Saturday, April 21, 2012

Motorhome Specifications

My motorhome is in the "Classic" category.  Here are all the significant specs. 
  • Brand: Glendale 
  • Series: Sterling
  • Model 237 CMH 
  • Class: C
  • Date of Manufacture: June 1988
  • Date of Purchase October 2001
  • Odometer on purchase 35,000 km.
  • Odometer Current: 75,000 km.
  • Chassis:   1988 Ford Econoline RV cutaway E350
  • GVWR 10,000-14,000 lbs.
  • Engine: Ford 8 cylinder gas 7.3 Litre, 460 cubic inches*. Oil capacity is 7 litres.
  • Paint Colour: 9M (White)
  • Fuel consumption approx 30 litres/100 KM or 10 Mpg. Imperial or 8 Mpg. US.*
  • Length: 24 feet
  • Width 97.5 inches, or 8' 1.5"; plus 10" total for mirrors =  just shy of 9'
  • Clearance 10' 6"
  • Fridge: Norcold 8663 3-way
  • Stove: Propane, Wedgewood T-2150-BG
  • Water Heater: Propane, Atwood G6A-3
  • Water Tank: 20 imperial gallons, or 87 litres
  • Holding tanks (Black and Grey) 10 imperial gallons or 44 litres each
  • Fuel Tank:  approx 100 litre
  • Propane Tank: Manchester 12x40, LP capacity approx. 40 lb. 
Some extras:  
  • Onan Generator - I installed this myself in 2002**
  • Air conditioner (roof mounted)
  • Dual roof vents with hail shields (AKA "vent covers")
  • Plexiglas storm windows (I made these myself)
  • Running boards on the cab
  • Awning

*That big engine is a fuel hog, to be sure.  but we are often in the mountains and have camped in some remote, hilly areas.  It can handle steep grades very well.  If this motorhome had the smaller 351 cubic inch, it would really struggle on hills and against the wind; furthermore it would probably not improve fuel economy enough to be worth the poor performance.  I am glad to spend a little extra on fuel in this case.


** The generator installation was far more difficult than I expected: I had to do some some serious electrical wiring and drop the motorhome's fuel tank to install a new fuel line.  


25 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing, I'm looking at the 1988 22' model.

Denny Langlois said...

Hi, My name is Denny Langlois and we live
in Ontario, Canada. We bought our first motorhome last year. Its a 1988 Ford 28ft.
My wife and I were discussing the size of our fresh water tank, which is insufficient. I want to add another one somewhere. So I went on line to see if I could find out what size we already have and found your blog. Just want to tell you I really appreciate all the info you provided, Cheers, Denny & Carolyn

Dean Jarvey said...

Thanks for the feedback Denny! Good luck adding more water capacity. You'll also need waste water capacity as well, since all that water has to go somewhere after you use it! Otherwise the waste tanks will overflow. It's been a while since posting anything on this blog - the last couple of years have been crazy didn't allow much time to write posts. Will have more time this year for travel in the RV and writing a few blog posts.

Anonymous said...

Just an idea from an old RV builder, if you have additional room, install a separate grey water tank in addition to a sewage tank, grey water is easier to unload in many places that might not allow a sewage dump since it is lightly contaminated.

Anonymous said...

One trick if you do not have much bathroom traffic is to use an old fashioned commode with bag type commode liners, you can make your own liners out of kitchen garbage bags, this has many advantages, you do NOT accumulate sewage, you can use cheaper ordinary toilet paper, you can dispose of small commode bags same as you would dirty adult diapers, and grey water from your tanks is easier to dump as opposed to messy sewage, and far easier to repair grey water tanks.
Less hassle if your waste tanks rupture in an accident, I have resided in RVs for years and have proved all these tips.

Anonymous said...

Make sure if you buy a used RV to have your 110vac electrical inspected by a qualified electrician, some systems are homemade and unsafe, I am currently living in a homemade RV, and its electrical system had no circuit breaker panel or fuses and all outlets daisy chained on one line, to be plugged directly into an RV park or auxiliary home outlet, to make things worse, ordinary 12 gauge wire was run behind wood paneling increasing the risk of fire if the unprotected
( no circuit breakers ) circuits shorted !

Anonymous said...

One trick if you do not have much bathroom traffic is to use an old fashioned commode with bag type commode liners, you can make your own liners out of kitchen garbage bags, this has many advantages, you do NOT accumulate sewage, you can use cheaper ordinary toilet paper, you can dispose of small commode bags same as you would dirty adult diapers, and grey water from your tanks is easier to dump as opposed to messy sewage, and far easier to repair grey water tanks.
Less hassle if your waste tanks rupture in an accident, I have resided in RVs for years and have proved all these tips.

Anonymous said...

Another word of advice, do not try to live in an RV the same way you would if you lived in a regular fixed home, if you bear in mind that living in an RV requires different methods, then you will be several steps ahead in the game !

Anonymous said...

Another handy tip, modern diesel engines in good repair are superior to gasoline engines in RVs, also consider manual transmissions over automatic transmissions, and propane conversions for gas engines since propane is sooooo much cheaper than gasoline, and gets even cheaper in huge quanities, great if a large number of people form a cooperative and purchase a 1000 gallon tank and purchase in bulk, per gallon price can go as low as 80 cents per gallon.

Unknown said...

do you know the towing capacity of this unit?

Gidget said...

I bought a 1989 sterling Glendale from an estate and so there was no info about the rv. I cannot find where the hot water tank would be - can you tell me where it should be?

Dean Jarvey said...

Gidget: On my 1988 model it is located directly beneath the sink, against the exterior wall. It has a pilot light which needs to be re-lit after every drive. If you open all the exterior access panels you will see the thermocouple and pilot light which is on the exterior of the tank.

Unknown said...

I'm looking at a 1988 ford econoline 350 with 94,000 miles. All I know about it is it has had a recent tune up with oil change. It needs new tires for sure. Going by the pictures it is in great shape for its age. I will be able to access the under carriage when I see it tonight. It's been in Indiana so may have some rust. My question would be...what are some things I should consider when I look at it? It looks to be 2 piece fiberglass without windows on cabover, which I like. Inside has been updated with new flooring and backsplash in kitchen. Forgive me that I don't have more info. It would be my 3rd camper but first motorhome. I'm aware of what to look for in regards to water damage and seals, etc. I'm also aware that I may need to change plugs, fuel filter and belts if hasn't been done recently. Any info would be greatly appreciated. They are asking $4,200

Lisa said...

I have a 1986 Ford Econoline Sterling Series. I have no manual and the previous owners don't know if it came with the winter package. How can I find this information? The generator has a winter/summer switch over. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Thanks.

Unknown said...

Anyone know how much a 1986 e350 ford econoline motorhome weighs in at. I want to tow it? Its 22 feet i believe

Dean Jarvey said...

"Unknown" asked about the weight of the 1986 e350. I have the 1988 Glendale sterling at 24 feet on the E350 chassis. The GVWR 1s 10,000 to 14,000 lbs, but the GVDR is a maximum including the weight of the superstructure and all cargo and passengers. I once weighed my motorhome fully loaded with my family and our camping gear at a roadside weigh station and it came out to between 8,000 and 9,000 pounds. Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I've got am 89 Sterling but I can't find the switch to convert it to battery power??? Any idea how I get it to run on the battery? There are two alligator clips under the hood beside the battery....is that what they are for? Any help is appreciated. Thanks from the newbie!!

Dean Jarvey said...

Anonymous Said " I've got am 89 Sterling but I can't find the switch to convert it to battery power"
I have no such Alligator clips on my '88. I assume you are talking about the house battery. The system should be connected in such a way that it switches automatically between house battery power and shore power when you plug in or unplug from shore power. You should not have to connect or disconnect anything from the battery. Try connecting the alligator clips you described, leave them connected and see if this automatic switching happens when you plug in or unplug from shore power.

Anonymous said...

Wondering if these come with an inverter to run light and stuff off grid. Anything would help

Dean Jarvey said...

Anonymous said: "Wondering if these come with an inverter to run light and stuff off grid. Anything would help."
An inverter converts DC power to alternating current. All installed electronics run off 12V DC provided by a second house battery. That includes lights, furnace fan, ignition for the furnace and ignition for the fridge.
If you want AC current, you will need to buy a small Inverter that plugs into one of the "cigarette lighter" style outlets, also known as a "automobile auxiliary power outlet". My Glendale has two of these auxiliary power outlets. The inverter would cost you about $30 US or $40 CAD. There is a limit to how much power you can pull through an inverter from a 12V battery. E.g, a laptop works but not a blow dryer.
All of the above considered, you need a way to keep the house battery charged if you are off-grid. Long ago I added a generator and more recently added solar panels. However one inexpensive portable 100W Solar panel should be sufficient. It helps if you keep power consumption low by replacing the incandescent light bulbs with LED.

Anonymous said...

Looking for specs on a 2004 18E. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Hi if the house battery is run down ,can,t get the propane to ignite on appliances ,is this normal ?

Dean Jarvey said...

RE: "Hi if the house battery is run down, can't get the propane to ignite on appliances, is this normal?"
If your appliances are electronic ignition, as is the case with the fridge and furnace in my motorhome, then a battery with sufficient charge is essential. The fridge ignitor seems to fail when the battery charge drops below 11.4 volts.
The furnace fan will drain your battery if it runs a lot at night. So it is common for the fridge ignitor to fail in the middle of the night in cold weather.
I installed Solar panels and a generator so that the battery gets fully recharged every day, one way or the other. Also good to make sure your battery is not too old if you are relying on your fridge and furnace.

Fudge said...

Even when I want to run my 3-way fridge on AC (shore power), I have to have a 12v source for it to work. For some reason they made it so that if the 12v source is not present, the fridge will not work in any mode. I have a 12v adapter I wired into it as I primarily run off shore power now.