Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
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We bought a 1999 Holiday Rambler Vacationer. On a 600-mile trip we topped some hills at 23 mph. The coach is a Ford chassis with a V-10. Is this to be expected? And what can I expect in the mountains? More important, coming back, the coach ran hot. From 210 degrees to 242 degrees. Did I buy a lemon or what can I do? And of course there was no warranty from the dealer on it.
I've never driven a MH like yours with a V-10. I can tell you that on some hills I will hit 20 to 25 MPH. This has been with 3 different RVs. One thing to keep in mind you want to shift down into first gear and maintain a low speed rather than lug the engine in a higher gear. Lugging an engine will cause it to heat up.
The speed up hill really depends on the overall weight, torque of the engine and gearing in the drivetrain. Some MH, fly up hills, others cruise up hills and some walk up hills. I've always had RVs that walk up hills. I just sit back and enjoy the scenery.
On my truck, 210 is normal and 242 would be OK by the time I reached the top of a long steep grade.
My heating problems have been due to bad fan clutch, stuck thermostat (bad thermo coupler) or clogged radiator. Fan clutch has been a problem several times.
Another consideration is the temp guage. I put in a good after market guage and discovered the factory guage was ready 20 degrees hot. So at 240 I was really only up to 220.
If everything else is good, try Water Wetter from Redline Oil. It kept my truck running 15 to 20 degrees lower on hills. It really works.
On an older RV you can expect to go through periods of repairs. It seems like everything will be fine for a while and then all of the sudden, this will break or that will break. The key is to do good preventative maintenance.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Monday 14th of June 2010 12:15:12 PM
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