I picked up a 1991 B250 Roadtrek Versatile a couple years ago and lived in it five months this year while traveling out west. It did great!

However after 4 or 5 hours of driving on a hill I'd start to lose power. I could hover easily at 65, then it'd be 60, then 55... Pushing the accelerator actually causes it to lose more power than just trying to keep it even. Eventually I'd pull over, maybe just 20 minutes, and I could go again.

Over time though it got worse and now that same loss of power is happening after about 30min of driving! It really seems to get triggered by a hill as I can hold 65 fine most of flat driving. Plus if I pull over for 20min it seems to reset and be good again for a while, so pretty sure it's not the engine overheating. I don't use it much about town but I've also noticed it's no longer running smoothly in the city, and hesitating a bit. I haven't stalled it, but feels like I'm about too.

I imagine i need a basic tune up, but I think something else is happening with the engine and loss of power. My buddy thinks it's the ERG valve? I wonder what you all think?

A couple years ago my buddy and I did the manifold gaskets. There were a couple of bolts that broke and could not be drilled out, so we sealed off the whole exhaust return system with the help of a welder. I'm not dead familiar with what got bypassed but I was able to cut the belt off the air pump as that was no longer needed. It didn't seem to affect performance at the time, and I probably did 20,000 miles in it this year with it mostly just losing power on those climbs.

Alas I was getting 12mpg initially, maybe a bit more, but that's down to 10 now.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

This vehicle has been great, heater, full kitchen, toilet, it's a full RV and I was very comfortable living in it. However the fridge died! Propane powered it was economical and was super great to have running out west. Replacement will run about $1300 so I'm devastated as I don't really want to put that much into such an old vehicle, and have other mechanical expenses to deal with. I've love to be driving a newer used Roadtrek, but this is all I've got now. I will hopefully be on the road another five months in 2016 if the van lasts.

 

It may help if you tell us the vital info like how many miles on it and general condition of the drive train. What does the trans fluid look like? Is it red or brown or a mix? Last time any tune up was done? Might want to see what kind of fuel pressure you have. If it doesn't have an external trans cooler(other than the rad) installing one would be a good idea. What was the engine temp going up to on the hills. What transmission do you have? I know the A500 overdrive was an option back then.

 

Yeah unforutnatly the odometer died at 91,000 long before I own it. It seemed to be immacualte, except for the fact that it sat for decade doing much of nothing. My guess is it's still less than 150,000, but at the same time it feels like it's had at least that many miles.

I forgot I had a steady transmission leak deveope during my trip, and I finally identified it as a simple hose I'd somehow missed on previous inspections. It's fine now, but doesn't like to shift into drive when I first start it up. It takes a couple of movements of the shifter sometimes, back into park, then to drive again. I don't think the transmission has it's own cooler, though the fluid does flow in and out from the bottom of the radiator.