DavidL

Oh, a detail...I don't see any jack stands holding up the chassis. Yes, we know the air bags aren't being worked on, and the shock doesn't hold up anything....but if one were to attempt to wack the shock bolt, and instead put a hole in the air line, then the RV starts feeling really heavy on one's chest... Your project is done and you lived to give us some great pics...but for the next person...support the chassis with proper rated jackstands on firm surface before getting underneath!

Well, on my Newmar, there is a switch...for just the reasons you speak of.

Step 1 is inspect and plan Step 2 is power wash everything Step 3 is take a break and let everything dry out Step 4 is do the repair The above makes it so much nicer to do just about every project. I hate gunk / dirt / grime dropping into my face and getting into the parts and hands. Hard to remove bolts: This is where having a torch and an air chisel come into hand. Since you know you are replacing the shock / stud, just wack them off. Keep some water around in case the shock eyelets decide to smoke. Looks like those air bags are real easy access too. That's one of my near future projects. I haven't taken a good look yet (haven't done step 1) but I suspect they won't be that easy to access as yours. Good to hear you get er done! Never say die!

Too late, now, but I use an air chisel to remove tiles. You can remove them as fast as you can move. I put a blanket over the project area and chisel underneath to keep the dust / dirt down from getting everywhere. The demo of the tile on my Newmar took about 10 minutes. Clean up took hours.

1. Do I have to adjust the slide rollers after replacing the flooring and how do I do that? Generally, yes you do need to adjust post flooring changes. The how I will leave up to Monaco experts that hopefully have a link to documentation. Each slide technology has their own methods. If you chosen flooring is similar in the carpet / backing compressed height, then adjustments might be minimal. You should strive to pick flooring that meets this critical dimension. 2. Do I have to worry about the slide rollers marking the new flooring? Yes, slide rollers, if not perfectly clean, will mark most new flooring. There are protective strips that can be used under each slide roller to reduce the wear and tear on the new flooring. Your choice of flooring material is also important. Vinyl plank flooring is one of the softer / less durable choices. The good news is it is also one of the thinner materials to should be a closer match to the compressed carpet thickness.

Meaning what is it not doing that you think it should be doing?

What's not working?

Do the obvious stuff first...if the coils are dirty, clean them.

If there was a freon leak, then the freon is gone and the system wouldn't work at all (won't freeze).

My power washer trigger finger is itching looking at those batteries.

You should wire a voltmeter to the starter wire and have a second person crank the motor. Ensure your clothes / body parts aren't any place that can get sucked in if the motor cranks / fires. The voltmeter should show almost full battery voltage. If it does, and the starter doesn't turn, then it's likely a bad starter. If low or no voltage, then it's indicative of a starter solenoid that is bad (check that you have full battery voltage to the heavy wire to the solenoid). Even if the solenoid is part of the starter assembly, it probably is available separately and would be a lot cheaper than buying the starter. Diagnose before shotgunning parts is way cheaper. On many starter solenoids, you can use a screwdriver to connect the battery positive to the start terminal (small terminal) to get the solenoid / starter to crank. And to ensure you have full voltage to the solenoid, you can also short the battery cable directly to the starter wire and the starter should immediately crank. If so, then the solenoid is bad. Note that you will see a good size spark as this is a high amperage bridge with the screwdriver. just quickly touch and remove. You can melt the terminal / screw if too long.

Possibly air in the system. Typically the highest part of the system (commonly but not always the radiator cap) needs to be 100% filled) Wondering if there is an air pocket that "fills" when the engine is running but leaves a void at the tank.

I would: Ensure that the tires are what was originally spec'd for the vehicle Ensure that the wheel has the proper offset Does the problem happen on both drivers and passenger side? If not, then possibly the axle was bolted / welded off center. Yes, a wheel spacer could help. But I would research the why is this happening before putting on a band aid. I assume this hasn't been the case over the years...something changed. Would be good to know what that is. Don't forget with a wheel spacer, the wheels will be further outboard towards the fender. Ensure you have clearance there for that. Don't drive much with how it is. It can be a safety hazard and certainly do much more damage if you get a blow out.

Don't know for sure, but wouldn't normal PEX work?

What is that yellow stuff? Looks like sprayfoam. Did you apply that or the prior owner?

Nice job!

Depends on him. Most learn on the project. If he looks at it as a hobby and the formal lessons are fun, then that sounds like a good past time.

I am assuming the yellow ring is just to protect the end of the hose. Did you already remove a clamp on that hose? or is it a swaged end? Is the fitting leaking where it is screwed in, or is the hose leaking to the fitting?

Those pins might need some heat to break them loose. If it were in my driveway, I would put a acetylene torch on the threaded side of the pin for a few seconds to near cherry red and then loosen / tighten / fully loosen the pin so it doesn't break.

Geees, good "catch". Good that it was able to find it's way into the filter where I assume it didn't completely stop the flow and overheat the trans.

The chain end links look like they just unscrew the pin to remove. Are you asking what is that filter with the drain? My guess is a fuel / water separator because it has a drain (drain to bleed off accumulated water) Either way, it looks old and should be replaced. Hopefully you can read a part number on it before removing or after removing. You likely also need to fill the new with fresh diesel before spinning it on. I would power wash the underbody before opening the system to reduce the chance of any dirt getting into the system. Looks like there is plenty of access without needing to remove the mud flap..but not sure what your other pictures are denoting.

There is no concern about a shock not able to hold the weight of the axle up in the air. Keep in mind the suspension system is designed to "bottom out" (shocks completely compressed / axle hitting it's "bump stop") AND "top out" (axle at the total limits of either the shock / strap). These are dynamic loads while driving that WAY exceed any pressure an axle exerts on a shock while sitting still. An analogy is having a baseball bat "pushed" against you vs. swung at you. There is so much "lore" in this issue on RV forums. And, like others have said, don't get underneath an RV / car / truck if the tires aren't on blocks and the suspension is aired down, OR the chassis is suspended by properly rated jack stands on firm ground. I wouldn't use chains as limiters at all. Way too abrupt stop. That's how things break. Straps at least have a little give. Plus chains are noisy and can get hooked on things and cause damage. Chains are used in off road vehicles, but the primary reason is to keep the axle with the vehicle IF the suspension points break (due to excessive force). The only ill factor I can think of from extended axle hanging is the air bag is extended as well. If the bag is old / brittle, then it can then be damaged...but if it's old / brittle, time for a change (one of my projects for this Spring) If the vehicle uses springs / leaf springs, then it will enjoy not having any weight on them.

In general, you don't ask the insurance company to total it - the numbers will do that for you. If the cost to repair exceeds the value of the RV - it's totalled. The $'s are dependent on your insurance policy contract on if any of your upgrades are to be considered and what the cap amount of the coverage is for the type of incident. In general, the insurance company doesn't care about any $'s you added in as upgrades when determining it's worth. I assume you have already filed a claim and an adjuster has been in contact with you? Best is to read your plan, and then discuss with the adjuster. Keep in mind the adjuster works for the insurance company and will try to beat you out of any $'s they can.

I believe there are many wiring schematics posted on this sight in the Downloads directory. See if yours is there. You can also use a signal tracer on the ground / power wire to see where it goes, and where it stops.

I am a little confused, certainly J1708 is a CAN data connection. There is no fuse on those two wires. From memory, the J1708 spec says voltage between should be 0.5 - 1.5 volts. If you aren't familiar with CAN data traffic...go slow because mistakes can be costly.