My First

[Yankee802]

Hello all,

Just wanted to make my first post, this is my first Prevost. (and my first RV) Will browse the forum when I get the chance and I look forward to enhancing my new lifestyle with the knowledge from this forum.

Geoff

[dale farley]

Geoff,

Welcome to the forum and the Prevost world. When you get a chance, we would be interested in seeing some more pictures of your bus. Better yet, come to the mini rally in Mobile, AL next week, and we can see it in person.

I wasn't aware that Marathon had been in business that long. We sold our 93 Marathon last year, and we had really enjoyed it.

[merle&louise]

Geoff,

Welcome to POG, glad to have you on board. I noticed your signature line showing that your bus is Marathon's 1st conversion! Is that correct? It is a little confusing if it is #109.:confused:

[Yankee802]

Yes sir, the number of the coach is #109, Marathon made 8 MCI conversions, then went to Prevost. I learned all this when I called Marathon to update them with the new owner information. This coach is in EXCELENT condition, and shows how long a well cared for coach can stand the test of time. My wife and I are now fulltimers living in our coach, and I intend to keep it in the best condition I can. I'll be soliciting advice on the best course for maintenance as time goes on. :)

I'll post more on our coach and its/our history later.

Geoff

[dalej]

Geoff, looking at the right side of your bus, is it a side isle? our windows are in the same location and ours is a side isle. Marathon and Country Coach are so close in proxsimity, they seemed to do a lot of the same styling on their bus's.

[Yankee802]

Yes it is a side isle, I LOVE this configuration!

Geoff

[0533]

It says on the Marathon Website states: "Marathon Coach, Inc. began operations in September 1983 converting new commercial bus shells into luxury recreational vehicles and corporate coaches"., and I guess the #109 1984 was the model year. Wonder how many conversions were produced in 1983, couldn't have been many possibly only one or two??

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Geoff,

Welcome to the asylum. In case you haven't figured it out we will be able to answer all your questions. Occasionally we even will give you the right answer.

I'm glad to see your coach has OTR (over the road air). You will not regret that.

Take good care of that coach and it will outlast all of us.

[Yankee802]

Thank you guys for the warm reception, and I look forward to learning all I can and hopefully some rallies. If there is anyone in the Virginia Beach area, come by the KOA for a visit.

One of the upgrades I'm considering is solar, but I'll start another tread for that, and yet another for memory foam mattresses, and another for toad information. :o

I got so many ideas and questions, but I better get back to work. :)

Geoff

[Coloradobus]

Welcome Geoff,
We are 477 coaches from ya, 0586. Glad you jumped into RVing with both feet. Way to go.

[Will Garner]

Geoff,

Welcome aboard. Two good sources for information. First, is to perform a search of the posts for the specific topic about which you are looking for information. The second is the "Articles" section. Jon W, known as A-1, just posted an article on three DDEC codes that will shut your engine off. Good reading. Print the Articles out and put them in a three ring binder - kept with the bus of course.

When you go to your first rally be on the lookout for any blow up sheep. They seem to an an affinity to attach themselves to new member buses for some unknown reason. Well sometimes it is in retaliation for snide remarks made here in the Forum.

I'm sure you will really enjoy full timing in a Prevost and your association with all the members of POG you meet somewhere on down the road.

Will

[truk4u]

Welcome Geof, did you really have to pay to join this mess?:p

[Yankee802]

Jon,

Just skimmed over your article on Prevost Purchase Inspection, wish I had joined POG before purchase so I would have had this to help me, but I had at least an artile by Jeff Raymond at prevost-stuff to guide me. I have a request, I copied your maintenance schedule to start my own from, do you have anything specific, including the part numbers, for my 84's 8V92T? :D

Geoff

PS. Am browsing the other articles, think there maybe what I've just asked for further down. :)

PPS. Wow, thank you Jon for all your articles, this should put me on the right track.

PPPS. Jon, how do you keep your engine bay so clean? Is there an article to explain the best way to clean my engine and bays to that level safely?!?

[Yankee802]

I was told to keep the tire pressure on all tires at 110psi, but I found in one of Jon's articles this:

(Steer-105 PSI)
(Drive-85 PSI)
(Tag-90 PSI)

Which is correct, what does everyone else use for tire pressure?

I should probably appologize early, I'm really anal, and want to do the best I possibly can for my coach/HOME. If my wife thinks I'm anal about my BMWs, she aint seen nothing yet once I get the information on how to best clean my engine compartment. :rolleyes:

[Yankee802]

Jon,

I noticed most of your articles have "Section #", is there a compiliation of all the sections available to us anywhere?

Geoff

PS. I'm sorry everyone, I guess I should either start a new thread, or send Jon a PM after gathering all my questions, instead of showing off how much of a noob I am. :)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Tire pressures are based on the tire manufacturer's chart for the weight on the tire.

Load your bus with all the stuff you normally carry, empty the holding tank and fill the fuel and water tanks and weigh the coach. Then look up the appropriate pressures for your specific weights and tire size

http://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck/tires-retreads/load-inflation-tables.jsp

The numbers used to relate to the section in the Prevost service manual. They really are unimportant.

Apart from the pressure of having to uphold the honor of winning the first Anal Award (hence the A-1 designator) I found out a long time ago that keeping the engine and transmission clean is the easiest way to spot a leak quickly. I do not power wash my engine or transmission. I scrape or brush the heavy crud off and then use a solvent such as Simple Green or even paint thinner to dissolve the grease so I can hose it off with water.

You do not have a DDEC (computer controlled) engine so spraying water around your engine is unlikely to adversely affect anything. Once I get the engine as clean as possible I paint it to make leaks really show up.

You will quickly realize that these coaches while not excessively complex do have a lot of stuff that require routine maintenance. The quickest way to become overwhelmed and to end up with simple problems that turn into major issues is to ignore the little stuff. Almost everybody here will agree that staying on top of the details prevents having to spend some serious dollars for major repairs, such as ignoring hub seal leaks, tire pressures, fluid levels, replacing hoses or clamps, etc.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Geoff

The FIRST MARATHON PREVO. How :cool: is that.

We too have an older bus. I like to refer to them as pre-complicated:rolleyes:

I marvel every time we get another member who is a first time RVer.

You stumbled into something you will only begin to appreciate fully as time goes on, both the bus and POG.

[dalej]

Great Post Joe! two thumbs up just like McCain does it!

[Yankee802]

Tire pressures are based on the tire manufacturer's chart for the weight on the tire.

Load your bus with all the stuff you normally carry, empty the holding tank and fill the fuel and water tanks and weigh the coach. Then look up the appropriate pressures for your specific weights and tire size.

OMG, according to the charts, I'm WAY over in pressure on my tires at 110psi each, or I'm reading the chart wrong. I'll go look at my tires tomorow, but I think I have 11/22.5 and I weighed in at 29450 with less than 1/4 in water, full fuel and me (175lbs). So I'd guess around 30k with full water.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Geoff, ideally you need to weigh each tire, but weighing each individual axle is probably good enough.

You might find that your steer axle will require 110, but that the drives may require 80 or 85, and the tag 70. These are strictly guesses, and the actual pressures may be different because of your weights and tire size. If I recall your coach was originally equipped with 12/22.5 tires. If the weights do not exceed the ratings for the 11.00s stay with them because that size tire is available anywhere and is cheap relatively speaking.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

That is 10000lb less than our 85XL.

How can that be?????????:confused:

[Yankee802]

10k difference in weight could be stuff, I know someone who's bus is crammed full of tools and stuff, where I still have room for stuff. Otherwise I dunno, and (I haven't gone outside yet, just woke up) I think Jon is right about the tire size, I think they are 12/22.5, whatever the 'normal' size for our busses is, if there is a 'normal' size?

Geoff

[Yankee802]

- deleted double post -

[dalej]

Geoff, do you use photoshop or elements? if you send me your photos, I can resize them and send them back for you to post.

[Yankee802]

I got it Dale, thanks. I just need to restrain myself and not post ALL my pics. I'll try to keep it under 10, and it my other thread. :)

Geoff