roadtriprachel

Thank you Linda! I just emailed this to my mechanic. He thought he'd found what he needed & ordered it last week, but when it arrived it was not what he had asked for. (I found out on Fri afternoon that we are back at the beginning with the cylinder search). This was the 3rd time we thought we found what we needed only to have the part be wrong upon arrival. Ugh. So I am extremely grateful for this chart you made. Because I think he's exhausted all his usual parts sourcing ppl / places.

I shot a couple photos last time I was at the mechanic

Thank you - and nice to "see" you again fred heath! I will pass all this on when I call him when they open in a couple hours.

Thank you for the condolences Toycollector47. It's been rough. Hi again Linda! Thanks for the super fast reply to my post. I came back to TN during the pandemic, now living in Oak Ridge,TN. It's in the Eastern half of the state. I'll check out that link right now (5am, EST) and pass it on to my mechanic in exactly 2.5 hrs. HAHA!

Hello all. My RV renovations stalled out in Feb (but thanks so much to folks who replied to the post I made back in January seeking help!). My beautiful partner in crime, my Service Animal Duke dog, got sick in Feb and everything had to be tabled while I dealt with his mysterious illness. Sadly, it turned out to be Lymphoma. Despite getting all the medical treatment we could, including chemotherapy, after months of struggling valiantly, he recently passed away. I had hoped to get back to fixin up the house part of my rig this Fall - to travel and heal this broken heart - but my RV overheated, completely broke down, and had to be towed - been at my mechanic for a month now. (Stuck thermostat seems to be the culprit). My mechanic pulled the engine and has re-machined much of the fixable parts. But apparently the cylinder head is not fixable and he has been having trouble sourcing the correct part / cylinder head assembly kit. He said the exhaust port on the head needs to be round; the 2 he was shipped (from junk yards maybe?) both had a tear drop exhaust port which won't do. He said both times he thought they found the right part but both times it was the tear drop version... It's a 1984, early production, 22R engine. 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual. While I still haven't had a chance to read all the replies to the thread I created back in January, I am back on here hoping someone has suggestions on how to find this part my mechanic is not finding. He said the part is hard to find because these engines haven't been in production for so long, so parts are rare. Hopefully at some point I can read the post thread replies to the house fixing post! And get back to that project. But in the meantime, the engine is the #1 priority. I have a loaner vehicle for now, but the RV is actually my "daily driver", so getting her running again is crucial. Not to mention, after 6+ months of being a hospice nurse, then the death of my best friend and right hand man, I really REALLY need to get back out on the road. (Also, Duke and I were living FT in the rig until the pandemic hit, then we sheltered in place in TN. He was sick then passed away before we were able to start traveling again, so I haven't had a trip since 2020.) I have to get back out on the road! The open road, mountains, deserts, oceans - that's what revives my soul. Not having the ability to travel in my rig is driving me insane! So I have got to get her fixed to get some healing. Even if it's just for a weekend. Thanks for reading y'all. - Rachel

Oh WOW! This is so awesome! I like how the thread morphed into another thing, connected to but different from the original query. I love how a question / topic can open up more questions, ideas and support. I hate that I posted then ghosted! My bad. Last I checked the "activity" on here was last time I posted; Oct 26. Ugh. And I had made a similar post a week prior that had no replies so I deleted then rewrote the question to get help. I gave up on being lazy (AKA asking others on here to do my research for me, LOL) and I did a deep dive into the world of Youtube. While I rlly wannted to hear how and what y'all did to your rigs, re solar, after watching the Youtubes till my eyes bled, I just got up there and did it; I handled the part(s) of the job I could do myself, then hired someone to do what I couldn't. He did ok but jacked some sh*t up and I'm still dealing with that fallout, sadly, but it's like 95% complete now. (YAY!) I will post "before" and "after" pics when I reach the 100% mark. And explain what I did, how and why. Will also include a list of supplies I used. My electrical was / is already in place so there's no wiring to speak of. Just boosting my juice. (Def plan to upgrade to Lithium batteries, a better controller, etc., whenever I get back to the road. Not now tho.) Omg WME - haha - haven't interacted with you in eons - so grateful you jumped in!!! Super annoyed I missed it until now, but thats the price I pay for both hating being online aaaand my general impatience with the speed of life.... I miss the forest for the trees sometimes with my impatience, but, fortunately it's getting (slightly) better as I age. Anyways, I hope you - and your rig - are well. Thanks for the advice and the video links!! Will Prowse is my go-to on solar. I discovered him when my new rv fridge fried the solar / battery array in the AZ desert in 2020... and just WOW - he is such an incredible teacher. (And VERY easy on the eyes. HAHA!!). I had purchased mounts like the ones in his video when I bought the add'tl panels (3yrs ago). Used them in this repair and they seem to be doin just fine so far. I saw that video you posted Wanderlustking - thanks! - when I did the deep dive into Youtube early Oct - when I was deciding how to tackle this project. I came across it then but am glad you posted it here. I can't keep track of all the internet research rabbit holes I go down, so it's wonderful that this post includes some of the best I stumbled upon, and MORE, courtesy of folks in the thread! This topic / question / answer session is a nice one as it really lays out the main issues of solar panel roof install. Thanks you guys! As usual, I'm grateful for this forum. And again - not annoyed about where this meandered to! I've not got a generator, nor do I have an A/C and I probably never will. Don't have a microwave in the rig either. (Just got one last year for my house - for the 1st time in maybe 10 years). And although my electrical needs/uses are way different than those who shared in this thread, that is completely beside the point: this post turned into a fabulous how-to DIY on solar, solar roof install, and more. Which is BADASS. When I've got more time I'll read each and every post - not just the ones about my query. In the meantime - hello to those who jumped in and made things more interesting! When the wet and the mud clears from here (aka "Winter in East TN), I plan to hop back up on the roof and dial in the last 5% of wk. I did actually think to take some photos, and I'll share those when I post about the finished repair.

Oh! Geez. Hd not considered that.... Ugh. Well, I will find out soon! Haha. Once I dive into that. But, I took full advantage of having a shower until my water pump died, and I think it drains to the gray h2o. I'd always have to empty the gray after only a few days of washing dishes and showering...

Hi Homer!! Great to connect with you again. I am still happy with Lil Putt, yes! Since I bought the rig in 2018 she and I and my dog went all over the US, making amazing memories. The furnace - and most all necessary repairs - were put on hold, infefinitely in Oct of 2019. I was attacked in a public park in the CA town where was living, the town where I bought the RV. A sm group of people chased me through the park, told me to gtfo of thier town, tried to hurt my Service Animal, hoping to provoke me into a physical altercation. Of course I protected my baby, and they promptly called the police. The cops wrongfully arrested me, interrogated me for hours cuffed to a folding chair in a pkng lot w/o Mirandizing me, then tried to break my wrist. I ended up in the ER, then in a cast, then had to see a hand surgeon. Once my hand fully healed I had to leave the lovely life I had made in that town. My massage biz, my friends. The cops continued to follow and harrass me daily, post arrest, while I was in the cast / before I was medically cleared to drive and get safely away. For weeks I was afraid they were going to hurt me again, or worse - kill me. (My final visit to the surgeon cleared me to drive and he was like "GET OUT. They WILL kill you. Get out NOW.") I put everything in storage and got away as soon as the surgeon cleared me to do so. It was all super traumatic and utterly heartbreaking. Sadly, the only repairs I had managed to get done before the police brutality in 2019 was the solar install and plumbing fixes. Been rolling around the country, "livin' my best life" as the kids say, in spite of the horrific CA experience, in spite of the rig not at all being ready. So, the furnace issues and most other necessary repairs from when I got the rig in 2018 are still needing attention. Fortunately I have a short term rental in TN right now with a huge backyard where I can finally get to work on Lil Putt! Been workin on the roof this week, cleaning it and getting ready to recaulk and reseal up there. Then add a new roof vent I got, and more solar. Doin the repairs from the top down.

Thanks. Will try that.

I'm reviewing old posts - to refresh my memory and gauge my progress on the learning curve of diy stuff - and I just saw your comment. 3 years later, hahaha! I did not jettison the black water tank back in 2018. And I wish I had as it was a stinky mess all the time - one of the truly disgusting parts of living full time on the road. Especially in the heat of the summer, and/or in the desert. Felt like way too much of my time and resources were spent dealing with the tank (when to dump, where to dump, how to mitigate the smell between dumps...). When I got off the road in 2020 I did one last tank dump and have left it empty ever since. I have been practicing using a makeshift composting toilet and it's not bad. If you're still on this site and happen to see this comment to your comment - 3 yrs after the fact - thanks for the suggestion! I did eventually come around to implementing the composting idea and am glad I did. Do you have any experience with removing black water tanks? Seems pretty straightforward but any suggestions are welcome.

I have edited the original post - perhaps the long length of the post was why only 1 person replied to the query? And it has only been a day since I wrote the content.... Regardless, here is the truncated version of the long, flowery, original post: 1. Any suggestions on roof solar panel installation? Or over cab roof install ideas? Solar system is in place already - wkng fine. Just beefing up - need advice on the best method for installing 2 100watt rigid glass panels. 2. Had a flexible solar panel on roof, adhered with duck tape - tape has left residue - need to remove that. 3. Seems roof has minor damage - cracks, small chips, few tiny holes. Would re-fiberglassing the damaged roof areas be the best solution? 4. Am installing a new roof vent - the ceiling vents that manually open and close, no fan on this one. Aside from using butyl tape and lap sealant, does anyone have suggestions on replacing old roof vents? Ok - am hoping by editing out all the conversational elements of my last post perhaps its more readable now and gets more replies, haha!

Hello Linda, good to see you're still active on this site. I missed your reply to my post: there are an overwhelming amount of ads on the site now, so I missed seeing this, hidden amongst the 'Lake Babe Muscle Tank' photos and similar junk. Haha! Thanks for the feedback. I realize there are many unfinished Sunrader projects out there, which is why I have not started mine; I want to do it right. And when the time comes that I have safe and sustainable housing where I can park the rig and begin work, I'll hop back on here. And ask for advice. You guys have been a wonderful resource for me when I was considering buying the rig back in 2018/2019. Then again when I bought it and had lots of questions about tires, axles and more. I have been extremely busy lately, and haven't found the time to share much beyond the post back in January - sharing photos of my travels in the rig. But I need to find time to share the photos of the work I have done thus far: some roof repairs, solar install, and more. There's never enough time in a day! And truth be told, I'm not particularly tech savvy and struggle with the new format of this forum - the form, not the content. I am finding it hard to navigate and use this new version of this platform, beyond the ad innundation. Anyways, 2 captains's chairs for sale in Knoxville, TN. And no gutting going on - for now! When I am ready to improve my rig I will get on here and ask for suggestions. You guys haven't let me down yet!

Hello fellow RVers! I don't know if this is the appropriate place to post this - but I am selling the Captain's chairs from my rig. If this is the appropriate place to post this, I can add the link to my Craigslist ad. If not, no worries. I realize most folks gut and renovate (my plan), but on the off chance someone in this forum is seeking a set of original Toyota Sunrader 1984 Captain's chairs....

Thank you Fred! My carb project has been on hold for months... but when I'm able to get back to it, I'll hop on the webs and post updates / ask for help too I'm sure! Hahaha.

Thanks!! My dog totally changed life on the road. He is incredible!

👍

Hey DanAatTheCape, my problem has been solved, yes, but I always appreciate learning. So thank you for taking the time to comment! Besides, others may come along and read your comment and it could answer questions they have. I "tag" my posts - like this one with "propane" or "horizontal orientation" - so future help seekers can reference the answers you guys give. ?

Silicone was / is a temporary fix. (The goal is to clean the roof and reseal all points of entry once the interior water damage is repaired.) - I wrote that above... I don’t intend for silicone to be the final / permanent solution... There is a vent cap. Its intact. The sealant AROUND the cap is the problem. Its dry rotted. Leaks and water = rot and mold. Hence my asking ppl about how to fix the damage. I get the basic concept of painting over mold/damage with Kilz, but I am interested in tearing out what is rotten / moldy / damaged. I’d like to fix what’s damaged, not just paint over it, although I understand that might work for some. I am VERY sensitive to mold and don’t want to breath it in - while using bleach / peroxide and displacing spores or while painting over it with Kilz or while living in it, having it grow unchecked...

Hi all! I am tackling the water damage from a pipe vent leak in the Sunrader next week. Any advice on this is appreciated. Damage is in the cabinet above the fridge. I used silicone as a temporary fix on the roof, leaks have stopped. The goal is to clean the roof and reseal all points of entry once the interior water damage is repaired. Not interested in a full on demo / rebuild of my Sunrader interior; simply want to address the damage and mold in this one spot. Thanks guys!

Both propane tanks have been recertified and filled! YAY!! The re-cert is good for 5 years and I doubt I’ll need any propane for a while either. (Thanks WME for the advice).

Glad it all worked out with the insurance DanaAtTheCape but really just grateful you both survived. That looks horrific...

Hi Oldgriz, I have a 1984 Sunrader. I do not have insurance on the RV for “full time living”; it’s insured for recreational / part time use. Regardless of my intended usage, every insurance company I contacted tried to insure my Sunrader for the amount paid. I only paid $2400 for my RV, so I insisted they insure it for the actual market value, NOT the purchase price. They all said that was impossible (most agents had never heard of a Sunrader before, and all of the agents said it was insane to think an RV from 1984 would appreciate in value). Meanwhile, a 4x4 Sunrader had JUST sold in my very own county for over $14,000!! So I refused to back down. I asked the last agent I called (at GoodSam) to insure it for the current market value. He argued like every one before him. I asked him to please just do an internet search for recent sold prices of Sunraders. He did and then begrudgingly insured it, at my asking price, of a totaled out amount of $9000, what my RV could possibly fetch in this market. The policy is through Progressive. I have had difficulty with filing claims on the Sunrader however. I had a windshield repair last month that was painful & protracted (needlessly so as I have full glass coverage at a zero deductable). I started a claim for March water damage - due to weather / terrible storms here - causing leaking from the roof vent pipe - and Progressive made the process absolutely miserable. They asked to speak to the previous owner, asked me to show proof I had indeed paid for the policy, and more... I finally gave up in May and dropped that claim. That’s my insurance journey so far! I’m not in love with Progressive, but I AM excited for the amount I got the Sunrader insured for. Like Linda said - don’t give in on the value it’s insured for. Good luck to you!

Homer - thanks for the tip regarding greasing the ball bearings!! I will look into that. I probably already have something in my bicycle tool box that would lubricate the bearings of the motor. That’s super helpful info. WME - I appreciate that you wrote about why the horizontal orientation is crucial. That’s very good to know. I knew these were specific to my RV but not why. Thanks for the clarification(s). And I will check out the link about the thermostat soon - thanks!! I am familiar with the blog about the 4x4 conversion! I found thier blog posts before I found this forum and am a big fan of thier work.