I have Faith

[Starghoti]

So....
Picked up a 2004 c190P for a modest price. Seems well cared for, but much used.
I will be doing a lot of tinkering over the next several months.
Replacing water pump, troubleshooting fridge, reattaching window crank brackets... You know, the usual older RT stuff.
Already upgraded the roof vent from factory FanFan to basic Maxxair Max, changed sewer hose and fittings, pulled the questionable ps-inverter, and installed a front/rear dvr/mirror.

Genny runs well, tranny was Not full of glitter, recent door seal rubber, good interior, recent tires...

Looking forward to being able to go camping soon...

And, his name is Faith.

[mkguitar]

Nice!


I have recently posted replacing seat lower foam and lubing swivels in my Chev based Pleasure Way


CheersMike

[rowiebowie]

The Adventure Begins!

My '2011 Chevy (on a '2012 Airstream Avenue) has been flawless and I've heard good things about the earlier models like yours.

The Airstream coach part (on the other hand) has been an on-going series of repairs that have made me intimately familiar with my van. Welcome to the club.

EDIT: Nice choice to go with the Maxxfan.

[themexicandoctor]

Rosie- bizarre but true - I designed the Airstream Avenue by sending a blueprint of sorts of the an Urban B model to the Head Engineer who said "We make Class B+ models only, would never use the Chevy or Ford Platform ..."

A year later the Avenue came out & while it looked a little claustrophobic, they went into production.

The same year I sent the blueprint for the Rear Bed Pleasureway Plateau - no reply from PW but they went ahead & produced it for one year.

It seems both the Avenue & the Rear Bed Plateau were not well received in the market.

Maybe thats why I never got a Thank You letter from either company...

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by Starghoti

So....
Picked up a 2004 c190P for a modest price. Seems well cared for, but much used.
I will be doing a lot of tinkering over the next several months.
Replacing water pump, troubleshooting fridge, reattaching window crank brackets... You know, the usual older RT stuff.
Already upgraded the roof vent from factory FanFan to basic Maxxair Max, changed sewer hose and fittings, pulled the questionable ps-inverter, and installed a front/rear dvr/mirror.

Genny runs well, tranny was Not full of glitter, recent door seal rubber, good interior, recent tires...

Looking forward to being able to go camping soon...

And, his name is Faith.

I have a Chevrolet 2004 with a 2005 Roadtrek Versatile 190 build out - ours was the last year when they worked with real wood before they moved to this composite crap - our units are like a fine yacht ...

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Rosie- bizarre but true - I designed the Airstream Avenue by sending a blueprint of sorts of the an Urban B model to the Head Engineer who said "We make Class B+ models only, would never use the Chevy or Ford Platform ..."

A year later the Avenue came out & while it looked a little claustrophobic, they went into production.

The same year I sent the blueprint for the Rear Bed Pleasureway Plateau - no reply from PW but they went ahead & produced it for one year.

It seems both the Avenue & the Rear Bed Plateau were not well received in the market.

Maybe thats why I never got a Thank You letter from either company...

But Airstream revived the floorplan in '2019 with their 19 foot Shorty on the Sprinter platform. I'm sure your royalty check is in the mail.

New Nineteen on top, my Avenue Suite layout on the bottom.

[themexicandoctor]

I love the Nineteen.

At the time the Engineering Dept were complaining the couldn't justify the entry cost of the 144 Merceds versus the 170. Short units were in high demand.

That's when I suggested the Chevrolet.

It was a short 4-6 email exchange.

NEXT!

[rowiebowie]

The reason we like our layout (which is much like the later 190P's except the galley and bath are flipped) is because the bath is a good size for a b and at 6'2" tall, the 76" long rear bed was a must. And under the rear bed is a large 42x32x13 inch unobstructed storage which is accessible from the inside or rear doors.

On the negative side, having the bath just behind the drivers seat limits seat travel and recline. I get just enough legroom, mainly because you sit up high like in a chair. But it is close.

[mkguitar]

My seat position is similar in the chev based pleasure way.
luckily I prefer an upright position
I have a cranny behind the seat where I can fit my travel guitar- use every inch


Mike

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

My seat position is similar in the chev based pleasure way.
luckily I prefer an upright position
I have a cranny behind the seat where I can fit my travel guitar- use every inch


Mike

Are you a Professional Musician?

[mkguitar]

no technician, been touring over 40 years


"work" is travel in airplanes and hotels to arenas and stadiums
( I don't mind our buses- always a good sleep)



Time off is travel in my van to beaches and forests


Mike

[Gary Rasmussen]

I recently acquired a 2005 RT 210 Versatile. Most of the issues so far seem to be related to non-use. The interior of mine is in excellent condition, exterior has some minor issues. On the generator, I ended up replacing the carburetor, but now it seems to work great. I updated some of the 12v and 110v electrical service in the television, entertainment area. Let us know what other issues you find! It sounds like your unit and mine may be very similar.

[Starghoti]

I plan on removing the head knocker over the (won't be using it) dinette area and tapping that circuit to add in usb ports in the rear.
I got in the entertainment cabinet and removed most of the extraneous wiring. Most all my gear runs off 12v so I also removed (but kept) the 300w ps inverter.
I need to replace the water pump. And I have an odd thonk under the cab when I go over small potholes. Slow bumps are fine, turning fine, handling is normal. Frame to wheel jostle= thonk noises. Hear and feel through cab floor. Taking it into the shop for this issue. Their hoist beats my 'park with one wheel on a curb' method. Lol

[Starghoti]

Also, just sold my cargo conversion, so have a speck of cash to fix things with.

[Starghoti]

Got the first (always the most difficult) solar panel mounted. And have a good wire path to where I want to mount the charge controller. Awaiting batteries arrival, but have most all the other bits for decent house 12v power.

[rowiebowie]

Keep sending updates, and a few pics would be nice.

[Starghoti]

I post pics when I can.

[Starghoti]

2nd panel mounted, wiring routed in, took some cabinetry apart and pathed from ingress to charge controller. Install will be unseen by the casual visitor. Will use excess 10ga to go to battery from controller.

Was planning on removing the microwave anyway... lol

Now need to: finish my new found kitchen storage, complete wiring prep, and wait for batteries and bms to arrive...

Also need to troubleshoot the fridge and find time to do a test camp..

[themexicandoctor]

What's the latest in your RV Ownership Adventure.

The 04 is a positive to the blue colour scheme of the 01-03.

As for the fridge, if you have enough solar, I cannot recommend enough the Novakool R3800 or the R4500.*

Slides in perfectly, need a 1 inch piece of ply underneath.


Two other people have managed to keep their Dometic smaller units alive up to 80% outside with no sun on that side of the coach, beyond that they make great toast makers.

Put my R3800 in a couple of days ago, have it set for 5 right now versus the recommended #3 (1-7 range) as I put it through its paces.

I can to hate the Dometic 3 Way. So much spoilt food in days when for but two hours or so I wasn't able to find the perfectly level parking at Patient's homes. And then to deal with days of sluggish, inadequate performance.

Did I mention that I came TO HATE THE DOMETIC.

And my fridge guru repair visits to increase the pressure every 6 months, etc at $60 @ time. Mark at Lodgemobile in Burbank, Los Angeles - family business for 50 years, he can resurrect any fridge. In fact, all the RV Repair places send their customer's units to him for repair & he is the go to guy for anything fridge or ac related that has the name DOMETIC on the outside.

DONT BUY DOMETIC, THEY ARE THE ENRON OF THE FRIDGE INDUSTRY & EVERYTHING IS MADE IN OUR FAVOURITE ALLIES BACKYARD, CHINA.

The DC Compressor unit so far has been using about 14amp hours per night so far but I have been driving late with good batteries so the draw time with no sunlight is only 6-8 hours.

*the amps needed is only 2.2 for the R3800 which is 3.5 cubic feet, the amp needed for the R4500 which is 4.5 cubic feet, this can be misleading.

However the R3800 is big enough for me & I have been so flabbergasted getting my head around the theory of electrical that I also erred on the smaller unit just in case so I didn't have to add anymore solar because there is no room left on top for the conventional frame units unless I completely redo my solar - not an option.

However most owners of the R4500 on average have nightly draw of 25-35 amps.

As for size, the dimensions between both units are the same width & height however the depth of the R3800 is 18 inches & the R4500 21 inches versus the Dometic cut out of 22 3/4 depth.

I will post a link of my install.

I am NOT happy with my Novakool.

I AM ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC!

No more running the Dometic @5 & using the scientific "Butter Squeeze Technique" to determine if it was save to eat the food.

Everytime I open my Novakool door I am greeted with a blast of cold air & a warm light.

I have to discipline myself to not open the door just to experience "Fridge Bliss ..."

Did I say I HATE DOMETIC & NORCOLD 3 WAY FRIDGES

[themexicandoctor]

Here it is; a Masterclass in DC Refrigeration for Class B's with everything you ever wanted to know;

https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...ile-10598.html