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laurennn

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About laurennn

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  • My Toyota Motorhome
    1986 Toyota Mini Cruiser
  • Location
    Portland, ME

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    Female

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  1. We are having a rare 50 degree day up here tomorrow, perfect time to practice changing tire in Maine this time of year!! Thanks for the tips, checking tire temp is something I definitely did not think of. And I refer to my toyhome as a landship - I’m certainly prepared to take my time. 😄
  2. Thank you!! I made sure when I bought the rig that it had the upgraded 6 lug rear axle. 😊 i did not however know about the refirdgeratoe needing to be level! Why is that? Additionally, and I apologize if this is a stupid question but I’m still learning, do you always turn propane off prior to riding? I know the fridge worked but admittedly I have not toyed or experimented with it at all yet ...
  3. Hello ToyHome folks, I think I've finally got my 1986 Toyota Mini Cruiser 4cyl 22RE ready to hit the road. 94K miles. I'd like to summarize what I've had done and see if there is anything else those of you with more experience think I should look out for as I prepare to embark on my first long trip with the old girl. Also hoping for wishes of good mechanical juju and maybe even a little encouragement. How far have you driven your ToyHome? It feels like she's running great now, but I definitely went through the ringer this fall learning about the 22RE and what it feels like to drive a chassis that is a bit overloaded. I drove it around my home state of Maine all fall in hopes that anything that MIGHT go would just die while I'm close to home. Here's what I've had done: -New alternator -New cylinder head -New Gasket kit/thermostat -New hoses -New radiator -New studs in exhaust manifold -Clutch fan/water pump looking GOOD -New timing chain -New house battery with cleaned up charging line -Transmission fluid checked out, looking good not burnt or off color -Suspension looked at, looks tight, nothing loose or broken -LP lines tested, all got the green light with no issues -Checked the roof and seems, cleaned out any old/failing caulking on the outside and resealed -Tires on the newer side, good to go with brand new spare on the back Basically the entire top part of the engine was taken apart and reassembled piece by piece - the mechanic who did the work seemed very confident that there was no evidence of anything bad happening in the lower portion. I'm hoping to drive it down the east coast to Florida, then if everything is feeling good I'd like to hit Highway 10 from Jacksonville to Phoenix and then up into southern Utah. I picked Highway 10 as I imagine it's probably fairly flat and wont be too hard on my MiniCruiser. Right now I'm beginning to nest in my new home and I just really hope it's up for the trip. Do you put serious miles on your RVs? What are things I should watch out for as I drive to make sure I keep her healthy, happy and hopefully able to get back up to Maine at the end of the winter? Now that I've had all this work done, the only thing I'm feeling paranoid about is the tranny. Granted that said, it's not whining or clicking, seems to shift fine, gears don't slip...no evidence of anything wrong here. I've read it's normal for the 22RE to run at high RPMs, that's the only thing that's really made me nervous as I've gotten used to how it feels to drive it/what the engine sounds like...am I right on that? Some basic driving tips I've pulled from scouring the forum are to never use the overdrive feature, don't push her over 55 and check fluids every day before hitting the road. Any other tips and tricks for getting the best gas mileage? Should I generally avoid big highways and/or long stretches driving at 50-55MPH? On long driving days should I let her rest every couple of hours? When to use gears rather than just letting the auto transmission do it's thang? I've attached a picture of us so you can put a face to the super excited and somewhat nervous person writing this post! :'D Thanks in advance for reading, and for any tips or words of encouragement you might post here.
  4. Not to highjack this thread, but I just had essentially the same thing happen to my ‘86 Mini Cruiser. Coolant leak lead cold air to get into where the thermostat was, thus the thermostat was not relaying that the engine was overheating. Also had the same issue with no power in one cylinder. Turns out the timing chain was 180* off! Aside from that, my gaskets blew, head warped, radiator lost. It’s in the shop getting all of its guts straightened out now. Im honestly not capable of doing my own repairs and wanting to take this thing on the road in about a month. The mechanic I’m working with thinks it will be rock solid when everything is replaced (especially considering some gaskets were original to the vehicle). my question to those experienced: is it worth the risk? Or is my inexperience more likely to stear me in the direction of financial ruin? I think it’d be a shame to get the engine in the best shape it’s been in since it was first on the road then not use it, but I am trying to be realistic too. any tips of other things to look for while weighing my decision? thanks
  5. Seems it was the alternator and a fried connection to the coach battery that did it. She’s on the road again for now. Thank you!
  6. Hi Mainah, turns out it was an external voltage regulator that fried the alternator after all. New alternator has an internal voltage regulator. Quick question for you about the overdrive: I’ve been told and read that you really shouldn’t use it as it can kill the transmission. I understand that it is a button with an on/off position. I currently have it in the off position, but driving to Rangeley I noticed a green light that says “overdrive” on the dash. If that light is on, does that mean the overdrive is engaged? And if so, even with the button in the off position, could something have happened internally to kick it into overdrive while driving on steep hills? i am new to this and just want to make sure I’m doing my best to maintain this puppy!
  7. Hi all, I am a newbie here, just purchased my very own 1986 Mini Cruiser. I'm absolutely in love with it and most things seem to be in great working shape, but on my maiden voyage I had my first breakdown. There seems to be something going on between the battery and the alternator. Both seem to be in good working shape and are reading the way they should with a voltmeter indicating they are not the reason for the issue. The fuseable link for the alternator was pretty beat up, we replaced that and the issue persisted. The alternator just doesn't seem to be charging the truck battery (which is very new) enough to keep it running. After doing some probing we decided that it may be the voltage regulator...the one in there is definitely aftermarket and lookS like crap. Has anyone else had experience with these issues or replacing a voltage regulator? Is it possible that the 'house' battery is sucking all of the power from the alternator and thus not leaving enough for the truck battery? Should I try to remove the isolator so the alternator only charges the truck battery (and if so, could someone explain where I might find that)? Could it be something else? I'm planning on getting a couple new deep cycle batteries anyway, so not super concerned about not having the old one charged up. AND maybe I'm way off base! Any help or insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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