akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 Looking for some urgent expertise. I have a 2007 Monaco LaPalma 36WBD diesel pusher with a Cummins ISB325. The issue is I cannot shift the unit into drive or reverse. The selector pad lights up with two PP digits as it should. My RV is parked each winter beside my driveway. I run it monthly and run through the gears. It worked perfectly fine all winter. In April, went out to move it and had this issue. I have done as much research on the internet as I could find. The following is what I have done to try and rectify the situation. Engine idle is around 8,500 so i believe i am still under the safety zone for that. Ran generator and tried to shift in gear - nothing Made sure both slides are in/locked Tried to select gear immediately upon engine startup Parking brake not engaged Checked and replaced the fuse for the TCM in the VIM module Ordered a used transmission shift selector from Visone RV. I gave them the exact part # and model number from mine and they said they had the exact one. It arrived last week, and turns out it is for an air brake system RV as it does not have a "park" selector button, plus the part # and model number is worn off. I did connect the unit they sent as it had the identical connectors, but it still did not work. I am not sure where to go from here. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Alfred Kunz 2007 Monaco LaPalma 36WBD diesel pusher with a Cummins ISB325 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 What is the idle, 8500 can't be correct! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 11, 2023 Author Share Posted June 11, 2023 Sorry, added one too many zero's. Idle speed is around 850, not 8,500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 You might try lowering the RPM some 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadTripper2084 Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Yep. I just had the same issue, had set my high idle while packing up and forgot about it and it wouldn't go into gear (error code "6" flashing). Reset the idle back to 600 rpm and all is well. 850 rpm seems a bit high. Mine wasn't even that high and wouldn't go into gear. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradHend Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 (edited) Is the shift pad service LED solid on or flashing in a sequence at all? You looking to part ways with that shift pad then? Is it Alison or Arens Controls? Edited June 12, 2023 by BradHend 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneC Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Alfred Any luck? Where are you located in Nova Scotia? I am traveling to Dartmouth this morning and over to truro to pick up some culverts, I am located in Enfield, could stop by if your on my route. Wayne 1999 Signature ceaser Thunder Bay Ontario /Enfield Nova Scotia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 Wayne, I am in Halifax, NS. You can contact me at 902-222-7686. Thanks so much. 8 hours ago, BradHend said: Is the shift pad service LED solid on or flashing in a sequence at all? You looking to part ways with that shift pad then? Is it Alison or Arens Controls? The shift pad indicator is solid with two PP digits. I am contacting the vendor today if they are giving me any options for sending me the wrong one. Both are Arens branded 56 minutes ago, WayneC said: Alfred Any luck? Where are you located in Nova Scotia? I am traveling to Dartmouth this morning and over to truro to pick up some culverts, I am located in Enfield, could stop by if your on my route. Wayne 1999 Signature ceaser Thunder Bay Ontario /Enfield Nova Scotia Sorry Wayne, I did not direct reply to you. I am in Halifax. You can reach me at 902-222-7686. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happycarz Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Al, See if you coach is like mine in setting the idle back down to 700 RPM. Start the engine, take your foot off the brake pedal, then use the SET button on the cruise control to lower the RPM a little bit each time you press it. If it goes too low, press the RESUME button to bring it back up higher. Make sure the cruise ON/OFF button is OFF when you do this. I hope it is something as easy setting the idle to the correct RPM. Many coaches use 700 RPM as a base idle. Look your idle setting up in you manual to be precise. Meanwhile, with 700 RPM, you should be able to shift it into gear, like in the past. Note: One person told me the SET raised the RPM and the RESUME lowered his RPM. I’m not sure if he was correct, or confused. Either way try the above to move your base RPM up and down. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 4 minutes ago, Happycarz said: Al, See if you coach is like mine in setting the idle back down to 700 RPM. Start the engine, take your foot off the brake pedal, then use the SET button on the cruise control to lower the RPM a little bit each time you press it. If it goes too low, press the RESUME button to bring it back up higher. Make sure the cruise ON/OFF button is OFF when you do this. I hope it is something as easy setting the idle to the correct RPM. Many coaches use 700 RPM as a base idle. Look your idle setting up in you manual to be precise. Meanwhile, with 700 RPM, you should be able to shift it into gear, like in the past. Note: One person told me the SET raised the RPM and the RESUME lowered his RPM. I’m not sure if he was correct, or confused. Either way try the above to move your base RPM up and down. Thanks, Harry. I was too embarrassed to ask how a person sets the idle speed lower. I will try that tonight when i get home from work. I know how to lock the engine speed in while parked using CRUISE , but have never tried to lock it in below current set idle. I assume this is only temporary each time. 13 hours ago, BradHend said: Is the shift pad service LED solid on or flashing in a sequence at all? You looking to part ways with that shift pad then? Is it Alison or Arens Controls? Brad, Visone RV in Kentucky did respond via email this morning to see why the wrong one was shipped and if they have the correct one. If I am stuck with the wrong one, I will let you know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 EVO Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 2 hours ago, akunz@bellaliant.net said: but have never tried to lock it in below current set idle. I assume this is only temporary each time. Nope! Once you adjust your idle speed, it should return to that RPM every time you start the engine. What happens (including myself) is drivers press the 'set' or 'resume' buttons, thinking they have cruise control on, but it's off, and your changing your low idle speed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 23 minutes ago, 96 EVO said: Nope! Once you adjust your idle speed, it should return to that RPM every time you start the engine. What happens (including myself) is drivers press the 'set' or 'resume' buttons, thinking they have cruise control on, but it's off, and your changing your low idle speed. OK, thanks for the update. I will try this hopefully tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 13, 2023 Author Share Posted June 13, 2023 Hi everyone, thanks for all your wisdom and comments. I did end up figuring out how to lower the engine idle down to 700 RPM based on your feedback. I did not know it could be done, and now have learned another valuable item for my Monaco tool chest. Unfortunately, I am still no further ahead in getting my unit to shift into gear. I am waiting to hear back from Visone if they can find the correct shift selector. Until then, I will try to get a mobile tech to come by and see if he can trace the wiring back to the transmission for any connection issues. Any other thoughts, let me know. I will update you, likely in a few weeks once I can source the part and get a tech on site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradHend Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 (edited) You never did answer my first question. Is the red service light on at any time? I have a pretty detailed troubleshooting document from Arens to determine if the service light is due to the keypad or not. Be happy to post if needed. Also, are your jacks fully up, fluid is at the proper level and your brake lights work when you press the pedal? Just ruling out some overlooked items that if I recall correctly are part of the shift inhibiting. I also agree with others that an 850 RPM idle seems a bit high, and would also suggest checking your connections, especially the ones at the transmission. Edited June 13, 2023 by BradHend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 13, 2023 Author Share Posted June 13, 2023 11 hours ago, BradHend said: You never did answer my first question. Is the red service light on at any time? I have a pretty detailed troubleshooting document from Arens to determine if the service light is due to the keypad or not. Be happy to post if needed. Also, are your jacks fully up, fluid is at the proper level and your brake lights work when you press the pedal? Just ruling out some overlooked items that if I recall correctly are part of the shift inhibiting. I also agree with others that an 850 RPM idle seems a bit high, and would also suggest checking your connections, especially the ones at the transmission. No, the red service light is not on. The only indicator lit up is the gear selector light which shows "PP". Jacks are fully up, and have not been utilized in at least 3 years. I will confirm the brake lights. I am trying to get a mobile tech to come by and crawl underneath to check the wiring at the transmission. Image attached showing the indicator lit up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbill1951 Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Had a similar problem a couple of years ago with my 99 Diplomat. It turned out to be the fluid level sensor died. Had it replaced and no more issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 13, 2023 Author Share Posted June 13, 2023 10 minutes ago, mrbill1951 said: Had a similar problem a couple of years ago with my 99 Diplomat. It turned out to be the fluid level sensor died. Had it replaced and no more issues. Thanks, Bill. Which fluid level sensor are you referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbill1951 Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 19 minutes ago, akunz@bellaliant.net said: Thanks, Bill. Which fluid level sensor are you referring to? The one inside of the transmission. It sits in the transmission fluid pan. It has a wiring harness that travels out of the pan and into a control board. I had the sensor and wiring harness replaced. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 13, 2023 Author Share Posted June 13, 2023 3 hours ago, mrbill1951 said: The one inside of the transmission. It sits in the transmission fluid pan. It has a wiring harness that travels out of the pan and into a control board. I had the sensor and wiring harness replaced. OK, thanks. I will look into this as soon as I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 EVO Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 How about trans fluid level? When was the last time you checked it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcallahan97009 Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 We had a similar problem with our 2000 Monaco Diplomat after the rig had been parked for about 9 months. Our batteries were not charged enough to engage the transmission. We started the rig about once a month and let it idle for about 15 minutes. It was an expensive lesson. We had an "expert" out. All he did was start the rig and let it idle for about 45 minutes. Once the batteries were charged enough the transmission engaged. We replaced the batteries soon after. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadTripper2084 Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 2 hours ago, pcallahan97009 said: We had a similar problem with our 2000 Monaco Diplomat after the rig had been parked for about 9 months. Our batteries were not charged enough to engage the transmission. We started the rig about once a month and let it idle for about 15 minutes. It was an expensive lesson. We had an "expert" out. All he did was start the rig and let it idle for about 45 minutes. Once the batteries were charged enough the transmission engaged. We replaced the batteries soon after. If you're going to start the rig off-season for "preventative" reasons, you need to let it warm up fully before you shut it off, otherwise you might be doing more harm than good. Letting the fluids circulate and at normal operating temps will boil off any moisture that's accumulated in them, lube the seals, etc. (or so I've been told). And yes, fully charge your starter battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcallahan97009 Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 31 minutes ago, RoadTripper2084 said: If you're going to start the rig off-season for "preventative" reasons, you need to let it warm up fully before you shut it off, otherwise you might be doing more harm than good. Letting the fluids circulate and at normal operating temps will boil off any moisture that's accumulated in them, lube the seals, etc. (or so I've been told). And yes, fully charge your starter battery. Thanks. We will run the rig for longer when we do. We actually have lived in our RV fulltime for over 12 years. We used to travel and "workamp" but have been pretty much stationary as of late. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akunz@bellaliant.net Posted June 14, 2023 Author Share Posted June 14, 2023 18 hours ago, 96 EVO said: How about trans fluid level? When was the last time you checked it? This was checked last fall, and has not been driven since I parked it for the winter last October. 3 hours ago, pcallahan97009 said: We had a similar problem with our 2000 Monaco Diplomat after the rig had been parked for about 9 months. Our batteries were not charged enough to engage the transmission. We started the rig about once a month and let it idle for about 15 minutes. It was an expensive lesson. We had an "expert" out. All he did was start the rig and let it idle for about 45 minutes. Once the batteries were charged enough the transmission engaged. We replaced the batteries soon after. OK, thanks for that advice. Our Monaco is plugged into shore power the entire time it is parked on our property, but i will double check on the starter batteries for voltage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcallahan97009 Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 19 minutes ago, akunz@bellaliant.net said: This was checked last fall, and has not been driven since I parked it for the winter last October. OK, thanks for that advice. Our Monaco is plugged into shore power the entire time it is parked on our property, but i will double check on the starter batteries for voltage. Shore power will charge the house batteries but not the start batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now