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Old 02-03-2016, 08:49 AM   #1
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Bought and Paid for...2002 Winnie Journey DL

I can finally stop looking for an RV that's right for me!! I found it Saturday just after a self employed couple put money down on it. That deal fell through and I'm now the proud owner of my 2nd, and probably last, DP. A 2002 Winnebago Journey DL. With two slides! As a full timer, more living space was on my must have list.

Although it's a 2002, I could not believe how clean the entire exterior was. Roof to undercarriage. Genset compartment to Engine compartment. Previous owners really kept it clean, even while driving 70K miles. Not even any rock chips.

The interior is the same with evidence that they liked to use a mop, a lot, on the tile floor (water seeped into the carpet that edges the tile). Not a thing wrong with it that I could find other then that.

Superior ride, strong 330HP Cat. I take delivery Friday after the consignment dealer does the prep. I've been full timing Class A owner for 12 years now and really look forward to having slides! Even though it's 1 foot shorter than my current RV, the extra room from the slides will be a treat.

Any advice on what I should do or look for immediately? Things to check before I drive it off the lot? Especially engine or drivetrain stuff? Heading down to Mexico for the shake out trip so is there any maintenance stuff I should have done down there?

Thanks for any advice or input!
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Old 02-03-2016, 01:20 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek View Post
I can finally stop looking for an RV that's right for me!! I found it Saturday just after a self employed couple put money down on it. That deal fell through and I'm now the proud owner of my 2nd, and probably last, DP. A 2002 Winnebago Journey DL. With two slides! As a full timer, more living space was on my must have list.

Although it's a 2002, I could not believe how clean the entire exterior was. Roof to undercarriage. Genset compartment to Engine compartment. Previous owners really kept it clean, even while driving 70K miles. Not even any rock chips.

The interior is the same with evidence that they liked to use a mop, a lot, on the tile floor (water seeped into the carpet that edges the tile). Not a thing wrong with it that I could find other then that.

Superior ride, strong 330HP Cat. I take delivery Friday after the consignment dealer does the prep. I've been full timing Class A owner for 12 years now and really look forward to having slides! Even though it's 1 foot shorter than my current RV, the extra room from the slides will be a treat.

Any advice on what I should do or look for immediately? Things to check before I drive it off the lot? Especially engine or drivetrain stuff? Heading down to Mexico for the shake out trip so is there any maintenance stuff I should have done down there?

Thanks for any advice or input!
Change your signature, for one. CONGRATS on your new coach !
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Old 02-03-2016, 01:43 PM   #3
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Hey Jim,
Congrats on the new purchase. The Journey is a great coach. Winne has tons of support and, so does Freightliner. You'll be happy with that 330 CAT. It's a 3126 version but, will still provide you with zillions of miles of fun and adventure. One important point on that motor is, the often overlooked (out of sight out of mind) zerk fitting, that's directly on top of the fan drive.

It's difficult to get at and, some folks simply don't get to it to lube that fan bearing. IF the previous owner has kept up engine maintenance like they did with the presentation of the rest of the coach, it's more than likely been lubed, from time to time. But, if it were mine, and the criticalness of this particular grease fitting and what it supports, I'd jump in there as soon as possible and lube it. That way, YOU are assured that it's been done.

You probably already know all about this but, I'd maybe send an oil sample to a lab for some testing to tell you about the innards of that CAT. Maybe the same for the Allison that's helping you down the road.

I'd maybe try and find out about the Air dryer and, any service that's been done on it. If none, then surely that should be close to the top of the priority list for maintenance. Being that it's an '02, a good check of all the roof seams, vents, cap seams etc. is in order too. Especially the roof to side gutter/extrusion. Those are seriously critical in KEEPING THAT ROOF IN PLACE! If you find any cracks in the caulking/glue in any part, that's a must-do maintenance item and, PRONTO! You don't want that getting any worse.

You've got plenty of time as a pilot of RVs so, you'll know what's needed in inspections, checks, operational checks of ALL the systems, water/plumbing, furnace, basement A/C and heat pump operations/thermostat workings/ and all that. I like those models. Hope you have a great time in it. You'll have plenty of folks on here with the same coach so, you'll have lots of help in various situations. Good luck.
Scott
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Old 02-03-2016, 02:02 PM   #4
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Congrats! We love our 03 DL. First thing I had to replace when we got ours was the plastic coolant surge tank on top of the radiator, its a common issue. Take a look and see if its gotten hazey with spider cracks. Also check the recalls there might be one on the LP tank for yours. They tried to bolt it on for a while but then had to go back and add steel bands.

I've been slowly modernizing it some.. Out with the gold cabinet handles, replaced the old awnings, had the decals replaced with paint, tile back splash, took out both TVs and added a flat screen up front and the list goes on.

The point is that these DL Journeys have some good bones and we couldn't be happier.
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Old 02-03-2016, 03:58 PM   #5
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Congratulations on new RV. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Safe travels.
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Old 02-03-2016, 07:09 PM   #6
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Congratulations on the "new" coach! I believe you will really like it. The slides are great, and the Cat engine should provide you many years of service.
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Old 02-04-2016, 04:09 AM   #7
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Jim,
have the radiator cleaned on their dime before you buy the Moho.
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Old 02-04-2016, 05:10 AM   #8
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Congratulations. You purchased a great coach. I am the original owner of my 02. I have 194,000 miles and it still runs like new. I would advise you to purchase a heater hose repair kit ( under $5) as I and many others have had to replace the dash heater core. I had to replace 2. If heater core starts leaking, disconnect the inlet and outlet hose and connect together with the repair kit to buy pass the core. If you have any questions PM me. Good luck with your new coach.
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Old 02-04-2016, 08:00 AM   #9
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Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. I was pretty sure I was getting a good one and your help will go a long way to ensure that it stays that way.

I've already looked at the roof and it looks great. I've had to deal with roof leaks in the past and have my own maintenance plans for it after I get back down to Mexico where it's warm. Plans include covering the front and rear end cap seams with Eternabond. I'll check the side seams more extensively down there.

I found '09 date code on one tire. Have to remind myself to find the others. All have the same depth of tread of at least 1/2". Michelin tires, XRV, and they show some minor sidewall cracks. I'll measure the depth of those cracks (dealer excludes tires and batteries from the deal - so, no discount available) to be sure they're within Michelin's specs. If they're not, Michelin does offer a deep discount on another set.

I looked at the overflow reservoir and it still looks great. No cracks.

I tested both the dash air, and dash heater, both worked and no steam or antifreeze smell so I have some time to look at the heater core. It is coolish here this week but it's suppose to get up to 80°F this coming Monday here near Phoenix.

I'll check with the dealer's tech (seems like a good tech too) to verify he did lube the fan pulley zerk.

I don't know much about air brakes or systems so I'll have to depend on the dealer's tech to fill me in. I'll ask about the drier but I don't know what to look for yet. All part of the training.

Although it has 70,000 miles on it (doesn't look like it or drive like it), I'm looking forward to 10 years of comfort on the road.
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Old 02-04-2016, 09:08 AM   #10
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Couple extra, lube exhaust brake activator,air filter 3 years and replace(paper rot and you can dust an engine), air dryer 3 years then service, service trans 3 years, drain water from air tanks.
If you can get one quick enough get Scan-gauge-d and plug it in for the test drive will give info on motor trans and every thing going to the instrument panel including boost presure,should reach near 22# at full power, will also read error codes on motor. This reads actual digest not a swinging needle that may or may not be correct. Good $150 investment, then you have it from now on.
The tires are at replacement time or at least have a shop inspect them, that means breaking down,and that is a part of replacement, plus going to Mexico I would feel better on new tires with the possibility of where the tire problem might happen and availability of replacement.


LEN
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Old 07-05-2020, 01:19 PM   #11
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Probably not necessary but I have lots of extra time on my hands these days an bumped into this old thread I started just after I bought this '02 Journey. Figured I'd add some current info to it.

I am happy to report that I've done everything mentioned by the posters here and then some. Replaced the 2 front tires within a month of purchase and rotated the rear duals while getting them inspected (they looked good enough to hang on to) at the same time. Replaced all four duals in Aug. '19 as was I getting nervous about those sidewall cracks in the Michelin's when they started expanding AND found one that was past the max spec'ed size, and they all had approached than passed the 10 year mark.

Replaced the air filter a couple months after purchase and it definitely needed replacement but there was no evidence of having gotten wet. Lubed the exhaust brake. Lubed the fan bearing.

Replaced the surge tank after I got to Mexico, and now know how easy it is...like a 3 hour max job if you know how. Washed rad with Simple Green - Purple several times over the last 4 years and it stays fairly clean as the slobber tube is already extended to behind the rad, plus I only put 20 qts in the pan. The first few washes took a lot of gunk out of the rad. After that, very little. Now the engine temp gauge rarely gets to more than to the half mark driving hills.

I seemed to have gotten lucky with the Cat 3126e engine...the HEUI (oil operated high pressure fuel pump) in mine is the more reliable type design, and the hose that many have to replace still has zero cracks in it. And no leaks in that high pressure system. Only recommendation by the diesel tech was to change oil more often so I'm trying to do it every 3500 miles now. Cheap insurance.

The dash heater core did develop a leak, I could smell it inside, and I did follow advice given here and just bypassed it. Rarely needed dash heat as it was, but recently tried some expensive radiator heater core 'Stop Leak' and that seemed to plug it. I know that sort of bandaid approach seldom works for long so I fully expect to have to replace the heater core eventually, but so far so good. I also replaced the nipples and in my case, there was no corrosion, just some rusting due to a clamp leak.

I now have 90K miles on the rig and it runs like a top.

The only thing I'd change about the Journey is the kitchen design. Not very handy. but there's lots of drawer space.

There's many other little things I've taken care of, the kind of maintenance stuff you usually have in a full timers RV and the link to my ad free blog if you'd like to take a look at all of it just use the link to my blog below in my sig.
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Old 07-06-2020, 06:34 AM   #12
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Jim, your description on the rad cleaning is something I've never heard of before and I'd like to know more about how that's done. Remove the hoses to/from and rinse then drain? Just curious. While I am a believer in changing out the fluid at the suggested intervals this may be an easy extra preventative job.
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Old 07-06-2020, 11:03 PM   #13
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Most diesel mechanics I've talked to advise against removing the radiator hoses and they note that 300K miles isn't unusual for them. Seems they are much more well made then the typical gas engine hose in the family car.

So, no, I didn't remove any hoses. Didn't do the traditional radiator flush of the rads in either RV I've owned as the mechanics I talked to at diesel truck shops didn't think it necessary.

What I did this last time with this Journey was remove the mattress, remove the bed's platform (4 screws) and lean them up against the closet slide. My bedroom is N-S so the slide on the drivers side has the closets.

Than I removed the metal cover from over the engine, and with a spray bottle filled with Simple Green - Purple, soaked the back of the rad, and much of the cool engine, at least what I could reach. Then pulled the water hose through the bedroom window and sprayed the Rad and engine as well as I could, but just a bit to soak it. While that was soaking, I'd go around back and spray the backside of the Rad with Simple. Let it all sit for 15 minutes. Then start spraying with a strong stream of water. I have read over the years to NOT use high pressure on an aluminum core rad to prevent damage to the fins. So just used the hose sprayer I have that gives a forceful spray.

The first time I did this with this rig, it took 3 full treatments over two days (I'd bought a gallon of the Simple) for the water to start coming out of the rad's fins relatively clear. Left it at that for nearly a year. Since it was time for an oil change, I did that at the same time but I reduced the 22 qts called for to 20 qts. I won't go into all the stuff I read about diesel engines and the amount of 'extra' oil they add but suffice to say, I feel confident that 20 qts is fine with my Cat engine. And of course I keep an eye on the oil level. That reduced the amount of 'slobber oil' coming from the slobber tube. In my Journey's case, that tube runs back to behind the rad...I just didn't notice that the first couple years I owned it.

It was a while before heading up any steep hills but I did notice I wasn't getting too hot too early. Apparently, cleaning the rad worked. Did learn that going up hills I sometimes had to be proactive and downshift in order to keep the revs up and the engine cool...below the half mark on the gauge.

I've owned two rear rad RVs over the last 16 year and doing this rad cleaning job, AND downshifting on hills keeps my engine cool in the mountains. I do the cleaning twice a year and the water that comes off the rad is usually fairly clean.

I also downshift going down hills to rapidly cool the engine ready for the next hill. I try to drive the same speed up hill as down. And I have gone as slow as 35 MPH up some. Like the hills outside of Virginia City. Whoa, those are long and steep with few turnouts.

Anyway, ya, using Simple Green on your rad is the way to go in my opinion.
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Old 07-07-2020, 07:07 AM   #14
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Thanks Jim for the tip on cleaning. I will stuff this in the memory bank until the day I may need it. That's a great point on the slobber tube location on your rig. Also, I'll pass this on to a buddy who has the rear diesel.
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Old 07-08-2020, 09:10 AM   #15
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As I recall, they stopped using the slobber tube in '07 or so? Cat decided against the whole DEF setup up that keeps emissions down that's why you don't find any RV's with Cat engines after ~'07. Anything before that will have the slobber tube, after that uses DEF. But I seem to remember one year where they had some kind of hybrid without DEF and it didn't work worth a darn. Cummins switched to the DEF early and did a poor job of it, or so I recall. But I've been wrong before. Memory ain't what it used to be.
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