georgecederholm

Vito, Well, if I do try to get it changed, it’ll be at W.W.Williams, the Detroit/Allison shop in Phoenix, so they should be able to handle both sides. That said, at least Frank has confirmed what I thought I remembered: it’s possible on electronic Cummins engines, at least those used in some models. And my configuration already allows concurrent Cruise and Jake use as that’s the way the Vorad system works. As far as my setup, my 2005 Exec does not have the foot pedal but rather two Carling switches (On/Off, Hi/Lo) on the armrest console. If I pursue the change, I’ll ask about moving the switch to see if that makes a difference. Thanks, Frank, Thanks for confirming what I thought I remembered. I knew I recalled that multiple settings were needed. I’m not sure how my Vorad is configured to engage the Jake without cancelling the Cruise, but I know it’s possible. Thanks,

Just a quick post to see if anyone knows this before I start checking with my Detroit Diesel shop and have them laugh at me… I remember (I think!) from years ago that some of the early-to-mid-2000s Windsors (Dave O, maybe) were programmed to automatically engage the exhaust/engine brake if speed increased a set MPH a over the cruise control speed value, while the cruise was engaged. I seem to recall that this was done via the engine software parameters. This generated mixed opinions, of course, and I didn’t pursue it at the time. So, my question is: does anyone know if this kind of setting is generic enough that it might be available on a 2004-built Detroit Diesel Series 60? We have changed toads (complicated story) and the new one cautions against speeds over 65 MPH. I know that’s not an absolute, but I’m used to letting speeds get up to the mid-70s on moderate long downgrades, and I’m fussing a bit to keep things in check. I know that cruise and Jake can interact well, since my Vorad system will apply the Jake if needed to maintain distance with a slower vehicle while the cruise is on. Thanks in advance…

As it happens, I have 2 of the Icon Direct covers for the original Penguin models sitting in the son-in-law’s barn. I had replaced all 3 of ours just before the roof units needed to be replaced. They are in north-central Connecticut. Free to any Monacoer who can pick them up or is willing to pay the $hipping. Send a private message or email george.cederholm@gmail.com if interested.

As mentioned, this is a moderately common issue, and there are write-ups in the Files section on Monacoers and various threads on other sites. It’s not terribly hard to replace the “flex” hose. The transitions from the white PVC to the black ABS should be threaded. Cut the “flex” hose close to the fitting and unscrew the PVC. You can get replacement PVC fittings and the hose (called “spa hose”) at Home Depot or equivalent. You can also make things a bit easier by using more flexible hose. I used the 1” plastic hose and a simple step-down PVC bushing with a barbed adapter. Much easier to replace if anything bad happens in the future, and plenty of capacity for whatever goes down the kitchen sink. Your pictures and diagram (+) appear to show the “trolley” that’s supposed to slide in and out and stabilize the hose when moving. You’ll want to make sure that moves freely and address any issues with movement. This would also be a good time to make sure that movement hasn’t caused any excess stress on the entire ABS pipe back towards the stove and sink. Ours developed a crack behind a cabinet that had to be replaced. https://ourrvrepairs.blogspot.com/2015/01/kitchen-sink-drain-fix-round-2.html Or, on Monacoers web site, navigate to Home > Downloads > Water Systems and you’ll find a couple of files on Kitchen Sink Drain issues. George C, 2005 Exec

Paul, If you’re talking about an exact replacement, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any data on brand/model. But, many people have used the AeroTurbine 5050XL as a replacement. I used one until the inlet tube cracked due to bad stainless welds, and replaced that with a similar DynaFlex from Summit Racing. Basically, you just need to match the overall length and make sure the replacement isn’t larger in diameter than the height of the original oval one. Unless your exhaust has been customized, you should have 5-inch inlet and outlet sizes. I left the original brackets in place but replaced the hanger straps with the second aftermarket installation at about 10 years old.

I had to replace the blades on our 2005 Exec (Detroit, side radiator) several years ago. If I recall correctly, the blades have a fixed pitch that is molded into the hub ends. It’s a 2-part hub that comes apart to fit the blades into each socket. Ours needed to be replaced because the welds failed on the “X” frame that Monaco fabricated to hold the fan motor in place. It was only held on in one corner. I was able to salvage enough blade debris to get the part number to order from MultiWing. I think the direction, pitch and length were coded into the part numbers. I think ours took 12 blades. I usually caution folks with similar setups to check their fan motor bracket for cracks at least annually.

Our Exec is 2005, so might be different. Our HWH "control box" is mounted to the ceiling of the large pass-thru bay, in the center covered by a large panel. The panel covering the center of the bay is held on with 4-6 screws which can be hard to see unless laying on your back with a flashlight. Ours also has a drop-down hatch built into the panel specifically for the HWH box, but it's a little tight to get the box in and out through that hole. The control box is screwed to the bay ceiling with some custom brackets; you should be able to remove the control box by just loosening the screws holding the brackets.

I can echo most of the comments above from experience. I removed the manifolds because I thought I should bench test everything before calling it “done”, which was extra work and hard to verify in the pin out. There are actually 3 o-rings per valve (detailed write-up with pictures on the hated iRV2), and I had to get and modify a special wrench used on nitrous injection kits to access the internal one. Most of the air lines needed to be trimmed to clean stock to re-attach without leaks; plan to trim them all. Many of the fittings needed to be replaced as well. Many of the air lines were already too short and/or routed at weird angles by Monaco, so I had to get more air line and make up short “jumpers” with elbows to get them to align correctly. Glad I did it but wouldn’t do it again. Lasted ~5 years before I made a stop at HWH in Iowa and they ended up replacing 3 (of 18) solenoids, which weren’t leaking but not operating correctly.

We have a 2005 Executive so things might be different. A couple of thoughts: Do you know the model number of the Aqua-Hot? You might have AHE-100-02S or AHE-100-03S depending on the build date. There could be differences in the control scheme, and where to find things, between the models. Ours was built April 2004 and had the 03S. Did you have the 12VDC power off for any reason lately? The 03S model has a “Low Voltage Cutoff” circuit that drops out when 12VDC drops below ~10.5 volts (low batteries or turned off).

David A/L, Thanks for the quick response. I did not do the work after the first failure in 2012, so I don't know if they flushed the system or just evacuated (guessing the latter). I realize that it's coincidental that I've experienced another failure roughly 8 years later, so it could be that some contamination circulated for 8 years before getting trapped in the compressor. I do know that the receiver/drier was replaced in 2012, and I replaced it again now. Since 2012, I'd say that maybe 2 12-ounce cans of R-134A were added. I don't know enough about dilution to know if that would have necessitated adding lubricant but will research. The original compressor was a Sanden (based on the Build Sheet) and the 2012 replacement was a Four Seasons. Do you know if either brand qualifies as "crappy"? Thanks, Bruce, It's called "PAG Oil" and comes in 46 and 100 weight viscosity. I found a "Supercool" brand 8-ounce bottle of PAG 46 on Amazon and added 4 ounces directly to the compressor using the port on top of the housing.A tag on the housing said it was pre-charged with 3 ounces and oil needed to be added, but not how much. I will say that the manufacturer's documentation for the compressor was completely silent on general quantities needed; everything was make/model-specific and "Monaco" wasn't listed. I have no idea if I have too much or too little. A "x ounces per y pounds of R-134A" guideline or something similar would have been very helpful. I also found a video on Youtube showing how to add oil via one of the Schrader ports, but I had the new compressor on the bench prior to installation so didn't need to go that route (and I don't have a vacuum pump). Hopefully, someone with more experience can clarify. Thanks, Ivan K, I plan to do some diagnostic work on the pressure switch before having the system evacuated and charged. I'll also research how much oil should really be used. Thanks, David W, I've seen those posts over the years but my system has the A/C condenser mounted just behind the front axle. I will definitely try to see if there is a different issue with mine that could cause the same failures, though. Thanks,

I'm just wrapping up replacement of the dash air conditioning compressor in our 2005 Exec with the Series 60. I was on a short exercise run and was checking to see if the dash system was cooling -- the incorrect way, by putting it on MAX AC and seeing if it go cold. Note to self: that's what gauges are for. The compressor froze up and shredded the serpentine belt. Fortunately, ours only uses one belt, so the only loss was charging from the alternator but it runs OK with the generator on charging the chassis bank through the Big Boy (another story on corrosion inside that). My question is: aren't these systems supposed to self-protect and refuse to engage the clutch if pressure is too low? Does anyone know how to test this function short of destroying another compressor and belt by running it without refrigerant? I don't recall seeing a lot of posts on this issue over the years, although I did have the exact same issue back in 2012. Coincidence that I'm losing the compressor roughly every 8 years? I generally never thought of replacing the A/C compressor as a PM item. For info and the Parts List, the original Sanden U4420 compressor was replaced with a Four Seasons 68158. The drier was Global Parts 1411487. About $250 total in parts to replace. Invested maybe another $60 for a flush tank and fluid. Key reminder: even though I always try to take a picture(s) when replacing parts, when the belt shreds it's tough to tell how it was routed. I wasted a couple of days (and a few Amazon returns) fussing with the wrong size belt before I got a picture of a similar setup (thanks, Paul Busch!) and magically the original sized belt was perfect.

I would be curious as to how much fluid loss you have in the change, both hydraulic and radiator. I’d also be interested in a picture of the wax valve and specifics on part number(s), as I’m pretty sure our 2005 Exec with the DD60 has the Infamous Sauer Danfoss electronic fan controller. As an aside to one of the comments made in this thread, be wary of dash A/C that’s “not very cold”. It’s probably wise to get a gauge on it and verify pressures, and add refrigerant if needed sooner rather than later. If the R134A gets too low, sometimes these A/C compressors will have the low pressure cut-off switch fail, run on empty, and eventually completely lock up. When that happens, it only takes a few minutes to burn through the serpentine belt. Happened to me in 2012 and again last month. I’d turned the dash A/C on to see if it was cooling on an exercise run and forgot to turn it off. About $250 into the repair so far...

Scotty, Saw that; will be interesting to see if it drives any traffic. I was a little surprised that Monacoers wasn’t mentioned in the most recent Monaco International newsletter, in their article about “how to get help more effectively”. Probably an oversight.

Paul, I think the concern I would have, echoing what Steven A said, is that any additive might not “recover” an injector that’s failing to the point of throwing a code. I’m not sure you mentioned how you determined the code (code reader vs DDA shop pulling codes), and if you had any other symptoms other than the code. If just a single code, maybe a fluke and a trip would be low risk. If smoke, de-rating, overheating on minor grades, smell of diesel fuel on the dipstick, or loss of power, well then I’d probably have a shop look at it before a trip. In terms of additives, that can be kind of a Ford/Chevy thing, with everyone having a favorite. I’d use what I had on hand before switching brands. As I think I mentioned earlier, I’ve had two injector issues since 2007. The first threw no codes, just froze up. I drove maybe 5 miles before the oil pressure dropped as the crankcase was flooded with fuel. The second time, nothing froze up but I started throwing smoke, hard. Decided to try to make the run from Gulf Shores to Phoenix more or less non-stop. Started seeing “check engine” around San Antonio and overheating on minor grades in Hill Country. This continued all through New Mexico and into Arizona, and I had to keep “engine load” (SilverLeaf) under 75-85%, no matter how slow I got on hills. But, we made it to home and I was then able to let WWWilliams have the rig for several day$ to get the repairs done. As an aside, I can throw codes for no particular reason, relatively often. “Check Engine” will come on and might clear in a few seconds, or might not until the next restart. Mostly it happens when driving ~25-30 MPH on flat ground. Sometimes I can clear it by goosing the accelerator. Other times, I have to press the up/down buttons on the speedo to turn off the noise. It’ll do something similar if I leave Jake Low on too long descending a hill. I toggle between Low and High to avoid this. When I check the SilverLeaf log files, there is usually a bunch of gobbledygook. Neither the SilverLeaf nor DDA people can explain it, other than “noise on the bus”. I’ve learned to live with it...

I had a similar issue on our early-build (April 2004) model year 2005 Exec. Different floor plans and options can influence weight distribution, of course. Our 45PBQ has dual bedroom slides and the Splendide almost in a rear corner, and the heavy Detroit Diesel engine option. Then we added 4 more house batteries. I found that I needed ~60 PSI in the tag regulator to get axle weights close to right. When mine leaked, I pulled it apart, cleaned everything, and reinstalled. OK for a while but started leaking again about a year later. When I pulled it again, I realized that it had “0-60 PSI” molded into the body. I think it was a “Norton” regulator? Anyway, I replaced it with a 0-125 PSI Watts regulator I grabbed from Amazon. Over-engineered, but no more leaks from running at the edge of specs.

Paul, I use the OptiLube "Summer" formula. We spend the winters in AZ and really don't travel to cold enough weather to need the "Winter" formula, and I haven't tried any of the other variations.

Paul, Are you still using the original spec for the secondary fuel filter, 23530707? This is a 9-micron filter and DD changed their spec in the late 2000s for the Series 60 to a tighter filter, 23533726, which I think was 5-micron. I’ve been using a Donaldson cross-reference, P556917, that’s 3-micron ever since I had two injectors fail during a cross-I10 run back in 2011. Gulf Shores to Phoenix smoking like a steam locomotive. This was after I had an injector freeze up back in 2007, sacrificing a rocker arm and flooding the crankcase with diesel fuel. I’ve tightened up all my filters since (primary, secondary, generator, Aqua-hot) while staying within the GPH requirements. Years ago I switched to mostly Donaldson filters on the recommendation of Bill D. Like Richard S, I use a compound additive of OptiLube and Biobor JF, also based on recommendations made here over the years. Keep an eye out for continuing injector issues, and by that I mean a eye on the right rear view. Once they start to go bad, you’ll start seeing smoke, almost like a cracked CAC. When I had to have mine replaced, it was close to the same parts cost for all six in a pack as for the three (two failed and one starting to) I needed, so I had WWWilliams do them all. https://shop.donaldson.com/store/cartridges/ProductDetails-DCI/?_DARGS=/store/cartridges/ProductDetails-DCI/ProductDetails-DCI.jsp.1#

The Monacoers Parts List contains some radiator hose numbers for some applications, mostly anecdotal “this is what I used” info. I have never seen a comprehensive list, recognizing that it would have to be fairly large because of the different engines and configurations Monaco (and HR and Safari and Navistar and REV) used over the years. That said, I found a Gates hose identification web site that has dimensions (some need different I. D. Values on each end) and rough bend diagrams. With a Gates number, you can search online to find the best price and cross-fit. https://assets.gates.com/content/dam/gates/home/resources/resource-library/catalogs/gates-molded-coolant-hose-id-guide_web.pdf#page1 I developed a pin-hole leak in the upper hose due to rubbing against a bracket several years ago while driving down the Oregon Coast. I was able to use the Gates guide to find the closest fit and got a cross-reference at the local Napa. Changed it in the RV Park without getting caught. In 2019, I decided to change the other three hoses as a precaution ~15 years old). Found everything, at least close, in the Gates list and then started shopping. Found the best prices at Amazon and one at Walmart.com, of all places. One was a direct fit and the other two needed to have a couple of inches trimmed. Got all new clamps from Amazon. Napa had some of what I needed but at 2x the price, and would have had to order in anyway so delivery matched the ship times from the online outlets. We have the Detroit engine from 2004, so my numbers likely wouldn’t help with a 2009 ISM.

As David notes above, this is a known, albeit not commonly discussed, issue with rigs of the OP’s vintage. It does not relate to clogged drain lines or over-tightened gaskets. One way to partially address the issue, short of what David described as the true fix, is to carefully build up the roof underlay to raise the level of the fiberglass roof skin relative to the air conditioner opening. The roof skin is not fully attached to the underlay level in most cases. Years ago, someone described a process of lifting the fiberglass roof layer and sliding thin shims into place to raise the roof level. I did this on our 2005 Exec while I had the front air conditioner off to fix a gasket issue. I slid a piece of luan about 2 feet wide and 4 feet long under the fiberglass at the rear side of the opening, then another piece about 2 feet by 2 feet on top of that. I didn’t want to do more at that time because I was unsure of the impact. Adding almost 1/2 inch of thickness under the fiberglass reduced the ponding significantly, to the point where I don’t feel the need to do more. I am careful to not step in the area where the most unsupported lift is, so might “feather” out the added support in the future, if I need to have the roof unit off. If I had more time and the right tools, I probably would have feathered the edges of the luan before sliding them in place. Probably not a solution for everyone, but definitely a cheaper alternative to get partial relief.

Rick P, I replaced the two Group 31 starting/chassis batteries (originally 950 CCA but those were hard to come by at a reasonable price) with three Group 78 800 CCA 12VDC batteries. I did not have enough lateral room to add a third Group 31 without relocating the primary fuel filter mounting bracket. I did have to fabricate a new tray, which I did out of basic 1-inch angle iron. I already had a hydraulic crimper on hand from making house bank cable replacements, so the jumpers were relatively simple. I used 1"x1/8" copper bar stock to make some extenders for the terminals to help with fit and strain reduction.

Brett, Good info. For the original poster with two thermostats, he may need to check near both, even though the rear (bedroom) thermostat was the one initially configured to control the center (non-roof-unit) zone. When I finished upgrading our roof units and new thermostats, I moved the center (shower/lavatory) zone to the front thermostat because I needed to replace the data cable anyway. I did this because our 3-A/C system has the "center" roof unit in the kitchen area and I found it easier to use that way. I retained the bedroom thermostat, although I sometimes wish I'd just eliminated it and run all 3 zones off the front thermostat.

Well, the remote temperature sensor also has to connect to the control board (usually a white dipole connector), so that would be the logical place for the control board as well. On ours, those vanity cabinet walls run top-to-bottom, so there would be plenty of room in there for the control board (~4x5x2?). Monaco was known for taking the easiest path for construction, so it would be logical that they would have run the data cable and Aqua-Hot control wires together. Happy hunting!

This is a relatively uncommon issue but it is documented. In order to make a 2-roof-unit system have 3 zones, Monaco hid a Dometic control board (just the board) somewhere in the cabinetry, usually in the vanity-shower-lavatory area. That board is connected to the rear roof unit by a data cable with a RJ-11 plug. The board’s DIP switches are set to enable “furnace”, and the two 12VDC control wires for the Aqua-Hot zone are connected. As you’ve already learned, the Dometic board controls the Aqua-Hot. You should have seen those wires, which are blue, in the other roof unit installations. To address your situation, you’ll have to find that second Dometic control board. As the data cables and Aqua-Hot control wires generally run through the ceiling, it’s probably mounted high up. Generally, this would mean behind a false wall area in the vanity or lavatory cabinet, whichever is located closest to the rear roof unit. Once located, you simply need to replace it with a CCC2 compatible control board, which I think Dometic sells $eparately. Connect the data cable and furnace wires, and you should be good to go. Hopefully, someone who has actually resolved this will chime in to confirm and/or expand on this explanation. Our 2005 Exec has 3 roof units, so I didn’t have this particular issue when upgrading.

I think there was a Safari model called “Panther” in the early-to-mid-2000s that was roughly equivalent to the Monaco Executive. Somewhere along the way I collected a set of wiring schematics for a 2005 Panther that are very similar to the ones in my 2005 Exec book. And many (but not all) of my pages list “Pan” as one of the applicable models. Not sure of Safari Panther start and stop dates.

Rick, To answer your ultimate question, you can certainly drive with your current situation. I had the same for several years before I ended up taking it to HWH in Iowa for repairs. I would use the air leveling system to raise it all the way up, then feel it drop back to something akin to “Travel” mode once in gear. As mentioned above, it’s likely one of the pressure switches that’s failed and not signaling the control board. Or it could be the control module itself. HWH replaced one pressure switch on mine, but I also had them “rehab” the whole control box while I was there. Safe travels...