thewanderlustking

It was right where it needed to be. He used the old shim and crush sleeve. Set the preload and checked the pattern. Made a slight side to side adjustment. Checked again and was right on.

LOL SO TRUE! Speaking of snakes, that’s all that I keep in mine. If someone steals my poop snake, they got issues… I just went and tried. Neither of my front door keys really work any better. One looks like it might be the original. Or possibly copy the Toyota dealership made. It is a flat key, but says Toyota on it. The power lock conversion will be the nicest solution for that. I only have one outside locking compartment. The one the sewer snake is in up on the front drivers side. That one is a stiff lock that all the keys slide into easily, and don’t want to come back out. Except the correct key that doesn’t fit or turn easily. Go figure. I will likely replace that one. But I will try some PB Blaster or graphite first. Whatever it’s a $10 part to replace. If I could get that and a new working door latch lock that match…. I will leave the old latch assembly in and just add the power “tailgate” deadbolt. Anyways exploring options and coming up MUCH shorter than I would like. This is a back burner research project though right now….

Yes he had to cut it to get the shim out. The old gear set wasn’t valuable enough to struggle with a separator and the press for an extra 10-15 minutes. The gear oil wasn’t burnt, but the bearings and gear set definitely were far from ideal. There had probably been some periods of disuse long enough to let moisture and rust get to the exposed portions. There were dark spots. The bearings and raced were grey, so just shy of being cooked. I wouldn’t have given them away. This is another reason why these should be driven gently for a few miles if they have sat for a while. Get the fluids flowing and everything coated in oil. And ideally you shouldn’t let them sit for much more than a month without at least a quick drive around the block. Other people might recommend differently, but I don’t want flat-spotted tires! I am probably going to run some cheap gear oil and do a dump and refill with something really nice like Redline after 30-50 miles or so. Maybe. The break in process was kinda specific but didn’t specify a break in oil change. I saw a couple other recommendations to do so. Over cautious is probably better than not. Definitely not putting in Redline and dumping it in 50 though!

Alright some action shots! Thanks to my awesome coworker the “Goat”! He made very quick expert work of it! He is an awesome teacher too. I could probably do it now with decent confidence of success. It really is pretty simple with the right tools and some experience doing this type of thing. No write up as it’s a lot of problem solving and I didn’t get the right pictures to be that detailed.

Your problem is actually pretty easily solved because of mine LOL! Let me explain! So if you watch any videos on locks and penetration testing AKA pentesting, you will realize just how few key and lock options are actually available. With a few minutes of digging I discovered that there is one main lock most commonly used for RV's. In that series of locks it went from 340-390 or something and I doubt every number actually has a different key designated to it. But more importantly, you can buy sets of the locks over on e-trailer pretty inexpensively. The compartment locks are SUPER easy to change out. The door locks will be a little harder. Go take some pictures of your locks, and also some zoomed in pictures of the numbers on the locks. Be aware though if you post those numbers here somebody unscrupulous from outside the forums could potentially buy a key for your locks as that's whet they identify. If you don't want to post that number I can help direct you or you can PM it to me. Whatever. If you are going to change them ALL out, it won't matter once you do. Please feel free to post up here and hijack this thread too, I am cool with that! And I am watching this also so it makes sense. My problem is a little more, well I am at least overcomplicating my approach... I realized that a butterknife will open my house door, but the right key doesn't want to open the truck doors... Then my locking gas cap is a joke as the "key" is literally an uncut blank key... I don't really care if I have a few keys, but I want my front doors on a power unlock and also want "trunk pop" to open or unlock the rear house door. In my case, I don't want a handful of remotes. While I probably need to upgrade my house door lock, and buying a power one with a remote is doable, but it isn't (easily) integrated with the front door remote. Yeah I have the skills and electronics ability to open it up and make it work, but that's a lot of effort on an already expensive part with better than average risk of damaging that part... After a lot of searching, I am thinking that a simple power tailgate lock like those made by Pop & Lock might be my ticket. Still not a super cheap option, but defiantly simple.

Lol yeah I definitely DO NOT need (or even want) the Garmin whiz bang awesomeness. And anyone paying more than $80 for a Garmin is a little bit a fool when you can get ones with Lifetime Maps on eBay for as cheaply as $15. But I REALLY like the way Garmin integrated multiple systems into one interface. If it was any reasonable amount, might be worth thinking about. But the rv specific units seem to all start at $700, and I can’t even find prices for the integrated system. Both the Vctron and RV Whisper systems come close. I am finally at the point where I have a reasonable comprehension of the whole electrical system. And a fair idea of how I want to proceed with repairs and upgrading it. No, I don’t need a whole lot of power and am upgrading bulbs and all possible to LED. But I have a reasonably expensive lead acid deep cycle house battery I want to protect, plus the truck battery. The setup doesn’t have a whole lot of reserve. But I suspect it will be fine for the time being. The basics I am after is a setup that keeps the house and truck batteries SAFELY charged up and ready to go. I also want to be able to monitor the solar and battery usage. Going a little further, I want a monitor that will send me notification if a battery gets low. Since I have to replace some parts no matter what, and it is as much effort to put cheap stuff in as compared to upgraded components that give me that little extra…. I’m going for that extra! It might be that I decide “integration” is simply a dedicated tablet or iPad…. I have a few I can easily spare. KISS is a definite factor. One reason why an amazing system like Garmin or the Simarine setup are off the table. I don’t want something built in or requiring a specific control panel interface. Searching RV Monitor in the App Store brings up some other systems to go track down….

Yeah kinda spendy lol. It covers my basic needs perfectly though. The RV whisper system is also VERY interesting, but I am much more confused about it. Seems it can work with different brands and types of sensors but also has its own array. They are pretty reasonably priced and include temperature and door monitors. Even more perfect! But it’s battery monitors don’t look nearly as smart as the Victron ones. Since this is the most important feature… I am definitely looking closely at these two systems. Garmin has a fully integrated system but I think it is only available for OEM. It is super cool with entertainment mixed in too. I’m sure it is astronomically priced too. The one I can't find pricing for is the Garmin rv-in1501. There are some others like the 1090, but I don't think it integrates like the other one. Whatever its super cool, but defiantly NOT what I am looking for.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad! It was somewhat dark, but not burnt. Still, even fresh gear oil stinks… Another sign this truly just has 32k on it.

I have been looking at the Deltran Wireless monitor for a while. They make high quality battery tenders. I live in Florida and we have a lot of seasonal snowbirds. Several of my customers use the Deltran monitors and tenders to keep an eye on their cars while they are out of state. BUT, I know there are other options specifically geared towards RV battery monitoring. I found a couple basic options, but none that could monitor two batteries. These were full on charge controllers. But in the higher end side of things, I started to find some marine systems that not only monitored battery, but also tank levels. Are there systems out there like this for RVs? At some semblance of being affordable? I would love a modular system I can expand on over time that doesn't necessarily include a monitor, but utilizes an iPad or tablet. I would want to see battery charge levels and usage. And tank levels. Grey, black, fresh. I am going to have to fix or replace my current monitor, so might as well go slightly higher tech when I do...

Like ALL the stupid locks on my Toy are GARBAGE. I have a couple questions! 1) Lets start with the factory door locks... It is a struggle to open them with the key. I have 2 keys, so to start off I need to figure out which one is the older/best and hopefully not a gen 2 or g3 copy. But I am probably going to do the keyless entry mod. I did this on my VW Rabbit and absolutely LOVED it! I probably have a "VW STYLE" kit sitting on my shelf, but the geek in me wants my key to look like a Toyota key. So I will likely buy another kit. I mean they are what all of $15-25 lol? No real questions here, unless anyone has happened to measure the amp draw these put on the system in rest? The one on my Rabbit would take the battery down eventually. 2) My rear entry door can open with my gas key... Or probably a butterknife. I want a better option that still has the same vintage feel. Ideally I want one with an electric release too, so I can use the remote entry trunk pop. Does this exist??? I see plenty of very modern looking expensive options, but none look close enough to ours to fit without major surgery, or breaking the budget. A simple hidden powered deadbolt solenoid would probably work... I am not really wanting the whole keypad setup. Dunno I am probably reinventing the wheel here. I know I can find a better door lock assembly that will fit in with minimal effort, but a power release on it would be epic! If all else fails, I could live with this one: Novustech Rv Keyless Entry Door Lock The keypad isn't as obvious as most are. It blends in a little better. I want to retain most of the vintage look this beast has. 3) Then the gas cap key is actually a BLANK key profile... Nobody even TRIED to pretend it has actual tumblers inside... I could really use an actual locking gasp of even just "ok" quality. Although being able to open this with anything I guess could be beneficial... Maybe it is enough to stop a gas thief? In my neighborhood I have cameras on it at all time. So its more of an out on the road concern. Is this a warranted thing to worry about? 4) What about compartment locks??? DISCLAIMER: So anyone who has watched videos on pentesting knows that there are certain locks that are "universal" and with minimal research I can go hunt down the sometimes only 1 key option for a specific purpose. I suspect our RV's are pretty universal in this scenario too. I bet there are probably less than a dozen easily obtainable keys that will open our storage compartments or other locks. For instance I have a wooden locking box I made 30yrs ago with a simple cabinet lock. I probably lost the key 20yrs ago... About a month ago, I went to Home Depot and bought the three locks they had that were similar. The first one I tried, opened it. Mind you, I made this 30yrs ago...

BTW, I didn't count gears yet but here is a list I found on Pirate 4x4: no paint on pinion = 3.90 / 3.93 pink = 4.10 orange = 4.11 blue = 4.30 green = 4.38 yellow = 4.56 white = 4.88 So as expected, I have 4.10 in there.

I know the basic concept, but I have almost no idea how to set this up... It is cool though my coworker does. I am taking it in tomorrow and he will probably be doing the actual setup on it sometime this weekend. My tool selection was a little limited. Three of the four driveshaft bolts came right off with my little M12 impact. The fourth, not so much. I had to get a bit creative. Very glad for quality tools, this would have destroyed cheap wrenches. Not a scratch on these Snap On wrenches LOL! 14mm bolts and nuts. I was a bit abusive with my sockets too, using chrome S.O. on my impact gun. A good sideways whack with a hammer and the driveshaft came right off. I index marked the driveshaft and pinion flange. I doubt it matters, but what is 10 more seconds to do so? 12mm nuts for the case. It took a GOOD bit of work to get the case free of the studs. And there was minimal room under there. It was a bit cumbersome to get out. And when it did come out, dropped it onto the edge of the drain pan flipping it over and dumping gear oil EVERYWHERE. The worst part is not enough room underneath to toss down kitty litter, and then clean it up. I will have to live with the mess and have an ugly clean up later. But that was the worst part of it and the rear is now out, so whatever. The fluid was dark, but didn't smell burnt. I am sure it was original. Oh and draining it via the bottom plug? Still left a LOT in there. I have some aerobic gasket sealer I will use when it goes back together. It feels like a gasket is still on there and intact. I will inspect that closer, but the case will reseal with good sealer without any issues. I didn't take any pictures of the 3rd member assembly. I will get some tomorrow or Sunday when it is on the bench and cleaned up. Putting it back in, will be FUN. I have it up on jack stands, but not nearly as high as would make it comfortable to work on. My back is achy. It will be worth it though! Well I have some clean up to do and tools to put away! I will take pictures of the rebuild and setup process when that goes down!

Alright I have the rear axles out and sorted! And this arrived today!!! A 4.88 gear set. The diff is draining right now. After dinner I will go ahead and pull the third member so I can take it in tomorrow. Should have it done by the end of the weekend and ready to go back in on Monday or Tuesday. The kit came with everything except I didn’t see a big case gasket. I can either use silicone or pick one up.

Random thoughts… No good place to put them and not worth a new thread lol. So I will stick this here. Toyota has some really interesting parts the deeper down the rabbit hole I go. First off is their e-locker diff. I am definitely going to keep an eye out for one and seriously consider snagging it if one crosses my path at the right price. Probably not super useful on our 2wd rigs. But I can definitely see one getting me out of a couple potential bad situations. And it would sure be fun and pretty easy to install! Now dumping silly money on an air locker, nope. But the e-locker is pretty cool! Second, transmission. I posted a “is there a better option” thread on this and it was quickly shot down…. But for the right gear- head, I think there actually is a better option. Both the V6 and 22RE-T came with transmissions that had electric locking converters. I haven’t really gone down that rabbit hole to see if that would gain anything, but installing and controlling it via a MegaSquirt, should be easily doable. It wouldn’t likely be worth the effort to swap in and wire up the Toyota harness and make it work with the current 22RE engine. Anyways as I said, random. Super cool bits of technology, but simple enough that the right person could retrofit them. BTW for any serious consideration to be given to these potential projects, I would need to have at least a season or two in actually using my beast to bother. These are everything else is done and I’m bored kinda projects.

I could be wrong, but pretty sure none of ours came with posi. So a single rear wheel up and the two tire rotations method will do fine. Also, I never went back and corrected those charts…. There is room for error for sure. And I don’t know about your Yota, but mine doesn’t have a tach. Point being trying to guess based on just those charts and perceived rpm, is just that a guess. Your best bet is the tire and driveshaft rotate test to determine it.

My coworker Tom had the bolt out in about 5 minutes. I was doing something else and didn’t see exactly what he did, but he used some really nice cobalt bits and made very quick time of it. SUPER TALENTED wrench! And a darn good all around guy too! I work with some pretty awesome people!

With the axle out now, there shouldn't be much/any pressure on the bolt. I will offset punch it to give something to push into and try to spin it back out with a pick. If that doesn't work, there are likely some reverse drill bits in my toolbox at work. I am not too worried, I just hate that it happened. I grabbed a bolt of questionable quality, so no surprise it blew apart. I should have searched a little harder for a better bolt to begin with. Meh... Anyways thank you for the reminder, I need to go put the axle in my car! I should be able to find something at work to solve it. I think most of my struggle was caused by crappy penetrating fluid, and a slightly wobbly hammer head. The passenger side was only minimal effort. And the drivers side, with PB and a bigger hammer, wasn't too bad either. I will definitely put some anti-size on things.

Is your steering wheel locked? If so, try to move the steering wheel off the steering lock. 98 times out of 100, the steering wheel lock is just jammed because pressure from the steering not being straight, is holding it there. It is very very rare to have a sudden failure of this without plenty of pre warnings.

With PB Blaster and a proper 2lb whack a mole hammer, it came right out. Putting the nuts back on a few threads kept all the cones under control So now I just need to get the broken bolt out. Fun! I also got the other axle out. I don’t think I’m going any further in tonight. I’m beat.

The absolute best resource is the Dayco Catalog app. It is free on IOS or android. It can scan the vin or even work off some license plates. Or manual selecting. It will show the routing, and gives you belt numbers and a bunch of other info.

Alright perfect! So before 1996 seems they were all the same. Parts ordered yay thank you guys!!!

Okay I have stared at so much information trying to figure this out, I now can't find a link I had set aside... And Google isn't giving me what I am looking for. Is the kit above from National Drivetrain the correct one for our odd little machines? From what I can tell our dually axles use the 4cyl housing. But it doesn't look identical to the reference pictures on the LCE website. Not sure that matters as the kit above doesn't identify 4cly vs 6cly anyways...

Thank you for the warnings! I will spin the nuts back on a few threads then to keep them from flying off, and protect the threads too. Sounds like I probably need a bigger hammer also...

I smacked it at 90 to the face, and also from behind in the spaces at as much of an angle as I could. I will also try overtop like WME suggests and like I was doing again when I get some PB Blaster soaked into it. I suspect this has never been apart in 36 years. It only has 32k on it and no signs of issues like leaking wheel cylinders. Even my coworker just texted me to smack the flange like I have been doing. My stuff just be stuck. Figures. Oh el well it’s still progress. Wheels are off now at least.

Thanks WME! And your teasing me with EVERYTHING I need to know except the Master Cylinder and gear set in that list... Dumb question but the 1991 V6 Warrior I stole my bits off of would have had the 3VZE in it correct? I am not up on the Toyota V6 vernaculars yet. I am going to guess it is, and if so I (should) have the right master in the parts bin. Trying to hunt down reviews of the gears and not finding any yet specifically for National Driveline, but seeing them mentioned along side of others I keep seeing in this budget realm. As I suspected most of these seem to be made by the same couple companies. There are some Amazon reviews, but not glowing. I don't usually give Amazon reviews as much weight as forum ones though. WME did you use new, or find a used factory set?