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OE changes made under warranty

Sitting here in a campground with time to spare, I started reading the original paperwork that came with the coach. The original owner had the Villa chairs replaced with Flexsteel, all 3 of them and the Isuzu engine replaced with the Kabota. All done under warranty. I thought everything was original and now I know why my generator engine is different than others of my year. Any ideas why he would have had these changes made?
1999 40 ft. U-320 wtfe build 5563 Chuck & Lynda's "Rollin' Inn"  2030 watts solar
prev. mh's 71 GMC 5 yrs. 73 Pace Setter 1 yr. 78 Vogue 5 yrs 81 FTX 40ft all electric 18 yrs. 1996 Monaco Signature 3 yrs.
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today.  James Dean

Re: OE changes made under warranty

Reply #1 –
Four cylinder kubota engine is probably smoother running and quieter than the three cylinder Isuzu?

And maybe heavier.  Have you weighed the front?
"Riding and rejoicing"
Bob
1997 U320 40' Mid entry, build 5132,  wtbi ce27, 4th owner
2007 Solara convertible
2 prodeco tech outlaw ss electric bikes

1095 watts solar
08 Ls 460 and a sc430
2000 Ford F-250 superduty 4x4

Re: OE changes made under warranty

Reply #2 –
Quote from: craneman –
Any ideas why he would have had these changes made?

Cman,

A lot of things were done for personal preference in that time frame. There were a lot of one offs produced in the late 90s. After our coach was shown at the big Florida show it went back to the factory and was "updated" pre customer request.

Pamela & Mike
Pamela & Mike 97 U 320

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."

Re: OE changes made under warranty

Reply #3 –
Quote from: craneman –
...............The original owner had the Villa chairs replaced with Flexsteel, all 3 of them and the Isuzu engine replaced with the Kabota. All done under warranty. I thought everything was original and now I know why my generator engine is different than others of my year. Any ideas why he would have had these changes made?..................
Chuck,
Villa Chairs, while higher quality in that they have more substantial frames, slides, screw gears, wiring, motors, switches, etc. are always taller, wider and stand taller off the floor.  I changed our original seats from Flex Steel to a set of discarded Villas (too high off the floor for the original owners) in our 1998 U270, and the Villas pleased us very much.  Between the two sets of chairs, the Villas had much higher quality coverings.  In the late 1990's, I personally know many FT owners that (at their own expense) changed various chairs/couches from Villa to Flex Steel.  Flex Steels could (optionally) be covered with fabrics similar or identical to the ultra leathers used on the Villas.  The original owners of our discarded Villas found them to be too big, too tall, and too deeply padded/plush, etc.  I know of one owner that changed just because Villa only had a shoulder belt option and they HAD to have just lap belts.  For them, Flex Steel was one of the limited number of options that they could purchase that way.

On the Isuzu to Kubota change, I know a number of them were changed to upgrade to the Quiet box.  Is yours possibly that?  Or maybe it was an infant mortality issue.  FT's came with a 3 year, 36,000 mile original warranty then.

Quote from: Caflashbob –
Four cylinder kubota engine is probably smoother running and quieter than the three cylinder Isuzu?....................
Bob,
Very little weight delta between the two.  Most of the weight increase being in the 12Kw generator, not in the engine.
FYI, I wrote up a (personal) comparison on operating characteristics, some time ago (open 8Kw Isuzu installation to Quiet Box,12Kw Kubota): See "Reply #3" below:

Neal
Reply #3
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Neal (& Brenda) Pillsbury
'02 U320 SPEC, 4200, DGFE, Build #5984
'04 Gold Wing
'07 Featherlite 24'
'14 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit
MC #14494
Exeter, NH & LaBelle FL
Quality makes the Heart Soar long after Price is Forgotten

Re: OE changes made under warranty

Reply #4 –
The coach was purchased on 6/22/99 from FT of California. The generator engine was replaced on 9/8/2000 with the Kabota at the same time as the Villa chairs were switched to Flexsteel. The sofa had to be modified for this change according to the paperwork. A crack in the upper corner of the generator box was repaired and it has since returned. Also the customer, according to the invoice, was very unhappy about the force to open and close the side windows. They checked the thickness of the glass and reported that they were within the specs. of Creation glass. If the engine had failed it sure didn't last long. The owner had traded in a 1995 U320 so maybe he was a recurring customer they wanted to please.
1999 40 ft. U-320 wtfe build 5563 Chuck & Lynda's "Rollin' Inn"  2030 watts solar
prev. mh's 71 GMC 5 yrs. 73 Pace Setter 1 yr. 78 Vogue 5 yrs 81 FTX 40ft all electric 18 yrs. 1996 Monaco Signature 3 yrs.
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today.  James Dean

Re: OE changes made under warranty

Reply #5 –
Neal,  my thought was that the four smaller bore cylinders?  have more material to soak up more of the high compression firing noises.  Door up the external noise from the kubota seems lower.  Both at 10k. No box. 

Mounting feet vicsoity or hardening from age may convey more noise on either unit.

Possible the Isuzu is a physically lighter engine?  Made for cars?  Sold luv trucks with bigger 4 cylinder Isuzu diesels.

Truck fell apart.  Engines repurposed. 

Someone needs to sound meter both to see if I am crazy like normal.
"Riding and rejoicing"
Bob
1997 U320 40' Mid entry, build 5132,  wtbi ce27, 4th owner
2007 Solara convertible
2 prodeco tech outlaw ss electric bikes

1095 watts solar
08 Ls 460 and a sc430
2000 Ford F-250 superduty 4x4