Forum Discussion

HRTKD's avatar
HRTKD
Explorer
Jul 21, 2015

New Guy with 1990 Fleetwood Southwind

My brother acquired a 1990 Fleetwood Southwind recently and I'm trying to help him get it road ready. I'm fairly sure it is the Ford chassis. Overall, this unit seems to be well maintained at 54,000 miles.

Where can I get the chassis specific manuals? I found the generic manual on the Fleetwood site but it doesn't provide much information about the Ford chassis. I plan to replace all the fluids (engine, coolant, brake, power steering, etc) and filters. None of that scares me, I just need to know the specifications of what to use.

I already know we need to replace the fuel pump. The threads on that issue in the forum have been quite helpful. Yes, it definitely needs it.

How well will this motorhome do going over mountain passes?

How do I know if the batteries need to be replaced?

Can anyone suggest a maintenance facility in the south Denver area? This would be for things like alignment and other items that are beyond my ability.
Class A
  • HRTKD's avatar
    HRTKD
    Explorer
    May 01, 2016
    Quick followup: We got the Southwind road ready and through the grapevine someone found out we had it and put in an offer we couldn't refuse. So we sold it. The information provided was helpful and was passed on to the new owner. Thank you to everyone that posted in this thread.

    imgoin4it, I'll be using All Stars RV soon. Thank you for the tip! I'm in the process of buying a 2006 Fleetwood Gearbox 220FB (toy hauler) that is in good shape. I went down and talked to the service manager at All Stars RV last week and he was helpful. They're busy but I'm not in a hurry.
  • RLS7201's avatar
    RLS7201
    Explorer II
    Jul 22, 2015
    HRTKD wrote:
    darsben, thanks for the links. The tires are brand new!

    RLS7201, the engine is fuel injected. So that means it must be the F53 chassis, right?


    Yes, a 1990 F53 chassis is fuel injected with E4OD 4 speed OD transmission. The only other option is a 1991 Oshkosh chassis under a 1990 coach with fuel injection and 3 speed C6 tranny. Soooooo what transmission do you have?

    Richard
  • darsben's avatar
    darsben
    Explorer II
    Jul 22, 2015
    HRTKD wrote:
    darsben, thanks for the links. The tires are brand new!

    RLS7201, the engine is fuel injected. So that means it must be the F53 chassis, right?


    You have me thinking here. My 1990 Southwind is on a 1989 Chevy Chassis.
    It is common for the year of the motorhome to be one year newer than the chassis year. It is quite common and legal, it is the correct way for the rig to be registered, THE 1990 Southwinds on 1989 Chevy chassis are carbureted. The 1991 Southwinds on 1990 Chevy chassis are Fuel Injected I believe..
    So go to http://www.carfax.com/ and put the Vin in the box. It will give you the year, engine size and manufacturer of your chassis for free.
    Anything else cost money but the basic info is free
  • HRTKD's avatar
    HRTKD
    Explorer
    Jul 22, 2015
    darsben, thanks for the links. The tires are brand new!

    RLS7201, the engine is fuel injected. So that means it must be the F53 chassis, right?
  • RLS7201's avatar
    RLS7201
    Explorer II
    Jul 22, 2015
    If your Southwind has a Ford 460 engine, it could be on a Ford F53 chassis or an Oshkosh chassis. If Ford F53 chassis it will have a 4 speed E4OD OD transmission and fuel injected engine. If it's on a Oshkosh chassis it will have a 3 speed C6 transmission and a carburetor. Freightliner owns Oshkosh and offers support. There are Ford chassis CDs on the internet. Can't help with the Oshkosh chassis.

    Richard
  • darsben's avatar
    darsben
    Explorer II
    Jul 22, 2015
    I also have a 1990 southwind on a chevy chassis

    Most service/owners manuals can be found at
    http://bryantrv.com/docs.html
    I do have some manuals that I can scan (one page at a time) if ou cannot find something .

    Genny troubleshooting guide is at

    http://www.flightsystems.com/pdf/onanrvtshootgd608.pdf
    PS HOW OLD ARE THE tires on your southwind? over 5-7 years old the tires need to be changed. Yes I know there is plenty of tread on them but the sun deteriorates them. I had 4 blow outs my first long trip.
    If yours has 8r/19.5 I can tell you where to get decent tires at a good price. PM me with any questions
  • HRTKD's avatar
    HRTKD
    Explorer
    Jul 21, 2015
    imgoin4it wrote:
    Check out Allstars RV which is in a small town (village?) South of Denver on 85 in louviers. Had work done there some years ago and was very pleased. They did chassis work but am not sure to the extent


    Thanks for that tip. They are fairly close to me. I had no idea they were there.
  • imgoin4it's avatar
    imgoin4it
    Explorer
    Jul 21, 2015
    Check out Allstars RV which is in a small town (village?) South of Denver on 85 in louviers. Had work done there some years ago and was very pleased. They did chassis work but am not sure to the extent
  • GMandJM's avatar
    GMandJM
    Explorer
    Jul 21, 2015
    Congrats to your brother on the new Southwind. Nice of you to help him get it road-ready.

About Motorhome Group

38,708 PostsLatest Activity: Mar 04, 2025