Community Forums

RonaldNC · 03-21-2014, 08:39 PM

I have a 2009 Monaco Cayman 38PKQ that I bought new in 2010 from Navistar (one of only a few). It was delivered with Monaco's enhanced trailing arms for the R4RR chassis and I put some heavier Bilstein shocks shortly after purchasing the coach. Despite all of that, the coach still bounced and felt loose when I went over bumps. The porpoising was reduced, but still very much present.

Additionally, the coach was very noisy... most of the noise coming from the fan... and my coolant tank has been leaking, despite my attempts to fix it.

All of this drove me to get virtually all of Source Engineering's products made for my coach install. I chose Alliance Coach to do the work because of their excellent reputation, both from friends and online reviews.

The work was all finished yesterday and today I drove the coach about 250 miles... so wanted to give my impressions.

Trailing arms and ride enhancement kit (REK) - Wow! What a difference... The bouncing and porpoising has virtually disappeared. Even on large bounces, the coach immediately "sits down" after the bump. Additionally, I didn't realize how much my coach was wandering in the rear before the fix... I now can drive easily with one hand... a new experience! It's hard to describe, but often the coach felt like it was rolling off the rear tires in a turn... that is gone. To be clear, the coach still doesn't perform or ride like a 8 or 10 bag coach... but it is a huge improvement. As has been stated in this forum before, the trailing arm replacement is a must... but I'm close to saying that the REK is also something that should be added to improve safety... it's that good.

Engine Fan - This addition was mostly to please my wife... she always wondered why our coach made more noise than others... so I agreed to give the Source Engineering fan a try. Their claims were right... it does cut the noise in half! Much, much quieter... particularly when accelerating from a stop. Very nice enhancement.

Coolant tank - the aluminum tank looks great. Hopefully, that takes care of the leakage.

I also want to give a "shout out" to Alliance Coach... man these guys are good. They did all this work, plus removed and reset my windshield (it was popping out... wasn't done correctly at the factory... another long story), change the oil, filter, fuel filters, service the generator, and fixed a few other items... all in 4 days!

I'm now clearly a walking commercial for Alliance Coach and Source Engineering. I guess the only downside to this story is that I had to spend all this money in the first place. In my view, everything that was fixed represented poor engineering and/or construction at the factory. However, eventually you have to "buck up" and deal with the problems... these things cost too much to let them operate in an unsafe, uncomfortable or unacceptable condition.

If anyone has any questions or comments, I'll try to answer.

Thanks,

Ron

onechaddude · 03-22-2014, 06:19 AM

Ron,
I am glad you got your coach to where it should be. I have an 07 HR Neptune so basically same as yours just a little older. I have changed to Source trailing arms and felt noticeable difference. I also added new Bilstein shocks and like you noted less porpoising with those. I also adjusted my ride height which was 1" high in front and 1" low in rear. I always thought mine was riding like it was going uphill (kill my gas mileage huh). This also made a difference in the porpoising.

With all that said, it is much better than it was when it was from factory. I would love to have the REK but at this time haven't been able to spare the extra cash. I am glad to hear yours as well as others positive comment about the kit. I have yet to hear of any that haven't been satisfied.

I also installed the source fan and like you, WOW what a difference. Much quieter and I could notice slight increase in power and MPG. Also, I am gonna need to change my coolant recovery tank soon because my has a slight drip but will probably get bigger like yours.

Here lately I have been considering changing out the trash can muffler to an Aero turbine muffler. The Cummins forum has several guys have done this with notable HP and MPG improvements with lower EGT temps. This is a very cheap addition from what I am hearing.

Congrats on your great handling coach and I hope you have many safe and trouble free miles.

Chad

deSanford · 03-22-2014, 01:13 PM

What Cummins Diesel Engine are you guys running? I also changed out my fan to a Source fan. I would like to change out the muffler, but mine has two many "smog" controls on it. deSanford

RonaldNC · 03-22-2014, 07:07 PM

Chad,

Sounds like you were ahead of me. I also had some older Bilstein shocks before I upgraded. These new shocks are considerably larger... plus they add larger bags and a ping tank. It's hard to tell which part makes the most difference. Also, I really don't know what the ping tank does... anyone know?

Do you have a link to the Aero Turbine Muffler? I wonder if my can use it.

Sanford,

I have the ISB 340 engine. I am really surprise by the simple change out of a fan... but my wife not only noticed the noise reduction (I'm practically deaf... so don't really know), but she even noticed the increase in acceleration. Source says they add about 30-40 HP to the engine... hard to believe... but it seems about right.

Ron

onechaddude · 03-22-2014, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonaldNC

Chad,

Sounds like you were ahead of me. I also had some older Bilstein shocks before I upgraded. These new shocks are considerably larger... plus they add larger bags and a ping tank. It's hard to tell which part makes the most difference. Also, I really don't know what the ping tank does... anyone know?

Do you have a link to the Aero Turbine Muffler? I wonder if my can use it.

Sanford,

I have the ISB 340 engine. I am really surprise by the simple change out of a fan... but my wife not only noticed the noise reduction (I'm practically deaf... so don't really know), but she even noticed the increase in acceleration. Source says they add about 30-40 HP to the engine... hard to believe... but it seems about right.

Ron

My coach has a 5.9 litre Cummins ISB 325 HP motor. Its a 2007 and I got it before the emissions mess as it was a leftover engine pure emissions.
I am not sure if the Source fan added 30-40 HP but I could tell it did add some. I think the fan still cools as well as the older fan and yes it was significantly quieter.
I googled the aero turbine muffler and came upon the website which I think is are.com. Not 100% sure of that so verify. I cannot post links to the post as I do everything on my android smartphone do you can't or I haven't figured out how at least. You can buy them new on eBay around $100 or just over. That's a bargain if it does add any additional power.
Ron
My understanding is the ping tank gives a spot for the air to go in and out of the air bag as it expands and contracts with bumps. Along with the larger air lines that allow the air pressure to grave back and forth faster. That's my understanding and I am NO

onechaddude · 03-22-2014, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonaldNC

Chad,

Sounds like you were ahead of me. I also had some older Bilstein shocks before I upgraded. These new shocks are considerably larger... plus they add larger bags and a ping tank. It's hard to tell which part makes the most difference. Also, I really don't know what the ping tank does... anyone know?

Do you have a link to the Aero Turbine Muffler? I wonder if my can use it.

Sanford,

I have the ISB 340 engine. I am really surprise by the simple change out of a fan... but my wife not only noticed the noise reduction (I'm practically deaf... so don't really know), but she even noticed the increase in acceleration. Source says they add about 30-40 HP to the engine... hard to believe... but it seems about right.

Ron

My coach has a 5.9 litre Cummins ISB 325 HP motor. Its a 2007 and I got it before the emissions mess as it was a leftover engine pure emissions.
I am not sure if the Source fan added 30-40 HP but I could tell it did add some. I think the fan still cools as well as the older fan and yes it was significantly quieter.
I googled the aero turbine muffler and came upon the website which I think is are.com. Not 100% sure of that so verify. I cannot post links to the post as I do everything on my android smartphone do you can't or I haven't figured out how at least. You can buy them new on eBay around $100 or just over. That's a bargain if it does add any additional power.
Ron
My understanding is the ping tank gives a spot for the air to go in and out of the air bag as it expands and contracts with bumps. Along with the larger air lines that allow the air pressure to grave back and forth faster. That's my understanding and I am by NO means an expert.

Chad

onechaddude · 03-22-2014, 07:41 PM

Sorry snout that guys. Accidentally hit the send button.

Chad

joeplazek · 03-23-2014, 07:28 AM

Scott at Source knows his stuff. Fixed my hydraulic fan problem on 1996 Monaco Signature that was a problem from factory build. Lines were installed crossed. Fan ran wide open all the time. 1 mpg better now and a lot quieter.

joe

flynnwalter · 03-23-2014, 02:19 PM

Hey Ron
Had our new 09 Cayman 38SBD fitted at Alliance with REK and Source arms and found the same improvement as you, agree the REK was clearly needed. We also made an appt at Josams in Orlando enroute to South Florida and loaded as heavily as we will ever be (on purpose) for a quality alignment (after all we had the trailing arms replaced) as well as a four corner weighing, which is the only method whereby you are not guessing what each side of the rear axle weighs. We had a ton more weight on passenger side, due to the layout topside, which really cannot be changed. Josams said that wasn't good, but not a problem as long as we adjusted the tire pressure to match the heavier passenger side. If we had divided the total axle weight by four and used the Goodyear chart for tire pressure, then the passenger rear would have been under inflated--a known cause for blowouts. Besides all that, our coach has not wandered a bit since Josams. Have heard many stories about brand new coaches rolling off the line needing an alignment. Tires cost too much not to get one.
I have not been bothered by any fan noise.
Frank Walter
09 Cayman
Lake City, Florida

RonaldNC · 03-23-2014, 09:00 PM

Frank,

Interesting... I went through the same thing. My coach was severely out of alignment... had to get custom shims made to get it straightened. I also had my coach weighed and it also had a ton more weight on the passenger rear and was at the limit on both fronts... even though I have about a ton of carrying capacity left. Like you, I run the air pressure based on the heaviest side.

I'm feeling good about where I ended up... just had to invest several thousand dollars to get there... oh well.

Ron