256bit Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 So I just picked up my Sunrader and (a bit of a gamble, I know) drove it a thousand miles home. This is my first post and I'm glad to be inducted into the community of 'yota motorhome owners I've noticed 3 things: It has a pretty bad oil leak, it's losing a quart every 600 miles It has a speed wobble @ ~55-60mph, and when being passed by a semi it wobbles like crazy - that sounds like suspension to me The ebrake doesn't work, so I can't leave it running and have to turn it off in gear. The only thing that's really concerning me is the speed wobble. It seems like it's the suspension but I don't want to drop nearly a thousand dollars replacing it to have it be something in the axle. A friend's mechanic told me to go to an alignment shop and just tell them that I want the front axle aligned, he said that they wouldn't do the alignment and would instead have a list of parts that need to be replaced. Does that sound right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Wheel alignment, shocks, and when getting passed by a semi it's always going to be hard to handle. Hand on tight and slow slightly until they pass. Oil leak is probably front seal. Very common. Find out where it's coming from. Front or back of engine. I've seen on that just had a loose oil filter You need to get to know your rig. Inspect rear leaf springs, see if you have air suspension at all. If so see if they will hold air. Not good to drive them empty. Then come back and tell us what you see Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256bit Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) 11 minutes ago, linda s said: Wheel alignment, shocks, and when getting passed by a semi it's always going to be hard to handle. Hand on tight and slow slightly until they pass. Oil leak is probably front seal. Very common. Find out where it's coming from. Front or back of engine. I've seen on that just had a loose oil filter You need to get to know your rig. Inspect rear leaf springs, see if you have air suspension at all. If so see if they will hold air. Not good to drive them empty. Then come back and tell us what you see Linda S Thanks Linda! I will check it all first thing tomorrow. I've gotta go read more about suspensions and I'll update the OP/reply tomorrow. I am very excited to learn all about my rig Just a little intimidated by the complexity of everything. I looked at a diagram for the carb - I expected it to be closer to my mopeds carb which is about 8 parts. My eyes glazed over when I saw that it was closer to 200. It's a front end leak, right near the radiator. I tried looking yesterday but I'm a bit too big to fit under there. I'll jack it up tomorrow. Seems to only leak when running and drips a bit after stopping. I've lurked here for months and I've read a lot of your posts in various threads and they've been really helpful, so thank you Edited February 22, 2017 by 256bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 No worries. We have a member here who thought he wasn't a mechanic and now he's replacing his fuel injectors and doing leak down tests. You'll catch on quick. Get some engine cleaner and clean it all up there then check to see where the leak is. Can't see through layers of baked on oil. Probably front seal though but could be something simple like leaky valve cover gaskets. There's a little U shape in the front that likes to fail. Even I can replace those Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 I would check the leaf springs bushing on the rear end and of course the front end components - nothing out of the ordinary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256bit Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 (edited) On 2/21/2017 at 8:06 PM, linda s said: No worries. We have a member here who thought he wasn't a mechanic and now he's replacing his fuel injectors and doing leak down tests. You'll catch on quick. Get some engine cleaner and clean it all up there then check to see where the leak is. Can't see through layers of baked on oil. Probably front seal though but could be something simple like leaky valve cover gaskets. There's a little U shape in the front that likes to fail. Even I can replace those Linda S Heya, So I've done a lot of reading, research, watching videos etc since this was posted. I started with a compression test but had to stop because the aluminum threading in the block was completely stripped. I got this far: First cylinder: Dry 125, oiled 150 Second cylinder: Dry 135 What came out of there are some of the nastiest spark plugs I've ever seen: I have a leakdown tester but didn't get to use it. I'm going to try chasing the threads and if that doesn't work I'll helicoil them. I discovered that the previous owner was trying to desmog it but only got it halfway done. HAC unit vacuum tube ports on the carb were plugged with screws. I replaced the tubing and properly plugged them. I ordered a weber conversion kit and will be removing the entire emissions system because I doubt any of it is functional after what he did - it's all hooked up incorrectly, some of the tubes are disconnected, the EGR valve was hooked up to itself with a vacuum splitter. Basically complete carnage. The carb is dirtier than any carb I've ever seen. Under the throttle plates is a layer of filth and grime so thick that I can scrape off huge chunks of it with my fingernails. I turned 4 white rags jet black just cleaning in and around the throttle plates. It's still running like total crap. The valves have never been adjusted and are loose as hell, tomorrow I will be receiving a new valve cover gasket (fearing the worst with a 40 year old seal) and I'll adjust them. I've flushed the coolant and changed the oil. I have a new fuel filter but I found out the hard way that I have to drop the fuel tank to get to it. I changed the spark plugs & wires, but the distributor is either fucked up or funky, it has no vacuum connection. Oh, and it's missing head bolts. My current best guess is that a combination of running way too lean and the valves being extremely loose are causing autoignition, because when it's not hidden by the cold start idle, every few seconds, the entire rig will begin vibrating as the engine emits a deep, apocalyptic sounding rumble. I popped the hood to watch, and when it's misfiring or autoigniting it rocks back and forth like it's being hit by a wrecking ball. The electrical wiring is extremely ghetto. Some of it was done using a power strip cable. Check this out: Here's a video demonstrating how horribly it's running: Edited March 13, 2017 by 256bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 When I bought my Toy I had what might be called a speed wobble. A motorhome is a large box on wheels and the wind and passing large vehicles can push it around, This is made worse by the large box sitting on a short wheel base, the longer the wheel base the less it is felt. It is also made worse by suspension components that are well worn or completely worn out. I went through mine and replaced everything to do with the suspension and steering. I still get pushed around by the wind and passing large vehicles but it is no longer white knuckle driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256bit Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 (edited) 8 hours ago, jjrbus said: When I bought my Toy I had what might be called a speed wobble. A motorhome is a large box on wheels and the wind and passing large vehicles can push it around, This is made worse by the large box sitting on a short wheel base, the longer the wheel base the less it is felt. It is also made worse by suspension components that are well worn or completely worn out. I went through mine and replaced everything to do with the suspension and steering. I still get pushed around by the wind and passing large vehicles but it is no longer white knuckle driving. That's great to know, thank you very much. Suspension components are now on my to-do list, first I've just gotta get the engine running right. They are totally worn out, and should have been replaced a long time ago. I'm taking the rig up to NY to my buddy and we're going to hoist the engine out, put it on a stand, and send the head and block off for machining. Next on my list after that is suspension, then rust repair (I have a friend that does auto welding for a living), then interior renovation. Edited March 13, 2017 by 256bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 I should have said steering and suspension. I did the whole banana, upper and lower control arm bushings, spring bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints, steering stabilizer etc etc. I bought the prothane bushing kit. https://prothane.com/ Probably overkill but I did not want to have to pull it apart later to replace one piece that I missed. Wish I had your friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 You might want to inspect the bushings at both ends of you leaf springs too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
256bit Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) On 3/13/2017 at 5:18 PM, Derek up North said: You might want to inspect the bushings at both ends of you leaf springs too. They look good. I went with a weber conversion kit, it took me a week and a half to get it running right. When adjusting the mixture, I thought that 1 turn was 180 degrees, when it's actually 360. So I was running it SUPER lean. I was scratching my head going through tanks of propane looking for vacuum leaks where there weren't any. Just my own spectacular blend of incompetence. It runs better than ever now. I removed all of the emissions garbage & stock carb stuff and plugged it all off. EGR, VSV, VCV, HAC, charcoal canisters, PCV, all the vacuum switches, vacuum rails, etc, everything gone. The engine bay is 1,000,000% cleaner and roomier. I discovered something awesome, too. The previous owner dropped the $400 on the dual row timing chain conversion kit. The valves are all within factory spec, and I found one of the oil leaks - both camshaft seals! There's definitely more to find, but this was awesome for now. Edited March 28, 2017 by 256bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.