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Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:33 pm

We are a few days away from pulling the trigger on a 95 rialta. I'm nervous. But very excited. Maybe crazy. The Toyota sunrader will be sold to cover the cost. It is a good deal, and yet I hope we don't regret it!
I've visited rialta heaven in CA and have wanted one ever since. My husband has always wanted one. Wish me luck, offer advice.

A shop is checking it out tomorrow, but who knows if they will know what to check for. I suppose when I see it, I may spot all kinds of scary things and change my mind.

Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:07 am

They are growing on me also. Vanagon can't really tow much in the way of a camper so this is appealing. I see them being serviced at Lokey VW in Clearwater often. It does not fit on a normal Car lift so often the local VW shop does not work on them. I watched a house AC repair last week that required a ton of interior removal and a lot of waiting on parts. The mechanic did say the Rialta does not follow the VW model year exactly, they could be a newer model with an older engine etc. Good luck I am envious.

Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:52 am

Like this?

A link discussing them......
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...mp;start=0

And a forum of your very own!
http://www.rialtaclub.com/forum/

Best wishes!

Dave

Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:20 am

the 95 Rialta will have the 5cyl 2.5l eurovan engine. this whould be a Digifant with knock sensor system, which will help with the predetonation issues that many 93 5cyl EVs had.. unless it's a 93 chassis made into a 95 Rialta.
you'll want to run high octane in excessive heat or altitude conditions to preserve the engine internals.

just be picky over the cooling system, the EVs have nearly more hoses and ends than the vanagon does. and there are a couple items in the fan circuit that can cause overheating from old/aged parts.
mainly
the fan shutters-thermostat-pivot sticks keeping them closed
the fans metal strip fuse-age/corrode/crack
the fans speed resistors corrode and fail
the fans relays can melt from excessive operation created by stuck shutters.

there are a few plastic coolant hose connections that age and crack/fail similar to the vanagon.. proactive maintenance is key here.

Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:13 am

Maybe contact Xtremjeepn for some ideas on the PPI. Good luck. :D

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=625089

Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:37 am

Good info, thanks! We had a 93 eurovan and liked it. Until we see this vehicle, we won't know. It has pretty high mileage, but a great price and in good condition. We just drove our Westy from cruces to LA and husband drove it back, it did great. So cold feet on the rialta might happen. I'm still in LA, and will try to get to the rialta, check it out and drive the rest of the way home.

Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:15 pm

Rialtas are pretty nice, especially if you want a bathroom, microwave,etc. The pullout bath is unique to LéSharo / Rialta, Winnebagos, and is pretty cool. Gives you more space when not using the shower. In 1995 they had basically two floorplans. One with four seats. Two of which make a forward bed, with the kitchen in the middle. The other floorplan has either twin beds or a double bed with the kitchen behind the drivers seat. The fact that yours has some miles on it is probably a good sign that the trans is ok. I've heard stories of the auto trans being the" achillies heal ", with eurovans. Before you pull the trigger, make sure that you know what Winnebago offered in the Rialta line, so you are happy with what you have ; unless the price on this one is so good you just can't pass it up. I have owned VW vans forever. I have a '70, and an '88 Westfalia. I had a '85 Lesharo and loved it. I had planned to get a Rialta. When new they cost a lot more than the eurovan full camper, and now are selling for less. If you have the space to keep it, could be awesome. Hope it works out for you. You can tell a lot by a visual inspection of how it was cared for. Having the mechanicals checked out is always a good thing, when possible.Best of luck with your decision.

Happy Travels

Dana

ps. if you Google Winnebago Archives, you can look at sales brochures for all years of the Rialta, if you want to compare amenities, options, specs., etc.

Sat Apr 25, 2015 12:27 am

Got it, love it! At least so far

Sat Apr 25, 2015 1:12 am

debbiej wrote: Got it, love it! At least so far

:wink:

Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:00 am

kamzcab86 wrote: debbiej wrote: Got it, love it! At least so far

:wink:

Agreed! ^^^^^

You've been here long enough, you know that photos are absolutely required.
Shame on you Debbie! :wink:

Best wishes on your new ride!
Now to dump that old Toyota and I'm sure the big Westy question again rises to the top..... Sell?....... Keep?....... Sell?......... Keep?....... Sell?...... .......

Dave

Sat Apr 25, 2015 3:13 pm

Also can anyone direct me to how to visually inspect a timing belt to determine if it has been or should be changed? It has 148,000 miles and the previous owner didn't know if it had been changed. I've got about 300 miles to drive home.

Sat Apr 25, 2015 3:26 pm

It looks very very NICE!!!

Thanks for the photos.

Timing belt inspection?

Well, obvious dry rotted cracks but honestly, if in doubt replace it.

You need to establish a Maintenance base line and for something as Important as a timing belt, it just isn't worth the "has it been or hasn't it been replaced?" game.

It is far far cheaper to replace it now at home rather than in some strange town after a 200 mile tow to a questionable shop.

I don't know for sure ..... but if these are NOT clearance engines, the price for repairs After some belts cogs are sheared off will be HUGE! (Belt failure Most often happens on a cold start)

Dave

Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:19 pm

Lovely! :D

Brochure, if you're into having that sort of thing: http://www.rialtaclub.com/pdf/1995Rialta.pdf .

debbiej wrote: Also can anyone direct me to how to visually inspect a timing belt to determine if it has been or should be changed? It has 148,000 miles and the previous owner didn't know if it had been changed.

In addition to the forum Dave posted, you'll want to bookmark this too: http://www.rialtainfo.com/ .

http://fkh161.ca/VW/ACU_tbelt.pdf
http://fkh161.ca/VW/ACU_timing.pdf

Replacing the t-belt:

Looks like a really fun time! :o

Sat Apr 25, 2015 6:15 pm

Thanks again for the information. The you tube video makes me want to get it done before I leave Tucson. I know it's a 5 cyl, 2.5. L engine, but I can't seem to learn if it is interference or non interference. Either way, I like the peace of mind of knowing when it was done.

The Toyota will be advertised when I get home, and yes, the Westy question is again raised!

It's a good one, and we have to think hard about that.

My grandkids walked in it and immediately begin playing like they were on a commercial flight. Pretty funny because it has that feel for sure.

I slept out there last night and it was super comfortable. Everything works so well. Generator, heater, all the goodies. It even has a pump assisted shower drain.

Sat Apr 25, 2015 6:34 pm

My 1992 Eurovan is non-interference but iirc the 1995 5 cylinder is.

Be careful about the belt, if it was never changed it is really past it's service.

The dealer time to replace the timing belt and waterpump was 8 hours when I had it done last, but factor in rusty engine where I am.

Sun Apr 26, 2015 4:16 am

I sold mine last fall-same 1995 year and 109,000 miles. We loved it and traveled from Canada to NJ to Georgia,to Grand Canyon.
I highly recommend you join the Yahoo Rialta Tech group for hours of interesting technical information, Part of that education should lead you to instal transmission fluid cooler-piece of mind for $150. If you have any questions PM me- I had my hands into everything on the Rialta Jim

Mon Apr 27, 2015 11:07 pm

Got the timing belt changed, and they did a pretty thorough inspection as well. It is in very good mechanical condition, "very well maintained" was the comment. Drove it home and it is delightful to travel in. The tach shows Rpms to be around 4000 at 65. Is that high?

Tue Apr 28, 2015 3:49 am

That tach reading is normal. Small engine pushing big box. I found 62 mph was a nice cruising speed.
I'll mention this in advance since you live in NM. We were in your state in October,85* daytime temp with an elevation of about 9000'. We experienced fuel smells and big back pressure when the gas cap was removed (the charcoal canister being fouled by gasoline pressure.) Seems it was a normal design problem and the remedy was just to leave the gas cap cracked open.

Tue Apr 28, 2015 8:31 am

Thank you. It is so comfortable to ride in. 62 will be fine.

Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:49 pm

We removed the large second row seats. There is a lot of room! A 12v cooler and a cabinet will go where the "companion" seats went. All things work. Opened awning today, it is big, but easier to deploy than it first appeared. I've read opinions that the 95-96 were good years. I like it that ours is shorter than the 6 cyl.

The sunrader is listed.

then we will be all VW. Jetta, Passat, westfalia and rialta.

We should probably sell the westy..
But it is so dependable and simple