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avfordguy · 05-24-2018, 11:07 PM

Going to look at a low miles garage kept 04 34ft journey in a few days. It has basement air/cat 330hp on freightliner chassis it has 2 slides. Anything to look for? I have had other DP both monaco and the handled very poorly,even after shocks and bushings upgrade,was not pleasent to drive to say the least. Any feedback on the livability and drivabilty is? Looking for direct feedback. We are not full timers,

FIRE UP · 05-25-2018, 12:25 AM

The 34' Journey and the 34' Meridian are almost identical. I know a couple folks who have the 34H Meridian and, they love theirs. Built on a Freightliner chassis, they handle very nicely. Depending on your production date of the intended coach, it may or may not have the C-7 version of the 330HP CAT. If not, it's got the 3126 version. Either one is a great engine. It also should come with the Allison MH3000 trans.

About 99.99% of them came with Michelin 255 80R 22.5" tires. And a large percentage of those tires have sidewall cracks. Michelin is proprietary in that tire size. Meaning, they're the primary makers of that particular tire size. So, uneducated folks, just meander over to the local Michelin dealer and get talked into another set. But, those of us who've been not all that happy with the Michelins, did a bit of research and found out that there's alternate tires that work flawlessly. Such a tire is the Yokohama RY-103, 265 75 22.5". It's an almost identical tire only, it's SERIOUSLY CHEAPER and, will do the job of performing for that motorhome, just fine. Been on ours now for about 10 months and, they work outstandingly.

One of the very important points of inspection on that '04 Winne coach is, the roof-to-gutter seam/seal/adhesion point. Separation can occur and that's not good. Winne/Itasca glues that one piece fiberglass roof to those seams with a sealant/adhesive. And, over time, that sealant/adhesive just looses its grip and, that's when things can go bad for the owner.

All you do for an inspection is, climb up high enough so that you can get a close look at that seam, full length, on both sides of the coach and, ever few inches, press on that roof radius, just above the old seal/sealant/adhesive. If that sealant/adhesive has lost its grip, the roof will push away from it. If you see that, then it's a top priority to get that repaired/resealed/reattached.

All those smaller diesel coaches came with an exhaust brake. Do make sure it's working. In the front of the coach, behind the tilt-able front hood, you'll see on the firewall, a panel that is labeled with the "battery disconnect solenoid and, Auxiliary boost solenoid". The battery disconnect solenoid is self explanitory. But, the auxiliary boost solenoid has dual duty. When your engine won't turn over regularly from the chassis batteries being low on voltage, you can join them with the house batteries by pushing on that toggle on the dash: "Auxiliary Battery Boost". That will link both battery sets together so the engine will turn over.

The second duty of that solenoid is, to link the house batteries to the engine's alternator for charging, while you're cruising down the road. It is energized by the ignition after the engine is started. A check to see if that system is working is simple. All you do is, check the house battery voltage with a volt-ohm meter PRIOR to starting the engine. Note the reading. Then, start the engine and wait just a minute or two for things to settle in. Then, re-check the voltage on the house batteries. If it's higher than it was prior to the engine starting, your dual battery solenoid it working as it should.

If you don't find a higher voltage at the house batteries AFTER the engine is started and running, then there's now a need for investigation to find out where the break-down is in that system.

The slides and jacks on that coach are powered up by the HWH system. They're all hydraulic, no electronics at all, other than the motor that runs the pump. A good, thorough cycling of all the Jack system and, running each slide, out and back in again, to see if all the system is working correctly.

The "One Place" panel, located in the center of the coach, in the hallway, is your "ONE PLACE" for checking all your basic RV needs. Batter voltage for both sets, holding tank levels, water tank level, propane level, Inverter/charger remote control resides there too.

Speaking of the inverter/charger, in those era coaches/chassis, Freightliner/Winne/Itasca DID NOT provide for chassis battery charging while on shore power. It wasn't 'till '06 that Winne decided to install the "Trik-L-Start" system that links the chassis batteries to the inverter/charger for charging while on shore power. But, that's another story. The inverter/charger that came with those era coaches is the Dimensions 2000 watt version. It's a good unit but, some have given up the ghost early in life while others, like ours, lasted over 11 years before it said good-by.

All you need to do to check that inverter operation is, do not have the coach running, and no shore power. Then, turn the inverter on at the one place panel and check any and all outlets to see for 120VAC. Obviously it's nice to have some sort of load on it to make sure it's providing the proper A/C voltage and amperage.

Those coaches also came with basement A/C. About 98% of the folks who've owned basement A/C units were/are extremely happy with them, including us. A good test of that unit requires either the generator running or, plugged into shore power. Listen to it. Most are fairly quiet but, some have developed loose bushings for the fans which, kind-a sounds like things are rattling around there. It's an easy fix to install a permanently sealed bearing in place of the bushing.

If that intended coach is lucky enough to be outfitted with the option of the "Smart Wheel" , that's a great addition and, convenience. You can set a high idle by starting the engine, then pressing the "ON" button for the cruise control. Then, press the "SET" button. Now, repeatedly press the "RESUME" button and, the engine idle will begin to raise RPMS with each press of the resume button. To bring the idle back down, simply either press on the brake pedal or, turn the cruise control off.

Anyway, I could go on but, that's enough to get you going on tests when inspecting that coach. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
Scott

VrrmmRydr · 05-25-2018, 03:23 AM

We have the same unit, 2004 Journey 34H which we bought in late 2012 with the C7 350hp Cat.
LOVE IT...... Drives like a dream. Have had no real issues with it at all. just small stuff like replacing the water pump and cleaning the motor on the entry door awning. Having an issue with the 2 front jacks not retracting without "help" but that is next on my list.
This is our first MH and feel that we got lucky in getting such a great rig. Probably should have done some research first, like you are, but once again fell we got lucky for the first time out the gate.
Good luck if you decide to pull the trigger, hope you love it as much as we do.

JPO1980 · 05-25-2018, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VrrmmRydr

We have the same unit, 2004 Journey 34H which we bought in late 2012 with the C7 350hp Cat.
LOVE IT...... Drives like a dream. Have had no real issues with it at all. just small stuff like replacing the water pump and cleaning the motor on the entry door awning. Having an issue with the 2 front jacks not retracting without "help" but that is next on my list.
This is our first MH and feel that we got lucky in getting such a great rig. Probably should have done some research first, like you are, but once again fell we got lucky for the first time out the gate.
Good luck if you decide to pull the trigger, hope you love it as much as we do.

We bought our 2006 36G Journey w Cat 350 three years ago. Overall, very happy. Good power, good braking, handles very well.
Winnie is good on documentation and parts as is Freightliner, if need arises. We only travel about 5 months a year, but I think you could full time w/o a problem.
Do a good checkout, get the mx records, and good luck

staggerlee · 05-25-2018, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Anyway, I could go on but, that's enough to get you going on tests when inspecting that coach. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
Scott

Very good info Scott.
I am going to print this out for future reference.

Tend to be a little forgetful these days.

And do not forget to get the maintained records.

Algonquin · 05-25-2018, 06:09 PM

I wish I could claim otherwise, but my 2011 34Y Meridian handles poorly with winds and passing trucks.

staggerlee · 05-25-2018, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avfordguy

Going to look at a low miles garage kept 04 34ft journey in a few days. It has basement air/cat 330hp on freightliner chassis it has 2 slides. Anything to look for? I have had other DP both monaco and the handled very poorly,even after shocks and bushings upgrade,was not pleasent to drive to say the least. Any feedback on the livability and drivabilty is? Looking for direct feedback. We are not full timers,

This was sent to me by another member.
https://www.brazelsrv.com/Package-De...on-Upgrade-Kit
They said it fixed their steering problems. I want to do the same. Driving now, is just to much like work.

Lee

SCVJeff · 05-27-2018, 03:14 AM

Scott did an amazing job of hitting just about every stress point in the 34H as well as the whole line of that era. We have an 06’ but they are essentually identical to the ‘04 with really no issues at all. My only correction to Scotts review is with regard to the HWH leveling system. There is a control board under the right front of the coach with significant electronics that control both the jacks and slides. Its relatively robust but there have been failures but HWH seems to have been pretty good with support. If you're technically inclined, there are some pretty good logic LED on the board that make trouble shooting the board way easier. We’ve changed out the inverter/ charger simply because I got tired of the MSW Dimensions burning things up. I did however upgrade the tank monitor system since we dry camp 99% of the time and got tired of the amazingly inaccurate tank monitors. Its a very good and easy coach do to upgrades with. Winnebago publishes really good shop drawings of plumbing, chassis and house electrical, etc. that can really come in handy when you need to dig into the system. There are very few manfacturers that provide this level of detail. Not perfect, but not bad.

Jim_HiTek · 05-27-2018, 09:29 AM

Fire_Up did a great job on that report, but unless I missed it, failed to mention that the front windows are subject to leaks from the top seal, that leads to rust of the steel frame that holds them, which causes cracks in the windshield. Up to $3800 to remove rust, repair or replace the frame, and the windshields.

There's also the front and rear end caps which can develop leaks too.

Oh, and the HWH control under the stairs. Just recently helped a friend with her '04 that had a bad board in that control. Sent it into HWH for repair and it cost under $70 including shipping. Very nice of them as a new one is $700.

My '02 is very similar to the '04 and you might get some ideas of maintenance needed on my blog: RV Repair Section - 2002 Winnebago Journey | Chaos Leaves Town

RunningHard · 05-27-2018, 09:52 AM

We love our 07 36G. Have had zero major problems, love the heat pump/AC. I broke the toilet foot handle, so last weekend had to pull the toilet and repair, took all of 45 minutes. Leaving July 1 for the better part of the month to dry camp at Oregon Coast, for sand fest, and ride sand rails for the month....I had a Tiffin product prior and was shopping for Newmar or Tiffin, a friend had this and was selling due to moving to AZ full time, we looked at it and purchased after shopping for almost 9 months. He was the original owner.....Good luck!

SCVJeff · 05-27-2018, 11:34 AM

Yep, Jim is correct on the windshield, and unfortunately it is very difficult, if not impossible to check this short of replacing the windshield to look.

G jeffers · 05-27-2018, 03:21 PM

I would like to add that while checking out the A/C do it with the generator separate from shore. If the generator surges every minute or so you have a bad compressor. When I bought my 2002 journey it was on shore power and you can't hear the 2nd compressor trying to cycle on and it still blows cold air. When you hit any weather above 90 degrees it quits cooling. I ended up buying and installing a new A/C-Heat Pump.

Mr Miyagi · 05-28-2018, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avfordguy

Going to look at a low miles garage kept 04 34ft journey in a few days. It has basement air/cat 330hp on freightliner chassis it has 2 slides. Anything to look for? I have had other DP both monaco and the handled very poorly,even after shocks and bushings upgrade,was not pleasent to drive to say the least. Any feedback on the livability and drivabilty is? Looking for direct feedback. We are not full timers,

Most of the ‘things to check’ have been covered by the guys who’ve already posted. We also bought the same 2004 34H about five years ago and are still amazed of how well these coaches were put together. The only issues we have found, fixed or replaced were a deteriorating plastic coolant tank and a cracked kitchen sink drain hose. Oh, I’ve also replaced the switch on the dash which operates the big slide.
We’ve added the fuel shut off valve idea from Scott and a spare tire between the water tank and fuel tank, and an outside TV under the radio in the front basement compartment. She’s really easy to work on as far as maintenance and drives down the road smooth and quiet. We’ve also towed the wife’s Highlander on a dolly and could hardly feel it behind us. The only thing that bothers me is the clear-coat flaking off but she is a 14 year old motor-home and I’ve seen worse on a lot of newer cars and trucks lately. She’s worth a new paint job as soon as I retire...Keep her covered!

FIRE UP · 05-28-2018, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Miyagi

Most of the ‘things to check’ have been covered by the guys who’ve already posted. We also bought the same 2004 34H about five years ago and are still amazed of how well these coaches were put together. The only issues we have found, fixed or replaced were a deteriorating plastic coolant tank and a cracked kitchen sink drain hose. Oh, I’ve also replaced the switch on the dash which operates the big slide.
We’ve added the fuel shut off valve idea from Scott and a spare tire between the water tank and fuel tank, and an outside TV under the radio in the front basement compartment. She’s really easy to work on as far as maintenance and drives down the road smooth and quiet. We’ve also towed the wife’s Highlander on a dolly and could hardly feel it behind us. The only thing that bothers me is the clear-coat flaking off but she is a 14 year old motor-home and I’ve seen worse on a lot of newer cars and trucks lately. She’s worth a new paint job as soon as I retire...Keep her covered!

Heeeeey Ron,
How the heck is ya? Hope Cindy's doing fine. Brother OK too? Anyway, WOW, is all I can say about your spare tire mounting. I don't have anywhere near that kind of room under our 36' footer. I could put it our slideout tray but, it would destroy any and all room I used for chairs and all that crap. Anway, I bet it was fun replacing that coolant tank huh? Although you might have just a bit smaller hands than my clubs which, would make for getting into those tight spaces with tools just a tad easier. Any camping/traveling plans for the near/distant future? How's the rest of the gang?
Scott