1nolaguy

TerryJean, if your crack /split is in mid wall and not at a seam calk is not the way to go. Depending on the size ( width) of your crack, wood filler/putty may work and can be bought in a small can so not a big investment. If the crack is large (in width) I would go with bondo and possible back with FG tape. THis becomes a larger project so if you are not familiar with working with this type of material it may be better to have the repair done by someone that does. It can be messy and the off gases are smelly so be sure to use your fan while working, sanding and curing.

I am not sure if the photo posted by Les Hurdle is representative of the OP problem or something different. The photos posted by Les (thanks for posting them) is representative of fluctuation due to chassis/body flexing during movement and or swings in temperature and humidity. Walls made of wood with swell and shrink and flex with movement. Trying to prevent this by rigidly attaching it to the frame may result in cracking or splitting. they best solution is to calk the seams (when not if) separation occurs with a good quality calk. Personally I find paint-able calks containing some silicone work really well. Acrylic alone can get stiff with time and is less forgiving. 100% silicone based sealants are usually not paint-able, and will not clean up with water. DAP and Kwik both make good products. Although they are more expensive by oz I find the small tubes easier to use in the confined spaces of an RV vs the long tubes that require a separate calking gun.

TJ, Welcome to RVing and to the group. You do not state the make, model and year of your MH so that leaves a lot of room for guess work also you do not state if yours is a 1 or 1-1/2 bath and which one is effected. Is it an outside wall or inside wall. All of these things can be important in diagnosing your issue and making some recommendations. Most Monaco walls are made of a thin luan type paneling with a vinyl type wall paper facing inside the coach. If the gash(s) are from the inside out it is likely they ere caused by some impact against the wall. These walls are very thin and easily damaged. You maybe able to repair with something like bondo, then sand and paint out the wall. If the damage is from the outside in that is indicative of possible other issues altogether. If the damage is severe enough you may need to replace the panel. As noted above the walls generally are thin luan like plywood that are generally held in place with brad nails and trim. By carefully removing the trim and then the damaged panel, then remove the brads from the studs (generally 1X2 fur) and then replace with a new panel. You will likely not be able to match the wall paper. I would suggest two coats of a good quality primer such as Gripper (Sherwood Williams) or Killz and then top coat with two coats of good quality latex acrylic paint. This may seem overkill but part of the reasoning in to add strength. Similarly, with a replacement wall paper. then reattach with brads and then trim. If you do not have experience and tools for trim carpentry it may be more cost effective to hire a pro for panel replacement to do this than to tackle it yourself.

Our 2005 Safari Cheetah stove vent vents back into the room, generally not an acceptable situation as it almost always sets off the smoke alarm. We have a Fantastic Fan in the ceiling that is about 6 to 7 feet from the stove vent. We have found that turning on the fantastic fan and the hood vent at the same time is pretty good at drawing stove gases and smells off the stove and out the coach. This of course is not the most efficient way from an electric use stand point, especially if you also have the A/C going. As a side note, we have found the use of an induction cooktop (https://www.amazon.com/Secura-9100MC-Portable-Induction-Countertop/dp/B00GMCAM2G/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=NOLUC52GTLI4&keywords=induction+cooktop&qid=1685909949&sprefix=induction+cooktop%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-2-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQUo4VFBPSUsxUUNCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzkxMjM3Mk1ROTROQkhVRjVETCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjg4NjE0UlNEOUhHUlRPSVBUJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==) helps significantly control heat and humidity from cooking, as will using lids on pots etc. Whenever we are on shore or generator power we go this route instead of the LP stove, which is 90% of the time.

jacwjames, thanks so much for posting the link. While wood is not probably the best choice for me it gave me some great ideas and a connection to directly ask questions of someone that already did the project. It is ironic that I am a member of irv2.com also and had not seen this. Will52, did you have any issues with connections going from the OEM radio to the Boss?

Ok guys. Unfortunately our couch did not come with an owners manual just the brochure. I can see sense in dropping the front until it makes contact with the ground and perhaps that + 3/4" and then level side to side using the backs, and THEN raising the front some more if needed to level front to back. Raising the front so the dash rises 'at least 3"' to start seems a bit extreme. Depending on how un-level the site is you can at times find yourself leveling and re-leveling multiple times. I may be wrong but always believed the goal was to get level with the least nof lift necessary. This is why I have been leveling side to side first and then front to back. Next go around I will set the front first (+3/4") to create that pivot point and then side to side in the back, adjusting the front last as needed. I guess I should count myself lucky to not have damaged the windshield in the last 5 years. BTW - I use Levelmate-pro and double check with a separate bubble level in the center floor near the fridge and rear axle / jacks just to make sure. I've never really trusted the bubble level on the driver's side panel.

They all seem to be a bit different. Our 2005 Safari Cheetah has 3 manual levelers. I had a lot of issues at first but found the following worked best: After deploying slides (while aired up as per owner's manual) I release the air then drop the rear jacks first. I adjust until level at rear and then drop the front. This seems to create the most stable support, even with a several week stay. Note: If you are on sand, grass or mud you will likely need to adjust stability over time as the jack feet may sink under the coach weight. We invested in snap pads and that has also helped a good deal as it increases surface area.

Thanks. I went to Lowes (and HD) website and it appears the gauge is 24 for these sheets. I am amazed that there is no flex but then the span side to side is only about 3-4" unsupported. That may not be thick enough to larger panels like the gauge cluster or radio area but for the side cluster it appears to work great.

Our In dash radio has apparently died and several or the other components in the center dash panel of our 2005 Safari Cheetah are worse for ware. Instead of trying to "restore" the original look I am thinking of making a new and updated panel. Currently available dash radios are relatively in expensive and may have touch screen, BT and other features that would be a nice add. The original 2 12v outlets may be replaced with a combinations of 12v outlet and USB or USB-C ports etc. Not sure what to do with the temperature control and am curious if anyone else has updated a radio and what are the wiring issues, if any. Any suggestions ?

All my failures seem to be at the screw holes at terminal end. I just checked yesterday but a new sheet of Acrylic is quite expensive. Thanks for these options. perhaps some superglue and aluminum reinforcement is the way to go. KLCDenver, what type of epoxy did you use to attach the aluminum to the plastic? Ame2Cua, what gauge Aluminum sheet did you use? All I could find at the local HD/Lowes was 24 ga, which seems a bit thin.

I contacted Norcold directly as I could not find any replacement door seals for my aging 1210. The old seals were deteriorating. Norcold advised that they do not carry replacement door seals for their refrigerators but that custom seals are available through a company called Cool Temp Refrigerators (http://cooler-gaskets.com/ (910) 270-0405). They can be contacted via phone or their webpage. Their physical address is 129 Hickory Point Ext; Hampstead, NC 28443 and they can even be contacted by text to place orders at 910-200-7183.

I went through this process a few years ago with my CAT7 engine. Ended up contacting Catapillar directly and found out I should use OAT. I would recommend contacting A friend of mine that works for Cummins suggested the same. Also note: In making the change you should drain the old coolant and flush the system (including the dash heater radiator) and then install the new coolant. Types of coolant should never be mixed and color of the coolant is not a reliable indicator of the coolant chemistry. FYI - Have you engine model and serial number handy when you contact Cummins. Often the Model alone is not enough.

Our 2005 Safari Cheetah has that type of mirror arm. Bolt through the bottom holds arm on. Removing will allow the chrome cap on base to be removed gaining access to lag screws. When I discovered a problem the lag screws had already wallowed out the screw holes (mirror fell off while driving). Chose to drill out holes and replace lags with screws, nuts and fender washer (required pulling the dash out to access the inside. Note: The other mirror also needs to be done as it is starting to show movement. Unfortunately the mirror arm has developed corrosion in the socket of the base. Any suggestions on how to separate would be appreciated.

Good idea as well. I've got to get in the habit of removing batteries between trips. I find most go dead between trips, probably because storage is out side in the deep south. Will try next trip.

Gary 05, nice thinking out of the box. With my Brother-in-law's help we were able to lift the unit and set it genitally on the toilet and then move it to the step up in front the closet. Yes our DST and yours have the same set up..

Thanks for the pics. Quite impressive.

CLIFF918, I could not enlarge the photo enough to read the sticker. Can you advised the manufacturer/source of the tank? I could not find it via Google.

Good Idea. How often do you have to change the batteries?

Jacwjames - Oh that I had a great garage to park in like yours!

The following is what I found behind our 18 year old Splendee and what I did to repair it. We bought our 2005 Safari Cheetah in 2018 and the previous owner had barely if ever used the Splendee washer/ dryer combo, although it was unclear about use by the initial owner. Over time I noticed the Splendee, which we used when ever we traveled, was moving about quite a bit during the spin cycles. When I finally had time and help I pulled the unit out of the very tight cabinet space in our rear bath located behind the toilet. Monaco obviously did not plan on this ever being serviced. After removing the two metal cleats designed to hold the unit in place, the doors and hinges on the cabinet and lifting the unit out over to toilet I discovered that the floor had sagged about 6" at the back. The vent hose had also come loose so the dryer was venting in the cabinet. The floor had obviously had water damage as the vinyl contact paper was peeling up revealing the floor was just 5/8" MDF. There was also a piece of original carpeting shoved between the drain pipe and floor apparently to muffle vibration noise. When I pulled up the floor, which was held in with 1/4" crown staples I found it was only supported on three sides (not the back) by 3/4" by 3/4: wooden strips. The hoses for hot and cold water were showing signs of degradation and the terminal ends attached to the faucets and the machine were plastic and yellow and brittle. I re-secured the 3/4" strips with a few additional wood screws and then added a 2X4 across the back so the new floor would be supported on all sides. The replacement floor was cut from a scrap piece of 3/4" treated ply I had at home (29-3/4" X 25") and secured with ss finish screws. I replaced the OEM hoses with ss braided 6' W/D hose set from Lowes (HD did not stock anything longer than 4'). I covered the new floor with a section of vinyl floor mat for added water protection and to help muffle noise. I secured the mat with pan head screws on the sides and a piece of 1"x1" aluminum angle along the front edge. This secured the vinyl while also making it easier to reinstall the unit. The drain pipe was not real stable so I I attached the the vent pipe (right of P-trap) to the right side wall with a support and screw and then left the vinyl carpet longer than the floor ((28") and tucked it between the floor and the pipe. I then leveled the unit with adjustable front screw legs of the Splendee and re-secured the metal clips designed to hold the unit in place via these legs. Job well done. The project took a total of about 6 hours spread over several days with trips home and to the store. This project definitely takes two people mostly in moving the unit, which is very heavy but also to hold lighting and pass you tools as you are working in very close quarters. Hope this helps anyone considering servicing their Splendee cabinet. Even if you do not have a floor issue I would recommend periodically checking the vent hose to make sure it is secure and you are not venting into your coach. Also, if you have an older unit with OEM water hoses I would recommend changing them to the newer braided hoses. If you have ever experienced a hose failure you will understand. I hope you find this helpful.

We also have a 2005 Safari Cheetah and while the windshield does not squeak (yet) the dash has. It tends to want to pull away from the firewall in front. Similarly the side mirrors can come loose. I believe this is because much of the front superstructure, on this model at least, is wood and attachments are were made with wood screws or in some cases self-taping screws or even drywall screws. I have found in some cases tightening the screws will help but in many cases the wood has become worn from coach movement. In these cases filling the screw hole with hot glue, wood glue or even PL6000 and then reattaching the screw before the glue sets will create a new tight attachment. In the case of the mirrors, I did not discover looseness until one mirror fell of while driving. Luckily the wires remained in tact and I did not loose the mirror. In that case the screw hole was too wallowed out and so I had to pull the dash, drill out the hole and use a machine screw with fender washer and nut on the inside to re-attach it.

I previously posted a question about identifying our 7" round sealed halogen headlight with LED. The process of replacing these has lead me on a journey I want to share in case anyone else finds themselves wanting or needing to change their 7" lights. First, for many years the DOT and auto industry standardized the 7" round seal beam Halogen and then later also the rectangular sealed beam halogen. If your coach came with either the round or rectangular seal beam they are one standard size each. It was not until the introduction of the smaller Halogen bulbs in poly-carbonate lens housings that this changed. I am not sure when this design was adopted by Monaco but it appears to be after 2005. For replacement 7" round headlights you have 3 basic options; replacements 7" seal beam halogen, 7" round poly-carbonate / plastic lens housings that require a separate halogen or led bulb, or Glass lens LED replacements. For this last option there are only a few sources I could find. Because of hazing and yellowing issues I have experienced with poly-carbonate on other vehicles this was not my preference. I found the standard Halogen not bright enough and so opted for the Glass LED option. This is probably the more expensive route as replacement SB halogen are about $35/40 each and the poly-carbonate lenses are about the same plus that amount again for bulbs. The Glass lens LED's seem to run from $100-200 a pair. I ordered a pair of SMD Glass Hi/Lo LED bulbs from Amazon ($98) They are well made and a good bit heavies than the OEM halogens. The front is a thick glass faceted lens that looks a lot like the OEM. The back is heavy aluminum with fins for heat sink and a whip tail with 3 prong male connection for easy hook up. The lamp bucket on our 2005 Safari Cheetah would not accommodate the additional thickness of the new lens so I had to cut out part of the lens suport using a dremel tool and reversed circular saw blade from harbor freight. This is not difficult, just requiring some time an patience. I found it was best to make a series of small cuts between 3/8 and 1/2" at a time for the best control. The reason for using the reverse blade is to reduce plugging up the teeth with melted plastic. By modifying the bucket I eliminated the need to modify the lens which would void any warranty. Also plastic is easier to cut and shape than metal. This modification allows enough of the original bucket structure to be maintained allowing for lens adjustment. The lens still fits a bit proud of the housing but when you attach the chromed metal ring and screw down the three attachment points it secures the lens in place tightly. You should note that to do all this more easily I detached the light bucket from the MH by opening the generator door and then removing the screws that go through the three aluminum support pieces that are attached to the FG front cap. I also removed the two additional bulbs (yellow blinker and the one that goes in the 5" round poly-carbonate lens). This may very with your rig design but made working on the housing easier while eliminating the need to remove or change the screws that set lens pitch. I have attached a few pics to help show the process. After spending about 2 hours figuring out how to go about this the process on the second lens only took about 30 minutes. I unfortunately did not take any before and after pictures but the difference in light output was amazing. I would say the new lights are 4X as bright as the OEM Halogens and are white not blueish. As I recall the new LEDs are 60W each so the electrical system ie easily able to accommodate them. As a last tidbit. When the lenses arrived one was cracked. Amazon said to return for refund but listed the item as out of stock and uncertain if it will be replaced. I had already modified the buckets with one light fully installed when I discovered the crack. I googled SMD and contacted them directly. After exchanging info and photos of the damaged lens they promptly sent me a replacement. If you have trouble locating a lens to meet your needs you might try https://smd.lighting/smd-headlights-hid-lights/led-headlights.html. I hope you might find this helpful.

Thanks. I will look locally to see if I can find something similar.

It came out very nice. Unfortunately mine has a bend about half way at about 30 deg. Is the abs fairly in expensive? If so I might try cutting and then heating with a heat gun to bend.

What type/brand of paint did you use?