Southwind by Fleetwood – sporting its new paint job
DARN.. I wish I had done this last month when I had everything apart for the broken exhaust studs.. Last spring while out on the west coast I had an incident during a long steep climb, I was in 2nd gear turning about 4000 rpm. I was monitoring the temperature Continue reading F53 – Fan clutch replacement
This one had me going for a while. While I was working on broken exhaust studs, I had the Southwind sitting for a couple months with the batteries physically disconnected and no shore power. After reconnecting everything and getting ready to apply power for engine testing, I noticed the coach Continue reading BCC – Coach battery disconnects immediately after its connected
The brake hoses on my F53 are almost 20 years old and I have no idea when (if) the brake fluid has ever been changed. While I have the Southwind up on jacks and the front wheels removed, this is a good opportunity to take care of these two items Continue reading F53 – Replacing Brake Hoses
Changing the belt on the older F53s looks like a task best left for a contortionist. But its actually fairly easy once you’ve done it about 50 million times.. When I had my chirping problem on my ole Mirada, I must have had the belt on and off 100 times… Continue reading F53 – Serpentine Belt Replacement
As you read this article you’re first impression will be that this is a nightmare (and it is). I want to say, normally this process is a pain in the butt, but goes smoothly. Its tedious work and in almost every case, the studs can be removed without going to Continue reading F53 – Repairing broken exhaust manifold studs
I haven’t had any problems, but this is one of those things that goes bad when you have a full tank of gas and are out in the middle of no-where. Considering our Southwind is 19 years old, I decided to replace the pump as a “Preventative Maintenance” issue. After Continue reading F53 – Replace Fuel Pump
One of the problems with residential refrigerators is how to keep the doors from swinging open when we’re traveling down the road. I was going to make a latch when I ran across this neat little latch sold by Total Value RV in Elkhart, IN. 574-262-4460 ext 20. I think Continue reading Residential Refrigerator door latch
UPDATE NOTE – May 2019 – After testing and installing a hard start kit, I’ve come to the conclusion this inverter has a difficult time starting the compressor on my frig. I will be installing a 2000 watt unit to see if this resolves the issue. Stay tuned.. When I Continue reading Pure Sine Wave inverter install
UPDATE – June 19, 2019 I made a couple mods to the frig to help it when on the inverter; I removed the large white condensate drain pan that was directly above the compressor. When it got full (it never did), it overflows into the smaller pan on bottom right Continue reading Residential Frig Replacement
On the original floor plan, when the bathroom door is opened, it swings out and forward. The door can’t swing completely open as it hits the frig cabinet. This may have been done intentionally by the floor plan designers to perhaps block the bath / bedroom area from the living Continue reading Reversing bath door so it swings other way