duke1942

I bit the bullet and replaced my surge bottle with a welded aluminum one from Source Engineering. Total cost to my door was $487. The tank is a work of art and an engineering solution to a problem that plagued me for three years. The welded tank included a new side sensor since my RV had a top sensor. All I had to do was switch the wires. Installation was very easy and takes all the worry out of pressurized surge bottle problems. It has a nice sight window to check the fluid level. While the price was more than I wanted to spend, it solved a problem that I will never have to worry about again. It was cheap insurance for one of the biggest aggravations I have had with my Monaco RV. Source Engineering guarantees their product and are good to work with. Here is the link for anyone interested; http://sourcerv.com/

Who was the seller and what did you use as an ebay search?

The problem with any fixes on the plastic bottle is that you still have the remaining deteriorated bottle that could and most likely will fail at some inopportune time. This is especially predictable since the bottle is under 15 pounds of pressure. It is not like other radiator coolant overflow bottles. The pressure aspect changes the dynamics dramatically. If you haven't already done so, read all the posts back to my original post last summer. There are some really interesting posts, recommendations and advice.

Last summer during my original search for a replacement surge bottle I contacted Monaco/Navistar parts dept. I have a top mounted sensor on my 2003 Monaco Cayman so I asked for all the part numbers to convert it to side sensors since those were the only bottles available. Employee Ed told me the side sensor part #16619129 cost $49.60, a new wiring harness to convert from top sensor to side sensor part #16626487 cost $131.65, new elbows part #19802959 at $4.15 each, and the actual surge bottle part #01806583 at $208.16, plus shipping on each item. From what I have heard the wiring harness ripoff is not needed since all you need to do is extend your sensor wires about 12". I highly recommend that anyone needing to replace their surge bottle consider the aluminum one at Source Engineering (utube video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCv8M-q80Lc They are really nice people to talk with and their bottle is $425 which already includes the lower side sensor. Look at the utube video and go from there. I was given the link by another earlier posting to my original. In the spring I think I will use one of their bottles so that I can finally solve my problem. Good luck.

Smokeater75 & Wolfe10 WOW! The Source Engineering people are really amazing, as are their offerings. When I called them Jim talked to me for 10 minutes explaining everything about their products. The aluminum surge tank is great and includes the side sensor. They said all I needed to do was to extend the sensor wires about 12" to adjust for the conversion from my existing top sensor setup. The changeover will answer all my problems in that area. They also offer the Ultra Fan. I had been considering getting a fan replacement kit from Cummins for my ISB 275 diesel engine. Cummins offers a two speed fan kit which requires adding a wiring harnes and/or modifications of the existing harness. The Cummins kit is far more expensive than the Ultra Fan, which is also easier to install, with no wiring changes needed. Their other kits that are extremely impressive are the safety enhancing Trailing Arm kit TRA1003 and Ride Enhancement kit REK-203. Thanks for all of your responses, suggestions, and links. Another very strong reason to belong to FMCA. Andy

Newbie That is definitely the bottle for $175.00 versus from Monaco for $208.16. How about the the side sensors? Where did you get them? Right now I have top sensors. Monaco has the side sensors to replace them at $49.50 plus shipping. They claim a new wiring harness for $131.65 is needed to change from a top sensor to a side sensor. You said all it takes was to extend the wires, which makes sense to me. Get back to me about the replacement sensors. Your process and references cuts the cost in half. I can live with that amount. Great info and help! Thanks. Andy

Paul, I live in upstate NY and use my Monaco for many weekend trips and two one week trips in May and October, all dry camping, so I don't have the same problem as you do. My RV faces west when parked, so the back does get plenty of sun every day. When I finally replace the bottle I may add a shield to protect it if I ultimately use another plastic bottle. I appreciate all the replies, information and suggestions. I guess I have my work cut out for me to continue to research my bottle replacement project and replace my bottle in the spring. I have winterized my RV and put it away for the winter. I am leaning toward finding and modifying a metal bottle/tank when I start looking in the spring. I would appreciate more information or experience that anyone has regarding my bottle replacement. Thanks.

Bill The price I stated for the parts was given to me by Monaco parts department within the past 60 days. I have the part numbers and cost per item. I will be happy to quote the prices and part numbers if someone is interested. I posted this thread in hopes that someone could point me to a cheaper source or alternative to replace my bottle. If your replacement was cheaper, where did you get it and how much did it cost? Tell me about your rig and what you had to do to replace it. Thanks. Andy

Rich The Canton Coolant Expansion Fill Tank was really interesting and has some possibilities to consider. The Howe tank might not be adaptable due to the locations of the fittings, however, both are better than any alternative I have found to date. I do like the fact that they are metal. They may not contain enough volume or be tall enough to accommodate the top mounted sensors on my current bottle, however, I will need to study my current bottle for adaptation. I wonder what other metal coolant tanks these two companies have that might be adaptable? I have heard of some owners having more than one failure of the plastic bottles. I have read about Monaco owners having metal tanks custom made for them as a substitute for the plastic ones offered by Monaco. They are prohibitively expense to have built ($800?). I am definitely encouraged by your research and findings. You have found more than I did in all my research so far. I have a lot more research to do. I patched the bottle by using a hot putty knife to 'smear' the melted plastic over the pin holes in the bottle and then covered the areas with auto tube patches with a strap around the tank to hold the patches in place under the bottle's pressure. A real Rube Goldberg job! It has held for several months so I can't complain. Andy

Rich It is called a 'radiator coolant surge bottle.' It has a 15 lb radiator-type pressure cap on the top of the bottle and definitely is pressurized. It has electrical lines that come from the coolant level sensor in the top of the bottle to the warning light on my RV dash. The only replacement bottles currently offered by Monaco have different sensors that are mounted on the side of the bottle requiring new plumbing and wiring. The coolant fittings are on the bottom of the bottle. It is a pretty large bottle, more like a tank. There is a picture of it on my original post above. I appreciate your interest in my problem. Thanks. Andy

Rich Thanks for your reply. The problem is that the cool bottle requires plumbing on the bottom and sensors inserted in the top. To complicate the hookup, the bottle is pressurized. Monaco designed the bottle and will not release it for other manufacturers so that Monaco can charge their unconscionable prices. Even worse, they changed the design from top sensors to side sensors which requires new fittings, new sensors, and a new wiring harness. The total to replace the plastic bottle is just a few dollars less than $500, which is so ridiculous that it is hard to even consider without trying a million other repair strategies. Monaco went bankrupt in 2009, so they nearly quit supporting any of us that have models before 2009. The support they do give with parts are a classic case of "gouging." Needless to say, I would never ever purchase another Monaco RV.

I have a 2003 Monaco Cayman with a Cummins. I have developed leaks (cracks) in my radiator coolant surge bottle. Since it is under pressure and plastic, it is almost impossible to repair. I just found out that a different style replacement made of fiberglass (part # 01806583) costs $208.16, plus another $200.00 to update my hookup from the old style top sensor to the new style replacement with side sensor. Anybody out there experiance the same problem? Any reasonable alternatives or fixes? Thanks. 2003 MONACO CAMELOT---SURGE BOTTLE.pdf

Has anyone had any experience with towing a Ford Ranger 4x4 auto? The FMCA guide states that a Neutral Tow Kit must be installed and the maximum speed it can be towed is 55 MPH. My owner's manual says there are no speed restrictions for the auto 4x4. Ford says there are no speed restrictions. My local dealer says there are no speed restrictions. Does anyone have any help or experience? Thanks.

Andy LP Army Specialist 4th Class HAWK Missile Long Range Surveillance Radar Headquarters Battery 6th Missile Battalion 62nd Artillery USAR 7 Germany 1961 - 1964

I'm sorry I didn't comment on this topic earlier, but I was on vacation and when I got back I couldn't log onto the forum. Anyway, I have had some experience with the extended warranty that I purchased with my pre-owned Monaco Cayman. I purchased a contract through the dealer with the Phoenix American Warranty Company out of Miami, FL. They also go by the name Guardian Warranty. First, their main objective is to pay as little as possible for any warranty repairs, including not allowing for factory reconditioned parts, sufficient labor to complete repairs and replacement of any parts that may be 'marginal' but have not failed, regardless if their failure would cause potential dangers to you, your family and your coach. Their Customer Service should be called "Company Protection Service" since they make no effort to help you as the client or customer. They are rude, always adversarial and secretive in everything they do. You are completely left out of the 'loop' until you find out that you have to pay any amounts they refuse to pay. They are totally inflexible in their treatment of claims. They offer no substantiation or clarification of what they pay for or don't pay for. AVOID this extended warranty company under all circumstances. The last garage I used said they had good experiences with a warranty company called Easy Care, but I have no idea who they are or even if the name is correct. When I get my next extended warranty I plan to do a lot more research before I pay thousands of dollars for any service. Especially important is reading all of the conditions of the warranty and have the dealer summarize any questions in writing. Hope this helps.