Raymond

I have been a fan of mothballs since I purchased our coach. I buy the ones in perforated bags and place them in the water bay, on top of the generator, and in all the cargo bays. I wipe the surface of the water bay with white vinegar. I have not had ants, or any rodent issues. Knock on wood. 

Oh, engine compartment too. And no, you can’t really smell me coming. LOL!

Had the same issue two weeks ago—domestic water fittings loose. Take you time and look carefully and tighten fittings as you go. 

3 hours ago, Paul A. said:

They would be my choice. Have 1000's in service. It is their engineered product. 

In 2018, they were $459.00 for the tank. 

On 11/27/2022 at 5:31 PM, Tom Cherry said:

How OLD are your Chassis Batteries and do you have the 750 Series and not the 500 Series?

Many of us have had this issue.  More prevalent in HOT weather.  Typical scenario.  You drive home from a trip.  You have to unhook the TOAD so you can back or get into the cul de sac or back into your driveway.  In the time it takes to unhook and get the DW settled in the car to move it, the engine absorbs a LOT of heat.  SO, it expands.  You turn the key and the moment of panic sets IN....OMG, it ain't gonna start.  SO, then it starts.  That is a sign that the batteries are becoming weaker.

NOW, you first start, depending on how COLD it was and whether the MH's Chassis Batteries were being charged....and the type of system.....Such as....Does your Chassis Batteries get CHARGED while plugged in to power at home or storage.  If the answer is NO, then that would be the cause.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to hear a CLICK from up front....or at least in my Camelot.  Shutting off and restarting is something that I rarely do.  I, and at least one 2008 Dynasty Owner will get the dreaded.....BATTERY LOW warning light....even with farily NEW batteries. 

I got about a total of 12 years and almost 65K out of TWO SETS of batteries.  FIRST the original were UNDERSIZED..31-LHD (750 CCA)..thanks to cheap Monaco.  I replaced them with the 31-MHD (950 CCA) batteries that were STANDARD on the Dynasty with the SAME ENGINE.  That was in Jun 2015.  I took delivery in January 2009....so almost 6 1/2 years.  Next ones were in June, 2021.  There was a power failure at storage and my BIRD Big Boy did NOT reengage and the Chassis went down. I jumped the engine from the House using a single jumper cable.  I was going on a trip and decided not to risk it.  BUT, i did get 6 years.  I have a Pulse Tech Desulfonater on each bank of two batteries.

It MAY be the KEY....but your situation sounds just like mine. ONE TRICK to try.  After you drive awhile and STOP....say at a rest or whatever and the engine is HOT....pup a Jumper Cable across the positives of the Two banks.  THEN hit the key.  If it starts quickly.....then, ODDS ARE....batteries are getting a little weak.  Read the manual..  If you have the stock Cummins ISL 400, ....your manual calls for 950 CCA or Group 31p - MHD (2 each)

That's my take.  You CAN pull them, after being FULLY RECHARGED and find an Interstate Distributor that has a REAL load tester and have them tested.  BUT, I suspect it is getting to be about that time....

BUT, you never know....we have had a RASH of "need an ignition switch".  I would NOT put in an Ignition switch without first knowing or testing my Chassis Batteries...and the Jumper Cable trick should be the dead giveaway....and you KNOW (OR HOPE) that you House is fully charged and will boost a slightly declining Chassis...

 

WOW! This was helpful. I’ve experienced the same “heart stopping” phenomena of not starting every once in a while. I recently changed batteries (and upgraded to MHD) just because the (LHD) were due—never thinking the start problem was connected to the batteries and so I continue to be on alert for the starting issue to reappear. After reading your post I don’t need to have that worry anymore! Thanks. 

On 5/28/2023 at 7:44 AM, Blacknight said:

I just replaced my overflow tank with a unit from Source Engineering and it fits perfectly. Can anyone tell me where the two hoses on the top of the tank go to?

The 2 hoses: one has a larger diameter than the other. The larger moves coolant from your turbo and the small diameter is coming from the top of your radiator. 

On 5/27/2023 at 7:20 AM, jacwjames said:

The more you use your engine or exhaust brake the longer your regular brakes will last.  I use mine as much as possible, if in city traffic to slow down.  You are doing yourself a huge favor.

Our 2008 Dynasty has yet to have its 1st brake job, thanks to jake brakes. On a trip from Florida to Seattle Washington traveling along the Pacific coast I used the jake brake exclusively descending the mountainous terrain. Every year I have my brakes pads checked and they are still near 90%. 

I was an absolute believer in the Sani-Con; until it became clogged. I replaced it with the gravity setup with cam-locks and will never go back! 

Odd you are experiencing this issue with the mud flap—have you checked your travel height? Would not be unusual for the travel height to have changed over a long period of time. Too low of a travel height setting could be the culprit. Start with eliminating the simple probabilities, then escalate to more costly possibilities. 

3 hours ago, Cousin Eddie said:

The attached images are from the 2002 Dynasty manual, which is the same as the 2003 manual (I’ve owned both an ‘02 and an ‘03 Dynasty). 

Interesting that there is such confusion on extending/retracting the slides. When slides are not extended properly there are many unsavory consequences including misalignment over time and interior gaps when the slide is fully seated. The easiest way to think about and remember it, is that the slide needs to be extended in the same manner as to how it was originally installed. The slide was set into place on a ride height chassis—and therein it needs to be retracted on a ride height chassis. This is consistent with the manual on the Dynasty. Leveling is for comfort and appliance efficiency practicality. Ride height “extend” and ride height “retract”. 

Better NOT! Those slide locks are exactly that, they lock the top of the slide in place—especially when negotiating a turn/curve while in motion. On our way to Cocoa Beach (Florida) we witnessed the value of those slide “locks”. A Monaco coach, don’t recall model, was on the side of the road with its left front (driver’s side) slide laying face down on the roadway along with personal contents scattered around. 
The place to have them repaired is Stone Vos,  Martin has a source for the internal mechanisms- it an easy repair if the flanges have not been cut off by a totally uncaring or clueless RV shop. Don’t loose your locks—just saying.

Ray W. 

Centramatics on steer, drive and tag; they have been in place for 10-years now and function troublefree. 

Comments thus far are precisely why I have come to believe “we have bought our last coach first”. Upon retirement we bought our 2008 Dynasty with the intent of keeping it 5-years during which time we would see if RVing was something we wanted to do long term. Well, we found we love RVing. However, our coach is now 15 years old and we considered updating; only to find nothing new measures up. The quality of new affirms the old adage: “They don’t make them like they used to”. It’s not only the downgrade of materials but also the things they are taking away—things you’d not immediately notice unless you had experience with a coach and likely find missing in usage. Even the ‘bling’ is  of low quality and somewhat obvious. When we take our coach for service (Cummins, JoSam’s, Lazydays) the technicians seem to comment about the quality of the coach and echo the same comments about how you can’t find coaches built like this anymore. Guess it’s true, if you have a good one you better keep it. 

22 minutes ago, Melvin said:

Have you tried to get a camp site anywhere in the last 2 years? 6 months out and the parks are booked. For the new RVer it also takes the fun out of using their new RV because the parks are full. People are booking a year out to reserve sites and then "no show" especially in the State and Federal parks because the nightly costs are so cheap, so the premium camp site sets empty all weekend. 

As a veteran RVer planning a trip and booking sites was never a problem now you show up and someone with a pop up is on the site for the Big Rigs. I know I know we've had it to ourselves for so many years. But it does add hours to building and booking a trip, so we have found it easier at times to rent VRBO's and go.

It’s amazing! Anyone check the rates a Fort Wilderness lately? And even at their current pricing the place fills up. RV parks are enjoying a price bubble that has to burst at some point, hopefully, maybe. 

Looking for:

VALID POWER GEAR LEVEL CONTROLLER AIR, TAGLIFT LEVEL TOUCH PAD POWER GEAR PART NUMBER: 1401212 VTL02A009-1

On 3/18/2022 at 2:54 PM, TigerMar said:

That is what I did.  I unscrewed the 4 star screws and carefully pulled out the controller.  Then I unplugged the controller power and data connection, waited 30 seconds and plugged the data in first then the power.  Worked for awhile (few months) but had to finally replace the controller.

Good Luck!

 

Where did you find another controller?

On 3/11/2023 at 1:54 AM, MJ.STIGER said:

1st off thank you for accepting me in the community. Been hunting these forums for ideas and discovery as i look at a used unit. 

 

I am looking at used 1 owner 2005 Monaco Executive w 135k ... Asking price is 80k. Is it worth it?  I know that could be a loaded question. But Year and condition wise is it with in reasonable asking price?

 

I have watched a ton of videos and browsed through this forum. Educating my self on things i should be looking for good and bad. In my inspection of this coach i think it very well taken care of unit. I will list the things i found that are cons if you will. And then the positives. Would like to hear your feedback if you have any good or bad. I am no Coach inspector by any means but good at lots of things. 

 

- Rear Tail Light Cracked

- Black Paint Checking

- Milage 135k

- 10k Onan with 3000hrs

 

Here are the options and things i found in my walk throughs. 

1 - piece roof no seams (a wind detector for awning has silicone needs to be replaced with Dicor)

- Tires Date code 2021

- Carpet replaced in clean condition

- Shocks replaced

- Norco Refrigerator replaced

- Roadmaster S- Series Chassis

- All storage areas Clean + Passthrough slide out tray

- No signs of water damage in any cabinets or next to refrigerator

- Slide Seals look to be in good condition and no puddles or sign of water having been sit on the slide outs. 

- 3000 watt - xantrex

- Aladdin System

- Power Reels  Water and Shore Power

-  All the Coach and Product Manuals including the full book Wiring Diagram

- No cracked counters or chips or gouges in wood interior

- Washer/Dryer Combo looks to never been used. 

- Roadmaster 9000 

- 1 Large Girard Patio and front door awning

 

I can post some photos on request. 

Thank you all for the comments good or bad. Looking forward to getting back to some type of RV travel. 

Don’t get caught up in mileage; that chassis, if cared for, is built for 1 million miles and the engine, if cared for, will be ready for a on frame rebuild at 500,000 miles. The focus should be on service records. Hopefully the air bags (all 10) were replaced. 

12 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

Don’t know all the circumstances, but this is a rare occurrence and if Barry was aware of it, he would have moved Heaven and Earth to rectify it.  Many folks have driven from NC to get things fixed..l.on the Valid system,

I am sorry the GypsyJo had a bad experience and hope contacts Barry and he takes care of it.  He has one person, Mike I was told, that is the Monaco Air tech…and he fixed an unbelievable problem for a friend…

I have been the recipient of experiencing Barry moving “Heaven and Earth” to rectify a problem. I trust JoSam’s because of Barry.

This unfortunate situation happened to me; it’s not a problem with your lock and not a problem with the pneumatic bladder that surrounds the door opening. The problem is a lack of lubrication on the upper and lower latches. The latches float with the movement of the coach and if they are not lubricated they stick and when they stick the door will not open. The latches may adjust on their own in time, but if after an hour or so they don’t then through a window you will have to go. The skylight in the bathroom is not an option because there is another skylight just below the outer one—double panes—and is only removable from the inside. Once inside the coach you can push the door open. That door is remarkably secure when closed— but the floating latches are your problem. To lubricant them once the door is open—just spray a good silicone lubricant on the shaft that is visible in the threshold opening and don’t be stingy but don’t flood it either. Lube it every couple of years to prevent a reoccurrence. 

Viair 250C-IG 12 Volt Air Compressor with Thermal Overload Protector

Ray W

2008 Dynasty

Your best option would be to talk to those who install and service inverters. Reason for this suggestion being, I too intended to switch my flooded lead batteries to AGM or lithium; however after talking to the experts at Inverter Service Center I ended up replacing my flood lead batteries with flooded lead batteries. 

Ray W

2008 Dynasty