Southwind by Fleetwood – sporting its new paint job
REPORT UPDATE – APRIL 6, 2019 The pump started making noise again.. The screeching was so loud, when I lowered the levelers, the entire campground thought something was going to blow up. It sounded like the pump motor armature was wobbling and binding inside. Looks like the motor is bad… Continue reading Leveler pump sounds like a food blender full of marbles
When we bought the Southwind in March, the previous owner told us that the Dometic RM-3862 frig worked on AC, but he didn’t think it worked on propane. Before buying the Southwind, we verified the frig worked on AC, but assumed it wouldn’t work on propane. The fact that the Continue reading Dometic frig works on AC but not on propane
UPDATE – This repair lasted over 22 months, but I decided to replace the shift lever with a new on. READ HERE. The Overdrive Button (OD) on the end of the shift lever is used to turn off / disable the overdrive. On newer F53s, 2005 and up, this button Continue reading F53 – Repair overdrive button on shift column
ROAD TRIP – I had business in Washington DC and a weeks vacation to burn, so this was a good opportunity to take our new Southwind on a shake down cruise. During the trip, we were able to test all the systems and see how our use fit our New-to-Us Continue reading Shakedown Cruise
NOTE – I now have new fabric on both bedroom valances. Very nice, and what a difference. The shade valance fabric on both bedroom windows was sun faded and torn.. The fabric was very brittle from UV exposure and was jamming up the shades, making them very difficult to move Continue reading Replacing Day / Night shade valance fabric covering
The fresh water tank is located under the bed, along with a large storage area. Access to this are is by lifting up the platform the bed mattress sits on. Fortunately, the platform is hinged, AND, it has gas springs on it to help lift it, then hold it up. Continue reading Bed platform gas springs
When I bought the Southwind, I noticed a couple problems with the awning. It appeared that the forward re-coil spring shaft was bent or maybe broke. We tied the awning up with cord during the trip home as I was afraid it could completely break off and unravel on the Continue reading Repairs on main awning
Changing oil on the V10 is pretty much the same as any gas engine. One item that makes this job easier and less messy is to replace the drain plug with a Fumoto valve. Now I stick my drain pan on top of the front axle, open the valve, and Continue reading F53 – Ford V10 Oil Change, Grease Job, and Fumoto Valve
Warm weather finally arrived, so its time to de-winterize the “New-to-Us” Southwind and check out the water systems. The previous owners had made some minor modifications to the water system, replaced the water pump and removed the “bypass valve”, which is used to fill the fresh water tank directly from Continue reading Gray tank water leak
I wasn’t sure about the maintenance history of my Onan, so I decided to look at everything, Oil and filter change, new air filter, new plugs, and check the brushes and slip ring. This is a model 5.5BGMFA26105H I ran the generator for 20 minutes to warm it up, then Continue reading Onan Marquis 5500 Generator Service