Changing out the Big Blue Hose

Roadtrek is a 2001 Popular on a 2000 Dodge Van

In changing out the hose, there were two surprises.

1. How easy it came apart and

2. How easy it went back together.

The hose that comes with the Roadtrek is a 20 foot long, single wrap hose. It reaches a long way, but it is fragile.

The technician at the dealership recommended replacing it with a double wrap hose, with the knowledge ahead of time, that the container would not hold all 20 feet.

Not wanting to do this operation any more times than necessary, I bought a tripple wrap hose.

Unless you are thinner than I am, drive the front wheels or the left hand wheels up on three or four inches of good, safe blocks. Set the parking brake.

Below is a photo of the "patented" hose system.

It is a very simple holder consisting of a piece of black pipe, an elbow and a support bracket.

The elbow is screwed to the valve manifold with two screws as shown by the arrows on the left.

The tube is supported on the outside end by three screws going through the support bracket to the body.

All the screws fit the larger square screwdriver that comes with the van.

I suggest removing the two screws on the valve manifold first. Then remove the three outside screws. The three outside bracket screws are arranged as shown on the right.

The bracket will let the outside end drop down and allowing you to slide the elbow off the valve manifold.

When the hose retainer tube is slipped off, the hose is exposed as shown to the right. The arrow points to the hose clamp that attaches the hose to the valve manifold.

Note - There is electrical tape under the clamp to reinforce the blue plastic hose covering.

Use a large flat blade screwdriver or socket to remove the common sewer hose clamp.

Remove the hose slowly and carefully in case there is waste material in the assembly.

Slide the hose assembly from under the van for a little more working room.

A photo of the unit is shown in the photo to the right.

Remove the old hose and insert the new one. Reassemble the unit taking care not to damage the new hose. I suggest you put electrical tape over the new hose at the connection to the manifold assembly.

I strongly suggest that you do not attach the outside hose connections until everything else is in place, for two reasons. One, the hose may be too long, depending on the type of hose you bought. You may have to cut it off a little. Secondly, installation of the outside hose connector and clamp require special care in their orientation.

After you have made sure the hose and external connector will fit in the container, install the outside hose connector and clamp. Again, I suggest putting electrical tape under the clamp to help protect the hose.

In the photo on the right, note that the garden hose fitting and the clamp adjustment are lined up. They must also be lined up with the slot on the inside of the tube as well as the hinged latch that fits over the garden hose connection.

The picture got lost but just indicated that the alignment of the clamps and cap should be proper so the hinged latch can fit.

I installed mating extension connectors on the part of the hose that was cut off and store it in a 26 inch cylindrical container. The installed tripple wrap hose extends about 6 feet. That is enough most of the time. The extra hose will reach another 8 to 10 feet.

Total time to replace the hose and take pictures was about two hours. I'm a fast mechanic, but a slow photographer! The techs at the dealership charge for 3/4 hour. Non Roadtrek folks, unfamiliar with the configuration, may take longer than I did, according to the Roadtrek tech.

Bottom line... it is an easy job. Just take your time and wash your hands when you are finished.

Harvey Tetmeyer K5LJM - Silent Key 5 Feb 2005