Just bought a '91 B190....now what?

[OjaiB190]

Won the auction! Got a 1991 with 131k, rebuilt refer, upgraded stove, serviced 650 miles ago, new tranny at 78k, no genny or control panel for genny, 2 gas tanks, check it out here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... =all&tid=0

I am going to pick it up tomorrow and drive it the 500 miles back. Other than the obvious oil, coolant, tire pressure I am looking for suggestions on what I should do before driving it home.

And secondly what I should do after I get home. My girlfriend and I are planning a 2 month trip from SoCal to NewMex, up to Calgary, across to Kamloops and then down the coast home. We are planning not to stay in many campgrounds preferring the isolation of finding a spot in the backcountry.

Thank you,

Jeff and Kelly

[Roadhog]

Congrats on becoming a B190 owner !! It does have a lot of miles on it, but its a truck which will last forever if taken care of. If you have the 460 engine, which I think you do, its practicly bullet proof. Check it out on the drive home. It may need shocks. I would change the oil with a good grade and not rely on the history given to you. That way you know what you have. Your trip sounds great. Before you leave have the following checked out: serpentine and other belts, alternator, coolant hoses, radiator flushed and refilled with antifreeze, brakes and of course good tires E rated 80 psi in rear and 60-65 psi front and less than 3 to not more than 5 years old. Hope this gets you started. I am sure some other members will be able to add to this.This is a great site for help and information. I do not have a gen set either but do have a solar set up with ( 2) 6 volt golf cart batteries in series. This my be a better aproch than installing a genset with all the wiring. Any how welcome and happy trails.
Howard

[Alaskan]

Welcome Jeff & Kelly

Good advice from Roadhog.

I suspect after the 455 mile drive today you'll have a feel for a few things you may need to address.

Looked at all pictures on eBay...I'd say you did just fine.

Dave..

[OjaiB190]

Picked up the EBay190 and drove it back home. Stopped in Santa Maria and dropped seven Franklins on tires. Plenty of tread left but too much "experience" in those sidewall cracks.

I flew into San Fran and then waited 7 hours for the seller's flight to get in. He was flying back from San Diego and we drove up to Ukiah together. Got to his place after midnight and was on the road a little after one.

Luckily, I had my Iphone handy to illuminate the speedo, tried to keep it at 55-60. The play in the steering helped to keep me awake but the stress of keeping her in my lane tightened up my neck and shoulders. Drove till 5 and then climbed into the surprising comfortable top bunk and slept for 45 minutes.

Guess I didn't sleep long enough because I got back on the 101 freeway and headed north. Luckily, I stopped 15 minutes later for some much needed Pu'er Tea and realized that the on-ramp said 101 North and I wanted to be headed south.

Real sense of promnesia the next 15 miles. Deja Views. Pulled into Santa Maria, found a do it yourself car wash and gave "Osmonds" a bath and a vacuum. She was a little too country and not enough rock and roll. The pressure washer took a lot of grime off the fiberglass. It came off in visible layers. The inside of the coach looks pretty good. About what I expected from the pic's. The carpet has been replaced with some "CheapAssBlue" (pics to follow later) and the Fantastic Fan replaced with a square of paneling. The couch and woodwork are in good condition. Lots of little things need to be done. New faucet, curtains cleaned, actually everything needs a really good cleaning. More from abandonment than abuse or over-use.

Looks like it had a generator at one point. Although there is no control panel inside, there is an active gas line (it was leaking), wiring, tied and taped, and a hole cut in the generator box (I guess to facilitate oil changes). Haven't tried the propane systems but fridge, microwave and air conditioner work when connected to 110.

Brakes are good, rear replaced very recently and Santa Maria tire confirmed the front. Engine power seems puny for a big V8 going up the hills. The overdrive switch sticks on the dash but eventually works. Cab AC is 86. So a trip to the mechanic gets put on the list. The southwest in August without air conditioning would make a very sweaty beginning to our trip.

My plan is to check out the propane system before trying to fire it up. The tank is half full but I am pretty sure the system hasn't been used for at least two years. I'll open the valve and then soap the connections looking for leaks, unless anyone has a better idea.

Not sure about the shocks but will definitely look into the steering play. Steering is much improved with the new rubber but still a little too "Stevie Wonder's head" for comfort.

Batteries are a year old but I might replace the WalMart's with something more expensive, because I always feel better after I replace something that is working with something shiny that costs twice as much.

I stopped to wash/vacuum for two reasons. My ego tells me I stopped because I am an athlete and needed to move my body, get some exercise and do something productive. The little voice in my head tells me I stopped because I didn't want my girlfriend to be disappointed at the condition of the van and think I was a loser for buying a van, sight unseen, from a guy in the largest pot growing area in the country.

Either way, it worked. I felt better, she was very pleasantly surprised by the condition of the van, my ego is intact and I burned 130 calories while stretching my quadratus lumborum.

I'll get some photos today and post them later.....

[skater]

Welcome to the site!

Picked up the EBay190 and drove it back home. Stopped in Santa Maria and dropped seven Franklins on tires. Plenty of tread left but too much "experience" in those sidewall cracks.

That's pretty normal for RVs - they don't get used enough for the tires to wear out, so the sidewalls crack instead. Experts recommend replacing them about every 6 years.

Guess I didn't sleep long enough because I got back on the 101 freeway and headed north. Luckily, I stopped 15 minutes later for some much needed Pu'er Tea and realized that the on-ramp said 101 North and I wanted to be headed south.

As someone who once all but fell asleep while driving a car and went off the road (fortunately doing almost no damage), I gotta warn you about being careful when driving tired!

Brakes are good, rear replaced very recently and Santa Maria tire confirmed the front. Engine power seems puny for a big V8 going up the hills. The overdrive switch sticks on the dash but eventually works. Cab AC is 86. So a trip to the mechanic gets put on the list. The southwest in August without air conditioning would make a very sweaty beginning to our trip.

What engine does it have? The 460 is pretty decent but it's a 9,000 lb vehicle so it's going to struggle some over hills. That said, I've towed a car over mountains with mine - just go slow and enjoy the drive.

My plan is to check out the propane system before trying to fire it up. The tank is half full but I am pretty sure the system hasn't been used for at least two years. I'll open the valve and then soap the connections looking for leaks, unless anyone has a better idea.

Nope, that's about it. Watch for spiders in the venturi tube in the water heater - spiders like propane. I managed to catch my gas grill at home on fire this way (and I even knew about that ).

Not sure about the shocks but will definitely look into the steering play. Steering is much improved with the new rubber but still a little too "Stevie Wonder's head" for comfort.

Yeah. I had a shop take a look and mine and they tightened up the steering box for $50. It helped a LOT.

Batteries are a year old but I might replace the WalMart's with something more expensive, because I always feel better after I replace something that is working with something shiny that costs twice as much.

If it has the original power converter (likely), watch the fluid levels in the deep cycle battery closely while plugged in, or the converter will cook your battery in no time flat.

Either way, it worked. I felt better, she was very pleasantly surprised by the condition of the van, my ego is intact and I burned 130 calories while stretching my quadratus lumborum.

Glad she likes it!

[Alaskan]

Jeff....run the vin number to see if maybe she has a 351 as the 460 has a ton of power...his ad didn't specify it was a 460 I see....22 were made with the 351 engine, 80 with the 460 engine and 10 with the diesel engine

Edit.....H or R (8th digit) in the Vin indicates a 351 engine....

G indicates a 460 engine

Skater is right, on-top-of the steering gear there is an adjustment to reduce the free-play....if you wanna do that yourself, half-turn max at a time NO MORE...and drive it to see the affect

Tires, shocks and steering gear adjustment you she'll feel much better..

I think all the rigs had the fuel line and electrical to the gen enclosure, even if the gen option wasn't ordered. If you are not seeing anywhere where a control panel had been I doubt the rig came originally with one.

Pretty easy to install a microlite 2.8 and to simplify installation, just put the control panel next to the charger/breaker panel....we can show ya how the exhaust is routed