Newbie - 1993/1994 Minnie Winnie 23RD

Joined
Jun 3, 2025
Posts
4
Location
WA
Hello, My name is Karr and I just purchased a 5/93 Winnebago on a FORD E350. It came with NOTHING in terms of manuals ... ZIPPO ZERO ZILCH !! The only info I have is off the door. Serial #, Type and Model. The Type is MPV the model is WF 423 RD.

Can anyone direct me to where I might obtain a manual for this rig ? Not a generic manual, I mean the one specific to THIS model and year.

THANKS in advance. I have a TON of questions and would love start with the manufacturers info - I can't find it online :(

CHEERS !!

~~ Karr
 
Sounds like a real winner to look for REAL info from the start!
And that is a place we can likely point to tons of info!
But do you mine if I start with pointing to the basic info we need to do a good job helping you?
I'll point you to how to find a bunch of info and that will let you see why we need to know the year and model due to the way things are listed. The WF 423RD is needed to pin down what length and floor plan but we don't know whether to look under what name if we don't have all those model numbers in memory. And I don't !!

So this is the Winnebago home site:

Under "owners" you will find a good list of things that will help. A big one you need is the "owners manual"!
But hat is where we need to know which name they used for the RV, like, brave, adventurer, etc.
Under guides and diagrams, you can find lots of good stuff like info on how and where they put the plumbing!
But for the better info on your specific RV, we need to start with year, then name like Minnie Winnie! I think I probably got the right one sorted with the model number you gave but it took some guessing? I "think you may have a 1994 Minnie Winnie but it is built on a 1993 chassis as I don't find that model on the 93 list!

No big thing for new users to be confused as it has a world of confusion built in that takes a bit to understand why and how it works> And you are totally right to start with the owners manual as it explains how to read that label and sort the info it gives. One of the big tricks to learn is that when you want something RV only like a light fixture, you may need to use a different year than if you want an engine or brake parts that were built by the chassis folks!
RV are more like we might find in a house when it comes to parts. They buy a stripped chassis from Ford, chevy , etc. and then build a house on top. As part of the house, they buy things like stove, frig and such from other companies. When we need info on the chassis we often need to talk to Ford, etc. But if we need info on the dinette, we need Winnebago or if it is the furnace, we may need info for the furnace builder and some from the Winn folks who wired it in place!
Like a house in that we need to talk to the folks who did different parts of the work?

But for the starters, I think this will actually be the 94 owners manual and correct for you? Check that but look down to about the third page (iii) for how the label can help sort what you have!

I think you will have a 94 Minnie Winnie RV but it was built on a 1993 chassis!

If that leaves you totally confused, that's kind of normal for most of us when we started!
The only folks with questions are the ones who are trying to learn something~!
 
Karr, your Winnebago came with full documentation and manuals. So, the folks that owned your RV 30+ years ago didn't keep the manual with them.

Lucky for you, all of the details, manuals and guides and diagrams are available online.

What does your Title say about your RV? Is it a 1993 Minnie Winnie WF423RD or a 1994 model. You need to know this because sometimes there are big changes between model years - but not always. It's just as likely there is no difference between a 1993 and 1994 Minnie Winnie.

The "WF4" part of that WF423RD just indicates is a "400 Series" model. Back then Winnebago made 300 Series "Minnies" and 400 series "Minnie Winnies" So, decoding this you have a 199? Minnie Winnie 23RD 400 Series.

So, here's a link to your Operator's Manual (assuming it's a 1994):


Here's a link to the 1993 Minnie Winnie Operator's manual:


Here's a direct link to all Owner's Resources. Use the menu in the black box to select the info you're looking for. then enter the model year and model in each guide. See! You really do need to know the Model Year and Model Name.


One thing to know... because your RV is 30 PLUS years old, not everything is available online like it might be for new models. Obviously, the internet really didn't even "start" until 1995 and wasn't widespread until 1999.
 
Sounds like a real winner to look for REAL info from the start!
And that is a place we can likely point to tons of info!
But do you mine if I start with pointing to the basic info we need to do a good job helping you?
I'll point you to how to find a bunch of info and that will let you see why we need to know the year and model due to the way things are listed. The WF 423RD is needed to pin down what length and floor plan but we don't know whether to look under what name if we don't have all those model numbers in memory. And I don't !!

So this is the Winnebago home site:

Under "owners" you will find a good list of things that will help. A big one you need is the "owners manual"!
But hat is where we need to know which name they used for the RV, like, brave, adventurer, etc.
Under guides and diagrams, you can find lots of good stuff like info on how and where they put the plumbing!
But for the better info on your specific RV, we need to start with year, then name like Minnie Winnie! I think I probably got the right one sorted with the model number you gave but it took some guessing? I "think you may have a 1994 Minnie Winnie but it is built on a 1993 chassis as I don't find that model on the 93 list!

No big thing for new users to be confused as it has a world of confusion built in that takes a bit to understand why and how it works> And you are totally right to start with the owners manual as it explains how to read that label and sort the info it gives. One of the big tricks to learn is that when you want something RV only like a light fixture, you may need to use a different year than if you want an engine or brake parts that were built by the chassis folks!
RV are more like we might find in a house when it comes to parts. They buy a stripped chassis from Ford, chevy , etc. and then build a house on top. As part of the house, they buy things like stove, frig and such from other companies. When we need info on the chassis we often need to talk to Ford, etc. But if we need info on the dinette, we need Winnebago or if it is the furnace, we may need info for the furnace builder and some from the Winn folks who wired it in place!
Like a house in that we need to talk to the folks who did different parts of the work?

But for the starters, I think this will actually be the 94 owners manual and correct for you? Check that but look down to about the third page (iii) for how the label can help sort what you have!

I think you will have a 94 Minnie Winnie RV but it was built on a 1993 chassis!

If that leaves you totally confused, that's kind of normal for most of us when we started!
The only folks with questions are the ones who are trying to learn something~!
THANK YOU !!! I did find a few more bits of info ... looking at all the tags & badges !

The RVIA# is 5150998 manufactured date: 06/93

The next # is RV 219549 month year issued: 05/94

On the drivers door is shows as WF423RD E02

I'm thinking it is a Minnie Winnie :) as you noted - 94 Minnie Winnie RV on a 1993 chassis !

THANK YOU for your guidance & kindness <3
 
Karr, your Winnebago came with full documentation and manuals. So, the folks that owned your RV 30+ years ago didn't keep the manual with them.

Lucky for you, all of the details, manuals and guides and diagrams are available online.

What does your Title say about your RV? Is it a 1993 Minnie Winnie WF423RD or a 1994 model. You need to know this because sometimes there are big changes between model years - but not always. It's just as likely there is no difference between a 1993 and 1994 Minnie Winnie.

The "WF4" part of that WF423RD just indicates is a "400 Series" model. Back then Winnebago made 300 Series "Minnies" and 400 series "Minnie Winnies" So, decoding this you have a 199? Minnie Winnie 23RD 400 Series.

So, here's a link to your Operator's Manual (assuming it's a 1994):


Here's a link to the 1993 Minnie Winnie Operator's manual:


Here's a direct link to all Owner's Resources. Use the menu in the black box to select the info you're looking for. then enter the model year and model in each guide. See! You really do need to know the Model Year and Model Name.


One thing to know... because your RV is 30 PLUS years old, not everything is available online like it might be for new models. Obviously, the internet really didn't even "start" until 1995 and wasn't widespread until 1999.
THANK YOU !!! I have found a few more bits of info and with this guidance I think I can hunt down the appropriate & correct manuals.


THANK YOU <3
 
THANK YOU !!! I have found a few more bits of info and with this guidance I think I can hunt down the appropriate & correct manuals.


THANK YOU <3
Oh and the title notes it is a 1994 make: WINN model : 23MW/MMH ... should I interpret that to mean Yes it IS a 94, even tho the numbers in various places indicate 3/93, 5/93, 6/93 as well as 5/94 ... it's ALL very confusing to be honest.

the 23 is the length, I trust then the MW means Minnie Winnie ... MMH - ? ____ Motor Home ???

I am familiar with vehicles made with various parts. My 9/73 LC was registered as a 1974 model but when seeking parts, there are in fact 3 DIFFERENT "year" parts in that one vehicle. Toyota was using up parts from previous months so in that one year you will run into the issue of a part not being correct - unless you know the actual manufactured date - as on 9/73 for mine. It wasn't registered until 1974 - but it is NOT a 74 model :)
 
Okay, we've run through some of the confusing parts, so maybe time to point to some things to help get the right answer from that confusion!
One way is getting the right written solid info!
Winnebago home site here:
Under the owners tab you can find lots of stuff like drawings and also the owners manual!
I recommend the owners manual as a first stop as it has a section which tells you about a label with lots of info about what you have and when it was built as well as what chassis and when it was built!
Section near the front of the manual section III tells what the label gives you like dates of things!
I suspect you have a 1994 RV which was built on a 1993 chassis!
But you know it does pay to check most anything you read on the internet and this is a good time to check what I think!
Explanation may help make sense? They buy a 1993 stripped chassis and it sets in a lot until they get around to building a house on top which is then called 1994!


Where this gets important is when looking at different sections of the whole RV. If you need to talk engine, brakes, etc. that come on a truck, you need to know it is 1993 stuff from the chassis builder! But if you need to talk about things not on the normal truck but come with an RV, you need info for the 1994 RV!

This can often show up on titles as a 93 but some places even that gets confused if the records people are not wide awake and consistent on what the put on the records!
label.jpg

Usually near driver's left side!
Good stuff about a lot of the details?
 
Be aware that the RVIA sticker doesn’t provide anything material about your RV. There is no information contained in that sticker/number.

The placard that Richard details in his post above is the gold standard for specific model info about your RV.

Don’t be concerned about seeing build labels with various 1993 dates. The factory adds those as parts are being manufactured for the ultimate install in the RV as it moves down the production line.
 
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When speaking of RV, we have a different situation that when we speak of cars/trucks.
More like our house, perhaps?
They build a house and we have a date that was done. but then they add things like furnace, water heater and frig.
So when we need repair for any of those parts, we need to look at the brand and model of those parts as they can be new or possibly older than the house!
In our RV, we need to sort if it is a truck problem and ID the truck, or is it a part of the RV added to the truck and from there ask what brand and model of part like the frig they bought from a different builder.
There are general purpose repair RV places that may work on lots of different brans, but if we want to dig out that info for DIY, we have to look at specifics of WHICH frig, etc. it might be as all RV will have slightly different items added.

It does get terribly confusing at the start as we can have folks tell us that they have exactly the same RV as you but when you look, you may find they have different options. Those options are much like a car dealer might sell.
One dealer may find he can sell the RV better with the higher priced options, while another may go for cheaper items.
When new, the RV has a list of what is on the RV as options but that list is often lost over time. That means we may not ever know which options are hidden on our RV, if we don't dig way deep!

There are even differences in the Winnebago RV built for Canada and the US as each country has different rules on certain things!
 

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