Engine access

[Willyt]

Hello Class A owners ! I have a 2002 Friendship and I was wondering what it takes to access the top side of the motor. I thought it would be pretty straight forward, but too good to be true. I took all the visible screws out and nothing budges. I don't want to start tearing into it more than what's necessary. It looks like they sealed this thing up without thinking of any future access. Anybody out there with this model had any experience with this ?? Any thoughts will be appreciated. Willyt

 

[gwirth]

Under your bed there should be an access, covered by a carpeted piece of plywood.

 

[RayChez1]

On my Scenic Cruiser you remove the mattress, disconnect the two shock absorbers and lift the plywood that supports the mattress all the way up and out of the way. Then you have the box and the cover is held by long screws. Some are hard to find because they are sunk into the carpet, remove them and the box cover will come off. The top of the engine is exposed and you should be able to do what you want. That is a good time to get a electric power washer and after you have sprayed the engine, CAC and radiator with Simple Green or a degreaser, then after five minutes spray the whole thing clean. I actually start the engine and let it run while I am spraying since I have a rear radiator, the fan pushes the water and degreaser right through the fins and the engine will like new. Then just do the reverse of uninstalling and install the cover back. To remove the long screws use a power cordless power drill, it saves you a lot of work.

 

[Willyt]

Thanks Ray
I got to the point where I took those long screws out of the carpet covered plywood and thought it would lift up and it wouldn't budge, I'll give it another try. It looks like th carpet goes to the floor ?? Thanks for your help !

 

[W0JON]

I have a 2006 Tour Master t40 A with a king size bed which is new to me, had the oil changed by one of the are truck and diesel service centers. They could not figure out how to get to the top of the engine, so they had 2 of their smallest framed mechanics wedge their way in from the bottom.... not an easy task.... I have seen where the carpet is velcroed in a spot by the back side of the bed, but also could not figure out how to access the motor... they said the oil and air filter are located their... anyone have any knowledge on how to get to the top of the engine via the inside engine cover??

 

[W0JON]

I did find some of the carpet by the bed had Velcro attached and I imagine it has to being able to access the top of the motor.... could not figure out how... lifting the bed takes 2 men and several small boys to lift and then put a 2x4 to support....
Jon

 

[gwirth]

That’s crazy, I have never had a mechanic go inside to change oil. The drain plug is on the bottom of the engine and the oil fill is in the outside area by the radiator, as is the fill for coolant. The

 

[W0JON]

oil filter and air filter...... in canisters , according to the mechanics... they climbed up between the engine and frame to get at them.... oil filler is on the back of the MH when you open the door...... check oil, fill oil, and water/anti-freeze, hydrolic fluid...
says somewhere in the manuals to access the filters via the inside .... via the floor area to get to the top of the engine.... Mercedes Benz 330 HP

 

[W0JON]

there is a rear floor engine access port on the Tour Master T40 A located on the passenger side back on the foot end of the bend between the bed and dresser so the 11 o'clock position looking from the hall way side of the king size bed. Received the drawings from Millie at customer support for Gulf Stream

 

[proost]

there is a rear floor engine access port on the Tour Master T40 A located on the passenger side back on the foot end of the bend between the bed and dresser so the 11 o'clock position looking from the hall way side of the king size bed. Received the drawings from Millie at customer support for Gulf Stream

Hi, do you mind sharing the drawings Millie gave you? I need to decipher mine (a 2007 T40A). Thanks

 

[proost]

Hi W0JON - another bump to see if you would mind sharing those drawings you received from Millie. Thanks a lot. I need to chase down an errant coolant leak.

 

[Chuck v]

Phil,

Hope you get information specific to your T40A from Wojon above.

My T40C had the rear walk-in closet and that is where the floor step up over the engine began. There was a carpeted panel in the center of that closet that had screws fastening it down -- if you lifted it you could gain very limited access to the top of the engine. Hope you find your coolant leak.

 

[proost]

Phil,

Hope you get information specific to your T40A from Wojon above.

My T40C had the rear walk-in closet and that is where the floor step up over the engine began. There was a carpeted panel in the center of that closet that had screws fastening it down -- if you lifted it you could gain very limited access to the top of the engine. Hope you find your coolant leak.

Thanks Chuck. Since I don't have that rear closet, my setup is definitely different and it appears that the bed and frame will need to come up. We're up here in Niagara Falls and might extend a day or two to tear everything apart to see what I can see. I also just shot an email to Millie at GS to see if she can send me those drawings.

I've had a few coolant issues over the past couple of years and this is the 3rd.
2023 - a surge tank that aged out and was inflating under pressure (then leaking) as well as a wholesale hose replacement.
2024 - bad cap on that new surge tank.
2025 - this one. Checked the engine and transmission oils - no emulsification, no smoke or fluid smell that I can tell, no obvious leaks. EGR cooler is a higher failure on these MBE926 so possible and will need to do some more work. First though, rule out the hoses since they were replaced a couple years ago. Up here in NY, I tried to get into a Freightliner service center and they refused me stating they don't do any RV older than ten years. Wait, what?

Phil

 

[Chuck v]

Phil,

I have heard of the "10 yr age limit" at various RV resorts and the like -- but that was mostly being applied to gasoline engine and lighter weight RV units. Your Tourmaster is an XC chassis by Freightliner and built for longevity, so it is startling the shop gave you that service refusal and cut-off age...

I could see where a shop might want to limit it liability on working on a 'residence' for you if they need to wait some weeks for parts. The arrangements for giving you access, and some shore power to keep your food from spoiling is not a normal part of a truck repair shop duties...

 

[proost]

Phil,

I have heard of the "10 yr age limit" at various RV resorts and the like -- but that was mostly being applied to gasoline engine and lighter weight RV units. Your Tourmaster is an XC chassis by Freightliner and built for longevity, so it is startling the shop gave you that service refusal and cut-off age...

I could see where a shop might want to limit it liability on working on a 'residence' for you if they need to wait some weeks for parts. The arrangements for giving you access, and some shore power to keep your food from spoiling is not a normal part of a truck repair shop duties...

Totally agree. We typically pull into a shop and snag a hotel if we have to. It was pretty stunning actually when they told us and all of those thoughts, rolling in my head about the longevity of the engine, the ready availability of parts, the fact that they are most definitely working on trucks that are over 10 years, etc., etc. She said their primary reason is the lack of availability of parts, but that has never been the case in the last five years and she never asked me what type of engine I had. There’s a pretty sizable cross compatibility with Detroit Diesel.

I was pretty flabbergasted. They are an “elite” service center for Freightliner and in my review, I called them elitist! Ha ha ha.