Vista 26 HE questions - Page 20

Tricolor · 01-30-2017, 08:54 PM

I have a problem with my heater that seems to be more like an annoyance than a defective component:

When I first start the heat demand, the blower starts instantly, followed by a few clicks generated by the electronic box located in the A/C roof air intake grill.
After the blower stops, the clicking will go on multiple times before the blower starts anew, sometimes up to 12 times.
I don't really notice during day time but it can be really annoying at night.

I have checked with other models/manufacturers and none generate that clicking sound, like a relay sending the sparking voltage to the heater ignition.

What is your experience with your 26HE?

Oldtrooper · 02-01-2017, 05:12 PM

Tricolor. Regarding your heating clicking. According to our manual and experience, when we turn the furnace on the blower comes on instantly, this is to start both the house fan and the combustion fan (purge the combustion camber), then there is a definite click when the furnace fires up. I don't ever recall a the clicking coming from the A/C unit in the ceiling. The motorhome is in semi -storage at the moment, but I do recall one time where I had tinkered with the fan settings and started some unusual fan activity. But other than that I have not experienced what you have described. I take it you are on shore power?? Its just a hunch and elimination, I would check the fan settings, there might be some demand signal telling it to turn on but for some other reason it might be saying no.....just some thoughts.

Tricolor · 02-01-2017, 07:36 PM

I realise that it may not be the ideal time of the year to post this concern as most of you are hibernating at this time of the year.

I shall repost my concern in April... may be. Meanwhile, I hear this clicking sound generated in the electronic box because it is carried by the A/C ducks alla across the roof.

And it happens on shore power or not.

As I slowly approach Puerto Vallarta, I will no longer need the heater. But I will have it investigated under my Extended Warranty in due time.

Tricolor · 05-01-2017, 07:01 AM

Hi to all those coming out of hibernation

There are a few subjects I would like to re-activate for discussion after my 12K winter trip.

First, although my MH reacts in a much more civilised manner under strong winds after all my mods, it still is a short based truck.

In order of importance, I will enumerate these mods and their relative cost;
- CHF with Helwig extension link $80
- Homemade trackbar $100
- Safe-T-Plus $800
- I had the alignment checked but it still pulls to the left, possibly caused by the Safe-T-plus installation

Second, I tried to soften the ride by replacing the inappropriate OEM Bilstein shocks by the inexpensive Monroe Magnum, reduce tire inflation to 78psi, adding 300lbs of dead weight to the front.
The result is positive, but mediocre. In the near future, I will replace the shocks again with Koni, add the SSF 184 40 1 Sumo Maxim to the front. For the rear suspension, I will hopefully have MORryde do the install of their RS F53 10 06 rubber shackle probably followed by the addition of the rear Sumo (Solo or Maxim).

I know it all sums up but I intend to keep my 26HE for at least 2 more years and I figure these mods are cheaper than trading for another rig with similar characteristics.

What do you think?

Tricolor · 05-01-2017, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tricolor

I shall repost my concern in April... may be. Meanwhile, I hear this clicking sound generated in the electronic box because it is carried by the A/C ducks alla across the roof.

And it happens on shore power or not.

As I slowly approach Puerto Vallarta, I will no longer need the heater. But I will have it investigated under my Extended Warranty in due time.

After 2 hours of testing by Winnebago, the click-click is still there. I will live with it but I am sure it is a bad set-up from day one... a combination of components that were not truly compatible that Winnebago will not recognize.

So I will now carry a small electric heater, oil filled type.

sightseers · 05-01-2017, 07:14 PM

We recently purchased a 2015 Vista 26 HE noticed that it is very sensitive to the wind. Had the CHF done and noticed that the previous owner installed Safety Steer Plus. Are there any other mods I could consider to improve handling. Have not had a chance to check tire pressure as I heard that that can affect handling. Suggestions???

Tricolor · 05-02-2017, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sightseers

We recently purchased a 2015 Vista 26 HE noticed that it is very sensitive to the wind. Had the CHF done and noticed that the previous owner installed Safety Steer Plus. Are there any other mods I could consider to improve handling. Have not had a chance to check tire pressure as I heard that that can affect handling. Suggestions???

Consult this tread, it has a lot of useful information:

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/track...is-298428.html
Have fun with your MH

sightseers · 05-02-2017, 07:45 PM

Another question as we get familiar with our Vista. It has a Pioneer radio in it and the back up camera is displayed on the screen. Display is very washed out/overexposed. According to Pioneer, there are no adjustments. Do others have this problem and if so, is there a fix?

Allaloneami · 05-05-2017, 06:45 PM

Been looking for a thread of Winn/Itasca owners of the Sunstar. Saw a video made by factory of the 2014 and 2015 models and it impressed me. Wanted to come straight out and ask if these were quality coaches, since the price point is relatively low. I love the floor plans, but need to buy a used coach that will last me a good 10 years of full time living without falling apart or everything under the sun going wrong with it. I generally think in terms of much higher priced units when new, and look for a nice 10 yr old one of those, like foretravel or Beaver, etc.

So, how good are these? Are the large number of 2 and 3 yr old used ones on the market a sign of anything negative? Would you recommend wholeheartedly to an elder who hopes to finish his life in one of these following the sun between Alaska and AZ/So Cal?

Rossi6998 · 05-06-2017, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allaloneami

Been looking for a thread of Winn/Itasca owners of the Sunstar. Saw a video made by factory of the 2014 and 2015 models and it impressed me. Wanted to come straight out and ask if these were quality coaches, since the price point is relatively low. I love the floor plans, but need to buy a used coach that will last me a good 10 years of full time living without falling apart or everything under the sun going wrong with it. I generally think in terms of much higher priced units when new, and look for a nice 10 yr old one of those, like foretravel or Beaver, etc.

So, how good are these? Are the large number of 2 and 3 yr old used ones on the market a sign of anything negative? Would you recommend wholeheartedly to an elder who hopes to finish his life in one of these following the sun between Alaska and AZ/So Cal?

This is a difficult question to answer. Personally, I like my 2013 Sunstar 26HE. It is the perfect size for my wife and I (although I do wish I had a couch). It is easy to maneuver and has all of the basics we wanted. We have done some upgrades to the suspension to make it ride/handle better, and we have added solar for those few times we do camp off the grid. I think it is a typical Winnebago build (which is good in my opinion) and have no regrets with the structure or design.

rottenkid · 05-06-2017, 03:24 AM

A couch in place of the table would have been a better move by Winnabego. The 26HE is easy to maneuver. I have stated in the past the it handles like my 78 vw bus, just bigger.

Jim Kern · 05-06-2017, 10:31 PM

Our 2014 gets 7.5 mpg, so I think you are doing well at 8.5 mpg. We are in Arizona cruising through mountains, so that may be at least some of the difference. I don't like the cup holders either- after the season I plan to make a small cabinet that bolts into the same mount locations as the cup holders. In addition to raised cup holders, I want a small drawer in the cabinet that can hold paperwork and small electrical items. I saw a photo of a similar cabinet somewhere, and it looks very nice in that location. Just be sure it is easily removable when it is necessary to remove the engine cover.

2wheelluge · 05-07-2017, 12:29 PM

Like many of you, we are always looking at other rigs and comparing them to our 26HE. Nothing we have seen make us want to trade off the Winnie. There are times when I wish we still had our 22 foot B+, just because it was so easy to drive and park. But the reason we moved up was to have more room for our stuff, our travelling friends and grandchildren. This rig is still small enough to maneuver that we don't need to pull another vehicle, but has gobs of storage and a heavy duty hitch to carry our tandem bicycles.

I would suggest driving one on the highway on a windy day to see if you like it. However, once we got 3-4 K miles on it, we learned where the sides were and how to deal with the handling. We have done no mods yet, but probably will because we plan to keep this for many years. The F-53 chassis is bullet-proof and I don't care what anyone says, the Winnebago build is tops. Yes, this is the bottom of the line, but it has "good bones".

2wheelluge · 05-07-2017, 12:32 PM

While I am online, I have stupid question: got the rig out of storage and of course the chassis battery was dead. Hit the switch for the coach battery and she started right up. Got it home 10 min later, still wouldn't start from the chassis. Will the chassis charge from shore power, or do I have to hook up the charger or drive this thing for an hour?

**macnut** · 05-07-2017, 12:39 PM

I agree with Rossi6998 and 2wheelluge. A the 26HE is a really great coach and Winnebago quality is solid. For my 2013 26HE, I had to add a Trik-L-Charge to keep the chassis battery charged. It's cheap and easy to install.

Oldtrooper · 05-13-2017, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2wheelluge

While I am online, I have stupid question: got the rig out of storage and of course the chassis battery was dead. Hit the switch for the coach battery and she started right up. Got it home 10 min later, still wouldn't start from the chassis. Will the chassis charge from shore power, or do I have to hook up the charger or drive this thing for an hour?

2wheeluge, when on shore power my 2013 HE26 does "not" charge the chassis battery. Weird I know. What I have done is taken the lead off a previous post and run a trickle charger, in my case a Battery Tender, to the chassis battery. I do is if the MH is going to sit for awhile. In my case we are camping every second weekend, so in between I use the trickle charger. Probably don't need to, but I'm sure the chassis battery likes it. Lol

Rossi6998 · 05-13-2017, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macnut

I agree with Rossi6998 and 2wheelluge. A the 26HE is a really great coach and Winnebago quality is solid. For my 2013 26HE, I had to add a Trik-L-Charge to keep the chassis battery charged. It's cheap and easy to install.

In my case, I added the the Amp-L-Start (the big brother to Trik-L-Start). In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either one, especially for the cost. Both links are below;

http://www.lslproducts.net/TLSPage.html

AMP-L-START Starting Battery Charger/Maintainer - Overview Page

Bob1320 · 05-17-2017, 07:05 PM

Hello everyone,

I just purchased a one owner 2013 Vista 26HE with only 6000 miles on it. I'm glad to have found this thread because it answers a lot of questions that I had. It seems as though everyone finds the same design flaws. I previously had a Winnebago Brave and the cabinets were pretty straight forward, but this is another kind of animal. Where do you store your socks and underwear? The bed should have drawers for that purpose, or there should be other drawers in the bedroom. I guess you could make a pile on the floor of the one closet to the right of the bed. It doesn't seem right to put those garments under the refrigerator.

And, what are those cubbyholes on the right of the refrigerator for? After having my Brave for 20 years, this one seems out of another world. But, seriously folks, where do you put your stuff?

**macnut** · 05-17-2017, 07:56 PM

I took a 15 minute video of my 26HE and where we stored everything. You can find it here: https://mobilemosers.com/2017/04/02/...big-white-box/

In our case, clothes were stored in the drawer and cabinet storage on either side of the bed and over the bed.

Below the bed we stored things we didn't need often, like extra blankets, a heater, etc.

Below the frig we stored the foil, Saran Wrap, and baggies, etc.

To the right of the fridge is the pantry, for all canned goods, cereal and other boxed foods.

The cabinets above the dinette were for all our pots and pans.

The cabinets above the stove and sink were for dishes.

The drawers by the sink were for tableware, knives, other servings utensils, and the bottom drawer was a catch-all utility drawer.

Below the stove we stored dish rags and dish towels.

The cabinet beside the door was for dog stuff.

Above the driver seat, we stored manuals and I also had a box for electronic stuff (remotes, cables, etc).

Above the passenger seat we stored games.

Anyway, that's how we organized for the five years we have our 2013 26HE (bought in June 2012).

I hope this helps, and now you don't have to watch the video! :-)

Al

Rossi6998 · 05-17-2017, 11:23 PM

Inside storage is definitely a premium in this RV. My setup was very similar to Al's (above) with the clothes and kitchen area. The cabinets over the dinette we have food and some supplies. The cabinets over the driver/passenger's area, I have the satellite box, remotes, cables, and that type of stuff. The cabinet near the door has my manuals and some tools. This is fine for our weekend getaways and weekly vacations. If you are living for long periods of time in the RV, you might have some issues and have to use the outside bins as well for stuff you would normally keep inside.

Good luck and enjoy!