Idoc57

I would also know how find and download the air system schematic for my 2006 Cayman 37 PBD. My tanks were leaking down pretty fast. Three days ago we found two 90 degree push-in fittings on the bottom of the front air tank leaking. I replaced them with compression fittings. Also found that the air line going to the left rear air spring was pinched by the upper shock mount bolt and was leaking. Repaired that one with a compression coupling. Its definitely not leaking down as fast now, but it still empties the tanks in about 10 hours. Seems to me that it used to take almost a week to empty the air tanks when it was just sitting still. All air springs are a year old. The only thing that I can think of that I didn't check is the air line and valve to the air horns. Does anybody know where to look for that valve? Other than the front and rear air tanks, the air springs, the WABCO air pump/ filter and the air horn line, is there any thing else in the air system to check? I'm curious if any of y'alls air tanks stay above say, 60 PSI for anywhere near a week. Thanks, Carey

Mike, Thank you for a great, in-depth video about chassis maintenance. I don't have the "S" chassis or oil hubs, but so much of the information that you shared is valuable to all of us. I know that making this video took more of your time to make than it took of mine to watch it. I really appreciate you taking your time and effort to share your knowledge and great advice with the rest of us. I look forward to watching more of your videos! Carey

Ray, My grandsons and their dad designed a cover to fit the early 2000s coaches like yours. The tabs are located on the top side, so they will work on your windows. You can contact them at 2b3dprints@gmail.com Carey

Or you could just convert the fixture to LED tubes. If you just cut the offending ballast out and wire the LEDs direct to 12v, you could get rid of the feedback and have a better light fixture that uses less energy. Carey

Hi Don, Here is the email address that will get you in contact with my grandsons and my son. 2b3dprints@gmail.com They should be able to help you. Carey P.S. If you have any issues getting in touch with them, please PM me on the Monacoers forum.

Well, the problem with welding the trailing arms to make them "good as new" is that they were not "good enough" when they were new. At least, that is the consensus among owners and those who are in the know regarding this chassis. I'm pretty sure that mine (2006 Cayman 37PBD) is the RR4R chassis. By the way Adam, the Neptune is the H.R. "sistership" to the Cayman. All one has to do is Google "trailing arms" and you will find about a weeks worth of reading material about the problems associated with the original parts. John, I don't know for a fact that your 2008 Neptune has the same trailing arms, but I would be willing to bet that it does. I did not even feel comfortable getting my "new to me" coach on the road 3 years ago when I found out about the trailing arm issue. We were in the grips of COVID and it took forever for Source Engineering to have their replacement trailing arms available, but I just didn't feel that it was worth the risk, so my coach sat on the driveway for almost a year! One thing I can guarantee you is that there is NO COMPARISSON between the originals and S.E's trailing arms. The original ones weighed about 70 lbs each and S.E.'s weighed about 150 lbs each! If the whole chassis rots and turns into dust, Source Engineering's trailing arms will still be there! When I had the arms put on, I went ahead and put their Ride Kit on also. ( new air springs and custom tuned, for your chassis, Bilstein lifetime warrantee, shocks. ) No, I don't "own stock" in Source Engineering, I just think that they know what they are doing, and they build great products. Carey

I switched my motorhome insurance over to Good Sam's program earlier this year. I also canceled my State Farm coverage on my 2 vehicles and added them to the GS policy. It saved me a lot of money, and when the coach is in storage for a month or more, they only charge a minimal fee for comprehensive coverage. Liability and collision are put on hold, so you can't drive your MH during the storage period. If you need to drive it, you just call them and they take you off storage mode. I'm not sure if the storage option is available in all states, but it is in Texas. Carey

Hi Rikki and Fred, Just saw your posts. Sorry you are having some issues with your covers. I have already contacted my son about it. He is going to take care of both of you. Hopefully, he can figure out what is going on. PM me tomorrow if you would like. Carey

Hi Bill, I contacted my son and told him that you had tried to order some weep hole covers. He went back through his emails and could not find anything from you. He asked if your email address was similar to "windsorbill06". Also, please check and see if this is the exact email address that you used. 2b3dprints@gmail.com If you could send me your actual email address and the day that you tried to contact them, he will look for it again. Please send me this information in a Private Message, and I will forward it on to him. I'm sure they will be able to take care of you. Carey

Thanks to all of you guys for help and advice on my situation. I am VERY HAPPY to report that the problem is solved! What an ordeal! I am so envious of you guys that have your genny on a slide out. I first replaced the belt. Mine was very worn and there was something stuck in the groove of the water pump pulley. Not sure what it was, but I'm sure that it contributed to the belt being in bad shape. It did come out without any problem and the pulley looked fine. I hooked the fuel lines back up and tested the genny. It ran for exactly 28 minutes pulling 27-28 AMPS. I thought maybe it was fixed, then "off like a light" at 28 minutes. Darn, I new what that meant......genny had to be removed from under the coach. We used 2 floor jacks and a motorcycle jack to juggle it out and off the two steel cradles that it was bolted to. The genny came out without incident and then I removed the side and top panels. What a difference trying to work on it when it was out! The t-stat was no problem, but when we put some torque on the temp sensor it split in two ( like what Kurt Armstrong had reported ). The small end was stuck in the threaded passageway. We carefully dug out most of the corrosion and removed the end of the sensor. More cleaning of the threads and finally ran a tap though the hole. Installed the new sensor with some teflon pipe thread sealant paste. As we were getting ready to put the cabinet back together we noticed that the big, black plastic box that attaches to the intake manifold had a crack in it. This "Intake Resonator" as they call it should only have filtered air in it, so obviously it had to be replaced. I ordered a new one overnight, of course the next day was the 4th, (part # has changed to 140-4273) and a new rubber sleeve that it slides on to (#140-2898). This part was easy to install. Got the side panels and top on and juggled the genny back into its "cave". Fired it up and, after warm-up, applied about 24 amps of load. It ran like a top until I shut it down at 1 hr and 10 min. Let it cool down and drained coolant. Filled with radiator flush/cleaner and distilled water. Ran it for another hour and 20 minutes with both a/c's on (26-28 amps) and no problems. Thank you Lord! Looks like we will have a/c for our trip to Estes Park in 4 days! Carey There was a lot of great info and suggestions from all of y'all, but I had to tag MHRookie (Kurt Armstrong) with the "Solution" since his info was a dead ringer for what was wrong with my genny. Thanks, Kurt! Carey

Well, I got the fuel supply and return lines off and then I was able to slide the rear cabinet panel down and out. Has anyone ever removed the thermostat housing from one of the engines? Looking at the parts diagram, there appears to be 3 bolts that hold the housing onto the block. I can see 2 of them quite easily, however, the 3rd one is a mystery. The bolts are in a triangle formation. The bottom and the one on the upper right (looking at the diagram) are the ones that I can see. It seems like the upper left bolt might go through the water pump and then the housing. That seems unusual to me. Has anyone ever worked on one of these and remember seeing how this housing is mounted? Thanks, Carey

Ivan, I think you are right. No more pressure than there would be, some teflon tape on the threads would probably work just fine. Carey Bob, I'm going to try to get the fuel lines disconnected shortly. Maybe I can just raise the lines up high enough to let the fuel drain back into the tank and wrap a baggie around the ends to keep them clean like Ivan did. I'll keep the possibility of taking the lines off the top of the tank in mind as a back-up plan. Thanks, Carey

That is exactly what I was thinking. I agree that the water pump should not be that hard to turn; however, my belt definitely feels like it has too much slack in it, which could cause it not to be turning the water pump as efficiently as it should. With the hotter temps right now, more usage of the A/C, worn belt slips and wears even more and faster. So, could be "the waste paper basket effect" at work. One thing is for sure, when I get in there, I'm replacing the belt, thermostat and sending unit. I'm ordering another thermostat housing and gasket just in case I screw up the old one getting the sensor out. In fact, I think it will be easier to remove the t-stat housing and be able to replace the t-stat and sensor with the whole unit off the engine. The t-stat gasket surface faces up and I can't see from the top, so cleaning the old gasket off (if necessary) would be tough and I would likely get junk down in the cooling passage. The sensor would be much easier to get to and if I can't get it out, I'll just toss the old housing and "stuck" sensor in the trash. I could assemble the t-stat and the new sensor into the new housing and then just bolt the assembly back onto the front of the engine. That gasket surface is vertical and faces the back of the coach. So, easier to clean and much less chance of getting junk in the hole. I'll be "going down under" shortly.........and I don't mean to Australia! 😁 Carey

NPT =National Pipe Thread Thanks for jogging my feeble brain, Ivan. I will need plugs, not caps. Carey

Ray, are you saying that your genny was over-heating and shutting down just because of the belt? Was it just worn or broken? Thanks, Carey

Ivan, those appear to be the same size thread as on my fuel lines. Are they 1/8" NPT? How large is the cap in the picture? Like 9/16" or 1/2" wrench size? I'm pretty sure that I can find the caps at Lowe's. There is no doubt that my rear panel has to come off to gain access to anything. I've got all the 10mm cabinet bolts out. The only thing keeping me from getting that back panel off are the fuel lines. With your and others help, I feel confident that I will get those off, hopefully today. I think that I might be able to gain a little more working room if I take the 4 bolts out that secure the genny to its 2 welded-in cradle mounts and slide it forward just about 3" or so. This thing weighs over 400 lbs, but if I use a floor jack with a 2x6 buffer under the base of the genny I think that I'll be able to raise it 1/16" just to be able to slide it forward a bit. If I'm lucky, there might be enough slack in the output wires to move it 2-3 inches. Thanks, Carey

Tom, I definitely ascribe to the "PM and spares" mindset. When I purchased the coach 2 years ago, not having any previous maintenance records, I replaced every single filter (genny oil, fuel & air; engine oil, fuel & air; compressed air) every lubricant (genny, engine, power steering, rear end) flushed the engine cooling system, replaced every hose on it and used high quality coolant, replaced both belts and carry spares, greased every zerk on the chassis, replaced all 4 air springs and shocks, rear trailing arms (source eng). It gives me peace of mind knowing that all PM has been done. Thanks, Carey

Hi Bennie, Did you have any issues getting your sending unit to come loose? I would gladly replace mine, I have just seen horror stories about getting the sensor to come loose. I would hate to break it off or round it off and be stuck with an even bigger repair job, but I guess if it is the cause of the problem, it has to be done. Amazing that you were able to do yours at a rest stop! Shows the value in having your genny on a slide out. I'm still thinking that it might be "easier" in the long run to just pull the genny completely out of the coach and pull all the side panels and top off. Any words of wisdom on getting that sensor to come loose? Thank you, Carey

Ivan, That is what mine look like! I was trying to turn the "hex nut" that you have indicated with my line wrench while stabilizing the 90 degree fitting with an open end wrench (10 mm if I'm not mistaken). Problem is that the smaller wrench that I had on the 90 was just not long enough to give me much leverage. Now that you have confirmed that I am trying to break open the correct spot, I will try using the biggest crescent wrench that will fit on the 90 and get a lot more torque on it. Did fuel continue to come out of the hoses after you disconnected them or just what was in the vertical section of hose that goes down to the fitting? I do have some high quality hose clamp pliers if I need to clamp the fuel lines off. I would prefer not to clamp the fuel lines. Do you know the size of the threads of the 90 degree fitting (like 1/8" NPT,maybe)? I would prefer to cap them off. Thank you for your help, Carey

Ray and Ivan, I have a set of Craftsman line wrenches. That is what I was using on the hex nut part of the fuel line fitting. The 90 degree fitting is small (I think 5/16") and I didn't have a line wrench that small. I had a good capture on the 90 fitting with an open end, but it is so short that I can't get much leverage on it. I can use a larger crescent wrench that will get a full capture of the 90 and give me more leverage. I really want to know if I'm trying to separate it at the right spot before I get "horsey" with it. In my last post above I described it in detail, if you could read the last paragraph above and let me know if I am trying to disconnect it at the right spot. Thanks, Carey

Ray, I definitely will use OEM parts. I had seen a video where the guy said to remove the water pump pulley to replace the belt, but he didn't mention your technique for putting the pulley back on. I will definitely try that. My belt does not feel tight enough to me, so it is probably worn significantly and who knows, maybe they rolled my belt on when whoever installed it. As I mentioned in my last post above, I am having a hard time trying to disconnect the fuel supply and return lines. They are extremely tight. I don't want to damage the fittings. There is a 90 degree fitting that exits the base of the generator, then (if memory serves me correctly) there is a 9/16" hex "nut". It was here that I was trying to make the disconnect. Do you know if that is the correct place to take it apart? In other words, unscrew the 9/16 hex part of the fuel line side off of the 90 degree fitting. It is so darn tight and I'm a little leery of "getting a bigger hammer", but if I knew for sure that was the correct place to take it apart, I would get a longer wrench. Thanks for your help and suggestions, Carey

Kurt, I run the coach and the genny for about 30 miles every 4-6 weeks. I have seen the issue with corrosion of the temp sensor on videos. I'm wondering if I want to get into that potential "rat's nest" if my sensor is not bad. On one hand I would think that it is working, because it is shutting the engine down. The thing that I don't know is if it is shutting everything down at the right temp. Do you know at what temp the engine will shut itself down? I am having a problem getting the supply and return lines loose. I don't think that they are corroded, and both appear to be brass. I am assuming that they separate between the lower hex nut and the 90 degree fitting. I may just need to use bigger wrenches for more leverage, but I didn't want to damage the fittings. Another thing that I noticed when I was under there was that the positive battery lead was not really tight. The ground lug was tight. I don't think this is related to the engine shutting down, but I'm glad that I saw it. The genny starts just fine and purrs like a kitten until something "throws the off switch". Thank you for responding. Do you have any advice on the fuel connections? Carey

Tom, I'm pretty sure that my parts manual is correct. My unit is an 8 KW. The link in your post appears to be for a 5.5 KW unit. My full model # is 8HDKAK1145K. The link to my copy of the parts manual is: https://rockymountaingeneratorsupply.com/userfiles/2002/HDKAH, HDKAJ, HDKAK, HDKAT, HDKAU, HDKAV Parts Manual.pdf Actually, I think that the problem I am experiencing is due to overheating. When I start it from cold, it takes a while for it to get hot, especially if it is just lumbering along at low idle with no load. Yesterday, I had it idling for 30 minutes with no issue. As soon as I turned on one A/C unit it ramped up the RPM and with the additional load probably increased the running temp to the point (not sure what that temp is) where the electronics felt like it had crossed the overheat threshold and shut it down like flipping a switch. I waited about 10 minutes and cranked it back up again. It ran beautifully, but since the block was already hot, it only took about 2-3 minutes before it shut down again. So this afternoon I was able to get quite a few of the 10mm bolts out that secure the enclosure sides to the point that I could see into the back and there is a belt on the pulleys. I could just barely squeeze my forearm in through the "crack" and even though the belt is there, it feels like it is not tensioned properly (probably worn down, 1968 hours}. It is possible that the water pump is not being turned efficiently enough to circulate the coolant like it should. Of course another possibility is that the thermostat is sticking closed. Unfortunately, my genny is not on a slide out and just trying to get the sides and top of the enclosure off is a royal PITB. I may have to just remove the whole thing from the coach. As for the antifreeze that I used, it was Zerex Extended Life Red Heavy Duty (HD) Concentrate Antifreeze/Coolant. I only have 60 hours on the generator since all fluids and filters were changed. Thanks, Carey

My 8KW HDKAK Spec K was running flawlessly for the first seven days of our trip and then all of a sudden it just shut down like a switch was turned off. There was no stumbling or change in RPM, just click "OFF". Got to our campground about an hour later and it cranked right up and ran beautifully, so I shut it down and figured it was just a glitch. Headed out the next morning and cranked it up, waited a few minutes then turned on the A/C. No problem ..... for about 5 minutes, then it shut off again (like a light switch was thrown). I waited 3-4 minutes then cranked it right back up again. This time, when I turned the A/C on it only ran for 2-3 minutes and shut off again. I had a repeating, single blink of the indicator light, then I pressed the bottom of the start switch and read a fault code of 33. There was nothing blocking the air inlet or outlet, the oil level was good and the coolant level was good. If I crank it up from cold, it will run for 30 minutes with no load, then when I turn on an A/C it will shut down within 3 minutes. There was a kink in the larger of the 3 coolant lines below the radiator cap, so I shortened the hose about 1 1/4 inches and that put the kinked area up on the plastic housing. No change. I am thinking that either the thermostat is stuck closed or the belt is off or broken. It seems like it runs beautifully until it reaches a certain temp, then "click" it shuts off. Obviously, the more load and RPM, the quicker that happens. I only have 60 hrs on it since I changed the oil and filter, fuel filter, air filter and flushed the cooling system (which was right up to the radiator cap when I opened it). I'm getting ready to crawl under it and see if it is even possible to remove the rear cabinet panel. I don't have a genny slide out. I may have to remove the whole generator from the coach to access the back and top. If I do that, I will replace every hose and the belt whether it needs it or not. Apparently, the water temp sensor is working just fine, so I may not fool with it (and I have heard "horror stories" about getting the old sensor out). I did go through all 4 pages of posts on "GENERATOR", but did not see anything with a fault code of "33" If any of you have any word of wisdom for me on this issue, I would really appreciate your input. Thanks, Carey

Jim, I did not have both a/c's on at the same time. I agree with you , I don't ever run two a/c's when I'm on 30 amps. I'm pretty sure it was the power dropping out for only 2 seconds and coming right back on that overloaded the contacts in that number one relay on the board. I don't know if I can find just that relay and replace it or I might have to see if I can just buy a whole new board if they're still available. But honestly it serves me perfectly well, since I don't use the washer dryer circuit at all. Carey