FCCC PROVIDES MOTORHOME MAINTENANCE TIPS WHILE ON THE ROAD
Jul 1 Written by: Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation 7/1/2010 4:48 PM By Dave Hoover, senior manager for customer support at Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation
Whether taking short weekend trips or long RV excursions, it is important to conduct regular maintenance to keep vehicles in top condition. The following maintenance tips should prove helpful while maintaining your motorhome during trips. These tips include regular radiator and charge air cooler maintenance, daily engine compartment maintenance and traditional routine maintenance to keep your motorhome performing at top level.
Radiator and Charge Air Cooler Maintenance
It’s critical that the radiator and charge air cooler are inspected at regular intervals, especially while traveling through extremely dusty, dry and hot areas of the country. Cummins® recommends inspecting the charge air cooler every 7,500 miles to ensure that air and dust blown through the radiator and charge air cooler doesn’t build up and reduce the airflow through the cooling system. To check the cooler, use a flashlight to look into the fan shroud at the face of the charge air cooler from the engine side of the radiator. If there is dirt buildup, it can be cleaned using a water hose and a mild solvent such as Simple Green or view section 20-2 in your maintenance manual for additional ideas. If buildup is not cleaned and removed, the system can become clogged and the engine may overheat, abruptly ending your travel plans. Daily Engine Compartment Maintenance Remember to check the engine compartment when camping in remote areas for small critters that may have taken refuge for the night before starting your engine. Unfortunately, those types of incidents occur pretty routinely, so conducting a quick daily check would eliminate the possibility of such an occurrence. Routine Maintenance Of course, the best protection for your motorhome and all of its systems is to service your motorhome chassis at key points in its life cycle. FCCC can easily take care of any routine chassis maintenance work for those riding on an FCCC chassis at one of our 400 FCCC service locations in North America or any of our 91 FCCC Oasis (RV friendly) dealers. Finally, remember to regularly check oil, radiator fluid, windshield wiper fluid and other fluids necessary for smooth RV operation. This does not take much time, yet will help make your travels smoother and safer. These quick and simple tips for RV maintenance will allow for positive long-term engine health. Properly maintaining your RV while on the road and regularly scheduling routine maintenance visits at FCCC service centers are easy practices that lead to worry-free driving down the road. You can visit the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation website for additional RV news and maintenance ideas.