2001 36ft Dolphin - Manual & Wiring Diagram

[Falcon 3]

Have a 2001 36ft Dolphin w/ two slides Mode 5320.  Have Ford Owners manual and Ford Wiring diagrams but need chassis wiring diagram and owners manual.

National RV went bankrupt last November.

Have not had any problems with it but would like to have manuals and diagrams in casse that I do.

Would gladly pay for reproduction and mailing costs.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Any help appreciated.

Falcon3
Ft. Worth, Texas

 

[scottydl]

Unless you are lucky enough to find another 2001 Dolphin owner and a photocopier, you may be out of luck unfortunately.  My Class A is older than yours, but I've had the same problem with my Thor.  The company is still in business and owns several other RV manufacturers now, but they don't make the Residency or any "Thor" motorhomes anymore.  From calling around to a bunch of different places that supply older RV parts, I finally got the number to "a guy" who did have some Thor motorhome paperwork on file.  He faxed me what he had, which was minimal but at least something.  Perhaps there is someone out there with the same collection of National/Dolphin documents.

You could look online at various classifieds sites (eBay, rvtrader.com, rvtraderonline.com, and many more) and find a rig like yours... then contact the seller and ask (1) if they have the paperwork you are seeking, and (2) if you could pay them for their time and inconvenience to copy the materials and send them to you.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Have Ford Owners manual and Ford Wiring diagrams but need chassis wiring diagram and owners manual.

You say you have the Ford manual and diagrams, then go on to request copies of the chassis diagram and manual. Ford IS the chassis, so you already have them.  I suspect you mean that you need the coach body wiring diagram and coach owner manual?

There is no coach body owner manual per se - what you get is a sheaf of manuals for the numerous appliances (tvs, water heater, etc.) and major systems, e.g. water pump, etc.  There is usually a generic manual that covers some of the high points for all Dolphin motorhomes, e.g. winterizing and filling the water tanks, but usually not much that is really helpful.  If you will identify the make and model numbers of your appliances, odds are that many other Rv owners (not just 2001 Dolphins) have the same ones and can make a copy for you. Many of them are also available online for free download (and you can sometimes find service manuals for them as well).

Good luck on finding a coach wiring diagram. I tried to get one for a 2002 Dolphin for two years but NRV Customer Service kept saying they didn't have one (obviously the factory has something, but maybe not anything short of full size blueprints. One Customer service rep said he would send me his personal notes on wiring for my year, but he never did.

 

[Falcon 3]

You are correct, I did mean coach manual and wiring diagram.

I do have the manuals for 99% of the appliances, etc.

Had a Windsport, by Thor before we bought this one.  Really liked it but we wanted slides and more length for the grandchildren.  Really like the Dolphin and most comments I have seen are positive from owners.  It is a shame that they went out of business.

Have tried e-Bay, Craigs List and other online sources but no joy.  Think it is a losing cause.

Thank you for your inputs and Happy RVing.

Falcon 3

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The Dolphin manual you seek is a few dozen pages. Better than some, but still a generic manual covering the entire Dolphn line for multiple years. It won't tell you anywhere near as much as you might think.  Watch for rigs like yours (1997-2001 were pretty much identical) and ask owners if you can copy their manual. If they have one, that is.

 

[2002dolphin]

Hi, I have  my Dads 2002 National dolphin motorhome with workhorse engine. He kept ALL manuals in several notebooks. I would be happy to copy them for you if they would help. Dyanne

 

[kenethf]

Replying to an old post (2002 Dolphin), but if you'd copy your manuals, I'd be happy to pay you any costs incurred.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

2002 Dolphin hasn't been back here since that single 2011 post, but you might try an email (click the envelope icon under their name) and see if they respond to that.

Giant RV has some Dolphin specs and such on their site. They used to be a major National RV dealer. Here is some 2003 Dolphon specs:
http://giantrv.addr.com/products/national/dolphinlx/dolphinlx_feat02.htm

And here is a 2002 Dolphin LX for sale on rvt.com and the owner claims to have the manuals. Maybe if you contacted him and offered to buy a copy...
http://www.rvt.com/National-RV-Dolphin-LX-6355-2002-Carrollton-TX-ID4825150-UX120322

As a former Dolphin LX owner myself, I can tell you that the coach owner manual doesn't have a lot of useful info. It's not very model specific at all (which is the norm for RV manuals). Do NOT expect anything as comprehensive as a car owner manual! Once you gather the various appliance manuals (available online from various sources), you've got most of what you can get,