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MntnsCalling · 01-29-2014, 11:17 AM

Hello everybody!
Just purchased a 1984 Fleetwood Jamboree 23 footer on Jan 23rd. 62,000 original miles on a 7.5L Ford 460. The last owner used it as an office for the past year and drove it very little (about 70mi, he said). There was old gas in the tank though he couldn't remember when he last filled'er up. It was about 1/4 full. I filled it up with 87 oct (ugh!) and drove it home (bout 2 hrs bc of bad traffic). She drove great. Idled smoothly as we sat in a 15-min standstill traffic jam. After reading about old gas and being thoroughly freaked out about the fact that I drove it like that, I decided the least we can do is change the oil right away. I also bought octane booster and Berryman's B12, but haven't used them yet. Took her to Smog two days ago and turns out she's a "gross polluter"! The EGR valve failed so we switched it out last night. Needs a new gas cap, too, then we'll smog-test again- unless you guys have other suggestions before we do it. She does not have a catalytic converter, but I was told to hold off on that and see if the new EGR valve would suffice. I have the smog report from one year ago and it passed.
Last owner said he had no idea when the oil was last changed! He didn't seem to know much about the RV bc he hardly used it, but we ran appliances and whatnot and I inspected as thoroughly as I knew to. He gave me past service records and told me he bought it from his neighbor of 8 years, who allegedly took good care of it.
The oil is honey-colored. Very clean. Problem is we have no idea what kind of oil is in there and we don't know what to use. Also I would like to switch to synthetic. Is that a no-no?
We are so excited to get this baby in top shape, do a little restoration, and have some fun. The kids (6y/o D, 4y/o S) are ecstatic!

So my questions are: smog, old gasoline, and motor oil.
Thanks so much for reading this, and I look forward to a little education.

homeless · 01-29-2014, 11:22 AM

Patrol 65 · 01-29-2014, 11:32 AM

I can't comment on the smog test because we don't have one here, however, since it idled smoothly and drove fine with 1/4 tank of old gas, you should be okay. You may want to change the fuel filter if the gas quality is a concern. As for oil, you can use whatevever viscosity your engine calls for. Some will recommend you use synthetic oil and others will recommend conventional oils. I use a synthetic blend motor oil because I prefer to change oil every 3,000 miles since I put less than 6,000 miles per year. I know that a pure synthetic oil will last that long but I am old school and don't trust an oil sitting for a year in my engine before a change.

MntnsCalling · 01-29-2014, 04:21 PM

Thank you! That helps. For sure changing out the fuel filter.
For anyone interested I will post about the outcome of our second smog test.

macantic · 01-29-2014, 05:01 PM

Like Patrol 65 said "I use a synthetic blend motor oil because I prefer to change oil every 3,000 miles" I like Castrol Oil. Also,after changing the fuel filter,I would add some carb/injector cleaner.

Sagamore · 02-04-2014, 05:53 PM

I like using Mobil One full synthetic that I change myself. It's a personal preference. Also, I would check all the fluids such as antifreeze, brake fluid, tranny fluid etc. and see if they need flushed.

dwmcg · 02-04-2014, 06:26 PM

Surprised no one has said anything about it but check the age of the tires. RV tires age out instead of wear out.

B D HOWie · 02-07-2014, 08:28 PM

Welcome and enjoy the new to you RV.
Check the hoses (radiator and heater) and belts. Also test the antifreeze.
Look forward to pictures.
Paul

camper33 · 02-08-2014, 03:03 PM

That 460, also having a carburetor, I would use a gas stabilizer. It will help keep the gas fresh. I run it all year around in my small engines and it is well worth it.

MntnsCalling · 02-10-2014, 12:17 AM

Thank you all for your replies. Howdy, Homeless!
The uncle-in-law sent an old mechanic friend to us to check'er out and found no problems. Runs great. She only goes to third gear but he said I could easily drive 'er at 80 mph if I wanted (No thanks!). There was a coolant leak apparently because of a clamp improperly placed on the hose. No more leak. Topped her off with 50/50 green stuff. Tranny fluid topped off too. He tested the old EGR valve (by blowing on it with his mouth) and it was definitely bad. Did the same to the new one and it is good. He said this could very well have been the sole cause for it not passing smog (all numbers good except CO) aside from the fact that I only drove it ten minutes to the smog place (duh!).
I told him oil is old but after he checked he said there was no need for a change. He just added a quart. When we do change we'll use Castrol 10W-40. He advised against synthetic bc since this engine has never seen synthetic it could develop leaks as the gaskets(?) and seals and whatnot "change" a little with the switch. Like many of you have posted, we plan to change oil in a more than timely manner any way. I also plan to throw a bottle of Petron Plus in there too. Gotta make a call first. All hoses and belts are good.
It's taken me a while to burn through my half tank of gas to which I added 15 oz of Berryman B12 chemtool. We're getting there... then I plan to add some CRC Guaranteed to Pass stuff to a new half tank and get the beast smogged already. I will update as soon as I do.
The tires look very good (DOT3305). There is absolutely no cracking at the side walls. We are planning a trip to Lake Havasu in July (hot, hot, hot!), so we will reinspect before then. Also plan to switch to a 20W-50 oil to help the engine deal with the extreme heat (thoughts?).
I do plan to add fuel stabilizer ASAP. Thank you for that tip.
Glad we have gotten mechanical out of the way, mostly. Just need to resmog. Then the next big thing is to retreat the roof. I believe we have an aluminum roof??? Going to browse this forum for info.
As always, thank y'all for reading and I look forward to more comments. Soon we'll be ready to join you on the road. I'll try to post a couple pics of our big "Boss Lady" with my next post. (That's what I'm calling her for now! Who knows, it might stick with the hubby...)
Cheers!

gruelens · 02-10-2014, 12:36 AM

The tires look very good (DOT3305).

You are certainly doing the right thing going over all systems thoroughly. Your tires are almost 9 years old. External visual inspection can NOT determine how safe they are. I would encourage you to do a search on the forum of this subject. Tires that fail can lead to lost time, damage to MH from tire coming apart, and accidents involving you and possibly others. New tires are much more affordable. All the best as you move forward.

KSCRUDE · 02-10-2014, 12:37 AM

Good luck with the new rig. I agree with about everything you are doing, except the oil. I would use 15-40 Rotella in that old gal with that big V8. And also in the geny. One oil for everything and it is sold everywhere. Walmart sells it cheaper then anyone else! 20-50 motor oil is more for the drag racing crowd for race engines.

drinms · 08-16-2014, 08:48 PM

We are looking at a 1984 Jamboree with a little over 71K miles. So glad to hear that others are purchasing similar units. Are there any specific problems that a buyer should be looking for?

jdoran1973 · 08-18-2014, 12:39 PM

Drinms: any signs of water damage/ stains inside the coach or any bubbling peeling of the external walls. Check the 4 digit DOT code on the tires as rule of thumb is to replace then 7 years past mfr date. Make sure steering and spark plug wires are in good shape. From (bad) experience I always think it is worth paying for an Rv tech to inspect it if you do not feel comfortable spotting issues. Good luck