92 Coachmen Ram Van resuscitation project...

[924guy]

I've been away from Sam and motor homes for about ten years, but now I'm back with a great project van. My last projects were a 70 Winnie Chief and then a 92 Coachmen prestige 5th wheeler. This time around, I'm mostly Boon docking now so its a whole different type of RVing for us.

We found a well used but serviceable 92' Coachmen built B van with a 3500 series extended chassis in need of, well, a lot..
my wife trying to hide... 🙂

mechanical engine work so far-
• Full major tune up
• R134a conversion
• new heater core
• new exhaust
• new Oil/ speedo sensors, probably need a speedo
• coolant exchange
• still needs exhaust manifold gaskets, valve cover gaskets


Mechanical Coach-
• replaced coach 12v breakers (2) and Coils (2)
• Waste valves (2 needed , 1 to go)
• upgraded to LED house lighting
• Furnace repaired and updated thermostat (to "auto" fan model)
• Flushed and sterilized fresh water tank
• Replaced rear door assembly (dented, wouldn't close properly)
• Will replace dented side door
• Eventually a new paint job outside, not a priority
• add small Honda 2k generator or equivalent

the above was enough to get us on the road and we went on a 500 mile round trip with two nights and three days camping. Not everything worked as it should, but I was able to wither improvise or rig up solutions (mostly power related) that got us through the trip fairly comfortably.


and the "new" door...these are hard to find!

we also made another to do list, and luckily most all items in are already my garage or on their way, just need the time to install:
• replace all carpet and add insulation/sound deadener (Obtained commercial indoor/outdoor grade Remnant cheap)
• sand and paint interior cabinets (special laminate paint)
• Add interior cabinet lighting
• Add water filtration system (ordered basic under counter particulate)
• Add Solar Panels (ordered 50w system to start)
• Add Strip lighting
• Repair leaky Hot Water dispenser faucet
• Add Propane hot water heater and outdoor shower (Ordered)
• repair on jack knife couch bracket (complete, sort of)
• Add 120v inverter
• Add Video system and back up camera
• Add parking sensors

The biggest issue I'm having at the moment is getting the 12v system to work on its own. I have to jump out the house battery coil, even after replacing both coils and breakers. the 12v switch does nothing, so I'm tracing out those lines and looking for additional fuses or a line break. The fridge heats up on the coil side, but does not cool, so that will come out and get stood on its head for a few days and well cross our fingers...

will add pictures soon..

[Traveler7]

Great Pics amd project, funny, many of your punch list and repair items are identical to mine- Thanks for sharing!!!!

[azrving]

I dont know your electrical experience so excuse me if you already understand this. People often times are used to systems that use a frame ground and dont realize that rv type stuff goes off of 2 wires. Yes the negative is the ground but there is a lot more territory for that ground to be lost. Often times it's still basic connection problems, not breaks in the wire midstream. When you say coil I assume you mean solenoid? If it has 2 wires and not grounded at the solenoid, check for a good negative as well as a positive. People often focus on the positive only in 2 wire systems.



If you dont know when they were last replaced it may be good to replace all the hoses and belts. The chain is only as strong as the weakest link so small heater hose and bypass type hose need to be replaced too.

You mentioned a 2000 watt generator. So you want to power the ac? A 2000 watt Honda will power some ac units and the one on your rig would seem to be on the small side but check into it first. Some have a hard time starting ac. I remember seeing a van with a cage built on the back door to secure a Honda. It was a nice set up and very quiet. If you do something like that come up with a way to have multiple levels of security. A pad lock can be easily snipped and the generator easily lifted out and gone. For example find a way to bolt it in then and another way to bolt a bracket around it then lock the ventilated cage. Every system can be defeated but the simple cable or lock snips are the quick easy ones. You cant make it impossible but dont make it easy. People have had generators stolen in the day time buy snatch and run artists.

What are you using for battery power? A good up grade is 2 6 volt deep cycles. As far as charging, come up with a good battery charger that can hit 15.5 volts and you will cut down on your generator run time and be able to equalize. If you have a converter, depending on what the charging voltage is it may take many hours or days to fully charge.

Post pics of wiring or solenoid/relay/switch problems and someone in here will help. Enjoy your camper.