Who Makes Winnebago Engines? (What Engine Is In a Winnebago)
The brand doesn't say it all. In today’s world, the brand name on the product doesn't always say who made the individual components. While you may think you are getting an engine made by Winnebago, the motor could have been made by another company.
Who makes Winnebago engines? The company has used a variety of different engines in each of its classes of RVs. There has been a Renault, a Volkswagon, a Chrysler, a Ford, and even a Chevy engine powering a Winnebago RV. There may have been a Cummins motor in a Winnebago as well.
To learn what motor is powering your Winnebago RV just continue to read our article. It is customary for RV manufacturers to contract out the engine build to companies that specialize in making good engines.
Winnebago Engines 101
What Engine is in a Winnebago?
There are only two real types of engines that are placed in RVs. There is diesel which has more power and can live longer than a regular gas engine. Then there is the standard gas engine designed specifically to power your RV.
The engine sizes depend on the size of the chassis as well as the size of the RV. A Class B RV will have a smaller engine than a Class C or A RV. The cylinder size can range from a 4 to a 10, again depending on the RV it is installed and who made the engine.
When Winnebago was using Renault to build some of their motors, those engines were made from aluminum and had 4 cylinders. Other manufacturers built more powerful engines taking them up to 10 cylinders to give the RV enough power to haul the overall weight of the rig.
Who Makes Winnebago Engines?
The company has been around a long time and over the years they have contracted the building of their engines out to other companies. There have been contracts with Renault, Volkswagon, Chrysler, Chevy, and Ford.
Cummins seems to be the company that builds many of the diesel engines for Winnebago. One of their models is the 340 HP ISB 6.7 liter engine. That motor goes into one of the Class A models Winnebago sells.
The best way to find out what is under the hood of the RV you are interested in is to ask the dealer or owner who is selling the rig. The reason we say that is because different size RVs will have different motors from different companies, depending on the contracts the company has in force at this time.
In the 70s Chrysler was building many of the larger motors for the then-modern RVs but both Renault and Volkswagon had contracts with Winnebago. The motor in an RV will depend on the year it was built.
Winnebago Engine Size
The engine size will vary and it will depend on the chassis it is put on and the design of the RV. There were some smaller 4 cylinders some years ago but today many companies like Winnebago prefer the V10s that different engine-making companies have developed.
The horsepower for these motors will also be different as the Chrysler 440 of the 70s got about 225 HP. The modern 6 cylinder turbo diesel only gets 188 HP and is a 3.0-liter size.
The 2020 Class A diesel RVs have a 6.7 liter Cummins powering them so the engine size will depend a lot on the model of RV it is designed to work with. A talk with a mechanic who specializes in RVs will be able to provide more detailed engine size specs as well as tell you how good the motor will be.
That information may influence your purchase decision. Making sure you have the right motor for your RV purpose is essential to good RV life.
1971-1980 Winnebago Brave Engine
There seem to be at least 2 different motors built for this model of RV. There was the Chrysler 440 and the Dodge 360. At least some dealers or mechanics were under that impression.
The reason behind the confusion is that there may have been a few mistakes made on registering the rig. The correct engine should be the 440-3 c.i. and it was placed on a Chrysler M300 chassis.
Part of the problem with identifying this engine is that this may have been that this model of RV was also found in Europe, Germany specifically, so there may be some communications errors in the registering of the vehicle and the translation work.
Some 77 to 79 models may have had the Mopar 360-3 motor which was the normal engine for the M-300 chassis during those years. Check your owner’s manual to see what your RV has powering it.
1975 Winnebago Indian Engine
This RV may be old and look like the product of its times but it had a nice engine powering it. A Dodge 454 was the engine of choice and if you can find one in good condition, then you have a rare find as well as a very good motor.
The 1974 Indian came with the 440-3 Chrysler motor and it seems to have done an excellent job in moving the RV down the road. These engines also seem to have a long lifespan if taken care of as they have lasted almost 50 years.
One owner just bought his 1975 model 2 years ago and is pleased with the way the motor performs. It may take some searching to have the same positive results but it can be done. Just be patient and the right RV will come along with the right engine.
1996-1998 Winnebago Adventurer Engine
There were different models made in this series and they seem to have the option of at least 3 to 4 different engines. A 6500 cc diesel was one option you had. Then there seems to have been 2 different Freightliner motors installed.
There was the 380 HP Boathome and then later there was the Freightliner Caterpillar Engine installed. One owner has a 1995 Adventurer and it came with a 454 Chevy engine. This engine seems to have been placed in the 1996 Adventurer as well.
Make sure to double-check these engines to make sure they were original motors and not swapped out at a later date. Motors can be adapted to different RVs and not be the original ones. That is one thing you do need to check on before you buy.
Make sure you know which engine is inside the RV and when it was last repaired or replaced.
2000 Winnebago Journey Engine
The 36L is one of the models that used what is called a diesel pusher engine. This engine was built by Cummins and it is their standard 5.9L diesel motor that is placed in many Dodge Trucks.
The motor is also classified as a Turbo diesel which should give you some indication of the power of that machine. For motorhomes, this engine was designed to give 275 HP and works with an Allison transmission. There were Freightliner chassis and it had air brakes and a jake brake added as well.
The best thing about this motor is that it is supposed to be great at towing anything after the RV reached speeds above 30 mph. Unfortunately, it is not a speed demon-type motor but you may forget you are pulling a trailer once you get to 65 mph.
The drawback will be the largest and worst hills you have to travel over.
Winnebago Rialta Engine
This smaller RV comes with a motor built by Volkswagon. There are three different engines designed to fit this RV with the first option a simple 2.5L 5 cylinder gas motor. The next step up will be the 2.8 6 cylinder engine that comes with 201 HP.
The final option will be the 2.8 VR6 which only produces 140 HP. There is an automatic transmission making this rig easy to drive. Plus, its small size and stylish looks should have you making lots of friends as you travel.
You shouldn’t hold up any other travelers while on the highway. The other features make sure you have all the convenience you need.
Winnebago Lesharo Diesel Engine
Over the years, this model of Class C RV went through different engine models. In 1983 it was powered by a 2068 cc aluminum OHC 4 cylinder diesel motor. In 1984 a turbocharger was added to the engine and in 1985 the motor was changed to a 2165 cc Bosch fuel injected 4 cylinder gas engine.
1986 saw the end of the diesel motor and in 1987 a 5-speed manual transmission with a gas motor was available. Other changes took place with the replacement of Bosch with a Renault Bendix fuel injection system.
The 2068 cc motor was similar to the engine placed in the Jeep Cherokee vehicle which gives you some idea of the typical performance this motor had. This was a smaller Class C rig so the motor was the perfect size for it.
Winnebago Ekko Engine
This is another Class C RV but a more recent version. Inside it was the 3.5L eco-boost V6 motor that seemed to give out a lot of power while not being heavy with the fuel consumption.
This motor was placed on the Ford AWD transit chassis and it came with an automatic 10-speed transmission. This motor can produce about 310 HP at 400 ft. lbs of torque. The 32-gallon fuel tank makes sure you have enough fuel to get over those steep hills.
While there are plenty of other features to this rig, the over $163,000 price tag may put it out of many RVer’s reach. The luxury is built-in including using a top motor to power all those luxury items.
Winnebago Elandan Engine
The engine you get will depend on the year this RV was made. The 1977 model came with a 440 Chrysler engine but a later model, the 1989, had a 454 Chevy motor inside. One of the drawbacks to the older versions was that the engine was designed to run on leaded fuel.
You would need plenty of additives to make sure the engine did not shorten its lifespan. The performance you get will depend on how you take care of the engine. It is supposed to be very powerful and can handle pulling a trailer without any problem.
Later versions of this RV may have had different motors put inside of them but it seems that the 80s decade kept to the Chevy V8 model.
Winnebago View Gas Engine
From what we have been able to find out is that the gas engine for the View RV was offered only in 2008. It was built by Mercedes-Benz and it was a 3.5L V6 motor producing roughly 250 HP.
All the other View engines were supposed to be diesel only. The gas motor was placed on the Dodge Sprinter chassis The good news is that this motor could get between 15 and 17 miles to the gallon.
Then, the motor holds up or has held up well over the 12 years the gas motor has been in use. The 5-speed automatic transmission also handles road travel quite well. If you find one with a gas engine you should seriously consider buying it as there won't be any more made.
Winnebago Intent Engine
Moving to the Class A RV category this is a nice rig that should come with all the modern conveniences you expect in a top-class RV. Older models may come with the 7.3L PFI V8 motor while the 32020 versions seem to be built with the Ford F53 Triton V10 6.8L SEFI.
The Triton motor puts out about 320 HP at 460 ft. lb. of torque. Then the 80-gallon fuel tank should get you to where you are going without having to make a fuel stop any time soon.
The power is there and you should have no trouble making it up those mountain slopes when you want to tour the West Coast. The 6-speed automatic transmission will make gearing up or down very easy to do.
Winnebago Via Engine
This Class A RV was built on the Mercedes Sprinter F50 Class chassis. The motor that it was given was the 3.0L 6 cylinder turbo diesel with a 5-speed transmission. That transmission was a tip shift automatic.
When running right the motor put out 188 HP and used a 220 amp alternator. These features made sure the Via ran down the road like a champ. With a 12 month/15,000 mile basic warranty, your travels were covered for 1 year.
A 36 month or 36,000-mile limited warranty covered the structure and a 10-year limited parts and labor warranty covered the roof skin. That kind of protection as well as the engine made this RV very attractive and gives you a little peace of mind as you explore the nation.
Winnebago With Mercedes Engine
Most descriptions of RVs where Winnebago partnered with Mercedes are talking about the Sprinter chassis built by the latter company. Most of the engines mentioned in those descriptions are the 3.0L 188 HP V6 motors that are found on different RV models.
There is the 2010 ERA that came with the 3.0L V6 Mercedes motor and had a 5-speed transmission. Then there are more recent models like the Revel, the Boldt, and the one that started it all, the View were all Mercedes equipped.
A check with your nearest Winnebago dealer should help you find more RVs with the powerful and durable Mercedes engine.
Finding a Winnebago Engine for Sale
There should be some good places to search for a Winnebago engine. e-Bay is one of the starting points as you never know when someone will list theirs on that marketplace outlet.
Then you should stick to the internet first as there are quite a few Winnebago parts and salvage yards that advertise this product for sale. There may be one that is close to you.
Next up will be the different classified ads on the internet or in classified newspapers in your city or town. There have been enough of these motors made over the years that your search should not be that difficult.
Wrecking yards are good to visit and you may even contact the company that made the engine to see if there is a replacement for it. Cummins is just one example where you might find a good replacement motor brand new.
Some Final Words
While the RV may say Winnebago, the motor may not be from that company. Depending on the model of RV you own you could have one of about 7 different engine makers powering your RV.
Knowing the motor maker helps make finding parts a little easier to do and may lead you to cheaper sources for parts.
