davewbmd

Hey Army. '85-'87 were transitional years for the Toyota chassis with regards to the rear axles. Just look for the full float axle by the bearings on the outside of the rear dual wheels. During the transitional years the front may or may not be 6 lugs. The only real advantage of 6 lugs up front is really that the brakes are a bit bigger on the 6 lug axle. Speaking from experience from having a 5 lug and a 6 lug front axle, there is no noticeable stopping difference. The other issue is changing a spare. I recommend getting towing insurance and never changing a spare again... I had an '88 Escaper ('87 chassis... remember, the chassis is a year older than the coach) which was awesome. I swapped the cam and put headers on it so it performed more like a V6. The 22REs are bulletproof. The power was excellent, as were the mpg's. She did 60-65 with no problems on the flats or hills. No motorhome is fast. I've driven much bigger ones, and the horsepower to weight ratio is roughly the same. There is less torque, but you don't want to travel faster than 60 mph in a motorhome anyway (speaking from experience as a physician responding to motorhome roll-overs along the interstate). EVERY motorhome will get a leak. It isn't a matter of if, but when. Expect it in anything that you buy. If it doesn't have one, it will. It is like fridges. If it is old, plan on replacing it in the near future. I love the Toyotas, and they are much more economical than a VW. You pay for shape, and they hold their value. I bought my Escaper for $5,500 and after great vacations and a few cosmetic upgrades I sold it for almost $8,000. BTW, in excellent shape an '87 should start out at about $7,000-$8,000. I bought an '87 Toyota with a better layout in its place. Have fun. If you find a good motorhome, buy it fast! This is a good time of the year! The 3rd caller bought mine and I had many, many more begging for it for weeks afterwords. Shape, shape, shape! That is what you are paying for. You'll never lose money if you buy right and maintain. DWB

I second the earlier reply. However, just as an FYI, it may "run" great but still have some internal issues and not produce power. Obviously, you first need to make sure it is plugged into the outlet near the generator bay, if that is the setup. I just rebuilt the carb and replaced all the gaskets on my Kohler genset so that it started and ran great. But, since the brilliant engineers designed a vertical shaft generator behind my rear tires, years of rain have destroyed and corroded the windings. I took the entire thing out. It may or may not be worth rebuilding... we'll see. I got 0 volts out of one lead and 3.8 out of the other. Not even enough to electricute a wandering rodent taking residence in an RV... Good luck, and have fun with it!

Glad to hear that your trip was so enjoyable. I've had two of these little beauties now (Escaper and Sunland Express... currently have the Sunland Express) and I only get the "good" gas-mileage at 50-55 mph. At those speeds I get about 17 mpg. It plumets dramatically by the time the engine turns enough RPMs to be going 60-65. But, your safest bet is definitely below 65 anyway! Keep having fun!!!

Hey All. Just to continue the thread... I have two motorhomes (until the Escaper sells...). 1988 Escaper --> 6200 # (with generator, etc.) 1987 SunLand Express --> 5400 # with every tank (including gas tank) full It just depends on the make, year, equipment, 2WD/4WD, etc. I can tell the power difference between mine (both w/ cylinders, but the Escaper has mods)! Dave

First, the posts are most certainly worthwhile. There is always something for us all to learn from each other. Plus, I'm fascinated by those with a turbo. I've done a fair amount of modification to my 22RE (cam, headers, etc.), but I always wonder how the turbos do under an extended load (uphill --> how hot do they get, etc.). I just haven't had the energy to pull mine out and replace it (did an engine swap on a Ranger 4-cylinder to 302 V8 and have been tired ever since). Finally, I'd never be afraid of spending money on safety. Speaking as a physician who has seen his fair share of motor vehicle accident victims in the ER, you can't be too careful. Those who complain of the lack of speed from their RV should recognize that they shouldn't WANT to go over 60 mph even if the unit could do 80 (not likely with mine anytime soon...). It is amazing how much more severe accidents are at speeds of only 5 mph faster. When buying a sports car everyone looks at the 0-60. They should also look at the 60-0. That is WAY more important... which is why most sports cars have such good brakes... Keep it up!

Hey Guys. I've had fun reading your posts over the past few weeks. For what it is worth, I've never seen any better headers than LC Engineering's (I did my research...). They were a bit of a hassle to put in, but worth the time. DWBMD

I "second" what NOLAN said (re general engine check-up). I'd add that you should check out the brakes (lines, pads/shoes, etc.), too. Check your aux battery. It will likely need to be replaced (won't hold a charge). No doubt that you'll run into some trouble with A/C, fridge, or hot water heater (one or more of them...), also. Finally, when you flush the system out, I'd put a couple of gallons of hot water into the toilet/waste reservoir in order to get the rubber seals nice and softened up (don't want to force them open and have them tear/rip). If you plan to use your fresh-water/drinking water reservoir, you should fill it with water and about 1/2 cup of bleach to kill any bacteria that may be lurking in it after its disuse. Let it sit a few hours (and pump some in the lines, too). Then, flush it all out (you'll obviously need to use the pump to clean it out... fill it up with water and pump it out a few times... vinegar [acetic acid] can help get rid of any residual bleach [sodium hypochlorite] taste...). Have fun! DWBMD

Speaking from only a few months experience with my 22RE, with 5 main bearings these babies can "scream" for a long time. I usually run mine in third on the highway at 60-65 mph for hours at a time (which is turning a fair amount of RPMs). But, the torque curve is the best up there... As for mods, I put on LC Eng headers and got about 10-15 h.p. which was noticeable. I'll put the cam in in the next few weeks, God-willing. We'll see. But, I've also put a 302 (with new cams, headers, 4bbl, etc.) in a 1984 Ford Ranger (changed it from a 2.3 four cylinder when I totally restored the truck with my father during college and medical school a few years back... truck body and frame were from Texas and mint...). I wouldn't recommend it on the Toyota. It fits well in the Ranger, but even in the Ranger I needed new motor mounts, new pan (to fit over the axle), remote oil filter kit, etc., etc., etc. Plus, you'd have less room in the Toyota and you'd likely need to cut back your fire wall, change the tranny (to a C4 if you want an AT), change the drive shaft, etc., etc., etc. It cost me (literally) $5,000 more than I thought ($10,000 total) to put it in my Ranger (granted, I got a shift kit and some other modifications while I was at it...). It would also take far more time than you probably think... I'd recommend doing easy mods and seeing how you like them. You can probably gain 20-30 h.p. the easy way with out so much work! Or, ask the other guys with turbos! That isn't as much up my alley! Let me know if you try it! =) I love Ford's 302 (almost as much as their 351 Cleveland)! DWBMD

Mine has the same issue (1988 Escaper). I fill with the nozzle to the side, and very slowly. You will never be able to use the "auto-fill" feature. But, you're on vacation, right...? DWBMD

Hello All. When I first bought my 22RE 1988 Escaper this spring it had a few "power" issues (despite superb mechanical function and only 59k). While I knew it would never perform like my Vette or 351 Cleveland Mustang, I wanted a bit more power in the hills (okay... even on the flats holding 60 in OD was nearly impossible, and likely not all that beneficial to the tranny). So, I ventured out to do some research. After reading many posts from seasoned experts on multiple sites, I felt headers and a new cam (to compensate for factory off-set timing due to emissions) were in order. I bought a new set of stainless headers from LC Eng and a cam from them, also. I thought you'd all like to know how much "improvement" they give, since I was looking for that when I first began my quest. So, after installing the headers (not an easy job with a column AT), new high flow CAT, muffler, and 2.5 inch exhaust all the way back, I can say that the improvement was noticeable. Not stellar, but noticeable. I usually run the RV in third gear on the highway, and the hills in Kentucky last weekend (went to Kentucky from Michigan to see my sister-in-law graduate from Asbury Theological Seminary) were no problem. I held 60-64 the whole time (turned high RPMs at the expense of gasoline -12mpg-but I anticipated that...) with no problems up hills (same speed). This was also with my wife and son along and a light load of camping gear. I estimate 10-15 h.p. more. I'm planning on putting the cam in in the next few weeks (only need to take off the cover, not the whole head... but care needs to be taken so the cam doesn't slip... if it does, the head needs to come off...). I'll let you know how the cam improves the performance. I wanted to do them sequentially to best deterrmine what each "mod" does. But, I have to say that I've been impressed with that little 22RE. She can turn high RPMs all day with the 5 main bearings and tough "bottom-end". Also, in case anyone cares to know, the LC Engineering headers are the best I've ever seen. They are pricey ($600 for the headers and cam), but good. Have fun setting out this spring. I'll check back in after the cam is in... I'm hoping for 10 h.p. more... So far this is the best bang for the buck. I'm not willing to spend much more time or money. If I want more power I'll get a diesel pusher! DWBMD