High Gang

[GSwaim]

:) My Name is Gary Swaim and although I'm not new to travelin in a coach or otherwise, I am new to Prevost buses. My Wife, Karen and I have traveled full-time in a coach for the past 8 years after we retired from our lifelong careers in San Diego, CA.

I'm currently transitioning from a 2008 - 45' quad slide Holiday Rambler, Navigator to a non slide 98 to 02 Prevost. I'm making this journey because we are slowing down from full time travel and plan to build a home in Pigeon Forge, TN next year. You can read more about Karen & I on our personal website www.SwaimQuest.com (http://www.swaimquest.com)

We own a customizing business called Custom Coach Connection that has focused on electronic upgrades nad repairs for motor coaches and fresh water yatches. We now have expanded our services to custom cabinetry as well as flooring and renovation. You can see more of what we do on our business website - www.CustomCoachConnection.com (http://www.customcoachconnection.com)

Happy Holidays, Karen & Gary

[tdelorme]

Welcome to POG. There are several of us who will benefit from your services when you get settled down in Tenn. Get Jim Skiff to make you a deal on advertising. We are always glad to get new members who know their way around electrons, so get ready for the questions.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Welcome to the asylum. You have picked the best spot to live and from now on we wish you would keep it secret. Too much traffic.

Almost kidding about that.

Although this group of misfits is reluctant to express themselves, if you have questions regarding your search for a new ride, post them here. Occasionally someone will respond. The hot buttons for questions are Over The Road air, slides, which converter is best, roof airs versus Cruise Airs, slides or no slides, etc.

I will shorten your search efforts. Just go buy a non-slide late 90s Liberty rivet coach.

[shookie]

thank the lord you arrived just in time...please shed some light on bettering all of our cb systems in-as-much as the reception and transmission is quite limited...assuming the signals match and check out, do we have any other options to better our range and communications with other vehicles...thank you and welcome to POG....shookie

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Welcome Karen and Gary, read about your fire,WOW, that was terrible.

Happy to see you here. Good luck moving next to Jon ;):D

JIM

[phorner]

Welcome Karen and Gary. We transitioned from a triple slide '03 Beaver to a non-slide 2000 Liberty Coach.

We live in the bus full time. You're at the right place to ask questions prior to your purchase..... we love helping other people spend their money :D

Good luck.... and yeah, you did pick one of the best spots to settle down!

[sawdust_128]

Welcome aboard.

[Pete]

Gary & Karen, welcome to POG. E.J. and I remember visiting with you guys in Oklahoma City. It's great to have you on board!

[garyde]

Welcome to POG. we always have room for intelegent free advise. Now's the best time to purchase a Prevost. From here forward in time, they will start getting more expensive again.

[GSwaim]

Thanks to all that replied and gave us a warm Welcome.

We have set our sites on a 2002 Marathon XL2-40 and are negociating as we speak. The bus has not been used much (60K) in the last nine years, and has no records available but looks like it is in need of all it's maintenance. If we put the deal togeather I intend to have all maintenance done professionally. Can anyone give me places that can do this work well in the Phoenix area? I will need at the very minimum:
1. Michelin tires
2. complete detroit engine hoses, belts, fluids and filters
3. prevost chassis inspection and most likely frt busings, misc air system & brake parts.
4. All new battieries (house/chassis/genny)
5. Paint and stainless conditioning (cut and buff)
6. Dash GPS updating
7. some lite upolstery updating

I intend to take it to S.california Marathon facility for some Converter work. Anyone have experience with them?

I have been told that there is a member by the name of Dale in this group that can talk adn maybe provide financing if I find the need. Can I here from you please.

Thanks all.

[Jim Skiff]

Gary,

Try Wayne Mullis at Desert West Coach. They are sponsors and have done work for members. FLYU2THERE (John Giehm) has experience with them.

Link to their website (http://www.desertwestcoach.com/)

[Alek&Lucia]

We have set our sites on a 2002 Marathon XL2-40 and are negociating as we speak. The bus has not been used much (60K) in the last nine years, and has no records available but looks like it is in need of all it's maintenance..

2002 and 9 years old = 2011
or
2000 and 9 years old = 2009

Check the vin # for the chassis age

Alek

[GSwaim]

:D Sorry, had this 2002 marathon mixed up with a 2000 Liberty we are looking at also when calculating age. After servieral analysis of bus candidates they all starting to blend. Either way you calulate it, the original Michellins on a 2002 (2001 Shell) are out of date and need to be replaced.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Whoever you choose to do the work, stand over them.

When the customer is watching things tend to get done properly. When you are watching you are also learning.

As part of your negotiations there are several items that I would put real high up on the list beyond tires and batteries and a full zeroing out of all maintenance such as fluids (DON'T FORGET COOLANT), filters, belts, hoses, and a full lube, I would treat all air bags, brake chambers and all Norgren suspension valves as having timed out.

I'm not sure I would mess with the blue Detroit Diesel coolant hoses because they seem to exhibit a life span similar to that of a turtle, but I would not exclude the other hoses such as those related to the conversion or the Webasto as being cadidates for change.

I sure would get the coach to a Detroit/Allison shop and have them run the codes. I would be standing there when they did it.

[garyde]

When negotiating a purchase price, I would have a dollar amount developed for all of your maintenace,repair, and inspections . For instance Lifeline Batteries can be $350.00 each. Michelins mounted will run you $550 each and so on. You may already have some number in mind but get it all down on paper.

[Alek&Lucia]

Also, remember about the generator, and the whole set-up, that is connected to the inverter/chargers.
That includes air bags, hoses, transfer switches, automatic start, etc etc etc.

Alek

[HarborBus]

I think the one your looking at is #750 and it is teal or turquoise. If this is the one your looking at it needs all that you listed as well as approx $5000 worth of body work needed on the left rear engine door and a broken seal on one of the thermopane windows in the bedroom. We were negotiating on it last May and it has recently been at Marathon in Beaumont to be checked out by a prospective buyer but he decided to buy a 45' coach from Marathon due to the extensive issues that #750 has. You could call Mike McGee at 800-765-9918 and he will tell you what they discovered.

[James]

We looked at #750 before we bought our current one. We liked the interior with the Southwest decor.

It appeared to be abused, as in rode hard and put away wet so to speak.

We took it for a drive. Lots of problems that could be fixed, just costs money. The dealer had a PDI list which included a lot of the things that would need to be repaired however no engine or transmission codes.

For the right price it would be a good buy however Kris wanted more than one sink in the bathroom/bedroom and a stackable washer & dryer so we bought a 45 footer.

[GSwaim]

Well Gang, Looks like there is no Marathon in my future. Dennis, the owner of Marathin 750 was being capricious and I couldn't take it any longer so I pulled my offer. Since then Karen and I found a really clean 62K mile 2002 Royale #332. I am writing this email setting at the kitchen table during my trial stay this evening before handing over the check tomorrow. After two days of extensive inspection I could only turn up three major things to fix.

1. An ABS fault light with a SID#13/FMI#3 code that states "retarter shorted to 12V" in the diagnostic display.

2. A dripping seal on the Allison tranny, repair shop quoted 12 hours to R&R.

3. A Heater/AC fan in the dash rubbing something when turned on, makes a heck of a sound.

Anyone have simple solutions for any of these?

[ajducote]

Gary,

#3 might be the fans in the dash. On my 99 Royale I had to replace the 2 fans that run run the dash heat/air system. They were making a really bad sound when used. The "whine" got louder the faster the fans ran. See this thread to give you an idea what is involved.

I do not know if a 99 and and 02 have the same setup.

http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/showthread.php?t=3310&highlight=dash+fan

[Alek&Lucia]

Gary,

Welcome another Royale !
Royale is a good choice, you will like your coach.
With POG and http://www.royalephoenix.com/ you bus is not an orphan,

Alek

[GSwaim]

Got into the dash today and found the sqirrel cage fan was rubbing shroud, easy fix to move the fan a 1/8th of an inch on the shaft and clamp it down again. Noise gone.

I did however realize yesterday I'm in for a long road of this and that needing attention. The AquaHot needs service as well as something with the Headhunter water pump. The AwuaHot is no big deal, I've had them forever, the Headhunter pump on the other hand is new to me. The pump seems to cycle on and off which would appear to be sucking air or a leak on the discharge side. The only problem with that therory is I'm not loosing water and I can't find a drop of water leaking anywhere. Any Suggestions?:rolleyes:

I'm crossing the US from Knoxville to Arizona in the next ten days. Any suggestions on a reputable place to take it for the work?

[Danss]

Just finished with same problem. Pulled hose off top of pump and let it run for about 10 seconds to get air out (do not know what caused this). It must have had and air lock. Actually I watched while Pete Pitre & Ed Brockman did the heavy lifting. Thank goodness for people who know what to look for. Good luck, Dan

[Loc]

Gary,

Welcome. Try opening all your faucets (including the shower and outdoor faucet) and letting the pump run. My Headhunter will shut down if there is air in the line and it can't get to the pressure shut off and maintain it. Usually opening all the faucets (hot and cold) and letting them run for a minute does the trick. You can also do it a faucet at a time.

Good luck,

Loc

[GSwaim]

:) Thanks all for your suggestions. I finally determined that the pressure diaphram inside the the original JetPaq water pump was faulty. Since it is an obsolete pump with very few replacement parts available, I went with a new Mach 5 Headhunter pump. After spending some quality time with Headhunter tech support I replumbed the entire water pump bay so that the Shurflow aux water pump and the new Mach 5 main pump run silent and both have isolation valves on the inlet and outlet side of the pumps as well as a new expansion tank. I also relocated the headhunter strainer as perscribed by Headhunter so that it would not get air-locked. Now everything is running perfect and the pumps are easy to access & maintain. Headhunter was not only helpful with their techsupport but discounted the new Mach 5 pump heavily since I had a obsolete JetPaq pump. I would reccommend them to anyone . total repair cost was around $1300.

[GSwaim]

Well it's been a few months and I have had my hands on many of the bus systems since then. For those looking at going down the bus conversion road here is a little overview of how new pruchases can go:

The first thing to go was the water pump. When you want water you don't want to have to worry about the pump failing. This can be an expensive project and I decided it was worth replaccing the headhunter JetPac pump with a new MAC 5 headhunter and a expansion tank. After about a thousand dollars and a days worth of work I was back in business and pleased by the results. With a headhunter toilet you need at least 50 PSI to fluch and the new MAC 5 did the trick without breaking a sweat. I then turned my focus to the 12V backup water pump. It worked fine but only had 30PSI and wouldn't flush the commode. I installed a new pump that produces 60 PSI at 6.5 GPM and positioned it so it ran silent. This pump works excellent and even flushed the Headhunter toilet. In hindsite, I could have saved a thousand dollars and just went to the upgrade 12V water pump. Heck, I could have install two if I wanted a backup.

Next thing to get the attention was seals. I suspect every Bus out there on the market has done a bit of settling if the owner is wanting to sell it. I deduce this because if they were using the bus they wouldn't be selling it. Unfortunately no matter how magnificent the unit looks the seals will be dry and brittle from setting. Some seals are easy to replace but some like the tranny front or engine rear seal will be expensive. Additives will help the seals and in some cases even solve a leak but most seals that have had a long setting condition will need to be replaced. I'm about done with all of this and a few thousand dollars lighter in the pocket book.

Then come the plumbing. I hate plumbing! It messy and sticks and always hard to get to. I spent many a hours checking the plumbing hand over hand on every pipe, What a job. What I found was Royale didn't always pleace rubber sections in the rigid pipe causeing fractures at the stress points int he PVC pipe and leaks. I have got all of them taken care of but there is quite a bit of disassembly to do to get to all the plumbing. Then there is the air system plumbing. Not nearly as messy when leaking but hard to get at. I'm still chasing some of these but so far nothing too bad. You can live with small leaks but for an old Navy guy that lived inside the machine your responsible for I have to have it perfect, so I'm still chasing the minor leaks. This are aisn't an expensive area if your willing to give your time to it yourself.

Generator repair popped up and if you go to the Generator one second run thread you will see what occured there. Suffice it to say, once you know the system it is as easy as fixing an old chevy small block engine. Again this isn't an expensive repair if your willing to spend the time your self and don't need a lot of replacement parts. I found Power Tech technical support to be excellent.

Cleaning, this is a never ending job in all cases. I have been in every corner and surface of my bus and it has dirt and grime. Some was there when they built it I think and some just built up from age. Overall this is kind of a fun job, if your like me and want everything spotless and have the tools to make it that way. I have a hotsey pressure washer and this makes chassis cleanup a breeze. This area can be as expensive as you want to make it depending on how anal you are.

lights and vista lighting. well I can't tell you how many light bulbs there are in a bus but I can tell you I've went through a 24 bag of little lightbulbs and many packs of halogen bulbs. I'm about to embark ont he vista lighting that has single bulbs out here and there. I don't know how to fix single bulbs in the strand so if anyonw knows let me know. If you are like me you will be replacing the entier rope or bar of lights in the Vista lighting. The LED version of this is expensive to say the least. replacement is not that hard as long as you are confortable working with electrical (12V 7 A/C power).

This is my fourth motorhome so I can say with experience that this bus is far easier to work on than any of the production coaches. things are actual put together with something more than Home Depot self tapping screws!! The experiences of taking apart a broken or worn part and renovating it back to new is rewarding and much less expensive. take the plunge and enjoy...more to follow.

[GSwaim]

:cool: I have gotten into the documentation kick. Check out our website (WWW.SwaimQuest.com)for all the latest updates and photos on our Royale. I will continue to add to the site as we bring this 2002 XLII Royale up to new standards and beyond. For those interested I just created a installation document for renovating your water pumps (http://swaimquest.com/Documents/water%20pumps%20installation.pdf) and installing a deionizer (http://swaimquest.com/Documents/Deionizer%20install.pdf)on the bus. Hope you enjoy the articles and the website.

Stay tuned for the updating of the Kitchen cooktop in a couple of weeks followed by the transformation of the antiquated entertainment system into a over the top media serving system for the next century! :confused: Did anyone think in-motion HD direcTV could be possible? stay tune.

[Loc]

Gary,

Nice job on the documentation. I want to install a deionizer on the bus to work with the on board pressure washing system.

[GSwaim]

Just an update after using the deionizer on the road...I LOVE IT! two hours is all it take to wash the bus roof and all and no rush even inthe sunlight because it's spot free. I actual don't mind washing any longer. I do however need to add an additional filter to the inlet of the Deionizer. I experienced some very bad water in Elkhart Indiana and althought I filter and soften all water coming into the bus the deionizer was short lifed by this water. I will be putting a two micron inlet filter on it to prevent this from happening again.

As for running the deionized water throguh a pressure washer, I think this would knock off the hard water better and with less deionized water use. I used my deionizer through a High pressure hotsy at home and love it even more than using it out of the wash port on the bus. I will be adding a pressure washer onto my bus when I return home to try this out. I also think hot water washes are more effective than cool water, any suggestions as to how to make the water hot without destroying the over the counter pressure washer?