM   #36
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As for mice, a good supply of snap traps spread around various compartments and under cabinets inside usually will keep them under control. We camp in the mountains for 6-8 weeks both spring and fall and generally will catch at least one each trip. The traps in a compartment will generally get them before they reach the inside.
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Old 12-10-2012, 04:57 PM   #37
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Disappointment

So I get a call from the dealership: "Sir, your motorhome is ready. Everything has been repaired/fixed and she is ready to go" Great!! I go to the dealership this morning and the service fellow hands me the work order. I start to read it and notice that the sleep number bed still doesn't work. They ordered a new remote for the right side, installed it, but it still didn't work. So they had to order a new pump and something else. Parts on order(it said POO on the work order, pretty much summed up my thoughts) So I continue reading the work order and the battery compartment door still didn't lock from the key fob, again parts of order. So I was mildly annoyed as I have to pay a toll fee to cross a bridge to get to the dealership not to mention gas. So I told them I was leaving it with them till EVERYTHING was fixed and to call me. In the meantime, I went out to the coach to make sure the items that were fixed, had been fixed properly. I take one step in the coach and notice there is a ton of greasy dirt on the tiles at the entry way, not happy but it can be cleaned is what I am thinking. Then I look at the dash pad above the backup monitor screen. Someone has placed their greasy hand on the dash pad presumably to lean across the drivers seat leaving a 5 fingered greasy handprint Now I'm starting to get upset. I can live with things not fixed(YET), but greasy handprints? That's just laziness.

So one of the deficiencies was the bathroom door didn't lock. Our coach as nickel/stainless decor. The bathroom door knob was a nice S shaped handle. So I look at the door knob and it's been replaced with a BRASS round handle!!! HUH???? It doesn't go with ANYTHING in the coach. Are they kidding me? So I walk back into the service desk and politely(more bees with honey right?) express my concerns to the service guy. He says no problem, it'll all be fixed, worked out and cleaned. I said ok and left. I guess I should just be glad it's not in the heart of the camping season. It's the dead of winter and I wouldn't be using it anyway. Still pisses me off though when I see people treat other peoples property with disregard.

Ok, rant over.......
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Old 12-11-2012, 07:17 AM   #38
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Another BIG DON'T,

Don't leave a box of Tissue on the counter behind the kitchen slide and drive. If you don't look around the rear of the slide before you open it, you might end up with a twist in your slide. I know, I missed the box of almost full box tissue. It slid foward into the opening of the slide when I braked I guess. The rear of the slide stopped 4" before the front.

My Bad!
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Old 12-11-2012, 11:01 AM   #39
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Please tell me where that dealership is so I can avoid it. As Earl mentioned in the post above don't leave anything on that shelf that is not anchored down. In our case it was a flashlight. Ended up having to replace a equalizer (or some such thing) valve in that slide.
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Old 12-11-2012, 11:03 AM   #40
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Quote:
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So I get a call from the dealership: "Sir, your motorhome is ready. Everything has been repaired/fixed and she is ready to go" Great!! I go to the dealership this morning and the service fellow hands me the work order. I start to read it and notice that the sleep number bed still doesn't work. They ordered a new remote for the right side, installed it, but it still didn't work. So they had to order a new pump and something else. Parts on order(it said POO on the work order, pretty much summed up my thoughts) So I continue reading the work order and the battery compartment door still didn't lock from the key fob, again parts of order. So I was mildly annoyed as I have to pay a toll fee to cross a bridge to get to the dealership not to mention gas. So I told them I was leaving it with them till EVERYTHING was fixed and to call me. In the meantime, I went out to the coach to make sure the items that were fixed, had been fixed properly. I take one step in the coach and notice there is a ton of greasy dirt on the tiles at the entry way, not happy but it can be cleaned is what I am thinking. Then I look at the dash pad above the backup monitor screen. Someone has placed their greasy hand on the dash pad presumably to lean across the drivers seat leaving a 5 fingered greasy handprint Now I'm starting to get upset. I can live with things not fixed(YET), but greasy handprints? That's just laziness.

So one of the deficiencies was the bathroom door didn't lock. Our coach as nickel/stainless decor. The bathroom door knob was a nice S shaped handle. So I look at the door knob and it's been replaced with a BRASS round handle!!! HUH???? It doesn't go with ANYTHING in the coach. Are they kidding me? So I walk back into the service desk and politely(more bees with honey right?) express my concerns to the service guy. He says no problem, it'll all be fixed, worked out and cleaned. I said ok and left. I guess I should just be glad it's not in the heart of the camping season. It's the dead of winter and I wouldn't be using it anyway. Still pisses me off though when I see people treat other peoples property with disregard.

Ok, rant over.......
Deucenut,
You most likely handled that situation waaaaaay better than I would have. As I get older, I try to remain calm in situations like that, more calm than I used to when younger. But, you're absolutely right in that, it's pure laziness, uncaring, simple "It's not mine so, I don't care how dirty I get it" attitude that irks the he.. out of me. I'm pretty sure in this case, even the tech a hundred yards away that did the work would have heard me in the office of the service writer.

And, the owner of the company would also get a piece of my mind. I'd ask the owner if it would be OK for his/hers to be treated like that. There might be folks out there that would accept a "brass" door knob in lew of the correct Nickel/SS one and say, "that's OK, it works doesn't it"? But, I'd have to even hold the wife back from attacking the tech in that kind of situation. What a moron.

We pay a lot for these, way less than many celebrities etc. but, we still pay a lot and, if we can't fix our own stuff and depend on a service center or dealer to, we'd at the very least, like good treatment. If they don't have the parts, they don't have them and, must order them. That's the way it is in most of the auto parts world now 'cause there's so much diversification now and auto parts stores/dealers/RV dealers/Service centers just can't stock, each and every part imaginable for all the coaches/brands/models out there. It is what it is.

I can pretty much assure you that all RV service centers are not what you've experienced. My son works at one here in San Diego and I've watched him and other techs as the work in even old, beat up, dilapidated rigs that even the owners don't care about. They take precautions to protect the work areas they're in and working at the time. If they move to another area or, are working on more than one area/item at a time, everything is protected.

So, very sorry for the "misinformation" you received from the service writer, I'd let the owner know about that too. Telling you your rig is ready when it isn't is bad enough but, doing it when it has not been inspected by a service writer for the repairs that are on the R/O to see if they're complete and working correctly is another. Hope you get it all cleared up.
Scott
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