Scotty Hutto

I purchased mine from Stone Vos and have been very pleased with them. Contact info in the Vendors section.

Thanks Karl. It’s not just me. Frank, Dave, Tom, Larry, and others who’ve asked not to be named have done a lot of work too!!

It just occurred to me that the “new” Monacoers.org website has now been up and running for just over a year! Wow, have I learned a lot... both about our coaches AND about building and running a website! 😁 proof that old dogs CAN learn new tricks! Just for clarity, Bill Duckwitz first post to the Monacoers’ Yahoo! Site was August 9, 2004. I’m celebrating one year on our new platform. 😉

“Charles Atlas...” Tom, you’re dating yourself. 😉 Haven’t heard that name in a bit! On the back cover of practically every comic book I ever owned. I may or may not have actually sent off for the booklet. 🤪

Dennis, @David Pratt, our fearless leader of the Monacoers, actually does chrome plating and I’m sure can answer all of your questions about Velvac mirrors. 😁

Well, for once *maybe* I can answer a question for you, Bob. Here’s how to use the Engine Diagnostic Switch... Eng Diagnostic: Uses the Engine Warning and Stop Engine dash warning lamps to emit engine diagnostic codes. NOTE : To retrieve engine diagnostic codes requires an Insight Diagnostic Display or a Shorting Plug hooked to the engine diagnostic harness. To Retrieve Active Fault Codes: 1. Tum the ignition key OFF. 2. Hook up an Insight diagnostic display or Shorting Plug to the engine diagnostic harness. 3. Tum the ignition key ON; observe Engine Warning and Stop Engine lamps. a. If no active codes are recorded, both lamps remain illuminated. b. If an active code is recorded, both the Engine Warning and Stop Engine dash warning lamps illuminate briefly then go out followed by the Engine Warning lamp illuminating briefly. This is an indication one or more fault codes will be displayed by the Stop Engine lamp. A three-digit code group displays as a series of blinks-pause-blinks-pause-blinks-pause. Record the code(s) as a three-digit number. Codes are separated or ended by the Engine Warning lamp flashing once. c. Use the Fast Idle switch to scroll through all ACTIVE faults. d. When codes are retrieved, tum OFF the Engine Diagnostic switch. e. Contact Cummins help line, I-800-DIESELS, or an authorized distributor. (from page 294 of the 2006 Dip owners manual) 😁 PS - Am I the only one that noticed the “supposed” location of the windshield washer reservoir? Thank goodness they didn’t put it there in my coach!

Sounds like a challenge for one of the smartest guys I know... I bet @pwhittle could come up with a solution for less than $10k a pop!!

Brett, On my 2006 Diplomat, it’s mounted on the firewall to the left of the steering wheel at about knee level. hope that helps

Here is the 120vac from a 2006 Dip. I didn’t realize this wasn’t in the files section. @Frank McElroy can you add it? 2006 Monaco Diplomat 120VAC Diagram.pdf

Joel, on a 2006 (which uses 2002 Buick Century headlights) the low beam is a 9006 and the high beam a 9005. i will say that putting LEDs in these headlamp assemblies is not quite easy-peasy. The extended heat sink of most LEDs won’t fit in the dust caps. You could try these: TECHMAX 9006 LED Headlight Bulbs,Windless Direct Insertion 50W 6500K Xenon White CREE Chips HB4 of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088682CD7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_nPz1FbDG2SP66?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Which look to be smaller than most since they don’t have a fan. you could also try to find larger dust caps, like these... FMS Universal Rubber Housing Seal Cap Dustcover for LED Headlight, Adjustable Headlight Dust Cover for LED Conversion Kit, Pack of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LD8TXTT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_hUz1Fb4GR85HV I cut holes is my dust caps, and I’ve had issues with water intrusion. I have a brand new set of headlight assemblies, I just haven’t gotten around to installing them yet. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Just a question... when you say 3 amps, is that 3 amps at 120v or 3A at 12v? Where are you getting the amp reading from? 3A @ 120V = 360VA = 30A @ 12V A 30A draw would pull down an 800Ah battery bank to 50% SOC in 13 hrs or less (ignoring losses, etc). Not as quickly as the 5 hrs you mention, but sounds more likely. 3A at 120v could be the refrigerator plus plus vampire loads. Satellite dishes with DVRs are a real power draw. Some TVs have a decent power draw even in the off position. Phone chargers and things are typically milliamperes but can add up if several are plugged in. Just grabbing at a few straws to help generate some ideas... Food for thought...

Good music, too! 😉

Sending you a PM.

Done.

Nope. Still sitting in my garage.

That’s on the list for sure. Eyeing the cracks in the acrylic and thinking of getting a new handle while I’m at it.

After seeing @pwhittle Paul Whittle's installation of LED lighting on his Sig, I had to copy. I am able to control the color and brighness from my cell phone or the Amazon Echo "Alexa" in the coach. You can also schedule the lights to turn off at a specific time each night, which is handy. Paul Provided a list of materials for his project, and I made a few changes for my project: - LE RGBW LED Strip Lights, WiFi Smart Waterproof Color Changing LED Strips 16.4ft SMD 5050 LED Tape Light $29.99 - LightingWill 5-Pack V-Shape LED Aluminum Channel System 3.3ft/1M Anodized Black Corner Mount Extrusion for <12mm Width SMD3528 5050 LED Strips with Milky White Cover, End Caps, Clips V02B5 $34.99 - 2PCS 1M 3.28ft 5 Color RGBW Extension Cable LED Strip Connector Extension Cable Cord Wire 5 Pin LED Connector for SMD 5050 3528 2835 RGBW LED Light Strip (2PCS) $7.66 - 3M 06384 Automotive Acrylic Plus Attachment Tape $13.50 First, I cleaned the area to install the channel with denatured alcohol: I used about 3" of the 3M Automotive Tape at each end of the 3' channel sections, along with the clips provided: I installed the channel along the lower lip of the slide surround, leaving about an inch at the front for the wiring: After installing the channel, I secured the LED tape to the channel and installed the cover: Ends were sealed with Proflex to prevent water intrusion. Inside the coach I was able to get 12v from the lighting wiring harness in the cabinets and installed the controller: Finished product: Total cost: Less than $90 Time to install: About 2-3 hours. More random install pictures my phone decided to upload for me...

I recently replaced the older Trimark keyless entry system with a new one and added a keypad. New, more secure and longer-range fobs and a keypad for those times when I don't have a fob or key... I purchased a new transceiver, fobs, and the keypad with the 20' harness directly from Trimark: Upgraded receiver, wiring harness, and two key fobs. Trimark part number 22316-01. $132.20 + shipping External keypad with 20' wiring harness. Trimark part number 36488-09. $105.48 + shipping In my case shipping worked out to $10.90 for everything for a total of $249.94. Installing the new receiver was an exercise in patience. Although the functions are the basically same, the wiring harnesses have changed over the years, so it's not plug and play. I had to re-map all of the inputs and outputs from the old receiver to the new one. Being red-green colorblind, this was a bit of a challenge and I had help from Debbie. 🙂 I removed the lower portion of the front center panel (A/C controls and 12v outlets) to get to the old receiver and install the new one. To install the keypad, I removed the passenger captain's chair and passenger console. While this sounds like a lot, the captains chair is literally 4 bolts and a plug. The passenger console, likewise, is four screws and unhook two plugs. It was much easier than expected. I first cleared away some of the gray foam insulation and was able to utilize the existing hole for the wiring harness. I ran the keypad wiring harness inside the existing split conduit down through the wheel well and along the frame on the passenger side of the generator. I had to cut a few zip ties which were replaced with like kind when done. The wiring harness then came up over the generator where there was I was able to use the existing hole in the firewall that had a wiring harness. (once all was tested and working, both holes were sealed with new gray foam sealant.) The most nerve wrecking part for me was cutting the hole in the exterior for the keypad. Most of my four years owning this coach have been focused on sealing holes in the exterior and preventing water intrusion... Here's a look: You can see the wiring for the lighted grab handle running through the opening (I didn't know it was lighted until this project! It's been burned out the entire time I owned the coach) I installed the keypad with a bead of Proflex, #8 stainless steel screws, and caulked around it with Proflex. On the inside I used the gray spray foam to seal both the entry into the coach of the keypad harness and the opening where the wiring harnesses went through the floor. Here's the finished product: Total Time: About 3 hours Total Cost: About $250 + lots of Advil that evening.

@throgmartin is our resident awning expert (along with being an expert scallop taster, I hear). Hopefully he’ll weigh in.

If anyone *knows* of a good automotive upholsterer, please feel free to share that info in our Vendor section. ...whether you’ve actually used them or just researched it, it would be great to know who the good ones are. If you have their lead times, etc. that would also be useful.

If the switch in the 2008 is like the one in a 2006 Diplomat, they’re known to go bad. Easy and inexpensive to replace. I’d try that next.

I’ve used the braided (stainless steel braid) lines under pressure for years... as do most of the folks I know with RVs. They are always under pressure whether you have a tire minder or not. I’ve never heard they are not designed to hold pressure all the time. Am I missing something?

Mike, You are correct that the Southwire model 40100 does not have built-in surge protection. It is a basic, although good, transfer switch. Seems odd they use the SurgeGuard name on it back then. Southwire no longer use the SurgeGuard name on basic transfer switches. The general consensus of this group over the years would be that the Progressive Industries HW50C surge protectors are some of the best, followed pretty closely by the Southwire units. Hardwired is more convenient - but requires some installation. Many prefer the plug-in units. These are much more robust than anything you can get at a big box hardware store. Kevin, the model 40250 you have in your coach has full-blown surge protection built in

@throgmartin is certainly the resident expert on this... His recommendation for Fiberglass roofs at the Gathering in Feb 2020 is: Prep with Dicor RP-FCP-1 Clean and Prep Coat with Dicor RP-FRC-1 Fiberglass RV roof Coating. I believe he said a gallon of each should handle the roof of a 40’ coat. But I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m wrong. 😂 I can’t speak to metal roofs.

@KevinH Your experience mirrors mine with Winegard. My issue was a nylon (?) gear in the adjusting mechanism that was badly worn. Probably a $0.10 part that they could have sold for $10. But they refused to sell parts. Like you it was an entire new turret or nothing. My solution was to dispose of all of my Winegard equipment and buy a King Traveller sat dish for $279 (it’s been a couple of years) and a King Jack OTA antenna. Winegard’s support - both tech support and parts - is very lacking, to be generous about it. I guess their philosophy is that their equipment is “throw-away ready”.