Community Forums

geordi · 09-05-2021, 07:25 PM

The question of installation of a FASS is about cleaning the fuel and providing a ready supply of clean fuel right to the injection pump, rather than asking that pump to suction fuel from 30+ feet away and through TWO filter elements. That just seems like a really hard thing to ask a high pressure pump to do.

On mine, I drilled and tapped the top of the tank for a return bung (actually also added my own dip tube as well but that's another story) b/c I have been chasing what feels like fuel starvation for a while - probably because the tank has LOTS of nasty brown flakes of something in it. I chose the 165gph version of the FASS, and have added a Goldenrod pre-filter element in front of the FASS with a mesh screen in that - so I can dump out the trash without wasting a consumable filter (hopefully). I need to add a pressure gauge soon to monitor everything.

Because these coaches are so large, there's usually a lot of flexibility in where and how an install like this is completed. How you do yours is going to be equally custom and might not even be the same way that I did mine or anyone else did theirs.

zmotorsports · 09-06-2021, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inventor

Hi FYI the pictures on this link Our 2003 Monaco Dynasty Mods/Repairs Thread are not visible

If you are referring to the FASS installation starting around page 87, I just checked and they are still there and visible.

If you are referring to the beginning of this thread, they were lost when tinypic shut down. Pictures should be remaining from early 2017 year when I was uploading them via the forum format, around page 39-40 of this thread.

zmotorsports · 09-16-2021, 06:32 AM

Last night I gave my headlights a little "tune-up" in appearance. The driver's side was looking a bit fogged and the passenger's side wasn't far behind but not quite as bad. The last time I polished them was early 2015 before a Texas trip so they were in need of some TLC.

I masked off the area surrounding the housings to protect the paint and then on the driver's side I started with some 800-grit as it wasn't bad enough to go all the way down to 500-grit. On the passenger's side I started with the Trizac 1000-grit then immediately to the Trizac 3000-grit and followed by some cleaner and polish for amazingly clear lenses on both. So clear that I could read the manufacturing codes in the inner housing.

After unmasking I gave the entire front end a wipe down with Meguiar's Final Inspection to remove all of the residue.

JJTL · 09-16-2021, 09:58 AM

Looks amazing, Mike!

What do you use for cleaner and polish on the lens? Do you use a sealer of any type?

Our tail light lens are in need of a MAJOR clean up.

Josh

zmotorsports · 09-16-2021, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJTL

Looks amazing, Mike!

What do you use for cleaner and polish on the lens? Do you use a sealer of any type?

Our tail light lens are in need of a MAJOR clean up.

Josh

Thanks Josh. I use 3M's plastic cleaner and polish and their hookit 3" sanding discs as well as 3" Trizac wet sanding discs.

No sealer, just touch them up every few years. Although I was a bit late on this one and should have done them last year when I first detected them fogging. Now that the coach lives indoors I doubt I'll have to do them at all.

JJTL · 09-16-2021, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zmotorsports

Thanks Josh. I use 3M's plastic cleaner and polish and their hookit 3" sanding discs as well as 3" Trizac wet sanding discs.

No sealer, just touch them up every few years. Although I was a bit late on this one and should have done them last year when I first detected them fogging. Now that the coach lives indoors I doubt I'll have to do them at all.

Perfect, thanks Mike. I will try and track those down.

We have 4 tail light lens per side, so being able to mask and do them in place will be a big time saver.

Appreciate it,
Josh

cwk · 09-16-2021, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zmotorsports

I masked off the area surrounding the housings to protect the paint ...

Looks mighty fine.

I performed the same task on the headlights on both of my autos with similar results. I used a 5" random orbital sander for the wet-sanding up to 3000 grit. Then finished with polish using a 3" foam buffing pad and my cordless drill.

One note of caution to anyone trying this: when applying the masking tape, use double layers as a minimum. So, if you accidentally sand through the top layer of tape, you did not hit the surface below. Add a new layer of tape as needed and continue on.

zmotorsports · 09-16-2021, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwk

So, if you accidentally sand through the top layer of tape, you did not hit the surface below.

Not accidentally, you more than likely will nick or cut through the outer layer so glad you mentioned this.

I had at least two layers of 3M masking tape immediately adjacent to the lens (2 areas where I knew I would overlap I applied an additional 2 for a total of 4 layers thick). Then I added another layer spaced outward one more width as I was nervous about contacting the paint.

TRH299 · 09-16-2021, 02:31 PM

Looks great! Always satisfying to polish out old faded headlights.... Amazing the difference they make on a vehicles overall appearance.

My procedure....
I skip the sanding when freshening up my old vehicle headlights. I just hit them with my buffer with wool wheel using 3m rubbing compound. I have yet to find a headlight that this does not work on. 30 years ago I would buy all sorts of expensive specialty polishes for various substrates, but now I rarely use anything other than this rubbing compound.

I have used this same type of rubbing compound with my buffer for years on everything from paint, to aluminum to headlight lenses....

Analyte · 09-16-2021, 08:51 PM

I've sanded my fair share of headlights, and it's the UV coating you're removing when sanding. Rather than polishing, once the UV coating is gone I just spray the lens with 2K clear. Cut and buff them and they will be great for a long time.

zmotorsports · 09-17-2021, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Analyte

I've sanded my fair share of headlights, and it's the UV coating you're removing when sanding. Rather than polishing, once the UV coating is gone I just spray the lens with 2K clear. Cut and buff them and they will be great for a long time.

Thanks but I'm quite familiar with the UV protection and automotive paints. I don't like clear coat on my headlights, let's just leave it at that as I've mentioned why too many times to count.

zmotorsports · 11-22-2021, 08:35 AM

I thought I'd post up a few pictures from mine and my wife's trip to the Swell over the weekend as it was our last trip for the 2021 RV'ing season.

During this year's travels the coach has performed flawlessly for a 19-year old coach with 130k+ miles on her. In February she'll turn 20 years old after rolling off the assembly line. Yesterday after washing and backing into the shop I glanced down and saw that it has 133,500 on the odometer. We covered just over 5200 miles this year and the new FASS fuel system has performed flawlessly as well as no leaks or any issues with the 10 new air springs that I replaced back in March.

I have just a couple of small items on my "to-do" list that I would like to complete over the winter so that it will be ready to travel by around March 2022 for the next RV'ing season.

jacwjames · 11-22-2021, 09:13 AM

Looks great and since I've been following your posts I know it's been taken care of. My 2002 is getting up there in age, I've got 115,000 miles on it, currently on a trip hoping to get to Utah if the weather will cooperate.

I've put +7K miles on the FASS system, working great. I ain't the fastest but I get there.

zmotorsports · 11-22-2021, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacwjames

Looks great and since I've been following your posts I know it's been taken care of. My 2002 is getting up there in age, I've got 115,000 miles on it, currently on a trip hoping to get to Utah if the weather will cooperate.

I've put +7K miles on the FASS system, working great. I ain't the fastest but I get there.

Thanks Jim and I completely agree. While our little ISL isn't the fastest up the grades, it gets us there and it isn't the slowest either. Besides, getting there is what it is all about anyways.