Community Forums

chuy777 · 11-19-2010, 10:03 AM

dave thanks for the input, it is greatly appreciated. well im going to go and see this rv this afternoon, hopefully its worth it.

whem2fish · 11-19-2010, 10:15 AM

no problem i have had mine 4 years i have rebuilt front end,brakes,ect let me know how clean it is be sure to check all appliances and generator repairs can be costly
when i bought mine it was super clean had 32,000 miles i paid a premium dollar ($7999) ive been happy if i had of looked longer i could have found something cheaper
dave

chuy777 · 11-19-2010, 10:38 AM

the owner is a technician and had replaced brakes, tires, fuel lines cuz the fuel gelled up, and rebuilt the carburetor and a high volume holley fuel pump. also had the transmission rebuild with a hevy duty torque converter, only thing that he said he hadnt done yet was the dash a/c. he is the second owner, the previous owner was his fathers employees which maintained it there at their shop. so i think mechanically it is sound, but i will keep you posted. transmisison work alone makes me want to pick it up cuz that is proably the most expensive expense on these things other than the engine.

Wanabee FTer · 11-19-2010, 11:08 AM

If you want the dash a/c to work it could get quite costly. The older coaches used r-12 systems which no longer have freon available. You could retrofit to 134a but would be costly to replace all seals and o-rings and would require an updated a/c compressor. That could be a huge negotiating factor on the price. Even though he is a mechanic, he knows the a/c would be costly to repair himself, or he already would have done it.

whem2fish · 11-19-2010, 11:22 AM

on freon r-12A is available i can buy this locally $ 12 a can (this is the new enviornmental kind) i saw on e-bay also. it is colder than the old r-12
dave

geebee · 11-19-2010, 01:32 PM

Mine is a 29' Pace Arrow 1984 Chevy 454 bbl. My average gas mileage has been 8.5 MPG. However, I recently put in new plugs, wires, rotor and dist. cap. Will do another check in the near future. BTW I drive very conservatively not to exceed 55 mph.

Wanabee FTer · 11-19-2010, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whem2fish

on freon r-12A is available i can buy this locally $ 12 a can (this is the new enviornmental kind) i saw on e-bay also. it is colder than the old r-12
dave

Even though there is a substitute freon available for R-12 systems, this is still a huge purchase price point negotiation area. Freon does not dissipate. If a system of that age is low or out of freon it indicates the system is leaking. Seals, hoses and/or the a/c compressor seals may be leaking.
If the system has been low on freon for a long time moisture can build up inside and damage many of the components of the a/c system.
I'm sure since the owner is a technician he has probably already tried to recharge the a/c.

butterbean · 11-19-2010, 02:25 PM

Howdy Chuy,
If you need room(more than 2 people) you're better with a class A.. With the Cs & especially the Bs, unless you're just gonna be 'camping'(sleeping in it) you'll be crowded, unless you get a 'long'(26'-32') class C, preferably
with a slide.
I've got a wide-body class A and sometimes it seems 'tight'.. With the long Cs your gas mileage is gonna be the same as an A or LESS, because you have the overhang that catches air!!! You can hear all kinds of gpm
around the sales lots AND THE CAMPFIRES!!! WRITE YOUR OWN DOWN!!!
If I stay below 63mph with my 460 Ford I can get 8-9 mpg.. I try NOT to drive 'Eisenhowers'(interstates)..
Welcome aboard !! We hope to see you 'down the road' !!
Smooth roads and easy breezes...

Mike Canter · 11-19-2010, 07:03 PM

Be careful of some of that substitute R-12 because it is flammable. I can't believe that they are allowed to sell it. The one I have had success with in a couple of older cars of mine is Johnsen's Freeze 12. It actually works better than R-134 conversions. freeze 12 r12,FREEZE12 COMPATIBLE R12 REPLACEMENT A/C REFRIGERANT

chuy777 · 11-22-2010, 08:28 AM

Ok guys, So i picked up the 1983 fleetwood pace arrow, ran great from tucson cruising at 55-60 mph with no issues. the vehicle has a gas saver vaccum guage on it and all the way up here it was in the middle of good fuel economy, it would only go to fair fuel economy when i need to accelorate up an incline. i think i know why the guy said he would get between 10-12 mpg because of that guage. as i cruised up to phoenix, it ranged between 13-15, is that good. this is all new to me.

whem2fish · 11-22-2010, 09:58 AM

yes some are flamible i believe what i get is freeze 12. on gas mpg need to whatch more than 1 tank you may get 10 with no tow vehicle i get 8 pulling 5200 lbs
dave

chuy777 · 11-22-2010, 10:31 AM

dave i wont be towing a vehicle, i will be towing a golf cart and a few atv's on a flat bed trailer so im thinking maybe 2000 pounds behind the rv. are you familiar with the gas saver vaccum guage. it draws a vaccum from the intake manifold. i dont know how to read it.

Wanabee FTer · 11-22-2010, 10:39 AM

A wide open throttle will deplete manifold vacuum and will show a poor fuel economy reading. Manifold vacuum is at its highest when coasting or idling and will show the best fuel mileage.
Yes the gauge is helpful to learn how to drive for optimal MPG.

Glad I don't have one or I probably would never want to take the RV out!

whem2fish · 11-22-2010, 10:46 AM

basicly it tells you how much your foot is in the gas. the higher the reading (if it has numbers the highest number would be best this will be in inches of vacumn) no if its colors say red (bad) yellow (ok) green (best)
dave