1997 Dodge Pleasure Way - Drive?

[saenzm]

Hey all. I went to look at 1997 Pleasure Way tonight and I am very interested; however, when I drove it it seemed heavy. Is that normal? Once it got up to 70-80MPH it was fine, but it seemed like the 318 was under powered for her. I was thinking if I was in the mountains of Colorado like she might struggle a little bit with the climbs. Any advice?

Thanks,
Mark

[BBQ]

.

Pleasure Way is a well built RV. It is famous for its solid wood joinery work. I have not seen any weight figure; it might be heavier than other similar models.

The 318 is a bullet proof engine. It is smaller than the Ford Triton, but it should be sufficient for most travelling. Bear in mind quite a few of its contemporary RVs also use this 318 engine.

maybe it needs a tune up?


My 2 cents. It's free.

[mkguitar]

a couple of things which may not apply to your situation.

it's 20 years old, there will be wear on the chassis and suspension.

It's really heavy- my chev based PW lexor is over 8500 pounds

we like to cruise at about 65 or 67 for better MPG ( one of the prime B advantages) and to reduce wear and tear on the brakes and chassis

that generation motor does not have quite the MPG or power of a dodge just a couple of years newer- but should have plenty power- you probably won;t be going up mtns at 70, and may need to downshift if that is ok for you.

our 2006 PW is very well built- all the cabinetry uses robertson head screws, mostly R2, some R1.
just about every screw in our van needed a 1/4 turn tighter to make up for 10 years of the wood drying.
we are way happy with the plumbing, electrical and gas systems as built.

mike

[g1g]

When I use to work on cars I never liked Dodge but I had to admit that their 318 was one of the best engines made. Well over 30 years later I own a 95 Dodge Coachman with a 318. Bought it used and so far put on about 30,000 mi. I haven't had a problem with it anywhere I went although I have not been in the Rockys yet.

[saenzm]

Boom! My first RV...pretty excited, but lots to learn! Thanks for all the feedback. Hope to connect with other Class B'ers soon.

[mkguitar]

Congrats!

email P-W if you need pdfs of manuals.

there is a yahoo forums group- you need to submit your vin to join.

it is PW specific but the depth of experience there seems pretty shallow.

Mike

[saenzm]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

Congrats!

email P-W if you need pdfs of manuals.

there is a yahoo forums group- you need to submit your vin to join.

it is PW specific but the depth of experience there seems pretty shallow.

Mike

Thanks for the info Mike.

Cheers,
Mark

[LesM]

I have a 1995 PWay with the 318 engine. When I drive off with a cold engine after the vehicle has been sitting for more than a couple of days, it does feel "heavy" and sluggish. About 10 minutes later it seems to hit its stride and just rolls along nicely. It's like me - needs to slowly get the blood flowing, then all is good.
Les