buying 34ft trailer

[genearnold]

Congratulations! Hope everything from here on goes well. A couple of observations from my experience: 1) My Limited looks like it has leprosy. The clearcoat is horrid. From what I've read in the Forum it is a common issue, even for the very late models (seems as though Jackson Center could get it right after so many years). If I get done with what I have planned for my house re-do I may get the courage to tackle the clearcoat issue next spring. 2) If your 34ft has a bedroom second air conditioner the wet spot could be coming from a plugged or damaged drip hose (it runs down just ahead of the street-side bedroom window. Also check the condensation drip pan. Mine was seriously damaged by the installer. I finally got serious about fixing it and applied some kind of glop to the cracks. They seem to be holding (in mine the drip pan damage caused a wet bed, not a wet floor). 3) I almost forgot this one. Three years ago my wife stepped on sopping wet carpet as she made the bed. Turned out to be the Sureflo water pressure regulator/city water connector (at street-side). I hadn't drained it completely when I winterized the trailer the previous fall and it froze up and cracked. It wasn't hard to replace.

Gene

[Crusty]

My '92 34' developed a fresh water leak from the flush valve cover plate of the original Thetford toilet, which resulted in first the floor and then finally the carpet becoming soaked (that's when I discovered it).

My response was to rip out that plastic toilet and the carpet and replace it with vinyl flooring and a SeaLand Traveller Lite toilet and I'm completely happy with the finished result.

I did have to run a small electric heater in the bathroom continuously for about a week to dry the floor out but that was all since luckily I found the leak before rot developed.

[dmreilly10000]

Originally Posted by wayne.yl

I went by today and bought the 34 excella 1000 and I am "so jacked".
Thats how my teenagers describe excitement.
Regarding the leak, the dealer said he would fix it to my satisfaction.
I bargained with him a little and he came down another 250.00 so I got it for less than 12k. I feel good about it.
We are going over all the systems later this week after they repack the bearings and check out the brakes and clean the interior.
The dealer had a list of all the items they inspected and everything checked out or was repaired. I am going to pick it up next Wednesday.
I will take some pics and post them.
Thanks all, for the help and encouragement.
Wayne

Congratulations on your purchase! If the tires are not very recent, I would replace them now ( or at least both rear tires). When I bought my 34'er several years ago, I didn't and was very sorry.

Here is my tale of woe: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...tion-2641.html

[wayne.yl]

Went by the trailer today and took a few pics to post.
Don't know whether we will keep the carpet as it is pretty dirty.
Everything else in the trailer looks good except a small crack in the interior
end cap just above the storage cabinet. I thought I took a picture of it
but I guess not. It looks like the cabinet has slid outward away from the interior wall and this forced the crack in the plastic head liner.
Any thoughts about how to fix this short of replacing the whole upper end cap.
Thanks in advance
Ps I think the pink recliner's gotta go too

[2airishuman]

hi wayne...

that looks like a GREAT find, really a nice looking unit.

there are a couple of threads on repairing those inner end caps...

i don't think replacements aren't available.

i'd suggest renting a steamcleaner thing and going over every interior surface...

including ceiling, carpet, bath, galley and so on...

a friend did that with his new/old unit and everything lightened a couple of shades...

and smelled better without cleaning agents, and of course was clean.

don't be hasty with the recliner, re-cover it!

u done good!

cheers
2air'

[wayne.yl]

2air,
Great thought on the steam cleaning. Never tried it but it
makes sense. I will check out threads for ideas on repair.
Laura is elated with the dinette and extra kitchen room. The Fridge
even seems bigger than the one in our 31ft. WE couldn't be more excited.
I am going to explore some new axles though. She is really riding low.
I sort of expected this extra expense when I first checked out the trailer.
Thanks again for the suggestions,
Wayne

[anna.kerwin]

You must be the lucky new owner of the 92 that was at Wagers Trailer Sales. I called on it the day after it sold. What a small world.

[wayne.yl]

Yes I am the new owner and I hope it was a good purchase.
I am still working with them on fixing the leak in the rear storage compartment. They seem cooperative but not very knowledgable.
WE will see how it goes.
BTW Tonight I saw an '88 34fter on Craigslist Portland if you are interested in this model of trailer.
Keep looking and you will find your dream trailer!!
Wayne

[anna.kerwin]

I also saw it the problem is that my bank will not lend for RVs that don't have a value on nada and 1989 is the oldest year on nada for airstream. So it is just one year out of my reach. Money is a big factor in what I can do.

[wayne.yl]

I will keep looking for ya....If I see something down this way, I will let you know. I remember how much fun it was to pull my first AS home...Even though the brakes didn't work and I almost found out too late. Man those were the good ol' days.

[anna.kerwin]

Thanks although I have to get one already road worthy thats for sure.

[Crusty]

Before you start tearing stuff apart looking for the leak, open that window and clean the gasket and it's sealing surface and then close it and maybe even adjust the latches to pull it a little tighter and check with a water hose to see if it's still there.

[bake315]

Originally Posted by Crusty

Before you start tearing stuff apart looking for the leak, open that window and clean the gasket and it's sealing surface and then close it and maybe even adjust the latches to pull it a little tighter and check with a water hose to see if it's still there.

Agreed. Also, you probably don't want a dealer unaccustomed to working on Airstreams trying to fix yours (they're liable to try glopping silicone hither and yon, creating an even larger problem down the road). You can get window gasket material as well as the compartment gasket material by the foot from your local Airstream dealer. Had to re-do all the compartments on my '94 - they were pretty well shot.

[Swanny]

Originally Posted by wayne.yl

Yes I am the new owner and I hope it was a good purchase.
I am still working with them on fixing the leak in the rear storage compartment. They seem cooperative but not very knowledgable.
WE will see how it goes.
Wayne

In San Antonio I quit using our 'Airstream dealer' a couple of years ago because they didn't seem to know what they were doing. I now have a RV repair mechanic who is just awesome! Even though they don't sell Airstreams I usually see 3-4 of them in their lot.

We went from a '75 31ft Excella to our '90 34ft Excella 1000. Wow what a difference. No more veneer but real wood. We've put in a new AC, new fridge and I've had a couple of water leaks that were easily fixed.

One thing you will note about the 34 is that AS put in a 13.5 BTU AC unit, which doesn't quite do the job on our hot Texas summer days. We replaced the unit with a 15k Carrier low profile unit and its night and day differnt (cooler).

Good luck!

[rceptex]

Wayne,

Dave's right about getting new gaskets for the windows and the compartment doors. Tip you might try after cleaning the existing gaskets is to rub baby oil on them. It reenergizes them if they are not completely dried out and falling apart. I use it one my old cars as well as the coach and it does help keep them pliable.

Ross

[wayne.yl]

Thanks fellas,
I called the dealer to confirm what their approach was toward fixing the leak.
I too had misgivings about silicone globbed all over the rear of the coach.
He assured me that they were going to inspect the gaskets on the compartment door and the rear window first before they looked elsewhere for the leak. I told him I didn't want any silicone on the trailer anywhere and he said fine. He said they would let me know when they found the leak.
I hope they find it and its an easy fix.
Thanks again for the helpful advice.
I will keep you posted.
Wayne

[wayne.yl]

I guess this really should be a question for flooring or leaks. Please forgive me for posting it in the wrong place.
Attached are pictures of the rear trunk and the water stained flooring I refered to earlier in this thread. I am quite disappointed that a 2-3inch piece of OSB flooring is spliced in at the rear of this trailer. I can't imagine why a whole piece is not used. I assume one piece would aid in stability. My question is whether this spliced piece of flooring could be part of the reason there is a leak back there?
Thanks for any help,
Wayne

[HowieE]

While the first assumption would be the rear compartment door look at the piece of sheet metal that goes under the banana strip from the top of the rear bumper compartment. That metal goes into the trailer directly onto the top of the floor. Design stupidity feature. If the sealant between it and the banana strip has failed water will run directly in and on the floor. It is common to find the factor construction plastic still over the rug in areas under cabinets and the bed. That plastic keeps any water that comes in as noted above from ever evaporating and the strand board that is used for the floor will soften once wetted.

I would not let a SOB dealer repair this because of the way the floor is fitted into the floor channel. The floor is a strutural part of the trailer. A quick fix could be worst than no fix.

[william Haym]

You will want to repair the 2 exhaust vent at the top of the trailer.
The rubber gaskets inside should be replaced every 3yrs approx.
If you don't ,water will run inside the trailer.
Andy has emphasized this many times before!!!

[william Haym]

You might want to have that trailer checked with the Seal tech 430r
water leak test unit. This unit is awesome to find water leaks.
It pressurizes the cabin and after applying a soapy solution will
find the leak. Most reputable rv repair shops will have this unit!!