Workhorse shopping tips for new buyer?

[Tim-n-Gina]

I am looking at an '03 Winnebago Itasca.

What drivetrain / chassis questions should I ask?
What kind of pitfalls or problems should I be wary of?

I have never owned an RV, but I have been reading a lot in this forum and others over the past year or so, to familiarize myself with the subject. My plan is to buy a pre-recession class A, probably gas, and do some renovation / upgrades over the next few years before I retire.

Thank you for any help!

[Skip426]

Make sure , if the coach is on a W-22 Workhorse Chassis ( 22,000 GVWR ) that the coach wasn't over loaded from the factory .
MANY , Class A's on the W-22 had little usable CCC ( Cargo Carrying Capacity )

EG. less than 1,000 lbs .

Look for the RV weight sticker ( search for it , no specific location ) and read it carefully . Picture below .
If you plan on full timing when you retire , you'll want 2,000 lbs + CCC.

EDIT: The 8.1L V-8 , Allison 1000 series power train is great ,but make sure ALL the chassis brake system recalls have been done. There was a re-call of the original re-call so both have to be done.

[NLOVNIT]

1. Brake recall done (if Workhorse)
2. Dometic/Norcold recall done

Lori-

[Mark_K5LXP]

I didn't know anything about the workhorse chassis when I got mine, I bought it solely based on the favorable opinion of someone who had one. Knowing what I know now about them I would say which chassis you pick is akin to which hill you choose to die on.

Frankly I think it rides and drives like crap. But reading the forums, the ford chassis is nothing to write home about either and there's no shortage of handling and suspension fixes for each. How far you go reengineering these things is entirely dependent on your goals and girth of your wallet. I recall seeing someone from Redlands RV in CA do a sales pitch something to the effect of "you workhorse owners - we can make it so you love your RV". Inquiring further it amounts to replacing suspension parts and bolting on various sway and steering gadgets to the tune of almost $10K. i don't love my RV that much but maybe you do. If I was driving it more I would probably care more but in that scenario I'd have to think about moving into something that actually drove better out of the box than band aid an old moving truck.

I love the 494. I've read of some weak points with the exhaust header bolts and plug wires getting heat stressed but it's a runnin' machine. Kinda noisy under the doghouse but that's a common trait with gassers. No repairs yet knock on wood and between doghouse, front hood and underneath any maintenance attempted has easy access so far.

I've got a P32 with the 4L85 transmission which has a service bulletin posted for a valve body issue which was covered under warranty, but if it didn't fail under warranty then it may still have the problem. Other versions of chassis came with the allison transmission which many rave about it's durability but I can't personally vouch for that.

A 2003 will probably have the J71 parking brake which has known weaknesses. There are upgrades you can install to mitigate some of that and at this age you're probably wise to do that, because if it craps out you're stuck in park.

Adopting an orphan chassis is a personal choice. It can be a PITA to source parts and find anyone to work on it. Chances are though if it's in decent shape it probably won't need much in the way of parts or repairs and at the age these things are at, you're trading purchase price for dealer support. If you're handy this kind of ownership probably won't intimidate you, if you're looking for something turnkey that someone else works on for you, you'd better have someone in mind that will sign up for that. As time goes on the pool of expertise on these things will only diminish so I'm resolved to be self maintained until I'm not, then I'll have to decide how much trouble it's worth vs my stake in it.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Isaac-1]

Just to add to this you may have to search for some of the parts or cross reference them yourself when it comes time to work on it. Many of the engine parts will cross over to Chevrolet trucks of the same era, but you have to do a bit of digging to see what does and what does not cross over.

[Mark_K5LXP]

Reading my post this AM I neglected to mention the house side of things. That's one of the things that attracted me to my Sunova, the floorplan was right and the previous owner had taken care of it very well. All the systems and fixtures are standard/expected and readily accessed and serviced. Nothing fancy/premium/exotic but I think a lot better than some of the "value" contemporary RV's and trailers I've walked through. A key feature I discovered is you can get the detailed structural and electrical documentation for these units, which I believe is key to repairing and maintaining something for the long haul. So if this is a vehicle you anticipate you would update or make your own I think it's a pretty good platform to start with.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Tim-n-Gina]

Thank you all for your replies so far,
I just received a photo of the RV weight sticker from the seller(attached).
Can I estimate the towing capacity at 4,000 lbs (The difference between the GVWR and GCWR?)? Or should that be stated elsewhere?

[AKIQPilot]

Yes. Towing capacity is 4000lbs. The W22 is a good chassis. It should have a standard parking brake assembly not an AAPB (J71 or J72). The 496ci Big Block is a good engine. As mentioned the exhaust manifold bolts can be problematic. Exhaust manifolds are getting harder to find but a few companies make very good headers if you end up cracking a manifold. You will want the get yourself a good scangauge to keep track of the critical data in the ECU and respond to things if they get out of whack. It is very important to monitor these things as you travel down the road.

The Allison 5 speed is a very good transmission. Depending on how many miles are on it maybe its time to change the tranny fluid. Its a fairly easy process that can be done in your driveway. Use only an an approved synthetic fluid that meets the TES-295 specs. External filter is spin on.

The W series chassis is pretty solid. A rear track bar makes a big improvement if it doesn’t already have one.

Does it have 22.5” tires or 19.5” tires. The bigger tires roll out nice and can typically carry more load but the 19.5” tires work well too.

That era of Winnebago coaches are very solid. I own 2 of them currently. Love them both. This forum is full of good info and good people who will help you work through any issues that might pop up.

[edgray]

Originally Posted by Tim-n-Gina

Thank you all for your replies so far,
I just received a photo of the RV weight sticker from the seller(attached).
Can I estimate the towing capacity at 4,000 lbs (The difference between the GVWR and GCWR?)? Or should that be stated elsewhere?Attachment 285538

FWIW, that is a 2002 Model year W-22 (gvwr = 22,000 ) with 19.5" wheels. It had 2 recalls regarding the Bosch-made Brake calipers, and both were completed. There are no open recalls.


As AKIQPilot said, the theoritical towing capacity is 4,000 pounds, because the GCVWR is 26,000 pounds

[edgray]

Originally Posted by Mark_K5LXP

.........A 2003 will probably have the J71 parking brake which has known weaknesses................
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

FWIW, you are correct about the J71 AAPB having its "weaknesses", BUT it is incorrect to state that "A 2003 will probably have the J71" because by that model year WCC was making far more of the W-22 series that did not use the J-71 AAPB system.

The J-71 was ONLY used on "some" of the P-32 series chassis, and that ended with the 2004 model year. The final model year 2005 P-32s have the J-72.

[Tim-n-Gina]

Thank you all for your time and replies.
I met with the owner on Sunday and took a walk through and around the unit with him. It is in excellent shape as far as I can tell with my limited knowledge.
The unit is still for sale and it is in upstate New York about an hour north of NYC, in a town called Fort Montgomery, where the Bear Mountain bridge crosses the Hudson. His asking price is 30K, and it is listed on craigslist in the Hudson valley area. If anyone on here is interested, I could call him and get his permission to give you his phone number.
The owner is an experienced RVer, and is experienced with workhorse chassis.
26K Miles, Tires are 1-year-old, and he has a receipt from a local company that resealed and certified the fiberglass roof of the RV.
Attachment 286199

[harleyjt]

Originally Posted by Tim-n-Gina

Thank you all for your time and replies.
I met with the owner on Sunday and took a walk through and around the unit with him. It is in excellent shape as far as I can tell with my limited knowledge.
The unit is still for sale and it is in upstate New York about an hour north of NYC, in a town called Fort Montgomery, where the Bear Mountain bridge crosses the Hudson. His asking price is 30K, and it is listed on craigslist in the Hudson valley area. If anyone on here is interested, I could call him and get his permission to give you his phone number.
The owner is an experienced RVer, and is experienced with workhorse chassis.
26K Miles, Tires are 1-year-old, and he has a receipt from a local company that resealed and certified the fiberglass roof of the RV.
Attachment 286199

So, I'm guessing you passed on it?
jt

[Tim-n-Gina]

Yes I did. There were a lot of things I liked about it, but the floor plan was not what I was looking for.
I am in the early stages of shopping and I still have a lot to learn about what I actually want in an RV.

[harleyjt]

Originally Posted by Tim-n-Gina

Yes I did. There were a lot of things I liked about it, but the floor plan was not what I was looking for.
I am in the early stages of shopping and I still have a lot to learn about what I actually want in an RV.

Smart move if the floor plan didn't suit you. I would add to the comments above. Try to find a gently used 2005-09? coach on the W24 chassis. More carrying capacity, better, bigger brakes from a different source than the lighter units and not subject to the brake recall. 2006 and up units had a 6 speed Allison (2005 was 5 speed). All had the 2100 model Allison as opposed to the 1000 series in the W22 and lighter chassis. All the W24 units have 22.5" wheels. 2005 and up units had a grade brake that functions quite well to help you in slowing down on a downhill grade. Essentially, it downshifts for you when you touch the brake.
jt