Buying a 2005 ADVENTURER 38J

[tim myers]

Good luck on your new Adventure, I saw what looked like Lithium batteries in one of your photos. If you can get that cleaned up that will be a great setup.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by tim myers

Good luck on your new Adventure, I saw what looked like Lithium batteries in one of your photos. If you can get that cleaned up that will be a great setup.

They looked like bulk prismatic DIY battery cells with an external BMS on the side wall of the compartment.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that... assuming it was well done by someone that knows what they are doing. Hopefully, not the previous owner that "you shouldn't believe a word he says."

Trish4801, just be aware that this is somewhat non-standard. It's not like someone bought some "drop in" LiFePO4 batteries. But someone bought some bulk LFP Prismatic battery cells, wired them up manually and installed an external Battery Manager System on the wall. Unlike what you have, most common LFP installs are with "drop in" replacements that have a general battery case and form factor with a built in BMS and are connected to the RV using typical battery cabling between the batteries.

When LFP batteries were first being sold and popularized in the US for RVs they were $1000+ each battery. So, some people, to save money, bought bulk battery cells directly from China to custom create a battery bank without spending $4000 or more dollars.

Again, this should be fine. Many such systems were designed by knowledgeable people the really knew what they were doing. Others... have been cobbled together by well-meaning folks that one can hope did an acceptable job.

Since you're new to all this I just wanted you to be aware.

[creativepart]

Looking over your battery bank it looks pretty well done.

I've circled the Prismatic Battery Cells, hard to be sure but looks like 4-pairs parallel connected. Depending on the cells used I'd guess it's 400 amp hours, but really that's just a guess since I don't know the power output of the cells themselves.

I've also circled the wall mounted BMS.

You can see fuses, buss bars and cutoffs that all look well implemented. It's difficult to be sure, but looks right.

If you remove those loose cables rolled up in front of the cells I think it would all look neat as a pin.

I assume those are inverters on the upper deck behind - heck they could be chargers or even voltage converters. The whole system could be running on 12v, 24v or even 48v. It's impossible to tell exactly.

[Trish4801]

So I'm guessing that if I find the right person I could make this all work. Right now all I know is the generator won't come on if the engine isn't running. The large thick cord seems to run the microwave (a Maytag so a replacement)only. We can not figure out why microwave worked with 50amp cord? Everything else it seemed worked on the surge protector strip 2 extension cords and a thicker 110 cord. I'll see if I can find an electrician (?) to look it over. If I could get that battery bank to work that would be great. The guy who is working on the engine was talking about changing it back to how it was originally, should I not let him do that?

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Trish4801

The guy who is working on the engine was talking about changing it back to how it was originally, should I not let him do that?

Only you can decide how to proceed. You need much more info from people on the ground who can actually examine everything in person.

Why your RV works as it does is not a question anyone online can answer for you. The person that wired everything up is your best source for that info.

[Bo Walker]

Trish4801, if you hire an electrician, make sure he knows RVs. Some electricians ignorantly wire RVs up as if they are wiring a residential house. It's wired up completely different.
Best to you

[Trish4801]

Two weeks ago the mechanic in Wentzville Missouri called and finally gave me the news.

He said he took apart the top half of engine. He said it had melted the #8 piston and had started melting the #3 piston. He said the cylinder walls have severe scarring. He said he could hone the walls and drop pistons in 8 and 3. It would allow me to get it home to Emporia, Kansas and find a buyer cause it will just do it again. My husband said no he didn't want to do to someone else what had been done to us. He did not say how much for that.

He said he could have it bored out and rebuilt. Another option was sourcing a used engine to replace the one in it. Or he has a guy he knows that has remanufatured engines and would also install it in motorhome. Comes with a full warranty that he could not give with a used engine. He also said the previous owner had to have known. Which would explain why they had it rebuilt a year ago.

He priced that last option at 16000. The used engine option was slightly less at 13 to 14000 no warranty. Bored out and rebuilt was never really entertained, the way the owner of truck center talked it would be cost prohibitive.

I've talked to loan company because they have been being hounded by who ever gave me the loan for Jenny. They want to know why its not titled yet. They had no good idea.

I've talked to the go between that helped make the deal. He said I should talk to inspection company. That most have insurance to cover things such as this. I looked at inspection and since I already know generator does not work, yeah it was not done right. It claims it worked but it doesn't. The only thing about engine was it smoked at idle. But at bottom its says they are not liable for unseen things if I understand, cause the oil also leaked all over right side of engine. So I don't believe that will work.

The go between said if I decided we could just do the piston drop to get it home and try to sale it to someone else. That we would need to disclose what we have found wrong with it. Well, of course.

My insurance lady said it is worth 42000. I got it for 22000, if I add the 16000 to it I'm at 38000. I'm just doing zeros for ease.

With out being mean what would you do. I will say I do love this floor plan. Attached is the bottom portion of inspection.

[Bo Walker]

If a new engine would not be an engine that would be prone to the same failure, I think the best decision would be install a new engine. Most specially if it has a good warranty.

[wahoonc]

Buying a used beast is always a crapshoot. You roll the dice and call it. If you really like it and everything else is in decent condition replacing the engine makes sense. What engine does it have in it? I believe you said something about the generator not working too? If so you need to factor that into the equation.

You probably won't be able to sell it for book value even with the replacement engine.

Aaron

[spotpatch]

i also have a 2003 adventurer. just made a spare tire rack under the rear frame. cost me $90 for angle iron and my time. great investment. now i carry a spare all the time. plus i have a good jack and I'm very familier with changing big tires.

[Trish4801]

8.1 workhorse is the engine and I believe the rebuilt is the same. The engine did impress me once I found out what was wrong. It pulled Jenny without a problem. You couldn't tell it was as bad as it was. What I don't get is why the temperature gauge never showed that the engine was hot.

[Trish4801]

Sorry for the double post. My plan is to have her fixed. I love the layout of the coach (not sure what to call it) I don't have 16000 laying around.

I'm 67 but have gone back to work full-time as a QC at Hostess Brands. For the RV. I haven't done it yet but thinking of putting the money I make into separate account. I could have 16000 in 6 to 8 months. They are paying me 22.62 but not sure how much I'll have after taxes. They asked me to come back. Figured it might be the answer and it keeps me active lol.

Now I need to see what I can do with the county to satisfy them and the loan company.

[tim myers]

I am curious why the mechanic said that if fixed it "would just do it again". Did he mention some inherent problem with that specific engine? I have no experience with the workhorse chassis or engine but have heard good things about the setup

[Trish4801]

I think it was a problem with the engine in that coach. Not the 8.1 in general.

Whether it was not well maintained over its 12000 miles, or it was left to sit without being started for a very long time it unknown to me.

I'm not exactly sure why he said that. He did say we could drop the engine have it bored out and put back in and it should be fine. But the cost would be close to the same.

I've read nothing but good things, but if a engine is not treated right it will have problems.

[4x4van]

Wow, there are so many red flags in this story that I can't even keep count of them.
I believe that the owners flat out lied to you, likely about everything about the RV. They may have even paid off the inspector as well.

Originally Posted by Trish4801

With out being mean what would you do. I will say I do love this floor plan. Attached is the bottom portion of inspection.

Sadly, you are between a rock and a hard place. You cannot sell it in it's current state. Would you have purchased it at $38,000 in the first place (assuming a good engine)? And of course that doesn't even touch on the electricals, water/sewer systems, generator, etc, etc.

[Morich]

I might take a bit to examine a few other points before deciding which way to go.
One somewhat easy point to clear might be the generator question as it is a pretty common item.
Two 12 volt DC systems on RV, chassis which does the normal truck things and coach which takes care of the added RV things like lights, pumps, fans.

I am guesssing that the coach battery supply is not getting to the generator to start it.
When the RV engine is running, there is a mode solenoid which connects the two 12V together as a way to get some charge from the engine alternator to the coach batteries as we drive.
That would explain the generator not starting until the engine is running!
Click this snip to get a better idea of what I think is going on and you have no generator problem.
I marked the normal coach battery path in red as it seems to NOT work. If the coach battery disconnect is passing power, it should crank, but doesn't.

But if you start the engine and the mode solenoid contacts pass chassis battery (green?) to connect with the red, it cranks!


Almost traditional for sellers to swap off bad coach batteries when selling!

[Trish4801]

https://www.popsells.com/class-a-rvs...ylvania-341678

This is the ad for her if anyone is interested. I can still view it so I'm guessing anyone can, also it's marked sold cause I bought it.

We drove the 4 and 1/2 hours to Wentzville Missouri yesterday. Husband wanted to see for himself what if anything was going on with RV. He got a picture of piston 8 I believe. Part of piston is missing and part of the ring is on top of piston.

They did have the new engine there for her but other then pull heads nothing else has been done. I realize they need the time to do it cause don't believe this will be a 1 day job.

[Trish4801]

@creativepart
Not sure how to tag someone on this forum, hope that is right. Any way in that picture the larger grayish thing is indeed an inverter, I know this cause my brother pointed it out. It didn't seem to work however till plugged in. My brother said he believed it was working plugged in cause we had lights and the sides moved out and back in. That part seemed to work just fine.

My husband got a few pictures you could see from looking top down through the dog house. Also a picture of me standing by it to prove to his friend it would not fit in driveway like I wanted to park it there.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Trish4801

Any way in that picture the larger grayish thing is indeed an inverter, I know this cause my brother pointed it out. It didn't seem to work however till plugged in. My brother said he believed it was working plugged in cause we had lights and the sides moved out and back in.

Yes, I agree the black box with two GFCI 110v receptacles is an inverter. Impossible to tell from that photo what brand, what size and even where it's hooked up to.

And, I hate to disappoint you, but "working when plugged in" is not an indication that it "works." It is an indication that when plugged in that the AC Power passes through to power things in the RV. It doesn't mean the inverter works.

An inverter "works" by taking 12v from your batteries and INVERTING it from 12vdc to 110vac when you are NOT plugged in.

You really need more advanced electrical and RV knowledge than what we can provide over the internet and certainly more than your brother knows if he thinks that lights and slides working when plugged in proves the inverter works.

If you hired an independent RV tech to come spend a couple of hours at your RV figuring everything out, testing everything and importantly teaching you all how to work things it would be the best money spent ever.

[Trish4801]

Yes agree, I do need someone to show me what I need to know. This is actually our second RV, but first was not a house on wheels. It was a mini winnebago. If someone wanted to move from the front to back the other person had to sit down.