Thanks for the tip, Billy.  My seal was also worn by the raised screw heads where the slide was tightest.  I replaced them with flat head screws, I did all the screws just to be sure that another spot might start to wear.  Couldn't get to the center one on the top because of the topper.  Interesting to note that the holes were already countersunk for flat head style screws so the new ones fit flush.

Bob

I think that the dash lights dimmer switch might control the running board lights. Try dimming the dash lights. The rotary switch on full bright would normally turn on the dome light, but it might be turning on the running board lights.

Agree, on my 2010 2551, the running board lights stayed on with the rotary switch rotated to full bright.

The ladder hinges about half-way so you can raise it out of the way for access to the rear storage bay.
I use Velcro strips to secure it close to the fixed part so I don't have to mess with it when getting at the hoses and electrical cord.
But if I need the ladder, it's usable.

Hint:
Drill 1/4" diameter holes in the bottoms of the plastic ladder hinge so the water drains.

I also secure the lower half to the fixed upper half and it is there if needed but not in the way of the storage door.  Drilling the hole is important.

Bob A

I am not sure if this is correct, this is what I did (from memory) last week when bat dead.

turn on generator
turn engine key to right, on position
push in white rocker switch

or

turn on gen
push rocker
turn on key

go away/wait 5 0r ten min

start engine

I don't remember if manual told me about this or if Amanda did on the walk through

kevin

I hadn't thought about turning the key on; there are two ways to close the isolation relay between the house batteries and the engine battery, one is to press and hold the white momentary rocker switch and the other is to have the key in the "run" position.  That is how the engine alternator charges the house batteries when the engine is running, the relay is closed all the time the engine is running and opens when off so that the engine battery is isolated and won't be discharged.

Since it takes a few minutes to charge a dead engine battery through the relay, turning the key to "run" may be easier than holding the white switch.  There may be some concern about all the engine electronics being on while the key is on but the engine is not running?

So, Kevin's procedure worked because the key was on, pressing the white switch did nothing if not held on.  Also, running the generator while not necessary, may charge the engine battery quicker since the house battery charger is operating and charging all the batteries instead of just equalizing the charge from the house to engine battery.

So, the bottom line is you have to hold the white rocker switch on, or turn the key to "run", or as Keelhauler did, replace the momentary rocker switch with an on/off switch.

Bob A

Well done Aimee, you have made it perfectly clear and thanks to Stuart and Amanda for supporting the referral program

Now on to the other aspects of your idea, I am looking forward to posting my location while on the road (or home) and meeting up with prospective buyers and other PC owners.  I would love to show off my PC to buyers and to share mods with other PC owners.

Bob A.

Aimee,

I like your idea and would be interested in participating.  We live in Northern California and I remember how hard it was to actually see a PC.  At the time there was a dealer in Phoenix and we went there, it would have been nice to see one closer to home and talk to an owner.

I especially like your idea to be able to indicate where we will be when on the road, we live in a remote area not convenient for someone to visit, but we are on the road at least 4 months a year.  That might also be a fun way to meet up with other PC owners on the road, just see who is in the area at the time.

Bob A.

Like Bob M., the speedometer in my 2010 E450 reads higher by about 2 MPH at 60 MPH compared to the GPS.  In fact, all three of our vehicles read high and I also assumed that it was intentional.  Yes, tire wear is another error factor causing the speedometer to read higher, and to confuse the situation more, I have found that different tire brands may have different new diameters for the same tire size.

Regarding the Scangage, yes, it did also read higher than the GPS but it has a selectable correction factor that allows it to be set to read the same as the GPS.  I will need to reset it as the tires wear.

Bob A.

If you just let the gray water drain as you let water into it, you'll have nothing to flush the black tank and hose with.

You are right, I will stop using the grey water bypass when I anticipate the need to dump the black water tank so that I have enough grey water to flush the system after dumping the black water tank.

Bobander,
Thanks for your response.  When the gray valve is electronically opened, will the blinking light on the valve switch keep blinking and will it harm the light or switch itself?
Thanks- Roni

Roni,
Yes, the light will continue to blink while the valve is left open, and it will not harm the light or switch.

My understanding was that if the gray valve is left open (and the hose in the ground) the gray tank, once it hits a cetain level in the tank, will drain slowly on it's own (without the sani-con pump).

Maybe this isn't correct?

This is my experience also, there is a 1/2 inch tube that bypasses the sani-con  and the level in the gray tank needs to be high enough to force it's way through the bypass tube.  It works well for extended stays with sewer hook up.  You can see the bypass tube on the sani-con, it is a clear 1/2 inch tube.

Hi Anne,

It is a separate DVD/CD player just for the rear TV, you have to change the source input on the TV to the DVD player.  There are two source inputs, one is the DVD player and the other is the coax from the front that will display the antenna or cable input.  The source input can be changed using buttons on the TV or the remote.

Bob,
(another west coast 2551 owner near Lake Tahoe)

I went to my factory shop manual but could not find anything about oil capacity.  Where did you find that info in your factory shop manual

Hi Bob,

My 2007 E-series 3 volume shop manual is published by Ford.  In volume #2 on page 303-01B-1 is the specs chart for the 6.8L engine.  It is on the very first page after the intro pages with indexing.  Left-hand column, lower section, it states the oil capacity as 6.9 quarts with filter.

303-01B is the section exclusive for the 6.8L engine, coming after the smaller gas V8 engine sections.

Ron,

I have the same Ford 3 volume set for my 2010 and it was right where you said, I missed it the first time.  For 2010 it states the capacity to be 7.0 quarts with filter, which is different from the 6.0 in the owners manual.  The owners manual doesn't say anything about with or without filter for the 6 qts.

For my engine, it takes 6 1/2 qts to get to the full mark, more than the owners manual and less than the shop manual, Ford seems to have dropped the ball in this area.

Thanks, Bob

Ron,

My 2010 owners manual specs 6 quarts for the 6.8L, so I went to my factory shop manual but could not find anything about oil capacity.  Where did you find that info in your factory shop manual, I will look again.

I would like to confirm this for my 2010 because when I put 6 quarts in, it is half way between add and full on the dipstick and I have been adding a half quart to get to the full mark.

Bob

Ron,

Glad I could help, it is a complex system when you get into all the setup options.

Bob

You mighty try different sound system settings on the surround sound amplifier.  I played around with it once and found that there were settings where sound did not come out of the rear speakers, just the front and sub-woofer.  I had to use the manual to figure it out as there were many settings to choose from, now I have forgot them all.  It had something to do with what sound environment you were trying to simulate, and what the source (DVD, CD) was capable of in terms of sound quality.

When I say "rear speakers" I am talking about the small black ones you described, not the two large white ones in the rear of the RV.

Bob