B+ motorhomes

[Daniel_C_]

I just bought a Trail Lite B+ 211s with 8.1 Chevy
engine. This is my fifth motorhome (others range
from an old 20' Vagabond, and three Winnegagos, from 19 to 32'. This vehicle is fantastic. I am
using it as a mobile office (and sneaking in a fun
journey from time to time). It gets about 9.5mpg
and I believe I could pull a bus behind it if I wanted! I paid low $40's which is about what I had expected to pay for a five or six year old Chinook with a nicer interior, but fewer features
(slide). I am delighted thus far.

[burlmart]

dancefam

Our stsrter went bad, but that is probably not relevant.


Gene

What battery did you replace the chassis batt with? I am impressed that our OEM is still working after 5 years, but wow, you got 8 years. Can our engines use the same battery?

[Gene_in_NE]

dancefan - I don't recall you mentioning whether you have a Ford or Chevy chassis. I don't ask to make a pro or con discussion, but your question on starting might best be answered by someone with the same engine. Our Chevy (knock on wood) always has fired on the the first revolution of the engine. We finally had to replace our engine battery this year.

By security warning, did you mean the "check engine" warning light? Our light came on once when I failed to completely tighten the gas cap. My OBD code reader said I had a "evaporative emission control system malfunction" (code PO440). One of the possible causes was the loose cap. I had already refueled before I looked up the code. I cleared the code and it has not come back.

Hope you have had some good times already.

[dancefan]

Hi Gene, and Bill and Maggie:
I got replies from you in mid-August when we were new members about to buy a used Trail-Lite B+. Thanks again.
Meanwhile we have been on a couple of short trips with it. It runs great, except we wonder if you have run into the following (minor we hope) problems:
1.Usually the engine starts right away by just turning the key, but every once in a while it won't start until about the 3rd or 4th try (with short waits in between).
2. Once the "security warning" came on (but not for any reason described in the instruction book as far as we could tell). It stayed on for several hours while driving, but the next day it was no longer on.
Have you had the same things happen and is it OK not to worry about them?
Regards,
Tom and Willy in Anacortes WA
2002 Trail-lite B+ 211

[burlmart]

ours came on once and the gas cap was the fix.

[Gene_in_NE]

happyjack2 - I know what you mean about the code readout. A problem with the "evap system" can be as simple as a loose gasoline fill cap. Clear the code and see if it returns. I have experienced this one. It never came back.

[happyjack2]

Posted a few weeks ago about a check engine light. Gene suggested a SCAN Gauge OBD II tester which I had read about. Finally scored a used one on EBAY for less than $100 and read it today. It was a PO442 code which concerns the evap system. May be difficult to locate but at least I know it is a fairly common problem with lots of internet assistance and not an expensive engine fix.

The gauge also lets you monitor four engine readouts in the gauge mode in addition to being an OBD II tester.

[Eastwacamper]

Regarding towing, we have a 1985 Eldorado class B+ I guess though we refer to it as a class C. We bought it cheap from a guy on a dirt road on a mountain. No records or books on any part. So we were headed to the National Folk Festival in Butte, MT, at 2 pm on a hot day in July. Smoke and steam started pouring from the hood area. We pulled off the Interstate and called AAA. They called me back to let me know how they were doing finding anyone to tow any motor home. It took two hours but someone finally came in a junky tow truck. I started calling everyone I knew in Missoula asking for names of diesel mechanics. We assumed we blew the engine and were trying to figure out how to junk the rig and get home and all that. Finally we had to accempt the fact the only place to say yes to do the work, whatever that might turn out to be was the Ford dealership.

So we did get towed after a two hour wait sitting in our lawn chairs by the side of the hiway. The motor home sat for two days till it could be put into the schedule. In the end for $800+ the water pump was replaced and the thermostat. The guy called said it's ready to go. Where I thought. No, it works fine now. So off we went on our drive to Butte for the Samboree and the festival. We have been on several trips since and it still works fine.

So with the extra we pay to AAA we did get towed 60 miles or so. Oh, and we seem to be getting 10 to 12 mpg though the rig is slow up high hills.

[Reno3]

Just for the record on the gas mileage thing. Our Trail Lite 211 S avg. approx 12 mpg running solo at speed limits. and about 10 mpg when towing our Saturn Vue. ( not much less than the Conversion Vans we used to have did on mileage

[WilleyB]

Thanks Orion, and yes I agree, it's much better looking and fitting. By trying to get the most aisle room with the JK couch the back always interfered with the day/night shades now there's room for the shades to be lowered all the way. there's less storage room beneath but it's certainly more orderly. DW has MS so it's been getting more difficult for her to store her clothes. Previously she used the cabinets above the couch now she can use the drawers. Haven't thought about what the cabinets will be used for as yet
Cheers
Willey

Cabinets above couch
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[Orion_42]

Excellent modification WilleyB! That looks better than original!

[WilleyB]

J&A wrote:
Hope you are having a great season.

It's been a good year, but there wasn't enough time for enjoying the RV.
It took a lot of time to do the couch and there were times I thought I really goofed, believe me there were many corrections to the frame work before I was on the road to finishing it. Yep did it all myself (except for the brown covering) between the shopping, preparing meals and walking the dog etc. Probably average about 2 hours per day so it took most of my summer, but a promise is a promise and I'm glad it's done.

Stay safe during the storm.

it wasn't much of a storm where we live, it rarely is. Hopefully the heat and humidity is past it was much too hot for NS weather this year.

What is the width of the sleeping area when deployed.

It's a little over 26 inches wide verses the 19" width of the JK, so DW is very happy.(she would have been happy with a 23" width, She doesn't flop around like I do when sleeping.
I have more photos of during the build, truly it's a compromise from beginning to end because of the inward slope of the walls, the higher you go the less sleeping width you'll have. Also the depth of the drawers will be shorter the wider the sleeping area is. DW wanted her night table kept, so the (bed) aisle width and couch height were fixed to be the same as the JK couch.

Now! if you're crazy enough to try this I'll pass on the info and what to do to stay away from some of the design problems. Anyway I can take measurements off mine, so the worst part is over. :B

Cheers
Willey

must have been sleepy last night "bed" changed to "aisle"

[John___Angela]

HI Wiley and nice to hear from you. Holy cow. That is a nice piece of work yoou have done there. Did you do it all yourself. As you know we love our Vanguard but have always been so so on the sleeping arrangement. What is the width of the sleeping area when deployed.

Hope you are having a great season. Stay safe during the storm.

J and A

[WilleyB]

John & Angela wrote:
We have acheived as high as 14 on Mexican Interstates at 88 KMH and as low as 7 in the mountains of Oaxaca. Of course it gets unlimited mileage when we are towing it behind our A class. 🙂

Hi Folks
Cheers from above the line, well I guess it's safe to post my mileage on this thread, did it once before and swore not to do it again :B

1483 miles 407.329Lt = 3.641 miles/liter = 17.0659487 liters/100 km
Miles per Gal US 3.641 miles/liter = 13.7826843

3107 miles 876.6Lt. = 3.54437 miles/liter = 17.5312169 liters/100 km
Miles per Gal US 3.54437 miles/liter = 13.4169

My question now is how do I get it up to 14 like you folks? :W

John & Angela, How yuh doin? Been awhile since we jawed a bit. We'll be on the road for a short one next week if all goes well. The tropical storm passed through today and hopefully that's the end to those high temps 106F was the top for 3 days then it cooled to 102. That's not NS type weather and no way we want to be dry camping in it.
Haven't been out this year other than one day at Lansdowne park (L.O.R.D.A), was going to put in a week camping there but it got too hot.
Tossed out the JK couch and built a replacement couch/bed in it's place that's wide enough to sleep on. If you're interested
Looking to the front
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Looking to the rear
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For bed time
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The upholsterer didn't have any green so brown had to do. No matter, can't see it unless it's setup sleeping.

Cheers
Willey
ex. RCAF tech also :B

[Gene_in_NE]

John & Angela - High of 14 and low of 7 - Is that when you are pushing that huge Class A? You also state "Of course it gets unlimited mileage when we are towing it behind our A class". Apparently, sometimes it pushes and other times it gets towed.

[John___Angela]

We have acheived as high as 14 on Mexican Interstates at 88 KMH and as low as 7 in the mountains of Oaxaca. Of course it gets unlimited mileage when we are towing it behind our A class. 🙂



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