Picked up a rare one. 1991 Clarion motorhome.

[Merlin TC]

so about 2 weeks ago I picked up a rare one. a 1991 Clarion. number 113 out of 270 built.
it was driving home Great until it wasn't.

anyone know anything about the Clarions.

 

[EdJunior]

Interesting. So what happened? What platform is it sitting on (Ford Chevy, Dodge)? What is it doing, or not doing?

 

[bigbAZ]

Looks like it was built by Coachmen on a custom built frame with a Ford supplied front wheel drive drivetrain.

 

[Merlin TC]

Interesting. So what happened? What platform is it sitting on (Ford Chevy, Dodge)? What is it doing, or not doing?

It was driving good, right before getting on the highway I could hear a little clunk when I let off the gas, right before getting on the highway i had to hit the brakes pretty hard as someone had slammed on the brakes in front of me. when I got on the highway it would not get up to speed. before I had hit the brakes I was able to do 60 m.p.h. with now issue. on the highway I could only get to 45, thankfully I didn't have to go far on the highway. I pulled in a gas station and filled up, thinking maybe bad gas. start to drive again and could feel a bad viberation. pulled over and checked things over. wife was following in her car. pulled into another parking lot and even at slow speed felt a clunking in the drive line. so went about another mile and it got even worse, so we pulled in a gas station and called the towing company, $600.00 and an hour later and we where home.
I think it could be a bad brake line not letting the brakes release. I am just hoping it did not hurt the CV joints as this is front wheel drive and the Joints where not off the shelf Ford items. it supposed to be built on a F-250 frame. but the rear axle is a torsion system that was made in germany.

 

[Merlin TC]

Looks like it was built by Coachmen on a custom built frame with a Ford supplied front wheel drive drivetrain.

yeah I found on another RV forum some info. but the thread is old and they won't let you reply to it any more, so joining that Forum was a waste.

 

[Kirk]

The 1991 Clarion is a Class B motorhome, built by Coachmen, on a Ford chassis. It's known for being a relatively rare, front-wheel-drive RV, with some models being only 23 feet long. Production was limited, and the factory reportedly burned down, making parts harder to find. Specifically, it was built on a Ford chassis and utilized a unique engineering design where the drive shaft connected to the front differential, despite the engine being located in the front. This setup allowed for a front-wheel drive configuration, which was a distinctive feature of the Clarion. From what I can find, it has a 5.8 ford with a c-6 3 speed auto-tranny and a Borge-Warner transfer-case to make it front wheel drive.

 

[bigbAZ]

The 1991 Clarion is a Class B motorhome, built by Coachmen, on a Ford chassis.

I saw that it was marketed as a class B but it's got a manufactured body, I though a class B was a van body. I doubt they would call it a class B today.

 

[Kirk]

I have only ever seen one Clarion and it was with a club group which was all restored classic RVs. It would be interesting to know more about the one you have as I doubt anyone here is familiar with them.

 

[Merlin TC]

I have only ever seen one Clarion and it was with a club group which was all restored classic RVs. It would be interesting to know more about the one you have as I doubt anyone here is familiar with them.

I was told by the lady's Husband that I got it from that this one came from Texas and was owned by Anhausher Bush. The lady said she had just driven it to GA. and back 2 weeks ago. I don't believe it. what I can say, is until it broke down I was amazed how smooth it rode. it rode as good as our Subaru out back. they have front wheel independent suspension with CV joints with front wheel drive. this allows the body to sit down lower on the frame. the rear axle is a Torsion bar setup like a boat trailer has, but built more heavy. another reason it rode so well. from doing research I found out that sadly that front CV joint is not made by ford, so it costs over 2 grand to get made ( that is if the company that was making them is even still around. ) the whole hood tilts forward to work on the engine. and sadly it looks like I will be working on it as the a/c does not even work. the engine seems to run pretty well, but i put a battery cut off switch on it as when they where loading it on the rollback the starter got stuck and was still spinning over after cuting the key switch off. the driver of the roll back had to disconnect the battery to make it stop. so that was kind of scary. This one only has 67.000 miles on it and I even got the owners manual. it has a 4000 watt onan generator. that will start, but once you take your finger off the start button it dies. so will need to figure out what is going on with that also. this one is number 113 of 270 built.

 

[Kirk]

that will start, but once you take your finger off the start button it dies.

That symptom indicates that the Onan is not generating any electricity. Onan generators are designed to use battery voltage until the start button is released and then the control power comes from the generator output.

 

[Merlin TC]

That symptom indicates that the Onan is not generating any electricity. Onan generators are designed to use battery voltage until the start button is released and then the control power comes from the generator output.

Well, thats not a good thing. any idea where to start looking for the problem?

 

[Kirk]

I would get out my multimeter and start troubleshooting the regulator. It could be anything from a simple bad connection to defective armature. I would use this Onan trouble shooting guide and follow the suggested steps. Starting on page 9 it has a good listing of what you need to check.

 

[workinonit]

It was running like a sewing machine when I parked it.

 

[Merlin TC]

It was running like a sewing machine when I parked it.

The engine runs great and when it was doing right I was amazed how well it drove. but just from looking at stuff under the hood. there is no way that the AC was working 2 weeks before I bought it....lol when you have vac. hoses that are not connected from the fan housing and you can clearly see a nest of some kind in the fan housing, looks and sounded like a mudd dubber nest. then there is your sign they where not telling the truth. when I left the peoples house and was going down the road, I was so happy with the way it drove and the acceleration. but after i while when I would slow down I would feel a clunk like a U joint would make. then after I had to stop real fast when some idiot slammed on the brakes in front of me, that is when it went to crap. so i am thinking it's a brake issue. I need to go buy a bigger jack then what i have now so I can take the wheel off and check it over.

 

[Lou Schneider]

The engine runs great and when it was doing right I was amazed how well it drove. but just from looking at stuff under the hood. there is no way that the AC was working 2 weeks before I bought it....lol when you have vac. hoses that are not connected from the fan housing and you can clearly see a nest of some kind in the fan housing, looks and sounded like a mudd dubber nest. then there is your sign they where not telling the truth. when I left the peoples house and was going down the road, I was so happy with the way it drove and the acceleration. but after i while when I would slow down I would feel a clunk like a U joint would make. then after I had to stop real fast when some idiot slammed on the brakes in front of me, that is when it went to crap. so i am thinking it's a brake issue. I need to go buy a bigger jack then what i have now so I can take the wheel off and check it over.

Sticking brake calipers are sometimes caused by the rubber hoses going from the chassis deteriorating internally and acting like a one way valve, trapping pressure and keeping the brake from releasing. If you have a dragging or seized brake loosen the bleed valve on that wheel and see if there's trapped pressure holding the brake on.

 

[Merlin TC]

Sticking brake calipers are sometimes caused by the rubber hoses going from the chassis deteriorating internally and acting like a one way valve, trapping pressure and keeping the brake from releasing. If you have a dragging or seized brake loosen the bleed valve on that wheel and see if there's trapped pressure holding the brake on.

yeah, that is what I am thinking the issue is. as soon as I get a good jack that is my plan. I just hope the CV joint is not messed up as that seems to be a weak point .

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Haven't seen mentioned what the goal here is. Is it to own an RV to go camping, traveling and sightseeing, or own, restore and maintain a vintage vehicle? Those two goals are kind of mutually exclusive and with a unicorn RV such as this you're going to spend way more time under it than in it. The days of this thing traveling the country are long past so if that was the goal, part ways now before it becomes an albatross.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Merlin TC]

Haven't seen mentioned what the goal here is. Is it to own an RV to go camping, traveling and sightseeing, or own, restore and maintain a vintage vehicle? Those two goals are kind of mutually exclusive and with a unicorn RV such as this you're going to spend way more time under it than in it. The days of this thing traveling the country are long past so if that was the goal, part ways now before it becomes an albatross.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

My goal it to use it to tow my light weight hovercraft to a rally once a year about 150 miles each way and the rest of the time to tow it to some local lakes about 5 miles away. but I pretty much got conned on the deal and already have 9 grand in it. Honestly at this point I am thinking fix the brakes to see if that fixes the issue then list it on bring a trailer.com and hope I get my money back out of it. the rest of it is in great shape. so i am hoping it's just the brakes. time will tell.

 

[bigbAZ]

I don't think you got conned. You can't expect to buy a 31 year old vehicle, especially an RV that sits a lot, and just start using it as is. If you are not mechanically inclined, or have deep pockets, buying something like this is a gamble with a high likelihood of being a regular wallet flusher.

 

[RV_Lee122]

1991-92 Clarion by Coachmen

1991-92 Clarion by Coachmen - 23' Class A MH I figure I'd start a thread for us Clarion Class A motorhome owners - all 270 or so worldwide. Only 270 were made in a dedicated plant in Holland, MI. The plant burned down in 1992 and Coachmen never rebuilt it. They called it a "Touring Vehicle."...

www.irv2.com

Might find that link useful