mountainman2020 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Hi All! Great site! We just bought our first motorhome, and went with Toyota, ...well just because we know Toyotas! We picked up a 1992 Itasca Spirit, with only 23,000 miles! It seems very well kept, previous owner bought it in early '93 with only 1,900 miles on, and has had it ever since. Everything is there, supposedly all in working order, though weather hasn't allowed us to check it all out yet. It's V6 automatic w/ overdrive and the gear selector on the dash. My wife and I celebrate 40 years this fall, and want to go "get lost" for a few weeks, then hopefully in few years retire. So we got it now to try out a few short trips this summer, then, hit the road! I know Toyota's are great (my 92 pickup has 340,000 miles on it, still gets 30 mpg and uses no oil!) Thanks for listening! Will be checking back here for any help I may need. God bless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Welcome Mountainman. It is always good to have another member. Some here will say that a 20 year old MH with low miles is worse than 60,000 miles. I bought an '88 Escaper with 30,000 miles an thankfully the previous owners took very good care of it. I have had no problems such as dried out seals and such. My wife and I are semiretired, (I now only work 30-40 hrs a week) and are looking forward to many miles of fun. this last fall we did a shakedown cruise from WI out to WY and Montana. We only have a 4 cyl but other than going slow on the mountains, we had no problems. Whenever you have a question, just ask. Everyone (mostly) is very helpful. Remember, there are no stupid questions. We have already made most of the mistakes so you can learn from ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nam Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Welcome to the site and congratulations on your purchase. I picked up a 1990 Itasca as well and have been very happy with it ever since. Keep up with the maintenance and little thing here and there, you've got yourself a really nice motorhome for a bargain. Did the previous owner replace the coach door lock on yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBeery Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 And I welcome you also. We have three years now in our 87 Dolphin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydancer2992 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 My 91 Warrior has 230,000 miles on it. My 96 4Runner has 340,000 miles. Neither burns oil. Neither has needed any major maintenance. A few timing belts and an occasional starter or alternator. For a Do it yourselfer, the vehicles are fun to work on. With 10, 12, 14 and 16mm sockets and wrenches you can just about dismantle and reassemble the entire vehicle. The factory manuals have lots of pictures (although it helps to actually read the instructions sometimes). I've owned Toyotas since 1986. When it came time to buy an RV, the choice was obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman2020 Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 As far as I can tell all locks are original, at least keys look it. Everything in fact seems original, right down to curtains and carpet. Engine seems nice and dry, no oil leaks and clean. Oil and fluids are fresh. Can't wait till it warms up so can do more with it. I've got the generator going, but it doesn't want to idle unless choke is on slightly, so I need to pull carb and clean it good. Do have one question - should interior coach lights work on 12 volt without electric shoreline plugged in? They work when plugged in to 110, but not on their own when just parked. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Probably have a dead coach battery. The lights are 12 volts. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman2020 Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thanks John....Does the starter on the generator work off coach battery? Or truck battery? Haven't had time to check that out. It has enough juice to start the generator. Need to climb under and see where wires and lines run to, so I know this stuff. I'll get it figured out. Like to know all I can about my vehicles, so I can work on them as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I believe the generator starts off the truck battery. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thanks John....Does the starter on the generator work off coach battery? Or truck battery? Haven't had time to check that out. It has enough juice to start the generator. Need to climb under and see where wires and lines run to, so I know this stuff. I'll get it figured out. Like to know all I can about my vehicles, so I can work on them as needed. This'll help:- http://www.winnebagoind.com/resources/manuals/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawk Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Indeed, welcome Mountainman. Last year I, too, bought a Toy/Winnie, a '90/91 because it was a Toyota. All my trucks and most of my cars have been Toys for reasons of reliability. Bulletproof. I had to replace the truck's AC with a 134A compliant unit after I found that the original didn't work. It just blew air and since it was a cool evening in Oregon when I bought it, I took the seller's word that it did work. But, I bought all new parts online and had a local AC shop install it. Total cost was $675. Good luck. Hawk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikesta Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Low Mileage coaches are great if they were taken care of. Do all the PM (Preventative maintenance) on it and enjoy it. If I were you I'd: 1. Replace ALL Fluids a. Oil (Oil Filter) b. Differential fluids c. Have Radiator flushed (you could even have the heater core serviced too during this process and have them backflush your radiator core) d. Bleed all the old brake fluid out and replace with new e. Have tranny serviced/flushed f. Generator? drain and fill the oil g. Fuel. Often times if a rig sits a gas tank will rust and you will get some good chunks of rust in your fuel filter.... carry a spare. If you have intermittent sputtering, you may need to drop the tank and take it to a person that services radiators.... they can clean the tank out and reseal it for you. h. Sewage/water - Dump, fill to 3/4 and throw some ice cubes in the tank and drive like a mad man.... the cubes will clean out the sides of the tank) I do this with my 2010 model too. 2. Go through all the water lines and verify there are no leaks (sometimes PO's forget to winterize) before you use it. 3. Verify you have a clean air filter 4. Pull the plugs and verify they are clean (not sooty, greasy, oily or burnt). Make a note of which cylinders are. 5. Tires - Often times tires on low mileage rigs are old. Check the dot on the tire. If any cracks in the tread or on the sidewalls... REPLACE. Some say that 8 ply tires crack over time and its ok... I'd say that's true if they are less than 4 years old... if older.... replace. I just put 6 On a 25k mile Sunrader to the tune of $900. (Note: some of the older rigs are righty loosy, lefty tighty) 6. Verify that your Rig is sealed.... if you can get a ladder and look for cracks up on the roof... walk along the sides if you are light like me (280). 7. Brakes - pull off the tire and check them and the rotors for grooves. Replace if necessary. 8. Heat, run that sucker. When in the coach always have a window slightly cracked... propane heat adds moisture to the air. Electric heaters take it away. Make sure you stay with the coach the first time you run it. I always take the cover off and run some compressed air in the older coaches. Dust bunnies and squirrels... Those are just the PM items. Highly recommend you get a few fire extinguishers... one under the seat (for the other guy) and some around the coach. I'm sure others will contribute... only had a few minutes to give you some suggestions on your new purchase..... I've had over 20 Toyota rv's and full timed for 385 days so I learned a few things... but definitely don't know it all Enjoy your new rig and the escapes! Go full time.... the full timers you will meet in your travels are great people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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