Southwind by Fleetwood – sporting its new paint job
The hydraulic jack leveler system on our Southwind is an older Power Gear manual system. I’m not sure if the levelers have ever been flushed in the 18 years since they were new, so the only way to make sure, flush them and refill. The leveler pump / tank assembly Continue reading Flush and refill Leveler hydraulic system
We just bought the Southwind so I’m in the process of bringing the F53 chassis up to date on all the maintenance. Most people forget about the MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor). This is a critical part as it measures the mount of air coming into the engine, then adds the Continue reading F53 – Clean MAF Sensor
The Ventline range hood had a couple problems; 1) The water pump switch (Momentary contact) was jammed and stuck ON. 2) The vent blower was very stiff, and the exterior exhaust door was stuck in the open position. REPLACING SWITCHES The switches can be replaced without removing the front piece. Continue reading Range Hood switch and vent repair
UPDATE – Apr 2019 – I re-did the CHF on the rear and installed longer links, READ HERE. Note that the length of front and rear links may be different. Link length also varies with the different F53 chassis. Read both articles. Cheap Handling Fix (CHF) is probably one of Continue reading F53 – CHF (Cheap Handling Fix) – Fix for sway and handling
Its 20 degrees outside and the wind is blowing at 30 mph. I have the heat on, working inside doing little upgrades (LEDs) and working on the hood vent and water pump. I can feel a cold draft near the floor. After feeling around, I found a 1/4 inch gap Continue reading Plugging Air Leaks
UPDATE: Also see Fluorescent LED conversion and Closet LED conversion. I’ve done this in the past with my other motorhomes, and this was high on the list of upgrades to do to our Southwind. Why the LED upgrade? Three reasons 1) LEDs use less power 2) LEDs last a long Continue reading LED Conversion
Gasser vs diesel; When we made a decision to upgrade from our 30ft Mirada, we were methodical in what was important to us, driving the decision on what our next motorhome would be. Part of that decision was looking at the differences in the chassis the motorhome was built on, Continue reading Gas vs Diesel
The search begins. We usually spend 6-8 weeks out west during the winter months. During last years migration, one of the questions we wanted to answer was; “How will this (the Mirada) motor-home fit into our future? Our 30ft. Mirada (above – SOLD) was a very simple, no-frills, entry Continue reading Upgrading from Mirada to Southwind