Hello, New to Forum - T

[Tgyrl]

Hello!!!

I am new to this forum and to the RV community.  I recently purchased a 1992 Fleetwood Bounder with about 41,000 miles on it.  Bought it in TX and drove it halfway across the country to VA.  It is currently stored.  However, I have doing some renovations (painting, new curtains, heater cleaned out), preparing for my move to GA in a few months.  I also need to get a tune up.  It drove fine the 1400+ miles to get her to VA, but seems a bit sluggish now up inclines.  Hoping a Tune Up does the job.  I have never owed an RV, so I am sure I will have many questions, concerns, and adventures.  It has been about 2 yrs of researching and planning.  So I know I made the right choice to go FT.  Look forward to the journey and learning from this community.

T

 

[RedandSilver]

Welcome to the forum.

Motorhomes are heavy and it's pretty normal for them to slow down going up hills or mountains.
Now if it shakes and coughs that's another story.  ;D

Did you check the age of the tires?  On a 1992 MH with 41K miles it's possible they are original tires and
if they are over 7-8 years old they should be replace even if they look good as tread depth is not an indicator of tire health.
There should be a 4 digit date code on them like 2605 - this would mean they were made the 26th week of 2005 which would make
them almost 13 years old.  Sometimes the code is on the outside of the tire and sometimes you need to get on the ground and look
at the inside of the tire for a date code.  If there are no codes replace them ASAP IMO.

Forgive me if you already knew this - but it's important as many blow outs happen because of the tire's age,
improper air pressure and driving too fast.

Good luck with your new to you RV and the joy it will give you.

 

[Tgyrl]

Good Afternoon RedandSilver,

Thanks for the information.  The tires are only 1 yr old. I definitely paid attention to the tires.  Heard a lot of stories about not so happy endings with blow outs.  Regarding the slow down...about the last 300 miles there was some sputtering and backfires(AKA coughs??).  When I looked it up, they said a tune up could be needed to fix the sluggish speed and backfiring.  I put seafoam in the tank as well (1 oz per gallon).  Should I leave the gear in D or put in Overdrive? 

Thanks again for the advice. You never know what someone doesn't know.

T

 

[jackiemac]

Hi and welcome to the forum.  Good to have you here.

Make sure you are familiar with using the black tank and ensuring it always has enough water in it to stop "things" from sticking! 

Look forward to your participation in the group, we are a friendly bunch, usually  ;D

 

[Stephen S.]

I suggest trying a couple cans of Seafoam cleaner. In both the oil and gas according to instructions on the can.

Put the cleaner in, run it a bit (50~100 miles) then change the oil. Put more in before each regularly scheduled oil change.

Use the Seafoam in the fuel for a few tanks. Change the fuel filter after a couple fill-ups.

I also like to use Marvel Mystery Oil in my vehicles. Again, both in the oil and the fuel, following the instructions on the bottle.

You might just have shaken and stirred up the crud in the fuel tank. Starting with a fuel filter change might help.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Once a year I put five cans of Sea Foam in my 75 gallon gas tank before a trip where I will burn it all. I also run the generator for an hour during that trip.

 

[Tgyrl]

Stephen S and Arch,

Thank you so much for the tips.  I will definitely try the seafoam in both oil and gas.  And then change both oil and oil filter.  Running the generator also sound good.

Do you think a tune up help as well?

T

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Yes a tune up is important, especially in the older engines such as yours.

 

[Stephen S.]

Back in the 70's and 80's whenever I bought a used car or pickup, part of the cost would be a full tuneup. Rotor, cap, plugs, wires, oil, fuel and oil filters... always used Seafoam and MMO. Often flushed the cooling system and changed trans fluid too.

Several of the people I bought from heard the difference later and commented that if they knew that was all it needed, they wouldn't have sold it. ;D