Hello, New U320 Owner

Topic: Hello, New U320 Owner (Read 1495 times) previous topic - next topic

Hello, New U320 Owner

March 15, 2025, 02:07:30 pm

Just like to introduce myself, I am Roy and I finally pulled the trigger on a 1997 U320 40 ft. with no slides.

My wife and I decided 2 years ago we were gonna travel the roads and see the U.S.A. Unfortunately she passed last Thanksgiving and I spend 87 months taking care of her. I finally realized that the world keeps moving yet I was locked into place so I decided to restart my search and follow through with our original plan.

I looked at Beavers, Bluebirds, Prevost, Foretravel, and even one Gulf Stream. Thursday I had a list of my 3 finalist and we travel 223 mile to look at all 3 on the same day.

The Gulf Stream was "Very Pretty" for 20 feet away but it had slides and it was painted in silver which looked good but they resealed every outside seam with white caulk that looked like they were a first time caulk gun user. Inside was nice and very updated but the smell make me think of old water. Outside they ran over something 2 inches higher then the bay doors on the passenger side which messed the underside of the doors and their function. 39,000 miles. Looked nice but very limited records and a dealership. $46,000

Bluebird had a lot of upgrades on silly stuff but the coach showed age with its scratches and clear coat blistering. Limited paperwork. (Dealer) 220,000 miles. Nice RV and I didn't run away but went to see my 3rd RV (Really my 1st choice) $45,000

The Foretravel. Had 2 owners, First had it custom built for them with all paperwork showing that. It sold for $487,500 in 1997. The second owner was an over the road trucker that was OCD in a great way! I have records for EVERY month since 2001. It finish is comparable to a new one. Store indoors it entire life. NO decal! They had everything painted on this coach including striping. Body damage was the the size of a nickel, and easy fix. Interior was CLEAN, think mama was OCD too! No slides and I am happy with that, being just myself it's plenty of room. Cedar closet, Bar with an Ice maker for it. Still laughing over the VHS player...crap gave away all my tapes years ago. I have enough to grab my grand kids (5 kids ages 1-10)
Has108,000 miles on a M11 diesel motor. I brought a friend so I wouldn't buy with emotion, 10 minutes of looking at it he whispers in my ear "This thing is amazing" so I knew other were coming this weekend to look so I pulled the trigger, $35,000 and I now have an RV....

Why did I join this forum? I know I am going to have lots of questions. Want to get comfortable with doing as much as I can by myself and keep it maintenance records in line. So here are a few I would love some honest input:

The tag expired in 2022 so it sat in its garage with his son starting it up and driving it close by to keep it fluid.

The tires look better then new, no sun has hit them, but they are 5 years old. I heard that it's not the look but the date on the tire. Is this true? Any feedback would be helpful.

He said it needs to get a tune up because of time, not the way it runs (It purrs) I will do this anyways because I need to drive it to upstate New York in April. Biggest fear is being on the side of road with limited options. How do you find a trust worthy mechanic? I am in Tavares Fl near Mt Dora and Leesburg. Any help appreciated.

Off the wall question...Does anybody drive around with extra light bulbs, plugs, and engine belts etc. Things that could go but if you have the part and a tool box your not at the "Cost of the Wild"

Last item. Never had a RV, yes I have full understanding of maintenance, but what should I do when I get her home that you done and saved a lot of grief and money. Let me know. I am no stupid with RV's. I am ignorant which means I will lean but I need mentors and that is why I join this forum.

Thanks for reading and any input you have, good or bad, I am thick skinned (smiling)

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #1 – March 15, 2025, 02:47:16 pm

Welcome to Foreforums! I moved your post here to Discussions for wider visibility

Most of us do carry "spares" of things that can help in a breakdown on the road

Belts
Fuel filters
Air dryer bypass fittings
some fluids (coolant, oil)

Do the records include the last maintenance items/dates/etc. for

oil/filter change
coolant/filter change (what coolant was used?)
fuel filters
Engine air filter
transmission fluid/filter change (what fluid - regular or Transynd?)
Air dryer maintenance (desiccant canister, etc.)
Generator service (hours) - oil, fuel filter?
AquaHot service (nozzle? chamber cleaning? igniter gap? fuel filter?)

Any record of fuel lines being replaced? (both main engine and generator)

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #2 – March 15, 2025, 02:50:53 pm

Welcome Roy to the Forum. I hope you enjoy your coach as much as we do. This forum is unbelievable. The amount of information you can get from the search bar is amazing. As far as tires go I believe most people believe 7 years is about right to replace regardless of appearance. Reading this forum can be overwhelming. Because when a person has a problem, they ask questions and opinions. Gives the impression that they always break. A lot of people take their coaches to Nacadoches Texas. The birthplace of Foretravel. There is a cottage industry of people that specialize in all things Foretravel. I know it is a long way from you, but. I'm also sure there are places closer to you that can help, maybe someone closer will have recommendations.
Tom

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #3 – March 15, 2025, 02:56:24 pm

Welcome to the Foretravel family!
Is this the one in Auburndale Florida?
The 320's are great, one because of the M11 and two the Aqua Hot. Congrats on your new coach and adventures!

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #4 – March 15, 2025, 03:09:51 pm

IMO you made a good choice for your RV. Welcome to the family. You have also found the right place to get help with questions and problems that may arise. As far as being new to RVing, everyone was at some point. Don't be afraid to ask questions here, even if you feel they are silly. I got over that long ago. Almost all here are knowledgeable and helpful.
I am one that, even though I live quite a ways from Nacogdoches TX. , Phoenix AZ area, end up there at least once a year getting service and upgrades done. I'm sure there are some in your area that can help with that, but, we just use it as a reason to travel and it is a beautiful area. Enjoy your coach and again, welcome...

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #5 – March 15, 2025, 03:10:10 pm

Quote from: Roy – March 15, 2025, 02:07:30 pm

How do you find a trust worthy mechanic? I am in Tavares Fl near Mt Dora and Leesburg. Any help appreciated.

Paul Yasbeck is in Leesburg

Contact info in the post below:

HWH Travel mode

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #6 – March 15, 2025, 04:48:04 pm

Roy,
Welcome to Foretravel ownership and the community. It has now been a year since I acquired mine. They are special.
"I need to drive it to upstate New York in April." I am located on Long Island. I do not know another New Yorker that has a Foretravel.
We are oddballs. I also have a place down in Barefoot Bay so next winter I should be there. Don't forget to join the Motorcade club.
Enjoy and best wishes.

Dennis

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #7 – March 15, 2025, 04:51:15 pm

Quote from: Dennis H – March 15, 2025, 04:48:04 pm

Roy,
I do not know another New Yorker that has a Foretravel.
Dennis

Easy to see where other Foretravel owners are and who they are on the ForeForum:

https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?action=GoogleMap

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #8 – March 15, 2025, 05:39:33 pm

Your mention of needing a tune up and carrying extra plugs worries me.
If your coach is all original it means you have almost everything to replace, almost everything made out of rubber is suspect, as are all the appliances inside.
I would suggest you contact Paul Yasbeck for a thorough inspection before you hit the road.

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #9 – March 15, 2025, 06:03:00 pm

Quote from: Lon and Cheryl – March 15, 2025, 05:39:33 pm

Your mention of needing a tune up and carrying extra plugs worries me.

Good catch Lon

Regarding "tune up", at most Cummins suggests valve/injector inspection and adjustment if needed around 100K miles. It's fairly rare for this to actually be needed and not doing so now would not cause a sudden breakdown if the coach is running fine.

If by plugs you mean spark plugs, there aren't any in a big diesel engine. If you mean plug adapters for your shore line power cord, many carry a 30 female/50 male adapter in case a campsite only has 30 amp available.

If no maintenance has been done since 2022, I'd strongly look at prioritizing air dryer service (get a factory reman'd unit swapped in to avoid valve failure potential), fuel filters (algae and adhesives), and air filter replacement (adhesives) as things that can definitely ruin a trip home if failure occurs.

If you can't get the air dryer swapped, at least get the parts and practice swapping them in (to make sure you have the tools and can break the air dryer lines loose to do so.) What did you do to your coach today XI (2025)

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #10 – March 15, 2025, 07:53:17 pm

Welcome to the club. These things are great, but as with any RV, there are tons of moving parts that can go wrong. Most will be small things that can be fixed easily or delt with after you get home. With it being 2 years since it's been serviced, I'd do the oil in the engine and generator, fuel filters and air filters. Just so you know they are good. Coolant should be a extended life red coolant. Might need changing, might just need a bottle of booster. If you can figure out how long it's been in there and what type it is, you can see if it needs changing. Transmission fluid change with the synthetic Trans-Syn is recommended to. You can flush the whole thing, or just drain and change, then drain and change again at a later date. Tons of information on the forum about that. Trans filter should be changed too. Grease everything. Get the special grease for the brake calipers and grease them. The process is easy, You can get to it from under the coach. Get some jack stands that can support it for working under it. Harbor Freight has 20 ton stands that I use in the rear, and 12 ton stands up front. The air bags can lift it up pretty well, but don't trust them to hold it when you are under it.

I'd carry spare fuel filters. Those can plug up and cause issues and are easy to change on the side of the road. I'd also add some biocide to the diesel fuel to get rid of any potential growth. I'd run that fuel tank down pretty low before filling up with fresh stuff. Look at the Open Roads program. You can sign up for their fuel card and get fuel at truck stops for better prices. You will want to fuel up at a truck stop in the fuel lines for the commercial trucks. If you go to an automotive pump, plan to be there for a while.

I have a storage area for spare bulbs. fuses, wiring, tools. ETC. That and the wiring diagrams will get you running again most of the time.

Inspect the air bags for signs of cracking. Small cracks are not too much to worry about, Large cracks are. They are just like tires. Listen for air leaks and see if you need to replace them.

If you are stuck anywhere in your trip, post on the forums, Might be someone near by that can assist, or direct you to a good service center.

I am also planning a trip (well, my wife plans, I just drive) from Atlanta to Rochester in the first week of April, I'll keep an eye out for you.

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #11 – March 15, 2025, 07:59:58 pm

Sounds like you made an excellent purchase..... In regard to things to carry in the coach, all the things you mentioned are a good start. We all have stuff in the coach for repairs or maintenance and most of us have things that we hope we never have to use but it's there anyway if we can find it. Part of the process..... Have a good time.

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #12 – March 15, 2025, 08:26:31 pm

Roy,

Welcome to the group. Since you just joined the Forum, you may have not yet discovered a couple of excellent sources of Foretravel information available for free to our members:

https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?media/album/foretravel-library.165/

Foreforums Foretravel Wiki

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #13 – March 15, 2025, 09:25:01 pm

I'm down US441 in Apopka.

jk

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #14 – March 16, 2025, 12:00:18 am

Welcome to the club. Any idea of maintenance performed?

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #15 – March 16, 2025, 08:51:44 am

I know I am in the right place. I appreciate everyone's positive reaction.

Some of the thing asked are:
Mentioning the tune up. His son just told me to have it gone over since his dad had not be active with it in over a year. I assumed a tune up but I am learning about gas lines and such so I will have her looked at. Got reminded (Laughing) that it would be useless to carry plugs...for a diesel engine. Small baby steps learning....also my first diesel.

Yes this one was the one in Auburndale that was listed.

Appreciate hearing what others stock on their RVs. Rather have it sitting, then needing it.

Anything I should say at the tag office to get a tag when it won't be used full time?

Feedback on the tires seem to be change after 7 years, just don't want any roadside incidents if I can prevent them.

Nice to know I have people close in range that also have these Rvs.

Again, Thank you. I really appreciate everyone kind and generous responses. I think this forum just became my favorite book!

Gratitude as always,
Roy

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #16 – March 16, 2025, 09:29:29 am

Welcome to the forum.

Some members have been able to buy new tires at 5 years and get a trade in credit on the old ones. Others just run them until 7+ and then buy new.

Do a little search on the forum and you will find lots of info/opinions on tires.

Rich

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #17 – March 16, 2025, 03:22:56 pm

Congratulations on your coach. Sorry for the loss of your spouse. Air dyers need annual maintenance. Tires have a 10 year life, but I like charging them at half life because I want nothing to do with a failure. Sell the takeoffs for half price to a dump truck owner. TPMS for me is a must. Brake slide pins will also need service and I would install helper springs. Yes it's 28 years old and will need every rubber product eventually changed. Fuel lines are also on the list. Airbags? I recently changed my fuel filter, prime pump to a FASS system and am very happy with it. Ive always thought of my coach as a 1997 Cadillac Deville. Real nice but old and needy. The seals in the steering gearbox will eventually need to be replaced if they haven't already been done. You dont need to catch every ball at once. I always carry an engine/transmission code reader. I have a recurring transmission speed fault I have yet to figure out. Get some form of additional engine indicating. Observe the transmission retarder temperature till you are used to how it functions. We love our coach but its always in the back of my mind. Learn to use the search box at the top right of this page. Almost every question you have has been asked and answered before. I will say every member here has a lot to offer and the knowledge base is endless. Oh I almost forgot, good pictures are always loved by everyone.

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #18 – March 16, 2025, 03:37:56 pm

Quote from: dsd – March 16, 2025, 03:22:56 pm

Learn to use the search box at the top right of this page. Almost every question you have has been asked and answered before. I will say every member here has a lot to offer and the knowledge base is endless.

Another tip is to use the Search option in the dropdown under Community when there's a specific timeframe (or wanting the results sorted by most recent) or member's contributions you're looking for. You can even narrow it down to only searching in specific boards (which can be helpful if it's something from the old Yahoo Group archive you're looking for.)

https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?action=search

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #19 – March 16, 2025, 07:35:56 pm

Welcome to the club!

I searched for almost 2 years and finally found my coach - a well cared for 1999 U320 without slides. I love it. I was nervous about a 25 year old coach, but these are built well. I took mine to Keith in Nacog for inspection/service, and he confirmed that I bought a great coach. I am always doing something to upgrade, but that is part of the fun. People on this forum are VERY helpful and patient.

I keep a lot of spares, and have a list of everything in my coach in my "notes" on my iPhone with the location (i.e., third door, black tote, etc.) so I can find it when I need it. I just search my notes.

I have made 3 'big' trips (more than 2 weeks) and a lot of shorter trips. Each trip I get a little nervous (something is bound to go wrong with a 25 year old coach), but so far, so good.

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #20 – March 17, 2025, 03:52:21 pm

To address your original request on things to help you get to your intended destination I immediately thought of a potential failure the owner of my local Cummins dealer noticed when he walked behind my running coaches engine compartment. The m11 had an intermittent idle. Audible. Turns out the m11 uses a dual circuit cam position sensor. The oem part was potted in resin inside of a metal tube with wires coming out its end. Turns out oil intrudes into the potting material and shorts out the circuit. When both fail the engine stops. Replacement cam position sensor is a solid aluminum part. Later m11's I think went to a dual system where there are multiple locations where the cams position is sent to the ECU. Your sensor may or may not have been replaced. Or may not be oil soaked. Mine was at 2000 hours/106k miles. Two circuits are built in the one housing. The obvious hesitation in the idle was readily noticeable once one knew what to listen for. There was also an updated ambient air pressure sensor which is an external device with a quick plug in connection then zip tied to an adjoining pipe next to the motor.

If you want more power and better mileage and an easier to drive coach once you get to your end point please feel free to post your interest here or message me.

Long ago I was a Foretravel stores sales manager and was a very hands on guy as far as improving the product. You have one of the finest engineered coaches made. Almost endless upgrades are available to make your coach more fun to use and to work even better.

Bob

Re: Hello, New U320 Owner

Reply #21 – March 18, 2025, 01:43:07 pm

Congratulations! Welcome along Roy, sounds like you've found a wonderful coach.
In my opinion they are built better than almost anything else on the road.
I hope it brings you a great deal of joy.
This is probably the single best forum for Foretravels you could hope to find, no matter what the issue is, someone here will know the answer, or at least know where to find it. More likely, there will be several different solutions to each problem, pick the one you like.

As for spares, I always carry spare belts and fuel & oil filters for engine and generator, and I've had to use them once or twice.
I also carry air bypass equipment, airline splices, a spare water pump, fuses, breakers, spare airbag and a bunch of tools.
Several rolls of tape, including double-sided VHB mounting tape, and 2 types of caulking/sealing stuff.

Since you have a good record of the coach's history, maybe go through the records and see what has been a problem in the past. That might give you some more ideas about what you need to carry.
I would suggest having someone check your airbags, tires and any obvious seals for age and leaking. Personally I don't like to go over 5-6 years on tires, the potential damage from a blowout is too expensive when compared to tires.
I also had my fuel lines replaced as they were showing signs of age.
There is always something to do on a coach, needed or just wanted. You'll soon figure out what matters to you.

If you're in no hurry to make it to NY, maybe you could swing through Nacogdoches, TX and get some good advice from the 'Mothership' (Foretravel factory) or one of the other specialists in the area. Keith Risch knows almost everything there is to know about these coaches, he could do an inspection for you and give you a punch list to take home. He has a workshop in Nacogdoches and he's worked on these coaches for most of his life. His number is 936-462-3764.

Best of luck on your travels, try to make it to a Foretravel rally sometime, (joining the club gets you 10% off parts)
There's a lot of nice folks here that would be pleased to meet you in person.
All the best.

Affiliate Notice