Cynxing

I am crossing America, visiting one mechanic's shop after another. I really recommend Any Radiator in Lake Havasu, AZ for, well, any radiator issues you might be having. Ask for Mike, the owner. A nice lakeside campsite is a short walk away if you have to wait on any parts to come in (as I did). So now I'm in Buckeye, AZ, recently escaped from Quartzsite. That was fun, but a week is enough for me. I still have intermittent shuddering, and have still not plugged the TPS back in. Otherwise it's running strong and smooth. I am hoping I will be able to pinpoint specific repeatable issues as I drive very short day hops ( 2 hours max). Does anyone know of a good mechanic in the general Phoenix area who knows this TPS on the 1987 22RE pickup issue thing cold? And will actually talk to me about it? Paying for someone's "guesses" makes me think I could do as well by continuing to read and tinker with it myself. If I were made of money, ah, that would be another story. Thoughts?

PS - while I share your general avoidance response to crowds etc. that you mentioned in previous posts, I have to say that this has been amusing so far. And amazingly quiet. Especially at night. Pin drop quiet. I have been able to keep to myself as much as I want and be entertained the rest of the time by the variety of eccentric vehicles and their drivers here. Some quite ingenious. The broad spectrum of ages, genders, socio-economic, countries, yadda yadda differences appear to be represented well. It seems to be an exercise in tribal affiliation. And that starts with "whaddya drivin'?" Not likely to do it again, but I'm glad I came this time.

Thanks Linda, not sure what my situation is. If I don't score a workcamper job in NM or AZ before then, I expect I'll be here.

Is anyone at Quartzsite AZ this year? I have only seen one other Dolphin... I'm boondocking at the RTR site

I did read about the AF mix adjuster. I decided not to mess with it. I had all day to stare at the taken apart engine while the radiator got spa treatment. And then, just before making my escape, the heater control leaked during the pressure test. Can't get another one in until Wednesday, so it looks like two nights in lovely Lake Havasu.

While the radiator guy has the air hoses off I poked the reverse side of the AFM and the spring appears to be appropriately weak but working. What I wonder is should it close completely when done? See in the pick there's a gap in the side...? This view is looking in from the hose side. I didn't want to rattle the radiator guy buy removing other parts while he was working.

Update: I made it to Lake Havasu AZ and am contemplating Quartzsite. But at the moment I am getting my radiator rodded. One thing at a time and I was needing to be wary of the overheating issue. The TPS is still disconnected. The radiator guy said, uh, is there a reason this is disconnected? Yup. That and the 99.9% chance of sludge in the gas tank (hard to find someone who wants to clean the tank) are my to do list while I creep East.

Darn it. I'm a stone's throw from Madera right now...

Santa Paula, CA How about regular pick and pull places? Like http://www.pickthepart.com

Hi Ben, I am in Oxnard too with my 22RE 21' Dolphin. I will be doing a fuel tank flush probably next week and have found a great mechanic to work with. Text or call if you like for more info, maybe he can schedule you in. 323 513 4144

Update: After spending three nights in the RV inside the shop, I was getting jumpy. I bolted for my rendezvous at a campsite in the Sierras with a friend. I left the TPS unplugged for the 6 hour drive. Except for the threat of overheating at 4144 ft ( radiator is next on the list), Dolphin did ok. Note this is a temporary solution. It is still fluttery at idle. Hiccups. I have been scouring this resource: http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/TPS/index.shtml for what looks like a common 22RE problem. I have been also reading whatever I find to mechanic J, who may, or may not act on the info. I am keen to practice pulling the computer codes and explore the AFM. There's a teeny print chart in one of the books that claims to be the code translation. When I return to Oxnard Jan. 6th or so we will continue with the TPS, gas tank cleaning (suspected sludge), and radiator. While keeping one eye out for bears, I'm chasing down the loss of brake lights. Bulbs already changed, wires inspected. Thank you for watching my posts and for your help.

No check engine light Yes I have the codes and How to keep your toyota pickup alive tells how to trigger them Not sure what the flipper vane is

TPS turns and springs back ok and the meter is not showing an issue

Yeah yeah yeah. We are now assuming we have a clogged TPS. Here is the pic of the put together engine. J is pointing at a thingy we don't know what it does. Begging to be turned. Not the idle adjuster.

Ok, now there is a new fuel filter and 4 new injectors installed. The engine started right up (after the fuel reached the essential spots) and idled smooth. But when the engine warmed up the accelerator went to the floor but the speed did not change. The accelerator linkage does move correctly so I don't think that's it. What else should we check?

Will check fuel pressure (real number) tomorrow. Went ahead and pulled out the injectors. Three were clogged. 8:30 tomorrow the new ones arrive along with the new fuel filter. I would be scolding myself for not having done this sooner, but in the 2 months of owning this thing I have not had the money to do everything.

Bob C where did you get your LED set up? Bargman?

Re: #3 mystery, already did the grease dabs. That was sort of a screeching scream noise. No plastic caps for a long while methinks. This new noise is the exhalation of short Toy Fart. Not a backfire, that's explosive. This is a more comical and yet disturbing noise.

The new plugs did zippo, as predicted. We listened with a stethascope and all four injectors are clicking.

That's great! Except it tells me I can get there in one day and 19 hours. Takin' the road less traveled...

"Doh!" a la Homer Simpson. Mystery One: The DAY that my sailboat and home of ten years is sold, and I am free to hit the road... My 87 Dolphin decides to quit use of 2 cylinders. But hooray for Progressive Towing and for my trusty Oxnard mechanic. Upon cursory end of afternoon inspection yesterday - so far we've got: good compression, good spark all the way back to rotor, running rich and spark plugs moist with fuel, no detectable vacuum leaks, and... nada. Behavior at present: Hard starts, violent shuddering low idle, cranky noise upon start coming from under hood right side, stall out in reverse, rough run over all. Today, Friday 22nd, we are starting with fresh gasoline, new spark plugs, and looking for more clues. Any recognition of these signs from anyone? Mystery Two: Differential leak into the right rear tires - intermittent - sometimes a lot (when we replaced the air bags back there and disturbed it) and sometimes a drip or not at all. The pressure button does not appear to be plugged or impeded at all. I suspect that replacing the brake on that side might be in order, but how best to find the leak? Mystery Three: When leaning heavily on one side in a turn (even slowly) there's a popping or air release noise that doesn't sound good. Mostly I've heard it from the front, distinctly left or right, not in center. Reminds me of when you pop a shipping air bag pocket. Thanks for any thoughts on this...

I'm dreaming of a slow creep across the country. Really slow. I don't want to reach the snow belt till spring. I only want to spend 4 hours a day driving on any given day, and not every day. I want to stay in FHU type places with intervals of dry camping, not too remote. And mostly, I want to be able to drive 45 - 60 mph without some Corolla goosing my bumper, and travel the flattest route even if it is not the most direct. Avoid cities. Eschew dirt roads. Somewhere in the middle there are some polite transits for wide-bodied vehicles. In this case, a modest little 87 Dolphin. But where are they? I have driven across these United States a dozen times, all solo, sometimes well-planned, sometimes "go west young woman." I know how to plan a trip. But avoiding steep mountain passes has never been a goal before. What do you know, fellow RV denizens, about the low roads in Winter? Starting in Oxnard CA and ending in Brattleboro VT. One small dog as passenger. Short term Workamper or RV camp jobs (yes I'm registered on those sites) along the way welcome. Any suggestions for routes and destinations are welcome. And if this has already been covered in the archives, that's welcome too. Thanks!

Ok, I have something to offer here. I have lived on a 30' sailboat for 10 years. It's for sale by the way. cynxing.com has pictures. But I digress. Living in ANY small space means you have to get air circulating. I recommend mounting solar fans. Two should be more than enough. You can put them in the hatch that opens and not go through the "hull" of the RV. Nicro fans are excellent. You can turn them on or off from inside, have the fan pull air in or out, and there are no messy wires to clutter and bundle. If there's no breeze to come into your hatch, the Nicro vent is a great way to do it. I HAD a composting toilet on the boat. True, no smell. BUT you have to do something with the product. What are you going to do with that "diverted" pee? You have to pour it somewhere. Overboard? I think not. Carry it into the restroom and pour it into the toilet? Messy and annoying. Then there's the so-called crumbly bits. Do you know how long it takes to compost poo into reasonable dirt? Longer than it takes for one person to fill a 5 gallon compost poo bucket. So you have to get a second poo bucket and let the first one "mature" somewhere. There is NO ROOM on a boat or an RV for a maturing 5 gallon poo bucket. As far as other comparisons: In an RV, particularly an older model, you are the slowest thing on the road. Like a sailboat. If you live more than vacation in the RV you are viewed with some serious suspicion by the dirt dwellers. Like a sailboat Liveaboard. You have to be really clear about who you are so you don't shlep too much un-needed junk along. Like on a sailboat. Lots of continuous maintenance and attention to the rig. Like a sailboat. So, lucky me. Now that I own a 30 year old RV and a 50 year old sailboat, I am doubly marginalized in a society (SoCal) that views anyone making less than 75K a year as wanting in all categories. Yes, check out West Marine. They have terrific products to solve your RV problems. A very informative How To website. And they are everywhere YOU want to be. Disclosure: WM did not pay me for this, but I have worked for them before. Cheers!

How do I find "magic of Zep?" I stood stupidly in front of the Home Depot floor cleaner section and saw several Zep products, none of which seemed quite the thing. Got a name for it? Even the Zep website is confusing. Thanks!

Schooled yesterday by a boat builder who is also an old RV enthusiast. He said you're supposed to see the fiberglass. He said the barkeep (oaxalic acid) and Zep is just the thing. Yippee! As I write this my flat shock absorbers are getting replaced. Yippee too! Still drives like a bouncy house.