Enhancements to the Discovery
Ever since the invention of automobiles, people have been trying to turn them into motor homes, and then make them better. Click here to see some interesting examples of early and unusual motor homes. Below are some of my attempts to make "a better motor home" out of our 1999 Fleetwood Discovery (purchased from Media Camping Center).
Click on the links below, or simply scroll down the page. Be sure to click on the various sub-titles and photos on this page for links to additional information.
| Dashboard Area (Click on Dashboard photo for larger view) | |
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Garmin Color
Street Pilot The photo of the dashboard shows a few "enhancements" and additions. The most obvious is the Color Street Pilot moving map and GPS receiver made by Garmin. You can see the antenna has been moved to the center of the front windshield for better reception, using an optional antenna extension cable available from Garmin. The mount is glued to the top of the instrument pod, but the unit itself is easily removed from the mount so that it can be used in other vehicles, like the "toad", or your every day automobile. The Street Pilot is a wonderful aid to navigation, and easily accessible to the driver when mounted in this position. |
Garman continues to update the SteetPilot to be functionally competitive with the latest automotive OEM GPS navigation systems, and they always seem to keep their pricing competitive. My current model for the motor home is the StreetPilot 2730 which has all the features of the earlier units, but also includes automatic routing, a remote control, voice directions with text-to-speech, optional traffic warning technology, and even comes with a built in mpg player, audio book reader, and XM satellite radio. I have no ties to Garmin except for a profound admiration of their highly engineered products and the excellent job they do with cartography. I have used their automotive and aviation products for years, and loved every one of their units that I've owned or used. |
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Sony Receiver and Radio
I've replaced the OEM radio with a Sony XR-C9100 Cassette Receiver (with BBE enhanced sound), a matching Sony 10 CD changer, and a new set of Sony 3-way speakers. The system sounds wonderful, and the radio pulls in all the stations clearly (unlike the OEM radio). I've also installed an adaptor to play the TV/VCR through the stereo system. At a push of a button, the receiver can be switched between FM1, FM2, AM, Tape, CD, or VCR. Each radio band has 10 pre-selects. The radio can scan the 10 strongest local stations, where ever you currently are, and program them into any of the 3 bands - a handy feature while on the road. All the functions on the radio can be controlled via a wired remote mounted next to my hot/cold mug. The unit also has a wireless remote that can be used anywhere in the coach.
Overhead
Light Switch: On the dashboard radio photograph, you
can see a rocker switch that I installed to the right of the radio.
That turns on the top double light over the copilot seat. I installed
that because I often wished for some way to turn on an overhead light
while alone in the coach at night. I rewired the switch by the
entrance door to feed from the chassis 12V system, rather than the
coach system. That way, both switches for this light use the
same power source, and you have light when entering the coach, should
you have the house electrical system turned off.
SilverLeaf VMS 200 Engine Monitor
The black box mounted on the instrument pod directly behind the steering wheel is the VMS 200 Engine Monitor made be SilverLeaf. It really is quite nice. The driving mode (pictured) displays information about the transmission on top, including both the selected gear and the currently attained gear - a handy feature that is no longer available on the new Allison keypads. (The photo shows 6th gear selected with trans currently in first gear.) On the bottom it graphs Rolling MPG (one minute MPG averages while not idling), Engine Torque output, and Coolant Temperature. The scan mode tells you (in graph format or numerical format) anything you ever wanted to know about the current engine/trans status - loads more info than I can digest while driving. There is also an engine problem diagnosis mode with trouble codes and a history of trouble codes (so you can show the mechanic later). There is a pre-trip check list (which they will customize for your needs). There is a trip mode that reports such things as total time and fuel, average rolling MPG, time/fuel until arrival, and more. There is also an "alternate" trip, and information from past trips are stored in history. The engine info screen reports total engine miles, hours, fuel consumed, total rolling MPG, and more.
Installation was easy... I attached the unit to the top of the instrument pod with Velcro, and ran the cable to the engine data plug under the dash. There is one other wire that you hook up to a source of 12V that is hot when the headlight switch is on. (The headlight relay serves this purpose, and is very handy to reach under the dash near the engine data plug.) With that wire hooked up, the display on the VMS 200 automatically dims when you turn the coach headlights on for night driving. I also installed an on/off toggle switch on the left console, since the power lead in the data plug is always hot in the Freightliner installation.
The
cost of the VMS 200 was $1995. It seems expensive, but it really isn't
when you consider all it can do. They also
have other new styles for sale with additional options and color displays, plus a PC version you can run on a
laptop for much less money. And if you eventually "upgrade" to
that bigger and better coach, you can simply unplug the VMS and take
it with you. It works equally well with a Cummins or a Cat
engine. You can find out more information about the VMS 200 and other
engine/trip monitors from SilverLeaf on their web page...
http://www.silverleafelectronics.com
Buddy Seats and Exit Hand Rail
After
seeing the new interior hand rail, on the new 2000 Discoveries, I had
to have one in my '99 D. This will save the leather around the
Co-pilot's window from constantly getting dirty, as people grab it
while descending the stairs. Cost was about $70.00, and can be ordered
from any Fleetwood dealer. It's easy to install yourself. I used
#10 by 1.5 inch machine screws in the base, and #12 by 1/2 inch
machine screws to screw the top into the door frame and sidewall
behind it.
The seats you see in the pictures are the larger "buddy seats" that are made by Flexsteel, the same manufacturer that makes the original seats, as well as other furniture installed in the Discovery. It's easy to change the cockpit seating in almost any motorhome. Flexsteel makes motorhome seats ranging from 25.5" wide all the way up to 37.5" wide, in several selections and styles, and will cover them in any color leather or vinyl to match your coach. (Click on the driver's seat picture to see some of their selections.) Media Camping was kind enough to install the larger seats in both the pilot and co-pilot positions when I bought the coach. They really make a difference on a long drive. Our seats were upholstered in material that matches the love seat and original trim in the Discovery.
Driver's Table and Sofa Storage Drawer
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These two modifications are courtesy of Fred White, an ex-Discovery owner in Florida. Fred originally designed and built the driver's table you see here. He was gracious enough to send me the plans, so I could copy his design. (Click on the picture to see the plans.) The front half of the table top is hinged, and folds down flat against the bottom for easy access to the driver's seat. You can store books, etc. inside the base. I find this table to be extremely useful while driving. |
| After seeing this pull-out storage drawer installed under the gaucho sofa in Fred White's Discovery, I just had to have one too. So, Fred was kind enough to make another one for me. It is made from plywood and mounted to the floor with triple extension roller brackets for easy operation, with the slide out or in. The front skirt panel from the sofa is easily removed from the sofa frame, and fastened to the front of the drawer. Then wooden handles, which were stained to match the wood trim in the motor home, are added to the front of the drawer . All the parts for this project were purchased at Home Depot for about $100.00. Click on the picture for a copy of Fred's plans in .pdf format. |
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The cabinet with towel rack, you see at the left, is simply a cabinet that I bought at K-Mart. I installed it over the toilet with molly bolts, since the wall board was too thin to hold anchors. It looks nice, matches the woodwork in the Discovery, and is quite functional. We also upgraded the toilet to a better quality Sealand hi-profile model in bone china. | |
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The Power Visor motorized sun shades, from
"Carefree of Colorado", make a wonderfu |
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The
picture to the right shows where I installed the Heart
Freedom Remote
Control Panel for the
Freedom 10 Charger/Inverter (above the Discovery
Monitor Panel to the left of the CO detector). No additional
wiring is required. You simply unplug the telephone jack lead
from the back of the Monitor Panel and plug it into the Heart Remote
panel. This item is a "must have" for any of the earlier Discoveries that
came without it. With the interface, you can control the charger and the
inverter, confirm the presence of external AC power and see the state of the
coach batteries at a glance, set the amount of current to be shared between the charger
and the appliances, equalize your coach batteries, and more. It
makes a nice supplement to the Heart Freedom Combi unit that is installed in the
Discovery.
Click these links for new updated installation and user manuals for the Freedom Combi Charger/Inverter, and the Freedom Remote from Xantrex (the company that bought Heart some years ago).
Fan Bypass Control
The Intellitic ECC (Electronic Climate Control) works in such a way that when the air conditioners are set to the "High" or "Low" settings, the fans run constantly at that speed. Even in the "Auto" setting the fan runs much of the time. This is not necessarily a problem, except that the fans can be noisy - especially while trying to watch TV or listen to music. To substantially lesson the amount of time the AC fans run, I installed Gene Hamelman's little FBC unit (Fan Bypass Control). It installs under the refrigerator, and just plugs in to the ECC control box. With a toggle switch for each AC fan (front and back), you can set either fan to operate normally, or only when the compressor is on. Click on the picture for a larger view.
I also have a copy of the service manual for the Intellitec ECC unit. (That's the control unit for the two air conditioners and the two furnaces.) It explains what all the settings do and there's also a handy trouble shooting section in this manual.
Most Discovery owners who bought rigs that were made prior to the 2001.5 model year are familiar with the classic "noisy door problem". Fleetwood has been working with these owners to reduce wind noise at the door, and the front end of the coach. They have come up with a "Door Camber Kit" (Fleetwood part# 206386) which consists mostly of a tension strip that rivets to the outer edge of the door. This strip holds in the upper and lower corners, so that the entire door makes a tighter seal when closed. This, and some other small "fixes", have resolved the noise problem in my coach, for the most part. Click here for more details and pictures.
Banks PowerPack TLC™ Kit In March, 2002, I had Fuel Injection, Inc., of Allentown, PA, install the Banks PowerPack Kit on my Cummins 275 ISB engine. Fuel Injection did an excellent job on the installation. The kit consists of a high-ram air inlet; larger turbo and wastegate assembly; the Banks "OttoMind TLC" computer which automatically increases the fuel flow when you need more power, and backs it off if the EGT gets too high; and two new gauges - an EGT temperature gauge, and a turbo boost pressure gauge. They mounted the two gauges in individual pod mounts, canted toward the driver, in the space above the transmission pad to the left of the instrument pod. Banks advertises a gain of +63 hp, and +142 lb-ft of torque, without any significant decrease in economy. From the "before and after" time tests that I ran, I'd say that their power figures are probably very close to what I am seeing. The Banks PowerPack kit makes a substantial difference, that you can really notice, when pulling away from a stop, or going up a hill. However, I've noticed very little difference in fuel economy with the addition of the Banks kit. That's probably because the computer does a good job of engaging the system only as needed, and the larger turbo and ram air inlet add to the efficiency of the engine. Click the links below for more information about the Banks PowerPack TLC™ kit: |
This
is "home" for the Discovery. As you can see, this aluminum frame
garage shelter from
Big Top
Manufacturing keeps the motor home nice and clean (and dry) in the
winter months. There is a small personnel door on the side, and
the large door rolls up with a winch from inside. The frame is
well trussed, and anchored to the ground. The translucent PVC coated
polyester vinyl membrane is then stretched over top, and secured
to the frame with cables and ties. It blocks UV rays which are
harmful to the D's rubber roof, but lets in sunlight.
Pictured on the right is a "warmer" view of the Discovery and its first "toad" (a Chevy Tracker). This was taken at Fort Wilderness, the campground at Disney World, in Feb., 2000. It was sure nice to get away from the "white stuff" above, if only for a little while. We've since "upgraded" the toad to a Suzuki Grand Vitara, which makes a wonderful tow vehicle. Below is a picture of our Discovery with the 2000 Vitara that we had until 2006 when we traded the this one for a new Grand Vitara. X-Sport in Beige Metallic paint to match the motor home.
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Speaking
of the toad, everyone who tows a car should have some sort of tow braking
system. It makes a tremendous difference in stopping ability, even with
small light-weight cars like my Suzuki. My system of choice has always
been the
Unified Tow Brake System made by US Gear. The system is automatic, but
can be controlled from inside the motor home. I have the controller
(pictured here) mounted on the left side of my dash within easy reach of my left
hand, near the light switch and parking brake. The system is controlled by
an inertia sensing unit. The quicker the motorhome stops, the harder the
car brakes are applied. The handy controller unit contains a sensitivity
trim adjustment, a progressive light display that shows how hard the brakes are
being applied, and a manual override lever. The unit in the car is hidden
behind the driver's seat and always in place ready to go. No need to get
it out and hook it up. It uses the car's vacuum brake assist system, the
vacuum being supplied by a small electric pump mounted in the engine
compartment.
In
February, 2007 we traded in our trusted Discovery for a
new
Monaco Coach. However, as our first motorhome the Discovery will always
retain a soft place in our hearts. Discovery owners should feel free to
contact
me about anything on this page, or with general questions about Discovery
motorhomes.
l
addition, as it is almost impossible to reach the factory installed
shades while driving. They are driven up and down by
motors located behind the TV cabinet. The switches were
mounted in the center of the dash area where they can be easily
operated by either the driver or the copilot. (Click on photo
for more details.)