Fury, a Dynamax Freightliner Columbia Grand Sport GT

[Wolf Alaska]

This thread will initially relate the maintenance and repair items that should be put in order prior to our departing for Delaware and the 2019 Dynamax Owners Rally. Not necessarily looking for technical advice, however knowledgeable owners are welcome to make postings on this thread.
The complete list of maintenance gripes will be posted later. Each item may be discussed in detail.
I’m developing a list of enhancement items for the coach. Enhancement list will be posted later.
It could be that a rant about the current state of affairs in the RV service industry may sneak in on its own.
Fury took us to the Mid America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville KY in March and to the HDT ECR (Heavy Duty Truck East Coast Rally) in April and May. We boondocked in a lot with 1100 heavy trucks in March for 4 nights and spent 9 nights in Fury at a CG in Crossville TN at the ECR.
Driving Fury is some of the most amazing and enjoyable driving I’ve ever done. Fury does not downshift to pull grades on the Interstate or almost anywhere. Set at 62 mph at 1200 rpm, it just holds the set speed. Turbo boost and pyro temp may bump up a bit….that’s all!
Items that are a constraint to departing June 18 for the trip to Dynamax Owners Rally in Delaware:
· No A/C or heat
· Pressurized water inlet into fresh water tank has a valve that leaks and will cause the fresh water tank to overflow when city water is on. When in use the12VDC water pump will run every 20 seconds and pump water back into the fresh water tank.
· Rear view camera is not sending feed to monitor. I disassembled the Freightliner dash in Dec – Jan and found the Perimeter view and Kenwood video manager.

[Wolf Alaska]

Expansion of gripes info
· No A/C or heat. On night 7 at the ECR, the Dometic Comfort Control Center lost its readout screen and the Heat Pumps stopped running. This also took out the furnace. Early indications were poor connections in the data cables. I was able to briefly restore the Heat Pump function, then it failed big time.
o On Thurs. night of this week 5/23/19, 2 mobile RV technicians worked at Fury from 5:45 to 9:30 PM with 1.5 hours out to buy a new crimping tool & eat. Replaced the data cable ends where Zone 1 & Zone 2 cables join the cable feed to the Comfort Control Center. Later, they decided the thermostat (CCC) was also bad; likely caused by the intermittent signal. $300

o Interestingly, the local RV dealers are fresh out the CCC units and hope to have some in next week. My best choice seems to be ordering one with delivery hoped to be 5/31 to 6/4. Won’t know if the cable connection work ($300) solved the issue until I plug the wall cable into the new CCC thermostat. You don’t want to hear the non-responsive nature of local RV dealers and private RV shops since 5/6/19.

[Wolf Alaska]

· Pressurized water inlet into fresh water tank leaks and will cause the fresh water tank to overflow when city water is on. If operating on the 12VDC water pump, it will run every 20 seconds and pump water back into the fresh water tank. There is a very small brass ¼ turn valve that lets pressured water line leak past it and into the fresh tank. I hope the mobile RV techs will return next week and build the complicated and difficult to reach plumbing set up. I am not familiar with working with PEX water piping. Don’t know where to buy a matching valve. The valves are found extensively on Fury including in the Aqua-Hot system. I want a spare!

[Wolf Alaska]

· Rear view camera is not sending feed to monitor. I disassembled the Freightliner dash in Dec. & Jan. and found the Perimeter view and Kenwood video manager. I found 1 loose cable and the rear camera came back on line when I pushed a cable in securely to the Kenwood video manager box. A cable may be loose again. Too hot to work in the coach to fix it. See first item.

My alternate plan is to back the coach far enough outside for the exhaust pipe to vent outside and run the main engine + dash air while I work on the camera cables.

Not having coach A/C in 96 degree weather works against doing neat work.

I have a hard time getting Fury safely out of its storage building without the back up camera feed. Difficult to avoid hitting the opposing building when using only the mirrors.

[Wolf Alaska]

· The complete changeout of 3 chassis batteries and 3 coach batteries with Lifeline AGM batteries in March 2018 has been successful to date. (By Wolf)
· Towed our Jeep Commander 3 trips with no problems.
· TST TPMS system installed prior to the MATS trip works well.
· Cat Eye on rear main mounts are working OK. A slow leak was fixed by re- tightening 1 tube.
· Additional Reflectix and fiberglass insulation in cab overhead has reduced heat load in driving compartment. (By Wolf)
· Boom Mat & Reflectix added to engine cover (dog house) reduced noise significantly. (By Wolf)
· Windshield washer nozzles replacement on wipers is effective.
· Installation of new 12VDC feed cables to top of dash and at bottom of dash on passenger side has greatly reduced cable clutter in driving compartment. Ample power now available for various devices. (By Wolf)
· Engine runs awesome and is still several thousand miles from next service. Freightliner dealer serviced certain items in July and worked High Pressure Fuel Line recall in January.
· I built heavy wood jack pad pads but haven’t used them yet. So, they are working great.
· Replaced shower hand set and tube is working great with no leaks. (By Wolf)
· Removal of awning improved appearance, lightened Fury, and reduced rolling motions.
· Install of RV antifreeze port permitted winterizing of lines and Aqua-Hot with RV A/F in addition to blowing out water lines. (By Wolf)
· New water filters on hand to install.
· All outside compartment locks are now operable. (By Wolf)
· Replaced all failed pneumatic struts on outside compartment doors. (By Wolf)
· Fury washed professionally at truck wash.
· Roof inspection found no problems. (By Wolf)
· Tire inspection found all tires are sound and road ready


I can add expense info to each item if anyone is interested.

[bclemens]

On the water pump...we have seen this happen with the water pump itself. It has a backflow preventer but also a pressure relief valve built in. If the pressure is too high, that valve things the pump has done that and lets water back fill into the tank. Not thinking it is city water.

Sometimes resetting the pump (running it will correct this) along with lowering the incoming water pressure. It could also just be a bad pump and replacing that pump might be necessary.

[Wolf Alaska]

Pressurized water inlet into fresh water tank leaks and will cause the fresh water tank to overflow when city water is on.
There could be 1 or 2 faults causing the fresh tank to overflow when hooked to city water: 1)the valve to fresh tank is leaking, or 2) water pump is leaking water back to fresh tank.

A new question has arisen: is the REMCO Aquajet pump the same as the Aquatec Aquajet pump presently installed in Fury? A local RV dealer's parts guy ordered in an Aquajet pump for me. It is a REMCO branded pump.

Some of the technical features on the REMCO match the Aquatec pump specs: 5.3 GPM, 5 chamber pump diaphragm, variable speed motor. The REMCO pumps look a bit different.

The Aquatec web site shows water pumps that look exactly like the pump in Fury.

The web site at REMCO lists Aquatec as one of the co.'s partners.
So, does REMCO own Aquatec? does Aquatec mfg. pumps for REMCO rebranded as REMCO? If I replace an Aquatec Aquajet pump with a REMCO Aquajet have I installed the same equivalent water pump?

These pumps are in the $200 to $273 range on Internet, dealer's price for a REMCO Aquajet pump is $250 + $25 tax = $275.

I would rather not buy an inferior pump just because a dealer has one of the pumps in stock now.

The coach likely needs a new water pump and it will be a more routine repair to install a new water pump. Cutting into the Pex water system piping in the limited confines of the water compartment will be a repair that is more difficult to do.

The present plan is to first install a new water pump. Second, work on the plumbing lines & that valve only if it becomes absolutely necessary.

[Wolf Alaska]

No A/C or heat. The Dometic Comfort Control Center (CCC) lost its readout screen and the Heat Pumps stopped running. This also took out the furnace. Early indications were poor connections in the data cables. I was able to briefly restore the Heat Pump function, then it failed big time.
o On 5/23/19, 2 mobile RV technicians worked at Fury from 5:45 to 9:30 PM with 1.5 hours out to buy a new crimping tool & eat. Replaced the data cable ends where Zone 1 & Zone 2 cables join the cable feed to the Comfort Control Center. Later, they decided the thermostat (CCC) was also bad; likely caused by the intermittent signal. $300 labor

• Update: today, 5/29/19 I connected a new CCC : no change. The CCC ($151.39) did not light up or do anything. Now it appears that there is no power coming across the data cables to power the CCC.

Zack the tech will be at Fury on Friday PM to work on the water system. We may work on the AC/Heat system instead. I may or may not have a new water pump by then.

[Wolf Alaska]

A new question has arisen: is the REMCO Aquajet water pump the same as the Aquatec Aquajet pump presently installed in Fury?

The Aquatec web site shows water pumps that look exactly like the pump in Fury.

The web site at REMCO lists Aquatec as one of the co.'s partners.

I have new info from Aquatec.

Does REMCO own Aquatec? No

does Aquatec mfg. pumps for REMCO rebranded as REMCO? Actually, Aquatec mfg the parts & REMCO assembles the water pumps. Those pumps are correctly branded REMCO.

If I replace an Aquatec Aquajet pump with a REMCO Aquajet have I installed the same equivalent water pump? Yes, the Aquajet pump is the same whether branded Aquatec or REMCO.

An Aquatec engineer told me that dirt or debris in the pumping valves could cause the conditions I described. My plan is to install a new pump & clean the old pump to keep as a spare.

[Wolf Alaska]

Today, 5/31/2019, I bought a REMCO Aquajet pump that Bankston RV's ordered in for me, $272.14 OTD. This afternoon, Zack and Evers installed it and continued to troubleshoot the failed AC, furnace, & heat pump controller. Since they split their time, I'm counting $145 toward installation. So, $417.14 to change out the water pump.

It works fine. The pump doesn't cycle on and off when the water taps are shut. Appears to be an improvement.

Will need to connect city water to find out if water backflow and overfill of the fresh water tank is eliminated. Water is available at the storage facility, so won't have to wait on a trip to a CG to apply city water to Fury.

[Wolf Alaska]

Today, 5/31/2019, Zack and Evers continued to troubleshoot the lack of power to the new Dometic Comfort Control Center (5 button) which controls the A/C, heat pump function, and furnace (Aqua-Hot). Although the data cable ends were previously R&R, still there is zero power to the new thermostat. Hence, no A/C.

After an hour or so checking their previous work, Zack decided he had reached his limit and wants to call in Richard, a locally famous guru to check out the problem.

With the previous work and the part, today's work brings the tab up to: $596.39.

Possibly, Richard will be available on Monday and bring his expertise to bear.

[Wolf Alaska]

Today, 5/31/2019, after the techs left Fury; I stayed and worked several items.

Since the weather has cooled to the lower 80's I found it comfortable to work in the cab with a roof vent operating.

I popped out the upper right cubbie for access to the video bay. I carefully examined each vid cable and tried to either unplug & replug or verify each cable was fully plugged in. I think I got shocked a couple of times, which was unexpected.

I removed and reinserted a strange cable that exits the Perimeter view and devolves into 3 small connector cables with one hooking to the Kenwood video manager. I think that was what did the trick....but it really wasn't loose.

Anyway, the rear camera now displays on the main monitor and I'm declaring victory! The left & right camera feeds still work, so good.

I also almost got the new dashcam into operation including hooking up to phone and tablet + THE CLOUD....whatever that is. It is recording files for the windshield and side view cameras.

Ran main engine for 8 minutes, brought air system psi up to operational pressure.
Ran genset for 15 minutes, but full power did not magically restore A/C to operation as I had hoped.
Inverter brought both sets of batteries up to full charge. Left Fury disconnected from shore power.

[Wolf Alaska]

Today, Wednesday, 6/5/2019, Zack arrived at the storage facility where Fury is located and brought with him Richard, the great RV guru. He’s the equivalent of the great Yankee relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera. You bring him in when everything you try fails to solve the problem. Richard certainly lived up to his billing this time.

We explained the previous efforts to Richard. I said that the problem seems to be no power on the controller, and that the new controller did not help. He asked a few questions about the previous work which was mainly replacing the connector ends on the data cable feeding the Comfort Control Center (CCC).

Richard then asked Zack to go on the roof and access the control box which is located under the shroud of the #1 A/C unit (the forward unit). He told Zack to take a 3 or 5 amp regular size plug in fuse with him and check the fuse on the circuit board. Zack did so and called down that the fuse was blown. He replaced it with a new fuse. When he did so, Richard powered up the CCC.

The CCC lit up and looked good. I cranked the genset. Richard set up the CCC for A/C cooling. After the usual 2 minute delay, the genset power applied and the A/C units lit off. High fives all around.

Zack only billed $100 for this visit. They were there about 20 minutes plus another 10 minutes to check out Fury and look at the engine. Zack popped on the hub caps for me. One was the remaining original and the replacement for the lost hub cap. So, with the previous work $300+145+151.39 new CCC thermostat & today’s $100 charge = $696.39 to bring the A/C, heat pump, furnace, & fan functions back on line.

Summary: the actual fail condition appears to have been 1 or more data cable connector ends became loose or worn. I found 1 connector had the retaining clip broken off and was taped to the mating connector part. During the repair effort, the repair tool caused a short that blew the 3 amp fuse in the control box. This removed the 12VDC power which drives the CCC. The CCC that Fury was using did not fail, it is a useable spare. The new CCC was left in place as it functions as it should. The cable connector replacement work that Zack and Johnny performed was good work. I learned a lot of rare information about a vital system during this repair. The HVAC system is back on line, so we are GO for the Dynamax Owners Rally later this month!

Important take away tips for Dynamax owners:

· Loss of data cable function equals loss of cooling and heating. When (if) the data cables feeding the CCC and controlling the A/C’s or furnace become loose not only will the CCC lose data & the ability to control those units, it will lose 12VDC power. Since the CCC has no power source of its own, one will be unable to use the CCC. The A/C units and furnace may be in fine shape but they will not be available for use. With no 12VDC power, you can turn the CCC switch on, but the display will not light up.

· Repair efforts can make things worse. When Zack and Johnny used the connector crimping tool to cut off the old, defective data cable connector(s), the tool caused a momentary short across the positive and negative wires in the data cable. The momentary short blew the fuse in the control box located top side in the #1 A/C unit. Since they didn’t know about a fuse located there, they had no chance of completing the repair. This lead them speculate that the installed CCC unit was bad.
Sad but true, Zack and Johnny both looked in the control box on the roof, but neither one spied the fuse on the circuit board. They correctly checked the position of the DIP switches.

· Do this if you DIY replace connectors on the HVAC data cables. Turn off coach batteries so no 12VDC power is applied to the data cables. In the future, if data cable repair is needed; I will turn off the coach power switch (inside the coach), then go to the outside electrical bay and turn the marine power switch to OFF, shutting off almost all DC power to the coach.

· After replacing connectors if your CCC won’t power up do this. Go to the control box for the CCC/Dometic unit (mine is on the roof under the #1 A/C unit’s shroud) and check the 3 amp fuse on the circuit board. We replaced it with a 5 amp fuse.

Note: the rear A/C unit, #2, has a control box which also has a 3 amp fuse on its circuit board. This fuse is not in use. The data cables for HVAC control get all 12VDC power from the front control box. Richard said you can use the fuse in the rear A/C as a spare, if you badly need a 3 amp fuse.

[Wolf Alaska]

· Need to replace RF wheel’s hub cap. Lost on trip to ECR. I bought replacement at truck stop but its flanges aren’t right for my truck’s steer wheels. Returned that part to truck stop & bought replacement from Fleet Pride that fit. Zack installed.
· New dash cam falls off the mount to windshield. Need to obtain better adhesive & surface prep technique. Now using 3M mounting tape, satisfactory so far. Dash cam now has Cloud access & is viewable on phone & tablet. Appears to be ready for trip.
· Clean slides, clean window and slide seals, apply treatment to seals. Clean windows. We worked on this project 6/9, 6/11, & 6/12 and completed task after 30 hours work.
· Clean truck’s windshield and side windows. Plan to use aircraft canopy spray cleaner on 6/16
· New rugs for main compartment. We installed new rugs over the existing carpet on 6/13. Wolf installed tape to secure rugs on 6/14.
Fury is Road Worthy!

[Wolf Alaska]

· Wolf refueled Fury on 6/14/2019. Big A is only ½ mile from Fury’s storage facility and has dual pump big truck fueling stations. Fury took on 51.57 gallons at $2.699 per gallon for fuel purchase of $139.20. Same price: cash or credit.
With full tanks, Fury should be able to make the 922 mile run to Massey's Landing with no additional fuel needed.

[GL1800Rider]

Glad you got everything ready for the rally. That is one beautiful rig.

[Wolf Alaska]

For the first time, I was on roof of Fury on June 15.
Access is better in the larger storage bay. I inspected roof & sealing which is in very good condition. Most of the caulking is painted. The entire roof is painted burgundy.

I cleaned the 4 Fan-tasic roof vents, the shower skylight, & the satellite TV receiver dome & treated all with 303 UV protection spray, 2 coats. About 1 1/2 hours. Temps were in 86 degrees range, so by
time I completed this task I was hot!

303 is supposed to protect the plastic vents.

[ss89]

WA,
Fantastic Fans by Dometic will replace plastic vent covers at no charge if you contact them. You can get clear or smoked as you wish, just be sure you get correct ones, domed-flat. Easy to do, be sure & re-caulk /seal mounting screws.

Have replaced a number in units over last 10 years, Dynaquests & Grand Sports Florida sun & rain hard on them.

Maybe that's why they call them Fantastic Fans as service & people definitely are.

[Wolf Alaska]

This is a recap of our route and overnight stops to and from the 2019 owners gathering held at Massey’s Landing Resort in Delaware. Fury is safely parked in #712.

An overall comment: the economy is booming. All the truck stops appear to be operating at overcapacity. Every truck that can run must be out there hauling loads for there to be so many trucks on the road. If we parked at a truck stop, we were careful to not take a space usable by a semi.

6/18/2019: We left north Alabama on June18 at 1 PM and ran to Crossville, TN via US 72, I24, & US 127. We stopped at the Eco TA Truck Plaza on Hwy 298 for a break. The best attribute of this truck stop (TS) is that the parking area is level. North on Hwy 298 and across I40 is another good truck stop, a Pilot. 164.1 miles

Departed Crossville after a 1-hour break so we could be east of Knoxville in the AM and ran to a Pilot TS at White Pine, TN via I40. This TS has a good area at front on the left for RVs. The spaces are wide enough and about 50’ long. We deployed the slides. A couple of small restaurants at this TS. 269.2 miles total today, g/s 2.9 hrs.

6/19/2019: Departed White Pine, TN via I40 & I81 We experienced to traffic stoppages, dodged 1 and spent 3 ½ hours mainly stopped for the 2nd, a flipped 5th wheel RV. Stopped overnight at the Winchester, VA Fly J. Good RV parking at left front of building. Double spaces long enough for 40” RV. We deployed the bedroom slide. A few trucks without trailers parked here, too. 394.2 miles, g/s 7.3 hrs.

6/20/2019: I81 & I70 to Baltimore, MD area. Across a dam and into DEL. Arrived Massey’s Landing CG at 6:45PM. 268.2 miles, g/s 5.6 hrs.

Total run to Gathering: 931.6 miles, g/s 15.8 hrs.

[Wolf Alaska]

All systems repaired or maintained during the May to June work up to the trip to the gathering were effective. The air conditioning system worked great. Temp control was effective. The extra cab insulation and Reflectix shields added since the gathering in 2018 at Anchors Down, TN greatly assisted in keeping Fury’s cabin cool. The air conditioners seemed to run better as time went on and quieted down. Magically, the side RV door began to unlatch and close easier. Also, the side mounted docking lights also came on line. It was wonderful. A previously unknown storage compartment was discovered.

A bit of hydraulic fluid was noted on the pad of the Left Rear HWH leveling jack. It still worked, retracting and staying up during the return trip. Steve said he will replace it. The exact location of the HWH pump, reservoir and valving is still unknown.

During the gathering, Mr. Raphael Delgado, VP-Strategy for Proteng, a fire suppression co. out of Jupiter, FL; gave a presentation on their product: THIA. The product is a sealed, pressurized tube that deploys a fire suppression gas when subjected to high temperatures resulting from a fire.

Raphael and his wife, Catherine, travel in their RV and visit RV conventions and RV shows to demonstrate and install the Proteng products. Several Dynamax owners bought a fire suppression system for their coaches during the gathering. Raphael and Elizabeth installed the systems on Saturday and Sunday. We bought a system for Fury to protect: the 12VDC power box where the 2 banks of 12VDC breakers, the Big Boy, and the large 12VDC fuses and cables are located; the batteries; the inverter compartment; the Aqua-Hot unit; the Onan GenSet; and the Dometic propane fridge. We elected to not install THIA in the main engine compartment. With parts, labor, and after discounts in effect during the gathering; total cost was $1,869.60

During the run back home, I felt more at ease when camping. Our stops involved running the genset, the inverter, the Aqua-Hot for domestic hot water, the Dometic fridge on propane, and the roof air conditioners. When the genset was off, the inverter and batteries handled large DC loads to power the microwave. Whether the inverter powers the Aqua-Hot (1300 watts) is unknown, possibly it does. Some of these units would be very difficult to fight a fire with a hand fire extinguisher due to the way they are built. Now, the Proteng THIA is our first line of defense against fire instead of a small hand fire extinguisher.

The heat since arriving back home has been so intense with high humidity that maintaining and cleaning Fury has been almost impossible. A short list of work items will soon be published. I’ll provide the P/N for the HWH jack to Steve who says he can get to it in 3 or 4 weeks. It will be at the top of the new list! Fury is presently on shore power so the inverter can maintain the batteries at float. Today, I will disconnect Fury from shore power for a few days.

I sold the Coach House Type B motor coach last week for my full asking price, so now we are down to only 3 RV’s.