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Toddoo's avatar
Toddoo
Explorer
Jun 05, 2015

2011 monaco diplomat 43dft smart wheel is broken

I I have a problem with my motorhome smart wheel controls. The diplomat has a smart wheel that controls the windshield wipers, cruise, horn and courtesy flashers for headlights/tail lights. Well mine is dead. None of the features will work on mine. I am currently traveling with coach and long story short got stuck in the mud with the incredible rains we have received in Oklahoma, and I was pulled out of a camp ground by my front end with a tractor and when they got me on pavement, everything was ok, except the smart wheel was gone. I have called monaco tech support, no help, and taken it to local diesel mechanic shop and they did the basics of all the fuses and connections and did not see anything that was not correct, they noted they could get the horn to work when they grounded it, after popping of the steering wheel cover. I am looking for help by anyone who know where's the fuse or electrical ground that can fix my problem. Thanks toddoo
Class A
  • Executive45's avatar
    Executive45
    Explorer III
    Jun 05, 2015
    There are fuses for the smart wheel. Rarely do they simply go blank unless it's fuse related. If they begin to fail, one side or the other fails or begins to "stick" first. The fuse(s) may be in the front bay under the driver's seat or yours could be in the engine compartment fuse bay. I'm surprised the tech you had look at it did not know about the reset so he may not know about the fuses.

    Also, look for any 'hidden' fuses. Open your front wiring bay and look on the BACKSIDE of that door. There should be a sticker there telling which devices have hidden fuses and their location.

    Go HERE pick your poison and get the troubleshooting guide. Very informative. If you're not sure which unit you have, locate the control box under the dash, note the part number and then grab the troubleshooting guide.....good luck...Dennis
  • hernando_van's avatar
    hernando_van
    Explorer
    Jun 05, 2015
    Google how to reset the smart wheel box under your dash. It is a small black box with 3 or 4 sets of wires . I think you unplug red wires and replug the top right ones first. This resets the wheel.maybe someone else can help. But it can be done.dont replace it yet.
  • TZScales's avatar
    TZScales
    Explorer
    Jun 05, 2015
    Toddoo,

    Last summer my wife and I were travelling to Shawnee, Oklahoma from Virginia and we experienced a similiar situation to yours. Our smartwheel pod, on the right-side, that controls the windshield wipers became inoperable. Once we arrived at our destination, I contacted technical support at this link http://www.vipwheels.com/ and talked with a very helpful specialist well versed on the smartwheel.

    He asked me several pinpointed questions in regard to actually what was happening and the conversation resulted in me ordering, and having fedexed, a new complete smartwheel pod mechanism. The "pods" are not separate and must be replaced as a pair even though my left-side pod was completely functional. I removed the "old" and installed the "new" right in the campground and that process corrected my issue.

    May I suggest you contact them and they will even assist you with any troubleshooting that may be necessary.

    Best of luck.

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