Need advice quick...1987 31' Itasca

I know you are excited about the prospects of a new RV, however, (and I don't mean to rain on your parade ((punn intended). If there is a leak, you really need to examine the outside of the coach for de-lamination. Delams are caused by the glue holding the siding (fiberglass or other material) letting go, or by the supporting wood rotting (normally by water intrusion) and causing what looks like large or small bubbles on the side of the RV. Delams are very hard to repair, and in many cases, unrepairable.

If the leak was caught in time, you may not have a problem.

Best of luck!!

JimInMich wrote:
Only the spot by the couch, where you could see paper separated on the ceiling. About 12" dia. Also, the particle board side of the microwave by the end of the couch was swelled, looks like it's been that way awhile. Same with the top cabinet in the bedroom. I was thinking about eternabond, doing all seams on the roof, sides/front/back. But it's getting cold here in Northern Michigan, so I would have to tarp the roof until spring.

That's what I did. I got mine last December. Tarped it until Spring when I could do the repairs. You can see the water stains in my cabinets. They were all caused by the luggage rack mounting points. More serious damage inside the rear cabinets from the ladder mounting points. Worst spot is just behind the driver's seat where the paper separated from the ceiling from a particularly bad luggage rack mounting point leak.

Since my Allegro is an all-aluminum and steel frame I figured the rot was mostly cosmetic. I don't know for sure, but I would assume most motorhomes of the day are aluminum frames. A lot of TTs are wooden frames so a leak can lead to serious structural damage.

In any event, once I sealed mine up it was great. You can walk around on the roof no problem. There's still some visual indications of the old leaks, but I'm not worried about them.

I would use the leaks, and water damage, as a negotiating point. Leaks will usually send a prospective buyer running. Mine had no engine in it when I bought it, but I used the leaks as a way to get the seller down to almost nothing.

Only the spot by the couch, where you could see paper separated on the ceiling. About 12" dia. Also, the particle board side of the microwave by the end of the couch was swelled, looks like it's been that way awhile. Same with the top cabinet in the bedroom. I was thinking about eternabond, doing all seams on the roof, sides/front/back. But it's getting cold here in Northern Michigan, so I would have to tarp the roof until spring.

JimInMich wrote:
Now for the bad. I found 2 leaks on the drivers dash, one in the center, one on the drivers side. Another leak in the cabinet above the couch, and another in the bedroom. These weren't a couple drop leaks either. It was raining and had a couple puddles.

Sounds just like mine. If there's no obvious damage to the ceiling, it will probably be okay once the roof is sealed up. Unless they guy happens to have the right materials laying around (Eternabond or EPDM Liquid Roof) he's not going to fix it today. If he claims to fix it today, you can be sure it's not going to be done right. I sealed mine with Liquid rubber - every seam and joint where there was a hole in the roof. It takes several hours on a warm, dry day to do properly.

The leaks on the dash are common. It's the windshield. I haven't located mine yet. I have a bucket sitting on the dash right now collecting rain water. I *think* it's where the windshield frame meets the body rather than the rubber surround where the frame meets the glass. My rear back glass is leaking in a similar manner (found that out this morning).

UPdate:

Nice MH for it's age. Genny ran both A/C's no problem. Motor started right up and sounded great, no smoke of any king on start up. Tires in decent shape from what I could tell. It was raining and parked on a muddy dirt drive. I didn't feel like crawling in the mud. Took it for a very short test drive, motor was peppy and trans shifted good. Drove smooth at 50ph.

Now for the bad. I found 2 leaks on the drivers dash, one in the center, one on the drivers side. Another leak in the cabinet above the couch, and another in the bedroom. These weren't a couple drop leaks either. It was raining and had a couple puddles.

I'm torn on this purchase, because I can buy this for $3000. My health wont let me do much, so I would have to pay someone to find/fix the leaks. The guy said he took it on trade and didn't know it leaked. He climbed up on the roof. Stated to roof liner looked to be one sheet of aluminum. Said he seen where the caulk was separated in a few spots where the top cap met the roof. He said he would fix the roof today, if it didn't rain and would sell to me for the same price. I'm a bit leary.

olfarmer wrote:
I did have to replace the compressor for it but parts are still available from JetCo in Humboldt Iowa.

PS. I could use the HWH levelers even with the air suspension.

I thought the story about not being able to use the landing gear with the Jet Ride was odd.

JetCo does still have some parts, but I wouldn't buy a compressor from them. I did - and got a compressor that was undersized for the task at a price nearly double what I would pay on eBay for the same exact compressor. I bought a much bigger compressor with a 100% duty cycle from airbagit.com for less than the JetCo compressor. I did have to run bigger wiring to the pump, but IMO the wiring that was installed by them was undersized even for the original pump.

Anyway - I digress. Any news on the Itasca?

We had a 1987 31' WindCruiser for 10 years and liked it a lot. It was very well built and served us well. It had the "Jet Air Ride" air bag suspension which worked fine, I did have to replace the compressor for it but parts are still available from JetCo in Humboldt Iowa.

PS. I could use the HWH levelers even with the air suspension.

Forgot to mention - see what sort of air suspension it has. Mine has a Jet-Ride suspension installed in the rear. In the day, it was a very expensive upgrade (around $2k in late-80s $$). I had to replace the compressor on mine, but otherwise it works great. It's really a cool feature to have (if it works). From what I understand, it makes for a better ride and greater sway stability (there are huge torsion/sway bars installed with the kit).

EDIT - the Jet Ride suspension also auto-levels the rear so if your water and/or holding tanks are full it adjusts the ride height.

This is our dream of owning a Class A. Paying cash, can not even think of spending any more for financing. We are going for debt free and our home is paid for. If I buy, you will see pic's with all the stat's.

Scars wrote:
RVNADA shows a value of $10,300 for both the Windcruiser or Sunflyer (with no options)
My main concern would be the engine/transmission...age and really the under use- 27 years old or less than 2k a year avg., which means its been sitting a lot.
Check date codes on the tires...when I test drove ours I took it to a local RV park and they let me plug in to test AC unit for free. It might be 50 amp since 2 ACs.
For around 20k you can get a V10 Ford chassis MH in the 2003 range with much newer/nicer amenities. If you're mechanically inclined, the Itasca could be a good starter unit. My long 2cents...good luck!

What he said. Tires are going to be your biggest expense if they're bad or too old (too old = bad).

Fridge could be another big expense, and on a rig that old there's a good chance it doesn't work as well as it should or at all.

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, unlike your TT you're going to want to make sure this thing goes and stops like it should. Smooth idle and acceleration, shifts well, doesn't pull in any direction while driving and stops okay (for what it is). All the "house" stuff is just like a TT.

Look under where it's parked for major leaks. Check again after your test drive. On something that old and that sat for a while, I would expect some seepage here and there but fluid shouldn't be pouring out of it anywhere.

My '84 has 2 ACs, too, but only one (the front one) will run on the 30A shore power. Both will run on the generator. So don't be alarmed if only one AC unit runs on shore power.