Words from the wise - 1997 Monterey Beaver - 30FT

[Justin Ellis]

Hi all,

I've recently acquired my first motorhome, a 1997 Monterey Beaver @ 30FT with no slideouts and front side access.  Power train is a 3126 CAT engine with Allison World Transmission @ ~ 100,000 miles.

I'm pretty excited to have it and have been enjoying it already, In familiarizing myself with the rig I've also been checking off some 100,000 mile maintenance items which I assume to be due or at least feel better knowing that I did them and how.

So far I've tested and replaced batteries, changed transmission fluid and filters, changed engine oil/filter, fuel filter,  and coolant, flushed and changed radiator fluid, serviced Onan propane generator, and replaced the alternator.

In the process I've come up with some questions and not been impressed by documentation that came with the coach, so maybe you can help!  I'm also 'all ears' if anyone has advice for owning or tips for proactively maintaining this motorhome:

1) I imagine the air filter canister has never been changed, my plan currently is to remove it, scour it for numbers or take it to the local shop and look helpless until they find me a new one.  Does anyone actually know details on this part or where to purchase it?

2) The radiator coolant reservoir looks like it was not made to live this long and should be replaced.  I'd imagine similar aged coaches of this type have run into this, any recommendations?

3) I have electrical gremlins, lately I've noticed that when I turn the key in the ignition nothing happens except the aftermarket stereo turns on.  But if I turn the key on and off three times...all the dash lights come on and I'm ready to go.  Weird right?  Also I was sitting in the coach reading with the lights on and the 'shore power' (I'm a boat person) plugged in, and then the whole coach went dark power off, no response, dead ship....waited a bit, cycled everything, turned it back on and power is back.  No breakers had tripped and the batteries had plenty of charge (and are new), also weird right?

4)  How often should I plan to replace/maintain this roof?

5) I noticed there are hydraulics which are PTO from the engine and used for the jacks etc, I assume there is a filter somewhere that should be changed....true?  Anyone done this and have advice on parts or sourcing?

6) When I drain my air receiver I get a significant amount of emulsified oil and condensation.  So this means there is an air compressor that is in some way lubricated.  Does it have a reservoir that needs to be maintained?  Is there service required for this air compressor?  Or, what/when etc...

7) The gas range tends to light and then extinguish unless the knob is held down for like 30 seconds to a minute.  Is this just the nature of the beast or is there a fix for it?

  My exterior shower only extends like 2 feet, which is not useful.  My first thought is, take it apart and see whats wrong.  Anyone had this problem or is that actually how they are?  Anyone upgraded this to a nicer one?  I love exterior showers (I surf).

9)  What the heck size is this bed (not quite queen) and where do I buy stuff that fits it?

10)  The diagnostic screen for the engine (I presume) mounted centerline in the front of the coach doesn't even turn on.  Anyone else had issues with this or know if it's even worth looking into.  I've never had a computer on a CAT 3126 and am fairly familiar with the engine since I own three of them.

11) Are these RV's insulated well enough to do some ski resort parking lot camping?  My first inclination is that I'd run out of propane after a couple nights, not sure though since I've never really tested it in freezing conditions.

Thanks in advance for reading this and taking the time to help where you can   I know it's a lot of questions but I've been saving some up in anticipation of joining this forum.

Cheers and happy camping,
Justin Ellis

[Joel Ashley]

Justin, welcome to the Forum.

I for one can't answer all your questions, and you might have been better off asking them one at a time in individual posts as you came across them, rather than saving them up.  You would be more likely to have detailed responses that way.  I know little about your model coach, but others here can help with many of its species-specific issues.

That said, question #1 assumes prior owners ignored the air filter for 100k miles, which is possible but unlikely.  I don't know if your model has the glass-globed airflow sensor that mine does.  If so, it works as a good reference on mine.  If not I'd carefully remove the cannister and eyeball it, taking action accordingly.  Some filter models may be hard to find, but someone here may know what you need as others do own '97's with the 3126.

#3 electrical  - Similar issues with a previous gas coach meant an overheated General Motors ignition switch that required replacement.  They are easy to scavenge at junk yards if you want to save a few bucks.  But intermittent behavior could simply be loose wires on the ignition switch.  Either way, you might want to crawl under the dash and check it out.  Mine was badly burned in back from some past incident with high amp draw.  As noted, I'm not familiar with your model, but the "lights out" situation could be a number of things from a bad component in the park power source, to your transfer switch, to a bad inverter.  Not sure what you mean by "cycled everything", and breakers sometimes can be deceiving, so that may need some clarification to assist others here who have more expertise in that dept.

#4 - Beaver roofs are pretty well built compared to some.  An annual check of seams, air conditioning clamping bolts, and other component entry seals is prudent (I let BCS check mine when I'm in for other services).  Dirt is any seal's worst enemy, so at least annually scrub the roof;  I even add a UV-resistant wax, then wear boating shoes whenever topside.  Many recommend scraping off old sealant (I'd use my Dremel MultiMax and flexible scraper head) and then Dicor self-leveling if you entertain resealing seams.  Ed Buker and others have actually painted their roofs for maximum longevity;  a Forum search will provide reference to that if you think your roof needs such a treatment.  The roof would have to be pretty damaged from water seepage or other phenomena before replacement was an option.

#7 - our range on the Beaver has been no problem.  But the Magic Chef on the old gas coach occasionally acted like yours.  It took awhile, especially for the first use after the tank valve is turned on, for gas to make its way up to the stove.  If your furnace and genset are propane and work OK, then it is likely your stove's valves and burner ports could use cleaning.  If you've had issues with other propane devices onboard, your main valve on the tank (Mansfield?) may have moisture or other issues befouling its operation, and needs replacement.  It's been too many years so my memory is dim, but I recall disassembling stove parts, cleaning what I could, and replacing;  the control valves often leaked so you could smell propane, so adjustments were often needed, or new seals, and a spray bottle of leak-detector was always on hand.  Never had such problems on the Beaver.

#8 - my shower has only a short hose.  As far as I know most are like that.  They were intended for rinsing stuff at the water bay, or getting debris off legs and feet, not for full stand-up showering.  But if there's room, I see no reason a longer hose couldn't be implemented, unless yours is on some sort of encased, limited-capacity reel.

#10 - The screen may be your Aladdin, or a backup monitor (or both in one like ours).  They have been known to fail, but it could be simply a fuse, breaker, or a bad relay.  That means a number of places to check to begin with, before writing off the basic unit.  Others here experienced with your coach will have to chime in as to that.  If it is an Aladdin system, you can find help for it in the Forum's Coach Assist section where there are several documents related to Aladdin.

#11 - We've spent weeks in snow and ice conditions in Idaho and Utah, but our heat is hydronic and the genset is diesel.  Though insulated as well as any, such conditions keep the furnace on quite a bit, and we even have double-pane windows.  Your coach is different than ours enough that I'll have to leave it for others with specific experience in similar models to comment.

I know the above input is limited and may be of little help, but hopefully will help generate more responses for you.

Joel

[Karl Welhart]

Justin,

I had a 1997 36' Monterey and may be able to help. 

#1. Wix 46857, Donaldson P537455, Fleetguard  AH19014, Farr 99842-009, Luberfiner LAF7455 or CARQUEST 88857 should be the replacement for your air filter.  Double check you old one first.. Go on-line to fine best price.  No store will have this is stock.

#2. If your radiator is not leaking and the reservoir is not loosing coolant, I would not worry about replacement.

#3. I would replace the key switch and check the two fuses above the batteries.  This would not cause your light-out problem.  That may be an early sign of the charger/inverter going bad.

#4. If it has not been resealed, I would have it covered with a EPDM type of coating.  Should last 5-10 years.

#5. I do not remember any filter for the hydraulics.  If my memory is correct the power steering pump on the engine and a separate 12v pump for the jacks.

#7. That is normal.  You could replace the sensors but will only gain you a few seconds of hold the knob down.

#8. The hose may be unable to come out from behind the service bay panel.  Take the panel off and look inside to see if the hose in caught on something.  If you want a longer hose, just replace it with a longer one while the panel is off.

#9.It is a short queen. Very common in that model motorhome.  Buy sheet on-line like Camping World. 

#10. This screen is the Silverleaf and is a very helpful device if you can fine a replacement.  Silverleaf is still in business and may have some ideas on a replacement.  I do not think they made the VM100 anymore.  There are some after market devices that will give you some of the information.  Hopefully, the wiring/diagnosis connection is still in you coach.

#11. Yes the no slide 30' unit should be very cozy with a couple of electric heaters (assuming you have shore power).  The propane furnace should hold you for several days with out refilling the tank.  The generator is the big problem.  That was the reason I traded my Monterey for a Patriot.

Welcome aboard and have fun traveling.

Karl

[Karl Welhart]

Justin,

Missed #6. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with your compressor.  Yes, the compressor (mounted on the engine) does have a filter on it that should be service regularly.  Tanks reservoir does not need any special service, just be sure you bleed those tanks often... I always bleed mine at the end of each day on the road.  This also, would let the chassis to settle solidly on to the jacks during leveling.

[Keith Moffett]

Justin
Dont know why we lost touch.  You are in Port Angeles, right?  Email me (moffrobb@yahoo.com) and we can talk motorhomes if you like. 
P. S.  I may have some misc. Onan stuff for you.

Keith

[Keith Oliver]

#7 Your thermocouple needs to be bent so that it is in the flame.  Then it will heat up quickly and allow the gas to flow.

[Gerald Farris]

Justin,
Your ignition switch concern is probably not a problem with the switch. However, there is a very high probability that the ignition solenoid in the LF electrical needs replacing. Also the oil and water a the tank drains is normal on most 1996 and 1997 Monterey coaches because they were not equipped with an air dryer.

If I can help you with any information on you coach, call me 713-254-4156. I will be in the Pacific Time Zone for the next month.

Gerald   

[Edward Buker]

Item 3 needs more info. Certainly change out the solenoid that Gerald recommends, that is likely a problem and good prevention if it is not all of the problem. If the ignition switch brings things back on with slight wiggling of the key then the contacts in that are a problem also. If the ignition switch has to be turned on and off to get things back on then that is most likely just recycling the outside solenoid in the electrical bay until a decent enough contact is made.

The part of your question that is needing more info is the lights went out. What lights exactly 12V or 120V or both. What exactly did you cycle to get them back and can you identify which cycling did the trick, like main battery switch or salesman switch or breaker on the shore power post, or charger inverter switch etc?

Later Ed

[Justin Ellis]

#10. This screen is the Silverleaf and is a very helpful device if you can fine a replacement.  Silverleaf is still in business and may have some ideas on a replacement.  I do not think they made the VM100 anymore.  There are some after market devices that will give you some of the information.  Hopefully, the wiring/diagnosis connection is still in you coach.

Hi Karl, what sort of information does the silverleaf provide for the engine?  I'd love to have exhaust gas temperatures or some other engine loading or combustion quality characteristics.  I send in regular oil samples for analysis that I trust to help identify developing engine problems though. 

[Justin Ellis]

Justin,
Your ignition switch concern is probably not a problem with the switch. However, there is a very high probability that the ignition solenoid in the LF electrical needs replacing. Also the oil and water a the tank drains is normal on most 1996 and 1997 Monterey coaches because they were not equipped with an air dryer.

If I can help you with any information on you coach, call me 713-254-4156. I will be in the Pacific Time Zone for the next month.

Gerald

I'll do some more troubleshooting on that, sounds like a point in the right direction, many thanks.

[Justin Ellis]

Item 3 needs more info. Certainly change out the solenoid that Gerald recommends, that is likely a problem and good prevention if it is not all of the problem. If the ignition switch brings things back on with slight wiggling of the key then the contacts in that are a problem also. If the ignition switch has to be turned on and off to get things back on then that is most likely just recycling the outside solenoid in the electrical bay until a decent enough contact is made.

The part of your question that is needing more info is the lights went out. What lights exactly 12V or 120V or both. What exactly did you cycle to get them back and can you identify which cycling did the trick, like main battery switch or salesman switch or breaker on the shore power post, or charger inverter switch etc?

Later Ed

Hi Ed, sounds like you know your electrical.  I understand I need more info on this, I'll have to be more deliberate in my troubleshooting in the future to figure out whats going on.  My intuition says that the inverter is having a tough time with life and starting to act a little unpredictable as  I've had a hard time seeing any rhyme or reason to the electrical issues I've been having.   The lights were 120v, the DC lighting worked fine.  By cycling, I mean turning everything off, and unplugging the rig from shore power, waiting, then plugging it back in, and trying the 120v lights again.   First time I did that, no dice, didn't make a difference.   The thing that seemed (not concrete at all) to make it work again was doing the same thing and then actually turning the inverter remote panel switch on and then off again.  No idea why that would work but the 120v lights turned back on so I was happy.  It was a little embarrassing since I had some friends over who were sitting in the dark while I ran around screwing with my motorhome which I claimed was in great shape     Anyways, I'll keep a closer eye on it next time, I hate troubleshooting electrical, it's frustrating.

I think this ignition problem is right on though, I'll get on that.

[Justin Ellis]

Thanks everyone for your insightful replies, I certainly appreciate you taking the time to help out with my many questions

I'll continue getting my motorhome's quirks worked out and be sure to post the results on here for others to search in the future.

Cheers,
Justin

[Karl Welhart]

Justin,

The Silverleaf that was in your coach originally displayed things like: Speed, gear selected and gear in place, engine coolant temp, trans temp, % power, throttle position, instant mileage, average mileage, engine torque, engine fault codes, chassis voltage, intake air temp, trip information and some minor stuff. 

This link is the latest version of the original, but I do not think that model is supported anymore.  The VMSpc is a good inexpensive computer display replacement. Simply plugs into your current port and then plugs into you laptop computer.  The hardware is about $300.00 and software is free.

  http://www.silverleafelectronics.com/sites/silverleafelectronics.com/files/VMS%20120.pdf

There are other devices that can do similar things for $200-$300 in the after market.

Hope that helps, Karl

[Edward Buker]

Justin,

I cannot tell you exactly what was happening when you cycled the 120V. Things to look into. Do you have  protection circuitry built in or a surge guard adapter at the point of plug in. Either of those could have disconnected you if it sensed something was wrong. Next in line is a transfer switch that is selected by the generator or shore power. It is a relay system with circuitry to do the switching. The contacts in that or the circuitry may be faulting. As far as the Inverter Charger, it also has a relay built in that switches between a pass through 120v and the inverter circuitry generating 120V.

I would leave the inverter switch on the charger/inverter panel in the off position so if you lose 120V power you will know it. Next time it happens go to the power source pole with a meter and measure if you have power there to rule that out. If you do then start the generator and give it a minute to switch over and see if the lights are back on. If not then you need to check outlets that are not fed by the inverter and see if you have power there. To find out which those are shut off all the AC breakers in the ceiling breaker panel in the basement and then go hunting for what outlet still has power while the power is on so you are prepared if it goes out again. If you have power in the non  inverter supplied outlets then it is the inverter pass through not working, if you have no power in any outlet then it is likely the transfer switch causing the problem. Hope this helps.

Later Ed

[Karl Welhart]

Justin,

I need to clarify something regarding your center display screen.  The original display in our units were Magnum Intellidrive System displays.  However, most were replaced, as mine was, with the Silverleaf VMS unit.  The MagID system display had most all the features of the Silverleaf VMS.

In my case and I know others, the MagID was impossible to read (except at night) and that was why the change to the Silverleaf VMS unit.

Karl