2003 BT Crusier

[stevef]

We purchased a used 2003 5230 BT Cruiser this past spring. Even after hearing some negative comments here and there. But was well kept, yes it had a few minor problems to be expected. It had been lightly hit in the back and cracked the fiberglass up right. and it had a few leaks as expected. So after having everything checked out mechanically, we set out from Minnesota down to Alabama. and over all it was good. Small problems showed up that I can't find any information on how to fix them. Oh and I must add we ran into rain 5 days of rain. The only leak we can not find or fix is the upper right of the passenger door, checked all the door gaskets they are fine, but my wife had to have a towel on her leg to stay dry. we had the problem of water siphoning out of the fresh water tank, could use ideas for this. It handled great under 65 when you are on the freeway at 70 it shakes pretty bad, we checked out the tires and alignment and they were just fine. don't know what to look for. I would like to replace a few parts but given the age of the unit they seem to be pretty hard to come by. Oh yes the passenger arm rest is stuck in the up right position.
For us these are minor problems. but would like to figure them out.given it has 80000 miles on it, we feel it is still a good unit.
part of our reason for purchasing a older unit is we had to modify the slide out. we took out the table and one side of the seating, I am disabled and needed to install a special chair.
If anyone has any ideas of how to fix these problems or know where we can get information it would be greatly appreciated.
thank you
Steve

[jpf]

pushing 70mph out of a short wheel base (any) RV is something I wouldn't personally consider reasonable.
a steering damper can help if it jumps around too much but it's the nature of the beast (overweight & unbalanced).

[stevef]

Thanks for the info, we are more than happy between 60 and 65. I was told when we got it that 70 75 with no problem. mmmm guess I took the bait on that one.
All information is very welcome, also any suggestions. we are hungry for correct information from those that have had more experience.
thank you again

Steve

[KathyJO]

Hi Steve, I was wondering if you kept your BT Cruiser and if you ever were able to trouble shoot the water leaking out of the fresh water tank? I bought a 2003 this past January. I've been doing a lot of work on her and getting her up to snuff, but I knew I would have to. Anyway, the fresh water tank leaks out of the side when I drive. There's an air hole and a cap for the water itself, but water still comes out. Any help is appreciated.

[bfrazier]

Hi Steve, I was wondering if you kept your BT Cruiser and if you ever were able to trouble shoot the water leaking out of the fresh water tank? I bought a 2003 this past January. I've been doing a lot of work on her and getting her up to snuff, but I knew I would have to. Anyway, the fresh water tank leaks out of the side when I drive. There's an air hole and a cap for the water itself, but water still comes out. Any help is appreciated.


KathyJO,

A fellow BT Cruiser owner (Bob Winfield) mentioned to me just yesterday that the fill cap is placed very low on the side of our model 5291's due to a slideout that they need to be under. Could that be the case for you? He said "They say you can hold 30 gallons but you never come close due to the cap placement."

Bob F

[KathyJO]

Thank you for responding, Bob. Mine is the 5230, and the slide is on the opposite side of the rig, so that's not it.

I do not know if it's a good idea or not, but I'm going to try filling her up and putting a cork in the air hole while I drive. We'll see. Where I'm going tomorrow has no fresh water access. I'm also carrying a couple of three gallon containers (just in case).

Wish me luck.

KathyJO

[KRoseVideo]

KathyJO, We have a 2004 BT-5211 with no slides and it also leaks water out the overflow as we drive along. I have begun to get used to it and will most likely monitor the level as we fill the tank so that we only put 25 gallons in the 35 gallon tank.
I would be afraid of putting a cork in the overflow hole as that "leak" will not hurt the camper. IF that hole is closed off there is a possibility of the leak being somewhere inside the RV which would lead to rotting the wood or forming mold. What do you think.
Roy
(aka KRoseVideo) ..... ..... .... 25-JULY-2017

[KathyJO]

Thank you, Roy. That has crossed my mind too and actually the reason I've been trying to get information on this. I did put a cork in it as I drove. I stopped periodically and checked the basement and the inside around the tank. Then when I arrived at my destination I removed the cork. It still leaked a bit as I drove, but not nearly as much. Basement and inside was dry. I'll watch it for sure.

[KRoseVideo]

Okay. Great. I am relatively new to this but have been learning RV Maintenance as I go. It is certainly a learning experience. Anyway, I wanted to respond to you before you had an internal flood. A friend of mine recently had a water problem with his ultra lite trailer due to water leaking and it cost $3,000 to replace the floor.

Roy aka KRoseVideo 25-JULY-2017

[KathyJO]

Thank you, I appreciate it. I'll keep watching and if anything changes, I'll be sure to get back to you.

:) Kathy

[Grumpy]

Hi, I have a 5230 and had this problem also. I have done some extensive work to the water system since I had to remove the couch and tank to replace the floor underneath from the previous owner's neglect. We're probable the 3rd or 4th owner.

Basically I disconnected the original overflow and plugged the hole. I ran tubing from the drain outlet of the tank to the drain port, after the drain valve, and have a loop in the tubing that goes up about 5 inches. This allows the tank to vent and not siphon out when you drive. Have it this way for about 3 months and I can fill my tank up to the top.

Also worth mentioning here is that I used two rubber stoppers from Home Depot to plug the vent and the fill ports. I only use the fill port to add chlorine to the tank occasionally as my plumbing now allows me to fill from the fresh water hookup on the other side.

We've had this unit since 2015, it's our first, and are putting a number of mods on it trying to bring it up to present standards and we love it.

Happy camping!

[KRoseVideo]

Thanks, Grumpy, for the recommendations. Did you take any pictures of the mods as you were making them?

[Grumpy]

I have some pics of the valve mods, I have not taken any of the "vent loop" yet.

edit - note the clear tubing goes to a tee and connects to the vent port (upper end of pic) and the outside vent at the fresh water fill and then down to the drain port that goes under the coach (bottom end of the pic).

I will try to post a more encompassing pic soon.

[KRoseVideo]

Great! Thank you for sharing and for your efforts to explain what you did. I will need to improve my knowledge of Plumbing connectors before starting to re-plumb my system. But I always welcome the excuse to buy new tools.

Looking forward to any further pictures you can share.

Roy

[Grumpy]

Great! Thank you for sharing and for your efforts to explain what you did. I will need to improve my knowledge of Plumbing connectors before starting to re-plumb my system. But I always welcome the excuse to buy new tools.

Looking forward to any further pictures you can share.

Roy

Can't have enough tools!

Working with pex is relatively easy: measure, cut, crimp. Home Depot has all you need.

New pic showing vent loop:

[KRoseVideo]

Thank you. I have copied the photo images and the instructions in my i-phone for my next visit to Home Depot!
Thanks again.
I hope others see your recommendations and also benefit from them.
Roy ....... KRoseVideo

[KRoseVideo]

KathyJO, Be sure to check out the recommendations that Grumpy just made below.
He seems to have the best solution to your problem.
Happy Camping!
Roy

[Grumpy]

If you don't want to go for all the plumbing perhaps just the loop will solve your problem.

[Frank Schoenbeck]

Have the same issue. Living with it.

[Kat]

Just bought 2003 5211 bt took up carpet and laminate and found dried out black mold all over floor. Couldnt figure out source bec in middle but thanks to Grumpy the largest amount of damage is next to where those tubes and valves are. Thank you !!

[Kat]

Two things
Check and see if stabilizer on acle rod needs replacing. Mine did now rides smooth.
Second im having same issue of leak on roadside. I put up a post for help. Let me know if you get an answer.

[hossross]

Just a guess, but since several of you have the same issue, I think water must be sucked out from a low pressue behind the vehicle. If you reroute the overflow hose outlet see if it continues. You can plug that hose it won't matter once the tank is filled, or you could add a T to the overflow hose and add a vent hose to the T just make sure the air end is higher then the water overflow, the vent can be internal to the coach, doesn't need to go outside as long as the water path is terminated outside so things don't get wet. The part that makes no sense to me is that the end of the vent hose in the tank, would have to be underwater for it to suck out the water. ie a straw will only suck fluid if the end is in the liquid, not when in air. Is there an tube internal to the tank that goes to the bottom? Mine (which is not this model) has a over flow outlet next to the water fill inlet. both on the side of the tank, not the top. The other possibility is the tank is becoming pressurized but I don't see how. are you sure the tank drain valve is closing well. is there ever a wet spot under that drain when stopped for an hour? If it is a pull push valve, are you getting it closed all the way? The fact that many of you are experiencing the same thing still sounds like a design flaw rather then a part failure or operator error.