Everything Winnebago Via

[Birdie2017]

Thanks Richard. Sure wish I could do these things myself. I hate getting old but sure love RVing. I have a shop nearby that I trust for small repairs on the coach but was told I have to take my MH to a certified Mercedes mechanic for anything on the chassis. I hated being in a truck stop in Nevada when the tires blew out so had to trust them and since talking to others, they have a good reputation. (Roadrunner Tire and Alignment in Mesquite, NV) This forum has helped me a lot and I appreciate your advice.

[bigb]

Originally Posted by Birdie2017

Thanks Richard. Sure wish I could do these things myself. I hate getting old but sure love RVing. I have a shop nearby that I trust for small repairs on the coach but was told I have to take my MH to a certified Mercedes mechanic for anything on the chassis. I hated being in a truck stop in Nevada when the tires blew out so had to trust them and since talking to others, they have a good reputation. (Roadrunner Tire and Alignment in Mesquite, NV) This forum has helped me a lot and I appreciate your advice.

You might consider an after market TPMS, hard to know when those inside duals are low unless you check at every stop. Was there any damage to the coach when they blew out? Wouldn't hurt to hit the Cat Scales either to make sure you are not overloaded, the Via doesn't have a lot of payload, right around 1,000 lbs which includes driver, passengers and fuel.

[Birdie2017]

I’ll do that. I’ve often wondered what the weight is that I’m carrying, plus it seems everything is on the drivers side, bathroom, tanks, couch, etc. Kitchen is on the passenger side. I just installed a bike rack for an electric bike. When I get the VIA back from the dealer, with the new shock, I’ll find a scale and check it out.

[bigb]

Corner weights are good to do on a MH and can be done on scales that have a level approach to the sides, but if there are trucks waiting may take several passes as to not hold up the commercial trucks. For your first weigh if you want to keep it simple just do axles, pull up with front axle on one scale and rear on the other then add a 10% factor to allow for uneven side to side loading. You can get a Cat Scale app on your phone and do it all without ever getting out of the rig. Escapees RV club also offers weighing events around the country where they do the corners. Motorhomes are especially known for being loaded unevenly so corner weights are always best if you can do it.

PS The Cat Scale in Tucson (I-10 exit 268) has plenty of room off to the right side and level, you can weigh the whole rig first, then re-weigh just the left side then do the math for corner weights.

https://rvlife.com/overweight-rvs-are-a-bad-idea/

[Divelement]

Hey BigB will try door fixes. Sounds like a great idea I have no idea why Winnebago did not do

[bigb]

Been working on all the rattles in the cab, pulled the 3 piece Winnebago dash out first, then put a sound deadening product (similar to Dynamat but cheaper) on the fiberglass panel over the engine, under the two Sprinter upper dash pieces (4 screws each then slide slightly back toward windshield to dis-engage hooks) and a strip of 3/8" round foam under the edge that vibrates against the lower Sprinter dash. More foam under the edge of the speaker grill (new speaker on order) and some steel brackets to hold the lower Sprinter dash to the Sprinter windshield mounting area. They had just put a strip of tape there but it vibrates since there is no Sprinter windshield to hold it down, the brackets fixed it right up, just fasten with self tapping sheet metal screws right into the steel next to the big rubber windshield seal. When you remove the 3 piece upper dash be aware that the defrost vent grills just unscrew, releasing from the duct on the back side, took me a while to figure that out.
I also put a couple pieces of electrician's rubber tape on the bottom of where the center piece between the radio speaker grill and the center pocket is as that was another source of vibration. Also the top of my center dash pocket was always crooked, higher on the right and when I removed it I saw that they had ran the satellite/ipod wires in the way so the pocket could not sit all the way down on that side. a quick re-threading of the wires under the plastic part instead of over it fixed that.

Next to the fuse box area under the dash where the passenger door module is just crammed in there (since there is no place to mount it on the motorhome and we don't have a passenger door) and bounces around and rattles against the plastic dash and gray fuse box enclosure, wrapped it in a piece of foam and zip tied it. The fuse box assembly itself moves around and bumps against the large, plastic covered wire harness that pops up on the left side of the dash, drops down the speaker tunnel and into the driver's door. For that I took some 3/4" foam pipe insulation and forced it over the wire bundle, wedging it in between the bundle and the fuse box. This is mostly by feel as you can't really see it even if you remove the panel with the head light switch and the gray cover under it, you just have to sit on the driver's step and reach up there and feel around for it.

Took it for a drive and there was still loud, annoying rattles from the A and B pillars. The A pillars only have one screw apiece in them and the bottom is held in place by a piece of weatherstripping that falls down. Even when intact the pillar trims are so big and thin that they make perfect sound amplifiers any time you hit a bump and they move. I re-glued the foam weatherstrip with 3M 77 and lined the insides of all 4 with more Dynamat look-alike. It did a great job of deadening the sound of the cheap, thin plastic rattling around.

When I re-install the 3 piece Winnebago dash I will make sure the lower ends of the pillar trims are held tight by the side pieces, if not I will add more weatherstripping.

A Chassis Ear helped locate some of the noises under the dash, plus an assistant but it's totally doable without one (the chassis ear I mean).

see next post for more pics

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remaining pics showing rubber tape on center piece, pillar sound deadening and Chassis Ear. Note the A pillars only have one screw holding them in place, the bottom is held in by the weatherstripping on the dash panel.

[bigb]

While the upper dash is out it's a great time to install USB charge ports. I went with the ones that have on/off switches since the fuse box under the dash is always live. There's 3 empty spaces on the bottom right where you can plug in an add-a-fuse and there's a huge space under the upper dash panels to run wire then just drop it down where the mirror switch is. If you want switched power you will have to get a wire to the fuse box in the driver's seat.

[Birdie2017]

You have been BUSY!! Thank you for posting!!

[dsruth]

These blog sites are great. Bought 2011 Via, 25Q last June. 20,000 miles Have done the following: Replaced both headlights(burned out), repaired air/oil separator on gen,replaced roof air /heat pump (13,500 BTU), repaired charger from engine alternator to house batteries so they charge while driving, replaced windshield motor ( would not work on high speed) windshield wiper spray hoses, replaced auto tranny fluid, rear end fluid, all filters both gen and chassie, oil change, balance tires, replaced retract stairs light. waiting for refrig door seal. Seems to run great now

[dsruth]

Forgot a couple of things. Added a battery minder for the start battery, changed brake fluid as well. Question: what is with that hand brake? the cover is all over the place and does not want to stay on. Anyone have the fix? Thanks

[bigb]

hmmm, my parking brake cover is secure but later I will look it up for you on my EPC/WIS program and post the pics etc. I've done all my fluids and filters as well, and my generator breather was trashed as well. Was able to make a new breather hose by forcing a 1/4" line into a 3/8" line instead of paying the ridiculous price they want for the whole assembly. Planning to flush brakes next week and eventually looking to replace front struts with Koni and rears with Agile Fox 2.5 tuned. I haven't checked to see if my house batteries are charging with the engine running, how did you figure that out and what was the fix? I ordered two 6' eyelet connectors with plug ins on the ends so I can use the battery tender on the house and chassis batteries without opening the hood or the step.
Haven't tried the wipers yet either. Do you still have the WIF extension on top of the fuel filter? I heard it breaks easy but you can just replace it with a thread in bleeder.
Where do you order Winnebago parts? I might need a shower surround, mine is yellowed from being stored outdoors in the Arizona heat. I am going to try Salon peroxide cream and UV light first though.
I'll look up that parking brake cover and get back with the info.

edit: I just found your other thread about the charging problem, I'd better check mine. After driving the rig two hours home I hooked up the tender and it took a couple days to fully charge the house batteries at 3 amps.

[bigb]

Oh and check the low pressure power steering hose, very common leak point on the Sprinter, replaced mine along with fuel injection clamps instead of the inferior hose clamps and now it's dry. I also have a leak at one of the screw in fittings for the push connect transmission cooling lines on the converter housing that a new fitting and copper washer didn't fix due to imperfections on the sealing surface. Yesterday I replaced it using Permatex Seal + Lock on the threads and a Dowty bonded washer instead of the copper. Have to wait 72 hours for the Permatex to cure but hoping it does the trick. I am pretty sure it has leaked since new, there was a LOT of residue on the undercarriage. Cleaned it with Gunk foam and a right angle wand I put together for my power washer.

[dsruth]

Ok! Thanks for the information. The coach batteries were not charging as I drove down the road. It turned out to be circuit 15 under the drivers seat and up to the switch on the dash. I did not fix it myself. At 71 years of age and I don’t have the tools or space to do it. I had to get both Mercedes and Winnebago tech support involved. Each one blamed the other. I have a feeling they screwed up at the factory.Yesterday I had a nice conversation with one of the VPs at Winnebago about product support and the lack there of. He said they are aware and working on it. I let him know that you can make the best product out there , but I if there isn’t strong after sale product support you won’t sell me another one. And the word on the street of poor customer support will kill your business. No costumer should ever be in the middle. Mercedes and Winnebago should be working hand in glove.

[dsruth]

How to check house batteries are charging. With gen off and not plugged into shore power, check battery voltage on house batteries. Start engine, should see higher voltage around 13.7 to 14 volts telling you Batteries are charging . The way I found out was my batteries were down to 75% after driving a few hours. Wait a sec, says I . The engine alternator should be keeping these batteries charged. What’s going on here. The Solenoid control wire had no power. SOB!

[dsruth]

Not sure about the WIF extension. Have to look into that.

[bigb]

Here is the info on that parking brake cover, looks like it just snaps in place. If yours is broken I've included the part number in the field to the left of the diagram although it should be stamped on the back of the cover as well. This is for a 2010 Sprinter which if you have a 2011 Via the chassis will be a 2010.

edit: Sorry I did not get the part# in that pic, if you need it I can look it up

[bigb]

Here's what I mean about the water in fuel drain (WIF), on the 2010 model there is a fitting on top of the fuel filter that is held on by two plastic clips and it has a drain hose that runs under the injector cover over to the side of the engine where there is a drain valve. To remove from the filter you press in on the white clip and pull off but it breaks very easily and if that happens you will leak fuel all over the engine. So after I broke mine I ordered a new one from ebay for $70 (you have to buy the whole assembly) but then I realized that the filter is easily accessible even with the air box in place and there really isn't a need for the expensive, fragile extension. Every Mann filter comes with a screw in bleeder so I just screwed it in and if I ever need to drain off any water I just attach a piece of tubing to it and route it into a container, actually much simpler than the original design. When the extension part gets here I may not even install it. If it breaks you are not going anywhere till it's fixed. (You can see the bleeder valve on my filter where I slipped a blue cap over it)

I've heard horror stories about mechanics breaking that part and somebody on this forum reported they got charged $500 for a filter change on the road. Therefore I will always carry a spare filter and the tools to change it not only to save my cash but to have it done right.

[dsruth]

Thanks for the information. I will have to look at my brake cover more closely. It doesn’t seem broken but keeps either sliding back or coming off. Is there a clip or screw that holds it or is it just a friction fit?

[dsruth]

Iam talking about part number 50 on your chart