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Old 05-03-2010, 02:40 PM   #1
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Radiator change in Endeavor?

I posted this awhile ago on the MCOA forum at yahoo but got no response...perhaps this site may be more informative.

I have been reading with interest the failure rate of the aluminum clad radiators on the Monaco coaches, and I understand that the newer "copper core" ones do not have the same problem: that is, they do not wear out or need replacement quite so quickly.

That being said, does anyone know here "for a fact" when (what year) Monaco stopped using the aluminum radiators and went to copper because of this? and if no-one knows that answer, does anyone know "for a fact" how to tell if one has a copper or aluminum radiator?

All I can see are the aluminum fins at the back of my rig, which does me no good!



Thanking y'all in advance
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Old 05-03-2010, 07:10 PM   #2
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Chef Guy.....I can't answer your question with the exact dates. I do know that the coaches that had issues were several years befor yours, like 2002-2003. The issue they were having was a leak between the trans cooler and the radiator, allowing coolant to get in the trans and ruin the transmission.

You also have to keep in mind that this was not a widespread issue, but only magnified because a few people posted the issue.
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Old 05-03-2010, 08:00 PM   #3
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Sorry to say Don it was wide spread and a lot of Dips and Knights had the trans cooler retro fit before they failed and a lot after they ruined the trans, we recently had a Winsdor I think it was a 02 that the trans fluid mixed with the coolant and destroyed the Trans, it was also the famous Radiator Specialities aluminum radiator that is giving everyone a lot of trouble and not only Monaco. You are right it was the 02 and 03 coaches that had the bad batch.
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Old 05-03-2010, 08:14 PM   #4
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I can't answer your question but I can tell you I had to have mine replaced. This was not because of a leak between the trans cooler and the radiator this was because the tubes going into the tank were leaking. It was done at Cummings Coach Care in Bakersfield and they stated that because of the material used (aluminum) it could not be repaired but had to be replaced. I sure hope the new one has copper tubes. Just went out and looked the new engine radiator it is black not aluminum color like the top (CC) radiator. Also checking with a magnet at least the frame is steel not aluminum. Just not sure how to make sure the tank and tube are not aluminum. Sorry I don't have a for a fact answer but I might be able to identify who made the new one and since they also made the original they may know when Monaco made the switch.
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Old 05-04-2010, 09:15 AM   #5
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Thanks Don, Walt and Dave.

Seems like there may be an issue here and then again, there may not be!

This sounds like most things on my MH, including the pics of my roof that I posted awhile ago showing the luan backing on the roof trying to penetrate through the fiberglass at about 5 spots right across the width of the coach! Will it eventually break through, or will the fiberglass hold the strain?

I guess until it is broke, don't fix it! Although I also believe in the mantra, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cures!"

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Old 05-04-2010, 12:23 PM   #6
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Chef Guy....I've read many posts on different radiators and I always look to see where they found them. If they post a link, save it for future reference. A lot of people just find a good radiator shop and have one built.

I wouldn't fret over yours, just have a plan in mind if it goes bad. I haven't seen any posts of 05 or newer going bad, but they're not old enough yet.

I worry about these things like you do....then I see an old piece of junk go by and I realize I'm worrying for nothing.
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Old 05-04-2010, 01:55 PM   #7
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Chef Guy,

I have an 06 Endeavor with 40K mikes. No problems with the radiator so far! (Knocking on wood here!!). How many mile are on your unit? Mine does appear to have a Alum. rad.
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Old 05-04-2010, 02:35 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brrving View Post
Chef Guy,

I have an 06 Endeavor with 40K mikes. No problems with the radiator so far! (Knocking on wood here!!). How many mile are on your unit? Mine does appear to have a Alum. rad.
Mine went out at about 50K. First indication was seeing green fluid on the left side of the radiator. Then noticed the overflow tank was below minimum mark. Finally has an over heat problem while travelling from Camp Verde AZ to Flagstaff. It is a 4000 foot climb in less that 20 miles outside temp was 100 + and engine got to 230. I added coolant and drove carefully to Bakersfield, CA.
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Old 05-04-2010, 03:37 PM   #9
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itdave...What did they replace it with and how much did it cost...if you don't mind answering...
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Old 05-04-2010, 06:16 PM   #10
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It was built by a company in Oregon. I was told it was the same company that built the original. Thank goodness for my Star Extended Warranty who paid the whole bill less $100.00 deductible. The cost was $1812 for radiator, 16 hours labor $1300 total $3100. If it is important I can try to find the source of the radiator.
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Old 05-04-2010, 06:32 PM   #11
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our rr8r had one of the bad ones. at 2,000 mi the internal trans cooler lines ruptured and blew the tranny. monaco did the seprate trans.cooler and has worked well for the past 8 yrs. we are still running the original radiator with no problems. jim
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Old 05-04-2010, 06:36 PM   #12
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One place that has made a lot of replacement radiators for coaches is Mac's Radiator in Portland, OR.

Several Alpine Coach owners had problems w/their Radiator Specialties OEM units (aluminum, undersized mount brackets and weak tank welds that cracked open). RS made some replacement radiators for WRV before they went out of business and WRV was replacing the bad units from that stock. However the new RS radiators had a new drain bung where the lower tank area sandwiched against another in the radiator assembly, so the new design didn't seat up properly and allowed airflow around.
One thing to keep in mind is that aluminum radiates better than copper or brass, so a replacement w/better metal requires more cooling fin area- maybe another row or two.
Mac's made an exact dimensional match from copper, brass & steel for the Alpines; never heard a complaint. It has been popular for out of warranty replacements.
And no, I don't work for Mac's.
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Old 05-05-2010, 09:47 AM   #13
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I am having the radiator replaced in my '08 Cayman as we speak. Small leak developed of unknown origin at this time. I will let you know the outcome and hopefully the cause. Will also let you know the outcome of extended warranty coverage versus actual cost.

Also, continue to try and resolve dashboard A/C not working. Relay being placed inline in an attempt to reduce current to board upfront which melted. Anyone else having issues with dash A/C?

Work being done at Cummins Cal Pacific in Oxnard.
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Old 05-06-2010, 10:10 AM   #14
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John,

My dash AC quit working about 1 year ago...still have dash heat and the dash blower functions, just no AC.....albeit, the AC didn't do that much to cool the driver/passenger area that well in the middle of the summer but, it would still be nice if I could figure out what is going on?

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