MikeCanter

You might all be interested in reading this attached article on MPG. This CAT MPG article explains what effects the MPG. I changed my driving habits after reading it. CAT MPG Help.pdf

Gil, since you brought up again the weight of the tag axle itself, I looked it up in my Monaco manual and it states that it weighs 1500 lbs.

Brett, thanks but I know exactly what fan I am talking about . rhuffhines stated that it was the condensor fan that was cycling. So my analysis of the problem was based on the condensor fan. I agree on a DP the condensor fan is usually located on the condensor coils unit which is under the front of the MH. Chuck you are talking about the evaporator fan which is the heater and AC fan located inside the dash unit that blows air in your face. I am sticking with my story.

Robert, The condensor fan motor was noisy so you could hear it and you stated that you could hear it going on and off and this is called cycling. Only you know this because you heard it but the question is how fast was it cycling? You said it was on for a minute and off for 15 seconds then back on again. The fact that you changed the fan stopped the noise but that fan still turns on and off at the same time as the compressor. If the cycle was short such as you described it then the AC is doing what they call short cycling and that is normally due to a low freon charge. So if you had the motor running and the AC on and went back and opened up the engine compartment you would see the center part of the compressor clutch spinning or not spinning as it cycles. Is it still short cycling? Try it and time it and see what kind of cycling is it still doing?

In this day of digital electronics it is possible for something to glitch at power on and cause problems (brain fart) and just require a restart to set it right. As a design engineer for the latest advanced military fighter there are times when starting the jet up that things just don't work right and we have to power down and restart everything again and then it is OK. I seriously doubt that there is anything wrong with your vehicle especially if it has only happened once. Most likely when you turned it off the MH was in some unusual configuration that the software programers had not accounted for so it just didn't come up correctly until you did a restart. You might check with the dealer and see if there is an update to software that they can do.

Hi Tom, never thought about lifting the tag for extra traction. I like the fact that yours lifts automatically in reverse becaus I am always forgetting to lift it. I also lift mine if driving into a campsite or a driveway just to stop some of that sliding on the rear tires. Can you adjust the air bag force on the tag axle. I have an adjustable regulator in the engine compartment that allows me to vary the pressure in the rear bags. Right now I have it at 40 psi and it takes some weight off the drive axle and puts it on the steer axle. I found the best place to play with that is on a truck scale. Here is what John Bleakly who owns Bleakly RV here in Atlanta told me. Buy the coach you want or you will be coming back to trade it in again later. Buy a coach that will not cause you to look out of the window and say "I wish we had bought that one". Be in that one that every one is looking at and wish they had.

Left out the decimal point. At 55 MPH I get 8 MPG and for every 1.0 MPH increase above that I lose 0.1 MPG. I refigured the end of the world is now 21 October.

My large Detroit Series 60 is not the standard motor. You can get tag axle MHs with the smaller motors than mine and now get the bigger ISX 650's. I just had to have the Detroit. With the Detroit at 55 mph I get 8 mpg and for every one MPH increase I lose 0.1 mpg. My VISA card gives my a 5% discount money back on fuel so it makes up for the Detroit but I just love that smooth power. There is no way the tag axle weighs 2 1/2 tons maybe 3/4 to a ton or less. These days the prices on MHs are below wholesale so it is a good time to buy without worrying too much about paying any extra. Get what you want while the prices are down. I agree it has to add something that wasn't a factor for me. We knew what we wanted and it was either a Navigator or a Signature. One goes through very few toll roads when traveling other than in the North East. When I go to Maine I do go through several and most of the time they do not see the tag axle and I don't get charged for it or they just don't charge MHs for a tag axle. They spend more time looking for the toad. Even then the cost of the third axle is not that bad when you are also paying for the toad. When I travel these factors do not come into play. I do wish I would get the same MPG as by previous MH but all the motor homes above a certain weight and size motor just get poor mileage. I am retired and love to travel and I don't want to be cramped and I am not and I also like an easy driving MH.

About the only time you will ever hear anything negative about a tag axle MH is from somebody who has never had a MH with a tag axle. My previous MH was a 36' DP with no tag axle and I spent a lot of time and money to get it stable and smooth on the road but with a small amount of success. My now 2004 Monaco Signature with a tag axle is just unbelievable to drive. It is so stable in cross winds and I don't even know a truck is passing me. I have heard all the negatives about having to buy two extra tires every 6+ years but I don't care because I love the tag axle. I can adjust the air pressure in the air bags on the tag suspension and balance the whole motorhome weight on all the axles and the steering feel. I have an extra axle with another set of brakes and it will slow down fast in an emergency stop. I worry about people behind me in heavy braking. On my previous MH without the tag there was no way I could lay on the bed in the back and sleep. On my Signature I put my wife in the drivers seat and I go back and go to sleep because it is so smooth. Yes, the tag is there because of the extra weight of the motorhome but it adds a lot to the motorhome in other ways. As far as the tag axle tires skidding sideways in a tight turn I can hit one button and lift them for those real tight slow turns. The tag axle tires have worn NO different than the drive axle tires at 37,000 mile. Feel free to ask me any questions you want to on a tag axle MH.

One of the major problems with this Roadmaster chassis was the use of Monroe shocks. For some reason these Monroe shocks fail in the 15,000 to 20,000 mile range and the ride becomes real bad and unstable. Changing the shocks to Bilstein or Koni will really improve the ride. People say it is like the difference between night and day. One thing that really confuses people is that if you quickly look under the MH the Monroe shocks are yellow on the bottom cylinder just like a Bilstein so people think they are Bilstein. The Bilstein has a soft heavy BLUE top dust cover and the Monroes have a yellow metal top dust cover. Monaco only used Monroes on these chassis.

So what you are saying is that it was not cycling but a fan just making a noise? Or is it cycling and the reason you can tell it was cycling because the fan motor was bad and making noise. Well my question to you then is it still cycling too often but you just don't hear it so you now don't care. Are you covering up the actual root of the problem?

In cars that is the symbol to indicate that you have a light not working outside such as running lights, brake lights, headlights or any other. I would hope that they use the same symbols but it is a guess. Check all your lights and see. If not it should tell you in the Chassis Owners manual

I am in 100% agreement with D. Shaw. They are a gimmick. It is easier for a high voltage spark to jump from a sharp edge than a rounded edge and this is why spark plugs have to be replaced. When the center electrode becomes slightly rounded on the edge the spark may or may not be able to jump across the gap in the harsh environment so you get a slight misfire and your gas mileage goes down. The idea on these gimmick plugs is to add more than one path for the spark to jump thus the two or three ground strap electrodes. The theory is that if the spark can't jump one way it will jump another and help limit the amount of misfire. The best thing is to use the specified plug for your motor and change them on a regular basis so the electrodes don't get eroded and rounded. The platinum plug uses platinum on the electrode so that it doesn't wear as fast and keeps a sharper edge for more miles. It is well worth you buying platinum plus because you don't have to change them as much. Iridium plugs take this a step further by using iridium metal for the center electrode so now you can make this electrode super small so it stays sharp all the time and will require less voltage so less misfires. The iridium stops this super fine center electrode from burning away. So basically the use of platinum and iridium on a standard plug for you motor increases the length of time the plug can be used before it gets to far eroded and starts misfiring and affecting your gas mileage. There is nothing wrong with using single platinum, double platinum or iridium plugs to NOT increase the performance but to prolong the "new" plug performance over time. Also makes less work for you. Just stay with the major plug brands such as NGK, Champion, Autolite, Motorcraft like that and stay away from the off brand gimmick plugs.

Pnixon235, we blow out plugs at the dragstrip all the time and use a special insert tool and insert and I have never had one fail yet. We fix them right in the pits without pulling the head. This is what we use http://www.timesert.com/html/sparkplug.html

I bought some Lucas Hub Oil the other day to put in my tag axle wet hubs and maybe later in the steer axle hubs. I noticed that no where on the Lucas bottle did it state the weight of the oil or if it was petroleum based or synthetic so I checked the Lucas Tech Data Sheet and it also doesn't tell you much (see below). I sent an email to Lucas and asked them and they said that it was petroleum based and 140 wt oil. I am really surprised because Dana axles and Monaco both call for 75w-90 GL-5 gear oil. It would seem to me that sure is thick oil to be running in hubs especially in the winter time. 140W regular oil is going to get thick in the cold and is sure not going to offer much immediate lubrication. Also I was really surprised that they don't say it is GL-4 or GL-5. I have sent another email back to Lucas to ask more questions. I think I might run Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W-90 GL-5 in my hubs if I can't find out something more concrete on the Lucas oil. http://www.lucasoil.com/images/medialibrary/21FCAC0B18AE519BF6D3E8C99DB079CD.pdf

My wife takes turn driving our 44 foot, 48,000lb Monaco Signature with a Jeep Wrangler on the back all the time so I can lay on the couch and watch TV. She has driven in town some but not much. I try not to schedule the driving rotation so she would end up driving in town. She can and has no problem doing it but hates turning tight corners at intersections (who doesn't). She has never taken a driving course and that would be good for her.

Rorr1821, you bring up some valid points on dry bearings and also on oxidation. I try not to leave my MH sitting too long but if the price of diesel goes up I will probably be driving it less. I think that it would be a good idea to raise the tax axle once a month while in storage and spin the tires to get the oil over the bearings again. Also, if front wet hubs maybe to move it slowly after storage for about six feet and let it sit a few minutes to get the oil moving over the bearings again before you get out on the road. I would think that backing it out would be enough to get the bearings covered in oil again. If in storage maybe move it back 10 ft and forward ten feet to get that oil circulating once a month. Thank you for sharing your point of view. I did find replacement hub caps with holes in them to inspect the oil level every day. I would like to put those on the tag also. http://www.realwheels.com/babymoons.html

Actually the cost of the wet hubs are reasonable. The Stemco Sentinel Premium hubs is around $35 each and the type Stemco on my tag axle are $22 each. The labor to change them over is the same as to repack the wheel bearings and replace the inner seals. So the initial cost is about $44-$70 more because you have to buy the hubs. Monaco state that the front wheel bearings need to be repacked and seals replaced at 30,000 miles or annually. Wet hubs only need the oil drained and replaced at 30,000 miles. Realistically I don't think anyone repacks their front bearings annually. I am right at 32,000 miles on my MH so I need to repack them and have the bearing preload done now. To drive another 30,000 miles is probably going to take 4-5 years. The cost savings is not a big unless you do them annually.

Bill,I have several reasons why I want to switch to wet hubs. I already have them on my tag axle. 1.They are easier to maintain. One does not have to pull the wheel and hub to repack the bearings at a set interval. All you have to do is drain the oil and replace it at a set interval. This can easily be done so you don’t have to pay $300+ to have someone to do it. 2.You can easily see if the oil level is correct by looking at the level on the window prior to a trip or during a trip. No guessing that the grease is OK in the other grease hubs. 3.They are safer and help prevent wheel bearing lockup and resultant fires which happens more than we want to hear about with trucks and buses. Ed, I really would have thought that Monaco would have put them on also.

Brett, I agree 100%. If I took that 310/80R22.5 off it would fall on me and you would hear about it on the news. I was going to take it to a local Freightliner place and get them to do it. Need somebody who has done it before. I have all the dial indicators and tools like that and I can build and tune 3200 hp blown alcohol motors but I know my limits. Thanks for the warning.

Ed, Yes it is a 10 bag chassis and it has regular grease packed front bearings. I wish it didn't. Attached is a picture of my front hub.

I have a 2004 Monaco Signature and want to change the front hubs to wet hubs. Has anyone changed their steer axle to wet hubs? I know I need hubs from Stemco out of Longview, TX. Was it a big job or easy? I also know the stock hubcaps are not going to fit over the new wet hubs on my Accuride aluminum wheels has anyone found hubcaps that will fit? Thanks

For your hesitation or bog when the secondaries open go to the website and scroll down to "Setting the Air Valve Spring Tension" http://www.73-87.com/7387garage/drivetrain/myqjet.htm That site has pictures to show you where the little adjustment screw is. The hard part is undoing the hex head lock screw on the bottom of the adjustment screw. You can do this with the carb on the motor. The pictures show you the location of the hex head screw. One real bad thing about that carb is that if the floats get old they get saturated with gasoline so they sit too low in the bowl and the needle jet will not close so the motor will run real rich and the idle will be rough and rich. If the floats are saturated with the engine at idle you can go to the exhaust pipe and it will be rough and possible have black smoke coming out. If you take the aircleaner off the carb and look down the carb throats while at idle you can actually see drops of raw fuel dropping down against the butterflies. This rich mixture will load up your spark plugs real fast so if you floor it and accelerate hard then the motor will start misfiring and popping. If the plugs are old it will also misfire when floored. My big block 70 Chevelle was real bad at doing that.

Normally the fan is controlled via a relay that is attached to the power for the AC compressor clutch control. so if the AC compressor comes on then the fan also starts. So then the question is if the AC compressor is short cycling and causing the fan to cycle. An AC compressor cycling can be caused by just being low on R-134a. You might want to turn the AC on and going back and watch the compressor clutch and see if the compressor is going on an off also. If it is then it is time to get the AC serviced.

Some great tips here on changing oil. A couple of things I would like to add. I can now change oil without getting it on the driveway. I went to Home Depot and bought a long under the bed plastic storage container that has little wheels on it. I raise my MH up using the air bags and put three five gallon buckets in the storage container. Then put that whole setup under the MH aligning the drain with the first bucket. I start draining and when each bucket gets two thirds full and pull the whole thing down to the next bucket and then one more pull I have split up the whole ten gallons of oil in the three buckets with any spill going into that storage container. Nothing on the driveway. Then after filling it up with the fresh oil I then pour the old oil into the now empty containers.