Well I just pulled this 85' out of a 20+ year slumber. Last tagged in 97'. Cat 3208 with alison trans. Defiantly alot of stuff on it I have no idea what it does, glad I found this forum! First thing will be to fix a couple of vents on the roof, then get it back up on the levelers. Its going to need new airbags. However I am going to get it running first, then go down the list. I have alot of experience working on old trucks and other gas engines, however diesels are new to me so this will be a great learning experience. More pictures and questions to come!
Very nice find. Welcome to the adventure.
Welcome! Lots of good info here... nice looking grand villa! Like the c20 behind it also.......
86? Detroit or cat? Rear radiator?
Striped awnings same as our 1989 GV.
Several forum members with the 3208 CAT engines that will give you expert advice on their care and feeding. Search the archives for your engine and the airbags. Lots of post for both. Congratulations on your purchase.
Pierce
Welcome to the Foretravel "family".
There are a ton of people out there working to keep the classics on the road. Good stuff...
Looks like a 250 ho cat ORED, rear radiator 36'. Congrats and welcome! ORED cats are pretty sweet running and simple, drove mine 1400 miles home.
If it's a rear radiator, what is the purpose of the grill on the driver side at the rear - air conditioning condenser?
Are those the OEM tail lights or a custom modification?
I had one of these and loved it, sadly was totaled in an accident. Watch the roof carefully, these had no crown and were prone to leaks when water pooled on the roof. 3208 was no speed demon but I drove ours all over the country and it pulled every hill and pass that I asked it too.
Have fun.
No, ORED's came in both rear and side radiator, depending on HP.
U225 is rear radiator
U240 is side radiator
Thanks, Brett, I stand corrected! So the OP coach IS a rear-mount radiator. ^.^d
Welcome, Nice find .
Looks almost exactly like my 87-88. The driver side grille houses the oil checks and air filter can. This one has two boxes behind the rear wheels , mine has only one. Maybe it is a 38? It looks very nice .
FWIW , dont make the mistake I made with tires. Get the 9R at G load rated. These can run at 85-90PSI . Your nose weight should be around 7800# with most of the water tank full.
You may want a tire about 37.5 -38in OD to help the short gear .
I bought the H rated 295/75. They are are at the lowest loading on the tire chart and like about 75#s with 8000# or less nose weight . They handle only good at 75# and ride harsh at 80 or over . They slowed the 0- 60 times almost a second , So it goes to figure that they also take longer to stop. Fuel burn dropped at least .6MPG and maybe more. They weigh about 18 # more per tire.
Take a peek under the front axle and see if the air bag is directly over the axle . Mine is and was a PITA to change . Give me a call when you get to them . I posted the part numbers in the file .
Answered my own question.
OEM. Seems the '85 model had surface mount tail lights, and the '86 went to the Isuzu lights. Photo of another '85 below:
Other than the middle window on the curb side ( we have an office no dinette) it looks very much like our 88. Great coach.
Congrats! I have a 3208 and been ok.
Change filters and fluids then the rest as you have time. Welcome
Don't over look the air cleaner, The one on our rig was plugged when we bought it. I would also flush the fresh water sys. with all of the faucet strainers removed. There is probably alot of scale in there that needs to come out. Have that tranny serviced, without being run for a long time, may have some seal issues. Have a great day and just keep looking and listening and questioning as you go along on this journey. ---- Fritz
Pick up about 10 gallons of vinegar and put it in your system. Make sure your water heater is full with the solution. Turn on your water heater and leave it on for 12-24 hours with the vinegar in it. Then flush several times until all smell is gone from your system.
Also, repack the front wheel bearings. You probably have no idea when they were done the last time. Make sure you set the clearance correctly.
I would (and did) go at replacing as many lights as I could with LED lights. A little at a time.
Thanks! I will get some more pics up soon. I've been working on getting the motor ready to fire up. Hopefully this week!
20 years ago at least! Yes that is the plan to put LED's in it eventually.
Thanks! That old truck did a good job pulling it out!
What are you going to do with all that 20 year old diesel, parts washer or stump burning fuel? Fresh fuel would definitely be a good idea.
That I am not sure, although I may have gotten very lucky and there isn't much left in the tank!
If there isn't much fuel in the tank, then possible there is a lot of condensed moisture. Or, being you're in Flagstaff, perhaps the air is dry enough that you will be OK. I agree with phred - think it would be a good idea to pump as much of whatever is in there out, and refill with fresh diesel.
Or else have several sets of fuel filters on hand...
They sell cheap drill-driven liquid pumps at home improvement and auto stores that would do nicely for pumping out the tank.
Because our 1989 GV sat for 10-11 years in a warehouse I ended up with a problem. I kept changing both fuel filters until that didn't work anymore. Ended up at a repair shop. Turned out there was about 3" of rust flakes (100 Gallon steel fuel tank), crap, crud in the supply line in front of the check valve.
Coach would go like a bat outa hell, then slow down until I could walk backwards faster. Couldn't even make it up an overpass by our house!! New check valve, flushed the supply line and runs great now. TX and back twice and not a single issue with fuel supply.
There is a drain plug in the bottom of the tank. I would take it out see if there is any water in the tank.
If your fuel tank is full and you remove the drain plug, be prepared for a deluge of diesel fuel!!
I drained my 100 gallon tank into a five gallon pail with a 12V liquid pump in the pail. I pumped the fuel thru a one gallon white jug with a drain in the bottom that I mounted a screen filter over the outlet hole, so I could see and trap the junk that might come out before going into my 55 gallon drum. Turns out there was little or no "crap" in the tank. All the "crap" had gone into the fuel pickup line over the years and was stopped at the pressure valve.
No water as I had treated the tank per Brett Wolfe's recommendations prior to emptying the tank.
I would not remove the plug completely but loosen it enough so fluid can escape around the threads. Water would be the first to come out.
What is access to the diesel fuel tank through the fill?
I have not worked on your model coach. But on newer ones where you fill directly into the tank, checking for water or contamination is very easy.
Raise the side of the coach opposite the fuel fill. Let it sit for a couple of hours. Water and dirt are heaver than diesel and will flow to the low point.
Make a pickup from 6-7' of cheap clear plastic hose and a coat hanger. Straighten the coat hanger and use it to secure the bottom of the hose so it gets to the bottom of the tank.
Suck on the hose-- yes, being careful to not get it near your mouth. Pull it out and see what you get. If it looks bad, start a siphon and "vacuum" the bottom of the tank.
LOTS cleaner than removing a drain plug with 100 gallons of diesel above you.
LOL Brett the 150 gallon ORED tank is tucked up between the frame rails and 9 feet long.with about 8 feet of undersized fill tube. Don't even think about pulling in the OTR truck fill islands as the nozzle is too big to fit. Tried to legally buy fuel in Arizona but my GVRW was over 26k for my 300 hp rig. So fuel station attendant told me to fuel at the at the car and PU truck diesel fuel island, he said nobody will ever check GVRW of the coach. $10,000 fine if caught avoiding the extra 18 cents a gallon fuel tax for over 26k lbs.
Your GVWR is 25,880. On purpose Foretravel made it under 26k.
GCWR is more as that is the total with tow.
Here is a link with some info about over 26K lb. fuel taxes in AZ. As I read it, motorhomes are not subject to the tax unless they are being used for commercial purposes. There was a lot of discussion about this a few years back...
RV Arizona: Arizona fuel tax rumor goes viral -- here's the real story (http://rvarizona.blogspot.com/2014/10/arizona-fuel-tax-rumor-goes-viral-heres.html)
Don
Nope on the $10,000 optional 300 hp cats they used a HD rear axle rated at 17.5k so beam alarm and or foretravel specs are wrong. Data plates show 26.5k lbs, class B drivers license required in Kansas.
That may be true, they just do not indicate
that at fuel pumps warning labels or inform fuel station operators, to gain extra revenue. Go figure.
Just FYI.
Kansas does not require class B license. I checked into a year ago. Even though it weighs over the 26k threshold, being a RV and not commercial they do not require a class B license.
after calling 5 different drivers license offices and getting 6 entirely different answers I called the Kansas Highway Patrol in Topeka. Final answer was Class B, non-commercial, air brake endorsement not required (or even attainable). Captain told me the drivers license offices will be confused, so just tell them its the same license that the fire truck drivers get. They will give you the same written test as a class C (because they don't have a separate class B non commercial written test for this). Clear as mud.
A very common issue in many states.
BUT (an important but) ignorance on the part of a clerk who gives you incorrect advice wouldn't help much if you are involved in an accident and do not have the proper license to operate your coach!
In Kansas the clerks are low bid contract labor, with a traveling Driving portion test examiner who I believe is part of the KHP.
I still find it crazy that in AZ you don't need a CDL to drive these things. Good thing I have my Class A! Drove it halfway around the block today! I think the fuel shutoff solenoid went bad. Its getting too much fuel though as I am getting alot of white smoke, so I need to figure that out. Still haven't messed with the tank, had rigged up a fuel system and didn't realize most of it was going back through the return line to the tank. But dang that is a smooth running motor!
I would be really concerned about the "white" smoke. It could well be steam from a water leak into the engine (head gasket?). Too much fuel would more than likely produce black smoke. Check for water in the fuel (drain the water separator) if there is one, and keep a close watch on the coolant level and foamy oil. Have a great day ---- Fritz
Yes that would be absolutely worst case. Though I do believe it to be the injectors as it has been a LONG time since it ran.
Some more pics, the cargo door makes a handy spot for the temporary fuel tank! And what exactly is the motor in the first picture for? Also got it running again, Cracked all the injector lines and it fired right back up and ran better than yesterday. And no more white smoke!
Does anyone know where I can get the taillight I'm missing?
Early Iron Age version of a inverter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOxhhp33_aA
Looks like the early redline generators that some coaches used. A DC motor running AC generator that produced 120 volts to run your ac equipment. Not very efficient. Had one in an old Bluebird. Changed it out to an inverter.
Wow a trip down memory lane looking at the photos. Sold and used a lot of those era coaches.
Magic chef, newtone blender in the counter. Loved the thick glass three piece sliding windows. Thinlights in the ceiling. Headliner look good.
Does it have a tub?
Thanks for the photos. More....
Mylar shades behind the valences? Roll downs?
Best advice I can give: since you have the same lens on the other side, see if there is any kind of ID number on it. If you find one, do Google search for that number. You might luck out and find a used lens somewhere, or even better a new reproduction lens that looks the same.
OR, change out both tail light assemblies to a modern replacement that is similar in size/shape, but uses LEDs. Much more efficient.
Plug a 120V battery charger into one of the outlets, connect the battery charger to the battery, and VOILA: Perpetual Motion Machine! :dance:
Quote from: jcus - 9 hours ago
A DC motor running AC generator that produced 120 volts to run your ac equipment.
Chuck and Jeannie you should be ashamed of yourselves! It took a while to remember but that rotary inverter was also called a dynamo in other applications. Efficiency? It works but it will suck in the sides of the battery.
For movie night, check out Island in the Sky, 1953, John Wayne, for the sound of the radio's dynamo draining the last of the battery life.
Island in the Sky (1953) - IMDb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045919/)
please clarify a model year. The BEAMALARM history appears to be clear that the GV was introduced and named by Mrs Fore for model year 1986. Our MFG plate in our coach states 11-85 which would make this an 86 if FT followed the model year sequences for American cars / vehicles... what is the FT build number ? Was FT making the FTX and the GV at the same time ??? Thanks for any historical information ...pictured is our GAS Grand Villa
Check NAPA or Jeep for the lens .
FT build number is in your foretravel model number, my build number was on the decal in the glove box that lists alignment specs.
Good luck. I had a 1981. Keep the radiator clean. Watch your engine and tranny temps when climbing grades.
Been awhile since the last update. Got the rear air bags replaced, that was a fun job. Also fixed a fuel leak on the throttle shaft of the injector pump. It's finally running off its own fuel tank again after pumping out 80 gal of old nasty diesel. Still need to replace the drivers side of the windshield and new front airbags. Lots of other little things on the house side, but I'm getting the drive train back in working order first. I definitely am liking this CAT motor so far!
Great project