Need help with 2016 2910D

I’ve been looking for a 2910 for several years. I finally found one that was a really good price but it was in Virginia and I’m in Wisconsin I had an RVIA  inspector look it over and it was in pretty good shape except it needed new tires, some work on the awnings and the roof resealed . I had him pick it up from the Camping World in Ashland Virginia. I bought it and after the work was done I told him I’d pick it up. Well I came to pick it up last week with my wife and he didn’t really have a shop. His stepson had let the house batteries go down to .7V so nothing works.  So he really wasn’t able to show me how all the systems operate
After 200 miles when we got to Monroeville, Pennsylvania a semi driver flagged me down and told me my rear inner dual was flat. He was right. The 2 Firestone dealers wouldn’t work on it. Camping World had had Rice tire, near them put on all new Firestones.
A local wrecker is going to come out Monday and replace the damage tire. Luckily a Goodwill let me stay in our parking lot this weekend. My wife flew home to Wisconsin.
What would be the best way to learn how all the different systems work?

Hope this link helps:
https://www.phoenixusarv.com/view-Phoenix-USA-RV--owners-manuals

If the coach batteries are dead you can always idle the engine and use the alternator output to start the generator.  The inspector should have known that!

Try calling America’s Tire Co next time. The Firestone corporate stores in my area are a joke too!


A roadside assistance plan will pay for itself if you ever need a tow.  It’s astonishing that Camping World didn’t hook you up with a Good Sam plan. I have CoachNet .They all use independent contractors, so it’s hard to say which is better, depending on where you are at the time.

Also consider purchasing a TPMS.
It’s a simple DIY installation if you already have valve extenders or dually valve stems on the inner rear wheels.

Enjoy

Camping World did give me a Good Sam roadside assistance membership. I’m on hold with them now. They claimed they will be able to help me today. The reason I didn’t call them yesterday is I usually have bad experiences with roadside assistance, with cars and motorcycles Seems like only lowest bidders accept them.

Thanks for your help.

There are 2 types of wheel covers, snap on and bolt on. Tap on the fake chrome lug nuts with a metal object.  If 2 of them (in opposing positions) are solid look for a short T-handle socket wrench in the storage compartments.

Ron750,

What did you mean when you said "I bought it and after the work was done.....?"

What work was agreed to get done before you picked up the rig, and who actually performed the work?  Camping World?  The RVIA inspector?  A 4th party?  Rice Tire?

Was the awning repaired properly?

Was the roof sealed properly?  PCs have a fiberglass roof.  What were the details of this work?  Edge caulking around features?

Did the inspector identify the original batteries as being bad requiring replacement, or were they just drained?  Drained but good batteries should recharge fairly well after driving the rig 200 miles.

It sounds like Camping World subcontracted Rice Tire to replace all 6 tires before you got there, so issues with the tires should be 100% covered by the new tire warranty.  Given you had brand new tires, one inner tire going flat on your trip home, it sounds like the inner tire valve extender is leaking air.  Get that looked at by the shop who is replacing that tire.

Ron, I had a RVIA inspection before I accepted Camping World’s offer. They sold it as is, I told them to have tires replaced, and then the inspector would pick up the RV and seal the roof and fix the awnings.

I don’t know if anything works because when I picked it up, the house batteries were dead. I like the rig, I’m hoping it has good bones, and will get everything squared away when I get back to Wisconsin. I knew I was taking a risk buying out of state.  The inspector gave me a very detailed report, and he sounded like he knew what he was doing. I still don’t know if he was negligent or just his stepson , but obviously the batteries should’ve been charged and the tires should’ve had the correct pressure when I picked it up.

They did not have the tires warranted, which is really the least of my problems at this point. As long as I get home by Tuesday this will be an adventure. If I don’t it will go down as a big mistake.

I don’t envy you for being out in winter with no previous instruction or experience. That’s an adventure for sure!  Hopefully the user manual link was sufficient to get all the necessities up and running. Be sure to test your smoke, co2, and propane leak alarms and install fresh batteries regardless.

If you are still relying on the generator for power be aware that your fuel level must  always be above 1/4 tank for it to run. The PC has a 55 gallon tank. If your batteries did recharge while driving be aware that the furnace fan is a power hog,  and the holding tank heaters are even bigger power hogs. Run the generator for 2 hrs in the morning to recharge the batteries, and again in the evening if you  don’t have solar. Using the alternator output to start the generator also conserves  battery power.

Ask the inspector if the holding tanks were all drained and the fresh water system was properly winterized. If he added water to test the FRESH water system it should be ok, as long as you keep the interior above freezing. If you are in sub- freezing temperatures overnight  just get a bottle of hand sanitizer and rough it instead of risking damage to the holding tank plumbing (if you can’t run  holding tank heaters) or if the water heater is still winterized. Most people use bottled water for drinking and toothbrushing anyway instead of trusting what’s lurking in the fresh water system.

Check the propane level at the tank mounted  analog gauge  as well as at the monitoring panel. By law the regulator only allows the tank to be filled to 80%. 1/4 tank (analog) should be enough to run the refrigerator and furnace for 2 days or more if you don’t crank the heat up to 70. Keeping the slide-outs retracted will reduce furnace cycling if you need to conserve propane or battery power. If you can close off the cab area with a blanket and some cushions that will make a huge difference too.


Safe travels

CalCruiser is offering great advice.  Winter in an RV has special considerations.

If the waste tanks are empty, turn off the tank heaters.  Like Cal says, they will keep the batteries drained.  I feel they are to be used when on shore power and when driving, not meant to be used when parked overnight without shore power.  Like Cal says, between the tank heaters and the furnace, you'll never recover your batteries.

BTW:  In my rig, the tank heater switch is in the bathroom.  I wouldn't know where it is in a 2910D.  It will look like this, the white switch located just above the faucet.

Hey RON750, welcome to the ownership of a phoenix cruiser.  I think you'll enjoy it... I definitely enjoy my 2900D.


There's a wealth of experience in this forum, its conversations, and its members.


Get to know the search function. Look for the 3 horizontal hamburger button top right and then you'll find the search function.  I think many of us are out camping and only respond to the forum questions when we're back in civilization. So learning to search is critical.


I don't know how much paperwork or how many manuals came with your PC,,, but I've been accumulating a lot of manuals, pictures, diagrams from the forum, the web and by scanning originals. I've organized them & made digital copies of them accessible to anyone. Check this topic for details: https://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?topic=4910.msg44218#msg44218


I keep a copy of all of these on my tablet and stopped carrying the paper versions.


Larry

The house batteries were totally dead and didn’t charge from driving. So I couldn’t use any generators or furnaces because there was no voltage from the house batteries. I made it through the weekend by just running the cab heater about 45 minutes a night. It really wasn’t that bad.
Sunday night the truck battery was dead. I still don’t know why. I had to get a jump by a tow truck driver. I didn’t shut it off until I got home last night at midnight. Today it seems to be working and I have the house batteries on a smart charger. Later this week after the house batteries are charged up, I’m going to call the inspector and see if I can get any of the systems running.   
The previous owner left binders with instructions, and I can download manuals, but they’re very confusing. In a weird way, I enjoyed this weekend. Now I know I don’t need all the fancy appliances to survive. All I need is enough blankets to stay warm. 
When I get all the systems running, it’ll be make life much easier, but at least I know I can survive without them now.

Ron750,

There is a kill switch by the main entry door into the house.  Make sure that switch is turned on or nothing in the motorhome will work.

Ron750 - If the alternator won’t charge the house batteries or power the coach you may have a bad 40 AMP self resetting breaker. If so, that’s one more bad on the inspector.

https://www.wiringdepot.com/store/p/5010-Auto-Reset-Automotive-Breakers-Type-I-High-Amp.aspx?feed=Froogle&matchtype=&network=x&device=m&adposition=&keyword=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADow7nEK3dRhXzvW6GTTujy8N5Nlh&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyO_Av9a7hAMVdQOtBh2dZwfOEAQYFiABEgKWHfD_BwE

Look on the driver side of the engine compartment near the battery isolation solenoid. With the engine running there should be +12v on both terminals.
I keep a spare in my tool kit just in case, because they are known to go bad. It’s crazy that a $5 part could potentially ruin a vacation, or even worse. Congrats on getting back home by Tuesday with your new PC and a positive attitutude 

Ron750, I have one more tip.

Look in the cabinet above the passenger seat and look for a round 12V outlet.  Assuming you have one like we have in our 2007, I advise to buy a simple 12V volt meter that plugs into that outlet.  It will display the battery voltage in the motorhome under these various conditions.

1) When parked, living off the power directly from the batteries.
2) When the main Ford engine is running, supplying a charge to the batteries.
3) When the on-board power converter/inverter via the generator or shore power, is supplying a charge to the batteries.
4) When you are charging the batteries using an external battery charger across the battery terminals.

This simple plug-in 12V volt meter quickly reveals the situation with your batteries and the various charging sources.
CLICK HERE for one sold on Amazon.
CLICK HERE for one being sold on eBay.

Batteries in poor health is any voltage under 12V when nothing is utilizing them.  As soon as you turn on lights and things, you will see a voltage drop which is normal, but still not drop below 12V.  If it does, the batteries need to be charged or replaced.

When the batteries are being charged from the Ford engine, the on-board converter/inverter, or externally, the voltage should read some amount higher than 13V.  It will vary depending on what in the house is using battery power at the time.

There is a lot more going on than what I am sharing here.  I just put it into simple terms.  What might be happening is, you have some kind of unknown power drain.  A simple volt meter will reveal that.  We previous mentioned your tank heaters being left on by accident.  It could be something else left on that you are unaware of.  Just having the inverter left on all the time generating 110V inside the rig, is hard on the batteries.  I turn on the inverter only when I need 110V, otherwise I leave it off to conserve battery power.

Ron750;   when I bought our 2700  8 years ago, the house battery wasn't charging from the  engine alternator.  Long, painful story short,  we discovered the cable from the alternator to the house battery
was disconnected at the alternator, and wrapped in tape.  Not sure why.    I unwrapped the tape, re-connected it to the alternator and not surprisingly,  all has been fine since.
Upshot ?    I check my connections every so often, especially at the battery, to make sure things are tight.   Good luck with your journey,  keep up the good attitude !
Jim