2003 8.1 Engine Failure

[Mark_K5LXP]

"Not worth anything" is relative. If you "love" this RV enough to buy it again, then there'd be nothing wrong with doing an engine swap. It would likely cost more to replace the RV even of the same age and mileage, and possibly adopt different problems to go with it. Dealing with the logistics of an engine swap far from home will be expensive and prone to pitfalls. There would be a liability just disposing of it if that's the choice, so none of this will be quick and simple.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[CamJam1]

One thing to keep in mind is the compatibility of the engine electronics between Chevy and Workhorse. This is more likely to be a problem than any physical differences. We had this problem when trying to put a junk yard engine from a Lincoln into an F150 pickup. Same Ford motor, but the ECU was different. I don't know all the details, but the mechanic who was doing the work ran into issues and finally decided it was just easier to start over with a motor from another F150.

I would venture a guess that Jon Brazel at Brazel's RV Performance Center in Centralia, WA knows as much about that as anyone.

[fayjim2]

I would think it would be easier to just use the ECU from the 150 on the junk yard motor if in fact the engines are the same. So back to my question is there a difference inside or outside between the truck, delivery van and the Rv engines?

[Ultra RV Products]

Internally the engines are the same across the board. The accessories are the biggest difference. If it was me, I’d rather buy a running engine from one of the RV salvage yards such as Colaw, than a rebuild from Jasper. It will likely have low miles and it would be complete instead of just a long block.

[Dsrtrider]

i;m with Jon I would Check Colaw they show at lot of 8.1 engines. Some of the Rebuilds out there have problems.

[AKIQPilot]

I counted at least 5 different 8.1's for sale.

Gonna have to call to see if they actually have any 8.1's available.

https://colawrvsalvage.com/?s=workhorse

CALL COLAW RV PARTS 877-548-2125

[fayjim2]

Colaws Has No Engines

[Fyrflie]

Originally Posted by fayjim2

Colaws Has No Engines

Try this place.
https://rvchassisparts.visonerv.com/...ineengines.pl?

They show several engines on their website.

[fayjim2]

Visone had a engine but by that time the Jasper engine had been shipped. Installation is in progress presently. Hopefully I have good luck with it. I called Jasper Sales and the Warranty dept. as far as poor builds I really didn,t get that vibe from them. The warranty dept was a little different. I tt sounds like the warranty for labor is for 65$ per hr. I can see where that would be a big issue. Oh well we are in a wait and see for now Thanks for your input Jim Senn Athol Idaho

[LETMGROW]

Please keep us informed. I would be really surprised if your new Jasper engine didn't perform as expected.

[nokaoiken]

Originally Posted by 77Travco

As far as "experts", I would search for an engine builder that works with this specific engine. They have a following for sure. I also would get a second opinion on the cost of swapping the engine. That seems really high to me but I am not familiar with your coach.

Maybe this will help with the search...

What Vehicles Use the L18 8.1 Vortec?
All vehicles using the 8.1L (496 cid) V8 used the L18 engine as no other variants were produced.

2001-2006:

Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD
Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD
Chevy Suburban 2500
GMC Yukon 2500
Chevy Express and Avalanche
Chevy Kodiak

2001-2009:

Malibu and MasterCraft boats (engine made by Navistar)
Various RV’s and motorhomes

Don't forget about the Avalanche. I have two 3/4 ton Avalanches with the 8.1, one daily driver and a wrecked one that runs and drives. The transmissions on these are 4L80 not Allison. I purchased the wrecked one as a spare motor for my Avalanche or for our W24 if ever needed. Pretty hard to find these motors daily drivers or wrecked. I checked new prices and local WA repair shop quoted me recently $11K so I bought the spare just in case

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by LETMGROW

Please keep us informed. I would be really surprised if your new Jasper engine didn't perform as expected.

I bought a Jasper transmission for my Jeep Grand Cherokee through my local mechanic and it was bad right out of the box. Jasper replaced it free of charge, but the mechanic had to eat most of the labor and was not a happy camper.

[nokaoiken]

Originally Posted by CamJam1

I bought a Jasper transmission for my Jeep Grand Cherokee through my local mechanic and it was bad right out of the box. Jasper replaced it free of charge, but the mechanic had to eat most of the labor and was not a happy camper.

I dont have any 1st hand experience with Jasper other than the reviews I found online were not good(I believe BBB was one). I also use and appreciate the experience on this website as well. I had a problem with our Winnie W24 that we just bought, Allison tranny and RV shop couldn't fix it but still charged me $1600 to try to fix it. Someone here told me that I should have taken it to Allison shop 1st. We took it to Allison and they had it repaired for less than 1/2 of RV shop who didn't do anything. Thanks to you guys with experience I am learning
.

[fayjim2]

Just got home. 2500 miles. No time now got to winterize (North Idaho) Ran fine so far Later