wolfe10

Here are two in-depth threads here in the FMCA Forum on the Monaco Trailing Arm Issue (I just put "trailing arms" into the search box at the upper right): http://community.fmca.com/topic/570-serious-problem-on-some-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/page__p__2686__hl__%2Btrailing+%2Barms__fromsearch__1#entry2686 http://community.fmca.com/topic/569-important-safety-problem-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/page__p__2685__hl__%2Btrailing+%2Barms__fromsearch__1#entry2685 Brett

Thanks for the update. Another reason to run the generator monthly for 45 minutes minimum under 50% minimum load. Along with drying out the electrical part of the generator, it keeps fresh fuel in the carburetor. If you can't run it while stored, consider disconnecting the fuel line and with no load on the generator, running it out of fuel. Brett

Tom, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I hope you enjoy your travels in the U.S. as much as Dianne and I enjoyed our 2 weeks (way too short a time) touring North Island, NZ. Still remember borrowing a rowing dingy from the owner of a CG and rowing out into the ocean. Dianne had to repeatedly reassure him that indeed I knew how to row-- even in surf. Brett

Betty, Best, in my opinion is to balance the wheel/tire ON THE COACH. After mounting the new tire and wheel on the coach, check for RUN-OUT FIRST. Every tire store worth stopping at has a run-out gauge and this only takes 1-2 minutes. You start here, as even a well balanced "egg" is, well, still an egg and will not give you a smooth ride no matter how well it is balanced. If over .035" run-out correct it. It can be corrected several different ways-- rotate the wheel on the hub. Loosen the lug nuts with the point of most run-out at the top and let the few thousands of an inch play work to your advantage. If still out, have the tires trued. There are still a few shops that do tire truing. And contrary to myth, an absolutely true tire that you removed, say .050" (50 thousandth of an inch) from the high side will last a lot longer than if you leave that little bit of extra rubber on the tire. Next, spin balance the tire on the vehicle. Actually, since it is on the vehicle, you are balancing ALL the mass that rotates which is what you want. You really don't care where the imbalance is-- you want it corrected. By balancing on the vehicle, you account for any imbalance in the hub, brake drum or disk, wheel AND tire. Again, a perfectly balanced wheel and tire mounted on a brake drum that is 4 ounces out of balance (not that much on a 100 pound drum) will NOT have all the rotating mass balanced. Brett

Yes, some electronic equipment is sensitive to AC wave form. Best advice is to contact the manufacturer of the device you wish to run on the inverter and ask them about MSW vs pure SW inverter use. Brett

Betty, First question if you are contemplating changing to a lower load rated tire is have you weighted all wheel positions when loaded to your coach's heaviest weight (i.e. full tanks and just pulling out of Walmart after a BIG shopping trip)? If not, assume that your chassis maker speced the least expensive/lowest load range tires that would meet their GVWR. Therefore, without facts to the contrary, stay go with at least the load range your chassis maker speced. Brett

The chassis maker, not engine maker chooses and installs the primary fuel filter/water separator. Could a Caterpillar or Cummins dealer have the correct one? Sure, but he would have no way to accurately look it up and stocking the correct one for all the different chassis makers (truck as well as RV would require quite a stock). Check with your chassis maker for the correct primary fuel filter/water separator element. And fitting a 2 micron primary followed by a 2 micron secondary is NOT the way to go. A 10 or 30 micron primary along with the 2 micron secondary properly spreads the filtration duty. Brett

John, Diagnosing an engine problem over the internet is not realistic. But, I will say, I DON'T like coincidences-- and the likelihood that a HEUI pump or fuel pump would go out at exactly the same time as the fuel filter change is VERY remote. My strong suggestion is to take it to a Caterpillar shop, not general mechanic. All they deal with for a living is vehicles with engines just like yours. You don't want to pay for a parts changer to guess at the cause at your expense. Brett

We may be getting off track here. The 4000 is air cooled, so a leaking radiator will not be his issue. You might give Onan a call to verify that your generator does give fault codes and/or ask them for advice on troubleshooting: 800 888-ONAN. Brett

Yes, the fans go at the top of the cooling unit. Often removing the roof vent allows easy access to that area. If in a slide, remove the upper vent to access. Also, pull out your refrigerator's installation guide. A lot of RV manufacturers do a terrible job with air flow through the back of the compartment. One of the big no-no's is to leave a large space above the refrigerator-- hot air can be trapped there and significantly reduce cooling efficiency. The installation guide gives good min, max and recommended clearances. Brett

If you are going to install fans, they can be 12 VDC muffin fans. But it is far better to install then at the TOP of the cooling unit exhausting UP. They can be wired to a switch or thermostat. And things like door gasket, plug in refrigerator condensate drain, etc should be checked. Anything that adds to the heat load will only manifest itself when the cooling unit is working the hardest.

Actually, I would start by calling HWH with your jack model number and tell them your symptoms. It could be something as simple as you not using the correct stow procedure (which can trap hydraulic fluid in those long lines to the back)! They are great in walking you through the diagnostic process. And if parts or service are needed and you decide to do it yourself, they can provide that as well. HWH 800 321-3494 or 563 724-3396. Brett

Fred, Give Cummins a call: 800 343-7357. Brett

I suspect he is talking about the ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch), which allow 120 VAC from EITHER shore power or generator to power all 120 VAC circuits in the coach. Brett

You are correct, yet two different ways that coaches can be wired. Our boost/combine switch is on/off, not momentary. Is controls a constant duty relay. And no, except in an emergency you would not want to run an intermittent duty solenoid for long periods of time. The proper emergency "work around" for "driving with an alternator not charging, but generator on and powering the converter, charger or inverter charger which charges the house battery but not the chassis battery" would be to label the wire(s) on one of the large lugs of the boost/combine solenoid. Move them/add them to the other large lug. All you have done electrically is that the system will think the solenoid is passing power from one large lug to the other (i.e. the combine switch is on, but without having to have the solenoid on). Make sure to put them back on the other large lug when you stop or all batteries will stay connected and will discharge if dry camping. Brett

FMCA has excellent "what is towable 4 wheels down" guides going back more than a decade: http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/towing/204-towing-index Click on the model year of the vehicle of interest. Brett

Gary is correct for SOME coaches. But, on over 50% of coaches on the road, the converter, charger or inverter/charger ONLY charges the house batteries, not the chassis batteries. For those where the chassis batteries are not charged, in many cases, the battery BOOST SWITCH can be used. So, the converter, charger or inverter/charger charges the house batteries. The boost switch "combines" the house and chassis batteries so all are charged. Brett

If Bill's test shows the alternator bad (i.e. with engine running, large wire at alternator below 13.2 VDC) determine the brand of alternator. Call that manufacturer and ask for their recommendation for an authorized alternator rebuild shop in your area. Take the alternator to them. BTW, I do this as preventive maintenance every 100,000 miles. MUCH, MUCH cheaper to have a good shop put in new bearings and brushes before it fails than to buy a new alternator when the bearings seize up and destroy the alternator. I just had this done on my Hehr Powerline alternator-- cost less than 10% of the cost of a new alternator. AND much less chance of a breakdown on the road.

Tom, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Give Freightliner (Gaffney) a call: 800 385-4357. There are several well-known causes of complete gauge package malfunction on that chassis. They can walk you through the diagnostics.

Three thoughts come to mind. Hopefully, someone with the same coach will have the answer, see this post and respond. I would also suggest that you e-mail Monaco (the new Monaco) for that answer. Third, you might e-mail some of the larger RV satellite installers to see if they remember the setup on your model coach. Brett

John, Yes, you should be able to clear any air in the system with the manual primer pump (assuming the system doesn't have a leak). But, the fact that you find the filters half full of air and the manual primer pump easy to operate suggests that air is getting into the system somewhere. And, since even the primary fuel filter is getting air in it, it doesn't sound like an engine issue, since that is "upstream" of the engine or even the fuel lift pump. Wonder if the tech used a pair of vice grips or something like that to shut off the line coming into the primary filter and ended up putting minute breaks in the hose wall. Remember, since this is on the suction side of the system, you may not have any visible leak, as the leak is air INTO the fuel line. Brett

Start by checking all connections between generator and ATS/junction box. Loose wire connections are not that uncommon. Wire nuts are cheap! Brett

Brian, Sorry, I don't know where the ATS is on your coach. On ours and many others it is easy to access without removing anything else. Brett

Brian, Difficult to tell from that photo, but with 50 amp service, my next step would be to (ASSUMING YOU ARE SAFE WORKING AROUND 120/240 VAC) to open the ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and with shore power and generator off check all connections. Then start the generator and check for power IN and OUT. Brett

John, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Particularly if you jacked up the back of the coach, it would be easy to picture fuel draining all the way back from the fuel filter to the tank, leaving that 20' or so of fuel line with air in it. But, the manual primer pump should be able to pull fuel through. Certainly, raising the FRONT of the coach rather than the rear would make fuel flow easier. Unscrew the manual primer pump plunger. Pump it. If easy to pump, there is air in the system. If REALLY hard to pump, it is fuel and you have eliminated this issue. Be sure to screw the primer pump plunger back in when you are finished! While it could be something unrelated, it would be very unusual for the engine to run perfectly before the filter change and not run well after the filter change and yet be caused by something unrelated. If the primer pump will not keep the system primed (it will run for a little while and quit and then when you pump the primer pump it starts out easy) there may be a poor seal at one of the filters, perhaps one of the old as well as new gasket was left on, etc. Brett