tomevansfl

When we bought the Diplomat last summer the dealer said the batteries were about a year old. I haven’t been able to find a date on them yet. They are Duracell marine/rv batteries (at least the chassis batteries, the house batteries look the same brand). The chassis batteries are sealed but the house batteries are not. 

I was able to get the salesman switch to activate and the air conditioner came on a few minutes later. This was with the generator running. The Fantastic Fans came on, too  

The chassis batteries appeared to NOT be charging, or at least very slowly. I spent about 3 hours at the RV with no air conditioning. Orlando at 1:00 PM was 94’F with 70% humidity.  

I thought I had my jumper cables with me but I didn’t so I will go back when it starts to cool down. The only thing I know to do beyond that is to buy two new chassis batteries. They’re expensive so I was hoping I wouldn’t have to, though. If I have to, I will get new ones tomorrow so we can leave on Thursday. It’s a short trip from Orlando to Tampa area. 

I apologize for being so ignorant but our first, and only other RV, was an Airstream trailer and all of this type thing is new to me. 

Thanks for all of the input. I’ll post an update later today. 

Thanks. I finally got my salesman switch turned on, or maybe it’s off, anyway I have power going to the A/C (my use/misused term for house air conditioning) and I am able to use it. However, after letting  generator run for an hour or more with the switch off with still no power going to the air conditioning I was down to 74%. 
 

After letting it run with the salesman switch allowing power to the house air conditioning I am up to 100% charge on house batteries. But still can’t start engine with aux start button pressed. I think it is trying to turn over; it seems to turn the engine very slightly, but just not enough on the chassis batteries to spin the engine enough to start yet. I’ll let the generator run a little longer and try again. 

Tom Cherry or anyone,

I’m not good with electrical but am out at my RV now. The inverter panel shows 94% but there isn’t enough power from chassis batteries to turn engine over.  The ignition causes the starter to click on the engine. The dash volt meter shows <10 volts. The generator started but it was sluggish at start but is running smoothly now.

Salesman switch appears to have been off. I have flipped it in both directions and the residential refrigerator & microwave clock came on after a few seconds.

Generator went  through cycles that seem to be load related (?) even though I haven’t turned anything else on. Generator is now running steady.  Still no power getting to the A/C control panel.  Xantrex now shows 90% charge & absorption charging. 

Bought two cables you recommended but not 100% sure I follow your instructions on how to jump. Thought the aux start would connect the house batteries to the chassis batteries.

Letting generator run for now. What should I try next?

I’m sorry. I didn’t understand on first read. I’m going back in the morning while it’s cooler and the salesman switch will be the first thing I’ll try. If that’s not it I may dig out my multimeter and check the chassis batteries. 

Nice unit. 

I live in central FL and the sun will heat the air that remains under the suction cup and cause it to expand thus reducing the holding power. The weight of the item attached to suction cup will cause it to turn loose.
 

I have a dash cam and toll road transponder with clear cups. Both fell frequent so I dipped my finger in my Coca Cola one day and ran it around the lip of the suction cups and tried to press all of the air out from under the suction cup. The sugar helps make the suction cup sticky. The don’t stay forever, but they stay longer than they did before trying that. I realize you are looking for a permanent solution but that’s what I do in my car and in the RV. it might help until you find a glue that will work permanently. 
 

Just make sure you get a product that will adhere to both porous and nonporous materials.  

It was so hot I just came home, but the salesman switch may have been activated by the repair people at Lazy Days but that wouldn’t let power get to the microwave, refrigerator and allow the generator to crank, at least I wouldn’t think it would? Would it keep the engine from starting even though I can hear the starter click?

28 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

So it would appear that you have AC 120V power but not DC 12V power.

Actually, I think it is the opposite.

We store our RV in a storage facility. Recently had service at Lazy Days in Wildwood, FL. 

When I picked up the RV from Lazy Days I started the generator to run the roof A/C on the way back to the storage facility. The generator started and ran but there didn’t seem to be any electricity going to the A/C thermostat (nothing showed in the LCD panel). I was in a bit of a hurry so I drove back using only dash air & dash mounted fans. I thought maybe I just didn’t give it long enough for electricity to get through the system to power the A/C.

I went to the storage lot to prep for an upcoming trip at the end of this week and needed to pull forward to access the bay doors. I turned both battery cutoffs back to on position. The inverter panel shows 96.5% charge on the house batteries. None of the lights come on but the microwave clock and the refrigerator are running. The power step came out when I opened the entry door. The generator started when I tried it. 

The chassis battery show 10 volts. I tried using the auxiliary start, but the engine wouldn’t turn over…starter clicking only. There still seems no power to the A/C panel and the fantastic vents won’t run. The lights aren’t coming on either. 
 

I checked the fuse on the generator and it was in the on position. I also checked all of the fuses and breakers in the bedroom and all were in on position. I can’t get to the power switch in the electrical bay to check it because there isn’t room to open the door because of the trailer in the next space.

What am I missing? Any suggestions?

On 6/17/2022 at 8:41 AM, Tom Cherry said:

… He was stranded in a CG in Orlando.  The CUMMINS dealer or Cummins of Orland had sent out a mobile tech and diagnosed what he feared. …

 

I haven’t been able to find an “Cummins of Orlando”. Do you know the phone number or precise name?

4 hours ago, birdshill123 said:

The Cummins shop gave you bad info. They work on any Cummins engine regardless of chassis mfr. 

This was at the Cummings Coach Care. The woman I spoke to in service said they were only certified to work on Spartan chassis. I assured her I only wanted the engine serviced and all Cummings engines were the same no matter what the chassis it’s on. She finally conceded but emailed me a form for me to fill out and email back.
 

The form had a place for the V. I. N. number and the engine serial number. She said she couldn’t make an appointment until I returned the form fully filled out. She said that was to either put it in their company wide data base or to match it up it was already in it.
 

That’s why I’m looking for another Cummins service shop. I don’t know why she didn’t want to service my RV but that’s the feeling I got. That’s why I asked it to be checked when I took it to Wildwood. 
 

By the way, I checked the engine through the bedroom floor and couldn’t find any numbers on the engine. 
 

I plan to start tomorrow morning calling REV to see if they can look it up by the V. I. N. number. If they can’t help I may just start calling Cummins shops near me. 

4 hours ago, georgecederholm said:

Tom,

While calibration is important, the fuel pick-ups generally don’t drop all the way to the bottom of the tank to avoid picking up “crud”. The generator pick-up is usually (supposed to be) set at about 1/4 tank and the Aqua-Hot (if equipped) would be roughly the same. The engine pick-up could be higher or lower. That’s why the “usable” amount of fuel is always much less than the absolute tank capacity calculated from dimensions.

It sounds to me that your gauge is probably relatively accurate as designed, and that you have now learned how to interpret the desperation level in seeking a fill up. That said, I’m sure you could re-calibrate the gauge so your current “1/4” reading shows empty.

My gauge never dropped below a point at nearly 1/4 tank mark. The low fuel light never came on. I knew I needed fuel based on where the gauge read when we left the storage lot and the number of miles I had driven. It started at just over 1/2 tank. 
 

If I can find someone to service it I will probably have the sending unit replaced. 

17 minutes ago, bestins said:

I'm thinking you can call cummins with the VIN number of coach and they can give you the info you need

I’ll give it a try. 

3 minutes ago, ktloah said:

I for one never let my tank get below 1/2.... sounds to me like you have dirty filters...like others have said, change them first. 

That makes sense.
 

I had planned to get fuel earlier on the trip but the gauge read 1/2 tank when we left. It’s only about 100 miles from our house to the campground where we stayed.  
 

I wanted to try the TDS card for the first time so I kind of postponed stopping until we got to a Luvs. Even when the engine stopped running the gauge still showed just under 1/4 tank. That’s the lowest I’ve let it get. Now I know not to trust it until I can get it calibrated. 

Thanks. I really had no idea what to look for. Upside shouldn’t be a problem as a photo can be rotated. 
 

im going by the storage facility tomorrow morning so now I know what to look for. 

15 minutes ago, tmw188 said:

It’s probably going to be upside down from your view 

Thanks. I feel better that it may be as simple as the fuel filters. Thanks also for the location for the engine numbers. I did find these two numbers but not sure if the unit number is the engine number.  

A couple of months ago we were on our way from Orlando to St. Augustine, FL.  The fuel gauge read 1/4 tank when we were about 11 miles from our campground so I knew I had to get fuel.  I got off I-95 just south of the exit for our campground but it happened to be bike week and the truck stop at that exit had at least 500 bikers around the parking lot and pumps.  I didn't want to deal with it so we continued on to our exit.  Unfortunately there were no gas stations with diesel on the side of the interstate we were on so we went to the campground about 2 miles away.  When we were ready to leave I went directly to a station I'd seen on the opposite side of the interstate that had diesel .  As my luck would have it, the engine stalled in the lane to turn into the gas station. 

After spending $730 for a mobile tech to come out and prime the system we headed back home.  At a point a few miles from my exit, the engine skipped a couple of times.  I assumed there was air in the lines.  The tech said there was trash in the tank and showed me a sample of the fuel in a plastic bottle.  With my eyes and wearing sun glasses I really couldn't see much in the clear fuel. 

Our next trip was from Orlando to Auburndale (less than 100 miles).  There was no problem on the way down, but the engine skipped a few times on the way back.  My wife didn't have any confidence in the engine and wanted me to have it inspected.  Long story already, but the Cummins Coach Care near my house didn't want to work on it at first because Monaco used the Roadmaster chassis and not the Spartan.  Apparently they are only certified on Spartan.  I promised the lady I only wanted them to do work on the engine.  She then agreed to make an appointment but I had to have the engine number in order to make the appointment.  Where on the engine do I find the engine number?  I have a rear radiator so the only access I have is through the bedroom floor or to crawl up under the RV.  I don't store it at home so the only access would be crawling on a gravel parking lot at the storage facility.

I needed some other service work to be done so I made an appointment with Lazy Days in Wildwood, FL (formerly the FL Monaco service center).  Their diesel tech drove it and nothing happened for him.  About 1/2 way home (of a 53 mile trip back) the engine skipped a couple of times.  Not bad skipping but skipping all the same. So it seems it only skips after the engine warms up.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm a detail oriented person.

Any suggestions as to what might be the problem? Any suggestions for a Cummins repair facility in the western Orange county/Orlando area? Any idea where the engine number is located on the engine?

Thanks for your patience in reading my life's history.

I’ve been RVing since 2006 and the best treatment I’ve found for cleaning the black tank sensors is Unique tank treatment and Unique tank sensor cleaner. 

Gray is full, black is 2/3 full. Fresh is 2/3 full. Batteries are fully charged. LPG is 1/3 full.
 

However, these monitors are known to be inaccurate. 

On 5/4/2022 at 3:47 PM, DanMartin said:

From what I understand the source shock is a re valved bilstein comfort drive. You pay a 50 dollar premium over a regular comfort drive bilstein...plus shipping. So thats 500 plus the shipping on 10 shocks...Im not so sure its worth it...some say yes some say no.

That's $500 each, right?  That's $5000 for the lot.  Ouch! Glad mine are OK for now.

Is there a start-uo fee and cancellation fee if you have home service and travel for a couple of months? My wife’s a teacher and I’m retired. We can only travel for a couple of months at a time. Considering home service but would only need portability for the summer months.
 

We currently use T-mobile but in some locations the service is slow. we use steaming services at home and can use our Roku anywhere we have internet. We don’t use cable or satellite. We like to stream Netflix, etc. but have experienced buffering in some locals. 

On 10/18/2021 at 8:40 PM, Jeeper44 said:

I can't answer about the low fuel light. I can tell you though after 30 years of driving tractor trailers, if I ever ran out of fuel I would get enough to limp to the closest fuel station, then change the fuel filter immediately. Diesel filters tend to clog if you run out of fuel. I don't know if its the crud at the bottom of the tank, or the air hitting the filter element. I just know the couple times I didn't immediately change the filter, I regretted it soon after when the truck would start running rough. This applies even if I had a brand new filter installed when I ran out of fuel.

We bought our Diplomat last summer. I have always bought fuel when I got down to about 1/4 tank. On trip before last, I got to the campground and the gauge said just under 1/4 tank. The campground was about 1-1/2 miles from the interstate and there was a station with diesel at the interstate.
 

When I left the campground I headed straight for the station. I got into the left turn lane waiting for a gap in traffic and the engine quit and wouldn't restart. After 15 minutes of calling and using Yelp I found a mobile diesel mechanic and called. He towed the RV into the station to get it out of the turn lane and to safely work on it. I knew he would have to re-prime the fuel pump. He showed me a sample of the fuel and said there was trash/debris in the fuel.  To be honest, it looked clear and I saw no debris but I did have my sunglasses on, though.

Thirty minutes and $730 later, I pulled up to the pump and put 50 gallons in to get me back home. On the way home the engine skipped a few times but at that point I was almost back to the storage lot so I pressed on. On the last trip (40 miles each way) the engine skipped when going up hills on he way home. 
 

Would this just be air or debris in the fuel line? My wife is worried about engine trouble until I can get it serviced. I live in Orlando and none of the RV dealers in town will work on a Monaco.  I have an appointment in May at the Cummins Coach Care. They didn’t want to work on a Monaco either until I insisted that I just wanted the engine checked, nothing to do with the chassis.  Then the scheduler was willing to include servicing generator. 

Anyway, should I get a new fuel filter?  It was replaced in July by the dealer before I picked the RV up.

While in storage between trips I turn the battery cut-off to the off position. We have a residential fridge so the day before a trip I go to the storage lot to turn the battery cut-off to the on position and turn the inverter on. In 24 hours our fridge cools down to operating temp and uses less than 50% of the batteries. I leave it turned on until we put our RV in storage again. 

9 hours ago, det944 said:On departure from DFW we knocked out over 600 miles getting all the way to Alabama. That was a log day!

Well, safe travels to y'all!

600 miles in one day is too much for me! Good luck on the rest of your journey & all future trips. 

On 3/5/2022 at 6:54 PM, det944 said:

@tomevansfl/ you picked a great time to visit Savannah. The azselaias are starting to bloom.... it's spring in the south. 

I grew up in Hazlehurst about 100 miles to your west. After college I lived in Atlanta for 25 years before moving to Orlando in 2010.  

The south IS beautiful this time of year. However, not many azaleas in Orlando. I do miss them in the spring. 

In the past my ABS light came on intermittently while driving. Sometimes pressing the brake would cause it to go out. Sometimes it would come on while driving and then go out at some point.

Yesterday it came on at start-up.  I drove for about 3 hours on the interstate and the light stayed on the entire drive. Braking doesn’t seem affected, though.

I assume it means there is no ABS if I get into a panic braking situation but braking under normal driving is not affected.  I have a rudimentary code checker, but I haven’t thought to take it to the RV storage facility  

I’m new to air brakes so if anyone thinks there is a safety issue, please let me know. 
 

Thanks

On 3/5/2022 at 1:59 PM, Adam_C said:

I just ordered it. Not sure what to tell you... 

I guess Amazon was holding stock in there warehouse but when I went to the DPI website there was a long letter explaining what happened and there were no links to any of the products.

i did found a 10” marine inspection port on Amazon. When I place my next order I  am considering ordering it and enlarge the hole with a Dremell. I can get the hose (typical CAMCO brown hose with orange connectors) attached; it just pushes against the edge of the opening enough to deform it a small amount.