RV's

RobertN · Jun 6, 2001

Re: RV\'s

I had a problem on my Jeep; the float in the gas tank got a pinhole, and filled up. It then sank, and always registered an empty tank.

It was pretty simple to pull the sending unit(it was easy to get to...) and replace the float.

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

StoneHeartFarm · Jun 6, 2001

Re: RV\'s

Check the fuse box first. I hate it when I go to all the trouble of crawling around under something and then find out its a 10 cent fuse. I had a similar problem on my old jeep. Wound up putting in a new gauge and sending unit. You can order them from the JC Whitney catalog. Just go top buck. The cheap ones aren't worth it. (Made so far back in the mountains of China that they don't even know what gas is, let alone why you need a tank for it). Or, you could carry a long piece of dowel and stick it down the tank when you want to know how much fuel you have. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

SHF

Wingnut · Jun 6, 2001

Re: RV\'s

thanks SHF .... I'm a computer geek and have repaired them on the side for years .... fuses were the very first thing I checked .... dash fusebox, followed by underhood breaker box followed by RV fuse box.
None were blown...
In all my years of driving ... I've only had one bad gauge ... and it's on my wife's 78 F150 (back tank) ... and even it works sometimes .... so I'll suspect the gauge as the last resort. Hopefully, anyway ... since Winnebago is "supposed" to be quality.
But I will keep your advice in minds, thanks!

too bad that common sense ain't

gordon · Jun 6, 2001

Re: RV\'s

Wingnut you have to remember that Winni buys the chasis and puts the box on the rails. So what your dealing with on the lights is more than likely Winni but on the fuel gauge is Renault. That is the fun of R/Vs a bunch of different manufacturers to actually build one unit.

With that said, Robert N is going down the right trail I believe. As far as checking the sending unit I'm not sure on that if it works off of ohms or volts. But if you have no visible broken wires the sending unit is the next thing I would look into. Sorry I couldn't be more help on this one.

If you don't already have a wiring diagram then give Forest City Iowa a call and see if they can be of some help.

Gordon

StoneHeartFarm · Jun 7, 2001

Re: RV\'s

Wingnut,

Fuses okay then check ground as stated in the above posts. Do you have any problem with dash lights? My 87 GMC Sierra has dim dash lights sometimes, bright ones other times. Sometimes when the wipers are on and you turn on the lights the wipers slow way down. It's probably a ground problem, I just haven't bothered to fix it yet (don't drive in the rain at night). /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Check for a ground under the dash board, on renault it could be anywhere, but probably near one of the fuse blocks. You may also be able to put an ohmmeter across the wire from the tank and ground to see if the sender is working right. (But you will need the specs for whoever's chassis and sending unit you have). Wires usually aren't much of a problem unless there's been mechanical damage.

SHF

Wingnut · Jun 8, 2001

Re: RV\'s

Yeah Gorden, you're right and I was just commenting on that to the wife today ... the RV makes buy the chassis and put the goodies on it .... and in this situation it's really a pain. Winnie turned over all the spare parts and the marketing rights to an Iowa company called Mobility RV. Called today for parts ...
Plugs: $2.49 Drain Plug crush washers $1.25
Oil Filter: $10 Air Filter: $16
Maintenance Manual: $72
ow,ow,ow .... they're sticking it to me ....

too bad that common sense ain't

Wingnut · Jun 8, 2001

Re: RV\'s

SHF ... yep ... that's what I need to do now ... start from the dash and work through the wires. I was checking out one of the eGroups on Yahoo on min-winnies and one guy had a fairly similar problem ... and he chased it for 3 years. Solved it last week .... problem (intermittant) started during a downpour ... and he found that one of the rear lights had a significant amount of moisture. When I read that ... lightbulb! ... the guy had just brought the RV back fro the carwash a couple of hours before I picked it up. I will check that out first .... then the relay box under the dash that other people have also noted.
Oh well ... I knew when I picked up an RV for $5500 that it was not going to be rolled gold ....

too bad that common sense ain't

StoneHeartFarm · Jun 9, 2001

Re: RV\'s

Spend the $72.00 and get the manual. Hopefully it'll have a wiring diagram. If it doesn't, try to make one as you trace out the wires you're working on. It'll help you later, and makes resale a little bit better. As in "Oh, hey! Somebodys really worked hard on this, here's a wiring diagram and everything.)

SHF

StoneHeartFarm · Jun 9, 2001

Re: RV\'s

Spend the $72.00 and get the manual. Hopefully it'll have a wiring diagram. If it doesn't, try to make one as you trace out the wires you're working on. It'll help you later, and makes resale a little bit better. As in "Oh, hey! Somebodys really worked hard on this, here's a wiring diagram and everything."

SHF

Bird · Jun 15, 2001

Re: RV\'s

Wingnut, I was gone about 6 days, which got me far behind on lots of work around here, so I'm still trying to read (or just scan) through all the messages posted while I was gone. I bought my first RV for the same reason; my wife's family was 1,100 miles away in West Virginia. But you've got a lot more nerve than I if you're going to try to drive a Renault powered rig all the way to Texas./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I didn't know any of them had lasted this long.

Bird