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The what did you do to your toyhome today thread


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Ran wiring from florescent light in middle of cabin to roof vent close to it for install of Maxx Air 7500K. Turned out to be a lot more work than I thought. :) But that was much easier than driving 10 hours to get to a restorer for the RV. Rented a car and got home in 5 hours, faster speed and no stops. Will pick her up in 4 or 5 weeks and finally be done. Meantime I will be either modifying the birdcage or getting one made of aluminum, that thing weighs a ton!!

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Hi
fitted tyre valve extension for checking tyre pressures. bought two 4" long ones for inner rear wheels and two 45 degree ones for outer rear wheels. makes life easier for checking and adding extra air if necessary. all of them made from brass hopefully no corrosion issues. bought on ebay total cost £10 plus p&p

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Hi stamar

thanks for tip on back axle oil. my auto gearbox oil is looking tired so hoping a passive oil change might give a 1mpg improvement. have managed to improve mpg from 13 to 16. My toy had been laid up for 12 months before i bought it. replaced anti freeze thermostat and done full engine service. My goal is to get 20 mpg out of toy. May not be achievable but a goal to aim for. next spring hoping to remove air con unit off roof as in uk never seem to have weather to justify use. understand it weighs approx 45kg so this should help in weight reduction improved handling and less drag. any more tips gratefully received

thanks

dave

i have heard that after the differential the auto transmission gives the 2nd most mpg improvement with full sythetics.

but 1 mpg is probably too optimistic.

also dexron 6 is semit sythetic anyway even the real gm stuff.

anyhow i dont doubt it improves mpg but its not a dollar returned quickly.

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Found out tonite the RV has been fully painted and 3 coats of clearcoat. All roof and most inside work done, Onan repaired, rust, undercoating, rest of list are up next. Get it back in 1-2 weeks.

john

PS was told the Onan doesn't draw gas properly with tank slightly below 1/4 full. Woulda hoped they made the tank pick-up tube a bit shorter than that. Something to keep in mind and maybe gonna keep that 5 Gal metal gas can I've been carrying in the shower close to full.

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Hi

replaced radiator cap after i found one that fitted (Toyota Supra). Set timing on engine as miles out. When engine got warm found water leak on bottom hose. great job at -4c and 30mph wind. fuel consumption will be below average because of setting timing and burping cooling system. will keep you posted

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi

not sure this is post is in correct part of forum. had to drive home from work last night and road was covered in ice and had snow and hail falling. toy behaved alot better than expected. no sliding or brake lock up. only prob to over come is getting interior warm. hot air is pouring out of air vents. thinking of using curtain to seperate cab from motorhome bit as motorhome bit is a huge space to heat from cab heater.

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I made a curtain for my toy. Used it in the summer to help the cab AC work properly, also in the winter just for the reason you spoke of.

It also works at night to help keep the house warmer. When parked there is a big heat loss through the cab.

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I made a curtain for my toy. Used it in the summer to help the cab AC work properly, also in the winter just for the reason you spoke of.

It also works at night to help keep the house warmer. When parked there is a big heat loss through the cab.

Mine had a 'privacy' curtain when I got it. The problem was that I could not see directly behind and out the back window when driving. So I added a heavy, clear, vinyl curtain that is flexible enough that I can flip it up onto the top bunk when I don't need it. It works great for cooling the cab in the summer and heating it in the winter. I still have the 'privacy' curtain for use when parked.

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Got the TOY back from down south and it looks new, really. Had one of my neighbors walking his dog and he said, " so you finally broke down and got a new RV" had to show him the inside with the birdcage (also improved).

The Maxx Air works great and everything on the roof is new. They fabricated new corners from the vinyl rear side skirts to the rear bumper cover out of fiberglass. They repaired the broken fiberglass areas so well I couldn't even tell where the repairs are. All the tape is gone and it's painted almost the same color as the Toyota cab. Looks GREAT :)

They had to paint the vinyl and did it in almost the old color as before. One thing is the skirts are actually 3 parts, the center part being the rear wheel skirts, so where the parts meet they flex even when just driving and the paint don't like that. I will have to caulk over that and I am not good at that. Some other issues most of which I've already fixed.

The Onan repair didn't happen so that will have to be done here.

He also replaced the front and rear top marker lites with LED's, there are 2 LEDs inside each cover both really bright. The bad wood panel outside of the refrigerator also replaced.

Thank goodness for having Les Schwab replace all the suspension and steering bushings, shocks, dampener, etc. I had terrible wind conditions on the last day of the drive home and it's a joy to drive in wind gusts, but a head wind just kills both performance and mileage. After the first 52 miles on Friday I stopped for coffee and gas, 6.8 gallons and the best I could do without flogging it was 48-50 MPH !!

Doesn't leak at all anywhere, as I got in a rain storm Thursday in the mountains as heavy as I have ever seen outside of Monsoon's in the Philippines. The wipers couldn't begin to keep up at full speed, like driving in a firehose.

There is always something but for now I'm gonna just enjoy it and change the oil and trans fluid after our day trip tomorrow.

john

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nice hit up walmart for some dexron 6

smoke is back

i believe what i have is almost certainly worn rings but it can also be valve lifters.

the reason it should be valve lifter seals is the leak is coming while sitting.

the reason it should be worn rings is that thicker oil seems to stop it.

I should do a compression test.

i have some hd 30wt oil and some bahrdahl no smoke ready for my next oil change to try a more serious attempt at snake oiling it.

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Hi

yet again moved to toy to a safer place from weather conditions. 90mph winds with hail. all ferry crossings cancelled. drive to safer place 1/4 mile away was interesting. walk back even worse wind was pushing me across road. could not stand in it.

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Hi

during lull in weather. think eye of storm moved our 6 berth caravan 3-4 foot sideways. friend with a land rover helped me. now i can leave toy parked up a home protected on 3 sides from wind. so hopefully now i wont need to park her in to wind or drive down the road to find a sheltered spot. big benefit is now i can work on her using direct wired tools from garage. No extentension leads to worry about. power point in garage has 2 trip switches on the one power point. nothing like extra safety with electricity.

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I replaced both belts.

I work on the toyhome so irregularly ive made a new goal... To have all maintenance done by 100k miles. So ive got most of the rubber done now . The alternator belt broke and i just replaced the other one..

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Just reinstalled the roof after repairing the sag around the AC unit, also removing the luggage racks along the top each connection to the roof was at some point a leak. I don't ever want to do this project again. Added 3 new aluminum supports for the roof and AC unit. Hosed the roof down then set the sprinklers for an hour to try and get it to leak.... dry as a bone inside.

Now it is on to replacing inside panels ceiling I removed to do the work and up grade the 1980 vintage interior,

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I had my mechanic perform some much needed repairs. First, the oxygen sensor was not working and gave crazy readings to the computer hence running rich and lean at times. Got a new one. Second the thermostat was opening too soon and when it opened it was running a tad bit hot. Got a new one. The big one was new rear leaf spring bushings- they were shot, see the picture. Got new ones. Since I have read a few posts from some of you about how hard it is to R&R these bushings I thought I would relay what my mechanic told me. He said the bushings came out easily and the new ones went in with a rubber mallet. The bushings were $292.50 parts & labor with parts that had to be overnite shipped. I had already researched the bushings and found what I wanted from www.energysuspensionparts.com or google Energy Suspension. I e-mailed energy suspension with the question, is this part number- 8.2107G applicable for a Toyota motorhome with dual rear wheels? Response was, We don't have a separate listing for what you want. I could not see that toyota would have different sized bushings for these vehicles so I gave this info to my mechanic and he ordered the parts. My mistake, When the bushings came in the four front spring bushings were too large in od-outside diameter. He called ES and they did come up with a different Part number for our motorhomes. It was too late, mechanic cut down the OD on his lathe and put it together. Works great. I was having a lot of squeaking on the springs, and now none. ES sells two type of bushings. Red or black polyurethane. The black is graphite impregnated which I got. Part #8.2110 dual rear wheel rear spring kit is the one for our rigs according to ES. I would call ES to verify this number. Darrel

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Forgot to post the pictures.

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I think you will also find the handling much better and that it actually rides smoother because the springs arn't crashing around.

Were the wrong size bushings for the front of the springs ?

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Yes, all of the bushings are the same diameter but the upper rear are longer. I think toy can see the difference in the picture.

Yes, all of the bushings are the same diameter but the upper rear are longer. I think you can see the difference in the picture.

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On my Toy the front bushings were smaller in dia than the rear ones. They all went in with a small hammer and some grease, easy to do. Jacking things up and supporting things properly took longer.

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Yah, now I wish I'd done the work myself and saved some money. My rig is 94 Warrior, 93 truck.

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Who's making this claim?

stamar. Well not only did I change the diff I also did the transfer case the front diff and the 6 spd with syn. net gain in mileage? Exactly -- zero.(2011 Tacoma).

Hi stamar

thanks for tip on back axle oil. my auto gearbox oil is looking tired so hoping a passive oil change might give a 1mpg improvement. have managed to improve mpg from 13 to 16. My toy had been laid up for 12 months before i bought it. replaced anti freeze thermostat and done full engine service. My goal is to get 20 mpg out of toy. May not be achievable but a goal to aim for. next spring hoping to remove air con unit off roof as in uk never seem to have weather to justify use. understand it weighs approx 45kg so this should help in weight reduction improved handling and less drag. any more tips gratefully received

thanks

dave

If you have a little one that's doable the 21' doubtful I'll assume you’re talking Imperial gallon? Wind drag is the enemy they are mobile bricks. Speed is the killer. Changing the oil in the diff and the trans is a good thing but do not expect any MPG gains the only thing that really helps is down hill.

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This week I installed a new small table top, did a retro on my interior lights using 48 Led for each light and I also bought a small 300w Bestek inverter.

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http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/518/motor-oils

its actually built into the api specifications that thinner oil must improve gas mileage by 2%

its advertised on the bottles, proven scientific. impossible to refute actually.

synthetic oil can be made with a larger viscosotiy aplication.

so over all a 70-140w full synthetic is definitely thinner than the 90w that came with your toyhome from the factory.

now as opposed to engine oil theres no such requirement for differential but thinner oil there improves overal even more.

how could you tell if your gas mileage stayed at 0? if the max were shooting for is 2% you would need some really scientific data to even refute that.

unless you have some sort of data that could even prove that it didnt improve your gas mileage id just assume youre full of it.

type " does synthetic oil improve gas mileage" into google and the first 50 entries all are articles or experiments that say YES IT DOES.

Its hard to even be so out of date to waste someones time claiming otherwise. There is nothing that says it doesnt actually.

if you use synthetic of the exact same grade, the gas mileage increase happens as the oil wears. after 1000 miles conventional is more shot from shearing and heat, synthetic is still thinner even though it started out exactly the same grade.

Its just a proven fact thinner oil takes less energy to pump. theres actually no purpose in listening to someone trying to tell you it doesnt they are ignorant.

at bobistheoilguy.com you can read literally thousands of owners writing down their mpg after just differential oil changes. just auto trans, etc.

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This week I installed a new small table top, did a retro on my interior lights using 48 Led for each light and I also bought a small 300w Bestek inverter.

i have i believe 36 smds they work great.

i actually have 2 different small inverters. one is a name brand in fact it advertises as being the worlds most effecient. I cant remember its brand but its yellow and metal made in canada

i also got a plastic chinese one 200w for 12.00 on ebay i like a lot for the price.

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Maineah

agree to point about what you say. as my dolphin had been laid for almost 12months an oil change on engine autobox and diff would be wise. why not use supiror oils that didnt exist 24 years ago. all the oil changes have been with a shear stable oil as dolphin puts high load on all drive chain compents. debaitable point is how much extra modern sync oil have help over dino oil. engine and transmission feel lot smoother and less kick down on auto box. i would think alot of the service items that have been done would contibute to mpg gains. any further increases would be much harder work. there in lies the challenge.

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you know its weird in this same area, prolong which is a mostly worthless engine additive won a lawsuit with the ftc. They had to remove all of their advertising that claimed it increased engine life, because it doesnt, but it did decrease friction and increase mpg and horsepower.

its a fact, believe it or not gumming up engine passages increases mpg. believe it or not anything that decreases oil capacity increases gas mileage at least in a small way. so gumming up the filter with teflon will do it.

try to follow this at least. my auto trans shifts more crisply because the fluid is now all clean. Its not 1 mpg it might not even be .1 mpg but that gear shift and clutch grab difference with clean vs dirty oil is something.

and over the lifetime i have the car i might be lazy and never change the fluid again, the fact that the fluid is more durable to heat and shearing means its going to be cleaner longer. less metal flaking off.

Its good regardless, it is not going to save a lot of mpg but it will make a difference.

the differential turns a lot every turn through gooped up oil takes more energy. when i changed mine there was a lot of petroleum jelly like stuff in there and it was black. It might not be 1 mpg but it is something. It 100% improves gas mileage to decrease frictiion and viscosity of the differential. How much not a lot usually. It cant be 0

not only is there less resistance, but if i never change it again which is pretty likely it will be cleaner longer because its full synthetic.

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http://www.quakerstate.com/#/motor-oil/ultimate-durability

according to quaker state/penzoil their full synthetic 10/30 saves 5c per gallon...

which is between 1.4%

ok on a toyota motorhome that gets 15 mpg that is

.21 mpg in the event that auto trans and differential were .21 that would be .63 mpg

I give you my 100% guarantee that your toyota motorhome will not be any different. I dont think youd notice that change but i guarantee it would, its just a machine it reacts the same to oil as all other cars.

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according to quaker state...

"Savings based on avg FE improvement of 1.4%..."

So a MH getting 15mpg might make the 'leap' to 15.21mpg. Maybe. Under ideal conditions. In a car? In a MH, where the aerodynamic drag is huge compared to a car, you might see the same improvement by slowing from 55mph to 54mph. Such a change is so small it'll be hard to measure and be able to be certain that it's due to a different oil and not a slight change in driving habits or head winds or road grade, etc, etc! Or maybe it's due to installing LEDs in your running lights! :)

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Maineah

agree to point about what you say. as my dolphin had been laid for almost 12months an oil change on engine autobox and diff would be wise. why not use superior oils that didnt exist 24 years ago. all the oil changes have been with a shear stable oil as dolphin puts high load on all drive chain components. debatable point is how much extra modern sync oil have help over dino oil. engine and transmission feel lot smoother and less kick down on auto box. i would think alot of the service items that have been done would contribute to mpg gains. any further increases would be much harder work. there in lies the challenge.

Exactly. Modern oils are light years better that they were years ago but I wouldn't take much credence in the huge gains the manufactures try to sell. The bottom unless you intend to race your MH chances are you'll never see the benefits of syn. oil. I have a 2011 Tacoma with the 4L V6 it is a very complex engine 4 cams 24 valves variable valve timing and Toyota recommends every day dino oil. In the case of the Toy home trans.and any thing else that tows or hauls great weights ( like a Toyota motor home) can benefit from a syn. automatic trans fluid only because it does stand up to heat better. As far as shifting smother,faster, better it is the eyes of the beholder. Fuel mileage starts with the right foot.
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getting ready to upgrade coach elec system. Have charge controller, 1000W Xantrex inverter standing by. Now waiting for an amp meter and a volt meter to be delivered,,and saving pennies for one more 80AH AGM battery to add to bank before getting hands dirty.

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