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Old 09-23-2017, 04:37 PM   #1
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2001 Winnebago Brave Dash Air Doesn't Cool Enough

This past week was our first trip out with our 2001 Winnebago Brave that we bought last fall. After we bought it we have had to buy all new tires, $800 in the steering column, air bags for the inside front coil springs, generator tuned up, freon added to the front twice. Our trip was a nightmare. The rig jostled us around, we were pushed constantly by semis, and the dash air never really cooled like it should. We have quite a bit of money in it already so I hate to get rid of it and start over. We can't find out what is causing it to be so warm inside. Plus, I plan on starting another topic about how it rattles like crazy inside as it throws us around plus the semis pushing us over. This is how we planned on spending our retirement.

This is what we have already tried on the cooling problem. Cleaned the condensor coil in front of the radiator, replaced the heater/air conditioner blower motor.

Please advise. We really want to enjoy traveling.
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Old 09-23-2017, 05:25 PM   #2
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not cool

We have a 2002 Winnebago sightseer. It also wouldn't get cool. What I found the problem to be was one of the small hard plastic lines that run from the dash control to the under hood unit had a hole in it. It wouldn't hold vacuum to operate the air flap. It might also be the valve that shuts off the hot water that circulates thru the heater core. maybe neither one but could be.
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Old 09-23-2017, 05:39 PM   #3
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I have a 2002 Journey that wasn't cooling. I found that the last technician to service the air did not put the clam shell cover clips on properly. This is the cover over the front coils. With it open the air is not being pulled over the cold coils. I used clamps from harbor freight to hold the shell together and now it works great.
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Old 09-23-2017, 06:06 PM   #4
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You have front air bags so I assume a P32 chassis. You need to post in the Workhorse forum regarding handling issues. We had a 1994 Bounder on the P32 chassis. There are improvements that can be made but like anything related to MHs they're not necessarily cheap.

As far as the A/C, you may be fighting a losing battle. Motorhome gas engines create a lot of heat and the evaporator coils are often on the firewall inside the engine compartment, not inside the passenger compartment. So it's fighting the outside heat as well as engine heat. I recharged the A/C on our Bounder and on our Winnebago Adventurer. Waste of time and money to me. I start the generator and run the coach A/C. Less load and heat on the engine. I figure the engine is already stressed moving 16,000 plus pounds down the road. In our case over 22,000lbs. Fuel to run the generator is offset by better gas mileage on the engine. Plus the whole MH is cooled and much more comfortable. Some will disagree but I like to be comfortable and running the generator and coach A/C does that.
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Old 09-23-2017, 09:01 PM   #5
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How many miles on this 2001?

Itasca66

Supersteerparts.com call the guy and tell them the year and mileage . He will know the issues with your model. He deals with it all the time . I installed supersteer springs 3990 lbs springs . Rig rides like a car. And you don't need air bags anymore either.
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Old 09-23-2017, 10:30 PM   #6
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Have you recharged the air conditioning? You can buy a do it yourself kit with pressure gauge for about $30.

It is probably low on R134.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/18-oz-R-134a-Refrigerant-with-Reusable-Charging-Hose/51202626?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid= 22222222227055292590&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1= g&wl2=c&wl3=156485898717&wl4=pla-265499747726&wl5=9031813&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl 10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=51202626&wl13=&veh=sem #read-more
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Old 09-24-2017, 07:47 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 70ChevelleSS View Post
As far as the A/C, you may be fighting a losing battle. Motorhome gas engines create a lot of heat and the evaporator coils are often on the firewall inside the engine compartment, not inside the passenger compartment. So it's fighting the outside heat as well as engine heat. I recharged the A/C on our Bounder and on our Winnebago Adventurer. Waste of time and money to me. I start the generator and run the coach A/C. Less load and heat on the engine. I figure the engine is already stressed moving 16,000 plus pounds down the road. In our case over 22,000lbs. Fuel to run the generator is offset by better gas mileage on the engine. Plus the whole MH is cooled and much more comfortable. Some will disagree but I like to be comfortable and running the generator and coach A/C does that.
X2,

The dash AC unit is not designed to cool the coach, it will give you a cool breeze, but will be quickly overwhelmed on a warm or sunny day with the hot V8 engine in you lap. It was designed to cool a truck cab only. I had a '07 29' Sightseer and any day over 60 degrees had to run the generator to keep the coach comfortable. Without it the temp would quickly get 10-15 degrees warmer inside. Even in my DP with the engine in the rear, the front will warm up after a while and I will need the coach AC.
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Old 09-24-2017, 09:35 AM   #8
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He said freon was added twice. Okay, we know it wasn't freon but R134a. In any case it's been recharged twice.
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Old 09-24-2017, 11:01 AM   #9
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I'd be interested to know what tiredeere's expectation was prior to buying a 2001 Winnebago. As others have noted, the dash AC is designed to cool the cab of a pickup truck, not a 1,600 cubic foot uninsulated box. Cooling the coach using the genny and roof A/C is the most practical and common way of cooling while underway.

Plus the poor thing is 16 years old, and apparently was not previously serviced well based on the expenses for mechanical repairs incurred prior to their first trip. Depending on the miles it has on it, of course it will rattle. Most of the do to some degree or another. It gets pushed around by semi's Once again, what was the expectation?

I know I am going to insult some readers here, but I have personally run in to many new RVers that think their experience should be that their rig drives like a Cadillac, gets the mileage of a Prius, is as rock stable as their S&B house even while underway and somehow magically transports them across the country with no effort on their part, all the while having gnomes come out at night to fix, repair and adjust anything that annoys them to the slightest degree.

The solution? Educate yourself, learn everything you can about how it operates, how it drives and learn how to adapt your expectations to the reality of owning, driving and repairing a very complex house/truck hybrid. This mode of travel is not for the uninformed or the timid.

Flame away those who do not agree...........
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Old 09-24-2017, 11:56 AM   #10
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Old 09-24-2017, 01:26 PM   #11
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When I bought my first RV ever, a '94 Bounder DP, sold everything I owned and started full time traveling, I had a problem every trip. Took a year to finally iron out all the issues and go for a couple months without a problem. Over the 12 years I owned the rig, there was always something that needed attention. But those problems that would keep me off the road became few and far between after that busy first year.

Biggest thing I learned is that although some of the problems looked like I'd never get to drive the rig again, in reality, if I just carefully chipped away at the issue, it would soon be fixed. And I usually did the fixing myself. Learned to come here to this (and other) forum and ask members for advice about the problem. Learned to always have a day or three in reserve to be able to hole up at a RV park while I worked on a problem. Learned to only travel in the daytime, and start looking for a RV park around 3:30pm.

Over all those years, I was never really inconvenienced for very long. Except that time when the engine dropped a broken valve onto a piston.
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Old 09-24-2017, 02:27 PM   #12
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We haven't been able to locate the hot water shut off to the heater core yet and will need someone else for the vacuum. Thank you. I will file this away in the back of my mind.
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Old 09-24-2017, 02:29 PM   #13
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Ours doesn't have a cover over the coils. We have two electric fans right up against the condenser coil to move air through it.
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Old 09-24-2017, 02:31 PM   #14
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You are right it does cool much better using the generator. It would increase the mileage with less load on the motor. Thank you.
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