Community Forums

jlfrazier · 11-17-2019, 05:12 PM

Hi everyone. Due to the recent death of my brother, I find I'm now the owner of his 83 Vogue 29' motorcoach. I've never owned an RV, or even spent any time in one. My brother brought his to our house a couple time many years ago, and spent a few days in it, but that's the extent of my experience. This vogue has not run in at least 2 years, and has been sitting at his house on the jacks. I don't think it's in too bad of shape, just dirty and neglected.I'll have it towed to my house this week and begin the process of finding out what it needs, and deciding whether to keep it or sell it.
So I will probably be asking a lot of questions here and thank all of you in advance for any assistance you can offer.
Thanks,
Jim

scenic route · 11-17-2019, 06:51 PM

Sorry to hear of your brother's passing.

I've always loved the look of the older Vogues. You'll have lots of fluid changes, mechanical checks and probable tire changes(aged out). They were well built so if the roof hasn't leaked or has no rot around the windows, these Vogues are well worth the effort/cost to bring 'em back to their former glory. Love to see some pix. May the RV gods be with you.

Edit: And welcome to the site!

momdoc · 11-17-2019, 07:13 PM

Welcome to the forum. Sorry for your loss and congrats on the new project.

You are joining a good group of folks here with good info to share. Read the various threads here and ask questions as they come up. Make sure to look at the Vintage RV thread .

Good luck and enjoy the adventure!

Rickinnocal · 11-17-2019, 11:05 PM

Sorry about your loss, but welcome to the group!

Vogue were a very well respected maker. So long as your new RV hasn't leaked, it should be well worth the effort it will need.

The big question is, "Gas or Diesel?" Vogue made both.

In a vehicle that's been sitting for two years, I'd be very carefully checking it out.

That it's been on jacks is good. Check the date codes on the tires to see how old they are. Sitting with the load relieved is good for them, but if they are 20 years old they have to go, even if the tread looks great.

For the small amount of time and money involved, I'd change the oil and coolant even if it looks ok. Check all the hoses and belts for softness. Batteries - both the chassis battery (To start the engine) and house batteries (Inside lights etc) are almost certainly going to need to be replaced. Check all air filters - they are likely to have become squirrel nests :-(

jlfrazier · 11-18-2019, 05:57 AM

Thank you so much.
It is a gasoline engine, but hasn't run in a couple years. I recharged the battery and the engine cranks good, but doesn't appear to be firing. The crank up TV antenna has been leaky as the carpet under it is wet. That will probably be job #1, regardless of anything else. A pipe that extends through the roof has been broke off, and square plastic hood (vent?) on the roof has a hole in it, but was covered with a tub so no water got in there. It is connected to shore power and some of the lights work. The owners manual is still with it, so that will help.

153stars · 11-18-2019, 09:35 AM

Sorry for the loss of your brother.
If its been sitting for 2yrs probably gas related causing no start. WD40 makes a big high volume can. If you can get engine to crank fairly quickly , I would fog it with that to get rings wet again. Is it carb or FI engine ? If the gas is 2yrs old you might still be able to get it run on it . IF carbed you can try dumping so fresh gas about an ounce in carb carefully ,have a thick wet rag ready to cover carb if it flares up. Do not have you hand or arm over carb trying to start engine ever.
Check the date codes on tires goes by 1 to 52 weeks then year check for cracking might still be safe to drive on 7 to 10 yrs is aged out. You didn't mention how far away rig is from your place. A gassed might be cheaper to tow that a diesel pusher. Inlisting the help of a mechanic to get running and safety check might be better deal.

Lakehouse 2 · 11-18-2019, 03:37 PM

Sorry for your loss and as the others have said, welcome. Previous posters have offered great advice. I especially agree with getting the cylinders lubricated before firing up the engine, Great advice! Be sure to check to see if any rodents have moved into the air filter. Where are you located? Knowing the weather the MH has endured since it last ran might affect the advice you receive. Good luck.

Bahamaniac · 11-18-2019, 05:23 PM

When we bought ours it had sat for over 4 years. I added Stabil to the gasoline and topped off the tank with fresh gas. It ran like a top and passed smog on the old gas after adding the Stabil. Then I burned it all off refilling at half tank.for about 1000 miles on a trip. Just fix any issues, perform all maintenance, and enjoy!

Isaac-1 · 11-18-2019, 11:08 PM

Also sorry for your loss,

Now a bit of hard reality, unless you a car guy that does all your own mechanic work and that is into restoring antique cars, etc. you really should not get involved in this. Remember under it all this is a 35+ year old truck chassis, likely with lots of 35 year old parts, some of which may be nearly unobtainable today.

Captn John · 11-18-2019, 11:30 PM

If you want to bring it home, I'd get a good mobile mechanic to get it running and drive it home IF more than a very short trip. You could have a heart attack over a towing bill.

akeagle · 11-19-2019, 12:35 AM

I'm thinking there could be a lot of condensed moisture in the gas tank and fuel system. A couple bottles of HEAT might be appropriate.

txcpl · 11-19-2019, 03:50 AM

Sorry to hear about your brother. You will have to address a lot of different issues due to its age and neglect. Of course the first item of business is to determine iff it is road worthy and what will it take to get it there. The second will be to stop any incoming moisture and prevent it from entering the RV in the future. After that it's whatever you wish to do and whenever you wish to do it. Sometimes these types of RVs turn out to be a diamond in the rough, others forget the diamond part. Hope yours is the former. Keep us posted on your rehab, and don't forget to ask lots of questions.

jlfrazier · 11-19-2019, 05:36 AM

Thanks for all the advice. I'm more of a shade tree mechanic, but I have sons that are pretty sharp at it. Evidently there was a problem with the engine not running when my brother parked it, and he never got around to getting it looked at. I'm in northeast OK and the last couple winters have been pretty mild, but still plenty of freezing temps. And of course tons of rain last spring.
Getting it towed today, only about 25 miles. His house will have to be sold so I can't really work on it there. I'll post pictures once I get it home.

**Spdracr39** · 11-19-2019, 05:45 AM

A long time leaky antenna mount can lead to a massive roof wood replacement. Water doesn't have to get inside on the floor to do extensive damage. I would give it a thorough inspection top to bottom before spending a penny moving it. It could easily change where you move it to. Also having an unrepaired hole in the roof covered by a tub could be a sign it isn't worth fixing or it would have been fixed a long time ago. Hopefully it all works out and you can have a cool fun project to work on but don't let emotions cause you to spend a fortune putting money in something you can never use.