[MAXPOWER]

Hello my name is Max I am looking at purchasing a1984 Newell 38 coach #31. I went and looked at it today. For its age it's in great shape. I would like any advice on what to watch out for or concerns I should have. The coach has the 92 Detroit silver and an Allison trans. My wife and I are going to be full timing and traveling the country we are excited to embark on this journey.

[encantotom]

if you know how to operate all the coach systems you should try all of them. i would also take fluid samples of the engine and tranny, coolant and coolant and engine on genny and have them tested at a fluids lab.

be sure you know the age of the tires and batteries. usually a coach will need both and together they are pricey

and take it for a drive.

tom

[encantotom]

and i forgot to say welcome....

tom

[MAXPOWER]

Thanks for the welcome. It's going to need batteries for sure need replacement. The tires are from 2013 according to the date code. Does anyone else think hiring an outside inspector to be worth the expense?

---

So it turns out that the owner of the coach is also the owner of the dealership that the coach is located at in Ventura ca.

[HoosierDaddy]

Welcome Max,
IMO the worth of an outside inspector depends on how confident the buyer is in their own ability. I am not aware of any RV inspectors who offer any kind of guarantee. It is helpful to make a list of those things you want to check. You could even use a maintenance checklist that Newell provided with their coaches (I think there is a copy accessible on this site) to guide you. Having a checklist will help you remember everything while you are "on the hunt".
One thing to check is the floors of the bays, especially the water bay for rust. Look on the bottom as well. depending on the environmental conditions the coach has endured they could need replacement (the voice of experience here!!!) Replacement is not difficult but it is quite dirty hard work. Check holding tanks as well. Appliances, furnaces, A/C's, water heaters in general seem to have around a 20 year lifespan. Any original appliances may need replacing or repair. If you are getting serious about the coach a DOT inspection done by a reputable shop might be worthwhile.

[whatsnewell]

As Dean remarked, the environmental conditions in which a coach exists for most of its life, and how long it has been sitting will be good indicators of the potential issues upon which you must focus your attention.  Our 1982 was stored inside a climate controlled barn for 24 of its first 26 years in mostly arid climates, and was used on a regular basis.  No deferred maintenance, no rust in the water bays.....a little rust in the house battery compartment.....engine bays relatively clean and orderly, holding tanks all in above average condition.  Everything worked.......AC's still, after 35 years blow ice cubes, gas heaters work wonderfully (had to replace one circuit board on one heater last year), electric heaters, genset, fridge.  In over 50,000 miles of use since we purchased ours I have had to replace only the mechanical water pump, and the three electric heaters as there was a recall on them.  I am on my second set of tires, I change the oil, and all filters as needed, etc.  But mine is the exception to the rule.  Others have already outlined what you should do, and that is the best way for you to know what you are getting.  I spent hours with the prior owner going through all the systems, asking questions, etc.  Just had the brake lining checked and still have over 80% on the front brakes after over 50,000 miles of use by us, plus whatever was put on them by the prior owner.  Just had to have the Jake brake serviced.

I cannot emphasize enough to follow Tom's advice on having all fluids checked by a lab.....your drive train and generator represent the most expensive items in your coach and if not up to par can result in a nightmarish money pit of expenses.  Rebuilding a series 92 after failure can run to, or over $30,000 all by itself......tranny between $5 and 10,000, radiator up to $4,000.  Most everything else that can go wrong you can fix yourself.  Next most important thing is the age of your tires.....be sure the date codes all show 2013.....if that is truly the case then you've got a couple more years, or more.  It doesn't matter what they look like on the outside.....it's how old they are.  Whether tires sit on a rack for 6-7 years, or have been running down the road all those years they are pretty much done after 6-7 years.

That's my 2¢ (as Wally used to say) and I'm sticking to it........

[MAXPOWER]

Thank you all for your replies. We are going back tomorrow to test drive and participate in the inspection. I will keep ya'll posted.

[MrE]

Max, welcome to the very best website for information about Newell Coaches. I'm going to quote from the ad and add remarks.

"1984 Newell Coach with 500 HP Turbo Detroit 2 stroke diesel. A WONDERFUL 38 FOOT 1984 NEWELL COACH WITH ONLY 179,786 MILES NON-SMOKING, NO PETS. FEATURES INCLUDE: 60 HP PERKINS GENERATOR, HEATED BAYS, 200 GALLON FUEL TANK + reserve tank, ALLISON TRANSMISSION, 500 HP, New electric awning and AWNINGS OVER ALL THE WINDOWS REAR AND SIDE BACK-UP CAMERAS Generator Hours: 1,567 New AC's on the roof , new fridge ,new full body paint on top half. Runs and drives great! Tires in great shape , ready to go camping. Chassis: Detroit Silver 92 Diesel 500 HP SPECS: GVWR: 34,000 LBS GAWR Front: 12,000 LBS GAWR Rear: 22,000 LBS No Financing Available. Warranty We do not sell NEW RV's. We only sell quality Pre owned RV's. Problems do occur naturally, but you can be assured at the time of delivery, your RV is in working condition as described. All RV’s are sold as-is condition with NO warranty, However extended warranty is available on most vehicles. All RV’s has been serviced with fresh oil and filters in both generator and engine. All units has been waxed, polished and spit shined from top to bottom. If you see an RV that has a Dinette w/ Chairs and you need more sleeping space we can always replace with Booths or vice versa (we do it all the time)!!!!!! You will get a starter kit which includes, sewer hose, water hose, toilet paper, chemical and 110 plug. Please be advised that no oral statements concerning any vehicle constitute a representation or warranty of the condition of said vehicle. Our goal is to provide you with the best service and the most comfortable buying experience."

Hopefully you're mechanically inclined and willing to do most repairs/updates yourself. This site will be invaluable if that's the case.

1. Don't worry about the mileage, Newell Coaches are built to go over a million miles.
2. Don't worry about TVs, radios, interior lighting, etc...you'll want to upgrade all those and it's not expensive if you can do it yourself. 
3. The original inverter/charger will boil you batteries. Check to see if it's been updated. They are a necessary upgrade. Not expensive unless you opt for a full sine wave model. You can browse this site for different options.
4. The engine air compressor is essential, throttle, brakes and leveling depend on it. There will be an air dryer in the engine compartment on the drivers side. It will have an air discharge exiting down, stick your finger inside the discharge tube, if it's full of black oil your compressor might be going south. They're not that expensive ($500) but a real bear to replace and require you to actually get into the engine compartment to work on.
5. Make sure that the alternator is working correctly, they're not inexpensive and a pain to replace.
6. Insure that all the factory engine protection circuits haven't been bypassed. These insure that the engine shuts down before it fails. Trust me, that can save you thousands of dollars.
7. Make sure that the dealer fills the fresh water tank so you can test full functionality on your test drive. Make sure that you have hot water at the faucets and that the toilet works.
8. Check to make sure that the leveling functions correctly. Raise the coach to full height and take a flashlight and check the airbags for cracks.
9. Take a notepad when you when you do the inspection. Write down what every button, switch and dial do. If the dealer/owner doesn't know, check with the forum.
10. Ask if you can keep it overnight and go to a RV park with 50 amp service. Check everything that should be working to make sure it does. It should be fully self contained driving down the road and in a RV park.

A good test drive would be to take 33 towards Ojai then 150 to Carpinteria and 101 back to Ventura.

It's a beautiful coach, I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you as a happy Newell owner and participant on this forum!

[77newell]

Question for Jon: the 83 or 84 version of the 6V92 I used to have was completely mechanically controlled so there were engine protection circuits that could be bypasses. The engine was a transplant for an Cummins 555. How did your shutdowns work on your 8V92. Curiosity got me.

General comments: the "reserve tank" is far more likely to be the tank from which the generator draws fuel. On both Newell coaches I've had that tank can be also be joined to the main tank.

When checking the airbags, as Richard has noted the fronts deteriorate faster than the rears, been true on both my coaches. When raised look carefully at the very bottom of the bag near where it joins the bottom plate, this location is where my bags got really crumbly.

There MAY be the air dryer that Jon noted, my 77 didn't have one when I bought it. Not a problem at all, just needed to drain the rear air tank more often, until I passed through an ice storm and then the front brakes would lock up whenever I touched the pedal and it took several seconds once the pedal was released before the front brakes released. That treacherous problem didn't go away until warm weather arrived. Installed a new Bendix AD-9 and never had another problem.

An older Newell can be a real gift

[MrE]

@77newell, I discovered what protection was supposed to be there by reading the 8V92 manual. What I remember is a sending unit on the radiator for low fluid level and another sending unit for engine temp and one for oil pressure. When I took possession of mine none of them were hooked up.

Max, another thing to test is all the sliding windows.