Engine accessability

[Harry]

I guess I just need to get this rant over with. I had my coach,2013 HR 43' , In the shop for warranty repairs and while there they found a leak on the Interstage Cooler hose clamp. But in order to get to it they had to take the rear closet apart, remove doors and bottom track, to fix it. A job to replace a hose clamp and retighten all others and add some coolent which shouldn't have taken more than 30 minutes ending up costing 2 hours labor to remove and replace the closet then fix the leak. The real kicker is that the RV shop I purchased the rig from told me that they would go take it apart then put it back together. WRONG. The service manager at the truck dealer stated that they have called them on 3 units in the past and they refused to come out. But just to fix a hose clamp ended up costing $407.00 It looks like Monaco could come up with a better way of accessing the engine compartment.
Harry

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by Harry

I guess I just need to get this rant over with. I had my coach,2013 HR 43' , In the shop for warranty repairs and while there they found a leak on the Interstage Cooler hose clamp. But in order to get to it they had to take the rear closet apart, remove doors and bottom track, to fix it. A job to replace a hose clamp and retighten all others and add some coolent which shouldn't have taken more than 30 minutes ending up costing 2 hours labor to remove and replace the closet then fix the leak. The real kicker is that the RV shop I purchased the rig from told me that they would go take it apart then put it back together. WRONG. The service manager at the truck dealer stated that they have called them on 3 units in the past and they refused to come out. But just to fix a hose clamp ended up costing $407.00 It looks like Monaco could come up with a better way of accessing the engine compartment.

Harry

Sorry for your difficulty Harry. Access to engine components can be a problem with all DPs but it's exacerbated by the rear radiator placement. I suspect that the right tech (young, small & wiry) could have accessed it from below.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

[Skip426]

Problem is industry wide, engine access, rear radiator & or, bedroom slides are to blame. The more the coach manufacturer loads the coach with the worse the access becomes, these are the reasons , that when I started looking at pushers I went for , side radiator & no bedroom slide; I do 95% of my own repairs, and would go crazy if engine access took more than 5 mins.

[pagosajoe]

Similar problem, but with a water heater mixing valve in our 2012 Discovery. Had to take the closet apart to get to the mixing valve which was behind the Atwood water heater. Cost of the valve - $30. Cost of removing/replacing the closet? $200+

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

Sorry for your difficulty Harry. Access to engine components can be a problem with all DPs but it's exacerbated by the rear radiator placement. I suspect that the right tech (young, small & wiry) could have accessed it from below.
Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

Steve (& Harry)
On my rear radiator coach there's a 4' X 6' engine access opening when the mattress board is raised.
The "problematic engine access" must be an "improvement" made by Monaco and others.
Mel
'96 Safari

[rmcb]

It really isn't difficult to remove the closet door track and rear access panel. On our coach, I don't even take the closet doors off. I just take the screws out of each end of the wooden base for the door track and roll the assembly out. Doesn't take but 2-3 minutes. You could probably do it yourself next time and save the labor cost. All you need is a square drive screw driver for the two screws holding the lower track and a common one for the 4 big access door screws.
Good luck.

[rmcb]

BTW, I also just replaced the big screws in my large access hatch with Southco lever latches like some of the higher line coaches. Makes opening the hatch a snap...so to speak.

[rvtips]

Originally Posted by mel s

Steve (& Harry)
On my rear radiator coach there's a 4' X 6' engine access opening when the mattress board is raised.
The "problematic engine access" must be an "improvement" made by Monaco and others.
Mel
'96 Safari

================================================== =======
That is because you don't have a bedroom slide.

[YC1]

I changed my engine fan. That took about 30 minutes. Getting to it took about two hours removing facings and eventually closet doors. Screws that were installed were near impossible to get to. When reassembling the thing the screws were moved and some of the facia was trimmed so it will come apart in about 30 minutes or less now. Still a big pain. Just finding the little extra engine cover was a trip. It was buried in carpet below the closet door rail.

[Mike_Harriet]

Love my 2003 Dutch Star. Side rad, and panel in front of rear closet comes out so I can lay on top of my engine. And I have a bedroom slide. DW knew engine access for maint (also do my own), was my only real requirement. She could choose any one she wanted if it had at least those two things. Lucky enough to get almost my whole list though.

[rmcb]

I have two bedroom slides.

[rmcb]

On my coach, removing the access panels is not the biggest PITA. Working on the engine down in the hole makes my back sore.

[spsm]

I know what you mean Harry. Just to change my air filter, I have to remove the air minder and lay on the motor to do the job. Not getting any younger.

[Papa_Jim]

I do all my own maintenance work, service work, and repair work. I was working on my engine today replacing a throttle return spring which was a bit of a bear to change. But, this thread reminds me to stop complaining, because I have free and open access to my entire engine from the top, the back and from underneath. Actually I can't complain.

While planning for what will be our next and probably our last coach, I am constantly at odds with myself regarding this issue of engine access. As soon as the bed is turned sideways on a slide, it seems to me that engine access is compromised.

I have noticed that some, and I mean some, later coaches have the bed placed north to south. Does that mean that the engine is freely accessed by lifting the bed?

Jim