Scotty Hutto

Yes, Diplomat and Endeavor are twins.  I did the change out and there are some pics here on the site, but the definitive guide to lowering the refrigerator deck without removing the furnace and installing a residential refrigerator in a  Diplomat was written by Bob Nodine and is in our files.  

One word of caution (and I’m hoping a 2005 Diplomat or Endeavor owner will speak up); I believe the ceiling height is slightly lower in a 2005 than in Bob’s 2006. Double check that before doing anything!

I primarily use TSD, but also check GasBuddy.  I have Mudflap, but they don’t have many participants in the Southeast.

If I can’t find the best deal with TSD, I find a big-rig friendly place with GasBuddy and use my Sam’s Mastercard for the 5% discount.  

So, as with so many things, it depends on your location, but if you are in an area of the country where TSD has participants, that’s *usually* the best deal in my experience. I’m also partial to big-rig friendly locations, and will pay a few cents more for ease of entry and exit.  
 

All,

This issue is with AWS (Amazon Web Services), our bulk email provider, not with Invision, our site provider. The tracking links in the emails are broken.  This is something recent that AWS added to improve email deliverability, but apparently is causing more problems.

Unfortunately, I’m traveling and can only work on it when I have decent connectivity. 

I will get it resolved ASAP. 

Thomas,

Sorry to be so late replying, but we’ve been driving several hundred miles per day since Friday (started in Atlanta, currently in northeastern Nebraska…)

The short answer is “yes”, they can be combined.  The 6-pin port next to the steering wheel is a J1708 data port. The 3-pin can bus under the driver-side panel is the J1939 data bus. On my coach that connects to the Aladdin Jr., but that system was optional on our coaches (2006 Dip). I used the +12v, ground, and the J1708 data lines from the 6-pin port and the three lines from the CAN bus in my J1939 connector. I now use a BlueFire with an iPad to monitor a variety of parameters.  I do have some duplication between the Aladdin Jr and the BlueFire, but the BlueFire updates much more frequently is the J1939 bus. There is also a lot more data available on the J1939 (CAN) bus that is not displayed by the Aladdin Jr. and can be displayed via the BlueFire.  

Finally, the port in your front run bay is a different designation (J1587 - I think?). It will display data from your Bendix brake controller. On my coach that’s the only place I can get that data. 

Old thread, but for those who may see it in the future, my fuel sender fuse is in the “Monaco 2” fuse box in the front run bay (FRB). It isn’t listed in the “big” panel in the FRB. 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t my problem, so the troubleshooting begins…

Those are your air dump valves for the rear air tank. The front air tank has a separate valve - usually (on my coach and some of my friend’s coaches, anyway) up in front to the left of the generator on the firewall. 

There was a problem with the site (provider, not us) yesterday. It appears to have been corrected.  

Apologies for not posting something; I was driving until late last night  

…and yes, it happened to everyone!

The video shows the final location next to the fridge. I didn’t take any still photos, but will in the next few days. 

MTR Fleet Services was recommended to me by both @pwhittle Paul Whittle and @vanwill52 Van Williams.  They are extremely knowledgeable and very fair with pricing (current hourly rate as of 8/15/23 is $155/hr). 

They did a radiator replacement, CAC test and clean, water pump replacement, and stainless steel surge tank (Talin Vector tank) installation for me. The work was very professionally done and the pricing reasonable. Best part is  they started when they said they would and finished a few days early!

Recently, the owner, Jason, sold the business to FleetPride (hence the name change), but all of the same staff is still there. They can handle anything from oil change and lube up to an in-frame rebuild; virtually anything dealing with the chassis, engine, drivetrain, and generator. 

Great folks. Highly recommended and will be doing business with them again in the future. 

So… at the FMCA rally this spring in Perry, Ga, my wife saw a Newmar Dutch Star that had a fancy pantry with push-to-open drawers. Being a man that has learned the meaning of “Happy Wife, Happy Life” over the last 40 years, I decided it would be cheaper to build a new pantry in our coach than purchase a new $600k coach that I can’t afford and wouldn’t be happy with anyway…

With a lot of assistance and direction from Russell Porter, I (we) built a pantry for Debbie in our Diplomat. 

The drawer boxes were custom made by The Drawer Depot:

https://drawerdepot.com/

The drawer slides came from Rockler:

20” Centerline Lifetime Series Touch to Open Drawer Slides

https://www.rockler.com/
(Note: Showing website, but the local Rockler store had them in stock)

Frame is 1”  x 3” poplar, purchased from a local lumber store. Metal corner supports came from the same store. 

PS - I added LED lighting that cuts on when you open the pantry door.  The almost $600k Dutch Star didn’t have that! 😜 

On 7/25/2023 at 9:57 PM, throgmartin said:

My fix for the check marks is not to look at it. 🙂

Chris,

Amazingly I use that same fix for most cosmetic flaws on my coach. 🤪 maybe you taught it in one of your seminars?

2 hours ago, vanwill52 said:

Not trying to hijack this thread, but if you are anywhere close to Atlanta, GA, MTR Fleet Services in Cumming, GA is an EXCELLENT repair shop for just about ANYTHING large-vehicle related.  Jason, the owner, is a friendly, compassionate fellow and an excellent diagnostician.  Even Paul Whittle, the most DIY guy I know, takes his coach there for service.

I second Van’s comments. 

1 hour ago, waterskier_1 said:

First, that was not my statement, I merely quoted Prestolite. 

Second,  an "isolation switch" is a switch designed to be used to isolate (remove) the alternator from the battery.  The note you quote is describing a fuse to protect the alternator should a short occur.  It then mentions that it is sometimes useful to be able isolate (separate) the battery and the alternator during servicing either the alternator or the batteries. This is not the same as an "battery isolator" which is designed to keep two (or more) battery systems "separated" from each other.  It is easy to isolated battery systems.  The difficulty is charging two (or more) separate systems while keeping the systems isolated (separate) from each other.  A device that does this is commonly called an isolator.  There are many ways to do this; solid state diodes) electric mechanical relays (solenoids) electronic switches, etc.  

Even though I am an Electrons Engineer, I did not design, nor have access to design documentation, so I can not explain why the design engineers felt it necessary to and the not about usage with a (battery) isolator.  I would accept the manufacturers recommendations and find a suitable replacement. 

  - Rick N

Gillette,, Wyoming 

I stand corrected.

I modified my statement above to clarify, remove any attribution to you, and eliminate any confusion that it is my opinion and only my opinion.

I find it very confusing that they would use very similar terms for two completely different devices, one recommended and one prohibited: battery isolator and isolator switch. An isolator switch IS a battery isolator, regardless of its intended purpose (i.e., maintenance), and based on that I "supposed" the issue was about solid state battery isolators, which have been proven to cause problems. I also suppose if they meant solid state battery isolators, they should have said exactly that.

In the end, though, I totally agree with your final statement.  Better to use an alternator known to be compatible with the system than to chance it and dispute semantics  or discern what manufacturer meant when there are better (and typically less expensive) options.

I have four pantry baskets from a 2006 Diplomat 40DST available.  Yours for the asking, (i.e., the baskets are free) but you pay shipping. 😉

Not Peter, but the short answer is yes, you can have a leak that only reveals itself under pressure.  One of the frustrating things about my leak was that it would hold a vacuum.  Once as long as overnight.  But when pressurized with refrigerant, it would leak.  

I’m guessing that the vacuum actually closed the gap and sealed the leak. 

I chased a leak in my dash air for almost 4 years. Three different AC shops, including one who has a reputation of being the best in the Atlanta (Smyrna) area. Heaven only knows (and I really don’t want to know) how much money has been spent…

The leak was bad enough that I would lose a complete charge in 4-5 days, so it had to be fixed. Shops tried dyes and sniffers and could not find the leak.   

MTR/Fleetpride in Cumming, GA took a different approach. The evac’d the system and pressurized it with 300 psi dry nitrogen.  Found the leak in about 10 minutes when a hose-end fitting blew apart. Apparently the leak was intermittent, which is what made it hard to find in the shop. As soon as I headed down the road and things started shaking, it would dump the charge. MTR repaired the leak with a new fitting crimped on the hose.  

It’s been a month and it still cools great!  Maybe not long enough to know for sure, but I’m happy because I have dash air for the first time in years.  

PS - I now have a spare, almost new, completely operable Sanden 4288 compressor that one of the previous shops replaced.  

Just a quick note about refrigerant gauges… maybe everyone already understands this, but I’ll repeat for the sake of clarity.

Pressure is absolute, regardless of the gas. The big black numbers on the gauge always tell the pressure. 

The other numbers on the gauge (blue, red, etc.) are the corresponding *refrigerant* temperatures. Not the ambient temperature, the air coming off the condenser, or the air coming off the evaporator. They represent the actual temperature of the gas at that pressure. If you had perfect heat transfer, they would represent (and *do* approximate) the evaporator (low side) and condenser (high side) temps. 

Hope that helps. 😉

Scotty 

On 8/11/2023 at 11:36 AM, waterskier_1 said:

 Part Notes : Verify application. Will not work on applications using battery isolators.

On 8/11/2023 at 10:06 AM, RedSectorA said:

Just as a warning to the group, after I installed a Blue Sea ML-ACR I hooked up a LN AVI160J2008 210 amp alternator.  This alternator is a competitor to the Delco Remy 28SI.  It worked fine for 4 hours of drive time but then the regulator blew on it, went back to the place I bought the alternator (they suggested that unit) and confirmed it was defective.  After a discussion with an RV expert at the distributor for LN they told me this alternator was not compatible with any type of isolator (according to them even the magnetic kind) and the reason it blew had to do with the inverter conflicting signal to the alternator.  I installed a 28Si and after 6 hours of run time it's working well so far.

I have no opinion, just relaying what I was told.

I think the RV expert at the distributor had his wires crossed. The Alternator Application & Conditions of Use notes for the Leece-Neville AVI160J2008 alternator specifically state:

2.1.3 A fuse should be fitted to prevent reverse battery connection causing an alternator failure. Fuses should also be used to protect cables from damage due to system short circuits. It is sometimes useful for servicing to fit a battery isolation switch in line between alternator and battery.

The ML-ACR is a type of battery isolation switch. 

There is no other mention in the document for this specific alternator of a battery isolator. 

If I had to guess, I’d say the statement from Prestolite mentioned above is in reference to solid state battery isolators. 

Just for the record, we have a link to the Michelin video here on the site. 😁

1 hour ago, 96 EVO said:

HA.... Not a rule I ever have, or will, follow!

I'll bet you won't see them putting that in writing 😀!

I think Tom means a 3° delta T between the front and rear AC units. Not 3° from the outside temp. 😉

If both units are running (or all three if you are so lucky), their thermostats should be set within 3° of each other. 

Reviving this old thread…

Noticed this behavior from my front AC while camping (glamping?) this week. Read through the thread (again), and have a few comments…

I agree with Dick @Ivylog that the short cycling is caused by the remote thermostat. When I checked mine, connections at the control box (in the return air plenum, accessible from inside the coach) were good. Cleaned them again for good measure. I decided to check my remote t-stat placement, and found that somehow in the last two years, the actual bulb of the t-stat had been shoved back into the wall, almost touching the exterior skin of the coach!I rectified that and the short cycling has stopped altogether.  

I will note that as one who in a previous life used to design HVAC units and later on, systems, short cycling does reduce the lifespan of the unit.  So I’m not surprised to hear of folks having to replace dead units after they were short cycling. 

In the end, I do think Steven @Steven P replaced both units as a preventative/predictive measure.  If I had been smart and listened to my friend, I would have done so too. Back when they could be had for about $1,100/unit. 🤦🏻‍♂️ They are literally twice that (or more) now.  Guess I’ll just keep these 16-year-old units running as long as I can.  They still cool (and heat) very well.

FWIW… it’s not uncommon for heat pumps to run 25+ years in the southeast, with the average being just north of 22 years, according to a study I was involved in back in the 1990s. The hypothesis at the time was that they lasted longer than straight AC units because they were used year-round and didn’t sit unused through the winter. The same study showed the average life of a straight AC unit was closer to 16 years. (Sample size for the study was approximately 10,000 homes in MS, AL, GA, & FL)

so, just like so many things in life, the old adage applies… “Use it or lose it!”

DOMETIC 3106486008 Remote Sensor Kit https://a.co/d/gFNR1qc
 

Welcome to the Atlanta-area chapter of Monacoers 🤣!  Seriously, welcome and we hope you find some useful info here.

Scotty

Yes, I moved the heater over to the right to make room for the pump, and removed the vanity panel around the Sani-con.  I also replaced the 4” port with a 6” port to make dumping easier.