Category: CHASSIS

Headlight assembly

Headlight_DRL_2I’m not sure if the Mirada headlight assembly is unique to the Mirada or is used on a production vehicle. If someone knows if this is a production assembly send me a PM or leave a comment.

One item of interest for the 2001 Ford F53 chassis is that the DRLs (Daytime running Lights) stay on anytime the ignition switch is in the ON position.  Most vehicles I’ve ever seen either have a separate switch or the DRLs are switched on when the transmission is in Drive.  In order to turn the DRLs off,  I added a “HEADLIGHT” switch that turns power off to the headlight circuit, Continue reading “Headlight assembly” →

Dolly / TOAD Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

SCHRADER_TPMSBeing able to monitor the tires of a dolly and Toad are crutial.  If something goes wrong, i.e. hung brakes, blowout, bad bearings, etc,  the RV will hum right along and won’t even fell the extra drag caused by something wrong with the Toad.

I’ve had a personal experience with this when our old tow dolly suffered from a broken axle.  When the wheel departed the dolly, there was no indication  that anything was wrong. No thumps, no sound, no feel, nothing.

This same problem is with a 4 down,  there is no indication of a blown tire, or hung brake (heat).

Adding a TPMS specifically for the TOAD/Dolly solved this problem. The TPMS unit I use monitors both the pressure and temperature of the rear tires on the TOAD and the two dolly tires. Continue reading “Dolly / TOAD Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)” →

Chirp-Chirp-Chirp – Try a smaller belt

beltchirp

This is my latest attempt to deal with a mild Chirp – Chirp – Chirp thats been part of my Mirada life since day one.

It seems like everything I’ve done works for a few hundred miles,  then I get the chirp back.  Basically, the chirp is caused when the belt skids on the idler or a pulley Continue reading “Chirp-Chirp-Chirp – Try a smaller belt” →

Additional repair to drivers side wall

Sidewall_5_800IMPORTANT – If you needed to do the floor-to-wall repair that I reported on last year (READ HERE) , then you’ll also need to do the repair I’m reporting on below…..

On our last trip out west in January, the Mirada developed a loud screechy noise coming from the drivers side that sounded like  two Styrofoam cups rubbing together.  I looked and felt around but couldn’t pinpoint the source. I checked the floor to wall bolts I installed last year and they were tight. Continue reading “Additional repair to drivers side wall” →

Generator Compartment vents

GenVent_3_600I got this idea from another Mirada owner.

The generator compartment is fairly tight and not good for air circulation.  I decided to help a little by adding a couple vents.  These should help with airflow if I’m not able to open the compartment door when I run the generator.

The vents are pre-made stainless used on a watercraft, I got them on e-bay, $23 for two of them (CLICK HERE). Continue reading “Generator Compartment vents” →

Emergency Exterior Wall Repair

WallRepair_8_500IMPORTANT UPDATE – May 2016 – If you’re doing this floor-to-wall repair on your Mirada,  then you also need to look at the structural plate attach screws that I also found missing.  READ HERE to see that article.

A few months ago I ran across a thread in the Forest River forums where people were having some problems with wall separation on their Georgetown’s.  So when this happened on a recent trip, it scared the hell out of me.

“…every time I hit a bump, I’d watch as the instrument panel would stay still, but the entire windscreen and drivers wall would bounce up and down several inches.  Thank God we were on a rural road. I slowed way down and prayed this thing would stay together just a few more miles….”

When we bought our “new to us” Mirada last fall,  I noticed the drivers side wall would move up and down 1/2 inch, it appeared this had been doing it for some time because there were abrasion marks on the instrument panel where a cup holder that was mounted to the wall was rubbing against the instrument panel. (see the marks in red circle). I just assumed this was normal. Continue reading “Emergency Exterior Wall Repair” →

Repairing Delamination and water damage

Delam_1_600When we bought our Coachmen Mirada last fall, we knew it had a big delamination under the frig.  It didn’t look to serious as I had repaired water damage and delamination before, so I kind of knew what we were getting into.

Although the Mirada was in very good condition, this delamination and damage was probably the reason it  sat on the dealers lot for months and wasn’t moving. We made sure to point out to the dealer the  delamination was a very significant problem, but we were able to accept it, for a price. Thats probably why we got a very, very good deal on this Mirada. Continue reading “Repairing Delamination and water damage” →

Fixing Frig exterior access panel door leaks

Delam_15_600The reason my Mirada suffered from water damage was because water intruded under the frig access door.

If you have a similar door and frame, you may want to look at it and see if this could also be impacting you.

The access door did not have a lip on it, so water would run under the door and drip down inside the wall below the frig.

I repaired the water damage  (CLICK HERE) , so to prevent the damage from re-occurring, I decided to install a lip on the bottom of the frig access panel. Continue reading “Fixing Frig exterior access panel door leaks” →

Chirp Chirp Chirp Chirp Chirp – Finally solved (hopefully)

beltchirp(CHECK UPDATE)  Just after we picked up our “New to Us” Coachmen Mirada, it developed a chirping serpentine belt.  It wasn’t loud, but it needed to be looked before any long trips as a bad bearing can also cause a chirp.

As part of bringing all the preventive maintenance up to date and preparation for our long trip, I replaced the serpentine belt with a new Gates belt, and installed new bearings on the two idlers and the tensioner.  Replacing the bearing in the idler is substantially cheaper than replacing the entire idler. I also cleaned all the pulleys and idlers with lacquer thinner.

Continue reading “Chirp Chirp Chirp Chirp Chirp – Finally solved (hopefully)” →