Southwind by Fleetwood – sporting its new paint job
UPDATE – May, 2019 – I replaced the starter relay. This is the starter solenoid looking thing that’s on the radiator support in the front passenger side wheel well. NOTE – The new solenoid had a “I” ignition terminal. I cut it off to make sure there was clearance for Continue reading F53 – Replacing starter
The water pump hasn’t given any signs of impending failure, but at 18 years old, I figured its cheep enough and reasonably easy to replace, so I’ll replace it as a “preventative” function. This will give me piece of mind that I’m good for years to come. Draining the cooling Continue reading F53 – Replacing Water pump and Thermostat
One of the last things on my hit list was to verify the fluid level in the parking brake assembly. Hidden just above the cable is a 13mm plug. To check the level, remove the plug, the level should be even with the plug. When I removed the plug, a Continue reading F53 – Parking Brake assembly fluid check
Toe-in adjustment effects tire wear and handling. Unlike a car that has an adjustment on each wheel, the F53 chassis has one adjustment that points the front tires in (toe-in), or pushes them out (toe-out). Once this adjustment is made, the steering wheel may need to be re-centered. If the Continue reading F53 – chassis front end toe-in adjustment
UPDATE July 2020: When installing a new toilet, make sure it rests completely on the platform and doesn’t hang over the edges. We had to do a modification to the platform to ensure the toilet rested completely on the platform. READ HERE. The previous owner said they just replaced the Continue reading To tall toilet too tall for the tush
A little history first to explain the problem. When we first bought the Southwind, the previous owner said he had a problem with the chassis battery going dead. A couple months later, I went to start it, nothing, dead. I pressed the EMER START button, nothing. I did a quick Continue reading Replace battery isolator solenoid in the BCC
NOTE FROM BILL H. REGARDING THIS TSB (3/15/24) I have a 1999 Pace Arrow 7x,xxx miles. I had a crank no start issue. Contacted a mobile mechanic and after two fuel pumps (nothing wrong with either) or a list of numerous parts. I decided to require that your TSB that Continue reading F53 – Faulty grounds cause weird shifting and other problems
IMPORTANT – If using the procedure I originally used (removing the steering wheel), this could result in the turn signal cancelling feature not centering. To resolve this, I removed the steering wheel and re positioned it on the shaft so it was centered to the turn signal cancel. I then Continue reading F53 – Centering steering wheel on Ford F53 motorhome
We knew the microwave/convection oven didn’t work when we bought our “New-to-Us” Southwind. That wasn’t a big deal, the original was 18 years old and was probably ready for an upgrade anyway. Removing the old oven was straight forward. The side trim pieces popped off and the top and bottom Continue reading Microwave Oven replacement
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