Water Pump Woes

[BaldOldBob]

Turned on the kitchen faucet and got less flow than normal. Shut it off and turned it on, no water at all. Flipped the water pump switch off and on, it worked just fine. Turned it off and now it doesn't work at all. Checked the wet bay to see if it was even attempting to come on and nothing. Seems to be deceased. Coach is 4 years old, full time living, never a problem in the past. Any ideas?

[Jim Stewart]

Guess, check to make sure it's getting 12 volt. The other is the filter, if clogged, I think it can cause it to shut down. On the Monaco products they use a latching relay controller that all the pump switches go to, can't remember what it's called. That can go bad too. It's shown in the Owners Manual.

Try your other switches. Bath, Kitchen, Outside!

[Lukeaa]

Sounds like time for a rebuild kit.

[Diplomat Don]

Bob....If it's dead, you might want to replace it with this Flojet pump FloJet Sensor VSD Pumps - Product - Camping World . It's pricey, but it's quiet and powerful. I can hook a 5/8" garden hose to mine and wash the coach. Had to to use it once to clean the sensors on the underside of the coach after going through a construction site in Yellowstone.

Rebuild the old one and keep it as a spare.

[justimagination]

Bob, before spending a lot of $$$, let me tell you how I fixed the exact same problem on my unit. I'm assuming your pump is easy to remove, if so, mark the top of the motor housing(not the end where the actual pump is) but the other end. Take the pup off and seperate the housing from the pump by removing the screws. These motor's do not have bearing's, they have Oilite bushings which are permanetly lubricated until this happens. I think you will find that tha Armature will not turn until you manually do it to remove it from the housing. Use some WD40 to loosen it up until it's turns freely. Now in the end of the housing where you market the top, drill a 1/16th size hole in the very top where the bushing is. This is so you can lubricate whenever you need too. Simply put a small piece of dumbdumb over the hole after your done. I used the same motor oil I use in the engine.......10w30w. It's been going for 2 plus years without any problems. Real cheap fix for about an hours work. Be sure and blow out with air before assembling.....good luck and happy trails to you and yours.
David G.

[nodine]

Bob,

Make sure you don't have a problem with the Monoplex Water Pump Controller:
http://www.intellitec.com/PDF/5300145.000.pdf

Monaco uses these so you can turn the water pump on and off from different locations. You could go directly to the water pump and unplug it from the Monoplex and apply 12 volts directly. If it runs then you will know there is a problem with the Monoplex Controller or a blown fuse.

another Bob, but with hair!

[wrangler05]

I agree with others, 1) test at pump for 12v, 2) test dual rocker up front and bath switch for power, 3) remove strainer and clean. Finally one issue I have had over many years is poor water pressure in kitchen (your first issue) and finally found that the rubber hose w/in the metal expansion hose to wand had become twisted or decayed to the point it would not pass much water. I changed the kitchen faucet and I could not believe the difference - neither could my wife who said, "its about time you fixed that".

Wrangler05
FMCA 245034
96 Dynasty

[BaldOldBob]

Thanks for all the replies. Doing a little testing determined it was the pump that was bad. Since we are planning to be desert boondocking for the next month, decided to replace it rather than repair or rebuild. Bought a SHURflo Premier, the one with higher pressure at the Camping World at Beaudry's RV in Tucson, which was right on our way. (That in itself was an experience and it is easy to tell why Beaudry's went belly up and CW is in trouble).

Main reason for the higher pressure pump has been the wife's complaints over the years about lack of water pressure when using the pump. What a difference the new pump makes. Now we have lots of water and the wife is happy, which is a great combination, especially the latter. Strangely this pump is much quieter than the old one.

Plan to try David G's fix to turn the old one into a backup, which will guarantee the new one will never fail. The entire replacement took less than 30 minutes, with the job of splicing the wires and installing the heat shrink tubing taking the longest. I did have to do some of the work by feel, but with only the two hand tightened water connections and three screws holding the pump to the wet bay wall it was easy. Reused the old filter which looked liked it was new with no debris on the screen.

The only problem I encountered was when I had finished the installation, the pump would not work at first. However, as soon as I turned on the water pump switch back on it worked like a charm. Think my next project will be to find replacements for the 2 of the 3 water pump pilot lights that are out.

Again, thanks for all the helpful replies.