1984 Winnebago Elandon information and problem solving

Hi all.

Just before winter I purchased a 1984 Elandon for $5000.00. It was in relatively good shape inside and out, but very faded because of the sun and the years. All of the propane goodies-furnace, stove, range, fridge all seem to be working and the propane system was recently checked and serviced.

I was unable to check the holding tanks as they were drained for the winter. I put in some RV antifreeze to be safe.

The RV was safety inspected upon purchase and needed a few small things... a wiper motor, some light bulbs, a small gas line leak and a new brake caliper. Although it passed I did have to replace both exhaust gaskets after the manifold. I still have a small manifold leak I am scared to get looked at because it looks to be horridly small and cramped.

Both rooftop AC units work.

The generator was another story. It needed a major overhaul as it was seized solid. (7500 watt Onan) $1000.00 dollars later the generator is working, and it needed a replacement muffler as well. I also had to get the gas tank dropped because the fools who replaced the sending unit on the tank crushed the hose feeding the generator. After getting that fixed other problems showed up. At present the generator will start but as soon as it warms up after a minute or so it surges up and down and eventually stalls. The guy who serviced it had a heart attack and can't work on them anymore due to a pacemaker and proximity to magnetic fields... can you believe that? Now I need to find another person to service it and every single RV dealer in my area keeps pointing me back to the same guy.

I also think the inverter/converter has an issue as well. When the generator did work, after it shuts off it takes a long time to switch over to 12volt... anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and it used to do it instantly. Both of the 12 volt storage batteries are dead. The previous owner used regular batteries and not deep cycle and it killed them. I will be buying deep cycle batteries as soon as it come out of storage. Any recommendations?

Should I replace or upgrade the converter/charging system? Any advice would be welcomed.

Both of the front doors will open from the outside, but the latches won't open it from the inside. The latch for the side door is broken.. the plastic latch assembly broke where it screws in. It still works but it won't for long. The latches look very common, I've seem them in regular vans and cars. Any idea where the best place to get new ones?

I've replaced all the lighting I could with LED for better battery performance. I'll be limo tinting the windows for privacy and heat. I have two 120 watt solar panels and charge controller I will be wiring in to trickle charge the batteries and as alternative to running the generator and motor when I can. I'll also be getting a battery monitoring system. I have 20" LCD TV/monitor I will be mounting on an adjustable arm and a decent little sound system. It has a very old 23 channel CB I'll be upgrading.

The front defogger/heater does not work. The vacuum lines that run it are just totally messed up and confusing as hell. It does have windshield fans which keep it clear and the rear heater works fine.

Amazingly the leveling jacks still work. Most of the other doodads and such work. I will be painting it and redoing the interior at some point after all the other things are looked after. I'm hoping I can have everything working right for my first trip this summer.

I don't know if this was the right place to start so if I'm not where I should be, please let me know. I know it's pretty old... most everything in this forum is 90s and newer. Is there an RV junkyard in existence? Any help or advice would be appreciated. I'm East Coast Canadian.

Those old Elandons are a really nice coach - we have a couple folks here who own one.

I also think the inverter/converter has an issue as well. When the generator did work, after it shuts off it takes a long time to switch over to 12volt... anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and it used to do it instantly. Both of the 12 volt storage batteries are dead. The previous owner used regular batteries and not deep cycle and it killed them. I will be buying deep cycle batteries as soon as it come out of storage. Any recommendations?

Should I replace or upgrade the converter/charging system? Any advice would be welcomed.

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There is some confusion here. The 12v system is active all the time - it serves the lighting, appliance circuit boards and such. When the generator or shore power is available, the converter/charger supplies 12v by changing 120vac to 12vdc. When no 120vac is available, the 12vdc comes from the house batteries. You said the batteries are totally dead, so that is probably the problem. I suspect that the batteries are so bad that the entire output of the converter/charger is being sucked into them, which would explain why it takes so long to get 12v power back.

The only thing that switches when the generator goes on or off is the 120vac power source. A "transfer switch" changes from generator to shore or vice versa. This has nothing to do with 12vdc power.

Hi:  We have a 1989 Itasca Sunflyer which shares pretty much all of the components of your Elandon.  I would definitely replace the batteries with the biggest deep cycle batteries you can fit into your battery compartment.  It may also be time to replace the converter/charger.  I replaced mine a couple of years back with a more modern unit, (intelli power with a charge wizard).  Its great, I leave the coach plugged in year round with no water loss in the batteries.  You should probably check the selenoids too, there should be 2 of them, one to shut down the House power, and one to isolate the batteries from the chassis battery.  I can't help you with the door latches, but I suspect they are pretty standard auto parts.

I assume you have an exhaust leak at the joints between the manifold and the exhaust pipes.  These leaks are pretty common and can usually be solved by replacing the donut/gasket.  Getting the nuts off is sometimes a problem, most of the studs at my manifold/exhaust pipe joint have broken and been drilled out to take a nuts & bolts. 

I too had exterior fading going on.  Three years ago I purchased the best clear coat I could buy and after diligent cleaning, applied the clear coat.  It was the best thing I ever did for the appearance.  Smooth, shiny and streaks just wash off with no effort. 

Is there an RV junkyard in existence?

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Click the Resources button above and scroll down to the link for RV parts and salvage places.

Good luck with the Elandon and keep us posted on the progress.

bluegrasser - welcome to the forums!  Let any staff know if you have questions about board operation.  Look around and enjoy!

Bluegrasser- The donut gaskets were the ones that were replaced, the leak is further up at the manifold gasket to the motor itself. All the bolts had to be drilled out for the donut gasket... painful LOL. Do you know what model intellipower will fit? On the paint... the stripes have faded to the point of being non-existent in places so repainting them may be my only option.

RVroamer-You are probably correct. Those batteries were dead flat and would not hold enough charge to light up a aisle lights. I may replace the system with an upgraded one anyways.

So I am gathering that parts are still quite available for my unit? I will explore some of those links further for parts.

Thanks so far!

OldRVer:

I used the 9100, 60 amp intellipower converter/charger, there was no problem fitting it in, it is actually smaller in size than the old unit which I think was a Paralax.  Its also quieter, no noticeable hum, the fan only runs when need be, which isn't often.

Ah yes tape stripes, they do not like the sun, mine weren't completely gone, but the clearcoat did help bring them back a bit.

Drilling out the bolts for the donut joint is not fun.  Assuming you have a GM 454 ,you might want to check the air injector tubes, I had a hole in one of mine which sounded just like a manifold leak.  I've never been completely happy with the exhaust system on my 454.  I had thought several times about yanking it off & installing a Banks system, but at 20 yrs old parts & labour are a bit over the top.

I see you are on the east coast, I'm in Ontario

Hey Bluegrasser... I'm in NS. Nice to meet ya!

How much was the 9100 worth? Did you install it or have a shop do it? I am handy with some stuff, electrical is one of my stronger points, but if it is crazy complex I wouldn't want to attempt it.

I do have the 454. I will check those air injection tubes. The noise is not very pronounced now that the donut gaskets are done. I hate the exhaust myself... too quiet except for the annoying leak which isn't much more than a tick/hiss. I was going to go with a Flowmaster exhaust to open it up a bit and let some of that 454 rumble shine through weird as that may seem.

Check the date codes on the tires. RV tires have a 7 year life and can look great right before the fail!

Hey OldRVer:

I picked up my 9100 60 amp conv/charger at Camping World in Hamburg NY.  Unfortunately that location has closed now, It was just about an hour away from home here in Ontario and really handy.  The cost was just under $300.00 including the charge wizard.  It's a simple hookup, didn't need to add anything.  I just shut everything down and labeled the wires and re-connected them to the new unit.  I see Camping world now shows the unit as 9200, but it looks the same, probably some minor changes.

There are a lot of headers out there that will  work on the 454.  My 89 has a factory stainless header/manifold.  Not quite headers but not too far off for a factory job. 

Thank Bluegrasser, looking into it now.

Rhmahoney.... checked the tires and 4 are brand new... one year old. 2 are 3 years old... Thanks!