Community Forums

Daddypez · 04-08-2021, 09:22 PM

Hi all,

my wife and I are looking at a 2002 Winnebago Adventurer 35u with the V-10 on F53. We currently own a 2004 Winnie sightseer 30b and we love it.

The adventurer looks to be in good shape with the 8.1 and Allison trans. Mileage is my nerve point. It has 108000 miles on it. What can i expect from either or both the transmission and engine?

This is also the workhorse W22 chassis.

What items are pain points?

bobmar · 04-08-2021, 09:36 PM

I’m confused. Is this units chassis a Ford or a Chevy Workhorse?

Arch Hoagland · 04-08-2021, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobmar

I’m confused. Is this units chassis a Ford or a Chevy Workhorse?

I'm confused too...is it Ford or GM?

Daddypez · 04-09-2021, 07:39 AM

Whoops. Sorry. I wasn’t clear.
We currently own the sightseer which is a Ford. I added that for context on what we’re used to and goofed up the post.

We are looking at a 2002 Winnie adventurer with the workhorse and Allison. Just looking for feedback on the workhorse/Allison as I have no experience with those. My concern is the mileage at 108000 just wondering if there are regular issues with the 8.1 Chevy engine and the Allison that I should be aware of. Thanks!

RottenRalph · 04-09-2021, 07:56 AM

I think its all about the maintenance thru its life. I have 65,000 miles on mine. The tranny has been flawless. For the most part, the engine has been great. I have had to change exhaust manifold gaskets on both side. Of course this also required extraction of broken bolts.

Maybe I dont know the system as well as others both getting parts for a Workhorse chassis is a little more difficult that parts for the Ford.

The Workhorse Chassis forum on here was and is a huge help.

SteveJ. · 04-09-2021, 08:10 AM

I've heard that a few 8.1's can start burning a bit lean to the point of destroying expensive things inside the engine. Most of the fixes aren't terribly expenseive. An OBD scanner would be able to monitor this. I would check the fuel trims on this unit before buying, either with your own equipment or at a shop.

Might be time to interweb searching.

Arch Hoagland · 04-09-2021, 11:55 AM

I've put 97,000 miles on our 8.1 with the Allison 1000.

Both exhaust headers have been replaced.

The Actia dash gauge has been replaced twice and I had a rear axle seal go out.

I do my own oil changes every three to four thousand miles and the transmission fluid has been changed about five times.

I changed over to Transynd ATF the last time.

Pretty good engine/transmission as far as I'm concerned. I live in the west and encounter mountains on every trip, not a problem pulling a toad.

But, as others mentioned, it depends on how it's been maintained.

Duner · 04-09-2021, 12:25 PM

The Allison 1000 tranny is practically bullet proof and reportedly can go 500,000 miles without wearing out. I have 116,000 on my coach that's now 17 yrs old.

My engine was running lean for years due to too much oil on the S&B air filter which contaminates the mass air flow sensor just down stream from the filter. The engine has knock sensors that retard the timing if the engine is running lean, and I thought that was the designed protection against engine damage ......WRONG! My engine blew up at 65k miles. I now have that many more miles on a Jasper rebuilt engine. Now I make sure the MAF sensor is clean.

I can highly recommend buying that Adventure, but only after you have a mechanic do a compression test and verify that all the cylinders have good readings and the other ODB2 engine & tranny parameters look good, or can easily be corrected to be in spec. If the compression is off on some cylinders, I would not buy that coach.
Good luck,
Bill

edgray · 04-09-2021, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daddypez

Whoops. Sorry. I wasn’t clear.
We currently own the sightseer which is a Ford. I added that for context on what we’re used to and goofed up the post.

We are looking at a 2002 Winnie adventurer with the workhorse and Allison. Just looking for feedback on the workhorse/Allison as I have no experience with those. My concern is the mileage at 108000 just wondering if there are regular issues with the 8.1 Chevy engine and the Allison that I should be aware of. Thanks!

Assuming you are sure it is the W-22 series chassis, you should know that ALL of them had a recall to replace the OE Brake calipers.
Hopefully the PO has changed the engine oil regularly and already switched the Allison over to Castrol TranSynd or another brand of TES-295 approved ATF.
Many of the 8.1L motors have gone well beyond that mileage, but many have not, even though GM claims it has a 200,000 mile design life. You are looking at $8,000-12,000 to replace it, so I would not pay too much for a coach that old with “high” mileage like that.

Duner · 04-12-2021, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray

..... Many of the 8.1L motors have gone well beyond that mileage, but many have not, even though GM claims it has a 200,000 mile design life. You are looking at $8,000-12,000 to replace it, so I would not pay too much for a coach that old with “high” mileage like that.

Ed, your estimate of $8-12K is way too low if your talking the total cost, at least by California standards. 5 yrs ago I paid $6700 for the Jasper rebuilt long block engine, and $17k for total engine swap. That included a lot of new parts too ....water pump, all hoses, belt, O2 sensors, etc. Also $1100 was for new Banks headers. At the time SoCal labor rate at RTS was $125/hr, now it's $159/hr, last I checked, maybe more now.

Just had the coach in to Cummins/Onan service to find out why my 7kw fuel injected gas generator quits and was informed that their labor rate is $195/hr and $2650 to replace the MAP sensor (which is back ordered and 3 months later still not available).
My fixed pension doesn't buy as much as it used to.
Happy Trails,
Bill

edgray · 04-12-2021, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duner

Ed, your estimate of $8-12K is way too low if your talking the total cost, at least by California standards. 5 yrs ago I paid $6700 for the Jasper rebuilt long block engine, and $17k for total engine swap. That included a lot of new parts too ....water pump, all hoses, belt, O2 sensors, etc. Also $1100 was for new Banks headers. At the time SoCal labor rate at RTS was $125/hr, now it's $159/hr, last I checked, maybe more now.

Just had the coach in to Cummins/Onan service to find out why my 7kw fuel injected gas generator quits and was informed that their labor rate is $195/hr and $2650 to replace the MAP sensor (which is back ordered and 3 months later still not available).
My fixed pension doesn't buy as much as it used to.
Happy Trails,
Bill

Hey Bill, good to see you here again. WOW. I knew Keith and his guys were good, but I didn't know they were THAT good

Fear of not being able to afford a major repair after warranty expires, especially at today's rates, is a primary reason why we don't have an RV anymore.