# 25rss blues...



## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

Ok I got my 25rss exactly 8 weeks ago. it has been dandy for the most part. i have had to do quite a few things and plan to do quite a few more. i need some ideas in order to get this thing the way i want it... but first i'll say off the top of my head what has been done, and what needs to be-

ok first the stabilizer jacks sucked so i got new BAL scissor jacks

one of the 3 screws for the tongue jack was missing and there is not even a hole drilled for it. it works fine but that is on my list to fix.

there was a leak that was hard to find but it ended up being the hose coming in from the water supply. that was a simple turn.

the water heating system wasn't working right.. after much digging i found that the thermostat wasn't screwed in correctly at the factory (it wasn't butting up against the tank all the way). anyways that was an easy fix, but not until i had a few annoyingly cold showers.

i think that the water pump isn't working right. originally when the fresh water tank was full and there was no incoming water pressure, i would be able to turn the pump on and it would make a pretty large rumble and i would get pressure. i think (that i can recall) there would be the intermittent rumble and i would get water pressure. now it just makes a quiet hum and there is dribbling water out of the sink. i probably need to get a better pump.

the doors don't always shut without effort due to the aluminum things on the bottom of the door. it's not because my frame is flexing under load, either. the aluminum just doesn't go down all the way on one side. i removed the stuff and tried to get it to set better. it has improved but not 100% yet.

the stupid BAL scissors are too low to the ground. i had to remove them on the way out of a driveway. i need to make some sort of quick disconnect for the jacks. trying to come up with ideas presently

the moulding on the inside (beside the doors and such) are coming loose. they look like they had originally been put together with nail guns but i'm not sure. i'm also not sure what i am going to use to fix these- probably finishing screws). also moulding coming off under the dining table and some floor moulding coming up under the bed (between the step and door).

one of the most annoying things that i'm definitely trying to find a clever solution to: every time i take a shower, the water moves along the seam between the tub and the walls by surface tension flows over the edge and onto the floor. there's a puddle every time i take a shower. i just need to make a dam of some sort. the temporary solution was to throw a small hand towell in the edge but it gets soaked and leaks eventually.

oh and the sink doesn't really drip all the time but it takes some effort to get the valve to shut so that it doesn't. i'm either going to pull it apart and add a bushing or else replace the entire assembly.

oh and of course i threw away every single piece of crap accessory that i got from the dealer (mike thompsons rv superstore). i replaced the sewage hose with the better stuff ("ez drain" hose and "ez" fittings). Also got 3 sets of linx levelers, 2 bal lock chocks, masterlock hitch lock and hitch pin lock, water pressure regulator with gague, better leveler indicator, outdoor step rugs (really cool), and probably a bunch of things i'm not thinking of.

one upgrade i made which turns out to be the best thing ever is that i put in a mattress topper (viscoelastic "thermal" tempur-pedic foam nasa spaceship crap, u know the commercial), and of course some nice egyptian cotton sheets.

the next real upgrade on my list is to install an insinkerator instant 180-190 degree hot water for instant coffee and tea. i can't go without this gadget after living with it for so long. it's the best thing ever ever ever.

other than that i'm sure there's 100 things i can think of but these are the ones that i'm pretty sure are most important. i am not bitching about the quality of my rig because in general it's quite dandy.. just takes a hell of a lot of work to get it to where i think it should have been off the lot









i really want to fix that stupid shower thing asap. i hate having to clean up a puddle every time i take a shower.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

As far as your water pump problem, first, and I know this sounds simple, but make sure there is water in the tank. If that does not correct the problem, check to make sure the connections on the intake side of the pump are tight.

It sounds like your not getting a prime. The pump works by creating a lower pressure in the line coming from the tank, allowing the water column to move up the line to the pump. If there is air leaking past the fitting, than the pump can spin all day long, but the pressure will not drop. Also the fitting at the tank end if the pump side is tight (though I don't know how I would get in there)

As far as everything , even though it is a pain sometimes, I would bring the dealer into the mix. The coach is covered for 1 year warranty, might as well use it. Don't forget to put everything in writing when dealing with the service department. Other members have also found it useful to cc: everything to Keystone customer service.

Tim


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Well that is one monster post. It will be hard to track all the responses.

I will try to address the ones I can.

The pump speed - the large rumble when new. Is typical and normal that is why many people installed surge tanks. Yours has began to fade in performance and you are also having trouble closing your faucets. I would guess you have some debris in the pump inlet (from the tank) and some in you faucets. You (or the dealer) will need to open the lines to clean them out.

Yes the molding is nailed down. Mine is still intact except for one piece near the rear slide. I used liquid nails to put it back in place and it won't be coming loose any time soon. I have a small tube in my trailer tool kit to repair any molding that should come loose while camping.

As for the shower that is a pain. Y-Guy installed an accordion style curtain that has a track on the bottom and keeps the water in the tub.


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

In my old TT I installed some plastic/rubber "dams" that had adhesive on the bottom.

I think I picked them up at Walmart or a similar store. You simply install them along the tub edge at the corners and the water gets diverted back into the tub.

Wayne


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Thinking back, I forgot I had done this to the water system. I could not fill my tank quickly using a hose. When I removed the bottom I found out why, the vent was down hill and filled with water, the main 1 1/4" fill tube was kinked because of a bad bend and the suction side of the pump was also kinked. You do not have to remove the bottom, just take out a few screws along the side for acsess. The fix was shorten the vent tube and get it going up hill, install a 1 1/4 PVC elbow in the main fill tube and re-rout the main suction tube for the pump. Not hard fixes just a pain and a couple of hours work. If your 25rss is still under warrenty have the dealer look at these possible problems. Kirk


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

yikes. don't you hate it when you lose your entire reply because you accidentally hit the wrong button ? oh well... i am long winded and now i feel cheated









anyways thanks for the replies. i'm going to take care of the molding - that's easy.

i think that i know what is up with the pump and tank thanks to the replies. i am curious though, what is a surge tank and what is its purpose?

i'll figure out some quick disconnect for the bal's. does anyone else have the bals on there and if so, don't you think that it's a bit too low?

finally- i am trying to get my "equilizer" WD hitch to distribute the weight correctly. currently, the rear of my vehicle squats a little more than i'd like. the trailer is straight as an arrow (level). the thing is- i have a grand cherokee 5.9L ('98). it drives like a dream and i've done many modifications to make sure that it will run cool (tranny cooler, new electric fan/t-stat setup, power steering cooler, cold air intake, etc). anyways, because it's a grand cherokee, and the rear hitch is very close to the rear wheels. as such, i think that it's tougher to distribute the load to the front. so i put the "l" brackets to maximum height. it's better but not as good as i would like. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this phenomenon.


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## missouricamper (Jun 28, 2004)

We bought replacement scissor jacks, and just like you found out they were too low - would have drug on our driveway. We put the old stabalizers back on. Everyone tells us that we can reduce the movement by using a better wheel chalk (how the heck do you spell that?) system but the fact is that we just got use the camper and it doesn't even bother us unless someone is especially heavy-footed.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Hi Stabmaster, A surge tank is a tank that has a presurized bladder in it. The tank presure is set to a couple of pounds below shut off presure of the pump. The tank is simply tee'd into the main water feed line to the TT on the discharge side. It allows you to have, in my case a 2 gallon reserve so at night you can use the sink, toilet without running the pump. It also takes out a lot of the pulses from the pump when it is running under normal conditions. The tank is a very nice feature to have so everyone can sleep at night. Kirk


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Here is a link to the thread where you can see several different installations of surge tanks.

Surge tank thread

As for correcting the level of your TV vs TT, can you lower the ball on the shank? That way the TT will start slightly more nose down. When you draw it back up to level, it will bring the TV up more. I think that is what you are trying to achieve.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I was given a tip a while back for installing jacks on the rear of the trailer.

Stretch a string from the lowest point on the bumper to the rear most wheel. You can then attach the jack on the frame so that it just clears the string and then it won't drag on anything.

Mike


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

camping479 said:


> I was given a tip a while back for installing jacks on the rear of the trailer.
> 
> Stretch a string from the lowest point on the bumper to the rear most wheel. You can then attach the jack on the frame so that it just clears the string and then it won't drag on anything.
> 
> ...


yeah that's listed right in the BAL install guide. the problem with this situation is that there's hardly any room for any stabilizers of any kind by using that method. I read that many people went with the BALs', so i did, and now i'm SOL.

camperandy- yes i assume that lowering the ball on the shank would work- but it is all the way down, and if i turn the shank upside down it will be way too close to the ground. the best solution would be to get a shank with a different shape (like "T" instead of "L". anyways i'm considering getting a new tow vehicle, not because mine doesn't tow well, but because it costs me too much in gas. i'm basically going to get 2 new vehicles to replace my baby. it will be a sad day but I have to come to terms with my poverty before i starve









i like the surge tank. i think i'm going to buy an insinkerator as my next mod and then the surge tank..


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