dandick66

Thanks. I think I’ll be able to see the fitting if I remove the top dash pad. I will check it out once I get all my fittings together. When I started the coach the other day it had very close to zero PSI in both tanks. Now I’m wondering if I still have leaks in the brake system, too. I thought the PPV was supposed to stop airflow in the direction of the suspension when the tank pressure drops to about 75 PSI. It’s really tough to find accurate descriptions and information on how the system is supposed to work. Dan D, 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

UPDATE AS OF 04 SEP I took the coach to a shop that works on buses. They found 2 brake hoses were leaking (front passenger side and rear drivers side drive axle). These are the large hoses that run from the brake relay valves to the brake chambers. They also replaced the governor. Total cost for parts and 4 hours labor was $467. The governor was only $20, the brake hoses were about $15 per foot. I brought the coach home and it leaked down enough overnight that the low pressure alarms came on. I took it back to them and they had it a few days and said the new governor was leaking so they replaced it and the next new one leaked, too. So they ordered a Haldex governor and it works fine. He said I might still have a leak in the suspension system but he didn’t have any info on the leveling system computer (I told him I didn’t think it had a computer in the leveling system). He said he had done everything he could and I’d need to take it to someone who knows about the leveling system. Fortunately, he didn’t charge me for the additional work. I noticed that my auxiliary compressor fuse keeps blowing, so I don’t know what’s going on with that. I sprayed soapy water all around the auxiliary compressor and tank and have a few leaks. I don’t know if they are leaking enough to lose about 70PSI overnight, but I’ll find out. It looks like the auxiliary compressor and tank are on a bracket that I can unbolt and remove both components. I’ve ordered some fittings and plugs, so when they arrive I’m going to plug the lines and isolate the suspension and air horn from the rest of the air system. I’ll run it up until the compressor cuts off and see if it holds air overnight. While I have the auxiliary compressor out, I’ll figure out if the compressor is shot or not and I’ll fix the leaks I found. One of the leaks appears to be from the bottom of the small tank. It looks to be some kind of pop off valve as it has a small ring in n the bottom and is spring loaded. I’ll update this when I get the parts and get some troubleshooting completed l. Ideas and/or suggestions are welcome. By the way, leveling system is Power Gear/Valid VTL01K049 Dan D, 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

The Jabsco 63-0003 impeller fits the Sanicon pump. It is also less than half the price of the Thetford/Sanicon impeller. If you look on eBay, some of the replacements have the small paper gasket as well as the large O ring. Also, the Johnson 18950 macerator looks to be an exact fit replacement for the Sanicon. Again, the cost difference is astronomical.

Thanks for the reply, but if I had a leak in the auxiliaries wouldn’t the pressure drop at a steady rate? Mine loses a little, but it loses a lot when the brake pedal is pushed. I did get the schematic from REV. It is in an earlier post. Do you know if I could safely clamp off the line going to the rear tank for troubleshooting purposes? I don’t want to damage the air line and I’ve looked online and couldn’t find an answer yet. Dan D, 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

I have the Maxxforce engine by Navistar/International, not the Cummins. However, I did some research and found the ServiceMax software on eBay for a good price. It is an older version, but I’m only concerned with my 2012 coach. I don’t care if the software has the latest version/update because my codes are not going to change. The main reason I bought the software was to reprogram my engine brake. It was set to the wrong mode and I couldn’t find anyone local that had the software or was willing to reprogram it. One place said they were worried about getting the inside dirty. I explained the it had an outside J1939 connector, too. He said no - don’t pull it into my lot. So I researched and found the software and adapter. I did the reprogramming and everything is great. I can also pull all kinds of data. I’m sure you can find an older version of Insite on eBay for a reasonable price. Also you will need some kind of J1939 adapter. I found the Dearborn adapter for a decent price on eBay. Again, it wasn’t the latest model, but it works fine on my coach.

I did find a small leak at the “mini tank” and fixed it. I’m still trying to understand how the entire system works. I’ve read a lot, but I don’t think I fully understand it. Here’s what I know/think. The air compressor feeds the dryer. The dryer feeds the front tank and the front tank feeds the rear tank and what I call the mini tank. It’s the one that has the small electric compressor connected to it. I know there are check valves and valves to prevent the pressure from dropping too far so that the brakes don’t work. When I discovered the leak at the mini tank, I opened the drain valve on it and it seemed like it took a long time to drain for such a small tank. What I discovered was that when I opened the mini tank drain, it drained the mini tank, but it also took air from the front and rear tanks and lowered their pressure to 65 PSI. I did stop by the bus garage last week. When I explained the symptoms to the service manager, he immediately said I had a leaking brake chamber. He said they could look at it, but I’d be at the “back of the line”, as they have to keep their buses running and normally only work on their own stuff. I’ll check with him again this week to see when/if is a good time to bring my coach in. Something I wondered about over the weekend... when I push the brake pedal, both front and rear tanks drop pressure pretty much equally. If I had a bad brake chamber, wouldn’t I see the front or rear tank drop pressure first? Dan D 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

If you look at the photos, you can see that the gauges are not real user friendly. There is no way, you could determine a 2 PSI drop in one minute. It would be tough to tell a 30 or 40 PSI drop. i just went out and started it up and let the compressor cut off, then I shut down the engine and had my wife mash and hold the brake. I could not hear any leaking/hissing, so I guess I’ll be looking for a truck shop. There is a commercial bus garage near me. Maybe they will look at it. Dan

Thanks for the file. It appears my unit is failing both the static and applied brake tests. Unfortunately, I am having difficulty getting accurate pressure readings. My dash has gauges for both the front and rear tanks, but they only register when the ignition is on. I have a feeling they are electric gauges with some type of transducer for reading the pressure. I will try to look at them today. Here in Virginia, we are in a heat wave for the past 2 weeks and the foreseeable future. It has been in the mid 90’s! I do have front and rear tanks readings available (digital display) from my Medallion instrumentation. The problem is, it only works when the engine is running, and if the pressure is low, it alarms and flashes between “Front Air Low” and “Rear Air Low”. Once they build up pressure he display will indicate the pressures. I was thinking about installing a mechanical gauge and was considering installing two Viair 90087 gauges. I’m thinking that I would need some type of adapter, and “T” into the fron and rear hoses. Has anyone here done anything like that (successfully)? I received the attached file from REV yesterday. It reads like a real schematic and I was impressed they had it and sent it to me. The print is pretty small , but I will try to figure it out. Note: I also submitted the file to the Downloads section so it should be available for all. Dan D 18623342_B (Schematic Pneumatics DEKA 43ft) Model (1).pdf

I’m looking for some advice on where to start looking for an air leak. Here are my symptoms and readings. With parking brake on: compressor cuts off at 115. Pressure starts dropping as follows: 110 - 8 seconds, 105 - 21 seconds, holds at 104 for over 2 minutes and 30 seconds, so I pushed brake several times to get compressor to kick back in. With parking brake off: compressor cuts off at 115. Pressure starts dropping as follows: 110 - 9 seconds, 105 - 20 seconds, 102 - 51 seconds, 101 - 1 min 2 seconds, 99 - 1 min 30 seconds, 98 - 1 min 50 seconds, 97 - 2 min 1 second, 96 - 2 min 15 seconds. Compressor cuts back on at 95 and shuts offf at 115 (37 seconds). parking brake off, depressing service brake. Compressor cuts off at 115: 102 - 5 seconds, 90 - 15 seconds, 85 - 23 seconds, 80 - 32 seconds, 75 - 36 seconds. I’m not sure where to start looking. I know I need to get some soapy water, but I don’t think I need to be looking at the air suspension. Any ideas are appreciated. Dan D, 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

I’ve had the warning light come on about 3 or 4 times now. The first time it was less than 1/2 mile after starting out from home. I immediately stopped and shut down. Checked all gauges, etc. Manual said it was OK to drive so I did. The light went out after about 5 miles. Fast forward 3 months and the light came on again when leaving the Tampa gathering this year. I shut down ,waited a few minutes and started up and the light did not come on. It’s happened twice since then and every time, it is within 10 minutes of initial startup. The interesting thing is that no codes are ever logged on the Scangauge. I’ve decided that the next time it happens I’m going to fire up the laptop with Service Max software and see if there is a code in that software. My engine is a Maxxforce 10, EPA 2010 model. The other problem I have is the Medallion instrumentation. When that warning light comes on, I also get an audio alarm and it goes the whole time. I’ve contacted REV, Navistar and Medallion. No one can provide details on the interface between the Maxxforce engine and Medallion instrumentation. Dan D, 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

The Toyo M144s are steer tires, but can be used for drive axle, too. They are holding up fine on my coach.

I went with Toyos on the front 2 years ago and am happy with the ride and wear, so I decided to go with them for the rear and tag. I bought 6 of the Tokyo M144 295/80R22.5 in May. Cost was $3700 for tires, mount, balance, disposal fee, etc. This was in Virginia. I can’t remember the FMCA price, but I know it was more than the Toyos. A word of caution regarding the Toyos. For some reason they smell like horse manure. When I bought my front tires I noticed the smell and thought I drove through something. The smell gets better with time. One of our club members noticed I had the Toyos and asked about the smell. I asked him how he knew about it and he said it’s on the Internet. Sure enough, I googled it and there it was. Dan D 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

This topic has covered a lot of info, but I want to add a few things based on my experiences. I had Directv in my house for many years, but they kept raising prices and I switched to a Dish. I am very happy with Dish. I had the Pathway X2 with my old motorhome. I kept it when I sold the motorhome. When I got my 2012 Diplomat it had the Traveler. As others have mentioned, the Traveler will work on both the Western and Eastern arc satellites. To be clear, the Western arc is the default for the Traveler. You just hit the button and it will attempt to acquire all 3 of the Western arc satellites. To use the Eastern arc, you have to put the controller in manual search mode and it will only look for and find the 61.5 satellite. As a side note, I read somewhere that you can find the 72 or 77, but it’s really tricky so I never tried it. I live in Virginia and the Western arc satellites visibility is pretty good here, but the further North I go, the worse it gets. In NY, when the dish is trying to find the 129 satellite, it’s pretty well guaranteed that I will be aiming at trees or hills. The 61.5 satellite has pretty much everything I need for viewing. Here is a link to the Eastern arc programming. http://uplink.jameslong.name/easternarc.html Two years ago I went to use the Traveler and after a few minutes I got an azimuth motor error. I went out and looked and the antenna was in zenith (looked like a bird bath). I had to go up on the roof and manually stow the antenna. I grabbed the Pathway X2 and was back in business. I contacted Winegard and tried to get some support so I could fix it myself, but that was a non starter. They have a flat rate repair charge of $350, so I bit the bullet and sent it in. The repair turnaround was pretty quick. I’ve decided that if the Traveler fails again I will not pay to have it repaired and will just use the Pathway X2. I understand some people don’t want a portable antenna, but I guarantee that at some time the Traveler won’t be able to find the satellites because of blockage or failure. Then you’ll be glad you have the Pathway. They can be found used at a reasonable price. Dan D 2012 Diplomat 43DFT

Mine went off at 2 AM last summer in my 2012 Diplomat. Needless to say it scared the you know what out of me. I jumped up and assumed it was the smoke alarm, but it wasn’t. The noise was ear piercing loud and I could not find where it was coming from. I was scrambling all over the kitchen area and could not find the source. Once I moved to the table area, I could see the flashing LEDs. The alarm is mounted under the kick panel by the cabinets and is not readily visible. I was able to reset it and then did research and discovered it was indeed the end of life notification.

If Steve doesn’t take it I will. Just let me know how much shipping is. Least expensive method preferred. Dan Dick, 6202 Belroi Farms Dr, Gloucester, VA 23061.

It looks like the 24-187145 has the “eye” mount at top and bottom. The 24-186612 has the stud at the top and the eye at the bottom. I’d say the function of the shocks is the same, just the mounts are different. I am very happy with my Bilstein’s. Just double check your mount type before ordering. Dan

I did it with a friend. I think you could do it by yourself, but it would be a real pain for 1 person. The rearmost shocks were the easiest. You need to have a pipe wrench or chain type Vise Grips to hold the top of the old shocks when removing them. It’s best to have a long handled ratchet for the top nuts so you can get some swinging room. After they get loose, you can use a battery or air ratchet. We used a battery impact on the lower bolt. Note: Home Depot has the Rigid 1/2 inch drive, 18 volt impact on sale for $149. It’s a beast! Lifetime warranty on both tool and battery. The “forwardmost” rear shocks were the worst. The bottom bolts were not a problem, but the top was working in the blind. The front shocks weren’t too bad. We opened the generator slide and were able to crawl in that space and sit upright. You definitely need a battery or air ratchet to tighten the new shocks. All together it probably took about 5-6 hours. Dan

Got the shocks changed out last week. What a difference! The old Monroe’s were definitely shot. They could be compressed with very little effort. The Bilstein’s were much stiffer. The ride is definitely improved. Very little porpoising now.

Ok. I ordered the shocks today. I was able to get them for a little less than $90 each. I realize Source Engineering did some research and had the shocks custom tuned, but I just couldn’t see paying nearly double the price. I hope to get the shocks changed out in the next couple of weeks. I’ll post again once I’m done. Dan

I called Source Friday afternoon and talked to Jim. Good news is he has the shocks, bad news is they are $169 each plus shipping. There goes my stimulus check! He also said I should check the tag adjustment and the ride height adjustment. Now, I have some more reading to do. I’ve read enough about both of them to get confused. Dan

I am thinking of changing the shocks on my 2012 Diplomat 43DFT, with tag axle) RR10R chassis. I noticed the porpoising is getting worse and I’ve noticed some scuffing on the rear tires, which I think is a result of the porpoising and bouncing. I’ve been unable to find part numbers for any replacements (Koni, Bilstein Monroe). So, I emailed REV and they gave me the following Monroe part numbers: Front 01809927 and Rear 01809928. I looked on Monroe’s website and couldn’t find those numbers, so I emailed them and they gave me these numbers as replacements: Front 55014 and Rear 55015. So, I went to Monroe’s website again and looked up those numbers. Well, 55014 has loop bushings at both the top and bottom. My shocks have the loop at the bottom and a stud at the top. Their site say 55015 is an invalid part number! So, I emailed them again and they said to pull the shock and give them a call. Now, I’m ready to pull a shock and get a part number off the shock, or at least do some measuring. I’ve changed my fair share of car shocks and sometimes you have to raise the axle and support it while changing the shock. My question is, what is the best way to remove the shocks. I’ve done some reading and it looks like you can “simply” remove the top nut and bottom bolt and remove the shock. Do I have to worry about the chassis settling, or will the air bags keep it supported? Any tips, tricks and or advice is appreciated. Dan

I had some problems with my Trimark system last summer. Turns out they were self induced. While I was troubleshooting, I found cut wires, too. I’ve attached a file with the Trimark wiring so you can see the connections. I think you’ll find the cut wires are not used for your application. Dan TriMark-UM12-Keyless-Entry-Manual.pdf