Diesel Newby

[716OutWest]

Hello - I am new to the forum and new to RVs in general. We just purchased an older Diesel pusher (2006 Monaco Diplomat) and we are getting it ready to take cross country. Had everything inspected mechanically by a truck shop and the interior systems by an RV inspector and things are seemingly in good working order, however, I just wanted some input / thoughts from experienced RVers of spare parts / things I should keep in the "tool-box" for common parts and issues that may arise (i.e., spare belts, coolant, etc.).


Thank you in advance!

[Jake21]

A fuel filter for sure. Also would not hurt to put in a main drive belt. Rare failure but just in case.

[FormerBoater]

Here is what I would recommend as starters:


-Portable air compressor to keep your tires at the proper pressure based upon changing weather conditions as you cross the country


-A quality double check air pressure gauge (Milton makes a variety of these gauges-good quality)


-Belts and filters for your main engine and your generator. Filters include oil, coolant if applicable, and fuel filters. Your main engine quite possible has 2 fuel filters


-Engine coolant and distilled water


-Engine and generator lubricating oil



-A digital volt meter


-Spare bulbs for all your lighting on the exterior of the coach (not headlights and blinkers up front, but virtually every other fixture (cleaning lights, tail lights etc.)


-A gallon of engine/generator oil


-Gorilla tape (black in both narrow and wide versions available at Home Depot)


-Complete socket set +good phillips head and regular screwdrivers


-Smart battery charger just in case your on-board converter fails



-Electrical extension cords (I carry 100ft. and 40 ft. cords).


-A good portable ladder so you can keep the windshield clean on your journey


-Good pair of gloves that give you a good grip on things


-Silicone spray and dry silicone spray so you can eliminate any squeaks and also keep your dump valves and jacks lubricated


I also carry 303 Aerospace to keep my tires UV protected and the dash and leather furniture in good condition and UV protected.



I am sure others will chime in.


Welcome to the Forum and congrats on your new rig!

[Dutch Star Don]

I had a 2005 Monaco Diplomat, one of the best coaches I ever owned. The 2006 was even better, upgrading form the 2005 with one piece windshield, taller interior height and auto leveling.

Some of the specific things that broke on trips were..... the drawer latches. I kept several spares.

https://www.amazon.com/Cabinet-Drawe...88605003&psc=1

I carried both fuel filters and a large bottle of fuel treatment to prefill them in case you needed to change them on the road.

- engine belt(s)

- one gallon of coolant concentrate

- 3-4 quarts of oil

- 2 quarts trans fluid

Miscellaneous tools that you're comfortable using.

Spare nuts and bolts and screws.

Spare wire in assorted sizes and wire connectors.

Air compressor.

Wash/wax supplies, especially for cleaning the front of the coach. I carry a spray bottle of Wash Wax ALL....

https://www.amazon.com/Waterless-Oun...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Some type of ladder. These are very handy as a they fold up to 4" square by 7' and fit nicely in a bay or square fence tube.

[jacwjames]

Hard to predict what might fail but at minimum you should carry spares for things that might leave you stranded on the side of the road.

Check you manual as Monaco put some of the important parts in the back. I would carry spare fuel filters (primary and secondary) and a filter wrench to change them.

I carry a spare serpentine belt, I put a new one on and keep the one I take off as a spare. If you don't know the condition or age of yours it might pay to change.

I carry and assortment of spare fuses and a couple of the common relays. I also carry an assortment of electrical connectors, tape, shrink tubing, tape etc.

I carry a spare link arm for my air leveling valve, these are known to fail.
Probably more important is to have the knowledge and tools and know how to repair things. You operator manual is a good resource.

[I10]

Our Monaco had a solenoid that was controlled by the toggle switch by the entry door. The solenoid failed and we had a loss of a lot of systems on board. We had to drive the tow vehicle to the nearest Napa for replacement.

[DaddyRV779]

Okay....may have missed this on the above lists - carry as least two (2) fuses for each replaceable one you can find in your rig.

Amazon is a great resource...but you can never have enough. This means several 15/20/30 A fuses, for every configuration... I know you have a MH, BUT Between our GMC 3500 HD and out trailer I HAVE ATC, AGC, MINI-ATC...you name it - Boy Scout motto - be prepared...and carrying every size you may need to replace could keep you going...

BTW- I carry spare 300&400 A fuses that our rig uses, just in case, and I have the tools to change those too.

[amosnandy]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

I had a 2005 Monaco Diplomat, one of the best coaches I ever owned. The 2006 was even better, upgrading form the 2005 with one piece windshield, taller interior height and auto leveling.

Some of the specific things that broke on trips were..... the drawer latches. I kept several spares.

https://www.amazon.com/Cabinet-Drawe...88605003&psc=1

I carried both fuel filters and a large bottle of fuel treatment to prefill them in case you needed to change them on the road.

- engine belt(s)

- one gallon of coolant concentrate

- 3-4 quarts of oil

- 2 quarts trans fluid

Miscellaneous tools that you're comfortable using.

Spare nuts and bolts and screws.

Spare wire in assorted sizes and wire connectors.

Air compressor.

Wash/wax supplies, especially for cleaning the front of the coach. I carry a spray bottle of Wash Wax ALL....

https://www.amazon.com/Waterless-Oun...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Some type of ladder. These are very handy as a they fold up to 4" square by 7' and fit nicely in a bay or square fence tube.

Attachment 365385

I second everything he said. Except you really don't need to carry an air compressor with a DP. Just make sure you have it plumbed in the generator compartment for an airline and carry 50' of airline.

I will double triple stress the spare drawer catches. Most factory ones are the 5# pull. Get the 10# ones. I break at least 2 on every trip over the rough Mexican roads.

A few more things not mentioned. A couple RV style electrical outlets. The do tend to fail and while there is a way to fit a 2" electrical box and a standard electrical outlet in. It is much easier if you just have the RV style. If one fails it's not a 3 hour job with 3 trips to the hardware store. You can change an RV outlet in just a few minutes.

I also did not see Fuses. Carry a lot of them. They don't take up much room.

And organize your stuff. I have plastic boxes with slide-out drawers each having its own purpose. And then a few screw bins with the dividers in them so you don't have to dig through a can or a box to find the screw or bolt you need. The three compartments on the passenger side have all these drawers iin them to keep that stuff straight,

And I have one of those ladders. Came with the coach. I had never seen that one before, They are awesome.

[Crasher]

If you carry everything mentioned above, you might fill a compartment. I carry a set of tools, spare belts, a gallon of coolant, a few fuses, a small compressor, (it's hard to top off a 120# tire pressure with the onboard compressor), a folding ladder, and a flashlight. Anything that will not prevent traveling can be purchased as needed along the road. This plan has worked for us for the last 25 years. The one thing that has not been mentioned is a good road side service like Coachnet. They are only a phone call away when you need help of any kind when broken down on a trip. We needed them last year and they responded with great success. If you never use them, the POM is worth the cost.

[RCattell]

Instead of a portable air compressor, I would suggest an air doubler off of eBay or other source.

SMC VBA10A-T02GN-Z Booster Regulator Input press 15~145 psi Max output 290 psi

Then get a small plastic cutting board to mount it on and fittings to attach your air hoses to. Long hose from coach to doubler, and then short hose from doubler to air chuck of your choice.

You will get about 250 psi at the chuck, fills big coach tires very quickly.

[Skip426]

Welcome to iRV2 .

As you go about getting to know your new ( to you ) coach , crawl through the basement , open every compartment , pull every drawer , examine every appliance and keep notes of where you find stuff ; and any stuff you find and can't figure out what it is , or does , post a photo and ask NOW.
Anything you need a manual for ; get it before you have issues.

You don't want to be on the road with an issue and not know what or where the component you need to deal with is .

[darnold9999]

I carry a full set of tools in two three drawer toolboxes and a plastic tub of odds and ends tools which is serious overkill, but I can fix almost anything from that set. I also carry a small plastic toolbox with just the essentials. A multi driver with every standard screw driver bit, a large flat screw driver(pry bar), small hammer, 6" crescent wrench, small needle nose and small vise grip pliers, multimeter, tape, small side cutter, and emery paper along with a selection of odds and end screws. That small toolbox is easy to get to and fixes 90% of things that go wrong.

Oil to top up all engines, and transmissions, fuses, spare automotive wire, coolant, filters, serpentine belt, wash and wax supplies including a brush and windshield wiper on a pole to reach the entire front window, battery charger, small portable generator(very quiet), bottle jack, 40' of air hose and a small impact gun.

Don't carry a ladder but we do have a plastic fold up stool that gets me about 18" higher and the toad is a pickup so I can back it up, drop the tailgate and put the stool on it and reach anything.

One really useful thing that takes no space at all and I use all the time is a couple of sheets of really thin plywood that will fit in the bottom of your largest compartment. I use some old decorative wood paneling that came off a reno project. Put them on the ground and use them to slide on when I want/need to get under the coach. Having two means you can be on one and position the other to get to the next spot you want to go to.

Lights. A good waterproof flashlight (or two) that will last a couple hours and is bright enough to work with. LED flashlights have come a long way in the past few years so getting something very bright that will last a long time is not expensive.

I put everything we carry in the basement in various size plastic totes and try and leave on our two month long annual trip with a pair of empty ones. Makes finding things easier and storing stuff we buy possible :-)

[716OutWest]

Thank you to all for the the great info! This is extremely helpful and some great advice. I know it can be difficult to predict a failure but for the folks that have done this before it's nice to know what is more common than not.

A quick follow-up question regarding engine coolant - several have mentioned keeping some on board, is there a "universal" coolant that I can use to top off? I have read some threads where it appears to be VERY specific on which brand, concentration, chemistry, etc. that you can use depending on what is is there currently. Any thoughts or input would be appreciated!

Again, thank you to all who replied and for the welcome to the community.

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by 716OutWest

Hello - I am new to the forum and new to RVs in general. We just purchased an older Diesel pusher (2006 Monaco Diplomat) and we are getting it ready to take cross country. Had everything inspected mechanically by a truck shop and the interior systems by an RV inspector and things are seemingly in good working order, however, I just wanted some input / thoughts from experienced RVers of spare parts / things I should keep in the "tool-box" for common parts and issues that may arise (i.e., spare belts, coolant, etc.).


Thank you in advance!

I haul around the whole garage, which is probably being ridiculous.
Primary and secondary fuel filters for sure and for replacing spares with next change. Take off engine belt while it's still good, that you know will fit. Also for having the part number or another spare that will by-pass the AC compressor if just one serpentine belt driving it all.