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Hurricane Heating System

Yahoo Message Number: 101
Hi, we just traded our Allure in for a 2001 Intrigue and are having a problem with our Hurricane Heating System. It seems that the heater is using up the anti-freeze in the loop. Has anyone had this problem? We started out by blowing fuses five days after pick up on January 9th. A faulty fuel cell was found. Then, on our trip out west when the coach was only four weeks old, the heat failed again. This time a compressor was shorted out drawing 22 amps on a 7.5 amp fuse. We left the repair shop and twenty minutes later experienced extreme bucking problems (like your transmission is slipping) We were sent to another repair shop, this time it was Cummins and they advised me that I was low on anti-freeze. I only checked it four or five days ago. I've been checking the levels on a regular basis and found that the anti-freeze is disappearing, must be a leak.

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102
"Hi, we just traded our Allure in for a 2001 Intrigue and are having a problem with our Hurricane Heating System. It seems that the heater is using up the anti-freeze in the loop. Has anyone had this problem? " ----------------

I do not have the Hurricane system in our 1999 Intrigue but have been worrying over a constant loss of antifreeze, about a quart/1000 miles. I finally gave up on CC service when they would not do anything until physical evidence of puddling antifreeze was seen. I investigated it myself. Finally got to the source of problem, the connections to the motor aid hot water tank. The hose clamps were very loose. It is difficult to get to (the connections are right on top of the grey water tank) but doable without completely disassembling.
I also had MANY problems with our Intrigue when new but apparently none as serious as yours.

Sincerely

George W Becker

gwb36@...

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 105
John,

Do you smell any coolant while your system is running? I am just wondering if you have an interior heater core that is misting it out in your coach? Otherwise I am miffed if you have no puddles anywhere.

Damon

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 106
We also traded our 98 Allure for a 2001 Intrique with hurricane heat, had factory delivery on Feb 2nd, and have had similar problems with the coolant/heat/// Enroute from Oregon to Mesa, AZ the driver noticed a slight overheat problem and had to add coolant. Upon advise from CC, went to a Cummins center and found an elbow that connects a hose to the block had not been tightened, nor did it have any sealant on it! A $185 charge was made that I have to try to get back from CC, and we thought problem was solved.
The coach sat for a couple weeks in a park in Mesa and I noticed when using the hydro-heat a girggling sound. There also was a louder sound which could be heard in the toilet room (which is right over the furnace). Upon calling CC I was told to check the coolant level, and I did find it low. That happened several times during the next week or so.
When making a quick, short trip out of Mesa several weeks later we were checking under the hood and found the large radiator hose on the top of the engine right by the rear access door was spurting coolant and it was due to the hose clamp not being tightened.
We then drove it over 1,500 miles to Minnesota and watched the coolant level as well as kept eye on engine temp. All seemed normal on way here. But when I got home I noted black soot at the back of the exhaust and also some fluid residue on the back of the coach. The Cummins dealer here checked the engine completely and said they found a oil line in area of air conditioner that had not been properly sealed when connected... another poor quality control issue! That was cause of the residue. They felt I may have left the engine idle too long in cooldowns (about 10 minutes) that was cause of the soot.
They have checked all coolant lines, clamps, etc on engine and levels.
I have not used the coach since these were done, but will be taking it out this coming week for 3 nights and will need the furnace for sure, so should find out if the coolant leaks again. There will be few miles driven, so almost all of the use of coolant will be the heat.
We never have smelled coolant nor noticed any misting. A call to CC said the valve in the heater system to remove air takes some time to purge and that could be the source of my girgling and also when purged, it would use more coolant as the air was removed. If this doesn't settle down in a few more hours of use, he would then think that the valve was faulty. We will see this week!!!!

Other than these quality control issues, all very obvious lack of detail since merely checking for tight clamps and proper seals should be basic, we have had no trouble with the rest of our new Intrique.
I would be interested if others have similar problems, and similar reports and advice from CC.

John Perkins

Rochester, MN

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108
Hi Damon, yes I do smell the coolant while the system is running. I'm going to print out all the letters and hand them to my repair guy tomorrow so that he checks each of those spots. CC said that they could pressure check the system so I guess that's what he will do. We're adding solar panels to the coach so it may alleviate my battery problem but as I said, it has discharged while being plugged in so I think I have a bad inverter.

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 146
Hi, Regarding the Hurricane Heating System. Thought I'd attempt to clear up some confusion and add my experiences with this system.
The coolant source for the heater IS the same as the Cummins engine coolant. There is no separate system. This seems to be a Country Coach exclusive. The pressure cap on the coolant tank is rated at 5lbs which is unique to coaches with the Hydronic heat. This system does not use up antifreeze. If you are loosing coolant, look for leaks at the clamps on the heater hoses. When the coach is new and especially after it goes through a winter and summer season, some hose clamps will loosen and need to be tightened slightly to stop any leaks. This is not a fault of Country Coach. The silicon hose material simply requires a follow up tightning after several heat and cool cycles. Once this is accomplished, you should not loose any coolant. If you have any questions, the folks at Rixens Enterprises, (800)925-6260 are very helpful. Hope this helps some..Denny

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 158
If the Hurricane heating is linked to the coolant in the engine, wouldn't this mean that the new coolant resevoir should eliminate all the previous problems people have had regarding low coolant causing the engine to stop? Thanks...Jan

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 159
Hi Jan,

On a Country Coach equipped with hydronic heating, there is only one source for the coolant, which is the engine coolant system. The Hurricane heater is simply tapped off the main system. Therefore, if you have a leak any where in the heater system, the coolant level in the engine goes down. By the way, the radiator cap pressure is 7 lbs. on those coaches equipped with hydronic heat. Hope this helps....Denny

Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 161
I see several posts re. the Hurricane heating system.
We recently compared hydronic heating systems from various manufacturers in the

diesel-rvs@yahoogroups.com newsgroup. You may be interested in reading the thread. Alternatively, go to the file section and read the comparison we came up with. You can see the file at

"htpp://groups.yahoo.com/group/diesel-rvs"

I should maybe point out that the diesel-rvs group is not brand-specific. So, not everything you find there pertains to CC motorcoaches.

Regards,
Jeff

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Re: Hurricane Heating System

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 165
Hi, I picked up my coach yesterday and the solar panel installation was faultless. They came down through the refrigerator vents, snaked the wires back to the bedroom and put the panel on a side wall that didn't have mirrors on it. I was really pleased with the installation. We also put a quick disconnect on the batteries so that I can turn the panels off when I'm not using any electricity. I guess I'm still nervous from the last time when both batteries were cooked to the point where one shell was melting.

As far as the Hurricane Heating problem went, they feel that the drain was caused by the air purge valve which is in the compartment. The valve was replaced and they didn't reinstall the hose that the factory puts on, they left the manufacturers cap on instead. It ran for a couple of days without any loss so we'll see on my next trip which is this Tuesday.
Still haven't isolated the battery problem, everything worked just like it should work when they had it. No loss of voltage, everything including my outside wires was checked out. Maybe it will go away, I hope so.

Everything else is fixed and I'm ready to roll on my next adventure which is to a watercolor workshop in CT and MA.

As much griping and complaining as I've done over the last couple of weeks, I was really happy to get my coach back and am looking forward to this next trip. I know there is an initial break in period, but alot of this stuff was serious beyond break in, especially when your about two thousand miles from home and on a schedule. I pampered it today with a bath and was real happy to step inside and view my magnificent portable condominium.

Who's going to the rally in Oregon this Summer?