low milage diesel

[swheeldon]

Is it possible for a used diesel pusher to have too low of mileage?  I am looking at a used 2005 diesel pusher with 29000 miles.  It has been stored outside in a dry climate.  Could the engine gaskets and seals be dried out?

 

thanks in advance for your help.

 

SGW

[richard5933]

Yes and no.
Our 1974 coach had about 41,000 miles on the odometer when we bough it a couple of years ago. Nearly all the problems we've had are a direct or indirect result of the lack of use. Machines do much better when they are used.

That said, the problems I've dealt with, as annoying as they are, are certainly less problematic than those from coach which has been ridden hard and put away wet. Or worse one which had not seen proper maintenance.

And advice would be appropriate as with any rig... Get a thorough inspection and be sure to include all mechanical systems in the inspection.

You also might want to investigate which house systems you will want to upgrade, not because they're worn out but rather because they are outdated and the newer tech is better.

 

[kaypsmith]

Engine oil and transmission fluid analysis, before the stored oil and fluid have been changed, will be a good starting point to get the best opinion to your question.

[wildebill308]

4 hours ago, kaypsmith said:

Engine oil and transmission fluid analysis, before the stored oil and fluid have been changed, will be a good starting point to get the best opinion to your question.

That is a good place to start. I would check the TBN scores to give you a better idea of how  the oil is and how it is holding up. The outher thing well 2 things Don't change the oil till you have the report back and try to find out how many miles since the last oil change.

The reason is if you change the oil before it comes back and the sample results are out of line/not normal you can't do  anouther sample to verify there is a problem with the unit or just a bad sample. Like sticking the sample tube into the crud in the bottom of the pan. The reason you need an idea of how many miles since the last oil change is it will affect how you should interpret the results.

Any questions just ask.

Bill 

[rayin]

FWIW, we bought our MH in April 2013(see sig), on consignment from the original owner who, due to health problems became unable to drive and use the MH. He stored it in his barn for 8 years until deciding to sell. At purchase the odometer read 23,6xx miles, the genset read 1,8xx hrs. He owned Speedco locations and apparently only used the MH to drive to NASCAR events, setup and advertise, because it had NASCAR stickers on many windows.

We purchased an extended service contract due to the years of storage, during the contract span there was not one issue with the chassis, all problems were with the coach portion, those claims were for stuff that broke or degraded due to storage, like being stored with a partially full black tank which froze and cracked,and other items.

Anyway, I am comfortable with buying a used low-mileage  diesel pusher.

[jaws2]

Diesels do better when driven and low mileage is not necessarily a plus.   Higher mileage vehicles that have been properly maintained might be a better option.   100.000 miles on a Caterpillar or Cummins engine is not high mileage and should not discourage a buyer like it might on a gas engine.   Low mileage diesels might work just fine if run often and properly maintained.