1990 Coachman Classic 36' - John Deere Chassis - 460 Ford

I just picked up a 1990 Coachman Classic 36' w/ John Deer Chassis (and 460 Ford).

I'm starting down the RV road and will be starting local.

The RV isn't perfect (needs A/C recharge for the engine). It also runs hot (250 avg when 70 degrees out, more when hotter). Exhaust also smells like it is running rich.  Otherwise, it is in real good shape for an Illinois RV (it stayed in a barn during winters here so the chassis is very clean with no rust).

Look forward to interacting with the RV community at this forum.

It has: FORD 460 Gas engine, Drivers Door, Tilt Wheel, Cruise Control, Electric Step, Onan Generator 463 hours (6.5K), 2 Roof A/C with 1500 BTU heater, Microwave, 4 burner stove, oven, gas/electric 2 door fridge, queen rear bed, side aisle,lots of storage, heated basement compartments, 10 gallon electric/gas water heater, side murals, rear hitch, recent brakes, exhaust, added insulation in basement to allow cold weather operation, wireless doorbell, exterior light on photocell, new Sony AM/FM CD/IPOD mp3 stereo, 3 new batteries in the past month. LP tank 3/4 full, 90 gallon fuel tank. Recent Oil change for engine and generator.  Everything works except for the front (non-roof) A/C needs a recharge.


Needs:


I have every manual that came with the RV in a nice bag. Unfortunately, the original RV dealer put an '89 Coachman manual in instead of a '90. SO I can't figure out all of the water connections and other incidental info ((the labeling is gone on the basement doors).

Also, the heads, engine, and tranny had work done at 48,000 miles in 2002. The running hot part, possible thermostat issue? Or sending unit misreporting the temp (as the engine doesn't seem to be running that hot).

Also, there is a PSI guage in the dash on the right drivers side that doesn't seem to be working. Is this tied to ta air brake assist?

I look forward to any responses.

Pics

Anybody with any historical info with their own experiences with 1990 through 1994 Coachman Classics will be appreciated.

Anyone with access to a pdf of the 1990 Coachman Manual will be given high fives and kudos.

By the way, we cleaned it at the RV campground last weekend and it looks almost new on the interior. And the fact I have no payments going forward, makes me smile.

The Gen came in good use when our house power went during the storms this past week (and we connected our home fridge to the gen keeping our food nice and cold). Score!!!

We have had our 1989 for 16+ years.  It too has a John Deere chassis.  I had to obtain front brake hoses a couple of years ago.  Parts are still available from Freightliner and prices seem reasonable.  Since rubber degrades with age, I've been on a  campaign to replace old pressure containing rubber hoses, such as fuel, coolant, and brake lines.  Belts & tires are current.

You may wish to obtain a copy of the chassis manual from my link below.  It is a big file, 300mb. 

We don't have a PSI gauge.  Maybe it was an after market add-on?  Maybe yours has had air bags added to the suspension?  We have an air compressor under the hood, but it only provides air for the horns and any external needs. 

The brakes should be hydraulic with a hydraulic power assist that is provided by an extra power steering pump, this hydro boost system is used on medium duty trucks and large cars.

It is not uncommon for a chassis to be a year older than the coach due to the way the RV manufacturer managed their parts inventories. 

Bob, thanks for the reply. I actually have the 1989 Chassis Manual, but I need the '90 instead. I am downloading yours as we speak so I can see if yours matches mine (or is the one I need).

Do you have any heating issues (the engine running hot)? What are the best options for checking if it is just the sendong unit?

Regarding the Hydraulic Power Assist, I haven't been feeling any "assist" when braking, so I will check that. I'll also post a pic of the front guages and point out which psi guage I have in question. I am learning on the fly here, but I am stoked regarding the possibilities this RV represents.

Side note: My wife just vacuumed and steam cleaned the interior carpet this morning (she has a "cleaning in the early morning gene" that I'll never understand... but that I love) and the carpet almost looks new (no exaggeration). I was floored, literally.

I will be taking pics this weekend of the interior and exterior and will post them. I feel like we lucked into a very well kept RV (that just needed some elbow grease to clean up).

Somehow, I feel like we got the RV for a song (I traded my 2001 Subaru Outback VDC and $3K for the RV). The car was worth $8.5K retail, so a total of $11.5K I have invested in this coach so far.

And if I was to lose my job in this economy, at least we have a fall back position that hopefully we can count on.

Sounds/looks like a nice used rig!  I agree 100% with the joy of "no payments" as soon as you drive away in a new-to-you RV.  ;D  You may not want to mess with the engine A/C recharge, depending on your dash setup.  Ours has never worked but the dash air vents are so tiny and ineffective that I can't see spending any money getting it to produce cold air.  During hot travels we run the generator and roof A/C which is MUCH more efficient in cooling and doesn't bog down the engine like the engine compartment A/C compressor might.

amarine1 said:

The Gen came in good use when our house power went during the storms this past week (and we connected our home fridge to the gen keeping our food nice and cold). Score!!!

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We did the same thing this past week, I used the RV genset to run our stick house sump pump while the power was out.  At least I could sleep knowing that the basement wouldn't flood.

Do you live in IL or did you just buy the RV there?

I live in Huntley, Illinois. I got the RV from a gentlemen in Gilberts, Illinois (who got it from a gentlemen in Crystal lake / Woodstock, Illinois 3 months ago).

He apparently took the RV as payment for debt from the original owner as the money was owed for years (the original owner who kept the RV in a barn its entire life when not being used). He turned around and traded it to me since he needed a vehicle more than an RV (sometimes, things just work out).

Understood regarding the engine A/C, I just have a feeling that is tied to the defrost of the front heater / defrost and want it to be working as meant to. I won't use it except for in conjunction with defrosting the front windshield (I'll still use the Gen and RV roof air for trips). I can take it to the local Merlins and have them vacuum drain the A/C. I'll then use a R-134a kit to refill it to the point where the compressor kicks in (I should say, hopefully the compressor will kick in).

Looking at the chassis, not any sign of rust (as normally is the case with Chicago-land RV's) and the front engine compartment is remarkably clean. Original owner allegedly used it to go to Wisconsin Dells each year (hence the 56K miles in 20 years).

Regarding the Gen, only 600 some hours on it. And yes, it comes in handy when power goes awry at home.

Thanks for your input. I am hoping this is the start of many conversations with like minded individuals.

You most likely have the correct manual for your RV.
1990 models were probably built up until December of 1989.

Ron

hoddinron said:

You most likely have the correct manual for your RV.
1990 models were probably built up until December of 1989.

Ron

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Ron, thanks for your reply.

Not to disagree, but nothing lines up regarding the water connections / tanks (Black, Gray, City, etc.). The schematic looks very much like the 1989 Coachmen in basement door and other placements which line up when I do a comparison.

When the water tanks and city water don't line up regarding location re: the schematics, then one must look for the correct one (I'd rather not engage in assumptions based on things being "close enough for govt. work).

I have a feeling this was purchased originally during the changeover between 1989 and 1990 (when the model was updated) and this manual was mistakenly placed in the paperwork.

Our engine has always run on the hot side of the temp gauge, about 3/4 hot.  I don't know the running temp, never measured it.  It has a 195deg thermostat that was changed when we replaced the water pump several years ago.  I'd guess it runs about 200-220 normally.  At idle fully warm the needle is in the mid range.  If yours is running hotter, the first step would be to run a cooling system cleaner thru it.  This is a mild acid solution that works well, especially when left to soak. 

On a different note, we did have a bad ground to the dash that caused the gauges to be erratic and read high.  Running a new ground wire fixed that.

Its still possible that your manual is correct, but differs due to floor plan differences.  Sometimes I'll see RV manuals listed on ebay, it's worth a look.

The technical manual I downloaded and printed (over 900 pages.... whew) will help regarding the chassis itself.

I will be checking the cooling system Saturday morning. I will check the ground wire to the dash (thanks for that info). 

hoddinron said:

You most likely have the correct manual for your RV.
1990 models were probably built up until December of 1989.

Ron

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Unfortunately, the dash, everything is off in the manual my brother got. None of the hookups line up or anything. We have no issue dumping the tanks, the gray is the smaller valve and the black is the larger valve. Where we go wrong is figuring out city hookup switch from fresh to city, it looks modified, things are cut and laying there so there will be some work figuring this out.

More pics-interior.

More Pics - interior.

In the last photo, what is the small electrical device mounted on the wall above the toilet?  Not the one in the mirror, but the one on the wall with the long wire leading downward.

Battery operated Temp Guage.

So, are there any thoughts / comments regarding the condition of the interior?

amarine1 said:

Battery operated Temp Guage.

So, are there any thoughts / comments regarding the condition of the interior?

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Yeah, looks like an out house I once used!!!


  Just kidding! Bud, it looks fantastic! Considering what it smelled like and looked like, the value sky rocketed after the clean up, great job!    Seriously, the change has been fantastic!

Any other comments from the forum participants?

/always looking for honest opinions

Exhaust also smells like it is running rich.

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This is usually caused by the carburetor float becoming gas-logged over time.  It rides lower in the float bowl so the fuel level is higher than normal causing the rich mixture.