Bikemike

Ok, thanks Linda.

Is this the best source for a master cylinder? 87 Escaper 22re.

Any clues on what could be the cause of a leak that shows up sometimes when it rains and not other times when it rains? Front left corner of the bed area gets a little damp. Visible drips of clear water on the front wall just to the right of this. Camper has been stationary with a slight slant to the left. The drips are right under an amber marker light that I’ve thoroughly sealed in times past. But, I have ordered some new ones because it seams like these (original) lights are the most likely suspects. I have tried taping off various areas on the front and then securing a garden hose to spray the area, removing the tape; spot by spot every 1/2 hour. Not exactly conclusive, but I did see the drips show up again after I unmasked the amber light. I just don’t understand the intermittent nature of the leak. Or, how the light is leaking for that matter with butyl tape, dicor and I even sealed the rubber electrical connection boot.

My previous rig was a bicycle! Now, racing up a steep grade at 15 mph in 1st gear, with all kinds of luxury gear is like a dream!

We just drove our escaper across the country; moving from western North Carolina to the green side of Oregon. I just flew back out east to pick up our Subaru. Here I am, easily cruising up I 80 at 75 mph near north platte, Nebraska...and I get passed by a dolphin! We rarely get ours over 60. It didn’t even look like a v6!

Got it!

I have been blowing an inordinate amount of 10 amp fuses under the dash the last two days. It happens when I make a sharp right turn and it takes out the gauges and the alternator among other things. I haven’t noticed it happen when I turn left yet, but it happens almost every time I turn right! This may be unrelated, but the horn hasn’t been working while the steering wheel is in certain positions. It works fine to go down the highway but around town the battery is discharging and I’m making hand signals.

Yes, I was looking into rebuilding them but I had my doubts as to the quality of the replacement that a previous owner had used.

I did get the one that Linda suggested and it worked. Although the bolt that goes through the eyelet was not tapered like the original. If I remember correctly.

Thanks, the price went up a little bit but the denso alternator I got from rock auto works really well.

You can get those hoses from 22reperformance.com or from the dealership.

I like these silicone wipers. The parts stores apparently don’t like to sell them because they last for so long. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002Z9QXA?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title

Where can I get a good quality remanufactured denso alternator? 86 truck 22re.

I have an 87 escaper. It made all kinds of noises at first. We’ve put 30,000 miles on it and dumped a bunch of money into it! Worth every penny! We just took it up to 12,000ft in rocky mnt national park.

Welcome to the forum Rachel. Water damage is a big issue with these often neglected rigs. One thing to consider is that, once there is a breach in the exterior, it’s a lot easier for water to get in to the walls and ceiling than it is for it to evaporate out. Wood and foam soak up the moisture like a sponge and both the outside walls and the inside vapor barriers hinder the escape of water vapor. Soooo...there is the extensive tear down, locate rotten and water logged materials, replace and reinforce with better quality materials method. A big job. Or, a short term fix is to clean up the out side really good, remove any silicone or other faulty patching from the roof, etc. caulk around vents, marker lights,etc. anywhere a hole has been made in the roof. and coat the roof with a white, elastomeric paint. But, sooner or later, that moisture trapped in the walls will be a problem.

I have an 87 escaper and have successfully rehabbed both the black and grey water tanks. They are thirty years old and getting brittle. You can buy some new tanks...or do this labor intensive but rewarding process: -empty and flush tanks -disengage all the plumbing that is going into the floor. I had to cut through a pipe that wouldn’t come apart any other way and then I put it back together with a rubber (1 1/4”?) flange that comes with two hose clamps. So if you cut, do it on a straight piece that can be repaired. -try as you may to unscrew the sensor wires from the tank or clip the wires. -unhook any outside sewer pipes that you need to or cut through them if you need to. -Chip away at the foam all around the edge that is up against the underside of the house and you should see some screws going through a flange on the tank up into the floor. That and the metal straps is all that holds mine up on the air! -drop the tank and if it’s like mine it will have several feet of cracks, but don’t worry! One of my cracks went from one of the flanges on top, over the corner and almost all the way down to the bottom. It’s bounced around for about ten thousand miles since the repair. I took the tank out again for some reason recently and everything looks fine. One benefit is that the repaired area seemed more supple than the gassed off old, unrepaired plastic. A likely place for cracks is around any plumbing going into or coming out of the tank. -clean the surface to be patched really well. Acetone will melt abs plastic, but a little bit won’t hurt. On the black water tank, you can reach in through the toilet flange, clean and apply abs glue to the underside of the crack. Sound fun? -with fiber glass house screen and abs glue you can make a good patch over the cracks. Even the ones that are spidering out from the flanges. Just make a hole in your screen to go around the flange. Go ahead and put a really big patch on. -put the abs glue on in layers and let it dry a bit before the next layer. I posted some pictures on this site at one point. After I did this I no longer had that dreadful smell on the house as I drive down the road. Driving creates pressure at the roof vent and can push fumes into your space. Also. Getting a different sewer roof vent can help. And, no more stinky leaks underneath when the tank is full.

I have a roof rack and two cargo boxes up there with a bumper/hitch mounted bike rack and I really like this set up. Light weight (ideally), bulky things upstairs and two bikes on the back. It still fits nicely in most parking spots and doesn’t seem to affect the mileage. The fridge will take a while to get cold and their efficiency is affected by ambient temperature and level. Running a 12v fan on the lower “intenstines” of the cooling system will help in hot weather. We ruined our 30 year old dometic two way by regularly running it while the camper was not level. Expensive mistake. Just had a new three way dropped off in the driveway from pplmotorhomes.com. Nice rig!

Plastic, yes. On a 1.5”x1.5” frame. A little heavier than I wanted but so worth it to have it perfectly flat.

New and improved condensation control, leveler, baby cage and easier pass through:

I’m getting the hesitant start again after about 3000 miles. Today, it just wouldn’t start at all until I put it in neutral and gave it a little push. Then it started right up. I ordered a new solenoid plunger and contacts. I should check all the grounds. Any other thoughts?

We are looking into buying a three-way fridge, what are some reputable companies? I saw that Linda s recommended pplmotorhomes.com. Where else can we look? Rvpartscountry.com seemed to have some pretty bad reviews... we are looking at a domtetic Rm2354. Thanks

Thanks for this link! Very comfy foam and a great price.

Yes, the 5 lug/6 lug topic is a big deal. One of the first things that you want to know about is whether it has the 6 lug (safe) axle or the 5 lug (death) axle. There is much discussion on this site about it. For example: http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?/topic/6-toyota-motorhome-axle-facts/

Yes, I was in question of the bumper’s ability to bear the weight of two bikes over the bumps of the road. So I secured the hitch mounted bike rack to the spare tire also. It’s a quick connect/disconnect that dampens the bouncing of the bike rack and distributes the force between the spare and the bumper.