Ding, Ding, Ding Alarm during wet weather

Robi.1014 · 09-01-2010, 08:08 PM

When driving in the rain, my 2004 Diplomat sounds an alarm... that of a "ding" "ding" "ding" with about 1 second between each "ding". It's a "ding" and not a "beep" (for what THAT's worth!!).

It is a quiet alarm, i.e., not loud, sometimes barely discernable from ambient road noise. When the road becomes dry, the dinging stops within a few minutes.

I suspect that this might be an alarm indicating a problem with the anti-lock braking system. I just haven't had the time to troubleshoot this one .... so I'm asking if anyone else has experienced this. My guess is the fix might be sealing any/all anti-lock brake connectors at each wheel.

Thanks in advance.

RVDude · 09-01-2010, 08:27 PM

Most likely (and definitely if you are on a Spartan chassis) it is your ATC (automatic traction control) engaging due to detected rear wheel slippage.

The ATC will apply slight braking to the rear wheel side that is detected slipping to "slow it down" to the same speed as the other wheel (presumably with solid traction).

Ray,IN · 09-01-2010, 08:27 PM

I've heard of this problem with autos and pickups. The anti-lock stuff gets dirty and when it gets wet it does weird stuff. It seems the cheapest solution is to power-wash the interior side of the wheels to clean away dirt and road grime. With autos one can simply use an automatic car wash that does the under-side too, not possible for a MH.

itdave · 09-01-2010, 09:07 PM

There is a low oil pressure sensor that shorts when it get wet and sets off an alarm under the dash. Call Monaco Tech Support they can describe the problem. I just unplugged the alarm unit small black box according to Monaco it is not a problem to leave it unplugged.

Robi.1014 · 09-02-2010, 08:49 AM

itDave:
Do you know what oil pressure is being monitored/alarmed? It wouldn't be engine oil pressure, I assume.

RVDude:
My chassis is Roadmaster. FYI, I have an ATC light on my dash that illuminates when ATC is invoked. For what it's worth, there is no correlation between the ATC-light and the ding-ing alarm.

Regards,
Robi

itdave · 09-02-2010, 10:06 AM

I can't remember (CRS) the alarm starting acting up back in 2006. I called Monaco tech support and they told me I could unplug the alarm because whatever it was monitoring was monitored by other gauges. I am looking through old stuff to see what I can find

RVDude · 09-02-2010, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robi.1014

...I have an ATC light on my dash that illuminates when ATC is invoked. For what it's worth, there is no correlation between the ATC-light and the ding-ing alarm.

Not so fast. The ATC switch light simply indicates if the ATC is either enabled or disabled and has nothing to do with hearing the ATC slip alarm. The ATC controller is a part of the differential, a Meritor product, and is also known as DCDL (driver controlled differential lock) and is the standard issue differential on any ATC equipped chassis - Roadmaster included.

To be clear, the possible ding chime sound is the ATC (aka DCDL) controller sending an alarm that the controller has detected wheel slippage and is independent of the switch setting. It is simply advising that slip has been detected. You decide if you want to control it or not using the switch as there are times when you want slip control and times you don't.

Now, this may not be the ding sound you are getting, but the ATC slip detected ding is a very soft sound single ding that is literally the definition of a very soft chime sound. There may be another source for your chime, but the ATC slip detection warning chime is more than highly suspect.

Robi.1014 · 09-02-2010, 10:50 AM

My coach is in storage, but I'll read the ATC section again at first opportunity to learn more. Your description "... is a very soft sound single ding that is literally the definition of a very soft chime sound" is what I'm hearing.

As for "It is simply advising that slip has been detected"....
The alarm sounds when driving down interstate, etc. at 65 mph during rain, so ACTUAL slippage is not happening (I HOPE not!!). Do you think that moisture is still the impetus to the alarm's sounding?

Daveo0o · 09-02-2010, 06:29 PM

Seems like i have encountered a number of things that cause a repeating ding. What about the leveling Jack retracted position sensor? This was caused by low hydraulic fluid or wet weather on a previous MH.

Ed S · 09-02-2010, 08:18 PM

Seems to me when I had my 06 Endeavor some times driving in rain I had the same alarm and it was due to the transmission temp sensor.

Robi.1014 · 09-02-2010, 09:06 PM

Daveo0o:
The "ding" for the Jacks (being down or not enough fluid) is a different ding than that of driving in wet conditions.

Ed S:
Was the tranny-temp sensor replaced?...and the "ding" (during wet conditions) stopped?

Robi.1014 · 09-02-2010, 09:11 PM

And back to RVDude:
Regretfully, my service manual doesn't mention an alarm associated with ATC or anti-lock braking systems. Rats.

loranimal · 09-02-2010, 09:25 PM

When I had my 05 Dip w/ISL, I used to get the same type alarm in the rain. Faint ding from under the dash access cover. It was coming from a little black box. It was the oil pressure sending unit on the side of the engine. I took the connections off and cleaned them real good. Then I coated them with liquid electrical tape. Never had a problem again.

Carl