RoadTripper2084

Nice pictures! We were there at the end of May this year and things were still a bit Spring-like, snow on the ground at the high passes, etc. It's a bit shocking to see that Fall is now in full swing there. Where did the time go? 🙂

I wouldn't recommend that route, could lead to major issues down the road, etc. But then, I think mufflers are good idea too. 😉

But is the DD15 reliable? Or does it share the same poor reliability record that most of the other 1st gen emissions diesels do?

Interesting. My '97 Dynasty has the King Control unit. AFAIK they switched off King Control when the first electronic engines were used in 1998. Pics would be great.

I can be difficult to determine what's helping or hindering with so many different modifications in play at the same time. You might try removing this and seeing if it's adding anything at this point. Then if you think improvement is necessary after putting some miles on the new config, add it back and see.

The biggest improvement for me was when I had my sloppy tie rod tube replaced. They also adjusted the alignment after that, but I have no idea what they actually changed, if anything, on that front. I can one hand the wheel 80% of the time now, unless there's a cross-wind, then things get a bit more challenging. I also have the TRW steering box, but no other non-factory alterations to the chassis.

There is certainly no harm in some experimentation. I found an old Monaco factory service record in my manual box where the original owners had complained about ride harshness and the tech had lowered the ride height by .5" or something, so these stock height numbers aren't written in stone. On my 36' it does seem to be a bit more stable when the diesel tank is full with more weight over the front axle.

I also did the LED strips that bypass the ballast. I kept mine to two strips per fixture, no extra switches or anything, and it's plenty bright enough. Interestingly, when I did the toilet stall light it turns out that the red LED inside the lit light switch itself leaks enough current to very dimly light the entire fixture, even when it's off. This is a net benefit as it provides just enough lit at night to use the facilities without having to turn a light on at all. 🙂

Thanks guys, gives me something to look for.

According to the manual, and my own past experience, if the light stays on it usually will go off correctly again after turning the coach off and then back on again. This is a first-gen ABS system on a mechanical C8.3 engine, I don't think it has any internal codes or state that survives beyond the ON/OFF key switch. However, I have not disconnected the chassis battery since this started so it is certainly a worthwhile suggestion. Just wondering if anyone has had to clean their ABS wheel sensors, and if so, where they might be/what they look like?

My ABS light has started to stay lit recently. Prior to this I had greased the chassis, including the brakes and subsequently completed a long trip successfully. When I turn the vehicle on, I can hear the ABS modules for each wheel activate successfully, but the light doesn't go out after I reach 5 MPH as it should. According to the manual this usually means a wheel sensor is dirty. I've looked around the brakes but can't identify where this sensor might be, so I could clean it, etc. Does anyone know what I'm looking for? This is on a '97 Dynasty.

Try standing on the sidewalk next to the exhaust and having someone rev the motor up a bit. You might be surprised how obnoxious it is.

IMHO it is pretty simple to remove the purge valve mechanism from the bottom of the dryer assembly to clean it or replace it. Simpler to carry a spare purge valve "just-in-case" than to add a by-pass.

Awesome! Thanks guys. That's a far easier/cheaper solution than I was expecting.

Does anyone know where one can source replacement plastic door slide brackets like the one in the picture below? RV parts place doesn't seem to have this size. I checked the Monaco Parts PDF but the slides shown there do not resemble mine.

Not a big Eternabond fan, and certainly would need to fill the hole with something first anyway, then I might as well use lap sealant over it (my preference).

Yeah, plus the additional headache of trying to support a bunch of 3rd party brake controllers with their toad braking systems wouldn't be worth it either.

So far as I have seen, it comes on when I flick the switch to on and stays on until I flick it off, whether or not the engine is warm or cold. So if it ever had a temp-based trigger it doesn't seem to anymore.

I removed the non-functional factory battery maintainer that used to charge the chassis battery while 120v was available (shore power or gen) when I installed my LiFeP04 battery. However, at the same time I rewired the factory solar panel (80W, 25 years ago) to charge the chassis battery exclusively. This seems to work well during the summer months. I even leave the chassis battery disconnect "on" while parked in storage without issues. I do also have a small 3rd part battery maintainer that I can plug in to the rear engine bay outlet to charge the chassis battery, but it's so small it would take days or weeks to give it much of a charge if it was depleted. I've never needed to use it thus far, but could see it being handy in the early Spring/Fall/Winter.

I guessing by the lack of responses to my last post that this fan is not a factory option, but was added at some point by a previous owner. I have two theories as to why: Help cool the engine bay after parking before attempting to sleep above the engine on travel days. Help cool the engine in general in hot climates/long pull type situations.

Great suggestions folks! I like the sheet aluminum idea, but I think I'd skip drilling more holes in the roof and just rely on the GeoFlex to hold it in place. Only issue for me is that the antenna is mounted on the curve of the front cap, so a flat piece of aluminum might still work if it could be molded to the shape of the cap. I think I'll remove the old sealant and see what I've got to work with. I do like the idea of keeping the option of running wires through it in the future if needed.

I have this old broken off antenna mount on my roof, I think it was for the CB Radio originally. As you can see, it's looking rather tired. Normally I'd just freshen up the dicor around it, but the silicone(?) around is failing as well. Should I strip as much of the old silicone off as possible, and re-silicone it, then add new dicor? Should I attempt to remove the mount altogether and plug the hole with something (seems dodgy)?

If you're going to start the rig off-season for "preventative" reasons, you need to let it warm up fully before you shut it off, otherwise you might be doing more harm than good. Letting the fluids circulate and at normal operating temps will boil off any moisture that's accumulated in them, lube the seals, etc. (or so I've been told). And yes, fully charge your starter battery.

Excellent question and one I also had when rigging my toad's braking system (Demco Stay-IN-Play DUO). After all, if I was towing a car on a dolly, I'd be using a brake controller, wouldn't I?

Yep. I just had the same issue, had set my high idle while packing up and forgot about it and it wouldn't go into gear (error code "6" flashing). Reset the idle back to 600 rpm and all is well. 850 rpm seems a bit high. Mine wasn't even that high and wouldn't go into gear.