Just Purchased 20' Minuet

[Dan S]

We just brought home our 20' Minuet. It needs some work but the basics are there. All windows operable, all glass intact, do dents, upolstry and counters are original but in good shape. Everything is original even the carpet which is lime green.

We immeadiatly put on two new tires at Les Schwab prior to the 200 mile trip back. It poured down rain the entire trip back. It towed easily. In fact, I was surprised how it did not jump, bounce or sway like my previous 13' Boler.

Now that it's in the driveay I cn see the issues and now need some advice:

1) Seems that there is a drip on top where there seems to be a seam (roof has a square piece of Aluminum running the length of the trailer and I suspect water is getting in there...or the fact the TV antenna is not there....(however, it's not leaking at the knob). Front windows also brought in a little water as the cushions where a bit wet.

2) Battery was dead when we pulled in which seems odd. I thought we would have been charging it as we drove? I've got it on the charger now. I've got the land power pluged in now but none of the lights work. However the plug in's do as does the A/C. The previous day, when we inspected it, everything worked fine? Univolt issue?


3) Water heater was leaking during the inspection at one of the fitting. I figure I'll have plumber do that. The carpet by each wheel well is very wet...I suspect water is spraying through and should be easy to detect.

Any advice? I've got a name of a great RV mechanic that I'm thinking I'll have him go through it and do up an estimate. In the mean time any thoughts on the electrical and wet carpets?

Thanks,

Dan

[Dan S]

The other issue is that the door makes a terrible moan when you try to open it and it's haning/binding on something, however I cant see where I could adjust it.

Thanks again. I'll post pics once I find a media reader.

Dan

[Boondocker]

WOOHOOO a new coach! Show us pictures, we want pictures!

[safari57]

Good work Dan. I like the Minuet trailers. They are more the size of my Flying Cloud. Where did you find it?

Looking forward to pictures. Perhaps if you were able to post pics of the areas you are mentioning having problems with we can provide advice (not that we won't anyways).

Barry

[Argonaut20]

Don't rule out the TV antenna place as a leaker. The water doesn't necessarily come down the handle. It comes down the inside panels and wets the sides or front of the coach.

The water heater leak should be an easy one to cure with a bit of plastic pipe and fittings. The main question revolves around the working of the heater. If it works OK, get some pex and have at it.

Check the fuses on the Univolt first. It doesn't charge real fast when towing, so the battery didn't get much chance to plump up when you towed home.

If the Univolt worked when you inspected, I'd sure look at the fuses and connections before popping for a new unit. There is much to be said for a modern 12 v unit, though. First be sure the connections, etc. are OK. Otherwise even a new unit won't work. I'll clue you: I spent a lot of time on my Minuets checking electrical continuity, connections, fuses, etc. I found a lot that needed to be fixed or upgraded and when I was through, I knew the wiring was solid. Check continuity to the brakes especially.

Those fender wells are THIN plastic and probably a bit brittle. Take a light below and have someone inside the trailer see if they can spot any obvious holes, split seams, etc. If not, seal the whole area as best you can. (I considered using rubberized undercoating as well as Vulkem on mine, but haven't done it yet.)

Most of all, have fun with the Minuet. They tow beautifully and are comfortable to boot.

[Dan S]

Here's the hot water tank and the wet area.
Dan

[Dan S]

exterior

[Dan S]

Sorry about the resolution on these....I'm on photo editor hell !

[Dan S]

I went back to the 110 electrical panel and reset or turned off and then on the breaker.....SHA-ZAM ! I have lights and power. The door is considerably quieter now, I assume the graphite stuff takes a while to get in where it needs to go but it is still less than smooth.

The carpet at the front door is VERY wet and extends up a foot and a half. Do you think the door seal is bad or is it something from above and making its way down the inside wall....or could it be the wheel well?

I forgot to mention that I'm only the third owner. The first owners name is in the owners manual and it shows he purchased it in April of 1977 in Spokane, WA. The manual is a great source of info and humor too.

Realizing the TV antenna may be a source of leakage, I'll need to investigate. However, I'd really like to get my hands on a replacement are they sold in any of the vintage trailer shops?

Thanks again and any and all advice is more than welcomed.

Dan

[balrgn]

Nice looking rig, love the carpet, original color?

The antenna could be a source of a leak, feel the handle, water collects in there sometime.

The seal may be tired on the door, is it dry and hard? Dealers still sell the door seal material. Got mine from OASIS R.V. CENTER, INC. - Home

Take a look at the trim along the outside. Sometimes water seeps in there. Leaks can be hard to locate, water creeps...

Good Luck!

[3Ms75Argosy]

Nice Argosy there! regarding the leaks....
My water tank leaked like that post ice damage (and old age).... replacement wasn't so hard or bad. Those door seals are likely dried up.. there should be two "fins" notable on the rubber... mine just looks like one fused piece. Pull a dollar bill around the door, it should grab equally. I'd bet new window and door seals are in order.... not hard to do.

There have been instances where the antenna was the source of leaks... sometimes small pinholes have formed from the base of the antenna metal interacting with the aluminum... not hard to seal up.

Are you looking for an orginal antenna. We don't use ours, and I want to remove it. It's all there... PM me if you're interested. It's yours if you want it.

Nice that you can park yours off street. Ours is stored up north by Marysville. Seattle doesn't let us park it on our street for long.

Forgot to mention - check those axles. Also, Evergreen RV in Lynnwood (on hwy 99) is a good source of generic parts and good service.
Welcome again!
Marc

[overlander64]

Greetings Dan!

Welcome to the world of Vintage Minuet ownership!

Your interior has fared far better than the original in my Minuet despite it having been a one previous owner. Your coach has what was referred to as the "mint" or "spring" green color scheme. Among the Minuets that I have seen, it is among the more unusual color schemes.

If your 6.0 Metre is like most of the other '78 Minuet 6.0 Metres that I have seen, it has the composit aluminum floors. It seems like more of the '79 6.0 Metre Minuets had the plywood floors -- I have only encountered one '78 6.0 Metre Minuet with the plywood flooring.

My Minuet had a leak in the water heater compartment producing similar results to what you are experiencing. As it turned out, the biggest contributor was a leaking water heater bypass valve.

The water that you are seeing in the front, may have come from the TV Antenna or one of three places that are relatively common on Argosy coaches:

• Since the front domes often have to be repainted on a regular basis, the Argosy script has often been removed and then reattached with rivets -- these rivets can ocassionally be a source of water infiltration.
• If your coach has the three-piece rock guards on the front, the top hinge assembly is another item that is often removed and reattached when painting the dome; and again may be a source for water infiltration if the screws/rivets utilized to attach the hinge weren't sealed with vulkem or its equivalent.
• As with Airstreams, the clearance lights can also be a source of water infiltration in the front.

Good luck with your Minuet -- they are indeed wonderful coaches to tow!

Kevin

[gotair]

Dan
that is a very nice looking trailer ...
pull the aircondidioner cover down on the inside of the trailer look inside the roof for water comming in from the airconditioner... get a ladder go up top check the ceiling vent this is where mine leaked... I left the vent open when towed home and worked the old seal loose... scrapped off old sealant wipped it clean and resealed it ... Done... end of leak....that roof antena is gone.>?
why ? what happned to it .. ? did it get left up while towing ? this can cause a leak to I guess...I would takle that one when the rains stop...
you could always cover it with a tarp.... heee heee
Dan..