Community Forums

martye62 · 07-27-2017, 01:07 AM

Hi all,

Noobs to RV'ing, at least as owners. Before this, we were repeat renter-offenders.
Just picked up a 2004 Monaco Knight 38PDQ with 16K miles on it. Looks new inside & out, and most items were serviced before the sale. A true one-owner vehicle that still looks showroom new. Woot!
We were going through it and while working outside, on generator power, it would occasionally shut down. Because it was 90 degrees and in the sun I figured the AC units in addition to the lights may have overloaded it causing it to automatically shut off. But after several of these cycles (about 30 min apart) it shuts down, leaving us in the dark. Prior to this the interior power panel (in the hallway) was operating normally (i think). Good battery charging and normal voltages.

I'm still trying to figure out the battery disconnect switch thingy (salesman switch?) at the front door. My day job is flying 737's and I'm an engineer by education, so I equate it to a Master Electric or Main Bus Transfer switch. Either way, p*sses me off...:face palm: Anyway.....took the switch out and decided it's functioning normally; the problem seems to be a solenoid in the forward distribution panel, in the outside cabinet under the driver's seat. It's a larger solenoid on the bottom-left of the covered panel. When I activate the cutoff switch, I hear a switch movement inside it but nothing seems to change, i.e., it seems like it's trying to activate a switching unit but can't. There's a small 5amp fuse on that solenoid body as well, which is intact. And it has some large gauge red (hot) wiring in & out.

My assumption (yeah, I know) is that this functions as a cutoff / turn-on solenoid for house power, but has somehow failed. The hot lead on the bottom right seems to have suffered an arc, as the attachment bolt is slightly blackened and the black insulation tape has been slightly melted. No blown fuses that I saw but I haven't checked them all as of yet.

The generator starts normally, and now with no load idles quietly for as long as I leave it on. Also have chassis power (headlights, etc) and the ability to start the motor, drive, etc. Just without any house power.

The previous owner stated that his norm (approaching the RV initially) was to open the door, turn on the battery cutoff switch, and then he'd see the microwave clock flashing. It worked this way for us as well for a couple days, then the whole thing shut down as described above. ANY input is appreciated. Apologies for the long write-up and if this has been covered before.

BTW, we're in Canton, GA, and would love to hear from other folks close to us or with a similar vehicle. We're anxious to hit the road! Thanks again!

Topman · 07-27-2017, 02:11 AM

Most of us have had issues with the "Salesman switch". The solenoid if I recall is a normally closed circuit which caused the solenoid to be warm/hot most of the time and prone to failure.
When it fails, and most do, some replace the solenoid but the consensus on this board seems to be of the opinion to bypass the solenoid completely.
Quite simple to do and there are several threads here describing the procedure.
Not sure if I see a connection between the Salesman switch and the generator but hopefully others will chime in with responses.
Good luck, and welcome to the forum.
Iver.

RustyTools · 07-27-2017, 05:27 AM

x2 on the salesman switch. Some opt to rebuild/repair it but most just take it out of the circuit. It also controls the 12vdc that controls (but not runs) the AC units. I disconnected mine when I came home and found the switch had failed with our dog inside - fortunately we caught it early.

Does the genset throw any codes when it quits? Might be a place to start. Mine would overheat and quit after awhile, til I found the remnants of a bird blocking part of the fan (how'd it ever get in there???).

Good luck and keep us posted

robertj1979 · 07-27-2017, 07:40 AM

Agree the salesman switch has caused many problems and I never use mine because of that.
It sounds to me that the generator issue is a separate problem and should not turn off on its own. I would make sure that the fuel filter and generator have been properly serviced. The fact that it runs without load might indicate it is not able to handle the extra power requirements when a load is added.
Sounds like a nice unit. I am also in the flying business (corporate) and these motorhomes are much like planes with all of the systems etc.

RamiDav · 07-27-2017, 07:43 AM

Yep disable the salesman sw / solenoid it causes repeated problems and
is of little real need .

I usually service my gen myself but the last time I failed to purchase a
new fuel filter and decided it would be ok so we left on our journey .
Well as you may have already deduced it was not ok for very long .
We were running the gen and both air conditioners , it was hot outside
After a few hrs I felt sort of warm , it was time for a rest stop anyway
so we stopped , it was then I then could tell the gen was not running .
It cranked right back up so we stretched our legs got back in our cool coach
and away we went but after a while it stopped again , what the XXX is this .
It would die when under a heavy load after 30 min to an hr .
Well the short story is I remembered the filter and thought its worth a try
so I bought one along with a plastic dish pan to catch the dripping diesel
and replaced the filter .
The good news is the gen ran great for the rest of our 6 wk trip and still
runs fine .
Another thing that will cause the shut down is a slipping water pump belt
that is located inside the case / housing .

Ray D
03 Windsor

BTW if you will look down near the bottom of this page there is a window
titled Similar threads , these may be of interest to you .

pwhittle · 07-28-2017, 10:17 AM

Hi Marty,

Check your PM's

Paul

Mutt · 07-28-2017, 05:45 PM

Marty, as mentioned above, if the fuel filter has not be replaced, start there. Next also mentioned touch the switch on the generator to see how many blinks you get. See your book to check the flashes. The water pump belt could be slipping, but as I recall mine didn't show the right code for the temperature sending unit having failed either. But, it didn't run very long at all before it would shut down. That's what led me to decide on the temp unit. By the way I'm down in Covington, Ga. Also, when you start to change the fuel filter try to get the front of the coach up hill as high as you can(I assume the generator in your Knight is in the front of the coach same as the Diplomat-2002). That will help to stop/reduce the fuel from running down your arms as you change the filter. Good Luck.

Mutt · 07-28-2017, 06:01 PM

Marty, you made the statement that the microwave was flashing. Did/do you have the MH plugged into house current? if not, and the coach is totaling using the generator power, that means that the inverter is on supplying power to whatever. I bring this up since a friend of mine recently kept stalling his generator with to many appliance switched on. This is just a guess....but with both a/c units on and lets say the water heater maybe is on and if the fridge is set to Auto you can exceed you available power, and stall the generator. If you are not drawing any codes on your generator, be sure EVERY THING is off before starting your generator and then switch things on one at a time. See how that works out. Again, good luck.