New to Us 2000 Monaco Dynasty

[Razorbacks]

Originally Posted by Vanwill

Dennis, someone commented, understandably, that your cylinder rods looked to be in bad shape. Both my Dynasty's (1993 and 2000) looked the same. The rods were plain steel round stock with either zinc or cadmium plating. I do not know what year Monaco began using hard-chrome-plated-and-ground cylinder rods. I, too, was always a bit surprised that the cylinders would survive in service with such a poor surface finish. But as the RVA rep told you, what appears to be a seal in the end of the ram cylinder is just a wiper, not a seal. The seal is internal, on the end of the rod, so only the INSIDE of the ram cylinder needs to be smooth and slick.

Still, if the rods get rusty or gunky, the springs have trouble pulling the rods through the tight-fitting wipers. Clean them up and lubricate them and they will work OK. That's all you can do for the rod surface.

Glad to hear this. I bought a 2001 Diplomat last October and am still learning. My jacks seem to work fine but they look similar to the ones in the picture. I'll just wipe them down and spray silicone on them.

My alarm jack goes off occasionally also when I'm going slowly over bumps in the campgrounds. If I can find the fluid reservoir, I'll try to check the level. I don't have many nearby mechanics to ask and to show me, so it is sometimes difficult identifying parts under the chassis.

[barmcd]

Originally Posted by Vanwill

Dennis, someone commented, understandably, that your cylinder rods looked to be in bad shape. Both my Dynasty's (1993 and 2000) looked the same. The rods were plain steel round stock with either zinc or cadmium plating. I do not know what year Monaco began using hard-chrome-plated-and-ground cylinder rods. I, too, was always a bit surprised that the cylinders would survive in service with such a poor surface finish. But as the RVA rep told you, what appears to be a seal in the end of the ram cylinder is just a wiper, not a seal. The seal is internal, on the end of the rod, so only the INSIDE of the ram cylinder needs to be smooth and slick.

Still, if the rods get rusty or gunky, the springs have trouble pulling the rods through the tight-fitting wipers. Clean them up and lubricate them and they will work OK. That's all you can do for the rod surface.

Van, that's what the guy at RVA said, the ram is cadmium plated which means it won't be shiny like you'd see on a hydraulic ram on a piece of construction equipment. He also said they should be clean and not be scored or bent. Mine look okay and seem to work okay now. All three had dried ATF fluid on them and the one that hung up didn't seem any worse than the others. The main reason I called was to see if I have an issue with the retract valve or solenoid and he said it didn't sound like I did. I have ordered some of the Teflon lube he recommended.

[barmcd]

Originally Posted by Razorbacks

Glad to hear this. I bought a 2001 Diplomat last October and am still learning. My jacks seem to work fine but they look similar to the ones in the picture. I'll just wipe them down and spray silicone on them.

My alarm jack goes off occasionally also when I'm going slowly over bumps in the campgrounds. If I can find the fluid reservoir, I'll try to check the level. I don't have many nearby mechanics to ask and to show me, so it is sometimes difficult identifying parts under the chassis.

I have the same issue with the alarm. The manual says it indicates a low hydraulic fluid level in the leveler system. I'm going to fill mine this afternoon. I'll post a few pictures of the procedure.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Okay, my mistake, I thought you were dealing with HWH jacks. The RVA probably work pretty much the same, but my comments may not be applicable. Especially the comments on the rams being shiny bright as verified by other RVA jack owners. I've never seen cadmium plated rams! Your solenoid valve is cheaper than HWH, mine was $237.93, but they gave my $67 back for the core. Hope you get things going again soon!

[JohnBoyToo]

My 'jacks down' happened once over a speed bump, so figured it was just the hard jolt when dropping down and the springs bounced a bit...

but later I did find that I was down on fluid a bit and that did a few things...
never got the warning again and
made the auto leveling a BIT smoother, not nearly as smooth as the 5'er's I had before, but better.

One other thing I will add is that our coach was not used much (a 2011 with 9000 miles ) so the more I use it (we've put 17k on it in < a year!) it seems to get betta !!!

[barmcd]

The hydraulic leveling reservoir is on the curb side between the front door and the headlight. Slide the generator out and its down and left of the opening.



It's hard to see back up there behind the wiring harness and hydraulic lines.



I can reach everything, but I can see it and reach it at the same time.

I unscrewed the cap and stuck a funnel in it. Then I turned on the key and powered up the leveling keypad. The chime was going off. I used a small cup to pour a little fluid in at a time. The chime never went off, but I heard the reservoir gurgle a couple times. It sounded like it was full so I just put the cap back on and exercised the jacks a few times. Some where in the middle of putting the jack up and down the chime turned off.

[barmcd]

I changed the engine hydraulic fluid this afternoon. There was no record of it being changed over the last ten years so it was time. On my coach it runs the cooling fan and power steering.



One of the nice things about this coach is the easy engine access. The tall cylinder with the yellow sticker is the hydraulic reservoir. The primary fuel filer is on the left and secondary filter on the right.



Loosen the two bolts holding the clamp and the top comes off.



I used a funnel and 5 gallon paint can to collect the hydraulic fluid. I just disconnected the hose from the bottom of the reservoir and let the fluid drain.



Once the fluid is drained from the reservoir, I loosened the wing nut, spring and washer to remove the three filters. I made note of the fluid level and how many revolutions the wing nut made to come off the shaft.



Here are the three filters and reservoir refilled with fluid.

I used simple green to clean oil and dirt from the reservoir and mounting bracket. There is some rust on the reservoir and clamp which I'll clean up and paint next time.

I used three gallons of fluid to fill the reservoir. Total volume of hydraulic fluid in the system is over ten gallons so its evidently not necessary to completely change it every year. What I drained was not clear so I'll change the fluid and filter at six month intervals until it comes out almost clear.

The gasket was also very hard so I need to source a replacement.

I'm changing the coolant filter and adding OAT extender later this week

[andyux33]

Hi Everyone - looking at one of these - waiting to get VIN. 2000 Monaco Dynasty Series Regent 330hp

New to RVing, so looking into anything you would like to share, specially specifically to this model/company. The dealer just doesnt know anything about this RV.

Looks solid, lots of little minor repairs (cosmetic) does worry me a bit, if they dont pay attention to details (have you heard about Van Hales's brown M&M's? google it, true story). Its a a dealer, all manuals available but havent seen maintenance records log (i dont think thy have it).

I dont remember seeing a spare, but didnt look under. Shout it be under?

They started the engine from the back switch (engine console), could not start it from the front ignition switch - im hoping its just user ignorance, or could it be a problem?

$47k

We are moving straight in, but maybe not take fully the road until i have all systems figured out.

Thanks! Andy

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by andyux33

Hi Everyone - looking at one of these - waiting to get VIN. 2000 Monaco Dynasty Series Regent 330hp

New to RVing, so looking into anything you would like to share, specially specifically to this model/company. The dealer just doesnt know anything about this RV.

Looks solid, lots of little minor repairs (cosmetic) does worry me a bit, if they dont pay attention to details (have you heard about Van Hales's brown M&M's? google it, true story). Its a a dealer, all manuals available but havent seen maintenance records log (i dont think thy have it).

I dont remember seeing a spare, but didnt look under. Shout it be under?

They started the engine from the back switch (engine console), could not start it from the front ignition switch - im hoping its just user ignorance, or could it be a problem?

$47k

We are moving straight in, but maybe not take fully the road until i have all systems figured out.

Thanks! Andy

Andy, I cannot stress enough the value of getting a professional inspection of BOTH the chassis, and the coach, especially on an older model.

At 47K for a 2000, you are at the very VERY high end of price you should be paying, and for that, you shouldn't be having to start the coach from the rear, etc. You should be getting a coach that is absolutely pristine with copious maintenance records, upgraded TV's, new flooring, new roof, perfect condition inside and out.

At a minimum, you should be looking at:

• Date codes on tires, tread depth left is meaningless if the tires are older.
• Age/condition of both house and chassis batteries.
• Dash Air Conditioner as well as main cabin AC's
• Furnace
• Water heater
• Plumbing systems to include fresh water, grey and black water
• condition of roof (This is a BIG one)
• condition and functionality of awnings
• condition and maintenance on generators
• ball joints (if equipped)
• function of slides, tightness of bolts, lubrication
• hydraulics
• function of leveling system
• function of outside steps
• front inside step levelers (if equipped)
• satellite system if equipped
• exhaust system
• turbo charger
• refrigerator
• fluid sample testing
• state of repair to include all recalls/service bulletins accomplished
• windshield wipers, fluid squiters
• condition of glass
• signs of fogging in dual pane windows
• backup camera function
• radio/stereo system

The list above is just off the top of my head. Lots more items to look at.

A professional inspector may not catch everything, but will definitely give you a better snapshot of the condition of the coach right now.

Do NOT rely on inspector from the dealerships shop to "inspect" everything.

Do NOT rely on the dealerships verbal promise to fix everything found. Get it in WRITING, also with a time limit of your offer contingent upon successful inspection, and successful repair of discrepancies.

Last item, the year, make and model you are looking at is a good coach design, it remains to be seen if the specific coach is worth the time and money. Good luck.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Andy, forgot to mention, these coaches don't come standard with spare tires. You have to either carry one in the cargo bays, mounted or unmounted, or buy a spare tire carrier that fits in the trailer hitch receiver, then trailer hitch fits into it to tow with.

[walt2137]

Andy the Regent was the only 2 slide Dynasty made in 2000 and dont show up on the Monaco web site now, i think most Regents came with the 350 ISC . Make sure the front key start is not locked out on the rear start panel. On the price if you are satisfied it is worth it that is all that matters.

Monaco info
https://www.monacocoach.com/resource...11_brc_pdf.pdf

[andyux33]

That list and getting an inspector is very helpful. We dropped the Dynasty, like you said, too much money and it was not pristine. We are now looking at a Diplomat 38D that looks pristine and got it down to $27k.
Thank you so much Scott!

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by andyux33

That list and getting an inspector is very helpful. We dropped the Dynasty, like you said, too much money and it was not pristine. We are now looking at a Diplomat 38D that looks pristine and got it down to $27k.
Thank you so much Scott!

Glad to be of help. We went from a Travel Trailer to the Newmar Dutch Star that we currently own. We felt comfortable with doing the "coach" inspection ourselves, but took it to a Freightliner shop for the "chassis" inspection. They pointed out a few small things, but overall the coach was in great shape. The PO had all, and I do mean ALL maintenance records since they purchased new and were VERY knowledgeable on the coach. Lots of extras and upgrades they added, new paint, new roof (due to hail damage), new tires, new washer/dryer, the list goes on. We paid less 3+ years ago for ours than you were looking at for the Dynasty now.

I REALLY like the quality and build of the coaches from about 2000 until about 2007, maybe we will upgrade in the future, but until we see a coach that knocks our socks off and is worth going into debt over to change out, we will stick with our old tried and true 2001!

Good luck with your search. The right one is out there, you just need to find it!

[barmcd]

I'll just lay this out there. Our Dynasty was the first DP we've owned and I really wanted a side radiator unit. After working on it for a couple years I can say unequivocally the side radiator is a must have for us and is worth a premium on the price. Also, the 2000 Dynasty comes on the S chassis instead of the R8RR.

There are plenty of 2000 Camelot, Windsor and Dynasty's out there in excellent condition--you just have to be patient and then jump on them quickly when you find it.