vanwill52

My conduits were also crowded, but using a metal snake to draw a nylon cord through enbabled me to get it through. I used two people, one at each end, to yank and wiggle it as I went. I removed the overhead panels from my storage bay. I drug the two cables through bound together. Had that process encountered difficulty, I might have tried pulling one at a time. If you use nylon cord for your "pull snake", lash the ends of the two cables together tightly with small nylon twine binding the "pull snake" to the two cables, then tape the end where your "pull snake" exits the bundle so that it is smooth and pointed, I think you'll be able to get it through. I let my two cables enter the FRB (front run bay) under the driver's window, then go upward into the console. From there, it was easy to snake it up behind the instrument panel. Good luck! It is really handy to have spare wires available on a terminal strip. There are OEM spare wires available running from the engine compartment to the instrument panel on EVERY Monaco I've ever worked on, but they are varying sizes and many folks report not being able to find them at all. They are ALWAYS there somewhere, but having terminal strips at each end is handy.

Poynting. Google it.

David, the special "Type K" thermcouple wire is stiff and appears slightly fragile and prone to kinking. It is indeed a bear to run. The gages like the AutoMeter one I installed use ordinary copper wire, making the process infinitely easier. Since I have found so many times that I needed extra wires running from the engine bay to the instrument panel, I finally used this as an excuse to run TWO 7-conductor, 14 AWG trailer wiring cables front to rear and end them with terminal strips front and rear. The multi-conductor cable is neoprene-sheathed and very flexible, waterproof, and rugged--You can yank on it when necessary while snaking it forward. The box marked "EGT Gage" is the "amplifier" that allows the millivolt signal to be transmitted over ordinary copper wire. Van

Jeff, I'll be very interested in your results. I installed a Poynting MIMO coupled to a Cradlepoint router. I mounted the Poynting on an 18" aluminum square plate on stilts to raise it slightly and not have the signal reduced due to proximity of the AC unit. I expected a large improvement over my MiFi mounted in a Wilson cradle attached to an external antenna. I was very disappointed. The new combo gave almost identical performance to the existing setup. I hope yours performs better, and perhaps I see some mistake I made.

I cannot discount that failure as a very remote possibility, but the great majority of EGT probes are mounted in the exhaust manifold, as per the installation instructions.

My 2000 Dynasty has the ISC-350 engine, and it is electronically controlled.

Unfortunately, there is no EGT input to the ISC model ECM's. The ECM does NOT reduce fueling to control EGT. I know that seems strange, but I'm guessing Cummins just tested their programming extensively and limited fueling to what they felt was safe. The only recognition I've seen from Cummins was when I read SOMEWHERE in their literature, "Limit full throttle conditions"--sort of an admission that damage might occur under extreme conditions. I have no personal experience with that kind of damage, nor have I read of anyone having that kind of damage, but it certainly appears possible, when a bone-stock ISC can easily reach 1400*F. One thing you will quickly learn from watching the EGT gage is how heavily it is influenced by engine RPM. You can tame EGT on a long pull by keeping the RPM high.

Bob, I wish you luck convincing "Mrs. Bob", but I find that claims for increased performance ACCOMPANIED by fuel mileage increases are 99% "snake oil" and 1% anecdotal anomalies. My own experience with increasing fueling on my 1993 Dynasty 8.3-250 and my 2000 Dynasty ISC-350, is that fuel mileage DECREASES a small amount in proportion to how much you use that extra available power (extra FUELING). There ain't no free lunch. I asked Ag Solutions to pre-program my 12100 "chip" for a modest increase, and not to reach the point of smoking. I got a modest increase in power, which I use every time I exit a rest stop to merge. Even with 30 PSI boost, I reach 1400*F EGT by the time I merge. And my fuel mileage has suffered only about 0.2 MPG. I enjoy the additional power, but use it as little as possible. And, of course, it increases EGT, so I think it's prudent to install an EGT gage prior to a "chip" and establish a "baseline" before adding fueling. I've found that bone-stock EGT can be considerably beyond the ubiquitously accepted 1200*F. My bone-stock ISC-350 would EASILY reach 1400*F under some conditions. And contrary to popular opinion, there is NO sensing of EGT by the stock ECM. I SUSPECT (do not KNOW) that Cummins exhaustively tested their ECM program to preclude engine damage under 99% of all expected operating conditions. You can, of course, increase boost pressure to bring down EGT to "pre-chip" levels, as discussed elsewhere on this forum.

NO! I'm saying that no matter how high your boost pressure is above the "stock" configuration, the ECM will NOT deliver ANY additional fuel to take advantage of the increased boost BEYOND THE MAX IT IS ALREADY PROGRAMMED FOR. At your STOCK boost PSI, the ECM will deliver a max amount of fuel that is programmed for that max STOCK boost. Increase your boost above stock and the ECM will not deliver one iota more fuel. Only Cummins INSITE software can change that. The ECM delivers an amount of fuel based on throttle position, boost, and a few other parameters like intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, etc. But NOTHING (other than a "chip") will deliver one iota beyond the MAX fuel per injection that the ECM is programmed to deliver. Re-read my post more carefully. If it was as simple as increasing boost to increase performance, there would not be a "chip" industry. All you would have to do is increase boost, the ECM adds more fuel because of increased boost...and VOILA!...you have more power. You are talking about "theory", which I HOPED was true when I began this adventure. I hoped if I increased boost, the ECM would recognize the additional boost and add more fuel. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I'm talking about lots of hours of EXPERIENCE, learning that the ECM will NOT add extra fuel just because I have raised boost pressure. Increased boost will reduce EGT, but will not add additional fueling. Without additional fueling, there is NO increase in power. A few folks on this forum understand that principle. I'm not trying to be rude, and certainly not condescending. I'm simply stating a FACT that my EXPERIENCE has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt--raising boost will NOT increase MAX fuel delivery (and therefore CANNOT increase power). If you wish to dispute that fact, please provide dyno statistics...before and after boost increase. Your OPINIONS fall into the same category as my HOPES when I began increasing boost pressure. I'm an engineer. I trust FACTS. The FACT is that increasing my boost pressure did nothing other than reduce my EGT. I was disappointed. I hoped the ECM would recognize the additional boost and supply additional fuel to take advantage of it. NOPE. I had to add a "chip" to get increased fueling...and performance. Richard, I suspect that you can talk to the folks at Ag Solutions and get a 12100 part number pre-programmed to take advantage of the additional boost the Banks "hot-rod" turbo provides. I think they tend to be somewhat conservative. Just like the Cummins ECM, their "chip" is programmed to provide only a specified amount of additional fueling. You are like me, and I think you could keep an eye on your EGT gage and control EGT with throttle position and RPM. They are not expensive, and they simply have an “extension cord” device that plugs into one of the three-prong connectors leaving the injection control unit. It’s a very easy addition. I have no doubt you could handle the installation yourself. Just tell them you already have the Banks turbo and tell them what your boost PSI is. Ask them to program your unit accordingly. You have my phone number. Call me if you have any questions. Van

With the Cummins ECM, increasing boost pressure DOES NOT cause additional fuel to be delivered...DOES NOT cause additional fuel to be delivered...DOES NOT cause additional fuel to be delivered. Would be nice if that were the case, but NOT SO. Additional boost will lower EGT under all conditions, but the max programmed fuel from the ECM is not changed. To increase power, you must increase fuel delivery and you will have to do that with an add-on device like Agricultural Solutions or similar. It might seem reasonable that if the ECM sees higher boost, it will supply additional fuel, but it simply DOES NOT do that. All you get from additional boost is the ABILITY to burn more fuel efficiently, but the Cummins ECM will not supply additional fuel no matter what boost pressure you achieve. I increased my boost pressure from 22-23 PSI to 30+ PSI. It lowered EGT considerably, but did not increase performance. Adding the Ag Solutions "chip" increased power by a modest amount while raising EGT. The increased boost kept the EGT at about the pre-chip temperature.

Bob, your warning light can be triggered by a multitude of errors. You can only determine which one it is by having the codes read. If ANY warning in the Cummins universe is triggered, the ubiquitous "Warning" light comes on. A VMS-PC will interpret most codes, as will the ScanGage product, but they usually report a "Generic" code that is not the same as the Cummins code. One would think that a Cummins tech could be the best bet for analyzing a code. In my case, that was not true. I had a code registering on my VMS-PC for literally three years that a Cummins tech could not interpret, even when he plugged directly into my ECM, using INSITE from under the coach. I have forgotten the code number (although I think it was "Generic" 151) but the English language interpretation was "Power supply voltage invalid". Since Cummins could not read the code from my ECM, I just ignored it. Three years later, the code reared its ugly head in reality. It turns out the code was for a power supply problem in the ECM. The code was that the ECM was failing, but took three years to finally crap out completely. When it finally failed completely, the ECM had to be replaced with a "remanufactured" (cleaned and painted used ECM) from Cummins. Total cost was over $7K, using an unusually talented shop in the Atlanta area. The shop was MTR Motor Fleet Services (mtrfleetservices.com) in Cumming, GA. Jason Martin is the owner, and is a talented, Christian young man. Had I been able to get an interpretation of the code, PERHAPS I might have scheduled the ECM replacement at a more convenient time. As it turned out, Paul Whittle (Sh*tter Whittle, the OPUS toilet electronic guru) put me up for nearly three weeks while the diagnostic/replacement routine took place. Kudos to Paul and Barb who are always ready and willing to help folks with MH problems. Thanks also to Frank McElroy, who is a Cummins ECM expert, and also an expert on all things Monaco that are electric/electronic. Moral of the story--find a way to get your codes read, so you have a clue what calamity may be awaiting you around the corner.

I replaced my stock muffler with the Aero 4040XL, only because it appeared to be an inexpensive, stainless steel replacement for the original. I expected NO change in boost and NO change in performance...and got neither. I have yet to see a dyno before-and-after comparison, but I THINK some huge increases in HP are largely between the ears of the owner...just my personal experience. Exhaust noise increase was minimal.

You might skim through this post on iRV2: Boost increase on ISC-350 by adjusting wastegate - iRV2 Forums It documents my long experiment with increasing boost to control EGT. It's a very long thread but you can find a lot of info about your questions. You will also see posts by folks (Wild Card, for instance) who know little or nothing, but have "digital diarrhea" and cannot stop themselves from posting about things they have only read about, but KNOW nothing about. I installed an EGT gage at the turbo inlet, using an AutoMeter gage that used ordinary wire to go forward to the cockpit from an amplifier located near the thermocouple's wimpy output. To summarize, I was surprised at some things. 1) the EGT of a bone-stock ISC-350 can easily hit 1400*F under WOT for 60 seconds, as when accelerating from a rest area to merge with traffic. 2) increasing boost will undoubtedly reduce EGT under all conditions. I SUSPECT (do not know) that is the reason the Banks Engineering performance kits usually include a higher-capacity turbo. 3) even on the electronically controlled engines (ISC, at least) increasing the boost does NOT cause the ECM to call for any more maximum fuel than it was originally programmed for, so there is absolutely NO power increase from increasing boost. 4) as expected, adding fueling by any means raises EGT. 5) RPM has a huge effect on EGT. You can easily reach 1400*F at low throttle settings if the RPM is low enough. It's inconceivable to me that Cummins did not test their ISC setup extensively before releasing it to production, so I THINK (do not know) that the possible damage from excessive EGT is very time-dependent. That is, some excessive EGT can be tolerated quite safely for limited periods...because valve head and piston temperatures are NOT the same as EGT. I have questioned Cummins extensively and never got anything close to an answer to, "How HIGH can EGT be for how LONG before there is the possibility of damage?" It surprised me the answer is not readily available. My experience with an EGT gage on my 1993 Dynasty 8.3-250 was much like yours in regards to EGT. It was also AutoMeter brand, but used the long Type-K wire from the thermocouple to the gage in the cockpit--quite a PITA to install. Changing the fueling plate in the injector pump to increase fueling resulted in considerably higher EGT (easily 1400*F) and more power, but required that one be mindful of throttle position and RPM. At the time, I had not tried increasing boost to lower the EGT.

Do you have a generic "WARNING" light on your instrument panel? If so, it may come on for a variety of reasons. If you have that generic warning light, I have more info for you.

Jeff, I'll be very interested in your results. I installed a very expensive MIMO Cradlepoint router inside the coach and the Poynting omni-directional antenna on a large metal sub-plane about 6" above my roof. I was hoping for an improvement over the Wilson (WeBoost) external antenna feeding a Wilson cradle amplifier holding a MiFi. There was virtually no difference in the performance of the two systems. I have tested it for many areas and not found the improvement I hoped for. I hope your results are better. Could you please compare the new system to using your phone as a hotspot? I'm on Verizon.

Scotty, that's where I found my drums for front of 2000 Dynasty several years ago. No, the three small holes don't matter, and neither does the size of the stud holes...the drums are hub-centered. To keep down the number of part numbers, at the time I bought them, they were available with only the largest available wheel stud hole. The drums are hub-centered, and the size of the wheel stud hole does not matter since the total clamping force of the wheel studs exceeds the braking torque available to make them "slip" on the hub.

Correct.

Research Blue Sea ML-ACR. Replace the Lambert charger, Solid State Isolator, and Battery Boost contactor with ONE rugged, guaranteed-as-long-as-you-own-it device. You need only look at it to see which state it is in. About $200. Draws only milliamps except for the fraction of a second when it is switching from one state to another. Does not require the increasingly difficult to find and expensive DUVAC-equipped alternator. You MIGHT need to make one 4/0 battery cable. While you are doing that, check the condition of your Chassis Disconnect and House Disconnect switches. Many of the older ones are nearly falling apart.

I SUSPECT (do not KNOW) that most turbo's are limited by their waste gate. A simple way to determine that would be to simply disconnect the manifold pressure supply to the wastegate and plug the supply tube or hose. That does not rule out a wastegate that is stuck partially open, though. You would have to mechanically force the linkage to determine that. On my coach, the spring for the wastegate was very powerful, and the wastegate could not be operated by hand. I required a pry bar of some type. I SUSPECT (do not KNOW) that before my EGT gage installation, my coach operated in excess of 1400* for as much as several minutes without any damage. Before the EGT gage installation, I had routinely operated it at WOT many times for a short period, like accelerating from a rest stop to Insterstate highway speed, or climbing a mild grade. IN MY EXPERIENCE it seems the 1200* limit is quite conservative.

The EGT gage I installed was from AutoMeter. An option was an amplifier whose input signal came from a short K-type thermocouple wire from the probe. From the amplifier, you could simply run ordinary copper wire to the gage head up front. I mounted my probe in the exhaust manifold within about an inch from the turbo flange. There are very few EGT-equipped coaches out there. When I was researching how to lower EGT, I got very few responses from folks when I asked what temps they were getting. I installed the EGT and FASS system before chipping my ISC-350. After installing the EGT gage, I spent quite a while experimenting with lowering the EGT. I did that because in bone-stock condition other than an Aero Turbine 4040XL muffler, EGT's could easily exceed 1400* under modest loads and RPM under 1700. I thought if they were that high in stock condition, "chipping" would be somewhat risky. I could find almost nothing online about methods of lowering EGT, so I began experimenting with raising boost pressure. Mine was 22-23 PSI stock. Wastegate changes brought it to 31-32 PSI at WOT. This lowered the EGT about 200*. Installing the AG Solutions chip brought EGT back up to about what it was in stock condition. The performance was definitely improved, but it was not dramatic. In the process of experimenting with lowering the EGT, I got a ton of "Internet parroting" advice from folks not one of whom had ANY hands-on experience. There were warnings left and right about everything from "deviating from stock configuration" to unsubstanitated advice about what EGT is actually dangerous. I got lots of engineer-wannabes telling me that aluminum softens at 1000*, so that should be my limit. Of course, anyone with engineering knowledge (or vast personal experience) knows that the temperature of the piston is FAR less than the EGT. The pistion is splashed underneath with oil for cooling, and riding in a cast iron bore hundreds of degrees below combustion temperature. I tried unsuccessfully to get an answer from Cummins to what seems a simple question which I'm SURE they had researched: "On a stock ISC-350, what EGT is allowable sustained, and what EGT is allowable for a limited time?" Never could get an answer. I just had to conclude that since Cummins did not require EGT gages on our coaches, they were confident their engines could survive the EGT they expected in service, which I experienced could easily exceed 1400*. And, I repeat, NO ONE had any EXPERIENCE reducing EGT by any means other than throttle and RPM manipulation. I could get no answer from Banks Engineering, either, as they are somewhat guarded about their proprietary setups. What I SUSPECT (no personal experience) is that one reason the Banks kits normally included a higher-capacity turbo was more for EGT control than because it was needed to burn extra fuel. What I can definitively say from HANDS-ON experience is that (1) increasing boost for any given combination of throttle position and RPM will lower EGT, and (2) allowable EGT for short periods is far higher than normally expounded by those with no experience, parroting only what they have read. When one ventures into uncharted waters, there will never be any shortage of advice from folks who know very little, or can only parrot what they have read. One self-styled "diesel expert" on iRV2 warned me of higher boost causing "pistons to burn from too-lean mixtures"...it's a DIESEL...let that sink in. And to explode another myth--raising boost pressure without increasing fueling gives ABSOLUTELY ZERO increase in performance. As stated earlier by another poster, if you are considering "chipping" or other ways to improve performance, I think you are wise to install an EGT gage FIRST and establish a baseline for EGT on YOUR engine under varying conditions. I did this also on my 93 Dynasty with the 8.3-250 non-electronic engine before I began changing the fueling plate in the injector pump. Increased fueling, without increased boost, will undoubtedly produce higher EGT.

Jim, I leave it in the "automatic" mode (center position), which combines both house and chassis batteries IFF there is any charging source available. If no charging source is detected (you were driving, then stopped and turned off engine with no genny running) in "automatic" mode, the ML-ACR (after a short delay) disconnects the chassis battery from the house batteries and all house functions are supplied only by the house battery bank, preserving the charge on the chassis batteries.

Jim, my coach (with genny running) won't give the ALT-FAIL light until you've driven long enough to completely recharge the batteries.

Walt, I'm not sure what your problem(s) are, but alternators designed for the DUVAC cofiguration often engender problems from mechanics who do not understand how it works or why it is needed. DUVAC refers to the fact that it has a remote voltage sensing wire that connects DIRECTLY to the positive battery post of the chassis battery (NO OTHER LOCATION). When that remote sensing wire is improperly connected, the alternator will not charge correctly. I'm not sure what happens if that sensing wire is connected to NOTHING, but possibly without the remote voltage reading, the alternator outputs its max capacity. I think before you get too deeply into this troubleshooting, that you understand that the DUVAC configuration is employed in your coach for only ONE reason--the Solid State Isolator. Read some of the posts here and on iRV2 about the Blue Sea ML-ACR. It eliminates the need for SSI, the Battery Boost contactor ("Big Boy") and the auxiliary ("Lambert") charger. The root cause of your problem has nothing to do with installing an ML-ACR, but installing the ML-ACR prevents a host of future problems and allows you to use any garden-variety alternator of sufficient capacity. AmazonSmile : Blue Sea Systems ML-ACR 12V DC 500A Automatic Charging Relay with Manual Control, Beige : Boating Battery Switches : Sports & Outdoors

Jim, I have never seen a single case where those wires did not exist, although since they are in loom covering and taped up, they are hard to find. Sounds like you solved the problem. I actually did the same thing when needing wiring for EGT gage and fuel pressure gage--I ran TWO 14AWG X (7) multiconductor cables from front to rear and terminated them in barrier terminal strips front and rear. In the rear, I mounted them on the rear "firewall" (bedroom rear wall) and in the front Ieft the two terminal strips accessible from the "hatch" above the instrument panel. Although I have found the "spare" wires on both my Dynastys, adding these two cables made it much easier to add anything I needed with minimal difficulty in the future. Pix are: (2) 7-conductor cables (mostly unused so far) Fuse block added to supply additional loads in engine bay Contactor added in Rear Run Bay to supply fuse block Close-up of contactor (8) T-145 batteries, approximately 1000 AH Chassis batteries relocated to Driver Side rear of engine compartment BEFORE ML-ACR installation AFTER ML-ACR installation Blue Sea master disconnect switches

Among close friends, Paul is known as "Pooper Paul" or "Sh*tter Whittle." 😄