My 1st Class A
I bought a (new to me) mh last year (March 2013). It is my first class A. It is a 1989 Mallard Sprinter special edition. The specs: 28' long Chevy P30 foundation 454 auto 49500 miles I bought...
Forum Discussion
I have a 1990 Mallard Sprinter 28, basically the same motorhome. When I bought mine a few years ago it had Chinese tires on it in the original specs. They were something like, 7.5-16s "D" rated. I had a nasty blowout on the interstate. Now I have Cooper 215 85 16s (I think) and they are E rated. Much better ride. If you haven't doen it switch out that fuel filter. It's cheap and will save the pump for more miles. The filter is located on the rightside frame rail behind the steps. It's a super easy job. I just use the standard Fram filter. I also use Fram filters on my engine and the generator. I would also suggest Rotella 15-W40 oil for the generator. I flush my radiator every couple of years. It's easy but, a shade time consuming. I have electric fans on my radiator and a transmission oil cooler. The "factory air switch" is located on the upper radiator hose that turns on the fans based on water temp. Mine quit on a trip to Tennessee. It was a task to discover the right replacement part because I assumed it would be called a temperature switch, oh no. Also, there is a standard heavy duty relay located on the left side of the radiator as you're looking at it that controls the fans. I also added a manual overide switch switch so that I could turn on the fans when needed, say if I know a long climb is a couple of miles away on a hot day I'll go ahead and hit that switch to help the temps some.
About the roof. You will need to check that carefully. If yours has been out of the weather then you're probably OK. Don't assume that it's EPDM rubber if a repair is needed. I'm pretty sure mine is TPO rubber. But, when I bought it it had been recovered with liquid rubber, which came off in sheets. Then I recovered it with EPDM rubber, twice over the years and it has been about a repair or two a year. Liquid EPDM rubber will cover it but, I have come to the conclusion that it's not ideal. Right now I'm testing Black Max liquid rubber from Home Depot and it seems to be doing a nice job, in the short run. I really have nothing to lose as I see it. After I get back from bike week I'm going to strip everything I can safely off of the roof and recover it with probably black max. That has done better than the EPDM so far. The way to tell what your roof is, as I understand it, is by texture. TPO is a rough texture and when it tears it resembles a vinal with a cloth backing. EPDM is a slick rubber sheet. EPDM rubber will work on it, sort of. But, EPDM has been that great for me and doesn't seem to adhere as it should. I dont have any leaks at the moment and I have really tried to stay on top of that. If I had know then what I know now I would have had much less expense and effort involved.
When I bought mine the house battery was a walmart battery. We used it for a year then it quit. I bought a good deep cycle and it does far better.
We blew an exhaust manifold gasket leaving a KOA about 250 miles from home. I drove it home sounding like a tractor. The manifolds on the 454 don't use a gasket but, someone had put one in there. So, I let my guy fix that and I had him install another gasket. If it blows again in a couple of years I just don't care that much. It cost me $115 bucks to get repaired.
We pull a Honda CRV or a motorcycle trailer with ours. You can feel the CRV back there but, not the motorcycle trailer. Without towing anything the motorhome is a breeze to drive. With the CRV crosswinds require constant vigilance. I lube my chassis once a year as we don't really drive that many miles in a year (most years). Most years we have just done a few beach trips.
I wouldn't mind driving the Mallard in the mountains without the toad but, with the toad it can get interesting. If you're pulling a toad don't come flying over any mountains because that downhill won't be any fun if you're fighting it all the way to the bottom. So, at the top of a mountain get the speed down before you start downhill and choose a lower gear. Keeping it around 45mph on a steep downhill won't be bad and it's easy to maintain. I do that whether pulling the toad or not. With all of that said I have passed many a big RV in the mountains pulling my CRV so, apparently the old Mallard ain't that bad.
I have the turbo 400 transmission, you probably do too. So, if it's overfilled at all. In fact, if it reads full and you're pulling a long mountain don't get excited if you spray a little transmission fluid. I did that and it freaked me out the first time. But, the older turbo 400 has a little spout on it that pukes out fluid if it needs to.
The brake master cylinder is a pain to check but, I check it a lot. In fact, when I bought mine the master cylinder was bad so I replaced it myself. It cost me $27.00 bucks plus core exchange for a rebuilt unit. Replacing it is a chore. The left front wheel has to come off, the inner wheel well cover comes out, and you have to work both from the side and under it to get that thing out. Also, if you don't have an air wratchet you'll be a very unhappy camper. But, if you have the tools it's not a hard job.
Have fun. Ours has actually given pretty good service considering the small amount of investment that we have in it.
About the roof. You will need to check that carefully. If yours has been out of the weather then you're probably OK. Don't assume that it's EPDM rubber if a repair is needed. I'm pretty sure mine is TPO rubber. But, when I bought it it had been recovered with liquid rubber, which came off in sheets. Then I recovered it with EPDM rubber, twice over the years and it has been about a repair or two a year. Liquid EPDM rubber will cover it but, I have come to the conclusion that it's not ideal. Right now I'm testing Black Max liquid rubber from Home Depot and it seems to be doing a nice job, in the short run. I really have nothing to lose as I see it. After I get back from bike week I'm going to strip everything I can safely off of the roof and recover it with probably black max. That has done better than the EPDM so far. The way to tell what your roof is, as I understand it, is by texture. TPO is a rough texture and when it tears it resembles a vinal with a cloth backing. EPDM is a slick rubber sheet. EPDM rubber will work on it, sort of. But, EPDM has been that great for me and doesn't seem to adhere as it should. I dont have any leaks at the moment and I have really tried to stay on top of that. If I had know then what I know now I would have had much less expense and effort involved.
When I bought mine the house battery was a walmart battery. We used it for a year then it quit. I bought a good deep cycle and it does far better.
We blew an exhaust manifold gasket leaving a KOA about 250 miles from home. I drove it home sounding like a tractor. The manifolds on the 454 don't use a gasket but, someone had put one in there. So, I let my guy fix that and I had him install another gasket. If it blows again in a couple of years I just don't care that much. It cost me $115 bucks to get repaired.
We pull a Honda CRV or a motorcycle trailer with ours. You can feel the CRV back there but, not the motorcycle trailer. Without towing anything the motorhome is a breeze to drive. With the CRV crosswinds require constant vigilance. I lube my chassis once a year as we don't really drive that many miles in a year (most years). Most years we have just done a few beach trips.
I wouldn't mind driving the Mallard in the mountains without the toad but, with the toad it can get interesting. If you're pulling a toad don't come flying over any mountains because that downhill won't be any fun if you're fighting it all the way to the bottom. So, at the top of a mountain get the speed down before you start downhill and choose a lower gear. Keeping it around 45mph on a steep downhill won't be bad and it's easy to maintain. I do that whether pulling the toad or not. With all of that said I have passed many a big RV in the mountains pulling my CRV so, apparently the old Mallard ain't that bad.
I have the turbo 400 transmission, you probably do too. So, if it's overfilled at all. In fact, if it reads full and you're pulling a long mountain don't get excited if you spray a little transmission fluid. I did that and it freaked me out the first time. But, the older turbo 400 has a little spout on it that pukes out fluid if it needs to.
The brake master cylinder is a pain to check but, I check it a lot. In fact, when I bought mine the master cylinder was bad so I replaced it myself. It cost me $27.00 bucks plus core exchange for a rebuilt unit. Replacing it is a chore. The left front wheel has to come off, the inner wheel well cover comes out, and you have to work both from the side and under it to get that thing out. Also, if you don't have an air wratchet you'll be a very unhappy camper. But, if you have the tools it's not a hard job.
Have fun. Ours has actually given pretty good service considering the small amount of investment that we have in it.
