Community Forums

Old Car Nut · 12-11-2016, 10:21 AM

I recently became the new (3rd) owner of this beauty. Well cared for inside and out. At about 92K miles the 8.3L 300 HP Cummins succumbed to a known defect and lost its life. The previous owner installed a new long block, turbo and upgraded the injectors which he claims bumped the HP to 330. I got her with 120K miles so the new engine is still needing some breaking in.

There are a few little things that need attention and updating like the TV's and I plan to remove the two bucket lounge chairs and replace it with a desk and add a flat screen that rises out of the back.

In a little over a week she hits the road for a 1900 mile trip pulling a 25' trailer. We are very much looking forward to the adventure and enjoying this coach for years to come.

CarlAda · 12-11-2016, 10:30 AM

Great looking coach. Enjoy! Good group of CC owners at the NWCC chapter of FMCA.

2 Stroker · 12-11-2016, 01:31 PM

Yes, Good looking coach

2 stroker

deandec · 12-11-2016, 04:59 PM

Great looking coach (pretty much identical to our rig with colors and wood).

Amazing how little they changed in 3 model years.

dons2346 · 12-11-2016, 09:38 PM

Back in the good old days, CC changed very little from model year to model year. In looking at your coach, I see things that have been carried over into my '02. Hard to improve on perfection. You have a bullet proof coach, go enjoy it

Smitty77 · 12-12-2016, 09:14 AM

For sure a classic era for CC!! And that Mechanical 8.3 had a few gazillion miles of usage in many duties - allowing a very mature engine. Simpler, with less to go wrong, and capable of 'Garage Power Applications' via mod's

!

Enjoy, and travel safe,
Smitty

benford · 12-13-2016, 11:47 AM

Very nice, we have the same coach just different colors,
Hope you love it as much as we love ours,
Enjoy!!

Old Car Nut · 12-14-2016, 08:45 AM

Thanks for chiming in. The build quality of these rigs is absolutely top notch.

One feature we have that I have never seen before is a clothes hamper next to the shower. It has a removable canvas liner.

Have used the Splendide 2000 a few times. What a water hog. The airflow in the drying cycle seems to be below spec. Will be pulling that out soon and clean the entire system. Concerned there may be a lot lint and be a fire hazard. Ditto the dometic fridge.

Considering switching to a residential fridge and upgrading the inverter and batteries for better off grid use. So many horror stories on those 3 way models.

See you on the road.....

benford · 12-14-2016, 09:10 AM

Was wondering how much that engine replacement cost?
Had to be pretty steep ,

We just did the residential refrigerator swap, our Dometic died on our last trip, I think it was original to the coach,
Went with a Hier from Lowes, was the only one I could find with correct measurements, boy was it a tight fit, width was tight, height was about 1/2 inch gap at the top,
had to remove window over the dining table to get it inside, was really no big deal, me and the wife did the whole job,
cleaning the old sealant off the window was most time consuming part,
I used the wood insert material from the old fridge door to trim the gap at the top, looks really good, I should take pics and post them,

Benny

BRex45 · 12-14-2016, 08:13 PM

I recently became the new (3rd) owner of this beauty. Well cared for inside and out. At about 92K miles the 8.3L 300 HP Cummins succumbed to a known defect and lost its life. The previous owner installed a new long block, turbo and upgraded the injectors which he claims bumped the HP to 330. I got her with 120K miles so the new engine is still needing some breaking in.

Hi there OP!

As we have a Cummins 6CTA in our rig, what is the known defect your engine succumbed to?

Thanks for replying,

Old Car Nut · 12-16-2016, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benford

Was wondering how much that engine replacement cost?
Had to be pretty steep ,

We just did the residential refrigerator swap, our Dometic died on our last trip, I think it was original to the coach,
Went with a Hier from Lowes, was the only one I could find with correct measurements, boy was it a tight fit, width was tight, height was about 1/2 inch gap at the top,
had to remove window over the dining table to get it inside, was really no big deal, me and the wife did the whole job,
cleaning the old sealant off the window was most time consuming part,
I used the wood insert material from the old fridge door to trim the gap at the top, looks really good, I should take pics and post them,

Benny

Nice! Would like to see your handywork.

Should I decide to make the change I may consider removing the cabinet above the refer as well as the ice maker below so I can get a larger unit in there. The limit in factor is width.

I'll get more serious about this next month.

dons2346 · 12-16-2016, 12:15 PM

Jay, there is a brand new Samsung RF18 sitting in Junction City for $900. It was a special order by a guy that didn't measure twice and wound up with a refer he doesn't have room for. 18 cubic foot, never plugged in, color is black

Old Car Nut · 12-17-2016, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benford

Was wondering how much that engine replacement cost?
Had to be pretty steep ,

Benny

Just over $15K, I have the receipts. There was some other work done as well totaling $22K. SO now we have an engine with 30K miles that is only 3 years old.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRex45

Hi there OP!

As we have a Cummins 6CTA in our rig, what is the known defect your engine succumbed to?

Thanks for replying,

I will ask Ron, the previous owner. He told me about it when I bought the coach in June but I have read so many engine issue threads I am not certain that elements of those threads are not creeping into what Ron told me. What I do know is the block and head were wrecked by things colliding. I'm pretty sure it was the "Dowel Pin of Death"

Old Car Nut · 12-17-2016, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dons2346

Jay, there is a brand new Samsung RF18 sitting in Junction City for $900. It was a special order by a guy that didn't measure twice and wound up with a refer he doesn't have room for. 18 cubic foot, never plugged in, color is black

Thanks Don, I'll check into that. Won't have time to install it before I go to Oklahoma, but if I have room in the trailer it might be worth picking up if I can make it fit. Just pulled up the specs on it.