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Old 05-19-2022, 04:51 AM   #1
Barometer
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Default Too old for repair? Find another dealer.

I own a 1999 Gulfstream Classic built on a Ford E-450 chassis. Last fall I discovered my vent selector switch no longer worked and everything blew out through my defrosters. Went on line and discovered that this was a relatively common problem in E-450s of that era caused by a vacuum leak and owing to the location of the vacuum canister repair could cost near a thousand dollars. Brought it to my local mechanic who confirmed the vacuum problem but was not equipped to fix. So I put Willy to bed for the winter as and figured I would take it to Boyd Ford in the Twin Cities,about 50 miles from me, as they service trucks and RVs. Well I call them up to set up an appointment and I am told they will not service my RV because its over 20 years old. What? What am I suppose to do now? Sorry, its company policy. So I went on line and found Osseo Ford in Osseo WI, about 120 miles from me. They service trucks and RVs and would be happy to service my RV. Dropped it off on a Saturday for repair on Monday. Got a call Monday confirming a bad vacuum canister, and telling me they had a replacement in stock. Repair would be $660, would I like them to proceed? Yes please! Picked up Willy and I am happy camper. Guess who I am calling if my RV needs mechanical repair in the future?
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Old 05-22-2022, 10:29 AM   #2
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We are five hours from you, but the dealership I work at would be happy to help if you are ever down near Rockford, IL.
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Old 05-29-2022, 10:07 AM   #3
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Forgot my shameless plug:

https://www.sunnyislandrv.com/
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Old 05-29-2022, 10:21 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RY469 View Post
We are five hours from you, but the dealership I work at would be happy to help if you are ever down near Rockford, IL.
You rock Master Chief! Hearing reports and articles where RV dealerships/repair shops are refusing to work on rigs older than TEN years. Yep, it's a thing. To me, also retired Navy, this is just a sign of opportunity for other shops out there to step up and fill the new void.
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Old 05-29-2022, 10:23 AM   #5
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Here's an article I just read on the age limit growing issue: https://letsrv.com/10-year-rule-at-rv-shops/
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Old 05-29-2022, 11:12 AM   #6
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We had the same issue with our 2001 E450. It was repaired by our local Ford dealer truck service center.



Motorcycle dealers are the same way about 20 year old bikes. We were on the road once where one of our group had an electrical issue. The Harley dealer we pulled into refused to help because the bike was just over 20 years old. So our friend bought the part and we fixed it in the parking lot.
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Old 05-29-2022, 12:19 PM   #7
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Thanks for your post! I have a 2006 BT Cruiser and I am having the same problem with the vent selector! I have not taken it in yet so I don't know how bad I'm going to be hit $. I live in New Mexico!
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Old 05-29-2022, 01:51 PM   #8
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I was told dealers get rid of repair manuals for anything over 10 years old. They don't have the space. I mentioned about all info being in a digital format which ended any further discussion. I'm fortunate in that I am a electronic tech and mechanic, so I can repair 98% of any issues I have. I am also from the school, if one man can repair then I can also. May take longer but I will give it the ole college try. I called GS and got the paint codes for mine. Went to a auto paint supplier and bought several spray cans. Mine has the Clearcoat rot. Painted about half so far and looks pretty good if I say so myself. Moral of this long winded story is don't be afraid to try repairs. You might surprise yourself.
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Old 07-15-2022, 09:27 PM   #9
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Mine too is 1999/2000, and what I found when I bought in 2017 is NO CAR DEALER will work on RV, most all have SHORT bay doors, 3000# jacks and require repairs to be inside a bay. LOCAL MHC FORD TRUCK SHOP said they can/ do work on RVs, and are located near the RV dealers/ RV shops. I have done all repairs myself so far. I did the vacuum repair, built a vacuum canister of PVC pipe, which I mounted under passenger dash and found a two port vacuum CHECK, which I put under hood for EASY access. Basically, a $50-1 hour repair, maybe less after doing first one, you abandon old check and canister and run new tubing from engine to new check to dash control, reusing the same HOLE in passenger foot area of firewall. YOUTUBE available for most repairs
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Old 07-16-2022, 12:23 PM   #10
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Good for you. I also repair most things in my house and fleet. And running a 2002, 2004,2005,2006, & a 2218 vehicles I'm always having to diagnose something. Part of each decision is fix or not, replace with actual part or fabricate/fix old and make it work, or fabricate a work around. In the case of items buried up under the dash, if you have to gut the IP to get to it, then fabricate a work around. Parts are cheap compared to labor and OEM parts. So let me encourage those who have the skills to repair their own, think past part replacement, and think about other solutions.
In the case of the vacuum canister, many vacuum balls/canisters exist at auto parts store and you can also mount them in engine compartment and run rubber 1/8" hose to it and back to the control head. You could also run a vacuum line directly from the engine to the control. The tank will just give you faster switching of HVAC modes, but if your running a 10+ year old vehicle, 5 more seconds to switch from floor vents to defrost, probably won't be a life changing event.
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Old 07-16-2022, 11:01 PM   #11
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I explored every option online I could think of at the time, and no luck w/ a vacuum canister that would FIT any identified space of the E450sd; most available were the big ball reservoir more suitable to the F53/ Class-A; the vacuum CHECKS are no longer available over counter lookup, (guessing the digital controlled MOTOR electronics predominate); you have to goto the stores HELP Parts section for obsolete/ generic parts, and MOST local stores had none in stock. I read that original canister was about size of a pack of CIGS w/ check valve built in?
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Old 07-17-2022, 10:05 AM   #12
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Your symptom says you lost vacuum, so either broken vacuum line, or cracked vacuum canister, or both. Easiest to just bypass both old w/ NEW tubing and install new CHECK VALVE AND VACUUM RESERVOIR under dash on passenger side. YOU TUBE has several good videos, or we can walk you thru it. Do NOT pay $1000+ for factory procedure repair that dumps antifreeze and freon to access old parts.
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