stayingretired

I can clean up my original tail lights if someone is interested. They will accept LED bulbs. Please message me if interested. I also have a variety of interior parts I am removing as I am insulating the interior also and the original blinds, lights, etc. will be removed.

Tried searching for information related to winter insulation for four season use. Got really frustrated by the search function. Tried the Boolean method following the suggestion in the search box and got every single post which used the word AND as a result. I think more people would search if we knew the secrets of the search engine. Alternatively, upgrade the search engine with more functionality such as a "must have" keywords field and a "without these" keywords field. I don't want every post using the word "insulation" for example, but if it has the words "insulation " and "winter" it narrows down the 1600+ results. A suggestion.

If you are going to drive as far as Panama, be advised that the roads between Mexico and Costa Rica are dicey at best. Lots of folks make it as far as Panama and rebuild their entire suspension. THe good news is that labor is relatively cheap and lots of people know how to work on old Toyotas. Parts would have to be all new, of course. Additionally, there are few emissions requirements (if any), so if you wanted an 'illegal' modification to your 'Yota, you could find someone to do it for you. If you have the fantasy of selling your ride once you make it to your destination, be sure that you export your vehicle from USA or Canada (wherever you are) with all of the Customs documents so you can import it to the country you want to sell it. Lots of people drive as far as Panama, are tired of traveling and try to just sign over title to the vehicle, which is a no-no.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone did the rear differential upgrade to 4.88 gears in the V6

Dead link.

I moved into the Yotabago as an emergency solution and discovered that the front window has developed a minor river at highway speeds, nevermind that it is June and I am clearing snow and ice from the windscreen. This will be a Rest Area when-nobody-is-looking fix. Will try to find butyl tape at Home Despot. Am open to community suggestions.

As the history of transmission service is unknown, it might be a good idea to take it to a reputable automatic transmission servicer (e.g. a specialty automatic transmission shop) and get a transmission flush. Like most of our sensors, they can get gummed up over time and, if it sat for 20+ years with the original transmission fluid (29K is very low to flush, not just replace, but flush) the transmission on a daily driver might need to be flushed and the sensor checked at a shop familiar with this sort of thing. Over time, all fluids change and, even though you changed the fluid, there's no guarantee that there isn't a glob of goo stuck to your temperature sensor. My experience has been that they will look it over while they are in there, since you are giving them money already.

There are 12V LED strips available on fleabay for under $3/each. My one replacement lens cost me upwards of $8. Unless you are doing high-end photography or have specific issues besides not tripping over stuff, you may wish to replace the lamps themselves and get one 'nice' full-spectrum incandescent 12V lamp for reading. Unless you want to spend money, in which case I will sell you all of mine at a really good price.

The OP indicated that they were aware of ventilation issues. Article on RVgeeks referenced need to vent battery area. AGM batteries vent hydrogen, not hydrogen sulfide (toxic to mammals).

There's no requirement to vent AGM batteries. The wet batteries need to be vented, but the AGM system is completely sealed, so there's nothing to vent and, likewise, no danger of it venting toxic gasses to the interior. You should put some thought into preventing your system from overcharging the batteries, which might cause a release of energy in the form of a small explosion (hence the need to vent the more volatile lead-acid 'wet' battery type.)

My 92 Warrior has an additional 2 batteries installed in the void under the bench seat (over the existing battery). I won't look at amperage until the sun returns and the rain goes away. Okay, I have three Trojan 27TMS 12V 87Ah Flooded Deep Cycle Marine batteries. I got them bone dry from the PO, so my guess is that they're still pretty sulfated. Getting the Battery Jesus to resurrect them is on my To-Do list. I don't run anything more than LED lights, the water pump from time to time and the stock ventilation fan, but it won't run the fan all night, so my guess is that they're on life support with the 2- 100W solar panels.

Converting to 4WD from 2WD involves adding a transfer case, totally replacing your suspension (okay, maybe only 99% needs replaced/upgraded; I'm guessing at some of this) and adding drive train components to the front end. Most 4x4 vehicles are built to higher specifications, so you will be replacing perfectly good parts with identical-looking parts that are tougher. If you are not passionate about auto mechanics, you will hate it. I have seen such ambitious projects wreck marriages. Maineah has the right idea. Budget in the upper thousands. If you are still considering it, there are lots of Toyota forums for gear-heads who do this kind of thing for fun. It would be easier to find a Tacoma 4x4 and transfer the camper box over to it, or custom build a camper from scratch. (I'd build it from scratch.)

I had the best luck on fleabay. While my measurements did not match perfectly, I was able to pop them in. The lens has no marking, but the lamp itself may. Try there perhaps? It looks similar to the listings for Progressive Dynamics lens here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Progressive-Dynamics-Replacement-Lens-for-Single-Interior-Dome-Light-for-RV/392068683484?epid=1522687819&hash=item5b491d56dc:g:kAgAAOSweW5VYjea ...which is too big at 5x5 inches. I found the make/model on the body of the lamp itself and searched for that one in particular.

The difference is that we, the consumers, are paying for this idiocy. Mr. Nissan would probably have been willing to reach a compromise directing car buyers to the Nissan Motors website before the ugliness began. I know most people don't read legal filings. In this instance, the lawyers seem to have been instructed to win at all costs and, when they lost, instructed to destroy Mr. Nissan's computer business out of pure spite. How many MBAs does it take to make a rich playground bully? The Chinese, on the other hand, have figured out that one does not compete directly. Instead, they tempt their competitors with deals 'too good to be true' and, once they have figured out their competitor, simply outperform them. In the 1980s, There was one Japanese pickup truck in Latin America. It went by various names- Toyota, Nissan, Datsun, Mazda, Mitsubishi, etc. The parts are interchangeable. The trucks are virtually indestructible. The Japanese don't do this anymore, but follow the American business model of 'engineered obsolescence', a term coined in the 1950s. They are designed to last a certain period of time (engine-hours, for example) and then break. Today, the Chinese appear to be following a similar strategy. A passenger bus made by Great Wall is indistinguishable from a passenger bus made by Mercedes. They even have the same engine. Even the seats are interchangeable. And the Germans, with all of their social taxes and expensive pensions cannot compete against the Chinese on price, since the Chinese have eliminated the "Iron Rice Bowl' social safety net which the West (including Japan) seems to be adopting. I'm not a banner-waving, protest-marching, sign-carrying activist shouting at the top of my lungs. I'm a quiet activist: I vote with my wallet. In business, that's how you hurt someone. You attack their bottom line. What you do is up to you. (For the record, I avoid most brand-name products because they're mostly marketing machines. Dish soap is dish soap. Most cereals are the same; you pay more for the brand name most of the time. Besides, high fructose corn syrup is toxic - why am I drinking parts cleaner mixed with rum again?) Coca-cola is great for cleaning rusted, corroded greasy engine parts. Works good on laundry, too. The generic brand is just as good, but cheaper.) We have lots of choices these days. I was chased into a parking lot in Rapid City, South Dakota by a woman who informed me that I was the only other Winnebago Warrior owner in a one hundred mile radius. She wanted to see if I had upgraded the interior. (I was in town to have the head gasket recall performed.) Nice lady, if a little unconventional. For the price, buying an older vehicle and restoring it is less costly than buying new. There are simpler systems, fewer sensors to go bad, more room for adding modifications to increase performance under the hood and so on. With advances in materials technology, a lot of the heavy plywood (or pressboard) could be replaced with carbon-fiber or engineered metals and plastics. Smaller, more efficient air conditioners can be installed. Curtains can be replaced with solar panels (or the windows eliminated altogether.) Flexsteel couches weigh a ton! We can replace the oven and microwave with a convection oven for less weight and less space! Why won't we change? If you really want more performance out of your Yotahome, pull the engine and blueprint it- that's replacing all of the parts so that it is built to the original engineering specification. Or, you can have the cylinders bored out and custom pistons installed. While you're at it, have the racing shop (because that is the only place where you can get this kind of custom building done) install a high-performance camshaft. There are small superchargers available if you are creative (and have the space under the hood that a 22R-series engine has, unlike the 6-cylinder versions.) The same can be done with your transmission/ drive train. (We can't go fast because the gearing is for top highway speed, which was about 55MPH back then.) Of course, it will all cost money, but so will a new one. A new Chinese motorhome will run about $42,000USD at current exchange rates (assuming a model described in the linked article above would be allowed into the US market). Let's pretend that you have $20K into your rig already. What could you do to it for an extra $20,000? A motorhome built on a Sprinter van chassis (Mercedes Diesel with automatic transmission) with over 200K miles was for sale last year for over $50K. You could buy the same used cargo van for about $10K-15K in US Dollars. Customize it all you want, but it will never be the same as a little Toyota motorhome; not even close. Let's face it - We're in the same category as the classic car enthusiasts. We are driving a relic from an earlier era, when Evil was Communist in nature and we were embarking on a voyage into a bright new future of peace and prosperity. Today, you can get faster and shiny-new, but you will be driving something more like a spacecraft than a motorhome, with all of the tire sensors, collision-avoidance radar and whatnot. Fuel economy still sucks, but we are traveling in time machines that remind us when life seemed simpler, safer and saner.

The marker lights I got from Amazoom work fine, but will not mount flush unless I want to move the mounting holes (which I did not want to do) so be prepared for filling fiberglass to accommodate smaller mounting screws (less room in LEDs for bigger screws used in incandescent lamps) and possibly using silicone caulk for filling up the space left between the lamp and the camper body for the wires that you can't fit back into the camper body. In the top corner on one side (or the other) may be a rat's nest where the marker lamps connect their wire to the wire that goes down to the power source - leaving four wires to run through your two connectors on your lamp. In the end I used some rather flimsy-looking drywall anchors which I epoxied into the holes. I got them at Ace hardware in gauge six. Other brands were much larger diameter and I didn't want to drill away that much fiberglass just to mount marker lights. There is a rectangular cutout for the wiring in the fiberglass camper body. Mine measures about 2 inches by six inches. Did the swap last month. Between the rain and the wind, what had started as maybe being a photo-essay tutorial turned into a grind. A fun time was not had by all. The white 'wedge thing' is a spacer and detaches from the Bargman lights. If you order black lights, you will either need to mount them to the white spacer/ base or paint the base. The mounting screws go through the Bargman light assembly, through the white spacer and attach to the camper body. Be careful not to strip out the screws or their holes, as they may be screwed into plywood behind the camper body exterior. The coloured lenses are screwed in separately to the lamp assembly and should not require your attention for many years, if ever. The light assembly is available on Amazoom and Fleabay. I ordered mine from eTrailer and was disappointed in the shipping time and lack of overall customer service; for a few dollars more it would be wise to order them from elsewhere. There are instructional videos on the eTrailer site if you are unfamiliar with DC wiring, but it is not incredibly complicated. If you are using Bargman lights, there are difficult-to-read guides on the back of the lamp assembly explaining which wires connect to which lamp... On my Warrior the ground was Green and the power was Purple. Your wiring may vary. It is easier to swap out one wire at a time and test each connection along the way. Good project for a youngster to help you with as they can turn the lights on and off and press the brake, etc. without drinking all of your expensive craft beer. The white base/ spacer will need to be sealed against leakage. I needed to scrape away the existing clear silicone with a razor blade and buff it with a nonabrasive pad and some window cleaner to get it clean enough for fresh silicone. The previous screws had rusted and the heads crumbled under the force of the screwdriver tip, so what appeared to be a quick one hour project turned into half of the day. The previous repair guru also used four different bit types (#2 flat, a star-tip security bit, #1 square and #2Phillips) which helped reduce the monotony of quickly removing each screw one after another.I've learned to approach small projects as if they are big projects and so on. Best wishes.

What we have not seen is the introduction of up-and-coming Chinese brands challenging the North American market. They've learned alot in their joint ventures with US and European automakers over the past 20 years. Few people remember that little legal action so many years ago, in which NISSAN sued a small-time (American) Internet businessman who happened to have purchased the domain WWW.NISSAN.COM and didn't agree to sell it for ANY price. His name is Uzi Nissan. He has NISSAN COMPUTER Corp. in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. His website is still http://www.nissan.com . NISSAN MOTOR CORPORATION has spent over $15 million to date harassing Mr. Nissan. The legal battle is ongoing. Full article at: http://www.digest.com/Big_Story.php So, when you buy a new NISSAN or visit their dealerships, and/or buy their parts, you are funding this ridiculous corporate stupidity. Food for thought.

Codes are unreliable. A strong wind can throw off an airflow sensor. Dirt can confuse almost any sensor. In computer programming, there is a classic acronym: GIGO: Garbage In means (or equals) Garbage Out. The early computers were like that, which is probably why they went to OBD-II. Unless you are about to take it in for smog testing, the standard Check Engine Light (CEL) only refers to the emissions program and there is almost never a problem with operating the vehicle in 'limping home mode'. Low Oil pressure/High Temp/And So On is a different story. This is why we pay the extra $20 for a DIY fix-it manual. The book is always cheaper than the hourly rate for a 'pro' to look at it. (So is the bicycle that's going on the tail end.) If the code is REPLICATED quickly AND easily, then there is likely a problem. Otherwise, the code 'justifies' the mechanic embarking upon a lengthy and costly (for the owner) adventure in replacing parts to see what will fix the issue. Perfectly good sensors can then be replaced with defective ones, but the mechanic cares naught for the owner is funding their adventure! Do you really want to fund the mechanic's education? Or invest in your own? Depends on your wallet, in my experience. Many modern machines need cleaning more than repair. A good sensor is worth ten bad ones. I spend the money on cleaning it before I take it to a mechanic. It's cheaper in the long run and, for a new purchase, needs to be done anyways. Cleaning will often allow 'bad' wires to carry current and 'bad' sensors to read correctly. The converse is not always true- 'bad' wires will not magically fix a replaced sensor. The same applies to 'bad' sensors. We can't trust OEM 'new' parts anymore, since they are often re-manufactured and packaged as 'new'. My little Yotahome threw codes like mad in the trek from Mesa, AZ to Casper, WY at 60-70MPH climbing mountains.. Most of that was the change in temperature, oxygen content, wind (!) and the simple fact that the fellow I bought it from put less than a thousand miles on it in 5 years. The genset had only 55 hours on it and no recorded maintenance. The tires had good tread... for 2011, but not for sitting in the sun for 6+ years. (I'm still finding new issues. This is part of the adventure!) My story: I bought a used 2006 Dodge minivan a few years back that ran a little rough, but the dealer couldn't figure out what was wrong. I got a good deal because I was willing to gamble a little. A long afternoon of reading Dodge Minivan forums brought me to the ignition coil (this is an example, not diagnostics for your Yotahome). As it turned out, it was about the dealership and the seller being 'cheap.' (The coil was bad, but it was a $200 part which couldn't be returned for a full refund if it was not defective!) I drove it 2K miles and eventually figured it out; and then got it replaced at Pep Boys and it ran like a top after that. The lesson is that I was able to knock almost $3K off of the purchase price because of the $200 part! The minivan was a total loss after a head-on with a drunk in a snowstorm.) I got another 50K miles from that minivan. I was going to modify it for 'stealth camping' before the drunk was placed in my lane that fateful night. The issue not discussed is the value of knowing how to re-connect (or repair) your vacuum lines if one (or more!) pops off/leaks in the Back of Beyond during your first 'boondocking' adventure. No cell phone coverage plus no transportation equals a true disaster. But if you can reconnect and patch with Duct Tape for a couple dozen miles, it's not an issue. Knowledge is power. I'm here to learn and share. I hope the rest of us are as well.

I'm a newbie 92 Warrior owner. Most of the OBD-1 codes are for the emission control system. A 1200 miles road trip may change to atmospheric conditions enough to confuse the sensors. If I get a code, I do the following: Make sure the preventative maintenance is up to date (i.e. filters changed, fluids changed/flushed, plugs & wires, etc.). Unplug the battery overnight to reset the memory of the computer and put it back in 'learning mode' to adapt to your driving style. Run a can of BG-44K through the tank. Fixes lots of fuel sensor issues. Check if the valves have been cleaned with SeaFoam lately. (Lots of good advice in the YotaTech forum) Make sure the battery is in good condition (low voltage can confuse the computer) The above has fixed the problems so far...

USAA handed off almost the entire claim when the other insurance company (Progressive) accepted liability, which means that I am financing the whole claim while the insurance companies decide what to do. Head-on with a drunk. Liability decided on site by the law enforcement (I couldn't make up what actually happened!) He was led away in cuffs; there were firearms involved; it was bizarre. That was early February. It's June and I'm getting dirty looks from the office staff at the doctor's office. USAA rejects claims and Progressive only last week got in touch with me. (USAA has been billing me all this time for coverage after they totalled the minivan in Feb.) Having had coverage with both, I can't speak highly of either anymore. Now you know why I am a new owner of a Yotahome.

Recently got full coverage with SafeCo. Nobody asked if I was full-timing or anything. Cheaper than Progressive.

Time to revive the thread, methinks. Today, I started on replacing the running / marker lights on the 92 Warrior and ran a can of SeaFoam through the valve cover by way of the brake booster vacuum line, as recommended on YotaTech and other forums like this one. Runs lots better now. I gave up on the replacement for the day as the screws in place holding the existing lights are HUGE! They won't pass the circuit board of the LED lights I got from PartSam on Amazun, since they sold a package with the exact number of lights I needed to do a complete swap. I ended up running up to the hardware store for some epoxy to fill in the holes so smaller screws will work. One of the previous owners put in some enormous screws and the heads won't pass by the board, so either I cut on the boards or fix the original problem so I can use tiny screws. I plan on sealing up the lenses for a 'permanent' install once they are in place. If I have to hack them out, it's less than $40 for the set of lamps, so it's okay in my book. The beefing up the wiring from the battery to the fuse box in the engine compartment is working great. OEM wiring wasn't letting enough juice through this tired harness so I put a 14ga wire from the battery to the main fuse and eliminated the fusible link. It hasn't burned out in almost 30 years, so I doubt it will start. The main fuse should catch it anyhow. I also checked on the status of the KIDDE fire extinguisher. Mine was not subject to the recall of some 21 million units. Bummer. I wanted a red one instead of a white one. The sink plumbing is now working after the seller left enough water in the p-trap to cause a hairline fracture at the seam; new gaskets and a new bar faucet (commercial grade) fixed the myriad issues and a combination of rubber contact cement and polyacrylic paint has sealed up the hairline crack. Got to put a bracket to hold the furniture under the sink together after my elbow busted the staple loose, but that's for tomorrow. The sun got the better of me today. UV-C is off the charts and I'm going to feel it for a while. Hope everyone else is having a great Memorial Day (for those who got it).

Much appreciated guidance. Many thanks.

Got too many responses trying to search for it, so figured I would start a new topic addressing only this. During significant rain, water is entering through the air vents in the rooftop AC unit. The unit was replaced 2 years ago by previous owner, but I doubt he had many opportunities to enjoy the rainfall in Mesa, AZ. Now that I am sitting in front of the computer, I realize that I should probably post some photos of the layout. Manufacturer is Coleman, if memory serves correctly. I'm hoping this is an idiot newbie question with an easy fix. Odd thing is that it didn't leak with a foot of snow on the roof, but it is letting the rain in through the air vents of the unit. I am open to all suggestions. You're a great crowd.

The easiest way to confirm that the head gasket was replaced is to go to your local Toyota dealer and ask. They get reimbursed by Corporate for the work (rental car, too) so it's a money maker for them if it is eligible. Mine had no record of a change, so they did mine this year . They also looked at the valves at the same time, which need to be shimmed, and I only ended up paying the labor for the adjustment instead of paying for the teardown of the motor as well. If yours is an automatic transmission like mine, you would be wise to have a transmission FLUSH (not replacement) as ATF does get old and breaks down. A reputable transmission shop which has the machine will run you somewhere around $200 these days, part of that being the fluid - mine went through something like 12 quarts before it got clear. I get mine done every 30K miles and do not have transmission issues as a rule. Even though everything might work, you might want to double check your lights as mine are all corroded on the rear from one too many rainstorm and poor quality sealant.

I'm about to replace my existing incandescent rear signal cluster with LEDs, but have read on some threads that Bargman changed the size of some lights over the years. The rust and corrosion I discovered is alarming and I fear it may disintegrate on a bumpy road. Is this the part that you used? https://www.amazon.com/BARGMAN-UPGRADE-LED-Camper-Trailer/dp/B06X6MCG1W/ref=pd_sbs_263_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06X6MCG1W&pd_rd_r=0M6QDV7VARNCZYBNET25&pd_rd_w=C7xmT&pd_rd_wg=ar2Ho&psc=1&refRID=0M6QDV7VARNCZYBNET25 And does it drop into the existing opening, or will there be customizing required? Thanks.