What Else Needs To Be Done? How Do We Winterize Our Class C Motorhome So That We Will Be Ready To Get Down The Road Next Spring? It is time to winterize our RVs again. Once we have gotten the potential freezing issues under control, we can take a look at some other less obvious, but important, issues. There are things to be done like a good roof inspection before the rain and snow come.  Custom Search Another thing that may or may not be a required winterizing project is having a tune-up on the engine. If you are in need of one, this is a good time to do it. You will have fewer surprises next spring. The point I want to make is, you want to look everything over before putting your rig away for the winter. You will need to at least clean the thing when you winterize your Class C Motor- home... Leftover cookies and crackers will be an easy target for critters. Although, you may not need to tune-up your rig every year, it would be a very good idea to at least change the oil. Personally, I prefer to use a synthetic oil like Mobil 1 or Amsoil. All natural petroleum based oils have a tendency to break down over time. This is why it is recommended to have the oil and filter changed every 3,000 miles or 3 months. If you use the rig, the oil becomes contaminated with dirt and water (condensation). There are also issues with acid build-up. It is this acid build-up that you want to eliminate. It is not good for your engine to set all winter with this stuff eating away on your cylinder walls. If you use a good synthetic, however, many of the above issues will pretty much go away. The trick to getting the biggest bang for your buck with synthetics is to have a very good aftermarket filtration system installed… both air and oil filters. This high level filtration is not as critical with natural petroleum based oils because you are going to change the oil every 3 months or so anyway. Synthetics can potentially last much longer between changes if you can keep the dirt out. This oil will not break down like the natural petroleum products. They will, over time, just become dirty. However, the better the filtration, the longer their useful life span will become. For your protection, please consult your owner’s manual for specific winterizing procedures as they relate to your individual Class C Motorhome component... we cannot be held responsible for any damages. During The Winter Season When you winterize, it is a good idea to keep an eye on both of your battery systems. You will want to make sure that they keep a charge, and are not allowed to drain due to the normal battery discharge rate. There are a reasons that batteries die during the winter. What we want to eliminate are the reasons caused by neglect. First of all, isolate your auto and house batteries. You do not want any phantom loads messing with the thngs! Extreme cold can hurt the battery. If you can, pull them out of the rig and place them somewhere warm... where you can keep an eye on them. You want to be very sure that they keep electrolyte levels up to the prescribed limit. You never want to overfill a battery. If makes a mess, and dilutes the electrolyte. The use a an automatic battery fill system will keep things leveled off nicely. When I say automatic, I mean that you will automatically put the proper amount of fluid in each individual cell according to need. Sometimes it's easy to forget about the automotive side Either way, over the winter months these batteries will all need electro- lyte, and the terminals will probably need a good cleaning. will not accept a good charge. After ensuring that the electrolyte remains topped off, you will need to make sure these batteries stayed properly charged. It is very important that you do not rely on a single stage 3 amp charger. If you have access to 115 VAC, there is a device called the Battery Tender Plus You just leave it on your battery, and it will maintain a peak charge and keep it from becoming sulfated... all things considered, and it’s a pretty cool device. Another device that demands a little bit of attention incorporates solar charging. The 5-Watt SolarPulse charger (SP-5) will do the job of keeping your battery/s charged and not becoming sulfated. This device sells for less than $200. However, it will do the job. The cost is a little more, but it does come with a 9 x 9 inch solar panel. It puts out 350 mA at 16.5 V of pulsating DC current. will remove the sulfated deposits and "is a process that is patented as Pulse Technology--it will increase long term efficiency and overall battery longevity". Your tires will need a good look. When you winterize, you want to at least clean them up and apply a good protectant like 303 Aerospace Protectant If they are going to be sitting on dirt, you many want to drive them up on four pieces of appropriate-sized wood... not just a couple of 2 x 4s. These 2 x 4s will not cover the tread width and will go a long way toward breaking down your sidewalls. This could cause a blow-out on your first trip next spring! and have to be pulled free. You can even park the tires on plastic for protection. Just make sure the rig is level... you do not want unequal pressure on your tire and suspension components. Actually, you could even put the rig on jack stands and give the suspension a rest. If you are using hydraulic jacks, make sure the rams are clean and lubricated so they will keep sliding properly. Just extend these to the maximum and spray them down good with a squirt of Protect All Slide-Out Dry Lube Protectant This will go a long way to keep moving parts free of rust and allow them to operate easily. Putting a film of protective coating on your jack rams is important if you plan to have them extended all winter while supporting the rig. You can also use Protect All dry lube on the various suspension and steering components... and while you are under there, go ahead and lube it up. With sealed bearings and such, this is becoming less and less of an issue. You want to look for the little zerk fittings that will probably have a glob of grease around them. You may have to get a shop manual for your vehicle to find all the locations.
You can buy these fittings with different angles... you just have to unscrew the old fittings and replace them with ones that allow access to your lube-gun. Your motorhome awning also needs to be looked at. First of all, you want to roll it out and ensure that there are no leaves, twigs, etc on it. Sweep this stuff away and then clean the top and bottom with an appropriate cleanser. You want to make sure that it is completely dry before closing it up. You don't want a mold issue developing over the winter months. Spray your mechanical parts with a good silicon lubricant. You shouldn't have to do too much to winterize the sliders (if you have any). Motorhome slides should be okay. However, you may want to wipe down the hydraulic/mechanical jack rods with Protect All Lube Some people leave the slides out in camping mode, and some like to leave them in. If you want to leave them out, make sure they are well supported. You will also want to crank them in and out a couple times during the winter season. This will keep them free from binding up. because you will have less exposure to the elements. Protect All is a good dry lube that will help complete your winterizing project by preventing moisture and rust. This is a good lubricant because it will not attract dust and dirt.
Check the seals around the storage compartments. They may have become torn or are starting to lift off. You can replace or reseal them as necessary. You will want to make sure, after you have cleaned any rubber seals, that you put a good conditioner on them. On A Regular Basis Last but not least is your motor-generator (M-G). You can easily overlook this vital piece of equipment. Sometimes, it seems that we do not think of the thing until it refuses to start. Then it's going to be too late! At any rate, you want to keep an eye on potential exhaust leaks. You want to see if any holes have opened in the gen-set compartment that could give the exhaust access to the interior of the rig. You never know when and where a mouse may chew a hole. These critters have no respect. On rare occasions if these critters have been busy, you may be able to detect a louder than normal gen-set when it is running. That would be a clue. To tell you the truth, I don't see a lot of issues here. However, you must look for these types of problems because C02 in an enclosed space is deadly. make sure that your propane gas detector, and if you have one, your C02 detector, are functioning Most people change their batteries on a daylight savings time schedule... you want to make sure you have fresh batteriesfor these devices next spring. Make sure the air intake on your (M-G) is not blocked by dirt and debris. This would also be a good time to change the oil... for the same reasons you want to change the oil in the RV's big V8/10. Check with your owner's operating manual for specifics on what type of oil to use. Under extreme cases, to winterize your (M-G) properly, a good steam cleaning may be a good idea. If you have been out dirt biking in the desert... well, you know what it's like. Something else that can be easily overlooked is the need to run your (M-G) on a regular basis during the cold winter season. Onan recommends that your run your (M-G) at least 2 hours per month under a 50% load condition. Most of us are using the 4000 series generator. If you are, you can use an 1800 Watt appliance of some type, like a small heater or an air conditioner. Onan states that this is necessary because of moisture build up in the carburetor. Also, if you do not run your generator, the fuel will evaporate leaving unwanted deposits. This, of course, will make it hard to start next spring. Most of this stuff is just common sense. You winterize your rig so you will have piece of mind throughout the winter months. It is not fun to look out the window, and see your favorite toy sitting under two feet of snow and wondering about stuff. You should, instead, be planning your next year's travel schedule! Custom Search Return to Top Of Page |
14,500 lbs GVWR
188 HP Diesel Motor