RoadTripper2084

I will tear into the section of bundle I can access tomorrow and cut the zip ties and take some "samples".  I was thinking of getting a coolant drain/fill next week before our upcoming vacation season starts but no point if I need to drain it again to replace these lines.

Coolant lines may have shutoff valves in the engine bay somewhere, is that correct? Maybe it's possible to replace the lines without draining the entire system first.

Well I'm not sure which hose(s) are actually leaking. The moisture tends to travel to the lowest point in the bundle, all zip tied together. 

I'm still thinking it must be hydraulic fluid, since antifreeze would evaporate quickly, and this is a more oily residue.

I guess I have to cut a bunch of zip ties and see if I can figure out which hoses are actually the source. Could also be travelling down the hose from a fitting I suppose.  

There are coolant lines that run to the front of the coach, right? For dash heating?  

My coach has some signs of seeping lines that run from the rear engine bay to the front in the space above the storage compartments. In the utility bay where there is no headliner I see some slight collecting of fluid in low spots on the lines. In addition, there is a prevalent smell in the storage bay and even in the house of the motorhome if it's been sealed up for awhile, almost smells like cheap cologne, kind of an alcohol smell.

I am also able to see that the outer covering on some of the lines is sort of sheathing off a bit, very thin outer layers (sorry can't find a pic right now).

I *think* these must be the hydraulic lines?  I've read that this is a common issue on older coaches.  How can I easily determine if it's hydraulic vs coolant?  

I haven't needed to add any hydraulic fluid in the 1.5 years I've owned the coach, maybe 7k miles total.

Thoughts? 

1 hour ago, Bruce S said:

I found a bit of stainless that I shaped into the correct size, drilled the proper holes and have used these for many years.  No more rust or need to paint and looks OEM.

I was thinking the same thing, it's a pretty basic shape and can be easily bent once cut.  What did you use to cut the stainless?

8 hours ago, Ivan K said:

I simply sandblasted and powder coated the brackets years ago. But I think it would also be common for the holes in ladder tubes to get elongated with vibrations and I did not like the flimsiness. A piece of correctly sized tube epoxied through the holes fixed that permanently.

Nicely done.

Thanks for the information. Yeah, I'm gun-shy when it comes to A/C systems, always seems trickier than it should be. 

I haven't tried to add freon, if you turn on the A/C, the clutch doesn't engage.  But why spin the belt for no reason? Might as well remove it, no?

On my '97 Dynasty the dash air doesn't work. I presume in a coach of this vintage it has a coolant leak somewhere, possibly other issues. Living in the northern climes I'm getting by using the genny to run the roof A/C when necessary while travelling, so no immediate plans to try to revive it. 

I'm wondering if it would make sense to remove the belt from the engine to the A/C compressor to avoid the possibility of a future compressor seize causing me problems? Any harm in doing so?

On my '97 Dynasty I am looking for a couple of replacement parts, hoping someone here will know where to look.

My right-side ladder bracket is a rusted mess, any idea where I might find ones like it to replace? Barring that, are their similar brackets I could substitute, maybe ones that are easier to unhook to lift the ladder out of the way?

Also, one of the tail light bulb holders is corroded up, can these be sourced separately from the entire assembly?  NAPA?

I recently replaced a bunch of mine, found the same type at a local hardware chain "Princess Auto" aka "China" auto.  Kind of like an off-brand Harbour Freight, but in Canada.  Anyway, wasn't expensive at all.

On 6/13/2022 at 4:23 PM, Dr4Film said:

I tried using the convention portion of the microwave once and discovered that the amount of heat it gave off while running was totally unacceptable so we never use it in that mode.

You must live in a different climate than I do. I consider that a "feature", not a bug. lol.

1 hour ago, RoadTripper2084 said:

Yep, we've all been there. lol.  On the upside, you probably know a little more about your coach's wiring now than you did before, and the solution was simple and cost-effective.  🙂

 

😉

Yep, we've all been there. lol.  On the upside, you probably know a little more about your coach's wiring now than you did before, and the solution was simple and cost-effective.  🙂

Should I be okay removing it with oil in the engine?  Seems like I should only lose minimal oil.

Last fall I noticed that what I believe is the oil supply line to the turbo might be starting to seep a bit.  The line is a braided one and it crosses and touches a solid metal line on its way to the turbo. Looking at it (without the camera) I could see the faintest small section of darkness around the contact point, now looking at the photos I looks like the entire line is saturated with oil? It didn't look that bad with out the flash...

So it would appear prudent for me to replace that braided line if possible.  Thoughts?

Any idea where I could get a replacement? Also not relishing the thought of trying to remove that rusty fitting on the turbo.

Cummins C8.3 (mechanical).

On 12/19/2022 at 9:15 AM, nvrtoofast said:

Thanks for all the input. A closer look at my current setup showed 4 6 volts, flooded. I don't have a lot of time to devote to the system right now so I sold out and replaced with the same.

I will mention though that the former batteries lasted 4 years with HORRIBLE maintenance. I went a year and a half with no maintenance. Fortunately, they had zero corrosion. I hope with correct maintenance the current set will go another 4 years or more. I may be upgrading to a Lipo solar set up soon though. I do love being off grid...

Thanks again!

Understandable, you need a bit of time (and $) to complete a proper upgrade to lithium.  Once you do, there's no going back. 🙂

On 11/19/2022 at 5:06 PM, Greg Carter said:

t still surprises me that nobody seems to have the code for what was called Corvette white that Monaco was using at least for a few years around 1995 - 1999

I'm pretty sure I do have this paint code that a previous owner had written in my Owner's Manual. But that is stored in the coach at the lot right now. Next time I visit I'll try to remember to get it.

But I would concur with the other's advice and get a qualified shop to match the colour for you with their fancy equipment vs just mixing the original code and hoping it will match after 20+ years.

My buddy printed me a couple in PLA as that is what he had handy.  Do you think PLA will be strong enough?

I'm going to test fit them on Sunday.

Many thanks for posting the files!

There should be a similar solenoid to dump the rear bags in the rear engine compartment.

If neither are working I'd highly suspect an electrical problem between the switch on the dash and the air dump valves.

Most likely the "Bag Dump" fuse in the outside electrical bay has blown, so check for that. On  my older rig it's in the outside bay under the driver's window.

You should check your manual for the wiring diagram for the "Bag Dump" feature.

Here's mine ('97 Dynasty) to give you an idea.

BagDumpWiring.pdf

That is absolutely ridiculous, but sadly these days, not at all uncommon.

I would chalk this up as an expensive, but extremely valuable learning experience.

Try to find a local independent diesel shop with good reviews.

17 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

Thinking ahead and turning on the exhaust brake when you exit on an interstate or other stops is the way to use it.  Sometimes in suburban traffic in stop and go or on an interstate snarl, it is OK to keep on.  But, other than that, it is recommend that it be turned off.

And of course, on downhill slopes!

I too need almost a complete set for both sides. Was going to give a buddy one off my rig to copy for 3D printing and then make them available over the winter, but if the work's been done, all the better!

7 hours ago, jimc99999 said:

This tech was in Auburn, CA. Byron was about to retire back in 2018 when he helped me, and had no web presence so could only be found via word of mouth and was still pretty busy. I'd be surprised if he's still working. He'd be great at phone assistance though, when he told me how to remove the furnace and blower motor he described exactly the screws that needed to be removed and which direction to remove the motor. It was obvious he'd done it hundreds of times.

I don't disagree, it would be great if someone could figure how to keep these experts "available" on a remote basis that makes sense financially for both parties. Until then, we'll always have Youtube...  🙂

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+remove+rv+furnace

Thanks for the tips guys, I really appreciate all the help I can get.

7 hours ago, dandick66 said:

Since the first light isn’t working, the problem has to be at or downstream from the point.

Not necessarily, because the ground wires on the lights are daisy-chained as well, so if the ground connection is broken none of the lights will light. 

4 hours ago, myrontruex said:

I think you might be led astray using the voltmeter. 

It wouldn't be the first time. 😉

4 hours ago, myrontruex said:

Check the left side of that terminal strip and the right side. Post the results. 

Without a very close up I am going to make an assumption that that terminal strip is just that. A simple dumb place to connect wires. Whatever is on the left should also be on the right, weather it is a ground or 12 volts.

This is correct, the terminal is just a connection between the left-right side.

Here are some diagrams to better explain how I tested for voltage.  First I disconnected both the wires on the left side of the terminal, which I believe are the wires to the front and rear clearance lights (these are on the right side of the terminal in the wiring diagram).

Then I put my red meter's lead on the terminal and the black lead on each wire (individually) and recorded the voltage present.

Rear Lights (rear lights work but go out when this wire is disconnected)

Front Lights (not working when wire is connected)

I hope that makes things a bit clearer.

I notice on the wiring diagram that the front light wire goes through a connector?, M13 or maybe M1.3?  pin 9.  I think I'll see if I can find that connector, as if I can I can use it as another test point to see if the "bad" wire has continuity from the terminal to the connector or not. If it does not, that tells me the wire is cut between the two.

Had to winterize the rig as we're expecting some "seasonal" temps this weekend dipping down to 20F overnight and into next early next week, so might be a week or two before I can get back to this.

8 hours ago, dandick66 said:

You have made a lot of progress and done a great job.  I’m a little confused with your descriptions and the photos.  Is TS1 (circled in the top photo) the same part that is circled in the bottom photo?  If so, the wires are supposed to be red, and hot (+12v). If you follow the wires in the top photo, you’ll see the ground is a white wire.  

Thanks, it's been a process for sure.  Re: TS1, well, that's my assumption. I also noticed the color discrepancy, but then I saw that in the wiring diagram once the red wires got to the first set of clearance lights they reverted to black wires, so I supposed the factory might have just stuck with the black all the way to the junction? Guessing here.

8 hours ago, dandick66 said:

If you remove the zip tied wire, do the rear lights work?  Is the connection where the two wires are connected ground or hot? 

Yes, with the zip tied wire removed, the rear lights still work. The two wires are meant to be "hot".  If I disconnect them from the junction and put my meter positive on the right side screw of the junction (incoming wire) and the negative lead on the working black wire, it shows 11.5v.  However, if I do the same on the zip-tied "non-working" wire, I get no voltage (aka, the zip-tied wire isn't grounded). 

I'm leaning toward removing the insulation batts immediately behind the CRT TV cabinet (EZ access) to see if I can find one or more clearance lights. The wiring diagram makes it look like the black wire should feed into the top left light, which I *might* be able to get to via the TV cabinet. If I can find that I can test for continuity from the zip-tied end of the wire to the light end and that will tell the tale in terms of if the problem is in that wire or further down the circuit for the lights.

Well I'm pleased to report that this repair job is nearly complete! 😅

Installing the replacement dash and console plastics turned out to be a much bigger effort than I was anticipating. Apart from having to hand-cut each button hole larger there were several other holes that were drilled backwards, or mirrored from the correct positions (must have had the template upside down?), so I had to field correct those, fortunately in each case the original holes were hidden after final installation.

At this point everything is connected, but the dash, console, etc. is not secured back in place just yet to allow for access.  The coach drives, and I was able to adjust my speedometer to be accurate for the first time since owning it.  I added an additional ground wire to the dash instruments as well, and that also seems to have solved an issue I had with the tach and speedometer randomly jumping to higher values and later returning to closer to correct ones as well as an issue I had with the temp. gauge jumping up a bit when the lights were on.  😎

The big news is that everything works again!

...except for the top front clearance lights. 😞

The rear clearance lights work correctly.  Based on the wiring diagram, it appears the the front and rear clearance lights combine in the power distribution / fuse bay below the driver's seat.

This would indicate that everything "up circuit" from there is working fine (ECC switch, fuse, etc.).

The black wire with the green zip tie on it is the "bad" one that I think is for the front lights. When I test the two black wires with the lights on, the other one (with no zip tie) clearly acts as a ground to the 12v at the Clearance Lights post, but the zip-tied wire does not, and also does not "buzz" to ground like the working wire does.

So it would appear that I have a simple break or misconnection on my front clearance light circuit. 

It's possible that I cut the wire meaning to replace it and simply missed it and forgot to connect it. 

The other thing that occurs to me is that I stuffed a bunch of fiberglass insulation in the top cap earlier this summer, it's possible that in doing so I disconnected a wire on one of the clearance lights at that time and they haven't worked since then. Being summer we haven't needed to use the lights so could have gone undetected.

So I'm faced with a choice of two unpleasant options, either I cut open all my nicely bundled wires beside the driver's seat again and try to trace the bad black wire all the way to the front pillar, or I try to remove the fiberglass insulation that I wedged tightly in some cases into the top cap to see if I can gain access to the clearance lighting circuit there.