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08-02-2011, 09:43 PM
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#1
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 181
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Opinions- 05' Journey purchase
We're considering upgrading to diesel and are interested in a local 05' Journey with a Cat C7 engine w/350hp.
I know very little about diesel engines, but I have read a few comments from time to time about certain diesels that are more or less desirable for a variety of reasons or preferences. Any one care to share thoughts on this particular C7 engine? Low milage ~ 20k mi.
Also, comments welcome with regard to handling issues, or any other model specific comments.... Good or bad.
It's a very big decision and therefore your valued opinions, experiences and knowledge are very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Joopy
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08-03-2011, 04:39 AM
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#2
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 37
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The C 7 Cat is a very reliable engine and the 05 would be pre-emissions which would have less systems to go wrong or maintain. Cat puts this engine in large earth moving equipment also.
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07 Winnebago Journey 39'. SOLD
2018 Dutchstar 4018
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08-03-2011, 06:43 AM
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#3
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Indianapolis Indiana
Posts: 124
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I don't own one so hopefully someone will chime in but I believe there is an issue with the rear radiator getting dirt and oil (from exhaust) and causing engine over heat. Several friends I know have installed what they call "slobber tubes" that come off the blow off and run under the coach to the rear bumper. Other than that, I have one friend who has a CAT with 50K miles and was told by the company that the engine is still in the brake in phase at 50K...
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2007 Itasca Sunrise 35L W22 Chassis TigerTrak ScanGaugeII
Blue Ox tow bar - Brake Buddy
2013 Equinox
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08-03-2011, 07:01 AM
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#4
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WHITING,NJ,USA
Posts: 470
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Nice coach and good motor, we bought an 02 Journey new with a 330 hp Cat and traded it with 54k miles it ran great it was just starting to get better mileage with 54k on it. One thing I read about was on later year Cats they eliminated a grease fitting on the fan hub that sometimes caused a failure due to no lubrication, ours had the fitting some mechanics did not know about the location I had to point it out when they did service work, also according to Cat the fan hubs are interchangeable and suggest if the fitting is not there have the older hub installed, at the time I was looking at an 06 Tour with the 350 Cat
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07 Itasca Ellipse 40fd, 2014 Honda CRV, greyhound lab mix, pit pointer mix(RIP bessie) , shar pei mix, stupid cat, wife
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08-03-2011, 07:02 AM
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#5
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Marathon, Florida
Posts: 222
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Maintenance will be higher than a gasser. Not sure about Cats but our Cummins takes 26 quarts of oil and a filter that is a bargain at $25 just for an example.
On the other hand even though a diesel is noisy a DP has the noise so far back from you driving it is much more quiet than the V10 we had before. Lots more power and mileage wise gets about the same but it powers more than double the weight. Properly maintained a diesel will last for a million miles they say. We have about 960,000 to go to prove that though
For the first year since ours was also used we purchased an extended service plan for peace of mind. There are lots of opinions about them but one thing is for sure, read the fine print before signing on the dotted line.
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Mark & Nancy
2004 Winnebago Vectra 40KD
Shep dog, R.I.P. Kenzie dog Toad 2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Wheeler
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08-03-2011, 07:27 AM
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#6
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 146
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Jolly,
We love our 05 Journey. Diesel annual service costs are higher, but the power benefits are worth it for us. Going with a DP also brings you a quieter ride and air suspension.
We also bought the extended warranty for piece of mind and they have paid for the few issues that came up.
Go for it!
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08-03-2011, 09:37 AM
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#7
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 14
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I've had several different motor homes over the years. Now I have an 06 Journey with a C7 Cat. It's by far the best one I've had. Handles great, quiet, plenty of power and 8-9 MPG. Couldn't be happier.
Bob
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08-03-2011, 10:05 AM
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#8
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5
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We have a 04 39k Winnebago and it should be the last one I will ever buy---- meaning we love it very few problems!
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08-03-2011, 07:11 PM
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#9
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Rochester NY
Posts: 813
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Have a '07 Journey with the Cat C7. It's a very reliable engine. More torque than the equivalent Cummins ISB for equivalent model years. I love the power and torque on this coach.
Journeys are an excellent diesel coach; great value for the money. I'll be keeping mine for quite a while.
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Don
'07 Winnebago Journey 34H - CAT C7, Koni's, MCU's, SS Bell Crank, Safe-T-Plus
'07 HHR Toad, SMI AFO, Blue OX
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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08-03-2011, 07:51 PM
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#10
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shadow Hills,CA 91040
Posts: 268
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Still in business, great company support, 79,000mi and never had a problem. Love it.
Mine is 34ft and handles well. I have been back and forth across the USA 6 times in all kinds of wind and still love it.
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NOTE; I am not responsible for typos, poor grammer or misspelled word !
04 Itasca, Meridian 34H, 330 Cat/2003 CR V Toad
1933 Ford 3 Window,as seen in Bye Bye Birdie
Pvt. E1 Retired, Shadow Hills,Ca.
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08-03-2011, 08:29 PM
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#11
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 181
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Thank you all for your comments and ringing endorsements! I'm glad to hear that this particular engine is favored for strength and reliability. If we were simply planning to go "camping" in our region, I would stay with our V-10. However, we're hoping to begin cross country trips next year pulling A toad and I'm thinking the diesel will be appreciated.
I realize there are many fine coaches on the market. And we really like our HR Endeavor. But, I've always thought that Winnebago is a sound American company and makes a great product. I'm hoping all works out and we can make a deal for this rig. It's certainly a scary time economically to be spending big dollars, but on the other hand it's a buyers market right now.
Thanks again for sharing your helpful comments.
Cheers,
Joopy
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08-03-2011, 09:46 PM
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#12
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Northern Wisconsin
Posts: 28
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Love our 06 with Cat C7. Keep your radiator clean, change your filters. We have Koni shocks which make big difference. Have the radiator fan bearing checked (ours failed around 20k miles). Our tow is a suburban or jeep and we get 7.5 to 8 mpg.
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2006 Meridian 36G
Cat C7 350, Koni Shocks
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08-05-2011, 11:11 PM
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#13
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Oklahoma
Posts: 871
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I have a 2004 Cat C-7 with 52,000 miles on it and with all the things on a diesel that can leave you stranded on the road, those fan hub bearings scare the heck out of me. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for the mileage time it will go so pretty hard to anticipate when to do a replacement especially when it can run between $1,000-$2,000 depending on whether the radiator has to be pulled or not. One poster a while back had just left Gaffney after his complete maintenance being done and the bearing went out the next day on the road. When it goes that fan can do a lot of damage to the shroud, CAC, radiator, and anything else back there that it comes in contact with.
Wagonmaster2
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08-05-2011, 11:16 PM
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#14
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Oklahoma
Posts: 871
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Quote:
Originally Posted by teekay
Love our 06 with Cat C7. Keep your radiator clean, change your filters. We have Koni shocks which make big difference. Have the radiator fan bearing checked (ours failed around 20k miles). Our tow is a suburban or jeep and we get 7.5 to 8 mpg.
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Were you able to tell it was going bad before any damage was done, and if so how was it diagnosed? I've read the belt would have to be removed before any slack or wear could be detected by wiggling the fan blades. I've been wondering about having mine replaced with the greaseable one and having the grease zirk extended to where it can be reached from under the coach.
Wagonmaster2
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08-06-2011, 04:19 AM
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#15
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 37
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Need to look to see if I have the zerk, does it spin with the hub? Would my 2007 even have the grease type? Thanks
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07 Winnebago Journey 39'. SOLD
2018 Dutchstar 4018
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08-06-2011, 06:26 AM
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#16
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WHITING,NJ,USA
Posts: 470
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On the 02 Journey the grease fitting sits directly on top of the fan hub sitting straight up about a foot or so from the closet floor, the fitting is stationary. There was a removeable panel on left side of the closet floor that gave you full access to that part of the engine.
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07 Itasca Ellipse 40fd, 2014 Honda CRV, greyhound lab mix, pit pointer mix(RIP bessie) , shar pei mix, stupid cat, wife
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08-06-2011, 06:36 AM
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#17
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Patrick AFB
Posts: 23
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I have an 05 34H Journey with the 350hp C7 CAT with the 6 spd Allison transmission and I love it! Great engine and we just finished a 10K trip around the country and the engine performed excellently. The CAT has lots of power and I averaged, according to the onboard computer, 8.8 mpg towing an 03 Subaru Forester. Keep the CAT well maintained and it will out last the MH. Good Luck on your purchase and Happy MHing!
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Jack & Peg
06 Itasca Horizon 40KD
03 Subaru Forester
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08-07-2011, 03:51 PM
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#18
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Oklahoma
Posts: 871
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkeye
Need to look to see if I have the zerk, does it spin with the hub? Would my 2007 even have the grease type? Thanks
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My coach is a 2004 and it doesn't have the zerk. It's my understanding that Cat quit using the zerk either in 2003 or early 2004 cause it was so hard to get to (or owners didn't know it was there) so it never got greased. Don't know which is worse, a non-greaseable sealed bearing or a greaseable one that never gets greased. Either way it seems we consumers are the losers in this game.
Wagonmaster2
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08-07-2011, 07:36 PM
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#19
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Gainesville, VA
Posts: 144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkeye
Need to look to see if I have the zerk, does it spin with the hub? Would my 2007 even have the grease type? Thanks
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I have an 07 Journey with the C-7 Cat and it does not have the grease fitting on the bearing. I wish it did, then I'd know it was greased. If it should ever fail, I'll replace it with the grease fitting version, they are interchangable.
Best Regards!
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Paul D
2007 Winnebago Journey 39K Freightliner Chassis, Cat C7
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08-27-2011, 03:23 PM
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#20
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Posts: 58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackhal1949
I have an 05 34H Journey with the 350hp C7 CAT with the 6 spd Allison transmission and I love it! Great engine and we just finished a 10K trip around the country and the engine performed excellently. The CAT has lots of power and I averaged, according to the onboard computer, 8.8 mpg towing an 03 Subaru Forester. Keep the CAT well maintained and it will out last the MH. Good Luck on your purchase and Happy MHing!
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My computer has been defaulted to 5.9mpg since we got the coach. Were you able to re-set yours? I have basically the same unit (2005 Itasca Meridian 34H).
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