New Monaco owner with suspension question

[aber4]

Hello everyone, we are the new owners of a Monaco LaPalma 34'. It is our first motorhome after two trailers. It is "new" but has 5100 miles on the odometer. The question I have is if any rattle from the front suspension while driving over a gravel or any uneven surface is normal? I have inspected the steering linkage and have found that the drag arm that connects the steering box to the front left wheel can be rotated slightly by hand and that the ball joint between the drag arm and the steering knuckle is not totally vertical. The unit rides on the Roadmaster chassis. Maybe I am being to picky and this is just a normal characteristic of this unit but I would sure appreciate any feedback from other owners with regards to this issue so I can persue it if needed.

Also, is there any warranty on the 08 Monaco units as I believe they have "new" owners?

Many thanks,
Mike and Leah

[Drifter]

Aber4, Welcome to the Monaco forum. The items that you mentioned do seem some what normal except the rattle. If your close to your dealer maybe you should have them take a look so you won't be worrying.

[EngineerMike]

Mike & Leah- I agree that the drag link is frequently movable by rotating along its axis. If it settles down so that it squishes the rubber grease cups on one or both ends, it will rupture the cups prematurely, so the grease will push out easily and the ball joints will wear prematurely. You may be able to lengthen the life span of the ball joints by wrapping a trucker's rubber bungee around the drag link and hooking it up to some part of the frame, putting a counter-rotating force on the link so the weight is off the rubber cups. Some do this on Alpines which have this premature wear problem on drag link ball joints.

[nodine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aber4 Hello everyone, we are the new owners of a Monaco LaPalma 34'. It is our first motorhome after two trailers. It is "new" but has 5100 miles on the odometer. The question I have is if any rattle from the front suspension while driving over a gravel or any uneven surface is normal? I have inspected the steering linkage and have found that the drag arm that connects the steering box to the front left wheel can be rotated slightly by hand and that the ball joint between the drag arm and the steering knuckle is not totally vertical. The unit rides on the Roadmaster chassis. Maybe I am being to picky and this is just a normal characteristic of this unit but I would sure appreciate any feedback from other owners with regards to this issue so I can persue it if needed. Also, is there any warranty on the 08 Monaco units as I believe they have "new" owners? Many thanks, Mike and Leah

Could be most anything. My television rattled because it was loose. Do you have aluminum wheels or wheel covers? If you have wheel covers you might try removing them and test if the rattle goes away.

Bob

[tom49]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aber4 Hello everyone, we are the new owners of a Monaco LaPalma 34'. Also, is there any warranty on the 08 Monaco units as I believe they have "new" owners? Many thanks, Mike and Leah

Mike
Sorry to say but there is no warranty on any unit the new owners did not make.

[powerboatr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nodine Could be most anything. My television rattled because it was loose. Do you have aluminum wheels or wheel covers? If you have wheel covers you might try removing them and test if the rattle goes away. Bob

i dont have a monaco.....but i had weird rattles for a bit and
did the same thing looking at the drag links and moving them to lie in a straight line. the front wheels hub covers were also not a tight fit, a bit of leaning on them with a rubber hammer helped the fit.
i found my entry door, was not adjusted correctly , that made a HUGE difference.

[aber4]

Thanks for all your helpful responses. I think I will temporarily strap the drag link to the steering knuckle on the wheel and do some low speed tests in a parking lot to see if this cures the rattle/clunking. It seems to me that the ball joint at the wheel end of the drag link is just too loose. I checked the drag links on other Monaco LaPalmas at a dealer and found them to be tighter and generally aligned at near right angles (one was loose at the front end and was easy to spin around by hand - told the salesman but they didn't seem to care too much!!) I'll let you know what I find out when we get back to our unit in California. If any one else has any ideas please chime in.
Thanks again

[soberjoe]

Welcome to the orphan club.