1989 Rockwood Prestige Class A - came for manuals, stayed to say hello

[RockwoodMike]

Well, for the right price anything can happen  🙂🙃🙂🙃

And what the hell are we doing with our Winnebagos then?

The question is of someone really want to put the time and love in it. Doing nothing this thing keeps standing not getting any better.
 

The right price is for me to pay some towing/junkyard to haul it away..

When it comes to my D22 Indian, that rockwood has plenty of things I can use..The roof top AC..6.5 Onan generator that could be standby power for my house..Here in California, we are on the edge of a total electrical grid breakdown..

The fridge is a newer unit tri powered with 12 volts AC and propane..That would fit nice in the Winnie..

Water heater..Only used for one season before the engine quit..Power inverter..List goes on..

All the things that I need for the Winnie, quite a few would come from the Rockwood..

Even the steel frame could be cut up and be sold for the scrap value..

It is worth more in tearing it down then what I could get for a "for sale" offer..

Gas is over 5 a gallon..This Rockwood on it's best day never made it to 7 miles a gallon. Almost a dollar a mile..

Nobody wants this thing..It will be scrape soon.

[RetroGrandma2]

Fair enough points, both in the value of the scrap, and the value of just a come-n-get-it sale.

Price of gas, indeed! I'd love to drive the Rockwood to Nebraska to visit family, but I can do the trip on half the cost just driving my car and staying in hotels.

But the travel isn't why I want the motorhome anyway. It's all about the bug infested, stale smoke smell; the drunk campsite neighbors, and the barking dogs at 3am campground life that I really like!       

[Eyez Open]

Oh rebuilding a rv is quite a experience. Rebuilding the power train is/Was real work. Now I'm onto finishing the interior, I've never have attempted something like this just for myself..my own personal tastes. It can be really confusing,and then there is exterior paint job...How does one paint a 30' refrigerator and bring some fun to it...

[Mlw]

So you are putting it to use. That is changing things and i'm totally agreeing with you with everything you say.

But there are also enough people who just leave it standing or asking rediculous prices so it keeps standind and that's something i will never understand.

A few months there was the same Minnie Winnie for sale in Germany for $200,= I don't think I have to explain the state it was in but it was still standing and I would have bought it in a second if i had the room to store it. because it would have been cheaper (but more work) to salvage parts of it.

oh well... it is what it is.

[RetroGrandma2]

Here's an update on the Rockwood repairs:

The master cylinder was nearly empty! But when we refilled it, we've been checking the fluid to see if the mcyl itself is leaking. It seems to be holding. We haven't bled the brakes yet, that's further down the list, once she's road worthy.

In the mean time, we've been chasing starting issues. We originally thought it was a dead chassis battery. Took it home and trickle charged it. But that doesn't solve the issue, so we removed the starter and tested it; dead! It's one of the things the shop mechanics hadn't replaced, so it was the original '87 starter. Frankly, I was surprised I could get the bolts to turn as easily as they did, given the rust encrusting it.

Napa Auto Parts carried a remastered one, exactly the same type with internal solenoid, and we got the new one back in with a minimum of swear words. My arms are sore this morning, from holding that starter up and trying to get the wire bolted on! But all said and done, she started up without needing to remove the air filter and spray starting fluid in the carb; she also automatically released her clutch like she's supposed to.

One thing I need help with, and maybe Rockwood Mike, you know the answer: where is the starter relay located? We had trouble tracing the wiring back to it, even with a diagram.

Charlene

[RockwoodMike]

I can help you..My coach has a battery disconnect system for the batteries..As you enter the coach at the main entrance, there is this panel that has these 2 switches..1 for the coach batteries and the other for the chassis battery..the motorhome has 2 batteries for the coach and 1 for the chassis..
Pic 1

When you flip the switches, you will hear a clink clunk..this activates the relays located under the front inspection door at the front of the coach..where you see the radiator and everything in front of the engine ..without these switches-relays activated, the batteries are totally disconnected and no power can be drawn from them..
You arrive at the campground and you would disconnect the chassis relay, to keep it from being drawn down in any way..

In the center circled in blue is a relay controlled from the dash that would momentarily connect the chassis and coach batteries together..in case one or the other set of batteries were dead, it would give you a jump from the other set.. Pic 2

Now for the location of the starter relay..As you stand in front of the coach, looking at the front of the radiator, look over to the left and down low of the front engine area..

You have to get your head in there to see it, but the Duraspark ignition module and the alternator regulator is on a panel mounted next to the starter relay..
Starter relay circled in red...Duraspark ignition in yellow and the Alternator regulator in blue..

So all of this is located left and low as you stand in front of the coach looking into the front are of the engine..

Just to get a perspective of the location you can just see the front right tire and the bottom of the picture..so all of this is located just in front of the right front tire

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Starter relay location - Look at PDF page 51 of the John Deere parts book
Key number 4

Much of the info Mike describes only applies if you have a Battery Disconnect system installed.  It is used to isolate the chassis and coach batteries when the rig is in storage to prevent them being discharged.

Typical Battery Disconnect System wiring diagram

[RetroGrandma2]

Rockwood Mike: thank you! I will look there when we go back next week. It does look like our systems are the same. Though I noticed our wood is darker, we have the oak interior. Thank you for the detailed directions and circling everything. Edit: can I access the starter relay from leaning over the tire, or getting underneath the front of the engine, or can I reach through the grill below the engine access door?

Dave, we do have the battery disconnect system. Our panel looks just like Mike's photo, and I did see the battery disconnect switches on the right front corner of the engine access, near the driver's side wall of the engine. But I will also take a look at the parts book, too. Thank you for that detailed directions on where to research to get a part number if we need to replace the relay.

[RockwoodMike]

Your best bet is to remove the grill and if need be the fiberglass panel (missing in my picture but outlined in red).

There are 4 screws(orange dots for location) and the grill comes off..Then you can reach in where the blue shows in the picture to get to the starter relay is mounted..

Check the connections to the relay..Take the cables off one by one and clean the connections good..Maybe you just have a bad connection!?!

[RetroGrandma2]

Your best bet is to remove the grill and if need be the fiberglass panel (missing in my picture but outlined in red)...Maybe you just have a bad connection!?!

Perfect, thank you. I had a feeling you'd say we needed to remove the grill, once you told me where the relays are located. I'm hoping it's just a corroded connection, too; but given it's age, it wouldn't surprise me if it's going out.

[RockwoodMike]

My memory is telling me that one of the battery disconnects was acting up where you flip the switch and it makes the click-clunk sound..but it wasn't actually making the connection..

Flipping the switch on and off a few times and it fixed itself..Just be sure when you turn on the chassis connect, that you are actually getting power to the chassis..Headlights should be bright..windshield wipers work..turn signals..etc..

Just some connection in all the connections leading to the starter relay may be bad..

[RetroGrandma2]

Yeah, all the age related things, right?

A few weeks ago, I'd had a brilliant inspiration to prevent us from being continuously slow roasted as we worked on the engine, because of the greenhouse effect from the Rockwood's extreme windshield angle. I cut panels of Reflectix and taped them together, to fit each windshield section; then the aha moment on how to hold the Reflectix in place? Spring tension cafe curtain rods! They work perfectly!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17fWAl30hbQsnkSysqqxBSs1Ma-4bVlll/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17cxOv6oZqwkDlYXu2ZUSJIgPofwC9dy8/view?usp=drivesdk