New Guy w/questions about 2000 Journey 36G

[leedowney]

Hey guys. I am new to this forum. Looks like a great one so far. We previously owned a 32 ft gas Gulfstream coach. My wife and I bought our first diesel pusher last month. A 2000 Winnebago Journey 36G with 39K miles on it. I have a few, maybe obvious questions. Answer if you can.


1.) It's a 50 amp coach. Does this mean I always have to hook up to 50 amp service at campgrounds or can I run 30 amps?
2.) Where do I located how much tire pressure I should run? Do you typically run 5 lbs below the maximum pressure amount listed on the sidewall?
3.) Although it was recently full serviced (engine & genset), I usually change my own oil/filter in my vehicles and boat. Is it pretty simple to change the oil and filter in this model coach and genset?


Thanks for any help given.
Lee

[kenyonman]

Welcome to the site. As for your questions 1) you can either get an adapter to run 30 amps or a cheater box which if the CG does not use GFCI breakers will give you the 50 amps from the 2 outlets (if available). If using 30 amps watch your usage so you don't pop the breaker outside on the post (a good idea even with 50 amps but not so much so). 2) There are several posts on this site and beliefs on tire pressure, I suggest looking at them and finding what you feel is best for your rig. and 3) I am not a diesel guy so I will defer this to the experts on this issue as well. Welcome again, and post of your adventures. Kenyonman

[MrTransistor]

Hi Lee,

All you need is an adapter for connecting to 30 Amp. power. With 50 Amp., you get two 120 VAC 50 Amp. 180 degree out of phase lines, measured between L1 and L2 to Neutral. Measuring between L1 and L2 you will read 240 VAC. The coach has a system that looks at the two lines to see if they are 180 degrees out of phase, which would be a 240 VAC 50 Amp. connection. If it sees that L1 and L2 are the same phase, it knows that your are connected to either a 30 Amp. or 20 Amp. outlet. So all you need is the adapter, commonly referred to as a ‘dog bone’.

For tire pressures, have your coach ‘four corner’ weighed (loaded up for travel), then go to the tire manufacturers web site and look up the proper pressure for the heaviest side axle weight you actually have. Don’t use the pressure listed on either the sidewall of the tire or the one listed on the VIN sticker. The sidewall pressure only refers to the maximum pressure the tire can handle at the listed maximum weight i.e. the never exceed pressure and weight. Usually the VIN sticker is only and estimated pressure for a fully fueled coach with no owner supplies with about 5 PSI added. I’d say mostly appropriate for the ferry trip to the dealer.

If you have the CAT 3126 330 HP engine and the Onan 7.5 kW generator, then both are easy to change the oil (248-7518), filter (1R-1807), and air filter (Freightliner P.N. 20V/far 094973 007) on. I have done all of my own, both on the 3126 and the C7 (pretty much the same engine). Engine filters at a CAT dealer run about $15 bucks and 6 gallons of 15W40 DEO runs close to $100 and about $100 for the air filter. I can’t advise on the Cummins engines.

The Generator is also pretty easy to service. Both the air filter and oil filter come off without a problem although the oil filter requires a smaller strap wrench and can get messy. I advise that you move the wires below the filter as far out of the way as possible before loosening the filter, then loosen several turns and let it drain completely before trying to remove it. You will also need about a 3/8-inch box end wrench as long as you can find to remove the oil drain plug. A heavy-duty socket with a ½ to 3/8 adapter and a ½ inch ratchet should also work. I did have one filter that I couldn’t get off and had to drive a big screw driver through it to wrench it off. Wore me out!

For all the oil drains I have a 10 gallon ‘sewer tote’ on two wheels with a sewer type opening at one end that roles nicely under the coach. For a funnel I cut the whole bottom part of a liquid laundry soap bottle off leaving the handle in tact. Just through it away when you are done. It usually takes two people to pour the old oil back into the gallon jugs to take it to one of the Auto Parts dealers for disposal. I have taken the tote to them and they allowed me to empty it into their tank, but a lot of the stores have a 4 gallon limit. I also discovered that Wagner CAT here in Albuquerque where I ‘buy’ the oil wouldn’t take the old oil unless you pay them $150 bucks to do the oil change! Go figure!

Good luck and enjoy your ‘new to you’ coach.

[Snowwing]

My previous coach was a 2000 36G, had it for 5 years and really enjoyed it. You have a good solid motorhome in my opinion! The Cummins ISB and Allison MT643 is practically bulletproof , except for that pesky oil pressure sending unit - it shows low oil pressure but the sender is faulty. I went through two of them and decided to rely on the idiot light!

You can hook up to 50, 30, or 20 amp power with the proper adapters. You just have to watch your consumption on the Energy Management System when hooked to anything less than 50 amps.

I used an open 5 gallon bucket for the Cummins oil drain and the spin-on filter is easily accessed from underneath. My generator was the Onan propane unit and I used a Pela Oil Extractor that you can go down the dipstick to extract the oil.

As far as tire pressures, we weighed ours when we first got it and we ran our tires at 95lb. I upped it to the max once on someones advice and I could hardly drive it - it wandered all over the road.
I hope you enjoy your new coach as much as we did!

Ron

[Chuck 1935]

One other thought, the crankase oil in a diesel engine is like ink. I use rubber gloves and make sure I dont get it on my driveway. I also fill the new oil filter with oil before installing it so the engine will start with oil pressure. As far as tire pressure is concerned, I am a proponent of using the max pressure on the sidewall and adjust DOWN slightly from there, NEVER go above the max listed. If you use the max listed the worse thing you will have is a harsh ride but you will have less of a chance of heat related tire problems. Remember, There are as many opinions about this subject as there are motorhome owners. I have never had a tire problem in 60,000 plus miles of driving useing my method. Heat is the killer of tires.

[leedowney]

Thank you guys for all this useful information. You've all been a great help.