FIXED: '99 Monaco Dynasty Dash Heater = NO response: no fan, heat, cool

[20FromNow]

Our RV (full time dwelling) is at a truck shop (Maudlin International), and we're in a hotel in Daytona Beach, FL.
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The truck shop couldn't get definitive info from Monaco about what was installed (surprise) so they pulled the AC system out Monday PM.
They were able to find some replacement parts locally and got the coil flushed at a radiator shop.
After checking the system for crud from the blown compressor they put it all back together today (Thursday).

The AC pump froze 8 months ago and the dash heater completely stopped running 4.5 months ago.
The dash controls are not responding at all. No heat, cool or fan.
- I didn't see any fried fuses.
- The coolant is not low.

The shop suggested that if the AC was out of refrigerant that the entire system could shut down so they couldn't troubleshoot the heater/fan until they go the AC fixed. I'm not sure that was correct, but I didn't want to send them on a wild goose chase at $100+/hr.

They're not sure what is up, and they don't work weekends so they either fix it tomorrow (Friday) or we have to start changing plans and forfeiting prepaid reservations. It's not the end of the world, but it would suck.

I'm going to drill through the forums and hunt for some idea, but if you happen to have some suggestions regarding why our dash heater would be completely dead, then maybe I can help them narrow the search.

 

[PJ Stough]

We had this problem on our Winnebago.  After checking everything I could think of, and no joy, I started following wires, and discovered that a plug had become disconnected from the back of the heater control on the dash.

Hopefully, your problem is as easy to solve.

Paul

 

[20FromNow]

After checking everything I could think of, and no joy, I started following wires, and discovered that a plug had become disconnected from the back of the heater control on the dash.

I'm not known for being that lucky...but that is the first thing I'm going to check when I get to the shop. It would be nice for something to be simple for a change.

 

[Rstrahan]

Zip response indicates a power issue.  If fuses are good (replace even if looking good), look for a broken/disconnected wire.  If the compressor was low, etc, the blower would still work. 

If you have a circuit tester, start checking at connections.  Good,luck.

 

[20FromNow]

Zip response indicates a power issue.  If fuses are good (replace even if looking good), look for a broken/disconnected wire.  If the compressor was low, etc, the blower would still work.  If you have a circuit tester, start checking at connections.  Good,luck.

Roger that. I'm gonna get my hands dirty at the shop tomorrow morning and start pulling the dash apart a bit to see what we can see.

I hope we can get to the bottom of this. We have a tightly scheduled adventure around FL starting Monday...

 

[20FromNow]

We are back on the road!!!

The truck shop wasn't sure where to start trouble shooting the electrical problem because I don't have a schematic for my '99 Dynasty. I went to the shop early and told them I would open the dash so we could start there. They were cool with me working on it in their shop.

1. Remove all the dash display screws and gently pull the display out a few inches.

2. Squeeze a screw driver down along the left side and unscrew the screw going down into the left side console.

3. Squeeze a long screw driver in next to the right panel vent and unscrew the long screw on the right side going into the vertical dash face.

4. Remove the other obvious top screws for the dash console and horizontal dash panel.

5. Get a rope or strap and use it to hold the dash console tipped back toward the steering wheel. There's way too much stuff attached to remove it so I gently pulled it back out of the way.

6. In my case, I was able to tip the dash deck up toward the windshield, but the dual fans were preventing it from getting out of the way. The are hard wired in so I took them loose from the dash deck and used some duct tape to strap them flat to the deck so I could tip it up further. I had a chunk of PVC pipe I was able to use to prop up the dash deck and provide about 90% wide open access.

7. This where it gets a bit fuzzy... the fan could have been on a dead spot on the motor or one of the leads could have been loose. I wiggled and pushed the leads onto the fan motor. We turned it on and it appeared to start working. I'm gonna bet that the leads to the motor were loose and take the win.

8. The mechanic had put 3 pounds of 134a into the system and I got confirmation from Monaco it was supposed to be 3.75-4.0 pounds for my 40' coach. He added the last pound and we ran the coach AC...and it seems to be working great.

9. I think I may need to do this again so I removed the two screws that required me to remove the entire dash display panel. Then I carefully screwed the display back down, secured the dash deck and the dash board console.

...it seems to be good to go, but fingers crossed on a 16 year old coach.

 

[PJ Stough]

Sounds like a lot of work, so glad you were successful.

Paul