Buying 85 IDI ATS turbo motorhome!

Cubey

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Well, its more or less official unless the guy is scamming me. But I'm not getting that vibe.

I put $300 cash down on a 1985 Eldorado Motorhome with ATS turbo for vans! It fired up great but i couldn't test drive it. He has the front on jack stands to level it on the RV pad, as he's living in it at an RV park. (Long story, not worth going into).

I got a receipt and he gave me the keys. He has a minivan he uses as his daily driver, not the motorhome.

It needs a lot RV wise but that's for discussing on an RV forum.

Engine wise, it has lots of typical surface rust from sitting a lot, as RVs tend to do. The odometer was something like 65k miles (5 digit).

It has an oil leak somewhere under the turbo from what little I could see, with his little dog wanting me to pet it. Also the rubber gromnet I think is for CDR relocation is leaky but aside from that, not bad. My truck's valve cover gaskets leak way worse.

It might need olives or return lines/orings, he smelled a little diesel he said. It didn't have a hard when he fired it up as if it has air intrusion but who knows. I didn't notice any such smell but I didn't shove my nose in either.

The radiator looks better than my truck's, no rusty film inside.

It has a small "manifold pressure " gauge attached to the left side of the column and a pryometer on the right.

I didn't think to take pictures so they'll have to wait until I come back next week to pay the rest and collect it.

Seems pretty darn good for $3200, even just for the turbo engine, the 4000w generator (has it's own separate gasoline tank!), the $1200 Norcold RV fridge and more.
 
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Runningaford

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Flush the radiator, may want to check the fluid, and perhaps have it running from cold with the cap off; looking for bubbles(head gaskets). I was researching Diesel RV's a while back, and often times, the diesels fail in under 100k miles. From what I understand, it's from people basically not having a clue, letting them idle too long, not long enough, running them hard from cold, running them hard, and shutting down immediately, blah blah blah.

I guess my point is, good engines, sh***y operators, bad idea.
 

Cubey

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So as an 85 unless it's got a swap in it it's a 6.9 same basic setup just different displacement

My 87 has the last year 6.9. It's probably original, having the same V belts as my truck. The poorly patched up block heater cord is a good indicator it's original too.
 

Cubey

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It needs a new RV door as a priority. It's an eyesore as it is. It was rotten and fell apart but he didn't butcher the RV to fix it. He just attached thick plywood to the door itself's frame.

There is a guy in the region who parts out junk RVs, so I should be able to get one for $100-150, outer frame and all. I just need to measure and email him to see if he has one to fit. It won't match color and stripes wise but who cares? I see RVs like that all the time.

I could paint it white if nothing else until I get a new door. At least it wouldn't stand out as badly then.

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Cubey

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Hell cut a window in it and use it probably stronger than a RV door

Haha maybe but no, I want a proper door. A proper one will also have a screen door with it for ventilation on nice days without letting in bugs.
 

Cubey

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How long has it been since it was on the road? Does sound like a good buy. Hope it works out for you.

I'm not sure. I think he said "recently". No flat tires that could be visually seen so that'sa good sign. He has tried to take fairly good care of it. A few things made me cringe to see but I can fix it.
 

Cubey

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Does it have roof leaks?

Not now he says. Its a fiberglass roof ,, so there's no tearing like rubber roofs. There is a ladder on the rear to access it. I'm going to strip and reseal everything with the proper RV grade sealants (Dicor) to be sure. I saw standing water by a roof vent where its a bit of a low spot which is a good sign, its not leaking in there at least.

Once I get it home and start diving in, I might just replace all the vents. I'm going to move my fantastic fan vent to it from this rotten old camper on truck, as well as the solar panel, batteries, etc.

The bathroom had a fairly bad leak that went unattended but some poor paneling work has been done to fix it. I need to rip it out and do it right eventually. The floor is good and solid though. I think it was replaced with extra thick plywood as its a slight step up. It has a fairly new porcelain RV toilet that works.

The guy lives in it so he has wanted as much to work as possible without leaks. It has a newer RV water heater he said. The panel cover looked old but they do sell them separately from the water heaters, so maybe the old was still compatible.

Oh the cabover had a leak too, probably the vent, but he said that was stopped.

Roof vents are easy to change and not too expensive online so it'll get new one.
 

IDIBRONCO

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One more thing to check out. Look at the tires for signs of dry rotting. If you see any at all, then you'd better plan on replacing all of them. A tire with dry rot is a time bomb waiting to go off.
 

Cubey

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One more thing to check out. Look at the tires for signs of dry rotting. If you see any at all, then you'd better plan on replacing all of them. A tire with dry rot is a time bomb waiting to go off.

Yep. Im going to have roadside before I move it.

I might move my truck tires to it and get 2 more like them. They are about 1.5yrs old. They aren't the best for mpg though being all terrain tires but they have gotten me out of being stuck even with a 27ft travel trailer hitched to the truck.
 
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