rpasetto

24 minutes ago, jacwjames said:

Rick,

Are you going to look at the rig yourself??

Since you've previously owned an 03 Dynasty and an 05 Signature I would think you are capable of doing the inspection for common sense type stuff. 

Is there a specific thing you need info on. 

Yes, JIm... definitely going.  I know there are differences, just not sure what all differences may be.  Want to be sure I have all the bases covered.

@Tom C,  Thanks again for the info.  Fortunately these earlier Sigs did not have either MPX for house or chassis.  The only multiplexers were for some of the functions of the smart wheel controller.

A friend of mine had a mid 2000s Prevost, the Mux system was run on a Windows XP computer with special I/O boards driving relays.  He told me he planned to change that over to a newer system... don't know if he did, shortly after that he sold that coach.

 .. RP

@Scotty,  Thanks for the advice, we had called Blackstone yesterday, and we were told they are backlogged.  DId some research and found another lab which will do fast service... we hope.

Thank y' all for the advice...

@Jim J, Ray D, Steven K:  Yes, I'm having oil sample kits shipped to their mechanic: Engine oil, Trans Fluid and Generator Oil.

@Dr4Film, I have one list and reviewing/editing it now, I will look at the others.

@Steven K,  Yes, I expect to "get my hands dirty" inspecting hoses, belts, filters etc. to be sure all was changed as I was told .... bringing some XL 10mil rubber gloves.

@JohnC3, @Tom C, Yes I know they did not replace airbags,  Looked up the Contitech AS8897 which I replaced quite a few on the Dynasty I used to have, also did them on the Signature I had.   

Looking forward ... but if the deal doesn't work out, I will continue.

.. Rick P

26 minutes ago, zmotorsports said:

 

Actually, air springs for these chassis are quite common and easy to find so I wouldn't be too worried there.  

 

Mike, Yep, I was just researching that.  I see the Conti 8897 at a few places from the hundreds to twice that.  Also recall buying 3/4" to 1/4" adapters at Fastenal... If I recall they're needed at rear, not at front if there are 3/4 hoses from Ping tanks.  Also recall  getting a teflon paste sealant for the adapters/fittings.   

Found an 01 Signature; I'm considering buying. 
It has very low miles, <10k.   I was told it had been sitting in a pole-barn out in AZ desert area for many years. then put back in use for last year or two. (Old owner had passed.)   The new owner said he put on new tires, hoses, belts, changed fluids, serviced genset and aquahot.  He has been using it for the past 2 years and continued to service on schedule.  (I verified the recent service done with the mechanic that did the work.)

Cosmetically, nice, except for some peeling clear coat.  The pictures sent to me look good at sides, except for sun exposure damage at front & rear cap, 3M on front is peeling as I'd expect.   Looks like it had been pretty well covered on sides in polebarn but not so much for front& rear.

Thinking I should get oil and trans oil samples; not sure who does that with quick turnaround. 

I will appreciate advice on what to I look for, questions to ask.

I thought I had seen this elsewhere... I will look

Is this 2004 Dynasty now sold?  (It doesn't show up on RVtrader.com.)

6 hours ago, Ray Davis said:

I doubt that anyone here is anti battery,  solar,  or wind power,  we have batteries and solar in our coaches.

It's all fascinating, advancing technology that has a place in powering things, but NOT EVERYTHING, NOT YET. 

It's those preaching that this new approach is the only thing that will save mankind and the planet that are the real danger.  Bah Hum Bug  on them 

I believe now that even the coal fired power plants are operating pretty clean and they will get better in time given the opportunity.

I'm sure we all want to see a cleaner and safer environment.   However, throwing the baby out with the bath water will only create more problems.   

If we want to maintain our standard of living, then fossil fuel is going to be necessary for the foreseeable future.   IMHO                                                                                                   

I agree, Ray,  I think most of us know the usefulness of our solar panels.  Most RV'ers are aware of the energy cost in controlling, storing and inverting those solar watts we get into 110vAC, as the general public may not.  We're far from even 10% efficiency and know the complexity of reducing the batteries as well as other components. 

[The theoretical solar energy density at earth's average distance is about 1.3KW per square meter.  I saw an ad for a 'typical' 12 sq ft solar panel (1 sq meter) advertised at 200 watt, so about 15%, ideally, but that's only on a very clear day with Sun directly overhead.  Realistically it would be a few percent less, and then it has to go thru a controller and wiring, stored then inverted to 110vAC , I'd expect 10% at best. ]

Thinking about the solar fields out there which need to send power stored in massive battery arrays over longer power cables than we use, then invert to high AC voltages, tens of thousands I'd expect,  finally  transmitted & distributed to local transformers where it becomes 110/240 or 3pH AC.  I've yet to see published data on solar system efficiencies (I do not mean the advertising stuff the door-to-door solar guys are selling).  Hoping this will become viable someday, but there's a lot of R&D ahead , until then we need the coal, gas and nuclear plants.

I've used the Rustoleum topside... didn't go through the prep you did though.  Scrubbed using a cleaner, 'Awesome', then rinsed thoroughly and let dry.  I took probably twice the hours to mask, than to paint (I'm a sloppy painter).  Then, two coats of topside... so far so good.

I recall similar symptoms a year+ ago... horn, then wipers went flaky.  The first thing I did was replace the smartwheel controller; easiest to do.  Then I replaced the clockspring which solved it.

11 hours ago, 96 EVO said:

In my opinion, this is the main problem in this world today!

You think I'm bad..... LOOK at him!!!!!!!!!

I live in B.C Canada, so practically all of our power is from dropping water from a high level to a low level. 

Yes, we use batteries to store power just like the rest of the world.

When you haven't solved your own problems, it's not time to point your finger at other countries!

I agree that hydroelectric, river or tidal, are better, more weatherproof alternatives to other 'renewable' sources such as wind and solar,  both of which have huge dollar and energy costs (and raise issues of future recycling which seem to be downplayed).  Having said that I hope you realize that in the US, the population density and geography preclude the same methodology.  {Perhaps you don't come visit the US and use our mostly fossil-fuel created electricity so you may not know that).

However you did chastise another member for 'point[ing] your finger at other countries' but then implicitly did the same to those of us in the US.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe, someday, some company will develop solar or other 'renewable' energy systems which can directly generate high voltage AC at 50%+ efficiency, and are cost efficient.  That's be great but we're far from it.

For now it would be nice if  production of clean-burning fuel were done synthetically.  It's been done in the lab and now we wait for the political environment to proceed.

"Professor Alan Goldman and his Rutgers team in collaboration with researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a way to convert carbon sources, such as coal, to diesel fuel.... Goldman explained that the breakthrough technology employs a pair of catalytic chemical reactions that operate in tandem, one of which captured the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry."  ... Goldman said. “What we are now able to do with our new catalysts is something no one else has done before. We take all these undesirable medium-weight substances and convert them to the useful higher- and lower-weight products.”

https://ucmweb.rutgers.edu/medrel/science/coal.shtml

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22584036/

I also got the SeeLevel-II bluetooth version.   Installed that panel upstairs and got a second, regular panel for the wet bay.  Bluetooth app works fine with my Android phone and my wife's iPhone.  I find the Seelevel readings more precise than the Aladdin's.  The hardest part of the install was running the wiring to where I wanted the upstairs display board.

When I had called See Level they told me the version they had which communicated with Aladdin was discontinued due to lack of interest.  Hoping someday that an old Aladdin-enabled Seelevel shows up on eBay; if so I'll add it to my system... or maybe someone builds a homemade interface.  🙂  

Hope you're successful at the speedo shop, or whatever repair you attempt.   if you want to replace it, Monaco installed gauges made by Beede on some of their coaches.  

On 11/18/2021 at 8:52 AM, Bobbyboy said:

Chris:  Not being a physics wiz kid, higher pressure cap causes engine to run cooler???  Correct or not??

 

Bob L

The rating of the cap does not change the pressure or temperature in the system... unless of course the pressure exceeds the cap rating, which no one here has reported.  The answer I think you're after is whether running using say a 16psi cap will run cooler that with a 10psi one.  They will both run at the same temperature. 

If you do want your engine to run cooler (or hotter) it would involve changing the coolant thermostat.

On 11/14/2021 at 6:17 AM, Jdw12345 said:

My only thought on why Monaco didn’t originally mount it in the fuel bay (diesel and propane) could have been in the unlikely event that the propane tank had some sort of leak and the compressor kicked in and caused a potential ignition point. I do realize that propane is heavier that air but one never knows all of the conditions that might cause a problem!
 Personally I think it should be mounted in the heated water bay with the Aqua Hot. I would think it could be easily made removable with a quick disconnect air coupling and a plug for the power supply. 
 

 

     JMO

The heated water bay is a good place.  Actually the water bay in mine is closer to the rear axle.  I may have difficulty finding accessible space there though but I will take another look.

For some, the fuel/LP tank compartment is a relatively close move.  Not sure about the spark possibility with that compressor.

After crawling under my last coach to change an HWH solenoid, it occurred to me that Monaco could also have found some compartment space to put the sixpacks...  a lot of wiring and hose routing but It could be done.  Anyone see a downside to that?

6 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

JJ, I had to extend the power wire and the air lines. I installed a new ground wire which is the white one in the photo. The power wire is the large red one. I used basically the same gauge wire that was there. It was originally on the other side of that wall sitting on an open platform exposed to all sorts of weather and debris.

Not worried about maximum amp draw. It really doesn't run that much. However, I want it to run when I need it to which is does.

The Viar 350C will work also which has a 20 amp draw. The 450C was a good deal at Amazon at the time, it was around $200.

Thanks for the writeup.  Moving my aux compressor is on my 'to do list.  Mine's in the rear, on passenger side above& forward of drive axle.  Funny how Monaco always put those compressors in places where the tires could throw rocks at them.  They could have mounted them on their roadmaster chassis so they could be located in fuel tank compartment, for example.  Then again they could have relocated the 6-packs to a compartment too.  (another idea for a project) 

Safety note:

Use blocking or jack stands to support coach before you go under.  When air hose is pulled, bags will deflate quickly.

We had GoodSam when we didn't know any better.  That was 2 decades ago.  Changed to CoachNet and they've been far better.

The Aquahot drain valve (?), see below, seemed to be weeping at the connection.  I turned it clockwise as much as I could but the handle prevents it from turning any more than about 90degrees.  I'm not sure if the fitting into the Aquahot is a male or female.  Was thinking if just breaking it off or cutting it then getting a swivel fitting and another valve but not sure that's the best way to go.

Suggestions?  

14 hours ago, Chargerman said:

Bruce 

 Im going to take a look at the Seelevel equipment before I order néw sensors. The thing I am hesitant to give up is my wet bay level display and also both my front and rear interior Aladdin displays are convenient. I guess the one in the wet bay and another inside would do the trick. Thanks for chiming in regarding your experience with Seelevel

I put in the SeeLevel II sensor system a few weeks back.  The tough part was running wiring up to the panel location I chose inside the MH living area.  I got the bluetooth version for upstairs and a regular 'add-on' panel for inside the bay.  The latter panel fit in the opening of the Alladin bay display.  The bluetooth one is viewable inside and outside-near-by the coach.

When I got the coach a year+ ago I changed the Alladin pressure sensors in the tanks.  After re-calibrating I found their accuracy out-of-whack so I did the re-cal once again.  When the fresh tank reading went to zero I figured it might be cable, sensor or something else... but the time had come to order the SeeLevel-II.   Some day I'll work on the Aladdin again, just to have it working... but that's way down on the priority list.

What have you all done with the empty space between the genset and the genset bay door.  It seems like good potential for storage, light stuff of course since the capacity of the gen-slide mechanism is unknown and it's way forward of the axle.

On 8/25/2021 at 5:49 PM, Ivylog said:

 I have not had good luck with the LED strips… many chips stop working in a couple hundred hours. I have a light fixture over the sink with three of 18” fluorescent in it plus another four fluorescent elsewhere. Now that they have some age on them I'm replacing a bulb every couple months so decided to change one over to LED using 48 SMD 5050 LED Panels. Drilled the four pop rivets out to remove the guts of the Fluorescent. There were two ridges that holds the metal cover over these guts. By finding a small enough wire I was able to slide the wire into these notches making for a neat way to hold the wires that power the LED panels. I put four of the LED panels in (peal and stick after cleaning alum surface) and used the existing switch and 12v wires. I would say four LED panels put out the same amount of light as the two 15W bulbs. While I had the cover off the fixture, I drilled a hole under each switch in the translucent plastic panels so I can turn each on/off without taking the cover off. This will let me use just the new LEDs (while boondocking) or one or both of the fluorescent. 
Sorry... No pictures but sliding the new wires into the notches and putting the four LED panels where the guts came from made for a neat and simple DIY project. I would space the four panels evenly over the 18" starting with one at each end. 

Thanks for the tip.  I bought a few of these 48SMD (8x6-self-adhesive) panels from eBay for about ten bucks each.  They came with adapters to plug into dome light dockets which I didn't need.

Used two panels each to convert some bay fluorescents, soldered connectors to leads which then connected to the 12v + and - power and filed the ballasts in my circular file, but kept the ballast covers for mounting the panels.  Here is the setup using two panels on the cover.  Second picture shows the plastic cover re-installed.

4 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

Good luck trying to find a TPMS that does exactly what you are wanting it to.

In regards to the extenders, I have posted numerous times on the old Yahoo Monacoers site and here about getting rid of any and all extenders as they are an accisent waiting to happen.

Single piece stems from Borg are the only stems I will allow to be used on the wheels on my coach. They have been there ever since 2010. I only had one problem with one of the inside dual wheels which was the stem was not made correctly and it allowed for the Dyna Beads to get lodged inside the stem. I made Borg aware of the problem and they gave me a brand new one to replace the defective one which solved the problem.

The important fact is that I have never had to deal with any leaks, etc.

I purchased a set for the front wheels and a dually set for the rear wheels which came with the special donuts to stabilize the long inside stem as it makes its way through the outside dual wheel.

https://yourtireshopsupply.com/manufacturer/38/borg-equipment

It's best to call them directly to make sure you are ordering the correct parts for your wheels. Since I was in Southern California at the time, they were right down the street from where I was staying.

+1 on that. 

I recall seeing your post about his a while back and ordered a set from the same place with the Monaco-D-shape rubber plugs.  I had the set in my bay for a short time when one of my braided extensions started leaking and had a mobile tire guy change them all out.  

On 9/14/2021 at 2:37 PM, Ivylog said:

Back when Monaco would fix one item for free at a rally, you could leave the door locked (not the deadbolt) as one of 5 keys would unlock it let the repair person in.

Sadly, I remember those times too.  They also advised owners in seminars to change the keypad code to something different from "1-3-5".  I don't want to hijack the thread (too much) but at one time it was two or three free things.

14 hours ago, Chargerman said:

Been thinking about this a bit and even though I was on board to add this switch I think that it wouldn’t be good to do unless I could separate the door lock. Currently my system/ key fob locks the entry door and bays at the same time and I would be afraid of locking myself out of the Coach if I reached in the door and hit the switch and closed the door. Would love to be able to unlock the bays though

I haven't looked too much at that diagram and traced the wiring but I've been planning to put switch(es) up front, probably hidden, to lock and unlock front and bay doors.  The way it's labeled implies the relays are in the front run bays, but also note all the actuators are labelled "Bay Door", although I suspect the RH one is supposed to be for the entry door.  Note the reference to another page 38040298, the Keyless Entry drawing.  It's not immediately clear how these interconnect.  Let us know if & how you put this switch in.  I added it to my project list but I have a few handfuls of projects above it 🙂

On 8/25/2021 at 5:49 PM, Ivylog said:

 I have not had good luck with the LED strips… many chips stop working in a couple hundred hours. I have a light fixture over the sink with three of 18” fluorescent in it plus another four fluorescent elsewhere. Now that they have some age on them I'm replacing a bulb every couple months so decided to change one over to LED using 48 SMD 5050 LED Panels. Drilled the four pop rivets out to remove the guts of the Fluorescent. There were two ridges that holds the metal cover over these guts. By finding a small enough wire I was able to slide the wire into these notches making for a neat way to hold the wires that power the LED panels. I put four of the LED panels in (peal and stick after cleaning alum surface) and used the existing switch and 12v wires. I would say four LED panels put out the same amount of light as the two 15W bulbs. While I had the cover off the fixture, I drilled a hole under each switch in the translucent plastic panels so I can turn each on/off without taking the cover off. This will let me use just the new LEDs (while boondocking) or one or both of the fluorescent. 
Sorry... No pictures but sliding the new wires into the notches and putting the four LED panels where the guts came from made for a neat and simple DIY project. I would space the four panels evenly over the 18" starting with one at each end. 

Excellent idea to use the SMD panels! 

I have some narrow Fluorescents in the bays so may need to get some of the 24's too.