Looking to purchase used 1992 WB40

[mbrund]

Well we went and did it now, we went from being wannabee's last week
to a newbee this week. We looked at two WB this week, a 1994 PT40
(well used and abused), and the white 1992 that was on Bird
Connection. The 1992 was in great shape for its years, we end up
purchasing the unit after going over it for 3 hours, and then 1 hour
drive on rought roads and interstate.

The only items we could find that had issues where: Front A/C was
low on freon, the tag axle tires have scrubbed off the inner tread
on both sides, the other tires while not dry rotted show significant
wear, the backup monitor does not work. That was pretty much the end
of the list of issues.

One issue that concerned me during the test drive revealed itself in
the user manual. I had the retarder in apply, and set the cruise
control at 65mph. We happen to hit a large expansion joint in a
bridge that gave us one heck of a jolt, and the cruise control shut
down. We expect that the retarder might have kicked in and shut off
the cruise when the rear axle went over the bump because we had no
more issues with cruise other than that incident as I turned off the
retarder after that.

The prior owner removed the rear body wide mud flap, so when I
inspected the radiator for debris I was surprised how clean it was.
And that is when he told me he removed the mud flap because he was
told it would cause an issue.

Engine campartment was clean, batteries showed no signs of
corrosion, no oil leaks in the under carriage other than at hose
joint for the hyd. fluid that I believe drives the power
steering/fan (it is a hose right under the radiator).

Michael Brundridge
1992 WLWB PT40 - Georgetown, TX

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Pete Masterson
wrote:
>
> It's a good looking coach ... had it been available when I was
> looking it would have been high on my list of units to consider.
With
> the new paint job, you'll find that hardly anybody (outside the
BB
> community) will believe that it's a 15 year old RV. (My coach is
> quite similar, though a couple of years newer and with the Series
60
> engine.)
>
> The Primus heat is a concern ... but parts are available, even if
> single-sourced. A steel bodied RV does need a bit more heat (when
> it's cold) than, perhaps, a plastic model. (One of the trade-
offs,
> but I still much prefer the strength of steel.)
>
> The main concern is vehicle mechanical condition and the wear and
> tear on the various systems. If the engine hasn't been mistreated,
it
> is certainly good for a lot of miles beyond the 144,000 lsited.
The
> miles divided by the engine hours equals an average movement speed
of
> 50 mph -- that suggest that the coach was a fair number of
freeway
> miles. I would plan a fairly complete servicing including oil
change
> and brake inspection early on.
>
> One "watch for" is the condition of the radiator. DD engines are
not
> forgiving of overheating. It is common for the radiator to become
> partially clogged with oily-dirt. The tendency of DD engines to
spray
> a bit of oil through the breather tubes makes the problem worse
as
> the fan often sucks the oil mist back through the radiator mixing
> with dust that kicks up. This should be something that you
carefully
> monitor and try to clean out the radiator if it shows any
blockage.
> (It was very difficult to examine on my coach as it sits behind
the
> air-charge radiator (that cools air from the turbo charger), but
> perhaps the DD 8v92 configuration allows easier viewing of the
> radiator.) Simply pulling the radiator is a $2000+ job. The
complete
> replacement of the core may run as much as $3000+. (I also had
work
> done on my chassis AC -- so my tab came to about $4000 for core
> replacement and the other services performed by a professional
heavy
> duty radiator service. Costs for work done outside California may
be
> more reasonable.)
>
> Other expenses you might plan for would include new tires in a
year
> or two. (8 times $350~450) Also, the gel batteries have a life
> expectancy of up to about 7 years... but if they've been
mistreated,
> they may also be next to go. I'm shopping for batteries now ...
looks
> like about $2100 for six size 4D AGM house batteries. I haven't
> priced engine batteries (mine seem OK), but my coach has 3 AGM
class
> 37s -- about $160 each .
>
> Of some concern would be the refrigerator. While home
refrigerators
> used to run for 25-30 years, since the 80s, they've been
manufactured
> to only last about 10-12 years or so. It's hard to guess how long
an
> RV refrigerator might last -- it depends on brand, type (RV with
gas
> & electric option or regular home-type), and use. In particular,
if
> gas operated, the burner and venting is subject to corrosion.
>
> Not as difficult, but still a modest headache would be the
microwave/
> convection oven ... at 15 years, it, too, may be near it's
expected
> life span -- or not -- again depending on use, etc.
>
> Pete Masterson
> aeonix1@...
> '95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42'
> El Sobrante, CA