New Winnie Owner of a 2004 Adventurer 38R

[Brian Vandy]

I had to go a thousand miles, but I finally got my motorhome. This is one I'm going to full-time in, pre-retirement. It had a few minor gremlins but overall is in good condition for its age and the price I paid. It is 39 feet long, and it feels like a small apartment when I'm sitting on the bed looking down the hallway. I'm still learning all the idiosyncrasies (like the steps won't stay in when stairs are turned off if you open the door, and they won't stay out when off if you start the engine).
I just have to figure out why I am not getting water out of the bathroom faucet. I'm betting it's clogged with gunk, as it has been sitting a couple of years. I think I have the same issues with the ice-maker. That said, everything else seems to work great. Like after I primed the generator gas line into a gas can to get rid of the old gas the 7k generator fired right up. That's when I learned it only had about 51 hours on it.
Right now I'm full-timing in Oregon on my cousin's land. As soon as my job goes completely remote, I will either move to Eastern Idaho or start travelling the country 2-4 weeks per stay. I haven 't decided just yet.

[Morich]

If all the other plumbing seems okay, one spot which can stop both hot and cold is the strainer at the end of the spout as it's about the only space where both hot and cold water flow in the same channel!

But just on the assumption there will be other questions to reslove, have you found the vast amount of info that Winnebago puts online to help us?
Winnebago home site:
https://www.winnebago.com/

The "port" for finding lotsa of other more detailed things is the "owners" tab at top right which takes you to a list of things like owners manuals,and lots oand lots of drawing/diagrams of everything from parts to plumbing and electrical.
One can nearly read forever and still find more good info!

Now the question becomes whether we can remember where we found it!!

[tderonne]

Sounds like the steps are working as designed. They'll open once after they are turned off. And they'll always come in when the ignition is on.

[Brian Vandy]

Thanks Morich. I did find that and already downloaded the plumbing and wiring guides. A great resource, for sure.

-Brian

[Brian Vandy]

Originally Posted by tderonne

Sounds like the steps are working as designed. They'll open once after they are turned off. And they'll always come in when the ignition is on.

Yeah, I figured that out. It sure blew my mind until I did, though. Like I said, figuring out the eccentricities.

-Brian

[BobC]

I'm sure you'll be able to take care of the things you've cited, but your number one priority is your roof. You need to make sure that all vents, your skylight and other fixtures are properly sealed. In addition, proper maintenance of your roof's "cove edge" is critical to avoid roof failure.

Here's a video from Lichtsinn RV on this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJz7doxPQXg

And here are some videos from AZ Expert's Youtube channel on what can go wrong if the roof edges aren't properly maintained. This isn't an everyday occurrence but failure can be catastrophic, hence the need to ensure the roof edges are properly maintained:

https://www.youtube.com/@AZExpert/se...nnebago%20roof

[Morich]

Some think of the sealing and that IS important but I think of the batteries as one that catches lots of new users as it is not at all clear on what we need to do to keep from ruining the first set of coach batteries.
The coach battery disconnect, DOES NOT disconnect all the load on the coach batteries!
That means we can turn the switch off and think we are clear to store it without the batteries running down to damage them.

But the "funny" to that is there are safety items that come off the coach BEFORE the disconnect and are left powered! CO and propane detectors are a couple that are so safety oriented that they are left connected, so don't let that slip up on you, if you get into storing for a while!

I did a snip of this part to let you see what I mean and how it can catch us!
Click to get a better view!

Winnebago marks wires along the side like this:


This is the list to "decode" the labels used on drawings or the wires and it tells " from" and "to" of that wire! Often we can tell the use of that wire, like if it comes from a fuse, ground, etc.

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...ical_guide.pdf

On the battery disconnect drawing, we get coach battery coming to the disconnect and a wire GJ taking off BEFORE the disconnect and going to a small buss for the safety items.
Most of the coach battery does go through the disconnect if it is closed and comes out on wire KKF to the circuit breakers! KKF gets cut off, GJ doesn't!




One to be aware of if you store the RV as it will run the battery down if not doing something to keep it up!

[Brian Vandy]

Good to know, thanks. I'll have to check the wiring for those codes. I hadn't noticed that.

My next trick is pulling out the false wall under the kitchen sink to figure out what they did. I put a shut-off on the ice maker hose where it was cut, and went to turn the shut-off back on under the sink and there is no hose connected and the line running to the filter under there is also disconnected. Definitely needs some love under there.

[Morich]

Just as a "quikie" way to tell if the detectors are left on is to look for a light on them? If the light stays on after we turn the disconnect off, that tells the story.
The problem is the light is not one we can see real well, especially in daylight and we can miss that it is still on if we are not really watching for it to snag us!

Lots of new stuff to figure!