Dick Roberts

Tom, I just, finally, got a reply from CW/GS support. Hoping for a resolution without lawyers, but we'll see.

Not sure what I can do about CW with my limited time frame. As far as where we go? Hmmmmm....... We sold the house, closing in two weeks, we drive off in the MH with all our remaining belongings. Destination not determined.

Less than two weeks to 'Road Trip'. Still may issues on the MH. I've almost got the electrical figured out. Inv/Chrg is now working. And the slide switch is indeed above pass seat. I didn't want to chance opening it for fear of not being able to get it to shut. Read a lot of horror stories on here. I had a 45 point safety inspection scheduled at CW this past Tues. He found some issues, bad lp valve, out of date smoke alarms, but nothing major until he cranked out the slide. I don't know if he didn't unlock it or what. I do know he didn't know where the locks were. He'd never heard of them he said. But there are two red stickers on the cabinet door where the switch is. They are clearly Red Warning Labels, advising that the locks must be disengaged before opening the slide. I didn't know, then, where the locks were either, but I do now. When he opened the slide it ripped the trim above the slide off the MH. Big gaping hole along the entire length of the slide,. Not sure how I'm going to fix that in the next 2 weeks. Of course, CW is denying any responsibility for the damage. Going to try to get service on the motor, tranny, and chassis scheduled tomorrow, hoping the can get me in this week. Thinking I'll start Talin RV if they do that kind of service, or with the highly recommended one on here located in Ocala.

Don't be discouraged. I just bought a 99 Diplomat less than two weeks ago that has new issues everyday. (Notice I said issues, not problems?) I sold my house, a beautiful 30+ acre paradise on the Suwannee River, and we close in 3 days and have to be out by 2/10. MH isn't ready, house isn't emptied, barn and shed both full of stuff that has to go. (somewhere?) I keep working on the MH, wife keeps working on packing the MH, packing for storage, packing for donations, yard sale, and give aways, bagging for dump. And did I mention the MH still isn't road ready? I'm trying to find and line up a good service center for a complete motor, tranny, generator, and chassis service. Hoping to find one tomorrow that can get me in and out same day, this week. Know it's gonna cost me a bundle. Just another adventure. I haven't sanitized the water system yet, still having issues with house batteries, only front ac is working and that isn't as cold as the dash ac. So just keep working that list. Concentrate on things that prevent you from safe travels. Like bad brakes, ruff engine, bad tires. Some things you can, and will have to, fix on the road or at the campground. We're going full time right now. Some day we may decide to settle back into a house, maybe not. So get yourself some new tires and some good tire insurance, and get a really good road side assistance plan and go for it. I bought mine from a private seller, not a dealer. He admitted he new absolutely nothing about MH's. He inherited it from a friend. I knew even less. I bought it and drove it 200 miles home. I've been dumping time and money in it since. I expect that will continue for a time. But when I'm done, I'll have a better MH then anything, regardless of cost, made after the DEF motor was put into production. Yours is the same. Have faith. Don't give up. The road awaits us.

I need to take my MH in for a complete service. I just bought it and I have little knowledge of actual last service. Two weeks and counting to our journey beginning as full time RV'ers. Anybody know a good shop in NCFL, with Gainesville being the starting point. Would prefer a 50 mile or so radius but in reality I'll drive to where ever I need to go for reliable competent service. MH is a 99 Diplomat with a 275 HP Cummins. All thoughts and suggestions are welcome. Thanks

I'll be working on the air leak today. I'm thinking I should take it to a cummins shop for LOF. I watched a video on that, on a semi not a DP, and I don't think I want to mess with 10 gals of old diesel oil. Not sure where my closest truck service shop is yet.

I was able to negotiate the price down a little, not as much as I'd hoped. First thing I did when I got there was try to start the genny. It clicked like a typical bad battery in a car. I started the MH and let it run for about 5 minutes, and tried again. The genny started right up. About half the DC and AC circuits were working. I bought it and drove it home. House batteries still not charged enough to crank genny. Moved on to issues I could fix. Had new tires installed along with a tire monitor system. Found out that the male end of a 50 amp cord is 25 bucks and available at my local hardware store. The female plug of the 50 amp cord was $89 and change, and I had to drive 60 miles to get it. I brought in my brother by phone to help. He's a retired elec/hvac master wrench. He helped me verify the connections in the new transfer switch. We verified the genny was supplying 120 vac on both legs and that it was being sent to the main breaker panel in the MH. Checked all the breakers, but still didn't have full power inside. The remote panel for the Freedom 15 inv/chg was dead. The house batteries still weren't charging to full capacity, driving or genny. Then I came across a post on here where there was mention of the communication line sometimes causing an issue with inv. Mine plugs into the inv inside underneath everything, so all I could do was jiggle it, but I could here the noise from the inv change when I jiggled. So I kept jiggling until the noise stopped, then I went inside and the remote panel was light and active. It showed the charge state of the house batteries, very low, they showed 10.5 volts. 30 minutes later they were up to 11.0. Still had only one bar on the icon and a red led. I drove twenty miles up the road to the nearest truck stop and filled up. Checked the batteries again when I got home and they were up to 12.2 and the second icon, 2 bars, had an amber led lite. Electrical issues are being eliminated one by one. Only have front ac. Outlet for front tv has no power. Outside outlet for fridge only has 36 vac. But the heater works 🙂 and the water pump. Tested only. Haven't sanitized the water system yet so haven't tested all plumbing Washer/dryer has power to it, I'll test it when water tanks flushed. Hot water heater works. The slide works but the service guy at CW who tested it didn't check the top before extending it. The molding strip along the top of the MH somehow got stuck to the top of the slide or to the awning and the strip got pulled loose from front to back. Big gaping hole. Makes me sick to look at it when I think about how much they charged me to damage my new MH. The MH seems to have developed an air leak, or rather what use to be a slow air leak has turned into a fast air leak. Sounds like it might be one of the rear air bags. I hope that's where it's leaking, I have four brand new ones in one of the storage bays, still in the shipping box. Only a couple of nuts and an airline. Should be a piece of cake, right? I only have two weeks left to get this ready for a permanent road trip. Wow, a permanent road trip! I can't believe we're really doing this.

Do you by chance have any for a 99 Diplomat 36B?

When running the genny, I have power on both legs through the transfer switch and into the main breaker box. and out the breaker labeled Inverter. I haven't checked AC input at the inverter yet. Long drive back from CW and not much daylite left. I did check the bat voltage, both banks, with genny running and it made no difference whether or not the inverter was switched on or off, The voltage on both banks stayed the same, on or off. Both banks showed a slight increase with genny running vs no genny.

Learning so much so quickly, not to mention expensively. New tires are really expensive! I've dropped several thousand at CampWorld in 2 visits. Expected the first high dollar bill. But when the $330 '45 point inspection' on the second visit turned into almost 2k with over a thousand for labor, I about s***. Gonna avoid that place in the future I think. I did learn some things though. I learned that when he tested the slide, the trim above it stuck to the canopy and pulled loose the entire length of the slide. I think I can reattach it and reseal. Has anyone ever used that flex seal product? I found out my heart interface freedom 15 inverter/charger isn't. Not inverting or charging. Multiple posts mention the remote and the inverter both have an on/off switch. My inverter does, the remote does not. The remote looks similar to pics posted, but mine has a switch for the basement lights and a switch for the slide. The inverter hums when switched on, but no signs of charging while genny is running. No shore power available here to test that. Many have mentioned a fuse may be bad, but don't elaborate on where that fuse is located. This inverter may be original and just be old and done. Any ideas before I buy a new one? Thanks for any ideas or thoughts.

And that is why I love this site. So many good responses. Thanks to all y'all. I haven't checked but I must already have the TRW box, as I have almost NO play in my steering. No rolling, no wagging, just a big sail. When I was getting blown onto the rumble strips, the MH just slid over like it was on ice, so I'm hoping it's a result of bad tires. I started anticipating the wind from the big rigs as they approached and was able to keep it between the lines as they passed by the time I reached I-75 and home. I haven't checked for any other steering add-ons so I don't know about the Watts or shocks. I'll check tomorrow. Today was reg and title work, done, wipers done, and found a fuel cap first try at my local no name auto parts shop. I was amazed that in my little farm town of Bell FL, I was able to find both. Then I spent an hour looking for the slide switch. I know it has one, because I have a slide. But after searching inside and out, no switch found. My other failed attempt involved my awning. Can't get it to unlock and extend. I did find the sticking point, I think. It won't unlock. The lock mechanism on the struts is loose now, but the little gizmo lock on the awning itself is stuck, and I didn't have a big enough hammer to break it free. Tomorrow I'll try PB Blaster and the like to see if I can get it free. All my gauges are working and readable, except the tranny temp. After I get in touch with an Alison shop, I will look into the unit that monitors the systems in one screen. Wayne, here in FL they discontinued vehicle inspections years ago. Sadly. So you can buy or sell junk vehicles and put them right on the road. My tires are 2016, and have plenty of tread, but starting to check and probably hard with little traction. When I was getting blown of the road, there was no pressure on the steering wheel, it just slid across the pavement like it was on ice. New tires will correct that, I hope. Biggest concern for me tomorrow is unsticking the awning lock, and finding the switch for the slide. Any thoughts? Thanks,

I drove my new MH home today. 99 Diplomat 38A DP. Most nerve wracking 200 miles I've driven since my first solo trip in a car from FL to MI when I was 17. Picked it up in Winter Springs near Orlando. Less than 10 miles to the toll roads, didn't really get used to air brakes, turning, accelerating, and steering. By the time I got to the second turnpike, my hands had unclenched a little and feeling had returned to my fingers. By the time I got to the FL Turnpike I had figured out how to set the cruise control. Even with that big blue steering stabilizer I found myself getting blown onto the rumble strips by every big rig that passed me. Knowing I couldn't rely on the fuel gauge, where the needle was at the red bars which I think means 'start looking for a fuel stop', I stopped at the Okahumpka Service Plaza and added 50 gals to my 100 gal tank. I figured it give me about 3/4 tank. It filed it to the neck. DamnItMan! That's when I discovered this MH has a fuel door on both sides of the coach. And that the one on the passenger side is missing the cap. I know this because after fueling, I drove to the parking side and got out to go inside the store to grab some lunch, and when I came out the door, the smell of diesel was really strong. Looked right as I exited and notice diesel running down the side of the coach. Open door, and no cap. Stuffed a rag in the neck for a temp fix. Stopped at multiple truck stops on I 75, but couldn't find a cap. On my list for tomorrow along with a visit to the DMV. Side note, did y'all know that a new FL regulation/law/f*ck you joe citizen, or what ever they call it took affect the beginning of 2023? If you register your vehicle at a County Tax Collector/DMV office, it must be the office in your home county. If it's strictly a State DMV, you're fine. But if it's a County building, gotta be home. Closest State office was 219 miles South of where we were. So seller signed all the paperwork and I drove home on his tag. The MH seems to be in fairly good shape, engine wise. Plenty of power on the highway. But seems really sluggish from a dead stop. I noticed the transmission temp gage wasn't working. I'm guessing if they went to the trouble to put a tranny temp gage in it must be important to know what temp the tranny is running. Anybody have experience with that repair? When I first looked at this MH, the house batteries were dead and the generator wouldn't start, and there was no shore power available. So I couldn't check any of the systems other than the motor fired right up. I was hoping to talk the seller down on price because of that, and the fact it needs new tires. Just my luck, the genny started today, but I still got him to drop the price a little. Tomorrow I'll start checking out the various systems onboard and fluids, belts and hoses. Our full time RV life is becoming a reality. We can't wait.

I'm picking up (I hope) my new (to me) MH tomorrow. There are a multitude of issues with it, all electrical, that I am confident I can correct once I get it home. My problem, the current owner can not find the factory owners manual for it. I've looked online but can't find one older than 2000 model year. I've seen that one, for 2000, and it's fairly useless. I've seen excerpts from several older manuals, 1995 - 1999, and they actually had useful info. The 95 manual, for instance, had a full page on the fuel tank and why it held more fuel than was useable. The reason I want/need one is I'm a newbie to RV's and to diesels. I'm not even sure of the correct startup or shutdown procedures. I have a feeling it's somewhat more involved than my car. Turn key, start motor, drive. Put the car in park and turn off the key. Done! If any of y'all have a digital copy of a 1995 to 1999 Diplomat owners manual that I can get a copy of, I would forever be in your debt. Thanks in advance for any help.

In the mid 90's I bought an early 70's Class C, powered by a big block Ford. I rebuilt the top end and the Holly and rewired the rear lights. Markers, tail, stop, reverse. (Finished that job at 2 AM the morning we were scheduled to leave at 5 AM) It had a duel battery system. Generator wouldn't run due to blown safety relays that were no longer available. The house battery caught fire driving down though E CO from NE. I stopped, yanked the cables off, put out the fire, and continued on home to FL with no more issues. Sold that MH without doing any more work on it. That is the total of my experience with MH's and duel battery setups. I have, however, worked on and repaired a variety of gas vehicles, including complete rebuilds on V8's and multiple motorcycles. I consider myself to be a fair to mediumly competent shade tree wrench. The work ahead doesn't scare me, but the $$$ certainly does. But I've convinced myself the battery drain was caused by battery switches not turned off and one or more DC circuits left energized. I had a brand new battery in my van die completely in 2 days due to a dome light being left on. My golf cart had 12 year old Trojans that held a charge for a weeks use, and they died completely over night because the key switch was left on overnight. My thought (hope, prayer) is if the rest of the system is working, then the alternator should recharge the house bank on the 160 mile drive home. I could be looking through rose colored glasses, but I could also be right. And with the issues present, I have a lot of negotiating room. The price is already low, compared to other Diplomats of this year. And with my (new) knowledge of what could be wrong, I feel I can negotiate an even lower price. If not, I will certainly walk away, losing nothing but some time and 2 tanks of gas. Thanks for all the great info.

Yeah, I'm way to familiar with heavy messy batteries. Just recently changed them and the cables in my golf cart. I'm going to abandon that fix until I get it home if they don't charge on the 160 mile drive home. I'm pretty sure the owner doesn't realize the gen cover is missing but I'll ask. And I'll find or make one if he doesn't.

Thanks, the tires are one of my bargaining points, 7 years old and showing signs of weathering cracking. I know how expensive AC's are, I have the repair bill from Aug of 2013 when the front AC was replaced. About $1400. New washer/dryer installed this year, never used. Current owner is 3rd owner, but has never used the MH. Previous two owners kept all repair bills, dating from first warranty repair with 9,000 miles, to latest repair with 113,700 miles. Almost $25,000 in repairs. To me, it seems both owners took good care of this MH. Thanks

Thanks for all the replies. I think I should clarify who this 'owner' is. He inherited this coach from a friend who died recently. He is not an 'RV guy", his words, and has no desire to become one. Hence the sale. He took it to a reputable repair shop in central FL and had it checked/serviced 3 weeks ago. The bill was several thousand dollars. I saw the bill, I just forgot to bring it home with me. I do have repair bills dating back to New Warranty work performed through the life of the MH. According to the current repair bill, ALL systems tested/checked out OK. No issues found that were not repaired. RD, the boost switch you refer to is by drivers seat? Does that activate the solenoid to connect the two battery banks? If the boost works, is that better/safer than jumping the two banks, or just easier? Unfortunately he's not giving it away, but the price is $10,000 less than the next cheapest Diplomat, same year and configuration with similar mileage. Both MH are over the JD Power?NADA value. I don't know about the gen cover, I didn't realize it should have one. I'm guessing the current owner had no clue also. SP, I can't go to where shore power is available to check as previous owner (not current owner) ran over shore power cable and plug end is crushed. I can fix that when I get it home. The house batteries have a 2021 date, so I'm hoping they simply got drained from a device left on that shouldn't have been. And the battery shut-offs weren't shut off. I know how expensive those batteries are, I just replaced 6 of them in my golf cart. (DamnItMan, I hate when my brain functions at idle speed. I can bring my golf cart batteries with me and swap them out if I can't get it jumped or boosted. Right?) I agree the battery wiring looks like a cluster, but it also looks original. ie, dirt/dust on connections don't look disturbed. Also, he just had it serviced, and all systems were good. I've jump started many vehicles in the past, but never a multi battery bank. In the picture I've hi-lited where I think I would connect cables to jump system. Does it look correct to anyone? Thanks again for the help and responses.

Hello, I'm new to the site and to RV life. I'm in the process of buying a 99 Diplomat 38A DP. I went and looked at it last week. The first thing the owner showed me was a 3 week old repair bill, from reputable dealer, for several thousand dollars. I don't remember details, my impression was a general check and service after sitting. At that time, everything worked. 3 weeks later when I get there, the house batteries are dead and the generator won't start. Shore power not available. The chassis batteries appeared fine, and the coach started with no issues. The owner was supposed to get the house batteries charged before I return to complete the buy this coming Tuesday. Spoke with him yesterday, and he hasn't and won't charge them. He's afraid he'll hook something wrong and cause damage.\ I've been researching this and other forum sites to glean as much info as I can on this issue. There does not appear to be a simple yes or no answer to my question. I know, it's taking me a while to get to the question. Do all y'all think driving the MH a 100 miles would allow the alternator to trickle charge the house batteries enough to crank the generator which would then fully charge the house batteries? Or jump the gen off a 12v car battery? I'd prefer to get the gen started before I buy it. Without the gen, or house batteries, or shore power, nothing works. I can't check any of the systems. Of course, y'all didn't need me to state the obvious. I think the cause of the bat drain was a new gizmo they installed at that 3 week ago service. Seems the speedometer needle has fallen off of the shaft it should be on, and is lying in the bottom of the dial. The service center installed a electronic speedo that uses heads up tech to display speed on the windshield. Connects via USB cable that runs under the dash somewhere. While standing by the door, I noticed it was making a slight noise. I pulled the usb cable and the noise stopped. I'm guessing (hoping) the owner left it on when he returned from the service trip and that drained the house batteries after running for 3 weeks. Sorry for the long post. I tend to ramble some/most times. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I'm in the process of buying my first MH, a 99 Diplomat 38A. I know it has electrical issues, and after reading this thread I have very serious doubts about my sanity. DamnItMan, I just wanted to go camping. 🙂