vtchris

Burnt valve on #6, mechanic says $2500 for valve job. $6000 for new re-manufactured Jasper engine which comes with 3yr/100k mile warrantee. What would you do?

An independent mechanic who seems to know what he is talking about did a compression test today and says I have a burnt valve (30) on #6 as compared to 180 on the others, except for #3 which had 120. He is going to do a valve job, new lifters, head set and bolts for $2500, quoted 21 hrs labor. He said no need to do leak down test (he definitely knew what I was talking about). He did the test full throttle with all plugs out. Said it won't necessarily fix the CEL, but this needs to get done ASAP....like I shouldn't even drive it. I will pay for the parts tomorrow and take it to him on Monday and camp in his parking lot until finished.

Does my 1991 have a MAF? If so, what cleaner should I get? Or are you saying that it should be fine?

Yes, saved the K&N, it looks dirty. They charged me about $50! That's a Dealership for you. They didn't say anything about the filter one way or another. Mostly I wanted to know if they put a poor quality filter. I am thinking the next line of inquiry should be, did the oil from the K&N get on my MAF filter?

Do our Toys have a MAF hot wire system? The Toyota Dealer installed a NAPA Gold air filter, is OEM a brand or a type? Did Toyota do me bad?

The mechanic was too busy to check the others, he had already spent half an hour with me and I was just a drop in. I am going back tomorrow and will ask him about the leak down test, thanks. Anything else?

What is normal compression? 1991 V6 3.0 with 107K and compression on one cylinder is 180 and on another 120, I will be getting the others done soon. Mechanic thinks I need a valve job. My CEL is on and gas consumption up 20%.

The window blinds on one of my large side windows is slowly self destructing and I want to replace it, but not sure how or where or what to do. Anyone have any experience with this? I am not much of a do-it-yourselfer, so keep that in mind. I like venitian blinds so want to keep the same general idea and hopefully match the others.

Louisiana State Parks are utterly fantastic, large sites, very up to date, water park for the kiddies, tiled bath houses, even free WiFi at most. Fees range from$16-$20 per night depending on the season. BUT there is a $6 one time fee for reservations or at the gate, so plan on staying more than one night. Really great value!

Looks like I need to find a good Toyota person, someone who is can troubleshoot and repair. Nothing urgent. CEL diagnosis and loss in mpg. I am in South Texas for a couple months, but then will head to Florida for March , April I will travel up the East Coast and May I will be back in New England.

Cool, thanks. Although much of it is over my head. How do you know that mine is not an OBD2? And am I right that this means that mine only has one oxygen sensor?

Ouch, sounds like I need a new O2 sensor (maybe two?) and a head gasket. I have been using a little antifreeze, I carry a gallon with me and add a little every few months or so, not a whole lot, a gallon lasts like 10K miles. Oil too, a quart every 5-6K miles.

Yes, Southern Texas. Locals say there is a good mechanic in town and will check him out, I need a little muffler work also. Guess I will have him change out my air filter too. My CEL went on when my odometer rolled over to 100K and 3 mechanics have said not to worry about it, the code says oxygen sensor and I am wondering if I should get a new one, could that cause poor mpg?

On another forum I have been told that K & N air filter (the kind you clean with this special stuff instead of change like you do with the paper ones) is bad for my engine. What do you think? I am researching why my sudden loss of mpg.

Yes, I am using the K&N air filter. Is that bad? Also when my odometer rolled over to 100K, the CEL came on.....three different mechanics can't tell me why, code says oxygen sensor which I guess covers a lot.

Just a heads up to those who aren't aware of this time limited offer (I saw it on 3G website, but same deal can be had through Verizon). It is the MiFi, which isn't new, but the new deal is that you can get one for free if you sign a 2 year contract, but the best part (for me) is that they are offering 3GB/mo for $35/mo! 3 GB is just right for me, especially when I can get on a free network now and then. But it is being able to have my own hotspot (you can connect up to 5 devices to the MiFi).....I was paying $60/mo for the aircard.

1991 Itasca and I am in Port Aransas, Texas for the winter....enjoying the tropic weather.

I know for a fact that it has never had a valve job. How expensive are they? Isn't that what a compression test will show me? Can any mechanic do it or should I go to the Toyota dealer? Any particular brand of injector cleaner I should get?

Air filter is one of those kind that you clean instead of replace and it was cleaned recently. I can't find ethanol free gas here in S. Texas, or hardly anywhere.

I used to average 13.5 mpg and now only get 11 mpg......my driving habits and locations haven't changed, same load, same tires with same air pressure. The 6 cyl engine has 107K miles on it, I just had the original distributor cap and wires changed, the gas tank flushed and filtered, cleaned everything. I am thinking of getting a compression test done, is that a good idea? Any other ideas?

I don't know where the fuse is located, but maybe this will help.....on my 1991 my cruise sometimes won't come on and all it needs is for me to get out and tighten the batteries cables. It happens a couple times a year. For what it's worth.

1991 Itasca 6cyl with 106,000. Just had its first tune up.....new wires, distributor cap, etc.....it was starting to run a little rough.

Hey HeyHeyMyMy, I don't know where you are on your journey, but thought I would let you know of a couple places in Louisiana. I am at Kincaid Lake in Kisatchie National Forest right now and it is great. $15/night for w/e plus hot showers in the bath houses, half price if you have the American The Beautiful pass. Next I am going to Sabine River area just west of here, again, camping in the $10-$15 range and in the wilderness. I suspect by December this area will be colder than I like and then will head to the Texas Gulf coast which I have told you about. Happy Travels, Chris

I bought mine on eBay, flew from VT to NJ and drove it home.....having never driven an RV in my life! Have had it 7 years and driven it over 50,000 miles, so am very pleased with my purchase. All good advice here, I would just add that I spoke on the phone many times with the seller, plus googled him. We agreed on a price, but never had a dime of my money until I saw and approved the rig. On the advice of my bank, I took a cashiers check made out to both of us so that I had to sign it also. He was kind enough to give me a loaner plate which I mailed back to him when I got home.