VinceB

2 hours ago, FLynes said:

...

When we get the coach back, I'll do the front plate, which will require drilling, because I don't remember holes being there, when we bought it. ...

 I suggest that you put some blue tape on firmly then drill the holes - you'll get a crisper hole edge that way.

43 minutes ago, FLynes said:

I just went down to the paint shop today and installed the jack nuts, and they were a perfect fit.

Yep - me too. Perfect fit - went in better than original as well.  The installation tools really make it easy.

Now what to do with the other 29 nuts and tools that I'll likely never use. I know, first world problems...

1 hour ago, FLynes said:

Probably. I just bought the kit from Amazon, and it includes the tool: https://a.co/d/6axmw9u

Yeah, me too. Hard to go wrong for $18 and the reurn policy is great.  If not the size we need I'll buy other sizes until I land on the correct one.

4 hours ago, FLynes said:

Vince, thanks for posting this question, and thank you to everyone who responded. I noticed, when I dropped our coach off at the paint shop, that one of the bolts from the rear license plate was gone. When we bought the coach, it had the same holes as yours, but nothing in those holes, so I used the Auto Zone plastic license plate nuts on the backside and screwed the plate to them, but the vibrations of the road must have loosened the one to the point that we lost it. Now I know what the correct fasteners are called.

So, as you wrote, what size to get...

Another question to go along with that is, do we need the special tool to first install the jacknut before attaching the license plate and bolts.

Went to Ace Hardware today and found an old-timer that knew his stuff.

I showed him my pix and he knew it was a jacknut - they don't have them but Amazon does.

Question now is what size.

In high humidity areas both my  AC's will short cycle. I figured out that the evaporator coils were icing up - we like to run pretty cold. So I set the fans to run continuously on high and problem solved.

On 8/9/2023 at 11:20 AM, Dick Roberts said:

I have a 99 36B Diplomat, bought it in Jan. I put new Samson 255's on it and run them all at 110 psi. Rides good but I've also got new air bags so that may help. I didn't think 275's would fit, but if you don't have any issues I may have made a mistake going with the 255's.

On a side note, you don't have an owners manual for your 99 by any chance? The PO of mine misplaced his copy and I've been searching for a copy.

Good luck and have fun on your travels.

As for the 275's: I had the same thought when I first got the coach and called Monaco. Tech support said to stay with the 255's stating that ride height, transmission shifting, handling, and engine tune would all be negatively affected.

Thanks.

Yeah, I knew about those but they look too short for my application. Maybe in a pinch though.

47 minutes ago, hex_nut said:

Here is a set on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Black-License-Plate-Screws-Fastening/dp/B07QNN8NX7/ref=asc_df_B07QNN8NX7?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814224251698&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413752197037&th=1

Thanks.

Yeah, I knew about those but they look too short for my application. Maybe in a pinch though.

I'm not sure if the front plate was stolen or the paint shop never re-installed it.

I must have a front plate being in CA and all and I will get new plates on Monday at AAA.

My questions is where/what do I use for the receptacle for the screw that holds the front plate in?  I guess I could walk (not great physically at the moment) around Autozone or O'Reilly in hope but thought it more efficient to post here.

Pix tell it all. One is the front and the other is rear of the one that is still there.

Has anyone used these? I saw their ad on YouTube as a video - don't see the video on their site but looks to be impressive.

https://www.peachloft.com/pages/waterproof-solder-wire-connectors-gg#overview

Walt's RV Salvage - surplus

• 1275 Railroad St
• Corona, CA 92882

Don't bother calling them - you have to go there to see what they have.  Cash talks and everything is negotiable.  It's a real candy store - my buddyand I go sometimes just for fun.  Lots of stuff for older RVs.  AFAIK they have no web site and don't do web order sales.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/walts-rv-corona

52 minutes ago, StellaTariche said:

Wow Vince.  They did a great job on your coach.

...

 

Thanks.

I forgot to mention that they took all the awnings off and painted them separately and painted the window frames & mirrors.  The ladder came off too and that was a good opportunity to rework the star nuts inside that had rusted and come loose.

There are still a few touch ups that need to be done - hard to imagine that many square feet would have zero defects. It goes back in 2 weeks for the final work and wax.

As far as waiting on the color sanding I believe they were erring on the side of caution because of the many layers and because Imron takes a while to cure in the very wet weather we had this winter in So Cal.

My point of all this is that it is a HUGE amount of work and you need patience, patience, patience to get it to come out right.

On 8/4/2023 at 4:42 AM, Just Jim said:

I had this issue and thought it would be an easy fix.  Just lightly sand and spray on some new clear coat, right?  I knew it was not going to blend well, but was hoping to stop the peeling.  Long story short.... the paint is really thin.  using 1500 grit, I was in the primer in no time.  So, my easy fix became a repaint... and matching 20 year old paint is a nightmare.   My new motto...  it doesn't look great... but it looks better than it did before.  I am hopefully retiring in a few, so my plan is to repaint the entire coach.  Should be a fun project.  The difficult part is not the painting... it is controlling the environment.  Temperature, humidity, lighting for a vehicle of this size is a challenge. 

x2 on all the above and x1000 on not going to Mexico - a 2-day paint job there will be a case of you got what you paid for.

I just went through this with my coach and decided to repaint it.  Painting just the sections that were bad would make it look spotty. The paint shop took their time and did some nice work. It took them 6 weeks to copy the stripes, repair some dings, mask and prime. Then we had lots of rain so they wouldn't paint until they were happy with the temperature and humidity in the paint booth.

They wouldn't do any paint correction/final buff until the paint had cured for 7 weeks they said otherwise the clear would turn hazy in a few months. So it sounded to me like they were doing their best to do it correctly. 

All told, it took about 6 months for it all to come together. Now the coach looks better than it did from the factory because in 2001 Monaco used decals and only below the belt line was painted. That's the good news.

The bad news is that it was $25,000 a year ago and they've increased their price to $35,000 now for a 36-foot RV.

I guess that I'm strange. I took of my rock guard years ago and left it off. 

On another site, it was discussed by an aeronautical engineer I think. He said, and I agree, that it lets a vacuum form behind the coach which sucks things up and behind.

Long story short, my Jeep started getting a lot less rock dings when I took it off.

Just my 2¢

Had a problem with mine - no motor movement.  I finally figured out it was the switch.  Operated the switch several times and it finally made contact. Now when I go in, I leave the key off and operate the switch once in a while - no problem since I started that.

As advised by ShadePro, I also keep the awning lubricated which takes strain off the motor.

On 6/14/2023 at 4:50 PM, 1nolaguy said:

Our 18 year old Nevercold is not working. I know the refrigerator door gaskets need replacement but also , while the freezer gets cold the fins in the refrigerator does not. Since the freezer (both sides) will freeze with temperatures dropping even after about 1 Hr the chilling portion (back furnace and ammonia re-circulation) seems to work fine the problem is something else. This unit is the original in our 2005 Safari so I do not want to spend a bunch on trying to put it back in service. If repair is going to cost more than $200-300 I would rather put that toward a new unit. If replacing it will likely be a 12v system. Thought about standard residential but the lack of efficiency vs 12v is leading me that direction if I go new. ANy help diagnosing this would be helpful.

I had a simlar problem. My door seals are good. So I tightened up all the screws in the rear of all 3 compartments that I could find in order to draw tight the cooling plates to the compartments.  That worked like magic since they were all pretty loose.

I suggest you try that in the interim and maybe it will delay the inevitable swap out.

I know it is a temporary fix but I'm known to milk my equipment for as long as I can. 22 years and still going.

On 5/8/2023 at 6:48 PM, Larry Laursen said:

Most likely the Nason switch mounted on the end of the Brake release has failed.  They can be replaced rather easily.  Here is some old information on it.  There are other sources.

Nason Safety Switch

P/N SM-1C-66R/wp28

Phone Number 800-228-5800

 

Cross Company 866-219-8217
Sunsource 800-228-5800
Flow Dynamics 205-581-1200
Hydraulic Energy Products 800-800-3471

Fluid Power Equipment Co. 877-471-8999

Had this happen on a trip.  I was able to remove the cup holder that is close to the parking brake handle, reach in, and unplug the wires - that stopped the chime.

Has happened 2x and now I carry a spare.

Another source: 

https://www.airlinehyd.com/search?searchTerm=SM-1C-66R%2FWP28&sortType=relevancy&resultPage=1

On 5/15/2023 at 10:16 AM, CLIFF918 said:

2 the one in the condenser compartment and one on the engine.

I was able to climb under the coach today and this is the arrangement I have as well. 

Never having specifically looked with a flashlight, I assumed both filters were on the same side. 

Bottom line is that the best I can surmise from my receipts is that the driver side filter was on for at least 3 years. Or I was being charged for filters that I wasn’t getting which would make it a lot longer. 

At least my new mechanic is sharp and honest. And I’m that much more familiar with my coach.  

4 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

So, your engine now has three fuel filters, two on the passenger side and one on the driver's side.

I would want to know how the three are plumbed if it were my coach, such that which one is the primary, which one is the secondary and the mysterious third one the "step child".

Me too.  I plan to take a closer look tomorrow.  But given the number of lines and poor access I'm not optimistic about figuring it out.

3 hours ago, CLIFF918 said:

My 2002 Diplomat ISC-330 has the same filter in the condenser compartment it is a water separator.

Cliff 

So do you have 2 or 3 fuel filters?

5 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

Are you sure that it is a fuel filter?

Does your engine have a coolant filter?

Yes and yes.

Coolant filter 24071 was replaced at this service.

The new-found filter on the driver's side was replaced with a 33783. 

11 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

Not interesting…..fact.  Magnum says (in 2009….no less), trying to run a MH on a 15 A or even 20 A GFCI is a lower’s hand.  You need to read the Magnum 101 file on setup.  In addition, you will need to downrate or set back the Shore.  Search Watts MUST be off.  Ordinarily, you always leave the Shore on 30 A.  That is based in the Breaker feeding the Magnum.  BUT, if you are on a lower rated circuit, say 15 Amp, you have to set it for the CB controlling the source….as in 15 A.

You also need to turn down the charging rate.  Kill all the parasitic loads….like unplugging all the HEC devices.  I keep a poser strip on each end for that.  Magnum says to downrate the shore to 10….then 5….still strips, forget it.

Glad you were able to rewire.  Sometimes you can’t.  If 3 Romex’s then odds are TV and such are on the extra….so you did as was correct….put on LINE.  There is no code or safety issue.

Good job.

Mine is a Xantrex.

I'm not running the coach per se - just leaving it plugged in so the batteries stay up. The amps draw seldom if ever goes above 9 and that's for a few minutes while on bulk charge.

I'd never attempt to run AC, water heater or such on 15a but when I want to I can get the big cord out (PITA) and get 50a which is why I have both. If what I'm doing is inadvisable, I'll figure out something else.

Rewiring was no fun. There's not much room nor slack to work with and the romex and wire are stiff.

Just an FYI for anyone that has a similar coach to mine:

While digging into the underside of the coach looking for the air dump valves, my new mechanic noticed another fuel filter where it was not apparent there would be one.

All the fuel filters are on the passenger side. This new-found one is behind the AC condenser coil on the driver side - it is on the upper right of the bay close to the engine.

It was so dirty that it looked like a frame member. We don't think that it had ever been changed. My guess it is the last one before the engine so possibly the other filters were passing only clean fuel and so this one stayed clean.

On 4/15/2023 at 10:55 AM, Tom Cherry said:

NOPE.  The issue is a poor design by Monaco.  if you changed out the dedicated circuit breaker in your home panel for your refrigerator to a GFCI, OR if you replaced the receptacle with a GFCI, odds are it will drive you crazy.  Refrigerators have small heaters in the doors for defrost and your icemaker has a heating coil in the mold.  Eventually or even right from the factory, there is a “leak” or some minute milliamp current if flowing through the ceramic insulation in those heaters.  The GFCI interprets that as a “unsafe”condition and you get a false positive “trip”.  That is why the NEC specifically does not allow (now some idiots in some municipalities that think they are smarter than UL & NEC have been known to require it and after the inspection, the electrician removes it) a GFCI on a dedicated REFRIGERATOR or MICROWAVE circuit.

What the fix is, is what I posted.  Check the GFCI.  Replace as they get tired and crotchety.  Test and isolate the icemaker receptacle and put on the LOAD or top side.

Some folks can’t do that as Monaco cheats and ran a loop.  Their solution is a separate 800 - 1000 W Auxiliary inverter….but it must NOT have a GFCI outlet.  Some have replaced the GFCI outlet and resolved the issues.

This is a discussion that dates back to 2009 when I joined and folks are concerned over the “safety” of moving the icemaker circuit to the load side, where it should have been, to meet NEC, in the first place.

Hope this helps….

UPDATE:

Yes, that was it - thank you for the help.

I re-wired the GFCI - took the fridge/TV circuit off the load side and put it on the line side.  Everything working as it should now.

It is interesting to note that if I plug the coach into the 15a circuit in my RV bay which is on a GFCI, it will trip. If I plug into the 50a that has no GFCI everything is fine.

UPDATE:

Replaced the front dump valve and 2 on the rear along with the dash switch. 

It was a comedy of errors. The switch had corrosion on the terminals. So once the switch was replaced, we got rid of the intermittent nature of the problem and zeroed in on the front valve that was sticking.

Because the rear valves were tied to the same switch (same number of duty cycles) we installed new valves there too along with all the associated fittings. Works as new and doesn't leak down overnight like it used to.

UPDATE:

I called Banks tech support and they said it pays to keep the software up to date but sometimes it is solely for emissions and that the update process will state that. Ther will be an option to abort the update.

So I instructed my mechanic go ahead with the update but to stop if it was emission related – sure enough it was. So no update.