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Bob C

Toyota Advanced Member
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Everything posted by Bob C

  1. When I installed my air suspension, I used a frame jack with jack stands to get room between the axle and air bag mounts. After the suspension was installed, I keep 70 to 90 psi in the springs and don't worry about it. Installing the system was one of the best things I did to the RV. It greatly improved the handling and comfort of the vehicle.
  2. I personally will not camp in a camper or even go fishing in a ice fishing shack without a CO detector. Every year, at least a couple of people die here in Wisconsin due to improperly operating or operated propane equipment. Deer hunters also die in their hunting blinds due to improper venting of heaters. That would include an lp refrigerator, water heater, or furnace. If it burns lp, it can kill you if not vented properly. Our detector went off one time, it turned out to be a low battery in the detector. It reminded me to replace the battery in the rv twice a year.
  3. I am the person that Linda was referring to in her post. In June I crossed the continental divide 8 times on my vacation including the west side of the Big Horn Mtns from the west. The engine got warm but did not overheat on any of our climbs. We did stop and let it cool off a couple of times. We have an '88 Escaper with 22Re engine and overdrive. The first thing I did when I bought it was to install a SunPro tach, it took about 1 hour. i manually shifted the RV on almost every hill I drove on. The sure way to kill these engines is to lug the engine. it will spin along at 4000 rpm's all day without getting hot. We actually got the better mileage driving in first and second gear at a slow speed than we did at 55 mph in third gear.
  4. I found this site while I was looking for a Toyhouse. We had always used a tent or popup camper until my wife had a stroke. She needed a bathroom close by so I thought a small RV would work good for us. Due to the information that I got from this site, I avoided some total money trap junk heaps that I may have bought without more knowledge. The RV I bought had a few issues that I was able to repair myself with help form the forum. I keep coming back because I can occassionally offer my experience with the Toyhouse.
  5. Here in Wisconsin, it is illegal to bury large livestock on your own property. That being said, I saw our neighbor dig fishing worms with an end loader and a dead hog happened to fall into the hole to attract more worms. We don't tell the authorities about his unusual fishing worm habits.
  6. I own a 1987 Escaper with 22Re engine. I just got back from a 4 week trip from Wisconsin through Rocky Mountain NP (Over Trail Ridge Road at 12,138 ft) We crossed the Rockies several times. We also crossed Independence Pass (12,095 ft), Tioga Pass (9943 ft), Logan Pass (6646 ft), Beartooth Highway (10,977 ft.) and went up the west side of the Bighorn Mountains on Highway 14a (9,143 ft) The only one that we had any problem with was Highway 14a because it was 95 degrees and the poor Toy truck got a little warm and had to rest on the way up . That road is in excess of 10% grade. We had no problem getting up any road as far as power. Like 86rader said, just shift down and let the engine rev. I was frequently in 1st gear turning 4000 rpm and the truck didn't have any problems except that one time on 14a.
  7. I have a 6 ton hydraulic jack that I carry. It lifts the RV without a problem. I plan on using my leveling blocks under the non-flat tire to give me enough clearance to get the bottle jack under the axle. So far, I have not had any tire problems (keeping my fingers crossed that it continues.) I tried the original Toyota jack made for a pickup truck. It was a screw jack in brand new condition. It took too much effort so I got the 6 ton out of the garage and now carry that.
  8. For sale-1980 Sunrader xpgqz-5645809603@sale.craigslist.org This is not mine and I have nothing to do with it. Just posting in case anyone would be interested. For parts it would be worth it. The listing is in the Madison WI craigslist in case my link does not work Bob
  9. Most of the side doors on almost every RV uses the same type of latch. You can pick them up at Camping World. I bought 4 from them and had my local locksmith rekey them. Many of the older RV's, pickup trucks, and even some garage doors used the same key.
  10. I hope that you have as good of luck as I have had with my Escaper. I have a 1988. We bought it with 30,000 miles on it about 4 years ago and it was stored indoors before I bought it from the second owner. It now has 46,000 miles and will be getting another 7500 miles in the next month. Good luck and show us pictures of what you found.
  11. All US citizens need a passport to cross the border, including children. You also need the registration papers for your vehicle, a card from your insurance company that verifies that your vehicle insurance is valid in Canada, and a document that gives you permission to transport your grandchildren into Canada. From the Canadian Border Services Agency’s website; cbsa.gc.ca/publications/…P004 Bringing children into Canada Border services officers are on alert for children who need protection. Children under the age of 18 are classified as minors and are subject to the same entry requirements as any other visitor to Canada. We will conduct a more detailed examination of minors entering Canada without proper identification or those travelling in the company of adults other than their parents or legal guardian(s). This additional scrutiny helps ensure the safety of the children. Minors travelling alone must have proof of citizenship and a letter from both parents detailing the length of stay, providing the parents’ telephone number and authorizing the person waiting for them to take care of them while they are in Canada. If you are travelling with minors, you must carry proper identification for each child such as a birth certificate, passport, citizenship card, permanent resident card or Certificate of Indian Status. I had read about the Canadian auto insurance card and checked on it with my American Family Insurance agent and was told that it is required but most of the times they don't ask to see it. BUT THEY CAN.
  12. I converted my cab air to r134a 2 years ago. It still puts out extremely cold air.
  13. I have heard that if orange and green antifreeze get mixed together, they can clog the cooling system. Do you know what antifreeze was drained out and what was put back in?
  14. I have not had a problem with the starter battery discharging while sitting, but if I did, I would do as Derek suggests. You could make a jumper out of a piece of wire and two open ended crimp on connectors. Just loosen the nuts on the isolator for the wires that go to the batteries and slip the open ended connectors onto the post and retighten the nuts. I don't think I would use alligator clips because one end may slip off and short out. Just make sure that when you are using the RV, you remove the jumper so that you don't wake up and find that you coach has killed you starter battery.
  15. I tow my ATV behind my '88 Escaper. I use a light weight trailer to haul the ATV and keep my load as light as possible. I have seen some people tow some pretty heavy boats and such but I would not do it. Most of the manufacturers say that the RV's have NO towing capacity.
  16. I don't understand why some people get so upset about the little things in life. I always thought that if you started with a truck or van and you chopped off part of the bodywork to make room for the camper portion, you end up with a class C. The ad for the Xplorer looks likes many class C's from the 60's that were built on pickups. A guy down the road from me has a 1964 Chevy class C. I love were the ad says that the Xplorer isn't bound by tradition, it looks just like a modern version of his Chevy. I do like the diesel option, but that isn't something that hasn't been done before. Not many of the Scamp RV's were built. I saw one at a Scamp Camp that I participated in 10 years ago. Some were also built on small Dodge trucks.
  17. On June 1, my wife and I are headed west for a month long trip west from the Rockies to the Pacific. We will be going west across Trial Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain NP, east to Colorado Springs for a train trip up Pikes Peak, over Independence Pass, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Redwoods NP, Crater Lake NP, Mount Saint Helen, Mount Rainier, Olympic NP, North Cascades NP, into Canada for Jasper NP, Banff NP, back into the US for Glacier NP (crossing Going to the Sun Road east to west), Yellowstone NP exiting to the north east on the Beartooth Highway and going back home to Wisconsin. We will be crossing the Rockies a total of 6 times. This will bump my list of states that I have camped in up to 48. I have not been to Alaska or Hawaii I have also camped in 8 provinces of Canada. I have missed the northern 5 provinces. The RV has been totally serviced and I hope that we finish the trip without incident.
  18. First, read your owners manual. I believe that it will tell you to use good, clean, 87 octane gasoline. Next, use good, clean, 87 octane gasoline. Using higher octane will not give you more power. The only time you would need higher octane is if you boost the compression either by adding a turbo or getting the head milled. I add Sea Foam to my tank when I put the RV into storage.
  19. When broadcasts mostly went digital (HD) I actually had a salesman stop at my house to sell me a digital (high definition ) antenna. He informed me that my old antenna would not work with the new signal. I informed him that he could leave immediately or get eaten by the dog. I called the sheriff's office and they picked him up at my neighbors house half an hour later. I have a 27' antenna on top of a 50' tower because I live in a "fringe area" When all of the Madison, WI stations finished adding channels to their broadcast, I ended up getting 17 stations on my old antenna with a new TV. By the way, there are some low power tv stations still broadcasting analog signals.
  20. I have a 2000 pound pull Warn on my ATV. I does great on there but the ATV and I combined only weigh 600 pound. For use with you RV, I would suggest a snatch block, & a good recovery strap to wrap around a tree or to extend you reach. The block gives you double the pulling power. My nephew bought a Harbor Freight winch with a wireless remote. The remote lasted about 2 uses and died. He could not get a replacement remote.
  21. Some things I will go cheap on, suspension and engine parts are not on that list. I wait for the real Toyota parts for the critical stuff.
  22. I carry about the same as RVdaytrader. I add a 12 volt air compressor, a cordless drill, tape measure, electrical tape, duct tape. I also carry my Good Sam Roadside Assistance card in case I need a tow.
  23. I have a oem system on my 1987 c&c. I think that we have the same base vehicle, didn't they make changes in 1985? Can't take pictures right now but I will try to get some tomorrow. You have the same problem that I have in WI in that all of these old trucks have been scrapped out but the salvage yards. Maybe you can get parts from a mail order salvage yard.
  24. My 1988 Escaper (1987 chassis) is just about broken in with 46,000 miles on it. Bought it 4 years ago with on 30,000 miles. I get 13 to 14.5 mpg travelling at 55 mph. No oil loss between changes.
  25. The fan may run when charging the laptop because the computer charger requires more power than the phone. My inverter fan runs when I start drawing major power with power tools but rarely runs when charging a couple of phones or battery packs. It runs when the inverter starts to warm up.
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