Newbies: Please read

Come in and introduce yourself!
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lido14co
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:12 pm
B190 Year: 1992
WBCCI: 0
Location: Los Osos, CA

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by lido14co »

I usually run our fridge overnight connected to shore power before heading out then change to 12V while driving and switch to gas if dry camping or elec if shore power available. Seems to cool faster connected to shore power. Even after two hours you should be able to feel some coolness on the freezer bottom no matter which system you use but 12V only works while the engine is running (or generator, too, I think).
Welcome to the wonderful world of B190. There's a ton of good info on this site.


Cliff
Abie Sea
Weekend Camper
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 6:29 pm
B190 Year: 1989
Location: Seattle

Introduction

Post by Abie Sea »

Greetings from Lynden Washington:
We became the proud owners of a 1989 B190 several years ago because my wife was not comfortable with the 80 Vanagon camper. Some comment about lack of dependability and a lower level of comfort. I have always been interested in seeing the country at ground level. Before the first trip we had the mechanicals tuned up. The fuel gages did not work, but the fix seems more expensive than necessary. We had to replace the refrigerator but every thing else worked well. The first expedition was over the cascades and a northern route to Glacier National park then down central Montana into Yellowstone across to Mt Rushmore and down to the Platte and west on the wagon trails though Colorado and the Rockies down to Moab then up to Crater Lake before making a bee line home. The vehicle strained up steep grades occassionally sputtering to a stop. We originally thought overheating but could not confirm. We generally traveled the roads less traveled. The gas mileage was terrible, between 8 -10 MPG. Overdrive would have been nice. It will generally run well at 60-70MPH, but we found that the better mileage came at 50-55 MPH. It was fun adjusting to the operating routine. I had to figure out the plumbing when the line off of the hot water tank broke and flooded the cabin early in the trip. Shut of water to the tank and we did not miss it. There was an interesting switch added to the outside of electrical distribution system whose function we never understood. There was a buzzing sound that bothered us, but also did not appear to be associated with any essential function.

We decided to have the electrical system reviewed on our return and the switch was removed. We had the hot water system repaired and the van winterized. This summer we took another trek across the Olympic Peninsula down the Washington Coast checking out all of the river mouths and old growth forests. We continued down to Astoria across the Columbia admiring the river mouth and the history of the area. The travel was not rapid, one day we only made about 80 miles. We generally followed Highway 1 down the coast occasionally taking a turn on Highway 101. We had problems with the DC system when the vehicle was not running or off of the ac power. In the middle of the Oregon coast a terrible noise like a bearing disintegrating in the engine compartment got our attention. At the nearest town we had to go to 3 shops before we could identify a problem as either belt or alternator and were directed to a 4th who managed to adjust the serpentine belt and noted that the belt was new, but the wrong size, and was only able to operate effectively at maximum adjustment. We continued on without incident down the coast through the dunes and into the redwoods in California along the eel river into wine country then across the golden gate and back along highway 1 down to LA and across to the Big Bear Area in over into the Mohave and up the Owens Valley along the Eastern Sierras to Tahoe and up through the northern Sierras and the Feather River areas, Lassen Volcanic area and into the Klamath Valley and along the Deschutes down to Columbia and on to the Yakima River before crossing back across the Cascades to home Territory. The oddity on this trip was the sputtering of the engine which was often cured by switching gas tanks. Because this happened some time when there was gas remaining in the tank.

We are still working out some of the kinks. At home in a recent rainstorm the vent cover over the bed was so brittle that it blew off and disintegrated. I had to jury rig a replacement because I could not identify the original make. I will likely replace the whole unit when I have time and inclination.
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lido14co
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:12 pm
B190 Year: 1992
WBCCI: 0
Location: Los Osos, CA

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by lido14co »

Great adventures! Hope you get that sputtering engine figured out (fuel pump/ filter?)


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jb1rd73
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 152
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:30 am
B190 Year: 1994
WBCCI: 0
Location: Vail Valley Colorado

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by jb1rd73 »

Oh the joys of B-Life :) Don't bother trying to find an OE replacement fan, get a Max-Air of Fantastic Fan. 55-58 is def the sweet spot for best gas mileage, it certainly not fast but the point is to enjoy the scenery and solitude that can only come when one slows down!! Like they say, "It's not a slow car, it's a fast house"
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skater
Site Admin
Posts: 2569
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:00 am
B190 Year: 1991
WBCCI: 13270
Location: Annapolis, MD

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by skater »

jb1rd73 wrote:Like they say, "It's not a slow car, it's a fast house"
That's great. I want to adopt it as a tagline for the site!
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
BruceM
Newbie
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 7:50 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by BruceM »

New to this site, however not new to RV travels and living- My other home is a 94 Diesel Sarfari Isuzu trek 2400- a whole nother story! Bought a '91 in Irvine, Cal last summer with 47K orig mi on engine and 3K on brand new fac transmission. I put 5500 mi on it during the summer- much of it pulling a 3500 pound trailer full of 20 Kona windsurf boards up and down the entire west coast. I really love the Airstream. I guess I have a rare smaller engine- a 351 I think- or maybe it is the big one- don't know for sure, but it sure hauls ass compared to my Trek at 13K pounds with only a 3.9 diesel! All the hoses and rubber including tires were replaced just before I bought it from a guy with big dreams, but with a non cooperative travel partner. Curtains are shot and the sewer tanks are held together with a small sacrafice to the gods!....and underwater epoxy! Thinking to remount the pull out bed so it is not so slanted in the wrong direction when stealth camping on the street. I live in my Safari Trek in the Keys- Marathon Jan-April. plan then for 2016 is to fly to the Airstream in Calif in June and head NW. Return by air to Fla after hurricane season- say Oct 1st. Fridge does not work, so how to best find a new one in the West would be appreciated from a few of you who have gone through that.- price and availability and a good reliable shop.I am also perhaps looking at buying another B190 for Florida shortly. Bruce - matlackwindsurfing....gmail.com 727-364-8426 (smart phone)
Well, just read a post about how to determine what size engine I have- 8th digit in is a G on the Vin number, so i have the bigger engine after all! No wonder it feels like a rocket ship!.. gets 11- 12 mpg at 65mph, 8.5 towing. BTW- for info purposes. I paid $7500 for it sans fridge and curtains- and very faded paint due to outside southern storage exposure for 15 years in San Diego. Seems market price to me.
slow joe
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2016 3:18 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by slow joe »

Hello fellow 190 enthusiasts, I am new to this forum and want to introduce myself. Live in Northern California, right on the coast. I have had a few class C motorhomes, and a few Toyota Dolphins. This 190 Airstream is my favorite. Picked it up a few weeks ago with 101,000 miles on it, actualy it just came to California from Tuscon, Arizona. It is in very good shape. Will definitely have some questions for you fine folks. I am very good at all phases of paint and body, in case that helps. (707)499-7455
Thanks, Joe
Last edited by slow joe on Sat Feb 10, 2018 1:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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190-b-651
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 333
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 4:35 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by 190-b-651 »

Hello Joe glad to hear of another b 190 in cali I've had mine about eight months love it have a friend with a 89 thats what started my adventure we are down in there central valley.
Abie i do know in that model with twin tanks it has three fuel pumps two lift pumps one in each tank and a third high pressure pump on the frame but the way you explained the problem it could just be a bad tank selector switch. Anyway that's my two cents.

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vandering
New User
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2016 9:21 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by vandering »

Hello everyone,

Just found your site within the last week and it is pretty informative. I have my mind set on purchasing a B190 when a legit ad comes up within my price range. There have been multiple posts around the country on Craigslist with fake ads showing a B190 for around $3000 or $1500. I googled the number and the reviews showed scams for both. Don't know why they chose such a neat looking class b van to swindle people with.

We can all do our part by clicking "prohibited" in the fake ads checkbox at the top to remove the ad. Hopefully they will get discouraged and move on.

Thanks for allowing me to join. I look forward to the wealth of knowledge all of you have and hopefully will be able to join the "van life" someday soon.
johnandbrenda
Newbie
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2016 9:48 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by johnandbrenda »

Thanks for the add Skater! We have been fulltiming for 2 1/2 years and living in rv since 2010. I have always wanted a class B. Found a 1991 in Houston 3 weeks ago and there are more repairs and maintenance in this one than we anticipated. It looked fairly good for 25 years old but now we believe it sat for a long time and has water damage from neglect. Anticipate spending $3500 for repairs which will make it very safe and mechanically sound. BUT I need advice on water damage. Going to read thru this site for tips. May just remove whatever I need to dry it out to get to quartzsite on time.
PeterH-Airstreamer
Newbie
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:35 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by PeterH-Airstreamer »

Greetings everyone and thanks Skater for getting me registered.
I bought a great 1996 B190 a few month ago, after restoring 3 classic Airstream Motorhomes and countless Airstream trailers.
Having lots of fun with the B190, bringing her back to her full Glory. Forum already has been very helpful with a few issues I have been working on. Will revive an old threat about the solenoids by the chassis battery.
walt
Newbie
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:37 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by walt »

new member in California
walt wood
looking to buy a B190
have been following the site for years.
finally got my wife retired so we can begin the fun
.
walt
Newbie
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:37 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by walt »

new member in California
walt wood
looking to buy a B190
have been following the site for years.
finally got my wife retired so we can begin the fun
User avatar
Kentuckian
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 346
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:52 pm
B190 Year: 1993
WBCCI: 0
Location: Kentucky, USA

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by Kentuckian »

Hello Walt,
Congratulations on the wife's retirement! Best wishes with your search!
1993 Airstream B190
BDWAX
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2019 9:19 am

Re: Newbies: Please read

Post by BDWAX »

New to the B vans but not to airstream I currently live in a 1978 Excella 500. After seeing the Bvans I'm gonnna try and find one buy the end of the year or next spring. So get ready for a ton of advice to be given. Thank you for the add to the site.
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