rpasetto

I finally got back to this and not it's working well.  Clamped a medium-size adjustable wrench to the "angle bracket" and used a big wrench for enough leverage to bend the bracket to 45 degrees so the adjustment bolt fits into the "vee" of the angle iron, inside the step.  I adjusted the bolt to its max extension so it stops the step before the arms go over-center.  I think there are a few worn bushings to deal with in the future.  Never got rubber stoppers, but, had some reinforced rubber fuel line which I forced over the end of the bolt.

I'll spray some more dry lube on the slides.  They probably need replacement but for now...  another check box on the to-do list.

Wondering if the BlinkCode chart I used was the correct one.  Had a mechanic connect diagnostic computer today and he did not get the fault I posted above.  Instead his showed a brake light switch fault so I'm thinking that I used th wrong chart. (???) My air system diagram shows there are two brake switches up front, see below.  (Curiously only the brake lights on the upper taillights work.)

Now I need to test to see which one... maybe replace both.  (???)

ABS light on so I followed the blink code retrieval procedure in the Owner manual.  I get 12 blinks followed by 2, then 12 followed by 1.

If I have the correct manual and I'm interpreting it correctly the codes are:

12 1 There is a short between the release solenoid and supply voltage Left Rear Rear Axle Valve (page 34)
12 2 There is a short between the release solenoid and ground

From the descriptions my first thought would be a bad ABS sensor on left rear.  Then I looked at Pg 34 which appears to be about the connectors to the pressure modulator valve.   (The wiring diagram I have doesn't tewll me where these connectors are located. )

What is most likely to have gone bad?  Should I start at the wiring to the ABS sensor at the left rear... or at the PMV? ... or elsewhere in wiring harness?

Found the switch On some sort of a manifold coming from the Aux Air Pump...  Its on this fitting (manifold?) mounted toward driver side behind the front axle.  The Ping tank is probably nearby, somewhere above.  Guessing it's on a 1/4" NPT male fitting; I'll pick one up... hopefully I will only need to crawl undernesath once (if I guess the thread size right 😉

I notice the pump is a PacBreke product... wondering if its OEM or if a PO replaced the original.

4 hours ago, Bill R said:

I installed a pressure gauge on my ping tank so I could monitor the compressor, switch, and tank operation.  Knowing the pressure of the tank will help you trouble shoot the issue.  As mentioned above, it is important to drain this tank at least monthly, or more often if it is coming on frequently.

 

An '06 with Valid air leveling?  I thought Monaco used HWH up thru '06, then started with Valid in '07.

Thanks Garry, John and Don.  I appreciate the help.

The Valid Air system seemed to be working fine in manual and automatic mode.  On occasion it would re-level and I could hear the air compressor run for a while and then stop.  In recent days this seems to have become more frequent; so "chase down air leaks" went on the project list.

Today however, something wierd happened; nearing what I thought was the end of it's cycle a "Pop-Off" sound was heard, and then the pump continued.  This happened repeatedly so I shut the system off.  Later testing it I doscovered it would "pop" a few times and then "settle down" and shut off. (The pop sounded a little like the air dryer system going off, but I knew it had to be different.)

Reading the Valid "Installation/Service Manual" ; thinking of possibilities (see screen shot from page 26 below):

1.  The "pressure relief valve" on the air tank is defective and going off too soon... sometimes.

2.  The "pressure switch" on one of the six packs (?not sure which one?) is defective and (sometimes) not shutting off when it should.

Not sure of what else it could be.  From the pump sound it seems the compressor is mounted above/behind the steer axle.   Pressure valve sounds like it's somewhere above drive axle.  Not clear from diagram which 6-pack has the pressure switch... or do both?  Not sure which side or center would be best place to look.  

Crawling under is the least fun thing for me [🙂] so it would be good to know in advance which part is likely to need replacement and where to crawl.   Internet search today didn't turn up either part; I will call PowerGear next week.

Have a great Easter everyone.

@LakeBob Thank you!

2 hours ago, rpasetto said:

Going through the AC duct gets most of the way.  What I'm puzzled by is how to get from the rear cap area to the rear AC duct. Also, how to get from the front of the AC duct to the underdash/camera area.  

3 hours ago, LakeBob said:

I ran a new Sony cable through the AC duct to the rear camera.  Not ideal, however only took about 30 minutes.   See previous post. 

You can purchase pigtails to interface with updated cameras and monitors.   This maintained the functionality of the 4 cameras in our Dynasty. 

 

 

Going through the AC duct gets most of the way.  What I'm puzzled by is how to get from the rear cap area to the rear AC duct. Also, how to get from the front of the AC duct to the underdash/camera area.  

I don't know if any of you have run a new camera cable front to rear but pictures would sure help. 

My coach now has a wireless camera (Furrion) and I'm not happy with image quality contrast, brightness etc.  When I replace it I'd like to go with a wired one... if the old cable is not there, or bad, I may need to run a new one too.

16 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

GENERIC COMMENT.

The lighted switches on the two keypads are part of the Intellitec MPX system.  There is usually a 3 wire (maybe #14) connector.  Splicing in 3 wires to lengthen would not be an issue….just use a ratcheting crimper and high quality butt splices. SOME of the MPX switches may, doubt in this case, have an additional 2 wire pigtail.  Same deal….splice as needed.

The fan control switch should be the same.  Probably or hopefully #12 stranded.  Should NOT be an issue.

Joy Stick….no idea….don’t know what the other switch on the left is.  As long as no “proprietary” or special wiring cables..good to go….the Joy Stick may be a MPX with shield…..lots of options for finding similar.

Thanks, Tom. 

If I need to extend the wires I'll also shut down power to the intellitec system... just in case.  To the left of these are a 110V outlet and an "RJ" telephone connector which I will leave as-is. 

Hunting in the bedroom for the switch which controls the fan and the Aladdin "joystick" we found this array of controls below.

Thinking of relocating the switches since they're basically inaccessible without moving the mattress.  Also wondering if this was the 'standard' Monaco placement on models with windows at the side of the bed.  My tentative plan is to build a shallow box to match and mount alongside the window valence.  I may have to rotate the Intellitec switches 90 degrees to fit.  If anyone has run into this switch placement, how did you deal with it?

21 minutes ago, pwhittle said:

No plans to head as far west as TX, but will be back in New Orleans and up to Chicago in the next couple of months.

Paul

OK,  If we don't meet up on the road, hope to see you at the next Monacoers.

42 minutes ago, bill4029 said:

For the size of the arms.. your idea of a adjustable wrench tight on the arm.. put a drift punch in the hole on the end for leverage.. Should be enough I would hope. :<)

I dont think a drift punch would give the leverage to bend that (3/16"?) piece of Iron... was thinking about piece of 1/2" rebar... will try that when I get hold of the rebar.

Hi Paul,  I won't be able to make it there on Apr 8th, but I will need some Intellitec reprogramming done at some point.  Let me know when/if you are heading further west.

I did, finally, get some dry lube.  I'll probably also use it on all lock cylinders.

I'll pick up some small rubber stoppers also.

What remains is how I can bend those "stop-arms" back a few degrees so the stops like up with the center of the angle iron.  Tried a vise grip and an adjustable wrench.  Need to get something with more leverage.

9 hours ago, bill4029 said:

I just completed a rebuild of my coach steps and the stops on mine were totally worn away. I visited a Home Depot and purchased 2 black rubber bottle stoppers. Drilled the center for a tight fit and slid them on the formed arms just like the ones in your picture. I actually trimmed the stopper into a wedge shape to fit in the vee on the step.  replaced the slides on both sides with Knape & Vogt KV 8900 Series Full Extension Precision Ball Bearing Slides 22" 500# Class and 12" 500lb rated slides from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006FKXMY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006FKXLK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

A ton of work but drilled out rivets and was able to use SS cap bolts and nylock nuts to install.   My old slides were loose, worn, sloppy, binding and worse! All done while the main assembly was still on the coach. Results were well worth all of the hours in the sun on my back !  Quiet, smooth and looks new.  Wilt all refreshed, the adjustment was right on and operates perfectly.

Awesome job, BIll.  What I did, I consider a short-term measure.  I see from pictures that the stop brackets on mine are not quite bent out to 45 degrees like the example Al posted.  That may explain why my stops hit the upper part of the angle iron.  I know they should be bent out a bit, not sure how.

I like your idea of using rubber stoppers to make new rubber ends for the stope.  I will remember that when I get to spend more time on the steps, but I have a long to-do list ...

Looked a few times at my pictures and comparing with Al's.

I figured that my stop "arms" were bent a little less inward than his.  First tried to bend them but nothing there, so I added 3 washers each to the stop bolts.  I had to "trick" the step controller by pulling power slightly before the step was all the way out on the extend cycle.  That 3/8" or so longer on the stop appears to have fixed it.  (The 3 washers aren;t visible, since I taped them up to make installation easier.)

14 hours ago, amphi_sc said:

These stops should "hit" just before the linkage goes past over center on the gear movement, thus the motor will get high current and the controller will turn off.  Evidently yours doesn't get a high current situation until the gear runs all the way out of gear teeth.  You might also check how worn out your bushings are in the linkage.  I recently replaced the bushings as mine got so sloppy the linkage would rattle at the extreme and just "bounce" enough so the motor never got a firm stop (but also didn't go past center full extension) ... i.e. the pivot bolts were too sloppy in the joints.  Easy enough to take the bolts out, knock out the bushings, drive in new ones and cut to length with a hack saw, smooth out the cuts on a grinding wheel, and reassemble.  While I was at it I noticed the motor was engaging the top half of the teeth so I added a washer on top of the gear lowering the gear just a tad so motor engaged the gear with full tooth to tooth alignment.  Years ago I also added a screen door spring to assist the starting of retraction.  Probably not necessary after I cleaned up all the gunk sand/mud in the glides with a lot of WD-40 and water pressure. (Winter driving thru sanded wintry slush sure makes a mess!)

The attached pictures show the angle of the linkage retracted and extended.

Thank you agin, Al.

44 minutes ago, amphi_sc said:

Do you have the metal brackets that engages between the two steps when extended?  See my picture below:

Thank you.   I checked...  Are these brackets welded to the bottom step with a bolt adjusted so it catches the top one before the link hits its furthest position?   (I think these are the stops that Rik was mentioning.)

My picture looks like I have the same/similar model.  The stop bolts on mine are just wobbling.  Also the brackets on mine look like they need to be bent outward a bit.  Tomorrow's project#1   if it doesn't rain.

By the way, My step is a Coach Step. model 725-0072.  

This seems as if it shouldn't be happening, but my entry step has quite an overrun.  Extends fully then retracts about 2"; in the retraction cycle it re-extends then retracts all the way.  I would expect a quarter inch or so...  Looked underneath as it runs and I can see how the actuator arms just go too far. 

Contacted CoachStep/Lippert and they said "they hyperextend"... & that it is "considered normal". 

Could it be that  one of the linkage arms is the wrong size?  or ???  Still puzzled; cannot figure out how to adjust it.  

On 3/2/2024 at 4:19 PM, Bill R said:

Yes I did when I put it back on.  It didn’t change the slight pull. You should try still.  You never know.  

I followed the adjustment procedure, which is pretty much turning two nuts to adjust the springs.  The wrench work took less time than raising/blocking the front and crawling under.  

While under there the difference between the way the DS clamps slant forward while the PS clamps slant aft.  The pict I posted (above) actually shows this.  After crawling out I sent picts to the SteerSafe company, they told me "The brackets will sit different because of the way they pinch the axle.   There is no problem with them being forward or to the rear."  So... if the "Adjustment Procedure" doesn;t make any change, I may try loosening those brackets and see if I can re-tighten to make them aligned.  

But if/when I do all the wrench work to remove it, I don't think I'll be inclined to put it back.

2 hours ago, zmotorsports said:

 

Oh come on Rick, you mean you can't remember all 100+ pages.  What the hell????? 🤣

 

I just thought I'd throw that out here as I hope others can benefit as well if they are also being told they are "within spec".

 

 

I do remember lots of your thread, though.  I learned a lot from you, including things I can do and cannot.  🙂

13 minutes ago, zmotorsports said:

Rick, I'm not sure if you've followed along on my thread on irv2, but I am surprised no one has mentioned thrust angle.

 

When I purchased our 2003 Dynasty it had a pretty significant pull to the right, even on flat concrete interstate, and worse on crowned 2-lane highways.  If holding the wheel straight it was fine but upon removing my hands it would shoot pretty hard to the right, like within a couple of coach lengths it would be in the next lane.  I took it to several alignment shops and they all said the same thing, "it's within spec."

 

After a couple years of tolerating this I finally took matters into my own hands and used a laser alignment tool from the drive axle to the steer axle and immediately saw the issue.  The drive and tag axles were off by approx.  1/8".  This resulted in no matter what was going on in the front end, with the drive axle pointing slightly to the left, it was driving it to the right causing the steering wheel to have to be used to correct.  Hope that makes sense.

 

Basically the drive and tag axles needed to be adjusted to keep the coach pointed straight ahead by lengthening the control arms on the left side.  However, the wife and I prefer to travel 2-lane backroad highways whenever possible, so I wanted to add just a little more thrust angle to compensate for these crowned roads.  With no adjustment on these coaches like we have on our OTR trucks, I ended up cutting my trailing arms on the left side (street side) and lengthening them by .156" (5/32").  The 1/8" the trust angle was off plus another 1/32" to compensate for road crown.   I have a video on my YouTube channel explaining the symptoms as well as how I corrected it.

 

Our coach has handled like a dream ever since.  There really shouldn't be much needed to these S-Series chassis if all of the geometry is correct.  Unfortunately, I discovered that the "specs" are quite forgiving so when the alignment shops told me they were within spec, this was still a rather broad range.  As I see it, anything else thrown at these chassis to aid in the matter is nothing more than a bandaid unless the geometry is correct.  That being said, I did fabricate and install a Watts link to the front of mine a couple of years after adjusting my thrust angle and while the results were much less noticeable, the area the Watts link helped the most with is on those long large radius sweeping curves.  I would set my steering wheel going into them and about 2/3 or so through I would have to adjust the steering wheel just a bit to compensate for the forces being applied to both the panhard bar and control arm bushings.  Even with the Atro bushings the forces are enough to allow enough movement to allow the H-frame to shift slightly.  I also have a three part video series on the fabrication and installation of the Watts link on my YouTube channel as well.  Actually I think I may have posted those videos to the video library here on monacoers.org after joining.

 

Once the Watts link was installed in the front that issue was resolved.  Personally, I would put my Dynasty up against d*** near anything on the road as far as handling now.  It's been a joy to drive for the past almost ten years now since the suspension work and 650+ mile days are nothing.  No arriving at the campground or home and being exhausted from chasing the coach down the road.

 

Mike,  I recall having read thru a lot of your thread on IRV2; with 100+ pages it's hard to recall everything... at my age 🙂

Now that you mention "thrust angle", I recall bringing a previous Monaco to Josams in FL many years back; they mentioned "thrust angle" as one of the things they check when they do their alignment procedure.