Pigkisser
West Texas
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The exhaust strap broke on my 2007 33SS Seneca after less than 3000 miles. I went to the lumber/hardware store and bought some of that heavy duty perforated strap which is used for hanging garage door openers from the ceiling. So far, so good. The strap from the factory is a joke.
I was a little curious about the 34SS not being on a stretched frame. My 33SS, which is about a foot shorter, has an extended frame. Why is it that?
2007 Jayco Seneca 33SS
2008 Jeep Wrangler 4 door 4X4 toad
Ready Brute/Ready Brake tow bar/brake combination
Igloo Ice Chest
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dleslie125
Southern Ontario/Palmetto FL in Winter
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Pigkisser wrote:The exhaust strap broke on my 2007 33SS Seneca after less than 3000 miles. I went to the lumber/hardware store and bought some of that heavy duty perforated strap which is used for hanging garage door openers from the ceiling. So far, so good. The strap from the factory is a joke.
I was a little curious about the 34SS not being on a stretched frame. My 33SS, which is about a foot shorter, has an extended frame. Why is it that?
I was looking for the pipe strap based on your report when I decided on the chain links.
Once in a while Jayco does something brilliant. I think for the 34SS they started with the 239 inch WB so they didn't have to stretch it. For yours and mine they started with 213.5 and stretched it to 225 inches. Of course, GM makes a complete range of wheel base lengths, but only a couple are used for MHs, which to me makes NO sense that they then incur a stretch cost.
Don, Bev & Phil
07 Jayco 32SS on Kodiak May 07 Yahoo Kodiak Group
06 HR Amb 40PLQ ISC 330/950 9/05-5/07
04 Winnie Jrny 39W CAT C7 7/04-9/05)
00 Triple E Commander 5/03-5/04
Toad - 07 Tahoe LTZ 12/06 -
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Pigkisser
West Texas
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dleslie125:
Thanks for the info on the frame stretch. Very interesting...
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dleslie125
Southern Ontario/Palmetto FL in Winter
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Pigkisser wrote:dleslie125:
Thanks for the info on the frame stretch. Very interesting...
If you watch this video (posted on our Kodiak Yahoo group - are you a member?) you will hear the reference to the stretching of the chassis after it leaves GM and before it gets to Jayco.
Jayco plant video
Don
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az99
N.Y.
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Joined: 12/26/2006
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One of the reasons mine keeps breaking is that after, they cut the tail pipe section to move it from right exit to left exit, when it was welded it was positioned too low. To try to fix that error it is pulled up a few inches with the strap clamp so the end of the pipe is not so close to the ground. That causes the pipe to be against the frame where they made clearance with a hammer on the pipe. The clamps are trying to bend and reposition the tail pipe section rather than just supporting the weight.
A real engineering marvel on Jayco's part.
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ASA Glamis
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
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Joined: 03/19/2007
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az99 wrote:One of the reasons mine keeps breaking is that after, they cut the tail pipe section to move it from right exit to left exit, when it was welded it was positioned too low. To try to fix that error it is pulled up a few inches with the strap clamp so the end of the pipe is not so close to the ground. That causes the pipe to be against the frame where they made clearance with a hammer on the pipe. The clamps are trying to bend and reposition the tail pipe section rather than just supporting the weight.
A real engineering marvel on Jayco's part.
As AZ99 said the pipe was positioned too low when welded so there is too much pressure on the hanger to position the pipe correctly.
What I did was to place a block between the frame and the pipe and then put the floor jack under the pipe where it exits the coach and take the torch and heat the pipe at the location of the last bend before it exits. I then bent the pipe to a location that allows the pipe to exit at the correct location with out the hanger being there at all. The hanger now will only carry the weight of the pipe as it should.
This will raise the outlet of the pipe and reduce the strain on the hanger. The hanger should just support the weight of the pipe not try and raise it up.
My hanger was broken when I purchased the MH and I told the dealer to fix it. They welded a new hanger next to the old one. The technician that did it obviously did not know how to weld and it only lasted one trip so I just decided to fix it myself. Bent the pipe to the correct position and installed a new hanger to just carry the weight of the pipe.
Another problem solved!
2007 Jayco Seneca 35GS
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berfle
Dawsonville, Georgia
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Joined: 09/21/2006
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Good job Glamis! Looks like the most well thought out approach anyone has come up with yet for this stupid engineering blunder. If you could set up a mobile shop just outside of the Jayco factory gates with your torch, jack & block of wood, you would probably get paid by grateful owners and maybe even Jayco themselves :-)
Bill
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dleslie125
Southern Ontario/Palmetto FL in Winter
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berfle wrote:Good job Glamis! Looks like the most well thought out approach anyone has come up with yet for this stupid engineering blunder. If you could set up a mobile shop just outside of the Jayco factory gates with your torch, jack & block of wood, you would probably get paid by grateful owners and maybe even Jayco themselves :-)
Bill
Bill, note that the approach I employed also removed the strain that results from having to shove the exhaust upwards when the bracket is welded on. I haven't looked to see what cautions Jayco has issued with respect to welding anywhere near the MH but for my last two DPs I seem to recall they had very strongly worded warnings about welding anything and the precautions that had to be taken first. Not for the ordinary Joe (that means me) to even think of playing around with.
The other problem I thought existed was the bracket they used. The flexible center did not seem to be flexible enough to take the movement of the exhaust without resulting in the bracket eventually giving way. Now I can tolerate bouncing around on rough roads and the movement won't cause anything to be fractured and the exhaust won't hit the frame as I've limited the travel with the use of steel cable - which also acts as a secondary support for the chain links as it is wrapped around the frame channels and through the clamp on the exhaust (as I said earlier - belt and suspenders).
Don
I'
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berfle
Dawsonville, Georgia
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Don, Your's was certainly a great solution as well. In fact, years from now when your coach is finally ready for that great RV junkyard in the sky, your exhaust hanger will probably be what's still holding the rest of the rig together :-)
Regarding the welding warnings on your previous coaches... what they likely were referring to is the use of any type of electric welder which can set up some nasty electrical disturbances throughout the chassis with the result sometimes being a fried engine computer. There are precautions that can be taken to reduce the odds of a problem but most folks just roll the dice... myself being one who learned the hard way :-(
Bill
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BEVAR
Lake Worth, FL
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Joined: 03/21/2007
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I just received a recall/TSB from Jayco about the exhaust hanger breaking. They say bring it in and they will fix it. The only problem is that with 14,000 miles on it...it ain't broke yet!
Figures...
Beave
'06 35GS
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