High milage roadtrek advice

[Bpjr07]

Because of how crazy the market for rvs are, looks like my budget of 30k will really only get me into a higher milage older 98-09 190 roadtrek.

Im going to look at a 2004 30th anniversary roadtrek 190P with 170k miles looks very well kept
And for 30k$.

I can and have swaped LS style motors and transmissions on trucks, and enjoy upkeeping and wrenching on cars.

I know all the things to look at in the vehicle side when purchasing a car...

Would like to know what i should pay attention in the cabin side. Cracked roof, water stains, test all appliances ect?

Or with the milage and age would i worry about the appliances being on the end of their life and cabinets falling apart pipes cracking, leaks ect.

Anything thats a dealbreaker on the 2004 and older models that i should wait on 2007 up or not worth getting a non 6 speed roadtrek if im going to use it to climb mountains?

[hbn7hj]

Just an opinion but if you are not intimidated by replacing the engine and transmission all you need to be concerned about is frame corrosion. Start with the coach battery box. It will probably be a fixable disaster. Look at the propane tank and the main chassis.

The Chevy Express is still in production.

[mkguitar]

assume "inspecting the van" is easy


check and look for a general "how well has this been taken care of"


tire dot codes a new set will be $800 or more-



inspecting the rv:


leaks, water damage, rot- lift the cushions, looks at the external seals on the roof to body and roof penetrations- has it been taking care of ?


most detectors have expiry dates- current or 20 years old ?


try to learn how the RV systems work so you can test them

likely a dometic AC, 3 way fridge, Suburban furnace, stove top and hot water heater in that vintage

check propane works to appliances-

the electrical system is not too tricky- power from the alternator typically to a separator which feeds the RV battery when the motor is running.
the 2 batteries are isolated by diodes, these may cause a voltage drop to about 13.5 from the 14.7 at the alt
or there may be a solenoid used as a switch to isolate


pour water down the drains to check that tanks are not holed, pour water into the fresh water tank to check same- check water pump works


as mentioned in other thread my van has added pusher fans on the radiator and the 4 spd has not been a problem ( knock on wood)


a 2005 chev chassis, I use an app and obd reader to monitor functions



mike

[booster]

Older vehicles can be a bargain, or a money pit, as you probably know by now as you have been around the "hobby" or "agony" of owning them in the past.


If money was not a dominating issue, I would say go later and lower miles, both to get reliability and the six speed transmission in the Chevy, but with it needing to be within budget that is probably not possible in today's out of control priced market.


The 2004 will be the non variable valve timing 6.0 LQ4 engine at 300hp/360 torque, iron block, aluminum heads, have plenty of power, and will have 4.10 gears in a Roadtrek, probably on a Dana 60s semi floating rear axle, maybe on a Dana 70s full floater if you are lucky. It will be cable throttle, not drive by wire that came in 2007 and is an advantage, but not a huge deal. At 170K, transmission would be the major concern if it hasn't been rebuilt already, but even then if well cared for could have more miles left in it. There is a quirk in the Roadtreks to be aware of, and that is that the trans can't be removed easily without removing the black and grey tanks. Some shops can do it and others can't, from what we hear. The tanks prevent the crossmember from being able to come out so the trans probably is slid back over the crossmember and then tilted down. A six speed probably could be transplanted but would need some tunnel work to clear the trans, and of course a hybrid or standalone PCM. Of note, the 4 speeds do have overheating in mountains, which require some care to handle, at least. There are many discussions on here about that. I have reprogrammed out 07 four speed to keep it locked up more of the time which was a big improvement. If you have access to a good tuner (I used an HPtuner, Bullydog also has a nice one) it is not overly difficult to do.



The inside parts are always a crap shoot as some hold up and some don't based on care and luck of the draw, I think. The gas frigs can be problems but not always, and the coach battery and charging items are not high capacity with one or two gp27 coach batteries in 2004. The coach air conditioner is OK, but loud, and they do fail but not at horrible rates. In general, if you are a DIY with tools and experience, the RV side is not extremely difficult or expensive to fix, but if you hire it all done it can easily be cost preventative.


I just went through this whole experience with my summer daily driver in retirement car which is a 96 Roadmaster wagon. It was 17 years old, 120K, not rusty, when I got it and tweaked and rebuilt continuously over 8 years until it is now fully restored and never was off the road (in the non snow months) the entire time. It is a bunch of work, but if it is a vehicle that you like it is worth it as you wind up with a near new reliability vehicle at much less cost, but a lot of work to do. Not bad if you enjoy that type of hobby and it, kept me busy during lockdown.


Based on your posts, you would likely be just fine with an older Chevy of even 170K miles if it has been well maintained, and in particular if it hasn't sat outside for 18 years as that can make a huge difference in old vehicles IMO. Just make sure you don't spend the whole budget up front and save enough for early repairs. There are lots of discussions on this forum about the Chevies and what goes wrong plus the fixes so you would have quite easy reference as go along. Those discussions would also give you a good idea of what each thing costs to better know where you would be headed.


In general, the Chevies have been quite reliable and decent handling stock form, but sit a bit low in Roadtreks. They would be my choice in your price and age range by a quite large margin.

[Bpjr07]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

assume "inspecting the van" is easy


check and look for a general "how well has this been taken care of"


tire dot codes a new set will be $800 or more-



inspecting the rv:


leaks, water damage, rot- lift the cushions, looks at the external seals on the roof to body and roof penetrations- has it been taking care of ?

try to learn how the RV systems work so you can test them

likely a dometic AC, 3 way fridge, Suburban furnace, stove top and hot water heater in


pour water down the drains to check that tanks are not holed, pour water into the fresh water tank to check same- check water pump works


as mentioned in other thread my van has added pusher fans on the radiator and the 4 spd has not been a problem ( knock on wood)

mike

Ok so fill everything up and just test it all out. Got it. Ok did not know about the cousions.

Yes i will add fans and, I'm ok with tuning the trans, i like the idea of locking the converter at lower speeds while in mountain roads.

[Bpjr07]

Originally Posted by booster

Older vehicles can be a bargain, or a money pit, as you probably know by now as you have been around the "hobby" or "agony" of owning them in

There are many discussions on here about that. I have reprogrammed out 07 four speed to keep it locked up more of the time which was a big improvement. If you have access to a good tuner (I used an HPtuner, Bullydog also has a nice one) it is not overly difficult to do.

margin.

Yes i have hp tuners will do the update for tow haul mode.

I would verify and try to get the full floater 4.11 locker setup,

Wow forget to think about that its a RV so changing stuff out like Trans will require tanks to be removed first, older tanks and might break?!

Hope while im searching, this pandemic camping fad will stop and i can get a decent deal haha.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Bpjr07

Yes i have hp tuners will do the update for tow haul mode.

I would verify and try to get the full floater 4.11 locker setup,

Wow forget to think about that its a RV so changing stuff out like Trans will require tanks to be removed first, older tanks and might break?!

Hope while im searching, this pandemic camping fad will stop and i can get a decent deal haha.

You sound like you have it all in hand and fully understood. We tried high output double Spal fans, radiator from previous generation van for 8.1L engine (twice as many cores), and even using two big trans coolers in front of the radiator that are standalone from the radiator tank. All helped, but didn't get rid of the heat issue completely. Reprogramming finished it off with a big improvement. Downside is that you lose lower rpm converter torque multiplication so need to run higher rpms. Low gear can't be locked AFAIK, so you need to be in second and at 30-35mph to have enough power to move the van with it locked, that is where the lower geared six speed that nearly always is locked shines. If we have a very, very steep low gear climb we turn on the fans early, turn of the air and normally have no issues as such climbs are usually pretty short for us. I would recommend doing the radiator, fans and standalone coolers if you are doing a lot of climbing as together they make it very good. I can send you a flash program for the HPtuner that might not apply to your year exactly, but you can see the settings and copy them into your file for your pcm. I also did a change to the normal driving mode to change the downshift speeds so that it would not be so shift happy on rolling hills. I can just let it work hard a bit at the top or lose a bit of speed without downshifting which I like a lot better.



The tanks need to actually be cut out the first time as the vent stacks are glued in place of all things. Not a terrible job, but irritating. I did modify the crossmember to make it removable so OK going now. The tanks are pretty tough unless they get a road hit or such so removal more a PITA than damaging if you are careful.


Hopefully this insanity will end soon. They are currently asking more as much for 2007 190s as we paid new for our 2007.

[mkguitar]

BTW was looking at the 2006 R/T brochure ( for unrelated issue) and saw this:


TESTING RELATED TO FUEL SYSTEM MODIFICATION
TO ACCOMMODATE LOWERED FLOOR
When GM completely redesigned the Chevrolet van in 1996, they relocated the fuel tank on
all van(and some van cab and chassis)models from behind the rear axle to between the axles
(mid-ship). To enjoy the benefits of a lowered floor(improved fuel economy, handling,
appearance, overall height, galley counter height and ease of entry and exit), we simply lowered
the original tank by 1.5". The tank’s clearance is still higher than the running boards and
sewer discharge, which have proved sufficient for years. You won’t enjoy the “off road”
clearance of a truck, but you’ll be fine if you don’t drive anywhere you wouldn’t drive a car.
To modify the fuel systems, GM requires that we meet or exceed very

[jeana]

Originally Posted by Bpjr07

Because of how crazy the market for rvs are, looks like my budget of 30k will really only get me into a higher milage older 98-09 190 roadtrek.

Im going to look at a 2004 30th anniversary roadtrek 190P with 170k miles looks very well kept
And for 30k$.

I can and have swaped LS style motors and transmissions on trucks, and enjoy upkeeping and wrenching on cars.

I know all the things to look at in the vehicle side when purchasing a car...

Would like to know what i should pay attention in the cabin side. Cracked roof, water stains, test all appliances ect?

Or with the milage and age would i worry about the appliances being on the end of their life and cabinets falling apart pipes cracking, leaks ect.

Anything thats a dealbreaker on the 2004 and older models that i should wait on 2007 up or not worth getting a non 6 speed roadtrek if im going to use it to climb mountains?

WELL, for what it is worth last yr was just as bad I live in a rural place Lots of 5th wheels few vans No dealers But by being on Craig's list often we got a beautifully maintained 30,000 mi 1997 Xplorer Had to go THAT NIGHT 1/2 hr away Needed new tires and a small leak in water tank tubing fixed Has some disadvantages in that the table is too high and rattles( got rid of it carry a folding tray table, and the rear tires makes it a pain for bike rack( put on a hitch) We LOVE it Keep looking

[Bpjr07]

Originally Posted by Bpjr07

Yes i have hp tuners will do the update for tow haul mode.

I would verify and try to get the full floater 4.11 locker setup,

Wow forget to think about that its a RV so changing stuff out like Trans will require tanks to be removed first, older tanks and might break?!

Hope while im searching, this pandemic camping fad will stop and i can get a decent deal haha.

If you get a chance to email that, it would be cool to start looking into it Vargasgarf@gmail.com
So awesome that you dialed it all in like that! I would tinker with my supercharged ls1 corvette with the 4l60e and hp tuners too.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Bpjr07

If you get a chance to email that, it would be cool to start looking into it Vargasgarf@gmail.com
So awesome that you dialed it all in like that! I would tinker with my supercharged ls1 corvette with the 4l60e and hp tuners too.

Files sent, let me know if you need anything else I might have.

[Bpjr07]

Originally Posted by booster

Files sent, let me know if you need anything else I might have.

Thanks alot! Now all i nedd it to leep an eye out for a RT!

[Donbosch@sbcglobal.net]

Keep looking. I picked up a 2000RT 190 for $28k with only 14k miles on it. Dodge 3500. It has run beautifully. Went from LA to Vermont and back last summer with no issues at all. We waited patiently for something to come up on Craigslist and it finally did. We were fortunate to see it the morning it was listed and bought it that afternoon. Good luck.

[Nick&Linda]

I have a 2000 PleasureWay with about 67,000 miles that I have thought about selling. Runs great. I have had brakes worked on, and all belts and hoses checked and replaced as needed. Tires are good, but don't remember the date of them. I could check. 3 way frig that I know works on gas and electric. I have not used 12 volt side. Am undecided as to if I should sell, or keep. It is paid for, and we use it for short trips here in Florida. If you might be interested, send me a text, or send me an email. Cell - 3026709034 and email nickmurabito@yahoo.com

[Bpjr07]

I will look into the pleasure-way info. Man wish you were not on the other side of the continent lol. I am in californi

[Nick&Linda]

My PleasureWay van is a Lexor TD model. I replaced the Group 24 battery with 2 Group 27 AGM batteries. I added a 600 watt inverter, and had the hood repainted. We call it our Weekend get-away van. Drives nice, and is easy to park.

[2002Roadtrek190]

Mike, I have a 2002 190 popular Roadtrek with 90,000 miles coming up on 100,000 and I’ve tried to keep up. Can you tell me the OBD reader you have and the application you use to monitor system? Thank you.

[mkguitar]

I use an iphone- there is similar available for android I am sure.


I have dedicated an old unused iphone 4s for this task and leave it in the van



the obd dongle is bluetooth ( the old ones were wifi- the BT seems to maintain better connection)


I have had good customer service from veepeak in the past, coupons or discounts are sometimes available


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I also use an extension with a switch:
1.) the obd port is near the parking brake and I kicked the dongle in my truck once
2.) the port is live and I don;t want any drain on battery when parked


something like this:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The app I use is called OBDfusion i can monitor functions such as tranny temp, some use for mpg monitoring.
also useful for diagnostics- I've used for fuel flow, knock sensor, MAF sensor issues.
and to reset service engine light


it's not locked to a vehicle and I use with my GM's, Prius ( shows battery pack status) and even a rental car when I was working 100 miles from town and it told me I have 6 starts left, "return to dealer"- did a reset.



mike