vanwill52

Once you install the Blue Sea ML-ACR, you no longer need a DUVAC alternator. Any appropriately sized alternator with sufficient capacity will work. You only needed the DUVAC because of the Solid State Isolator.

Start by reducing your steering wheel lost motion to ZERO. If you have a Sheppard steering box, replace it with TRW. Don't believe the hogwash about "blueprinting" a Sheppard gear. If you have a TRW steering gear, adjust it to zero play when the wheels are pointed DEAD AHEAD. Install a Watts link in the front. Check with Mike Hughes (monacowatts dot com) as to the availability of a kit for your model. It will almost surely involve welding to your frame. Although you can install X-bars and Watts links in the rear, the FRONT Watts link is the one that will make 90% of the difference. FORGET ALIGNMENT!!!!! After all, you have a solid front axle coach. Toe-in is all you can easily change, and you can check that with a tape measure. Forget adding additional caster 95% of the time. That idea comes from guys who think their "Formula One racing expertise" applies to motor homes. If you have NO or NEGATIVE caster is the only reason for changing it. Forget shocks. This is the Holy Grail of all the clueless. Why does it NEVER work? Because a shock absorber only works when its MOVING--extending in and out. How much do you think ANY shock is expanding or contracting on a glassy-smooth highway...even though you are wandering all over your lane? And yes, there are countless testimonies to the fact that adding "XYZ Miracle Shock" TOTALLY eliminated my wandering. Check their testimonies a few months later. If an intelligent man decides to spend a small fortune on oscillation dampers (incorrectly named "shock absorbers" in the days of the 1928 Model A Ford) he will DEFINITELY feel a huge improvement. It's just human nature. Who wants to admit they changed shocks for $2K and the improvement in wandering was non-existent or minimal. Who wants to admit, "I was a fool for spending that much money on something that honestly did not work? The improvement in wandering from replacing shocks is always between the ears of the fellow who just parted with a small fortune...to no effect. Forget tires, inflation pressure, tire brand, uneven wear. Forget ride height. Forget air bag condition--If it is not leaking so fast your coach is listing to port/starboard, it doesn't matter. Forget folks telling you that you are not "looking far enough ahead", as if the concept of controlling a 45K# vehicle differs fundamentally from controlling a 4K# one--if you can successfully keep an automobile tracking in your lane, you may not have the ultimate RV operator skills, but you have all the skill you need to know how to keep the 45,000 # beast in its lane. You might not intuitively know the "recognized procedure" for handling a blowout. For Pete's sake, FORGET ABOUT "STEERING STABILIZERS" in EVERY iteration by EVERY manufacturer. You CANNOT fix a chassis/suspension problem with a "steering system" fix. Thoroughly inspect the heavy vertical 3" square (?) vertical tubes in your rear suspension for CRACKS. The cracks are very common, and are easily fixed. Should you feel better having an experienced professional make the repair, Josam's in Orlando, FL is the undisputed KING of repairing this condition, and in a safe and workmanlike manner. Barry is a true professional. I always sum up my seminars with this ONE INDISPUTABLE TRUTH...if your coach is wandering, IT IS FOR ONE AND ONLY ONE REASSON!! YOUR COACH IS GOING EXACTLY WHERE ITS WHEELS ARE POINTED. Figure out why your wheels are not staying pointed straight ahead when your steering wheel IS, and you have solved your problem.

In fairness to those few truly competent and professional diagnosticians at Cummins service facilities, the great majority of them seem to be recruited from "Jiffy Lube", and don't know their butts from a hole in the ground. Bring them a Cummins-powered Peterbilt with fuel system problems, and they MAY be able to make an intelligent diagnosis. But a "MOTOR HOME"?__ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE who cannot even adequately describe in detail what the symptoms are? But most of the time, they are "parts replacers" until they stumble upon the problem. If you are a MH owner with no resources other than a credit card, you are going to be disappointed...and about to get an anal reaming. Despite all the hoopla, Cummins facilities are suffering the same lack of "people wanting to work for a living" as the rest of the country. Professionals who take pride in their diagnostic abilities are becoming more and more rare...AND OPENING THEIR OWN SHOPS, after feeling embarrassed at the incompetence of their fellow mechanics. Moral of the lesson: Use spectacularly talented online people to help you at least understand what YOUR problem REALLY is, before you put yourself at the mercy of some fellow whose main talent last week, might have been, "Do you want fries with that?".

Richard, so often that is true. A mechanically inlclined DIY person with a "can do" attitiude" can so often far outdistance the capabilities of a "professional" That one has to wonder where they got the title "professional". If you have even an ounce of mechanicial aptititude, always exhaust the the online resources before even THININGK of going to a "Cummins Coach Care" PROFESSIONAL.

As Chuck said, the parking brake valve can be a problem. In my case, the valve itself leaked. I replaced it with a Chinese knock-off. It lasted about one year. Replaced that one with a Wabco (maybe Hadley?) eight years ago...no problem since then. My greatest leak came from the treadle valve (air equivalent of a master cylinder). I THINK the leak was actually coming from the connections and not the valve itself, but it was such a gymnastic feat to get to it that I replaced the treadle valve itself. I think the connections were actually where the air loss was coming from because (as was typical of Monaco) all the lines were a tad short, so they did not exit each fitting straight, but were already being pulled to one side. I bought new lines and fittings. These were all the Push-to-Connect PTC type. I replaced all the PPV (pressure protection valves) at the same time, as one of them had a very small leak. Before the changes, I would go from 120 PSI to 30 PSI in a little over an hour. Now, it takes over a week to leak down to 60 PSI. With PTC fittings, it is VITALLY important that you have enough hose that they can exit STRAIGHT from the fitting. They may seal even if they are in a bind, but will eventually stretch the O-ring and begin leaking. Cut the ends of the hoses clean and straight with a razor blade.

I live in southeastern NC. I keep my coach at home under a shed with electrical power. Our winters consist of quite a few low 20's nights and even a few in the teens. I winterized one coach and vowed never to do that again. I actually drink water from my tank, and it seems that RV antifreeze leaves a taster that lingers forever. I use a collection of porcelain-based light bulb sockets fastened to small wooden squares. In each socket is one of the two-bulb converters, so each socket has two incandescent bulbs (in case one burns out). I place these light bulb assemblies in the wet bay, storage bay, under the sinks, and in the shower. Most importantly, each of these light bulbs is controlled by the "barn thermostat" below that is non-adjustable, and set for ON at 35*, OFF at 45* AmazonSmile: Farm Innovators TC-3 Cold Weather Thermo Cube Thermostatically Controlled Outlet - On at 35-Degrees/Off at 45-Degrees : Tools & Home Improvement My coach is always plugged in, and I've found the combination of light bulbs and a coach furnace thermostat (propane furnace) set at 40* have proven adequate. I've done this for 10 years now without a problem. I do have remote reading thermometers in each critical location. And I did add a drain for my icemaker line. This might not work in bitterly cold climates, and surely not if you do not have power to your coach while it is stored.

I confess I know NOTHING about Jake brakes. But I did cure an inoperative one once by unplugging a connector that went through the valve cover, cleaning it (oil-soaked and dirty) with WD-40 and reconnecting it. Sooooo many electrical problems on our coaches are due to poor electrical connections.

I have no idea. I made them in my home shop as an engineering exercise. I wanted enough installations to prove the design principle. I accomplished that after approximately 30 installations. I never had intentions of making a marketable product. I only wanted validation that what worked miraculously on my coach would do the same for others. After that, I turned over all my data to Monacowatts.com (Mike Hughes). He has sold them ever since and done an exemplary job.

The rear X-bars and front Watts link will help immensely. Adding an anti-sway bar does almost nothing to prevent wandering. Bob Nodine installed front and rear anti-sway bars when first tackling his wandering. They did almost nothing to improve the wandering.

One problem I encountered with this setup years ago was that the original regulator in the coach had an "excess flow" safety cut-off mechanism built-in. I tapped into the system on the downstream side of the regulator and added a quarter-turn ball valve. There was about 20 feet of hose I added. I found that if I opened the quarter-turn valve quickly, it shut off flow from the regulator. To get it to work properly, I had to very slowly open the quarter-turn valve. When I did that, everything worked as expected.

I cannot add much to this conversation, as I have never had problems with the grid heaters, at least not that I was aware of. I have never had reason even to verify that they are working. What I can say is that my "Wait to Start" light comes on EVERY time I start the engine, regardless of ambient temperature...it comes on even in the hottest days of summer. I have (8) coach batteries (T-145 size, not the smaller T-105) with a total of approximately 1000 AH. My engine batteries are two Group31 batteries (950 CCA each) paralleled together and using all 4/0 cables. I also have a Denso gear-reduction starter, so the engine spins over MUCH faster than with the original Delco direct-drive starter. I also have the Blue Sea ML-ACR setup, so that I always start the engine in "Battery Boost" mode. Purely out of curiosity, during a spell of exceptionally cold weather here, I have started the engine by turning the key to start position immediately without waiting for the grid heater "Wait to Start" light to go out when ambient temperature was mid-20's. It fired up instantly, and I could not detect any difference in how long it rolled over before starting. Although I have never had a failure to start, I installed the Denso gear-reduction starter because with the original Delco straight-drive starter, it always seemed to me that the engine just barely rolled over fast enough to start, even when waiting for the "Wait to Start" light to extinguish. My conclusion (not necessarily scientific) is that if the engine is turning fast enough with the starter, it will start regardless of temperature. I THINK not all Cummins engines have grid heaters.

Jim, someone has resurrected the RVA company, at least for parts. I bought a complete new, exact replacement pump/motor assembly for somewhere in the neighborhood of $700. Comes with motor, contactor. Google for the site.

Scotty, are you and Paul just trying to impress us with this "Star Wars" 3D printing mumbo-jumbo? Can you 3D print a LH-to-RH SAE-to-inverted flare adapter for my RH rigamastratus link with simultaneous-co-angular multi-axial 5G Ethernet/WiFi-enabled co-modulator, so that I can adjust my road-axis angularity real-time, using only the home screen on my flip-phone (which I bought from Dave Pratt)? 😄 See you at the Gathering!

David is very correct about using an impact wrench with the air pressure turned way down. And since the washer-head bolt is often solidly rusted to the surface it contacts, gently using the impact wrench to alternately tighten/loosen the bolt will frequently help. The bolt threads might be quite free, but the head of the bolt is rusted tightly. A right-angle impact wrench can be very handy. One other thing, be sure you use good-quality HSS (High Speed Steel) or Cobalt drills, preferably coated with TiN (titanium nitride) or TiCN (titanium carbo-nitride). And for absolute certain do not use anything that is not listed as "135* split-point". These drills require far less pressure to cut, and are largely self-centering--that is, they do not tend to "skid" away from the position they start in and frequently do not require center-punching to locate their starting point.

WARNING: THIS IS LIKELY TO BE A LONG POST. IF IT DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU, SKIP IT. TwoMed is absolutely correct about making some kind of "Drill Jig" for drilling out the broken studs. It is virtually impossible to drill out a broken stud and not damage the original threaded hole if you cannot drill EXACTLY in the center of the broken stud and drill it EXACTLY straight. Even the best mechanics have a really high failure rate with this kind of repair. In your case, damaging the threaded hole in the head will result in several thousand dollars extra to repair. Although even a minimally competent machine shop could repair the damaged thread with an insert (DO NOT use Heli-Coil!!) the process of removing the head and having it repaired will be staggering…FAR in excess of the (already expensive) charge for replacing an exhaust manifold. Most folks do not have the machine shop equipment to do what I’ve done—Make a true drill jig with “Slip-renewable” drill bushings using graduated sizes of insertable drill bushings to allow you to: 1) Have the hole you are about to drill be perfectly aligned with the broken stud 2) allow your first drill to be a fairly small one that will allow you to drill all the way through the broken stud and let you inject the penetrating oil of your choice FULLY INTO THE CAVITY BEYOND WHERE THE END OF THE BROKEN STUD resides. Adding penetrating oil at the BOTTOM of the stud will be infinitely more beneficial than any amount of “aimed squirting” you can do from any other location. I would suggest, if you have the luxury of time, that you insert the penetrating oil and give it a day or two to work. Use whatever penetrating oil you prefer, but my experience (and a major engineering university study) proved conclusively that the best “penetrating oil” was a 50/50 mix of Acetone and ATF (automatic transmission fluid). The ATF by itself has reasonably active penetrating properties. Adding Acetone, causes the mixture to penetrate much more aggressively into rusted areas. I keep a Schrader valve equipped pressurized dispenser of this “magic” penetrant in my shop at all times. As I warned, this will be a long post, rivaling even Tom Cherry. 😊 If your eyes are glazing over, skip to the next topic. Next, try a LEFT-HAND drill (I have a large assortment) drill of slightly smaller diameter than the OD of the broken stud, using a drill bushing slightly larger than the OD of the broken stud. At least 75% of the time, this will remove the remaining broken stud in one piece and leave the threads in the cylinder head totally undamaged. Should the LH drill routine not work, insert the drill bushing that is the root diameter (tap drill diameter) of the broken stud, and using a RH (normal) drill bit, drill all the way through the broken stud. At that time, there will only be fragments of the original stud left in the hole, and you can work the fragments out carefully with dental picks or similar instruments. Although all these preparations may seem excessive and involve tedious work, if you are doing this yourself to save money (aren’t we all?) and you turn over your project to a reasonably talented shop whose job it becomes to remove your broken stud, you may find their limitations have presented you with a bill that will take your breath away. In spite of their best efforts, these Cummins shops are simply not equipped or trained to remove broken studs. Also, I can offer you some advice about removing those studs that are NOT broken. Often, the highest coefficient of friction exists NOT between the threads of the stud and the head, but rather between the flanges of the exhaust bolts and the surfaces against which they clamp. Rust develops, and the friction between the flange of the bolt and the threads of the bolt into the cylinder head exceeds the friction between the threads of the stud and the cylinder head. Spray those areas liberally with penetrant. Use an impact wrench! Surprise! Just set your impact wrench on minimal power and reduce inlet air pressure as needed. A right-angle impact wrench is best. Use its lowest setting and first attempt to TIGHTEN THE STUDS...AT LOW POWER. Then attempt to loosen them with a low power setting on you impact wrench...or by lowering its input PSI. Go back and forth between tightening and loosening until your stud comes loose. I have been a teenage mechanic (rebuilt my first engine—1931 Ford Model A) at 13 years old. Built innumerable small-block Chevys for my friends until I was old enough to get a driver’s license…even one Z-11 409 in a 1962 Impala. Looking back on my life since I equipped my home machine shop equipment (partly from my 25-man CNC shop) I’ve been thrilled to use my advantages to help others over and over. Nowadays, I just “piddle” and make almost insignificant (to me) things that help my friends. To the OP, if I can help you avoid a catastrophe, I will be glad to do so. PM me if you desire more information. A failed attempt at removing a broken stud can absolutely cost you a small fortune.

RVA has been reincarnated, and they offer some (not all) parts. Their price for a complete pump assembly with motor and controls was less than $800. I bought one to replace my noisy unit. As another poster mentioned, you are FAR better off to take a leaking jack to a hydraulics shop and have it rebuilt. The early ones (like my 2000 Dynasty) were single-acting cylinders with spring return, and the exposed part of the piston was not even plated to resist corrosion. Not a great design, but the piston seal (the part that would cause it to leak down) is on top of the piston rod, well-protected far up into the cylinder. The exposed cylinder rod has a decent wiper, but I still extend the jacks and clean/polish the rod frequently. If you do not do that cleaning, they can begin to fail to retract completely, and it's seldom the fault of the spring. It is that the dirty/corroded jack shaft causing too much friction on the wiper.

I had mine crack, in spite of how careful I was. At one time, Cummins offered a Stainless Steel replacement. I could not find one at the time, so I machined a new one from 304 SS. Virtually bulletproof. Unfortunately, shortly after I switched to OAT coolant, and have had no need to touch it since. You might check to see if a SS one is available for your engine. Mine must have been somewhat different than the one in the pix above. It had a wrench flat on only one end and it was installed vertically.

I also switched to the Denso gear-reduction starter several years ago. Spins the engine over much faster. Measured cranking amps with the Delco (non gear-reduction) and the Denso. Delco amps were considerably higher (can't remember exact numbers, but think it was about 150 amps more). I was not having problems with the Delco, but it always seemed to me that it was barely able to turn the engine over fast enough to start in really cold weather. I tried it once, and the Denso will fire it off in freezing weather, even if I do not wait for the electric manifold heaters to warm up. Another advantage is that the Denso is MUCH lighter. Wrestling that Delco to the ground while lying on my back was quite a feat. The Denso was easy. 2000 ISC-350 with nearly 200K miles.

As several other highly regarded posters mentioned, check your rear support uprights. They are generally 3" square tubing. Initially, cracks may be hard to see, but if you don't have "buttress" plates welded onto your main frame rails, you will want to add them, EVEN IF THAT IS NOT THE REASON for your noise. They are a well-known failure item. Although no facility in the country probably has more experience dealing with correcting this problem than Josam's in Orlando, FL, there are no doubt countless heavy-duty truck shops (and even more talented "amateurs") who can deal with this problem. Dave Pratt, our founder, has had intimate knowledge of repairing this failure. Hopefully, he will chime in...even though he is a traitor and is one of the SOB group. 😄

Although this has been stated so many times it might be the most often posted comment about anyone's question...I post ONCE AGAIN. For someone to take an interest in answering your question, it is of IMMEASURABLE importance that you COMPLETELY identify your coach in your VERY FIRST SENTENCE !!!! Ask a question about nearly ANYTHING and the relevant answer depends on YOU identifying EXACTLY what coach you are asking a question about. Yes, your info might be available if one clicks on your avatar...but if you have not been considerate enough to add it to your avatar yourself, your question may never get the attention it deserves. Some folks have taken the time and initiative to identify their coach in their "avatar". Most have not. It is incredibly easy. If you have a question about how to do it, ask Scotty Hutto, who has IMMENSE patience in answering this same question over and over and over and over... If you do not ALWAYS identify the particulars of your coach in your FIRST SENTENCE, expect some chastising that you have not done so...or simply that your post is ignored...or not answered until YOU have provided the necessary info. Otherwise, it may never get the attention you hoped for. Purely for instance, asking a question about a "reduced power" issue is useless unless you identify your exact coach. The (intelligent) answer to your question will require posting the year of your coach, the series, and if you have an "8.3 mechanical" engine, an "ISC-350" or "ISL400", "ISM" or ISX "Big Mama" and whether you have an Allison 2500, Allison 3000, or Allision 4000 series transmission. Some of the most capable folks to answer your question (Ivan, Dave Pratt, Chuck B, Bob Nodine, Frank McElroy, Waterskier, Myron, David 427, and countless others) MIGHT spend their time asking you to intelligently describe your problem and EXACTLY what coach it pertains to. OTOH, they might simply ignore you until YOU have provided enough info to help analyze YOUR OWN problem, or until several others have asked the OBVIOUS questions. If that never happens, your question may go unanswered. Scotty, forgive me if this post inundates you in requests. Y'er a good ol' boy! Our buddy Paul Whittle will be helping me install the 360* (old folks warning) camera on my coach soon. Luckily, I can poop in my coach without electronic assistance, However, should I fall prey to that "technological calamity" I'm sure "Pooper Paul" would assist me...if I have him enough information specific to my coach. TIC...sorta...

Although I realize your coach identification is in your "Profile", you will always get more responses if you state in your VERY FIRST SENTENCE, "I have a Monaco XXXXX". Some folks will not take the time to look up your profile and will simply skip over your post.

Since no one has answered, I'll tell you what little I know. My 2000 Dynasty with 350 ISC might be slightly different. #1--for several years, Cummins had some unexplained difficulty with oil pressure sensors that fed the ECM. They went to a two-wire sensor, which was essentially an ON-OFF switch that simply reported that oil pressure existed. A separate sensor was used to power the oil pressure gage in the dash. It was located close to the two-wire one on the PS of the engine. I THINK I remember it looked like a conventional automotive oil pressure sensor with only one wire. #2--I don't remember where the coolant temperature sensor was located, but I think it was in the vicinity of the thermostats, near the rear of the engine. #3--The only small connector I ever remember disconnecting on the Allison was accessible from underneath the coach, near the driveshaft end of the trans. I do not know if that powered the trans temp gage or not. I would go check all these for you, but it's really cold and damp here and I don't relish walking out to the shed and crawling around. Maybe if it warms up... One thing that surprised me is there were no instrument panel gages that got their input from the ECM, not even the tachometer. Although there is a tach output on the ECM, it does NOT power the tachometer. The tach is definitely powered from a "TACH" output on the alternator. IIRC, no sensors you need to replace have any connection to the ECM. Hopefully someone else with a better memory can give you more info.

ROTFLMAO !! Good one, John!

Rick, my 2000 Dynasty might be an exception, but before I replaced the SSI and Lambert with the ML-ACR, it ALSO had a Big Boy. In my case, it was used only as a battery boost solenoid. All three items were replaced with the ML-ACR, and although I still have a functioning DUVAC alternator, I could now replace it with any of a dozen different generic HD alternators. IMHO, once someone has replaced a DUVAC alternator with a non-exact replacement and has trouble, going the ML-ACR route is much simpler than trying to diagnose and repair whatever was mis-wired. What do you think?

Jim, I think you will find a great many 12VDC switches wired the way yours was--That is, for any given light, the +12VDC is supplied to it permanently and the light is turned on by the switch completing the circuit to ground. The switch connects the fixture to GROUND, rather than supplying +12VDC to the fixture. Not sure of the reason for this, but I have found it on every Monaco I've ever worked on. There might be some exceptions, but the vast majority of fixtures are turned on by completing the GROUND circuit. I'm aware that many (if not all) aircraft are wired the same way, but I don't know the reason.