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We are here in #46

Hello all - When I removed the Diamond Shield from the front of our rig, I ended up having the most success with Xylene (a solvent available at most hardware or paint stores) and plastic chisel/scrapers from Harbor Freight. I tried everything from acetone to goo-gone to goof off, etc. The Xylene likely causes 8 different types of cancer (!) and smells nasty. I'd recommend wearing a mask and gloves for sure and only working outdoors or in an extremely well-ventilated place. That said, the Xylene did a great job of dissolving the adhesive into a nasty mucus-like slime that was easy to scrape off. The Xylene did not harm the paint at all, and I avoided damaging the paint as I had done on a previous rig when I tried to "chip" the coating off and ended up removing paint and finish as well. I used a spray bottle and series of old rags to apply the Xylene, and then the scrapers and more rags to wipe off the gross sticky mucus. Like others, I also used a steamer to remove the leftover adhesive and goo as well as straggling remnants of Diamond Shield. When I finished, it looked great, but I also understood why removing the covering was an expensive job to hire out. Best of luck, and I hope that this helps. John

Hello all - In the process of trying to eliminate an air squeal in the front of our 2008 Dynasty Diamond IV, one of the proposed "fixes" involved replacing the front manifold 6-pack for the Valid Air Leveling system. I was able to find a new manifold and replaced the old one which I was told could be causing the problem. It wasn't, but that's another tale; replacing the manifold did not cure the problem. I removed and thoroughly cleaned and tested the old manifold, and replaced all of the O-rings and re-assembled with proper lubricant, etc. The old manifold functions perfectly, but now I have the old "spare" that I'm offering for sale should someone need one. I'm happy to ship it at actual cost should anyone be interested. I've included a photo of the 6-pack for the front as well as a photo of the control panel for the Valid air leveling. I don't have the manifold part number, but do remember that it was an exact replacement for the OEM. Any interest, please let me know. Asking $400.00. John

I was cleaning up some files and ran across this photo that I took that shows the Monaco wiring for the 7-pin tow plug on our 2008 Dynasty Diamond IV. The benefit to me was the inclusion of the Monaco wire colors, so that I could be sure of the proper wire for the new/replacement plug matching the OEM wires. I thought this might be useful for someone (?) or just to save for anyone interested. John

Hello all - I am posting a "solution" to the Fantastic Fan lift motors spontaneously operating whenever the salesman switch/12v shutoff was activated or de-activated. I replaced the 3 remaining fluorescent fixtures in the rig last week; two in the ceiling in the bath area, and one over the side counter in the kitchen beneath the pantry cabinets. Instead of using the LED strip lights as replacements as I have done in the past, I followed a suggestion by Veraken and am happy to report great success with the use of the following (Thanks, Veraken!!) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09QY8ZHM3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 I never could find any wiring problems, voltage spikes, or other issues when testing power to the 12v lid open/close motors, but after removing the fluorescent fixtures along with their ballasts and replacing with LEDs, I no longer have the phantom Fantastic Fan lid open/close "feature." Thanks to all who responded. I would like to note that Chris at M&M was correct in that the fluorescent ballasts must have been the problem. How the ballast 'surge' activated three different 12v DC motors remains a mystery to me, but the fluorescent removal and LED replacement did remedy the annoying behavior. I was able to test the master switch just now after powering the rig up from storage and zero problem with the lid motors activating. John

Here are photos of the box that I replaced. The pictures are from the interior of the rear wardrobe on the passenger side as detailed previously. John

When I first purchased our rig (2008 Dynasty), the bedroom a/c would not work due to a load shedding issue. This took awhile for the previous owner to diagnose, but the intellitech control box was the guilty culprit. We purchased the rig with full disclosure of the issue, and I replaced the intellitech control box myself to resolve the problem. In my rig, the faulty control box was located in the rear wardrobe on the passenger side behind the door inside the closet where there is a wall full of electrics. The intellitech box at fault was on the lower right side as you face the interior of the panel. It was a simple and direct replacement, and we have had zero issues since replacing the part, which cost about 85.00 at the time. Perhaps your rig is set up similarly? Just offering my experience. John

Thank you all again for the responses. When powering up the battery disconnect after storage, none of the fluorescent bulbs are on. I turn everything in the rig off that can be turned off before shutting down, so on power-up when the fan lid motors start, the fluorescents are not on, nor are any other fixtures. Still, as noted, there are claims that even switched off at the fluorescent fixtures themselves, there is a possible conflicting signal (interference) generated. I have spoken to and worked with Chris at M&M several times in the past with a different rig (SOB) and different issues. He was extremely helpful and clearly knowledgeable about the Multiplex system as well as most of the other 12v wiring throughout motorhomes. I have nothing but respect for M&M and appreciate their willingness to help the RV public. The subject rig here does have several of the fluorescent OEM fixtures in place, with a few of them modified with LED strips as Chargerman described. I do intend to continue the updating to LEDs for the fluorescents. I have already swapped every other bulb in the rig (pucks, lamps, etc.) to LED bulbs and have been pleased with the results. I did look again just to make sure that there are no on/off switches on the fans themselves, but all they have is a directional switch where one can reverse the air flow in or out. The other controls are the wall-mounted Fantastic Fan OEM controls. I may turn off all of the fluorescent fixtures at the switch on the fixtures themselves versus MPX and see if that makes any difference. I will investigate the possible role that the multiplex circuitry may have including tracing the power source to the fans themselves. It is interesting to me that the fans themselves do not turn on, ever, in the situation that I am investigating. Only the lid-lift 12v motors are activated. The small electric motors have no electronics as I understand it, so something is happening that initiates current flowing to the lift motors only. The fan operational switches do not illuminate and there are no other signs of anything else activating. As previously noted, if the fans controls on the fans themselves (the black knobs) are pulled down and are left in manual mode (not automatic), the gears on the motors will not be engaged. The lack of engagement means that the motors will never receive any load, including any amount necessary to provide the current draw which causes the motors to stop. Again, this is part of normal function, and when the lids over the fans reach the end of their stroke or if the handle is held firmly, the overload/stop sequence works properly. So my biggest concern is forgetting to check them when the rig battery disconnect is re-connected after storage, especially since I leave the fan controls (black knobs) in the 'manual' position i.e. disengaged. I always try to report back my findings and outcomes when originating a thread with a new issue. I think that it is critical that not only do we return from where we have received, but also to share so that others may learn from both what works and what doesn't work to address a given issue. It is my belief that this sharing is how knowledge may benefit others while also being an integral component of creating new knowledge. My apologies for the length and verbosity of many of my posts. Finding the proper balance between providing enough information without drowning the reader in words was a challenge in my doctoral work and especially in composing research work for professional publication. Thanks again for the assistance. John

Hi - Thanks again to all for their feedback. I'll make a stab at responding to all in one post. I'm not repeatedly turning the salesman switch on and off. Rarely (if ever) is it used. The vast majority of the time the switch is left on and the rig plugged in at home on a dedicated 30amp circuit. I have used the switch in the very rare instances when I will leave the rig unattended for weeks without being connected to shore power. So I don't know how I gave the impression that I was abusing the MPX system by repeatedly turning it off and on. That is not the case. The only time that I use the battery disconnect switch is if I am leaving the rig for an extended time and I know that it won't be plugged in and we are not traveling and/or not staying in it, etc. I think that maybe it has been off 3 times in the year that I have owned it. The other situation when I have turned it off is when I'm doing something with the electrical system and want to be sure that I have everything powered down as much as possible - in which case I turn off the chassis and house battery cutoffs as well. Perhaps this is overkill on my part, but it has only been done once when I was updating a 12V fixture. I appreciate the feedback for care with powering the MPX system up and down. I did cycle the switch today once (off, then on) to test the "pulling the knob" on the fans to manual mode, which did not affect anything. Again, the vast majority (99%) of the time, the rig is left with shore power connected, driving, or again shore power connected with no touching or using the battery disconnect. There is no problem with the lids opening or closing (blockage or sticking), and the pin switches are lubricated regularly and function as they should. The fans work fine when used as intended and there are no issues with fan speed, function, forward/reverse, etc. and I did try to communicate that in my posting. The sole problem that I was curious about was why the lift motors would power up seemingly by themselves after using the battery disconnect switch, and the fans are OFF at the controls. It has done this every time I have stored the rig without power and then re-powered using the battery disconnect i.e. the lid-lift motors are activated without the fans being activated and the fans are all "OFF". The issue is not a serious one, and I am always able to close or open the lids manually after they are triggered to move. Apparently, no one else has ever experienced the lift-motors activating with all fans turned off upon the restoration of power through the battery disconnect switch. Thanks again - John

Thanks for writing. The issue has nothing to do (apparently) with auto vs. manual. They are "off" for all intents and purposes, but still the lid tries to open/close. I absolutely agree that the 'auto' mode is wonky, and that is why I have always used them manually. I offered the explanation that the auto mode does work properly, even though I don't personally use the 'auto' mode, in case that made a difference to someone who knows far more than I do. It may not be worth tracking down, but I can't help but think that something isn't exactly operating as it should. John

I'm not at all sure that it would be worth it. We are in total agreement. That said - sometimes things that are complex to me are well-known by the group and easy. I did a lengthy search of the forum to see if anyone else had ever experienced the same thing, but couldn't find anything besides difficulties with the switch itself (which we aren't having). I have many times been astounded by the painfully obvious after posing a question or two! Thanks for the response :-) John

AHHHH. Let me try that. I'm not sure if the knob(s) are down or up. I'm on it. I will report back! John Alas, No Joy. I pulled the knob down from the up position on both fans. I cycled the salesman switch off then on, and the same two motors started to move the lids. Same as previously. John

Hi - Yes, so do I. The fans are not turned on when this happens. Everything is off, and when I want to use them, I turn them on, etc. The fan lid covers start to move when I power up the salesman switch from the off position, even when off and/or being operated manually. I'm not sure if this helps....thanks for the response. John

Hello all - Time to chase after a small remaining electrical gremlin. Everything works as it should as far as I can tell when the 'salesman switch' is turned off and on. Power is terminated appropriately when turned off, and all resumes when turned back on. There are no apparent glitches or other problems. However... Whenever I turn the power back on using the salesman switch, two of the lid-lift motors on the fantastic fans start, attempting to the raise/lower the covers over the fantastic fans. The fans in the hall bath/vanity area and the one in the water closet both start and raise or lower the lid, but the kitchen fan lid-lift motor does not activate. The fans themselves do not turn on to ventilate, just the lid open/close. The fans do work appropriately when turned on via switches and using the % cooling/thermostat setting and the select fan speed settings on the fan controls. Does anyone have any clues/reason/understanding of why this may be the case? The fans work appropriately, but every time I power up via the salesman switch, the lid either raises or lowers, depending on its starting position open/close to move the lid opposite its starting position. I await enlightenment from the hive mind :-) John

Hello all - I've been following this thread after having had 'air issues' with our rig. In the interest of gathering information to have and/or share in the future - does anyone have a part number for the internal wet/dry check valve located in the front main tank? I'd like to save it since one never knows! John

Just add more fragments to the education of a fool (me). Thank you SO MUCH. Actually, just one word did the trick. "Dip Stick". AHA. I remembered. It is supposed to be a dip stick in the cover, and not a plug. By golly, Mr. Cherry was right and made the entire repair possible and fast. Here are some photos. The dipstick end of the assembly somehow vibrated loose from the threaded screw that runs through the hole in the top of the cap and secures the cap to the dipstick itself. The dipstick end had fallen down into the oil reservoir. I removed the bands for the top of the cover and pulled the cover off and then tried the magnetic tool approach, but the magnet was so strong that it mostly stuck to the sides of the reservoir or the bottom and didn't get me much. So I washed up my hand and dried it and went diving. In the bottom, I found the dipstick portion which had come unscrewed from the top cap piece and fallen beneath the filter. I re-assembled the dipstick (which now looks exactly like the one posted by Tom), replaced the cover, and then replaced the dipstick. All is good now, and fixed with a single word 🙂 That said, the fluid was a little skanky, so I will drain and refill everything tomorrow. Supposedly, "all" fluids were changed just prior to my purchasing the rig, but I guess the seller didn't really mean ALL despite being questioned about the hydraulics and transmission as well as engine oil, etc. So live and learn. Trust, but verify. And the hydraulic oil/fluid needed changing anyway. And yes, I will change the filter also. Maybe the photos will help someone in the future should something like this happen again. I couldn't find any diagrams, etc. online. In the end, it's quite a simple setup. Thank you again to all who responded.

Hi - I think that there is something wrong with the plug. I didn't mess with it, but it just lifts off now. There is a bolt through the top of the cap that goes through a rubberized kind of cover, but there is no nut or anything on the end. The whole cap is loose and is not a snug fit like I remember. The top of the cap says "twist right (with an arrow) to tighten" but it is loose and it isn't possible to tighten it down. So perhaps something vibrated loose? There is what looks like a plug with a hole in the center of it, down inside the neck of the port. It looks like the screw should go through the hole in the plug and screw on to something to hold it in place? I'm just guessing here. So - I can't tighten the plug, if that makes sense. John

Hello all - When I went to check the engine oil today in the rig, I see where there is a leak at the hydraulic plug on the reservoir tank at the left rear of the engine bay. Clearly, fluid is coming out of the tank and leaking. I can't find a part number anywhere online for the reservoir or the plug, and a search here found nothing. Does anyone know what the part number for either the reservoir or the plug are? Thanks for any assist... John

We are going and looking forward to it! John

Yes, precisely. Not the leveling system (as initially suspected). The air brake system - regular drive - and not the air bags or Valid system. Apologies if I didn't make that clear! John

A final follow-up on the Squealing situation. It took me a matter of months (since last November, to be exact), but today, the problem was solved. After changing all of the leveling and air components that I could, the squeal persisted. No 90 degree turns in lines, I increased the line size to 3/8" on many of the 1/4" lines, I replaced pressure-protection valves and even the solid connections like elbows, etc. all to no avail. Every bump in road/dip/shift gave a small 'squeal', and a long-continuous squeal on moving air bags to travel mode as previously described. I elected to change the shock absorbers earlier this year, and when the new shocks finally arrived, I elected to have some assistance(!) with the task and hired a friend of my brother who does some coach work for him to help. He is the nicest young man and at least 30 years my junior, which gives him an edge with mobility and strength both. I'm just not as young or as strong as I wish, and 10 shock absorbers was a large task. While underneath the rig, I asked the mechanic/assistant what he thought about the squeal, and we played "make the rig squeal" for at least 30 minutes trying to isolate the problem. His hearing was spot-on, and he immediately said "that's a stuck solenoid somewhere." The squealing sound resonated throughout the entire front tank and air system, and I just couldn't tell where it was coming from. We finally settled on the likely culprit being the Right Front ABS Modulator Valve - Bendix M32 version. While I was up top making the rig squeal, the assistant said that he could feel the left front modulator moving/vibrating, but the front right could not/did not. Closer visual showed that the small rubber gasket designed to keep water out of the valve was missing also. AHA! Long story short - I replaced the right front ABS Modulator Valve this morning with a new one from Northwest RV Supply in Eugene, OR because they have a lot of old stock Monaco parts from back in the day. Perfect fit, and now....Blessed Silence. I am posting to give final follow-up; we ended up moving from New Mexico to Alabama after the first of the year, and that I just didn't have time to work as much on the rig until recently. Thanks again to all who stepped up. Even knowing what is NOT causing a problem does 2 things for me - it not only helps to solve the issue at hand, but I also walk away with improved understanding of an increasing number of systems. Best wishes to all and safe travels .... John

What a great Christmas-eve treat. The package from Santa arrived yesterday!! Thanks to Carey and the talented 'staff' who manufactured, skillfully packaged, and sent the weep hole covers. I especially appreciated the refrigerator art (yes, that's where it is now!). The covers are a perfect fit, and I cannot thank you enough! Happy Holidays!! John

And the ride height valve also is newly-replaced. When you say six-pack, do you mean the manifold from Valid? (the one with the solenoids, etc). I removed it, cleaned it, and lubed and replaced all of the o-rings as a first shot at the anti-squeal endeavor. It was squealing before I worked on the manifold, and still does now...so it didn't change anything for the worse. There is always the possibility of a bad 'new' part.... John

Following up.... Replaced 2nd Pressure Protection Valve and associated fittings. Sound/squeal persists. Everything I do seems to make it a tiny bit better (softer) but still....something is making the 'harmonica' sound when the air bags fill after pressing Travel Mode. Adjustments with manual mode do not cause the squeal, nor does air releasing from the air bags when leveling. We are in FL so have been a little busy watching weather, etc. but looks like everything will be ok where we are in Wildwood. I'll update ongoing as I have time to continue fiddling and listening, etc. I'm trying not to simply throw parts at it, but all tests come back as 'ok' individually. Other than Josam's in Orlando....anyone know of a place that would be interested in having a look in Florida? We will be heading back up to the panhandle next week. Thanks again for everyone's support and assistance to date. I'm learning a lot! John

Yes - but the 'test' was for the parking brake release valve, not the rear suspension and airbags. The rear airbags have been blessedly silent all along. Unless I'm incorrect, and the parking brake release valve is connected to the suspension? The 1/4 inch air drain in the rear is for the suspension, and the 3/8 inch drain in the rear is for the brakes, as I understand it. That said - the libraries are full of things that I don't know! I may easily be wrong. I suppose I could always try with the rear suspension also deflated. This has to be one of the easiests tests that I've ever done! John