Sightseer 35J

whipskipper · 12-04-2013, 02:11 PM

So after months of researching used motorhomes we decided to buy a 2007 sightseer 35J on a workhorse chassis . Cant wait to start using it gonna be a big upgrade from our 1985 chieftain we sold.

CJBROWN · 12-04-2013, 02:49 PM

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

Great coach on a very good chassis. IMO it's still the best gas chassis ever made.

The most common issue with the 8.1 is the plug wires - they route right next to the exhaust manifold and it's common for them to burn. Worth checking out while you're prepping for travel.

Both coach and chassis can be a little fidgety but if you can DIY most things then it's pretty easy to work out all the niggles. Winnie uses good componenets but assembly is by a team of monkeys. LOL.

Good luck and come back with your questions. This forum is a tremendous resource.

shortboxer · 12-04-2013, 03:27 PM

I had an 07 35j on a Ford chassis. Great coach overall. Biggest problem I had was storage compartments rusting around the edges badly. I saw one other with the same problem. Watch for that.

whipskipper · 12-05-2013, 10:20 AM

Thanks guys for the info on plug wires and rust. I will be sure to check into those items.

cydonia-jacc · 12-11-2013, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortboxer

I had an 07 35j on a Ford chassis. Great coach overall. Biggest problem I had was storage compartments rusting around the edges badly. I saw one other with the same problem. Watch for that.

Shortboxer, I have a 35J with a lot of rust around the compartments. I periodically attack the rust with POR15 but its still unsightly. Did you trade yours in? Did you take a big hit in trade-in value because of the rust?

edgray · 12-11-2013, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whipskipper

So after months of researching used motorhomes we decided to buy a 2007 sightseer 35J on a workhorse chassis . Cant wait to start using it gonna be a big upgrade from our 1985 chieftain we sold.

CONGRATS on the new-to-you coach.

You also need to VERIFY that the BOSCH Brake Recall was completed by the previous owner. Let me know if you need help with that. Ed

shortboxer · 12-11-2013, 11:40 AM

I used a grinder to grind away as much rust as possible then I painted the areas with an undercoating. I then traded it in on a new vista 35b with bunks. The dealer did not say a thing about the issue so I guess I did a good job. I did not get what I wanted for the 35j but I was afraid the rust problem would reoccur so I decided to get out while I could.

whipskipper · 12-12-2013, 03:33 PM

You guys are scaring me with the rust issue. I bought it without investigating unit for rust. Hopefully its not a big deal. If so I will just treat the areas with POR 15 as well. Is this rust an issue on all sightseers or just a few un lucky ones out there? I purchased in Oregon but am storing it there until June when I move to florida. I do I find out if the brake recall was completed I guess I can ask the dealer? It has 30K miles to if there was a brake problem I am assuming it would have showed up by now.

shortboxer · 12-12-2013, 05:43 PM

Whipskipper, some times I go over the top and get carried away with things. Even if u have the rust issue I think it can be fixed.

RTegarini · 12-12-2013, 09:43 PM

If rust is a bit of a concern to you, I hope you know of the rusted windshield frame issue and had a look at that potential problem. Even if the seller had made an extensive repair and replacement, the problem can come back, so if you didn't do a thorough inspection, you probably want to do that, especially in a rainy climate like Oregon.

Since you've been a member since March of 2012, you likely already know since it's been covered here all too frequently.

The 35J is a nice floor plan, so enjoy your new home-away-from-home.

whipskipper · 12-13-2013, 12:29 PM

Unfortunately the Bosch brake recall has not been completed. You guys think I should take it to a service center even if brakes are working fine? 2007 35J workhorse 31k miles.

Steve N Sal · 12-13-2013, 12:37 PM

Congrats on your purchase and hope you really enjoy your travels. Welcome to the forum as well. Hope you enjoy the site.

cydonia-jacc · 12-15-2013, 06:09 AM

My rust issues are compounded by our annual drive from Michigan to Florida. We go for a week or two in the winter and every trip we end up in a bad snow/salt storm while passing through Ohio. Other than the rust we love this coach. The floor plan is excellent for a family of four. We usually go on a three to four week trip in the summer and I never get homesick. There is plenty of room. We have 45,000 miles on it and my plan is to keep it for about 10 more years or when our kids will no longer want to travel with us then the wife and I will re-evaluate our needs in a motorhome floorplan.

codgerbill · 12-15-2013, 06:38 AM

Our 2005 Suncruiser had major compartment rusting. I and a friend of mine spent a week of grinding the rust off and having metal between the front and back wheels on both sides cut off and new metal fabricated to replace the stuff that was removed. We used the POR15 process to cover all the compartment metalwork on the bottom sides of the compartments. I am confident that I have the problem licked.

We bought the coach used and as a condition of the sale I told the dealer (at their expense) to have the brake recall done. Good thing as the rotors as well as the calipers needed replacing.

I had the coach at a Workhorse Service center and was told that the manifolde were warped.

When we did the rustproofing I noticed that the mufflers were peeling and flaking. It was kinda a no brainer when I was informed that the manifolds were warped so I decided on having the Banks power Pack installed and had them replace the plugs and plug wires.

If the wife did not love the floor plan I would have traded it in a heart beat.....

Flanagan · 12-15-2013, 07:30 AM

Nice to hear from other 35J owners. Ours is a 2008 on WH chassis. I too bought without sufficient inspection. Rust is a concern around my bins and with my mufflers. I scraped the flaking paint on all bin faces and brush painted with satin black Rustoleum. The muffler rust is actually the outer shell over a heat shield. I found but didn't save a GM service bulletin that outlined their remedy. The said remove mufflers, use small grinder to cut away heat shield, remove insulation material, replace heat shield with an air gap sheet metal piece and then reinstall mufflers. Any other Winnie/WH owners heard of this or actually done it? If you installed new mufflers did they have heat shields? I love our Winnie/WH setup and will be full timing in it come June 2014.

codgerbill · 12-15-2013, 11:06 AM

Rustoleum will be only a temporary fix. Others in our Motorhome club (WIT) had gone that route and they were doing it again the following year. There are other products to cure the rust problem and I chose the POR-15 route. It is a 3 step process and it does require getting rid of the flaking stuff first. In my case the rust was bad enough to warrant using a grinder to get it all. The POR-15 then has a de-greaser followed by a metal prep and then the paint. There are a bunch of threads on the IRV2 forum regarding the POR15 rustproofing system.

tderonne · 12-15-2013, 12:39 PM

POR15 isn't magic. Here's some info or treating/stopping rust:

There are three basic types of rust prevention coatings.

The first would be Rustoleum, Xrusto, RustX, Corroless, and Zero Rust. They are for the most part conventional paint, usually syntheic enamel based. These paints contain oils that react slowly so the cure process is extended, making them self sealing, and able to soak into rust, sealing it up, stopping the oxygen from getting in. Only the primers have this quality, the rest of the line is just synthetic enamel paint, in most cases high quality paint, but just paint none the less.

The second would be the rust convertors, Extend, Fertran, Permatex Rust convertor, ect. These are phosphoric acid, water, and most have a latex oil base. What these do is react the acid with the oxygen in the rust to form an inert compound, robbing the iron oxide of any free oxygen, then sealing it with the latex oil. It does work, but not on real thick rust. As long as it's topcoated soon it will do the job.

The third type is POR 15, Rust Bullet, and a couple others. These are isocyanate based, essentially super glue with a pigment added. The way they work, isocyanate need moisture to cure, so what they do is rob the free water from rust spots, and all rust spots have free water in them, that's why they come back. Once the free water is gone, the remaining rust is sealed in place very effectively, and becomes inert.

Need to get to my bins and do something....

whipskipper · 12-16-2013, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cydonia-jacc

My rust issues are compounded by our annual drive from Michigan to Florida. We go for a week or two in the winter and every trip we end up in a bad snow/salt storm while passing through Ohio. Other than the rust we love this coach. The floor plan is excellent for a family of four. We usually go on a three to four week trip in the summer and I never get homesick. There is plenty of room. We have 45,000 miles on it and my plan is to keep it for about 10 more years or when our kids will no longer want to travel with us then the wife and I will re-evaluate our needs in a motorhome floorplan.

Good to know you are enjoying your sightseer. I had my dad look over the coach for rust and only found a small amount in batt compartment. Mine is in storage until june down on oregon coast I am putting an adco cover on it until then. I live in alaska and am gonna pick it up when we move to florida next summer. I can't justify the cost to get it up here then turn around and leave in a few months. Cant wait to drive it though!!