1998 Roadtrek 190 Dodge Chassis

[Jonathan_Clemen]

I am a newbie on this forum and a newbie in terms of RVing. My wife and I would like to to some traveling with our two small dogs and think that a Class B RV would be adequate for our needs and within our our budget. We are leaning toward getting a good used vehicle. A neighbor has a 1998 Roadtrek 190 on a Dodge Chassis that has about 30,000 miles. The seller says they bought it new and have stored it inside when not used. It's the asking price we are concerned about: $17,000. It is clean and well maintained. I looked the vehicle up on NADA and tried to get some idea of a fair price on this. NADA doesn't seem to take mileage into account. The closest I can come to an average retail price is $10,670. I'd appreciate any suggestions that forum members might have.

[donrebyct]

Pat,
What is involved in changing the carburetor? Mine has been diagnosed by Camping World as having a cracked bowl and a bad voltage regulator ($1100). That seems awfully steep. The generator hasn't been operated for probably at least two years, but CW is confident these are the only problems. It only has 27 hours on a 94 Falcon.

[Jonathan_Clemen]

An update. We had the cabin checked out at a local trailer dealer/service place. They went through the propane system and replaced one valve. They also found that the water pump was not working and replaced that. They went through the operation of everything; furnace, hot water heater, fridge and stove. I replaced the smoke detector as well as the CO and Propane detectors (4 years out of date). I found exact replacements on Amazon.com. The air conditioner and microwave work on 110V. We took out the old Panasonic TV and mounted a 15" flat screen TV/DVD player on the side of the cabinet which we now use for storage.

We took our first trip last week; four days (about 800 miles)to the PA Brandywine Valley area. We learned a lot about living in the van, dealing with our two small dogs, etc. Everything worked fine. I was particularly concerned about the fridge and switching back and forth between LP, 12V and 110, but it worked fine and kept the ice cream we had taken frozen. The front brakes (totally replaced after we got the van) developed an intermittent irritating squeak-squeak-squeak about 1/3 of the way into the trip. It would quit temporarily after tapping the brake pedal. The braking action was fine, no pull to right or left, and no loss of brake fluid, so we forged on. The squeak disappeared on the way home. I pulled both front wheels and found nothing amiss; rotors were smooth with plenty of pad left. The only thing I can attribute this to is that the squeak developed immediately after we took a lunch break in a town park with a gravel road. I am wondering if some foreign matter got kicked up into the system somewhere and just got itself worked out as time went on.

Thanks again to all who provided advice and suggestions.

[Jonathan_Clemen]

I have not been able to open the window in the rear door of the Roadtrek for ventilation when the vehicle is not in motion and generator not running (assuming we get it to run). I loosened the interior screws (3 each) of the the two tilt out latches and found that the window is not stuck to the rubber gasketing along the bottoms and sides. I suspect the hinge that runs the full width of the window may be seized. I squirted WD-40 into both ends of the hinge and will give that a chance to work. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Also regarding the CO monitor, the light flashes green when I turn on the cabin battery. As I have no clue as to whether or not the monitor has ever been replaced I plan to install a new one. Just wondering why the flashing green.

[Arizona_Kid]

I kind of lost track of this thread.
My previous post is for Roadtrek's 2002 and older, I'm not sure about the charging in later years, or other brands.

[jjrai]

I think it was a great idea to get that work done. You will be fine in the end. Good luck.

[Jonathan_Clemen]

Thanks very much for your responses to questions 1-3. Regarding 3. we do hope to get the propane system running, but need to get it checked out first. While crawling around underneath the RV I noticed a single wire hanging down near the propane tank. That's not a good sign. I know I will need to replace the CO detector. Smoke detector too. Not sure how frequently the propane detector needs to be replaced.

[Arizona_Kid]

I would add that on your model, the battery switch needs to be on before plugging into shore power to allow the coach battery to charge. If you plug into shore power and then turn on the battery switch, the battery will not be charged. This was done as a way to protect the battery from over charging due to the old single stage converters.

[smallcamper]

Yes, the water is condensate from the evaporator. Best for the van to be very slightly nose high.

The coach power switch should be on. If you don't turn it on the coach battery(s) will not be charged. Conversely, if you are staying plugged in to shore power for weeks leave the coach power switch off so the coach batteries are not overcharged. This is assuming the original transformer type power converter is still in place. Modern solid state converters will not overcharge batteries.

There is no problem running the fridge on 12VDC or 110AC instead of propane. But propane is the most efficient, 110 is middle of the road and 12 volt is the least efficient. The propane burner provides the best source of heat for the fridge, the 12 volt is basically like a car cigarette lighter.

[Jonathan_Clemen]

Paul,

Thanks for your response. I have some other questions for the forum and am sure that I'll have more:

1. The owner's manual states that "Since the air conditioner requires water for cooling, water may spill from the front of the air conditioner during abrupt stops or while parked on a steep downward slope." Is the water they are referring to the condensation that air conditioners normally produce?

2. When hooked up to household or campground power,should the disconnect switch on the for the cabin battery be on? I am thinking it should, but the manual doesn't say.

3. Is there any problem with running the refrigerator on 12V or 110-120AC if the propane system is not in operation?

Jonathan

[PSW]

Johnathan, I am sure you will get different responses than mine regarding your question (above post), but in the seven years of absolute flawless operation of our 1996 Dodge RT Popular (318 engine), I never even touched that converter. I knew where it was and examined it out of curiosity once, but I never touched and had to touch it for any reason. I just used the wall monitor switches.

We kept this unit like new in a garage and maintained it very, very well. The only real maintenance problem RV wise we had to replace the battery pretty often. It was a bit of a pain to get to, at least ours was: under the bed on the driver's side. I recall a little panel had to be removed and you pulled it out vertically. Candidly, I use much better power management techniques now and just replaced the batteries for the first time in our current RT. Got six plus years and only replaced them because we boondock a lot.

Sounds like you have put your new unit in tiptop condition. I bet you will have many happy miles with it.

Paul

[Jonathan_Clemen]

We have the van home. Regarding the catalytic converter, the van was stuck at the shop, the temporary inspection had expired, and we just had them do the replacement while it was there. The other items we had done were new tires, front brakes, front shocks, complete tune-up, oil and filter change and lube, replace serpentine belt, transmission flush, and differential drain and re-fill. During the transmission flush the transmission radiator split a seam due to excess pressure. They replaced the entire radiator unit at no charge. The van ran great coming home. Everything on the van itself seems to work fine; A/C, cruise, etc. We are now tackling the cabin. The cabin battery shows a full charge on the monitor panel. Interior lights, ceiling fan and the fan above the stove top are working. I have not yet connected the cabin to a 110v line to see if the air conditioner and micro wave work. I don't know how important this is, but I don't see find a switch near the monitor panel for the converter/charger. There are a bunch of breaker switches on the converter/charger itself which is located at floor level in the back under the sleeping area. Are there times when the converter/charger needs to be turned off?

[steveh27]

Catalytic converter;

I do not remember the details, but a Dodge dealer replace mine on my 1997 Xplorer (Dodge) & it was covered under some special federal ruling. I think there was some problem with them & Dodge was required to replace them within certain restrictions. I was not the original buyer & the van was at least 5 years old then or more. Try to check into it. I paid nothing.

[PSW]

Jonathan, which engine does your Dodge have in the RT?

Incidentally, you can buy a cataytic converter online and either put it in yourself or have somebody do it for you (local muffler shop, shade tree mechanic, etc).

This site, for instance: http://www.discountcatalyticconverters.com
shows them for less than $150.

[Jonathan_Clemen]

Thanks to all of you for your input. The van is still in the shop but will hopefully be done this week or next Monday; new tires, tuneup, new serpentine belt, transmission and differential service, front end alignment, new brakes on front, oil and lube and a few other items. They didn't find any questionable water hoses, but I'm going to keep an eye on those. Unfortunately they found a plugged catalytic converter which is pricey to replace, Once I get this home I'll go through the cabin systems and then get it to a reputable place for further assessment and any needed repairs. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.