[whatsnewell]

Elaine and I were heading back to Bluff, UT after a wonderful afternoon of site seeing when we decided, on a whim, to turn on to a road labeled "Gooseneck State Park". Had never heard of it, and had no idea what we were going to find at the end this short 4 mile detour. Well, we found Edwin and Lydia from Holland in their 2004 42' Newell, 2 slide, steering tag coach. He has been cruising our site for a while without registering, but I think I convinced him to join after talking with he and his wife for about an hour. They live in Holland, but fly to the USA every three months and travel in their Newell.....3 months in, and 3 months out. They leave the Newell at Newell in Miami when they are in Holland.

They are both the sweetest people, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. Once again I have to say you meet the nicest people in a Newell!

Their view of the canyon is spectacular. This place is free, but limited to 14 days. They prefer dry camping. Edwin had AM Solar install 1,000 watts of solar panels on his roof, and he as been able to isolate most of his systems they do not draw continuously....only when he wants them to.

He has an on going problem with his Atlas radiator springing leaks. Newell has been covering all the issue under warranty, but it is a perplexing problem as to why the core keeps springing leaks. Newell has replaced the radiator three, or four times, but still the problems continue to crop up. Hopefully he will join the site, and some of you can offer some solutions.

[Yachts]

I saw him at the factory a couple of months ago.. Didn't get a chance to meet him.. Just said hi

[Richard]

They were at the factory when Rhonda and I were there, but I did not get a chance to meet them. I did observe the radiator replacement closely. Add that to the radiator leaks Tom and Ron have reported, plus the radiator cores in the alley at Newell, and I am thinking this is a generic issue.

Here is what I was able to gather from the grapevine. The radiator is hard mounted to the frame so that it will be stressed, twisted, or racked if the frame flexes. Normally radiators in cars and even big trucks are free to float. That being said, in my opinion towing heavy loads, twisting the frame during leveling, and dragging the skid plates at an angle could all contribute to potential radiator problems. In other words any loading applied to the rear of the coach behind the wheels adds up to flex potentially applied to the radiator.

If I remember accurately, Newell modified his radiator mounting to put some isolators between the radiator and the frame.

Just my .02, and worth what just that.

[Ozarkguy]

That was what I was thinking Richard, stress & flexing. If one tends to do some out of the way roads, maybe even dirt.. then that would sure stress the radiator if hard mounted .. needs to float as you say. I found out how much the coach flex's when I went into some BLM sites near Sedona... I popped a bucket full of rivets.. That cured me of dirt roads...

[whatsnewell]

Richard, that is what Edwin reported to me, but the isolators do not seem to be working.....it is leaking again, although almost immeasurable at this point. He did mention that on occasion the rear end drags going in driveways. It could be a combination of all the factors you mentioned. He is a pretty savvy guy and he discussed all the things you mentioned that Newell has tried to do to fix this problem.

[Retro]

I wonder if the radiator frame itself is rigid enough? The rad should be self contained in its own structure then isolated from there for vibrations.

[ccjohnson]

Are these just series 60 side mounts?

[Fulltiming]

Weight, structural stability and flexibility are the devils that plague all aircraft, automobile, truck, boat and RV manufacturers. Add to that the wide variety of conditions that owners subject these vehicles to and it is amazing that they hold up as well as they do. My mind boggles that I am able to walk out into the driveway, turn the key and expect to drive across this great nation with all the conveniences of home with minimal and no issues that impede my progress in a vehicle that was designed and constructed 23 years ago. I can just imagine what would happen to the systems in my house if they were subjected to the twisting, vibration and strain that my Newell experiences on every trip.

I have put my Newell into some positions that I know resulted in significant stress, such as dragging the rear on a drive approach that required a steeper angle of departure than my coach, even with manual lowering the front and raising the rear, was capable of handling (wrecker truck provided the needed effort to get me out of that one). Hopefully, a solution to those affected by this problem can be determined. It certainly appears that Newell, as always, is diligent in working on the issue.

I applaud all of you for sharing your solutions with the rest of us. The Newell community continues to grow through your insight and support.

[whatsnewell]

I see that Edwin just registered and I hope he will introduce himself soon. So happy that this thread has already gotten into the nitty gritty on solutions!

[Chester Stone]

I am glad that this was discussed. I am now more aware to avoid as much as possible stress situations. Tow summers ago the skid plates in the rear enabled me to cross a steep bridge and I could have damaged the radiator. So far, so good.