Scotty Hutto

On 4/21/2023 at 4:29 PM, Bill R said:

@Rikadoo  This is great info to know.  I am contemplating getting the Onan-Cummins AGS as well.  In a conversation I had with their tech group last year, I was told there are plans to have the app also be WiFi compatible and not just Bluetooth.  So access could be from anywhere.  I am hoping that will be sooner than later.

Ditto.  The wifi would make it very useful for me.  Bluetooth...  yes, but not quite as much.

Just a quick update…

Installed the Remco AquaJet check valve (easy!). 

Did not fix the pump cycling problem, or freshwater tank filling when on city water.  

It was easy and cheap, but not the problem. 

Next up: Finish Tom’s troubleshooting procedure, and possibly replace city water diverter valve (I have a spare on hand, so it’s another fairly easy / free thing to try. 
 

We have to attend a memorial service for a family member tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll be back at it Tuesday. 

Question for the group... I have an idea what I want to do, but would like the wisdom of a multitude of counsel...

I replaced my original ShurFlo pump (had a built in check valve) a few years back with a AquaJet55 pump (original AquaJet brand; not Remco). Due to a series of unfortunate events, that pump gave up on me late last year. I replaced it with the Remco 55AquaJet ARV. Since replacing it, I've been having a problem with short pump pulsations, and the fresh water tank filling when connected to city water (City water diverter valve set to "City", not tank fill).

All of this points to either a check valve issue (problem 1), or a problem with the city water diverter valve (problem 2).  I went the easy route first and checked my pump's check valve, only to discover it doesn't have one. The specs for the Remco 55AquaJet ARV say that it does have a check valve, but mine is not there. The city water diverter valve on my coach does not have a check valve.  Ergo, I currently have no check valve (so, definitely problem 1).

I also have a spare city water diverter valve from a 2005 HR Imperial.  When checking it out, I discovered it has a brass Watts check valve built in.

So, here are my options:

1) Add the plastic check valve from Remco (about $8) that fits in the output port of the pump.  This would have the setup identical to the OEM setup. This addresses problem 1.

2) Use the "new" diverter valve with the brass Watts check valve.  The brass Watts check valve seems much more robust than the plastic valve fitted to the pump. This addresses problems 1 & 2.

3) Do both?  Would a "belt & suspenders" approach be creating issues to have two check valves in series (one at the pump and another upstream at the diverter valve)?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

If you have posted parts and they are sold, please let the Moderators know so we can hide the post (we don’t delete them for a period in case something falls through!)

It makes it easier when folks are search if we hide the stuff that’s no longer available. 

On 3/16/2023 at 10:52 AM, Tom Cherry said:

Yes, there is a check valve in the pump.  

Interesting side note… I replaced my old (failed) AquaJet with a new Remco 55AquaJet ARV late last year. I’ve been chasing an issue and pulled the pump today to check that the check valve had not gotten stuck or trash in it… my brand new pump didn’t have a check valve installed! Easy fix, but still… 🤦🏻‍♂️

if you buy a new 55AquaJet ARV pump, check to make sure it has the check valve installed (like the Remco literature says it does…)

4 minutes ago, 96 EVO said:

Just for clarity, 

The original topic of this thread, was never 'Solved'. 120V power was also Never Lost!

I never received a call back from Magnum Tech support, so I may or may not try with them again. It's not affecting the function of the inverter / charger.

Oops!  My mistake. Corrected and “unmarked”  

I spoke with Magnum Tech Support yesterday. They never responded to my email request for a callback (per the website) or the callback message left Monday per their recorded message.  I ended up calling and waiting through about an 1 hr 20m hold (while I was working on other stuff on my laptop) to get through. I believe they only have one (maybe two?) Tech answering calls, and they are struggling to keep up with requests. I was 11th in line when I first called, so figure 10-15 minutes per caller ahead of you should you decide to hold. 

2 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

As a casual observer, but a Moderator... I am curious if the regular contributors here would object to a title change....something link.

2009 Signature CCM Restoration

It more accurately, then depicts what is going.  HINT....what ever David wants will probably weigh heavily...

BUT, if you guys don't want the title changed.....then it will stay as it....

I agree a more descriptive title would help. how about:

2009 Signature Restoration - Kongsberg CCM

I’d like to retain the reference to the Kongsberg CCM, as that’s what makes this thread unusual and interesting to so many.  

Richard, just for the record my ISL400 takes 28 quarts, although the manual says 24. I wonder if there was a slightly deeper oil pan on some models?

Following Tom’s instructions above to the letter will solve the vast majority of GFCI related problems.  

50 minutes ago, Gweedo said:

Trying to wrap my head around this entire issue everyone is talking about.  You referenced board and remote.  Are these two different items?    When I unplug from shore my GFI pops, I have to reset it three times before it stays on the inverter.  In the meantime my Samsung has to be reset making sure the ice maker is off.  Shouldn’t go straight to inverting without interruption of power.  Thnx

The remote control is the device (typically) inside the coach that you use to monitor and set parameters on the inverter. Here’s a pic:

The control board is the electronics board physically inside the inverter that talks to the remote (and AGS, BMK, etc.) and actually controls the inverter. 

As for your GFCI receptacle, have you replaced it?  They do “wear out” (so to speak), and one symptom is that they “pop” off often and become harder to reset. If you replace, make sure you use the same rated GFCI (mine was 20A). The ones purchased from a big box had the same issue  

Here is the one recommended by Magnum Tech Support that solved my issue:

Hubbell Wiring GFRST20W AUTOGUARD Commercial Standard GFCI Receptacle, White, NEMA 5-20R, 125 Volts, 20 AMPS

https://a.co/d/1WPy9aB

There’s a really good thread on this subject that may help.  

Just following up…. Tested everything per the “Magnum Inverter Troubleshooting Matrix” (Uploaded to the files section). Followed up with more discussion with Frank and Magnum Tech Support. Most likely scenario is a bad ME-ARC50 remote.  Secondary possibility is a bad control board in the inverter itself.  

Magnum Tech support recommended replacing the ME-ARC50. If by chance that does not correct the issue, they do not recommend having the control board replaced due to the age of the inverter (17 years).  Even if a new control board corrected the issue, at 17 yrs, it’s reached end-of-life and other components could begin to fail. 

In conclusion, if the new remote doesn’t fix the problem, it’s time for a new inverter… new remote is on order and set to arrive early next week. Stay tuned…

This requires a tool called a Deutsch removal tool. You can find them at many automotive stores, Amazon, or online. Pro tip: the tool releases the catch holding the pin from “behind” - you still need something to push the pin out from the “front”.  Here’s a link to an inexpensive plastic one:

https://www.delcity.net/store/Contact-Removal-Tools/p_824370.h_824360.r_IF1003?utm_term=&identifiers=pla-4577885387334982&Campaign=Shopping - Catchall&CampaignId=445029913&AdGroup=Catchall&AdGroupId=1188573056390575&AdId=74286034062410&Network=s&msclkid=ea3ef3e9ce3e17cc41f297d1f8f630e7&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping - Catchall&utm_content=Catchall

You can buy the Deutsch connector pins at places like Amazon or Mouser (or your local electronics store, if you still have one!) I can’t advise on the exact info because I can’t tell the size from the pic!

3 hours ago, Steven P said:

@Scotty Huttowhere did you supply your 12v power from for the sub?  Most of these rec straight to the battery.

I found a unused, switched 14 ga circuit under the dash. I don’t recall what it was labeled for.  I also drilled and tapped a hole in the metal strut under the dash for the ground   

I thought about running a larger (10 ga) wire from the FRB, but this one has worked fine.  I don’t crank it up that loud, so I guess it gets enough power.  

31 minutes ago, LakeBob said:

Nice work Scotty.  I’ve never seen that Pioneer sub before.  Are you satisfied with the sound?

curious about the ceiling speakers, my openings are very shallow, die you have to enlarge?

Thanks!

 

Yes, very happy with the sound; the sub rocks.  I did not have to enlarge the speaker openings for the ceiling speakers (dash radio*); I went with the same size, just better quality. 

* - on my surround sound I used larger speakers and head to cut new holes. 

1 hour ago, Tom Cherry said:

Are you still having the issue or has it calmed down?  If you continue to have issues, the next step is to pull the BTS AND LEAVE IT UNPLUGGED….Then do the soft reset.  We’ve seen a rash of bad BTS.  I’m of the opinion that age is catching up….as well as the fact that the grid is more flaky.  The micro “blips” or off’s are worse than  prolonged outage.  You get a power spike or surge and that is damaging,  just replaced my well pump.  Windings were partially shorted or damaged due to a power blip while it was running. That throttled the flow….still had pressure but no where near the rated output.  You could see the discoloration in the motor housing,  My well guy is a graduate geologist and is also a certified “Professional Geologist”.  He attends a lot of well and drilling seminars and teaches.  The pump manufacturers are seeing more blip failures.  Same for Garage door openers…list goes on…

 

Scotty, 

you are in good hands.  Frank has taught me a bunch.  Just curious, now that it is working….do you and the Jedi Master (I won’t say Yoda…LOL) suspect the BTS.  just curious….

Not sure yet. Testing everything tomorrow.  BTS, AGS, and MagWeb device. All are less than a year old (in fact, the only part of my inverter system that’s original is the inverter itself!), but it’s one of those three  😒

I’ll report back 

Just to pile on Tom’s comments, I had this same issue today….  A faulty AGS (it’s less than a year old!🤦🏻‍♂️ or a faulty MagWeb (remote monitoring system by Magnum) is causing my issue. Everything except the ARC remote is currently disconnected and system is working as it should. 

I’ll troubleshoot those two devices tomorrow once my blood pressure returns to normal and report back…

PS - Thanks @Frank McElroy  … again… for restoring my sanity.  

Sorry for your loss.  😢  it hurts when those fur babies cross the rainbow bridge.  I've lost two Shelties in the past twos years (one 13, one 14 years old.)

To add to Ivan's post, that three connector system is the J1939 data bus.  It connects to the engine ECM, transmission ECM, and Brake ECM, along with Aladdin (or Silverleaf) and a few other things.

For that diagnostic port, it allows someone with the Cummins Insite program (or the Allison or Bendix programs) to connect to those computers.  To leave it unconnected could cause errors on the data bus and erratic behavior of the affected systems.

If I have any of this wrong, @Frank McElroy can correct any errors.  😉 

Thanks Barry!  Looks like I'm going to be doing this in a few weeks...

Scotty

Hello Monacoers!

Please keep comments in this section limited to providing suggestions for additions to the parts list.  If you are asking for help finding a part not listed, those requests are best posted in the appropriate topic on the main site.  For example, if you need a left hand threaded wing nut for your air conditioner, that would be posted in the air conditioner topic.

Once you've found the part, PLEASE come back here and suggest it as an addition to the parts list.

Thanks,
Scotty & Frank

One other item to check is that most Monacos have a wiring harness connector in the rear of the coach; over time that can lose connection.  

On my coach it was inside/“behind” the roadside taillight assembly.  

Note: NOT the connector for the individual tail light; this is a slightly larger connector that goes to both taillights, the center brake light, and the toad/trailer connector  

Find it, spray it with contact cleaner or WD40, plug and unplug a few times to “clean” the connector, and see if that helps.  

I know of a few other folks who have had this pop up, plus, it’s easy to check compare to some of the other troubleshooting. 🤣

On 3/29/2023 at 8:15 AM, lake49068 said:

Installed the Progressive Dynamics 50 Amp unit 3-4 years ago after the noisy Esco unit (installed by REV as part of the IOTA recall) failed.  Quiet and made in USA, very happy.  Don't understand why it doesn't get more positive press.  Do have the Progressive Industries hard wired surge protection upstream.  They are different companies.

Thanks for bringing this up!  We like rely on first hand experiences when recommending replacement items, so now we have it!  The reason the ESCO LPT50BRD is mentioned so frequently is that many members have used it and had a good experience with it (I’m one).  We used to have a member, Bill Groves (aka HotRod - who passed about 2 years ago) who was both electrical and mechanical engineering degrees.  His preferred unit was the Southwire (formerly TRC) SurgeGuard units.  He was not a fan of the ESCO unit because of the way it switched the neutral circuits (no air break).

If I were to do it all over today I would use the Southwire 40100 unit and the Hughes Power Watchdog surge protection.

In simple terms the Southwire completely disconnects the neutral during switchover, which is somewhat safer than the way the LPT50BRD does it.  The chances of a neutral problem during switchover with the LTP50BRD are very small, and many, many Monaco owners have never had an issue with this unit over decades of use. It can only happen when the generator is running AND you are connected to shore power during switchover.  Most resolve this issue by simply disconnecting shore power, or stopping the genny before switching (not a bad practice, regardless) This has been a subject of much debate on this site and the Yahoo! Forum over the years. Unless corrected, I will say it’s a “theoretical” problem in that I’m not aware of a member’s Monaco coach getting damaged due to this issue.

As far as surge protection goes, the Hughes and Progressive Industries units are both excellent, but the Hughes unit offers more connectivity and features, plus it has a higher surge rating (6,100 joules for the Hughes vs 3580 joules for the PI) - specifically for my interest, it links with my RV Whisper system to notify me of a shore power outages and records electrical data which helps diagnose problems. It also has an easily field-replaceable surge module in case the surge section gets fried.

One thing I’m pretty sure all Monacoers members agree on - just about anything is safer than the recalled IOTA ITS-50R units.

I tried copilot for a while, but ended up purchasing a dedicated Garmin 

1 hour ago, BradHend said:

@Scotty Hutto My entry level Cayman doesn’t have the Aladdin system. ☹️

Understood, but it is still likely to have the J1939 bus in the driver console.  It also connects to the Bendix brake controller and the Allison transmission ECM from there.  I wouldn't suggest "messing" with either of those controllers, but if the Aladdin was an option for the Cayman, you likely have an unused data cable there.  They used a similar (if not the same) wiring harness in all of the lower-end diesel coaches (Cayman, Knight, Diplomat), so there's a pretty decent chance...

It might be worth a look to see...  Her's pic of my brake controller and the Aladdin connector in my coach.  
 

18 hours ago, BradHend said:

…I wouldn’t have to worry about buying and routing a 9-pin extension cable for the little bit of extra data the Bluefire provides. 

Just finished adding a 9-pin J1939 port under the dash on my 06 Diplomat. I’ll post a separate write-up soon, but it was easier than expected.  I put a Deutsch 3-pin (DT-3) “Y” in the J1939 bus cable going to the Aladdin/J1939 bridge (located in the driver’s side console on my coach.)  From there I had to run 3 wires (data + / data - / data shield) to the location of the 6-pin connector.  I then replaced the gray J1708 6-pin connector with a green J1939 9-pin connector using 12+, ground, J1708+, J1708-, plus the 3 J1939 lines. 7 of the 9 pins are populated. Checked it and have full J1939 and J1708 busses operational now. Total cost about $50-60-ish and a few hours’ time.