What are the problems with my 1999 Winnebago Adventurer?

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wkndfun

wkndfun

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Joined
Dec 21, 2008
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OK now that I own it....what problems should I look out for? What are the down falls to the propane Gene? Any thoughts are welcome.
 
Well, it's 10 years old. Probably time for a thorough check of all the running gear and generator, especially if you got no maintenance records with the rig. I would change all the fluids and filters unless you have evidence that it was done recently. And check each tire date code too - you want nothing approaching 7 years of age.  Then sanitize the fresh water system and flush the water heater to get rid of accumulated silt and crud.

Propane genset? Well, be prepared to use a lot of propane. Should be fine other than that.
 
Hey I thought at first the genset would be disiel but than found out that it was propane and it did not seam like a big deal at the time.  How much more well I use over a disiel or gas unit? Thanks for the 7 year on the tires I would have never considered that.
 
One thing to do first thing is to check the date codes on the tires.  Tires are not dependable after seven years and a blowout can cause much  damage.  Much cheaper to have dependable properly inflated tires.
 
wkndfun said:
Hey I thought at first the genset would be disiel but than found out that it was propane and it did not seam like a big deal at the time.  How much more well I use over a disiel or gas unit?
Click to expand...

A 3600 watt propane gen set will burn about .6 gal/hour for a half load.  5500 watt about .8 gal/hr at half load.  My Onan Quiet 7500 watt diesel burns about .3 to .5 gal/hr under our normal load (running our AC, fridge, etc.)

Gary didn't mention the engine belts - I would start with new belts so you have a service history.  Get the chassis serviced, brake lining checked, etc.  Don't assume anything is good.
 
Propane has about 74% of the energy content of gasoline and 64% of diesel, so expect to use proportionally more fuel. In round numbers, about 1/3 more fuel than a gas genset of the same size and loading.
 
I'm also surprised that your generator is fueled by propane. 

The downside to it would be finding a supply source on the road.  The upside is, you have your time limit figured out when running it.  ;D
 
Wow I had no idea that the genset being propane would make that much differences over a diesel one. I well have the belts checked and the tires this weekend. Thanks Guys. I love the air brakes, it stops great! The 275 Cummings seems to have move it along on hills, it just a dog off the line.
 
There was a time when propane was popular (at least among RV manufacturers) for gensets and a lot of them, especially diesels, had them. If nothing else, propane gensets were cheaper than diesels and nobody had to worry about running the engine fuel tank dry while operating the genny. Then the owners learned the downside (fuel consumption and it is harder to get a propane refill than gas or diesel) and began to complain loudly about getting stuck with an LP genset. Pretty soon the market changed back to pushing gas/diesel generators as the best solution.
 
Gary thanks.

Ok I look at the tires and need help, the tires DOT - MJ93 does that mean they are 1993 tires? Then there is WFAW 4002? The tires are goodyear G647-RSA 245/70R19.5.

OK so check and I think it's the second set of numbers. 40 week of 02. So either way I NEED tires!! Wow, the dealer even said that the tire were in great shape and I should get many years out of they. Just one more lie that I'm finding out about.
 
wkndfun said:
Gary thanks.

Ok I look at the tires and need help, the tires DOT - MJ93 does that mean they are 1993 tires? Then there is WFAW 4002? The tires are goodyear G647-RSA 245/70R19.5.

OK so check and I think it's the second set of numbers. 40 week of 02. So either way I NEED tires!! Wow, the dealer even said that the tire were in great shape and I should get many years out of they. Just one more lie that I'm finding out about.
Click to expand...

Just another dealer that seems to be willing to tell a prospective customer anything he thinks will close a deal.  Not to worry now since you are aware the tires need to be replaced and can do so BEFORE something happens.
 
I can get Michelin XRV Polit for $309.99 each installed, base on the website. Has any one worked with them? I read that Gary was charged 120 for installation alone?

Ok I just called Costco and they will sell me the tires but can not install them. So I would get an $11.00 refund each WOW! I'm sure that I can get another firm to install them for $11.00 :eek: The Rv service rate here is $98 a hour.
 
wkndfun said:
Just one more lie that I'm finding out about.
Click to expand...

Q: How can you tell when a salesman isn't telling the truth?

A: When their lips are moving

(Don't want to offend the truthful and honest sales folks out there, and they are out there!)
 
(Don't want to offend the truthful and honest sales folks out there, and they are out there!)

Ya, I'm one of the honest ones.  But I thought that Campingworld would have be better to me. I was wrong! That's just one thing more on the list of lies they told my wife and I. It's part my fault I should have done more research before we purchased it. We were in NJ and needed a part and saw it on the lot and it have almost everything we have on the wish list. Now I know that our list was not all there is. I needed to have a check list on the RV itself.  Live and Learn.....the hard way.
 
Glenn - I still occasionally get surprised (unpleasantly) in life.  Doesn't happen as often as it did when I was 25 (ahhh - that was a good year  8) ), but I'm still on my journey of acquiring wisdom.

No worries - you will make your rig into something that is safe, sound and enjoyable. Just attack the to-do list one item at a time.
 
Glenn,

You are getting good advice from these folks.  Regarding tires, we got the best deal for the Goodyear G670 tires on our current rig at Colony Tire in Ashland, Va out on Rt. 1.  They beat even my local dealers (I live near Roanoke) so we got the tires during a visit to some family in Richmond. 

Good luck with the new-to-you rig. 
 
We have the same rig.  That propane generator is in the back, along with the diesel engine.  When we weighed ours the back axle was at max load, but there was plenty of allowance left up front.  Watch how you load your stuff - keeping as much weight forward as possible. When we had too much weight toward the back we had problems with the rig rocking side to side every time we went over any bump or uneven ground.  Other than that it is a great rig. It's tough when the original owner chooses not to upgrade to the diesel gen.
 
Thanks for the reply I plan to wieght the rig as soon I get a weekend off.
 
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