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jgarrett · 05-29-2013, 10:55 AM

I just purchased a 89' Allegro from an individual who inherited from his deceased father. Unfortunately, the guy never RV'ed before and was unable to tell me anything about how it works. However, he did tell me that all of the manuals were inside the RV which I have been unable to locate. This is a new chapter for me and really how no clue where to start. It is currently set up in my driveway while I clean it up as much as possible. I have noticed that it had some previous roof leaks by seeing water stains on the ceiling. It has set up for approximately 2 years with no activity and now I am trying to get it back right.

1st things 1st.

I drove it from LA to MS and surprisingly it done pretty well. The brakes started sticking as I was leaving but that eventually went away. As I was exiting off the interstate to come home, I came to a stop at the red light and when I took off again it felt like the transmission went into Neutral and would not go forward. By revving it up, it slowly worked its way back into place and got me home safely. Its on a GMC chassis I believe. Main question regarding Mechanics is what should I look over and tune up being that it has sit for the past several years. I have tried to raise the hump between the 2 captain seats to access the motor but it will only raise 4 inches before hitting the seats. Do I have to remove the seats before working on the motor?

I have never hooked up an RV before. I found the Electrical and the water hook up but what are some things I should do before moving forward? If I use water, when should I empty the holding tank and where? Also what about the black tank? I'm not sure if it is clean or not. What are some precautious measures I can take to make sure every thing is good to go.

I'm sure I will have a lot more questions later but I will stop here and take it step by step. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gocoffeer · 05-30-2013, 12:08 PM

jgarrett: I have a very decent suggestion for you.... there is a very nice RV BUYERS CHECK LIST...you might want to down load that document and make an overall inspection on your own. In my purchase eye catching things.... Tires and mechanics are first. Class A tires are very over burdened....making sure that you are running proper pressure and that the tires are in great order (DO NOT think because they look great that they are great). The tire has a date code. find out what year the tire was made. Rule of thumb....if older than 6 yrs ...suspect the worse...if older than 10 years...buy new tires.
Roof.... get up on the roof and wash it (dishwash detergent and a little bleach ...comet for the tough stains). Scrutinize everything up there... if you have any internal ceiling stains or leak indications.... Dicor Lap Seal chauking and Eterna Bond tape. Flush and sanitize the tank.... pull all drawers and look for rodent signs..... Test all the features....fill tanks to capacity and see if there are leaks. Grease all fittings.....(there are many). Change oil in engine and generator.... look at air filters.... Add the proper amount of Marine Stabil (purple) to the gas tank ..... hmmmmmmm..... I am sure I have a ton of other things I do....but this is off the tips of my fingers.
Glad you are Rving....good luck

jgarrett · 05-31-2013, 01:24 PM

I found the check list. A lot of help. Thanks. One issue I am having is accessing the engine. The hump only comes up 4-5 inches and hits the passenger chair. Should I remove the chair so I can tune up the motor?

Go Dawgs · 05-31-2013, 01:39 PM

The chair should swing around so you can have access for the doghouse. I had that issue on my 87 Allegro until I figured out how to swing the passenger seat. If you send me a pm I will see if I still have my procedures for the chassis and appliances for my 87, which should be the same except for the frig because ours had a newer frig (2009). I should have everything else saved.

Gocoffeer · 06-03-2013, 06:16 AM

Swing the chair per advice already offered. These older rigs have their means of access to the components around the motor. In some cases you will be removing a front wheel and then a cover to get to side engine areas. It all depends on the chassis type.
Go over the check list with a fine tooth comb.... We will help where you find difficulty. I am still combing my older but newly bought Bounder. Been thru it many times and always find something interesting to lubricate, tighten or replace. We use our rig as a cycling platform (bikes racked inside for security) ... we hop around to different bike friendly parks and spend a day riding and looking.