Tdkkart

2 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

The "Service Center" is most likely your wet bay where you dump your tanks amongst other functions, outside shower, etc.

 I should have clarified, the water is coming FROM the passenger side and running TO the wet bay on the driver's side.

1995 Monaco Dynasty, just awakened from his winter slumber, start checking systems, so hooked up the hose to fill the water tank and had water pouring out on the ground??  Crap, thought for sure the water tank had frozen and broke, as the water was running out from under the tank on the wet bay end(driver's side). After doing some studying of the situation and some process of elimination I figure out its not likely the tank, but rather coming from somewhere else, as it only actively leaked when the water system was pressurized.

 Went to the manifold(1st pic) under the sink, turned off all the valves, turned the supply hose back on to pressurize and now there's no leaks heard. Turn on each circuit individually, and the one labeled "service center" is audibly flowing water when turned on and has a river flowing out under the water tank in the wet bay.

"Service Center"??  What the heck is that and where is it??

After some tracing, I see the lines in the 2nd pic, these run across the back of the bay where the water pump. water heater, pressure tank and inverter reside, come down from under the kitchen cabinets and run to the passenger side behind the panel where the transfer switch is hanging.  These make sense, but there's too many of them, there's only a bathroom sink and shower on that side of the coach, so hot and cold for each makes 4 lines, but there's 6 lines headed that way. Where do the others go??t

**EDIT for clarification**  When the Service Center line is on, the water is coming FROM the middle to passenger side of the coach and running TO the wet bay compartment on the drivers side.

Thanks for any help you can come up with.

Tom

 There is more than 1 inverter, including some Victrons on the market that will do "power sharing", ie: use solar when there's solar available, and will sync up and use shore power as needed to either fully replace or augment the solar. 

So, yes, in your case the solar can indeed be used to offset the power that would normally go through the meter.  Whether you can get enough to offset the cost of the solar equipment involves some math, including some "save the planet feel good", or some "just because I can" multiplier.

5 hours ago, dl_racing427 said:

Low cost transducers like those used in TPMS systems are lucky to be within 2 or 3%, or 3psi error at 100psi, which is plenty close for heavy duty tires.

 Certainly well within the error of a wooden tire knocker, or even a practiced operator of a claw hammer.

On 1/2/2024 at 5:50 PM, Doug and Nicki said:

I watched a video last week and the guy used a sawsall to cut the threaded studs off the old bags to get them off. He was able to get the blade in between the bag and plate to get this done. Is there any reason that this is not an acceptable way to easily remove the old bags?

Well, yes, probably, but you're not really supposed to tell anyone you resorted to such hackery.

If you find it a challenge to get at the hardware etc, go ahead and cut them off, BUT don't forget you have to get at the very same hardware to put the new ones on also, so you're not gaining much.

51 minutes ago, Ivylog said:

Quote: “from the TOP....  When you are on SHORE or run the Generator, your HOUSE BATTERIES are NOT BEING CHARGED.”? Really

Well, that's what he said, but I suspect he may have meant chassis batteries? Maybe?  Mine charges both when on shore power.

23 hours ago, zmotorsports said:

I have gotten equal criticism almost any time I have welded something on the coach which is often why I just don't show it.  I get comments like "are you certified to perform that repair?"  Are you $@#!ting me???  Certified in what exactly?  I've worked as an industrial maintenance mechanic and automotive mechanic my entire life and have just seen what needs to be done and find a way to do it.  I guarantee my welds are at least as good and solid and anything else on this coach.  People have gotten so wrapped up in the whole legal aspect and political correctness in our society that they have forgotten how to think for themselves and definitely how to do anything for themselves.  Now that being said, I do think there are people that probably shouldn't touch some jobs as I've seen their welds.  🤣

I was almost tarred and feathered when I showed how I corrected the thrust angle by shortening my control arms on the driver's side and welding them back together.  

 Some people just can't grasp the fact there are those of us out there that can look at one of these kits of loosely assembled parts and really not be phased by any of it, whether it be the engine, suspension system, HVAC,, or the A/C and D/C electrical systems.  It's just parts, most of them are pretty d*** basic, and more than likely most of it was designed and assembled by folks that really didn't have a clue how the whole machine functioned after it was fully built.

Been watching your posts and vids for a LONG time, on the Garage Journal pages and most of your YouTube vids as well. I have the same background and close to the same careers, so I get it.  Keep up the good work and don't let the occasional clown deter you.

Tom

Polish up the metal part with Scotchbrite and try it again.  Mine was doing the same and cleaning it fixed it. Pretty common issues from what I've seen.

17 hours ago, Martinvz said:

For final level check and adjustment we use a very sophisticated tool that works very well and it is very easy to store - a golf ball is what we use by placing it on the floor.  

 I've seen more than one mention, and it does work in our bus as well, just open the bathroom door 1/2 way, let go of it and see which way it swings.

I see someone mentioned 6 degrees??  6 degrees is a LOT, more than enough that you will definitely feel, although as I mentioned above, I see a lot of rigs in campgrounds that I wonder how the occupants are standing up??

 If it's the same as the one in our Dynasty you can loosen the bolt that holds the level to the bracket and wobble the level around to get it sync'd up with the world.

Myself, I use a bubble level on my phone that I lay on the center console or on the floor of the bus.

The Hoppy levels linked above made me laugh, I see trailers and motorhomes in campgrounds all the time that are obviously WAY off level and I have to wonder what they're leveling from?  One in particular was parked across from us, had the Hoppy style levels on the front and side if one corner where I could see them from the road. Both the level bubbles were dead on yet the trailer was crazily unlevel. maybe we didn't realize the trailer needed to be leveled before installing the levels? 

I give up........

9 minutes ago, Venturer said:

Yep. I weigh each position and carry 5-10% above the load inflation chart. 

 If you go to all the trouble of weighing each corner, then consult the chart, why would you vary from the number you came up with?

And even after all that, your chances of destroying a tire due to road debris is exactly the same, doesn't matter how old the tires are.

Keep an eye on pressure and temperature, change them when you feel the need.

 I guess the first thing I would do would be to pull up in front of a tire shop with your RV and ask them to swap out the wheel while you relax in their lobby.

Or.......

If you're like me and insist on doing things yourself, the purchase of one of these gems will do wonders for your ability to remove those lug nuts: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L89VQ92?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Now realize that the torque multiplier works on a gear ratio(58:1 in this case), it takes 58 turns of the crank to turn the lug nut one turn, so use the multiplier to loosen all the lugs, and then use your favorite zip gun to spin them all the way off.

I would not use a pipe on a torque wrench, but it's your wrench so have fun if you must...........

Multiple schools of thought here, ranging from doing nothing at all, all the way to disconnecting and grounding everything.

Talk to a bunch of welders that weld on trucks and heavy equipment(most of which today has as much electronics as our RVs)  every day and I'll be that 80% or more do nothing other than make sure the ground is as close as possible to the welding.

Disconnecting ECUs?  I'd be more worried about some mallet-fisted welder damaging the connectors than smoking the electronics.

 I'm voting for a valve in the wrong position as well. If I hook up the hose and turn on the valve to fill the fresh water tank and don't shut the pump off it will run continuously until the valve is shut off. 

Otherwise it's possible you have a leak somewhere, toilet valve stuck open maybe? toilet flush pedal stuck all the way up??

 This why I don't use the city water connection for anything but filling the fresh tank. I fill the tank and then let the pump do it's job as it's supposed to, the difference in water pressure isn't very much at all, and although I have to listen to the pump I consider hearing it work as a good way to monitor the system for leaks. As long as the pump is able to build pressure and shut off it's all good, no leaks to worry about.

14 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

My comment is two fold.

One, we need an Umbrella policy to protect us and the lawsuits that come from seemingly trivia issues are horrendous…. Personal Injury attorneys abound.  They do well.  I raised an attorney so, I have some insight.  Based on our situation, a large Umbrella is necessary.  That get’s complicated.  It is relatively easy to get your homeowners and auto insurance in “sync”.  

I would advise folks to sit down and do a “net worth” statement or get a CFP to assist.  If you have retirement accounts, perhaps will be eligible for a company pension….then if your residence is “almost mortgage free”….add it all up.  Also get a current or “market” appraisal on your home.  With inflation, you might be surprised as to the magnitude of your arithmetic.

What you will find is that you will need to bump up the Liability limits on your auto policy.  Not major, but usually above the minimum limits required in your state.

I had Hartford insurance for years and they dovetailed with National General in that National General’s liability was OK, so I did not have a gap between the MH and the Umbrella.  Then, our independent agent, whom we have been with since 1978, sropped representing Hartford and their new “choice” wanted National Gdneral to raise the coverage.  NOPE…so we had to drop National General.

We felt National General was a good value, but we can’t make the equation work as our new Umbrella policy does not blend or fit with National Grneral.  We do plan to get new quotes next year.

SOOOOO. word of caution.  IF you have an umbrella policy and then go outside your auto/home for MH, make sure the limits and policy  numbers are acceptable to your Umbrella carrier.

 Good advice, we've had a personal liability policy in place for many years, long before we had an RV, on this same advice. When you start adding up your personal worth it gets crazy in a hurry.  In our case, we have a $2M policy that is right at $200/year. Yes, they did make me add to my liability limits on my vehicles, but it came out in the wash because, at the time, the additional on the auto policies was cheaper due to the personal policy being in place.

38 minutes ago, Idoc57 said:

I switched my motorhome insurance over to Good Sam's program earlier this year.

  Isn't Good Sam now owned by Camping World?  That would bother me.

 My hot water relay in the box above the bed had a chunk of debris in it that kept contacts from closing and transferring power.

Cleaned the garbage out and it works like a champ.

Hello,

Approx. what year or years did Monaco switch over to the air throttle system on Dynasty models??

Owning a recently acquired '95 Dynasty with the 8.3L mechanical Cummins/Allison, and being well aware of the King Control electronic cruise/throttle issues I've been keeping this in the back of my mind as I work other issues but not really doing anything about it as the throttle and cruise has been working fine.

Last night being bored at the campground I took my grease gun under the back end to hit the various zerks I could find, and then just laid there making notes on other things I could see.

Lo and behold, up there under and to the rear of the injection pump is a Williams air throttle slave cylinder.  What?? I had thought that my coach wasn't new enough for the air throttle??

Looking into the situation further I crawled under the dash and looked at the throttle pedal closer. Sure enough, it's a Williams floor mount pedal, but it's been flipped and turned to be mounted through the "firewall", Williams pedal cut off/shortened and a different pedal extension bolted on. Looking from the front side of the firewall the entire installation looks very factory installed. That, or a really nicely done aftermarket conversion.

So what do I have, a factory air throttle in a 1995 coach, or a conversion??

I can take pics this evening/weekend if anyone is interested.

Thanks

Tom

1 hour ago, diverdown204 said:

Good morning from Florida!  So, I continue to struggle with low water pressure. This 1998 Monaco Dynasty Duke (no slide) is new to me. I went to replace the filters in the coach water filter system to find that there are no actual filters in the filter holder. I have a feeling that they cause the water pressure to drop lower. This military FAMCAMP has amazing water pressure as we are very close to the water tower. So, I have it regulated down to 45psi coming in. And yet, still have pressure issues. So, my next guess is that maybe it’s the check valve.  I have cycled the city/tank water valve multiple times to loosen any debris, but still, low water pressure. I think I may need to replace the check valve. (I tried to attach a video, but it was too big.)
 

If in your experience the high pressure drop to lower pressure over about 30 seconds means something to you, please let me know!  Thank you so much for being an awesome community!  
 

Semper Fi,

Lance

 Yes, sounds like you have a restriction someplace, the system builds pressure in all the lines and in the accumulator(assuming you have one), and then drops off when the supply lines aren't allowing it to keep up.

In our '95, the rubber washer inside the tank fill valve came loose and wedged itself in the line, shutting the flow down to basically nothing.

3 hours ago, DrewGeorge said:

Wow, that must of been very satisfying!  Yesterday I cleaned the roof on my 91 Dynasty (also with Dawn) and I’m curious about maybe using Mop-n-Glow too, does your roof feel slick now? Any other thoughts or suggestions regarding that product?

 I haven't been on it since I did the 2nd coat, but it didn't feel slick after the first coat. Nothing real enlightening about the application, did as the directions on the bottle stated, took approx. 1-1/2 bottles to do the entire 40ft roof.  I did hand apply with a sponge it all the way around the outside edge down to the top of the upper beltline, then mopped on the rest.

Spent a bit of time on the roof of the '95 Dynasty this weekend. Mopping and hand scrubbing with Dawn dish soap and a Scotchbright pad, followed by 2 liberal applications of Mop-n-Glo. Came out pretty decent although there is a fair amount of stress fractures in the fiberglass, so I may see about a coat of sealing paint and need to touch up sealing around the air horns and spotlight.  Already installed 2 new vent fans, Winegard TV antenna and resealed the skylight.

You'll notice that the rear A/C unit is the original, and actually works better than the replacement Dometic up front.

Just now, deputylynch said:

I don't like the fact that the front of my coach and steps are on just about on the ground after about 2 days! 

I dump all my air as soon as I park, just before I put the jacks down.  Doing it this way drops the bus 4-5" inches, which allows me to do stupid stuff like drive off with the jacks down like I did the other day after airing up.

Yes, I know, figuring out why my jacks down and low air alarms don't work is on my list. I suspect a previous owner disconnected them, or smashed them with a hammer.

Having the steps down allows allows the dogs to get in and out easier.

13 hours ago, deputylynch said:

I know this topic's pretty old but can somebody please look at my pictures and tell me if they think the leak that I have on this fitting is enough to draw down my system after about 2 days? Also what type of fitting is this, is it a push into connect and I can just push on the top to release it or is it something else? 

It takes a couple days for it to bleed down??  I'd say you need to find a better way to use your time.  The DOT spec for a semi tractor by itself is less than 4psi/minute, 8psi/minute if the trailer is connected.

That said, without getting neurotic about it, doing as David says at each leaking fitting isn't bad practice, because over time each one of those fitting will eventually cut the line and blow it out of the fitting.  Industrial equipment that cycles 100s of times an hour or minute blow lines off on a regular basis after they've been running a few months.  Usually ends in replacing the fitting, because the end of the line is stuck in the bottom of the hole.

Go after the leaks you can hear first, then work down the list to the ones that just foam up a bit.