New to Me, 2000 Winnebago 31B

[retmotor]

We've been looking for a rig since January. It's been slim pickings for motorhomes up here -- ones that a person would want to buy anyway. We've changed our minds about what we wanted several times after seeing what was and wasn't out there. It was more than a bit discouraging. A special thanks goes out to the person that found this listing for us.

I've been generally impressed by the build quality, workmanship, materials and support Winnebago offers. There's some pretty neat ideas they've incorporated into the coach as well. I believe we are going to enjoy this coach and I'm glad we didn't settle with a couple of the others we looked at.

It's a 2000 Winnebago 31B with 28k miles. The previous owner put new tires on it and new coach batteries. She was sitting for a few years, but everything that's expensive to replace/repair seems to work well on it. I do need to clean her up and catch up on some maintenance though. I'll see if I can get a decent picture up later tonight or tomorrow. I just wanted to say "hi" to the Winnebago forum before I started posting about the rig.

Hi

Our story about the trip home: First lesson; Yahoo Maps works fine for local navigation, but missed the mark by about 70 miles and 90 minutes for trip planning. What was supposed to be just over eight hours ended up being closer to ten.

On the way out it we got snow going over Lost Trail Pass. We did get to see an airplane that had crash landed on the the side of the road -- that's not something you see everyday. We saw some magnificent elk and plenty of other wildlife too.

Once we arrived it was raining (again -- seemed to be a trend when we looked at motorhomes) and we met the owner where he was storing the rig. It looked good in the rain. It drove OK -- thankfully the windshield wipers worked. It was Saturday late afternoon and our credit union was closing. We were financing part of it so I figured I'd need to stay until the check was cut and delivered. The owner said we looked trustworthy and told us to take it home. The owner of the lot in which it was parked did all our faxing for us and told us we could spend the night on his lot. You don't meet people like that everyday.

My wife brought bedding -- just in case, so we broke that out, grabbed some food and hit the sack. About two hours later I woke up having something like a panic attack worried about what we had just done. That's pretty typical for me though. I did get a few more hours sleep and then we were on the road early the next morning.

Other than the 40MP cross winds for about half the drive and me having to sing to myself because the dash radio didn't power up (not sure which was worse), it was a fairly uneventful trip home.

Now to get her ready to go and make her ours.

[Kazoo Tom]

Welcome to the Winnebago family. If you post which model you have you will probably have several responses from owners with similar rigs.

I recently traded in our '98 Brave 32 for an '07 Voyage 35L with two slides. Sounds like you found one in nice condition with a floorplan to fit your needs. Your radio is probably just a fuse or loose connection. If not, they are fairly easy to replace if you have a mind to do so. If you haven't already done so, check all the calking on the roof, make sure it is not cracked and dried out. Again, easy to do if you are only minimally handy. Tires can be a big deal, great that the previous owner has already replaced them for you. If you can get the coach weighed you can check the tire manufacturer's web site for inflation charts to match your load.

Load it up and have fun!

[Patrol 65]

Congratulations on your purchase. As for the dash radio, there may be a radio/tv switch in the right overhead cabinet that needs to be in the radio position for sound to come from the dash radio. In the tv position it sends the volume from the tv to the surround or room speakers if you have them. Winnebago is a solid coach and most of the parts are can still be ordered through Winnebago. The link is at the top of the Winnebago Owners Forum page.

[retmotor]

Thank you for the welcome!

It's a Brave.

Here are a few pictures. My apologies for the delay. I had a software compatibility problem pop up. I cheated and fixed it by buying a CF card reader.







I do need to redo the roof caulking. I ordered some Dicor Lap Sealant yesterday and I have some Eternabond left over from another project. The outside sky light cover is cracked in several places -- that may not be worth trying to patch.

I'll likely have to drive into the city to get it weighed, but it is something I want to do once we get it packed up and ready to go. We got the temporary permit for it today. It sounds like the one time registration fee is going to be around $250. That's not bad at all.

I just checked the entertainment center and I didn't notice a switch for the radio. That's a lot of electronics though -- more than I've ever had in a house. I know the in-line fuse for the radio is good. I'll have to check the chassis fuse box...

[retmotor]

Update on the radio: The coach power must be on and this top switch, "Radio Power" must be set to "AUX."



I really need to read those manuals...

[Kazoo Tom]

My old '98 Brave was a 32WQ and looked nearly identical to yours. Nice floor plan and our coach was great for us. We hope our new acquisition serves us as well. I am sold on the Winnebago build quality and the fiberglass roof was a big selling point for us.

If you did not receive the owner's manuals from the previous owner you can probably obtain them through Winnebago customer service. There are also sticky's at the top of this page where you can get electrical and plumbing diagrams and lots of other valuable information. The A/V diagrams may answer your radio question. You can also get the original build sheet referenced by your VIN number from Winnebago (sorry I don't have the link handy). That will give you the brand, model and serial number of the various components used to build your specific unit. Somewhere there is also a complete parts list for your unit right down to each nut and bolt.

[micd]

Congratulations! I had to reread the manuals every time I needed to figure out the dash switches the first year. The second year I labeled them so I don't have to pull the manual out any more.
1994 Brave 29RQ RV: Demystifying the dash switches

I also labeled the various other switches around the coach, including which items drained into which tanks, identified more clearly the on/off for the hot water heater and the furnace. Also did the door switches as they were hard to read.

[Kazoo Tom]

Ref your radio - When you have the switch you mentioned in the AUX position that means that the radio is drawing it's power from the house battery. When the switch is in the other position the radio draws power from the engine battery, just like in your car. In the engine position the radio should play just fine as long as the key is "on" or the engine running.

[micd]

I'm thinking since it didn't play while he was driving that he turned off the house batteries via the other switch and had the radio in the house battery position. With other people looking at the rig there were probably a couple who just fiddled with the switches.

[retmotor]

Thanks, Tom. We both really like this floor plan. I must admit I'm partial to the throne having its own room. I'm glad someone told me about the build quality and back support of Winnebago. From years ago, I had it in my mind Winnebago wasn't a well built coach. I was wrong.

We did get all the manuals, or at least it looks like it. I've downloaded the wiring diagrams. They sure did use a lot of yellow wire.

micd, thanks! Labeling just seems like a good idea. Thanks for the link. I think I need to color code my keys too. I'd swear four of those seven keys on the key ring don't go to anything...

Tom, oddly enough it does not play in the MAIN position (ignition on) whether the coach power is switched off or not. The cigarette light has no power either -- maybe they're related.

Originally Posted by micd

I'm thinking since it didn't play while he was driving that he turned off the house batteries via the other switch...

Correct. I had switched off the coach although I don't really know why I did.

[Kazoo Tom]

With the radio and cig lighter both not working it sounds like a bad fuse. I think that one of the wiring diagrams shows the fuses. I think on your model you can still lift the dash pod to have access to all the fuses. Maybe they are labeled for you.

[John Hilley]

Here is a link to the 2000 Brave Manual

2000 Brave Operator Manual

Here is the sealant call out sheet

2000 Brave Sealant Callout sheet

Make sure you use the right sealant on the roof sides, it is important to prevent loosing your roof.

Don't delay on getting the sky-light fixed, I got delamination from mine. On my 1999 Brave the exterior part was $130.

[Mothership]

Welcome! Looks much like our 99 Adventurer. The dinette and sink are reversed. The clock is even the same! Our rig sat for a few years also and had the same mileage. Our first purchase was tires and shocks. Then we re-sealed the roof, re-covered the couch, dinette benches and blind valences to make it "our own". Then a few fun things and just kept up with the maintenance. It's been about 5 years and it keeps going down the road just fine with no problems. I'm still learning about how things work!
I would encourage people not to be afraid of the older motorhomes. Just take your time and check things out thoroughly before you buy. Some of the older models have a few options and items the newer models don't have or no longer build. We still go to RV shows and compare our oldie with the new models!
Have a great time!

[retmotor]

Thanks, Tom. The dash pod does lift. All the fuses have continuity. I don't see one specifically labeled dash or radio but there are some open slots. I suppose it's possible the previous owner pulled the fuse for some reason.

Part of the wiring harness is hacked up, but as near as I can tell, that's all horn related (kind of looks like he got the "constant on" horn and he came up with an unusual solution to fix it.

Thanks, John. I'll have to read through that manual. I just got a quote of $119 for the dome plus shipping -- I'll order it today. For the roof I ordered Dicor Self Leveling Lap Sealant. I also have some Eternabond I'll use. For the sides I ordered the non-self leveling Dicor Lap Sealant.

Mothership, thanks for the welcome and for the encouragement. I must admit I still do have some anxiety about this rig costing us lots of money in the future. So far it's just little stuff though and I kind of like tinkering with it.