Bunch of questions

[Mahatnmacoat]

First some unsolicited advice. Watch a fairly recent movie, THE LESURE SEEKER, stars Donald Sutherland and Helen Miren. The movie is about their trip from their New England home to the Keys in their old Winnibago Brave. The story and the quality of the acting over comes some lousy dialog and mediocre directing. Leasure Seeker is the name they gave their Winnie. Well worth the three bucks rental and time to watch it.

Last winter I bought our '02 Jayco Class C Designer 3230. I had been shopping for another MH for some time and found it on a friend's RV storage lot. Turns out it was parked on his lot in 2014, two months storage paid and the owner never to be seen, heard from or located again. It had been parked there un-opened all this time. My friend said I could go in it to have a look if I could open it without breaking anything. That took about six-teen seconds. The interior is near mint. Still has the plastic film covers on the refrigerator and microwave controls, no pathways worn in the carpet, the pillow top queen mattress, stove, toilet\shower, reefer, microwave, upholstery all look unused. No grey hand grease on sink or shower knobs. Bone dry inside, no leaks of any kind. Didn't even smell musty. I asked my friend what it owes him. It worked out to $3,300.00. I offered to give him the thirty-three as is where is and to start paying the storage on the spot. He accepted, we shook and the deal is done.

So far I've put three new group 29 batteries in it, two house and one starting. Everything electrical works, even freed up the entry steps and they work as advertised, the backup camera works. Engine and generator crank but neither would start. I had spark at both the engine and generator plugs. Seven years of bad gasoline. The fule pump is very bad. I dropped the gas tank and cleaned it out. First I vacuumed it out then having removed all plastic parts, dosed the tank with a gallon of muriatic acid diluted with five gallons of water. Sloshed it around a lot over five days then dumped and rinsed it. It goes back together with new pump and plastic valves soon. I've over hauled the generator carb and changed all plugs, fluids, belts and filters. I'm delighted!

The only modification I've made do far is to remove the rear most window shade and build a head board for the master berth. With the shade there you couldn't sit up in bed to read or watch TV and who's going to be looking out the back window anyway. It looks pretty nice.

I'm going to add more to this a little later.

[Grumpy]

Great rig especially if it's in that good a shape. We had an 2001 that we put over 50,000 miles on in 6 1/2 yrs. The back window was an option and we did not order it not only because of not being able to sit-up in bed, but it would get cold since we used it in the winter. ENJOY...

[TaftCoach]

Congrats for you. Although I'm a little sad for the original owner. I wonder what happened.

[Mahatnmacoat]

Thanks for the reply. What happened to the original owner is that he died. A young man, in his mid forties, about fifteen years on a mid management job, single, no family, spent a lot of time here in Rehoboth Beach with his boyfriend, dropped dead from a heart attack. No probate, nothing else in his estate. The reason my friend still had it in storage is that getting a title in Delaware, even in these circumstances is almost impossible. You have a better chance of getting a ticket to heaven. I know of a couple of work arounds for title issues if there are no liens and the vechiel isn't stolen. So after a journeyman's effort to go through Delaware DMV I gave up and got the title in another state. I'm really pleased. Year's ago I had a Winnebago, a Brave exactly like the one in THE LEISURE SEEKER, that I loved. The girlfriend loves it and we both look forward to getting on the road.

[TaftCoach]

Ah, your original post said never to be seen, heard from, or located again. I got confused.

[Jedo321]

When you said you vacuumed fuel out of the generator... did you literally use a vacuum? If so you dodged a bullet there my friend! The electric motor can cause enough spark to ignite the vapor. Also. I would NEVER put water in a fuel tank. Either rinse with fresh fuel or denatured alcohol. Good luck with your new project! Sounds like a hell of a deal!

[Mahatnmacoat]

You are absolutely right Jedi young man, absolutely right. I didn't make it clear in my description of how I cleaned the fuel tank. The tank had about thirty gallons of gasoline in it when I started this project. This 50 gallon tank is slung between the frame members and behind the rear axle. There was considerable rust in the tank and the bottom of the tank had an inch to several inches of soft black tar like material in it. The black material was broken down gasoline. The tank is well baffled but I could get the vacuum hose wand with a crevice tool into almost all of it. The tank was on the back of my pickup sitting on a cradle I knocked together out of two by fours. The vacuum was on the ground well away from the tank. The cradle let me rock the than back and forth with considerable force once I filled it with the muriatic solution. I let it sit on the cradle, agitating it every day for five days. When I drained and rinsed it all the rust was gone and all the dust etc had been flushed out no need to coat the inside. I then sealed up all the openings with blue tape after I suspended a 150 watt light bulb in it for a couple of weeks. I took no chances with sparky's around the gas tank. A professional acquaintance killed himself by welding on an "empty" gasoline tank. Thanks for your interest and the note. I'm close to putting it all back together, maybe as soon as the coming week. I'll let you know.

[Sn33kR]

I also own an '02 Designer 3230 that I bought used last May. I had to pull all the carpet, the couch and the cushions out and replace them due to the previous owner. I put a laminate floor in the living area, slide out and kitchen. Carpet back in the bedroom. My girlfriend and I have used it more than a dozen times and we love it. Really like the way the bathroom is set up and the shower system. We have the rear window and I like it just because I like the sunshine in the morning to wake me up.....Good luck with your purchase! Let me know if I can be of any help.

[Mahatnmacoat]

Thanks for the response Sn33kR,

I was under my 3230 yesterday working on reinstalling the fuel tank when I noticed something not noted before. I really think this is a question for Grumpy but it's on my mind right now. On the passenger side all the way back just ahead of the rear bumper is a factory installed hose with a pneumatic (air) coupler on it. It looks factory installed, has a purpose made rubber plug. Nothing in the owners manual about it and I haven't tried to trace it down yet. Any ideas? How many miles on your rig, I think I mentioned 37K on mine. One of our requirements for a MH was that it have a three side access queen sized berth. I'm a big man and the space means a lot to both of us. It's incongruous, my girlfriend is tiny. We plan on leisurely driving from point to point while towing a small four down car for sightseeing and errands. Our rig came with all kinds of expensive new or near new stuff. Several eletrical cord adapters, a brand new in the box stainless steel outdoor cooker complete with LPG hose, regulator and mounting brackets. Sewage hose and adapters and the list goes on and on. We're very lucky and we know it. Back to the fuel tank, the pump assembly is directly under the flooring just about in the middle of the bathroom. Before the tank gets bolted up I'm cutting an access port in the floor above the pump assembly. I'll do a nice job of it, maybe use a flush fit hinged marine deck plate but this is the second time in less than ten years that I've had to change a Ford fuel pump. It's a dirty dangerous job, well worth the work and expense to get ahead of it.

Enough for today, thanks again for the note and look forward to hearing from you again.

[Mahatnmacoat]

If I may trouble you again, a quick question please. Working under my 3230 yesterday I noticed a hose end on the passenger side just ahead of the rear bumper. The end is a female pneumatic coupler. It looks factory installed and has a purpose made rubber plug. There's nothing about it in the manual and I haven't tried to trace it down yet. Thought I'd ask you first.

Thanks in advance!

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Mahatnmacoat

incongruous

Who has 'incongruous' on their Jayco Owners Forum Bingo Card?

[Mahatnmacoat]

I give up, who was incongruous on the Jayco bingo card?

[Sn33kR]

Originally Posted by Mahatnmacoat

Thanks for the response Sn33kR,

I was under my 3230 yesterday working on reinstalling the fuel tank when I noticed something not noted before. I really think this is a question for Grumpy but it's on my mind right now. On the passenger side all the way back just ahead of the rear bumper is a factory installed hose with a pneumatic (air) coupler on it. It looks factory installed, has a purpose made rubber plug. Nothing in the owners manual about it and I haven't tried to trace it down yet. Any ideas? How many miles on your rig, I think I mentioned 37K on mine. One of our requirements for a MH was that it have a three side access queen sized berth. I'm a big man and the space means a lot to both of us. It's incongruous, my girlfriend is tiny. We plan on leisurely driving from point to point while towing a small four down car for sightseeing and errands. Our rig came with all kinds of expensive new or near new stuff. Several eletrical cord adapters, a brand new in the box stainless steel outdoor cooker complete with LPG hose, regulator and mounting brackets. Sewage hose and adapters and the list goes on and on. We're very lucky and we know it. Back to the fuel tank, the pump assembly is directly under the flooring just about in the middle of the bathroom. Before the tank gets bolted up I'm cutting an access port in the floor above the pump assembly. I'll do a nice job of it, maybe use a flush fit hinged marine deck plate but this is the second time in less than ten years that I've had to change a Ford fuel pump. It's a dirty dangerous job, well worth the work and expense to get ahead of it.

Enough for today, thanks again for the note and look forward to hearing from you again.

I believe what you are looking at is a factory installed propane line for a bbq grill that attaches on the passenger side of the rig just in front of the bumper but outside of the awning. It was/is called an RVQ. It is pre-plumbed into your propane tank, you should have a "stinger" line that connects to the female coupling and then to the RVQ. That way you don't have to carry an additional BBQ. I believe that is what you are describing as you new stainless bbq with hose, regulator and mounting brackets.


I have used mine a couple of times and it is okay but doesn't seem to get very hot....or I am just impatient....My rig had 40K miles when I got it and now just turned 41k last weekend. I have a tow dolly that I use with an '07 Jetta for my toad.
Hope I don't have to do a fuel pump but if i do, I know who to ask..... lol


Good Luck

[JFlightRisk]

Mahatnmacoat, if you look closely at that quick coupler, there should be a small lever attached, which is a shutoff valve. Inline to the coupler for on, and 90* to it, for off. Don't be surprised if you have to push the grill end in hard, to get it to lock in. Some work easier than others.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by pconroy

Who has 'incongruous' on their Jayco Owners Forum Bingo Card?

Just teasing ya'.

[Mahatnmacoat]

I'll tell ya, life works for me. Couldn't be better if I'd planed it. Thank you, thank you!

[Mahatnmacoat]

Good Morning and thank you sir! As to the fuel pump, yep I'm your man. Thank you, thank you.

[JDug66]

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[Mahatnmacoat]

Hey! Question for you. On our '02 Designer 3230 the AC and DC service panel, (circuit breaker panel) is under the master berth down near the floor on the driver's side. On a sunny day with the window shade up and down on your knees you still need a flash light and a magnifying glass to read the labels. Is that panel in the same place on your 3230, if not where is yours? If your panel is in the same awkward location, have you thought about moving it to a more convenient place? Thanks in advance.