vetteopel
pittsburgh PA
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I'm looking at a mid 90's Monaco 38' DP with the Cummins 300HP diesel. I'm not new to campers so I know all the normal stuff to look for. But I am new to class A motorhomes what I need to know is what to look out for on an almost 20 year old DP?
Yes I did the normal search's and know Monaco is/was a good coach, and I know all about the gas vs. diesel debate. For me diesel is what I want for many reasons. Price is what limits me to a 90's DP.
What are known problem with the 8.3 Cummins and the 90's Monaco?
Thanks,
Dave
01 Dodge 2500 diesel SRW
97 ComfortCamp 9 1/2'
71 Opel GT
99 Corvette
69 Ford GT40 replica
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2chiefsRus
USA Somewhere
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Monaco made a lot of different coaches in the 90's. It would be helpful if you gave the model name as well.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2003 Odyssey
Fulltime since October 2007
Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you can get by with what will be left.
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Mike Hohnstein
Germantown, Wi
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Joined: 01/04/2004
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What ever you do don't consider a rig that has rust on the drain plug. Too many 'DP owners' are invested in the notion a diesel 'runs forever' and don't change the oil and filters in a timely manner. That's what I found in my two year search for a diesel rig.
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wny_pat
Western NYS
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Nothing wrong with the Cummins 8.3 engine except that it is not a speed demon and there is nothing wrong with that. And the great thing about it is you don't need a computer to work on it.
The Monaco part, well they say it is a good coach. Just make sure it isn't the one with the trailing arm problems, on the Roadmaster chassis RR4 and RR4R (4-bag system) that were used on all four of the Monaco products. The fix is very expensive!!! Don't remember exactly what years that was. Am sure someone will say.
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vetteopel
pittsburgh PA
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It's the Dynasty model.
I might be wrong but I think the RR4 and RR4R are newer chassis.
Dave
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zmotorsports
Utah
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vetteopel wrote:It's the Dynasty model.
I might be wrong but I think the RR4 and RR4R are newer chassis.
Dave
90's Dynasty's are awesome, even into the early-mid 2000's. Personally I think with the Dynasty a person gets more bang for their buck than many other makes/models of coaches out there.
Mike.
2003 Monaco Dynasty/ 26' Haulmark Edge trailer
2011 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon
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2chiefsRus
USA Somewhere
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vetteopel wrote:It's the Dynasty model.
I might be wrong but I think the RR4 and RR4R are newer chassis.
Dave
A Dynasty was a great model from what I have heard from friends. We have one friend who sold his Dynasty to buy the top of the line Monaco product - a Signature. He says he still wishes he had his Dynasty back.
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Jim@HiTek
Gresham, OR, USA
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Mike Hohnstein wrote:What ever you do don't consider a rig that has rust on the drain plug. Too many 'DP owners' are invested in the notion a diesel 'runs forever' and don't change the oil and filters in a timely manner. That's what I found in my two year search for a diesel rig.
Funny story: The US military did a test several years ago where they ran several engines and performed regular, irregular, and NO maintenance on the engines. Just topping off the oil in the last case.
The engines that lasted the longest were the engines that never had an oil change or filter change.
Interesting isn't it?
 Jim@HiTek
Have shop, will travel!
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Fleetwood Bounder, '94
Cummins Diesel, 190HP, 36.5' with 50HP LP boost.
Black Rock Lava Park, Nevada
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RognBon
Roseville, Calif.
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Joined: 03/02/2003
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We have a '97 Dynasty with the 325hp 8.3 Cummins and are very pleased with the coach and the overall performance. It's not a rocket ship up the hills, but it cruises effortlessly all day and delivers between 7-8 mpg towing our Ford Edge. The Dynasty is on the 8 bag chassis, not the 4 bag which also makes for a better ride and handling. As far as problems, there are none inherent to the 8.3 from those years that I am aware of. I know the shops where I have service done prefer working on the 8.3 mechanical because of the lack of all of the electronics that are on the newer engines. One thing you might want to check is whether a previous owner has changed out the obsolete Winn fuel filter/water separator. They are no longer available and the old system is prone to leaks causing the engine to lose it's prime. I just had mine changed out to a single filter system.
RognBon
1997 Monaco Dynasty 40'
Cummins 8.3 325 HP
2008 Ford Edge Toad
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vetteopel
pittsburgh PA
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2chiefsRus wrote:vetteopel wrote:It's the Dynasty model.
I might be wrong but I think the RR4 and RR4R are newer chassis.
Dave
A Dynasty was a great model from what I have heard from friends. We have one friend who sold his Dynasty to buy the top of the line Monaco product - a Signature. He says he still wishes he had his Dynasty back.
I have my eye on a 1990 40' Monaco Signature as well but the owner and I just can't seem to agree on the price.
Dave
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