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1999 Intrigue

Yahoo Message Number: 110827
Need advice please. Am considering purchasing this coach and wonder if anyone on this forum can tell me of any known problems I might encounter.

Engine, Transmission (Allison 6-speed) potential leaks? Many thanks. Is this a known good year to purchase?

Thanks!

Re: 1999 Intrigue

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110828
I have a '98 and I'm loving it.handles great, I have the 8.3 cummins turbo.same tranny w 81k no leaks the previous owner took very good care of it,I hope to keep it for a long time.good luck whatever you decide.

Re: 1999 Intrigue

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110829
I owned a '99 Intrigue back in 03 and loved it! Single slide, single rear axle, fewer problems! There could be a number of things to go wrong with any coach, have it checked out by a qualified mechanic before purchase. It may cost you several hundred dollars but it may save you thousands! Good luck and travel safe!

Re: 1999 Intrigue

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110830
***Sorry do not have the wet pto or radiator problems of the newer rigs.  ***

On Apr 30, 2017 10:51 AM, "Nate Blackwell" nblackwell@...> wrote:

Re: 1999 Intrigue

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110831
1998 here also. We have put maybe 20k miles on it, now has 58k.
Probably all depends on how it's lived it's life with previous owners.
I have many diesel machines at work and I think the 8.3 Cummins  with Allison is awesome combo.

Ours was kept immaculate by prev owner. Our only problem has been air dryer, a few air line leaks, and ride height valaves nothing real salty.

I keep reading that the rooftops will age out and need replaced and of course fridge issues.

This was our first big RV and these things are well built. But I would hate to be looking at one that lived outside it's entire life in a harsh climate. I would think rust would be a real killer underneath these things. So much structural metal.

I am probably wrong but I don't think this year machines have the wet pto or the radiator problems that some of the newer rigs do. Some really smart people read this forum and they will chime in.

Re: 1999 Intrigue

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110836
We bought our 98 Allure at the FMCA rally in Las cruces that year. It was one of the last 10 built. Therefore it like yours had the ISC 330 engine, but had the pre World transmission. 3060 as I remember. There were a couple of programs on the early 330's that should have been corrected on yours. Some of the piping between the injection pump and the injectors was said to be a potential problem and was replaced. The injection pump was replaced and new soft ware installed which increased the fuel milage close to 20%. The wiring between the transmission and the engines computers wasn't run properly causing shift issues which were corrected. The big issues were the tires which were too small for the job and a lot of people didn't inflate properly. So if you have 275 R 70's on the coach replace them with 275 R 80's, the ride will improve and your safety margin will be much wider. I think the newer battery charger inverters will extend the life of your batteries tremendously. Not having the body totally painted means constant care or the need to be garaged to look its best. Except for batteries in the 5 and 1/2 years I owned the coach I spent $45.00 for repairs. If you will use modern synthetic lubricants you can probably extend chassis lube and oil changes to once a year. I never used the electric heating element on my Allure, so that was not an issue. I changed the vent caps on the plumbing flues to stop black and grey water odor issues. If I hadn't bought a newer coach I would have replaced the front driver and co-pilot chairs like I did on my 2004 Intrigue. The newer chairs have larger range of adjustments and are much more comfortable with adjustable lumbar supports. If not already done I would change the transmission fluid to transynd to extend the operating life of the transmission. The coaches use an exhaust brake which needs to be serviced regularly. Its vital to safely operating your coach and prevent premature failure of your brake linings. Window seal creep can be an issue, and make sure your Dometic refer is working properly.

Some owners had difficulties with exhaust soot sneaking in the bedroom. Old time repair folks will know the fix while others will be clueless. If I had bought a 40 ft Allure, I probably would still have it. I had a quote from the factory for $10,000 to perform a total body paint job. As the gel coat just doesn't hold well in the Sun and pollution where I live. I ended up using the $10,000 to supplement the trade in value of the Allure when I bought my 42' three slide Intrigue. TWI 2004 Intrigue 11731, 98 Allure 30255.

Re: 1999 Intrigue

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110881
I have a 1998 Intrigue as well, a 36' with no slides. For me those are the two biggest pluses, 36' means no tag axle and no slides means no slide problems or leaks or anything else that comes with them.

My biggest enemy by far has been rust and corrosion. In all fairness I do live in Minnesota (where we use more salt on our roads than on our popcorn), and even though I have never driven it in winter the previous owner did, and that was all it took. The coach is on its third radiator & CAC - both failed repeatedly due to corrosion - and I have personally welded probably 300-400 lbs of new steel tubing & plates onto the underside and wheel wells and support structure. When I got the coach 4 years ago the Kwikee steps had fallen off, and the generator & LP tank had just about fallen through to the street because there was nothing left holding them up. There was absolutely zero rustproofing or undercoating from the factory (there is now that I have put it there after my repairs).

Other than that, the engine and transmission and drive train have been rock solid. I have replaced some wear items like the turbo and exhaust brake (also partly due to corrosion and the valves inside them rusting stuck) and the air dryer. Otherwise the rest of the driveline and all the interior stuff like the original Dometic refrigerator and furnace and roof ACs and water heater and other accessories are all doing fine.

Some of the parts for this generation of coaches are difficult to come by. There's a guy named Kevin Waite who is a great source for just about everything, but there are a few key components that still present problems obtaining. My hydraulic pump had a leak and the best we could find was a 10-12 week ship time and almost $2000 price tag (I did end up finding a suitable workaround replacement but it took a lot of research and time). The cruise control throttle-by-wire system is also from a defunct company, but there's a guy who rebuilds them fairly quickly, but be sure to carry a 40-foot piece of string in your emergency kit; you'll see why once you look at how it works :-) I also had to have a replacement for a broken shock mount custom made because the axle or chassis part manufacturer is also now out of business.

The window seal creep is also a problem I have seen on most of these coaches. There was a recall on the Se-Gi windows, but the previous owner never had it done so I have mostly had to live with it. They are fixable by a decent glass company, but be prepared for a few hundred dollars per window. The clear-coat peeling also seems to be inevitable, I still have not had mine re-done but am expecting several thousand dollars at a minimum for that as well.

This list isn't intended to scare you off, and in general I have been very happy with my Intrigue (I knew what I was getting into with most of this), just beware when buying any nearly 20-year-old coach; the advice to have a mechanic or Coach Care shop give it a thorough look-over is a great suggestion.
Good luck!

Mark M

1998 Intrigue #10661