[RV appraisals]

I have Mercury Ins and an agreed-value policy of $4500.

[Newbie,just purchased]

Ya, Tires! Somewhere around here someone posted how to read the date codes. 8 to 10 years is what I have been told on age limit. Read this post http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1718

As a retired Firestone Store Manager I can tell you that if you are driving on tires that old, you are begging for trouble. There's a reason that tire manufacturers won't guarantee rubber on tires beyond 4 years - and it's related to the reason the tires are date coded!

Look at the last digits of the small DOT number stamped into the sidewall. It shows the date in a 2-digit week|date code. So a DOT number that ends in 0405 was made in the 4th week of either 1995 or 2005.

[please help-engine won't start]

Most times, a HOT start (or crank) problem is a starter issue. A COLD start prob on the ohter hand, is usually a battery.

[Draining the tanks on an 85 Sunrader]

Thanks for your reply, Paul

My next question was going to be about the hot water heater. I have not seen any apparent drains on the outside of the vehicle, would it be underneath? I have looked down there, but haven't seen anything really apparent. Any clues as to what I am looking for and where it might be?

Thanks again,

James

Open the same panel where you light the flame for the water heater. That's where the drain for mine is...although it's behind other plumbing and not so easy to get to.

[Pictures of my ceiling repair]

Pine stained Tongue & Groove for the ceiling:

Cabinets & Drivers Side: http://tinyurl.com/5z8dy6

Ceiling 1: http://tinyurl.com/5huevz

Ceiling 2: http://tinyurl.com/6kmbdb

Ceiling 3: http://tinyurl.com/6zbort

Left Rear Outside: http://tinyurl.com/5mn6ha

Right Rear Outside: http://tinyurl.com/6ehxb3

I know you can't see the roof but what we did was cover it with outdoor plywood (1/2") and then coat it with white sealer. Unfortunately the roof still leaks around the A/C unit because the old ceiling was so rotted that there's no way to seal it well. But it looks a LOT better than it used to! Previous owner had literally bolted a piece of plywood (1/4") to the outside roof, sandwiched another like it to the inside, and then covered the roof with black tar. He was trying to patch a 2-foot square rotted hole in the roof from it sitting under a tree.

The bolts inside that held the sandwich together, were so long you had to duck to get around 'em or you would get a bloody noggin. Now the ceiling/roof is patched properly and the mess on the outside is painted over. And inside I have no patch to look at, nor any bolts hanging down to bloody my head :-)

All in all, I'd say the operation was a success! Wish I had the knowhow to just pull the whole roof off her and REALLY fix it right - but I don't so this will have to do.

[Draining the tanks on an 85 Sunrader]

The drain for the fresh water tank is on the outside of the vehicle. There should also be a plug to drain the hot water tank too.

[What MPG do you get?]

19.2 sounds good. Is it an 18'?

Mine's a 22R (4-Cylinder) and 4-speed. 15MPG if I shut the engine off & coast down long hills. Engine on all the time, I get 12. Only place I go with it is a desert site 75 miles East of town twice a month with the Astronomy Club of San Diego. Basically, all uphill to get there, and on the way back I have several hills that are a few miles long. No power steering, no problems shutting engine down on loooong hills.

[My last trip to the dumping station for a while!]

I was ready to take the motorhome to a dumping station this afternoon when I realized something: Why do so, when I had a double-cleanout in my front yard?

Two years ago after having plumbing issues in the house, I had the front yard dug up & a double-cleanout installed. One side of the U-shaped pipe goes up towards the house and the other, down toward the street. The connections are 3 inch PVC pipe.

I dutifully backed the Toyota M/H into the driveway and test fitted the waste pipe drain hose to my house's cleanouts. A perfect fit!

Three minutes later, both tanks were drained in the motorhome and it was parked in it's rightful place.

Saved the 15.00 fee for using the dumping station, and saved at least 45 minutes round-trip to there and back.

Surely, I'm not the only M/H owner that has a 3-inch cleanout in the front yard!

[Need help sealing large window gaps]

My 85 Rogue is undergoing a major repair .... leaky windows & roof over the years has taken it's toll and the prev owner never maintained any of the issues.

Yesterday I cut out the wood rot under my biggest side window and put in new insulation. I put a new panel over it, cut to fit the window frame. Then I took the window out to reseal it.

I was shocked There's no way the butyl tape could seal this window and no amount of putty will help. There's a good 3/8 inch gap all way around the frame when it's inserted into the hole in the wall. With liberal amounts of butyl tape applied, I can still see daylight in three out of four corners. It's almost as if the hole in the side of the motorhome was cut to fit the outside window flange, NOT the smaller end of the window frame.

I would really appreciate some suggestions on sealing this bad leak. I have not pulled the other windows yet but they are all smaller and none leak to the degree this one has over the years.

HELP!

[Newbe Intro]

Greetings........ I just purchased my first motorhome, a delightfully well preserved 1986 Toyota GranVille. I see from reading the forums that the GranVille is not a terribly common home, but when I went to look at the three that this gentleman had, it was the one in the best condition. The other two were very tired '89's, and yes, I know they were mechanically probably the best choice, but I am not into rebuilding the house portion of two very worn out Oddysseys.

The GranVille is of superb quality, and the only thing I must do is to replace one interior roof panel which has become de-laminated. The machine works famously, and while reading your forums, I find this one is probably up to snuff on everything.

Living in Arizona, I must deal with changes in altitude on a regular basis, so I now know why the overdrive doesn't always work, but I am not terribly interested in cruising at higher than 60mph anyway. (Just remember, now you are "the traffic")

Anyway, still haven't discovered which axle I have, or other issues which must be dealt with, but overall, it still looks like a very serviceable unit.

Thanks for being here on the net.

Tim.

Hey Tim glad you're here. YOu have the second one of those I've seen here on this forum. Welcome.

[Need help with Water Heater and Heater]

I have the exact same issues; my stovetop works fine so I know there's fuel going to that side of the MH. But no matter how long I depress the button the water heater will not produce a pilot light. I've even duct-taped it down for a half-hour at a time with the gas valve all the way open at the tank. Stilll, no flame will light (I have used several books of matches)

RE: my heater I am confused about it too - I see no controls at all.

[1985 granville...good investment???]

hi, i just found out about this site. im considering purchasing a 1985 toyota granville motorhome. its pretty much gutted on the inside. good tread. runs well. 66,000 miles on original engine. mechanically it is fine. im just wondering if im getting in over my head having to restore the interior, or modify my own. any suggestions? am i paying too much? thanks.

Post a picture? Never heard of a Granville but hey, before I bought mine I had never heard of a Rogue either!

[Help with HESITATION]

your description 'doesnt' feel like it's all the way loose' does not make sense.

Sounds like you are describing a misfire at part throttle...is that correct? Or is it worse at full throttle? Engine hot or cold? Did this condition exist before replacing the plugs and wires? When you replaced the plugs, did you gap them correctly, and what brand did you buy?

Have you run a compression check on the engine?

Check all the plug wires for continuity and resistance. I know, you said that they are new. That does not mean they are good. You should see about 1K ohms per foot on good plug wires - and be sure to check the coil wire as well.

Speaking of the coil, if it is bad it can be breaking down under load and causing a misfire too. Hope this helps.

[Clutch Time]

Allen the clutch in these things is about as straight-forward as you can get ... to replace. But I am sure that the OEM clutch was more than just the same one they used in the pickup. Knowing that, and realizing that aftermarket parts rarely last as long as OEM's I would buy the heaviest-duty clutch possible to replace it with.

[engine stalls]

Thanks for the replys. Have'nt had an oppurtunity to work on camper last couple of days. I did pull and clean the EGR before starting this post. It still sticks. Might pull it again and try the Berrymans though. I need to replace the valve cover gasket. Could a bad valve cover gasket cause a vacum leak? Thanks.Bama.

No, the valve cover has nothing to do with the vacuum system.

[chinook parts/shifter boot]

hi everyone! i've been looking for a stick shift boot for my 78 chinook. i haven't been able to locate one anywhere. anyone have any tips on good websites? THANKS!

Anna is it like a regular pickup? have you looked in Off Road places?

[Back up lights]

Well I may have spoke to soon on the wiring. I just put a new fuel gauge in yesterday, went with a NAPA sending unit and gauge, as the factory unit was hard to get. But I noticed last night when I went to have my wife pull it out of the driveway that my tailights are acting funny. So here it goes....with the headlights off everything appears to be working normally, brake lights, blinkers reverse. BUT when she put on the headlights I still have running lights on both sides, when she put on the brakes the right brakelight is fine, but the left tailight goes out alltogether, both blinkers are fine (they are amber lense anyway and different socket). I thought no problem change the bulb maybe a filliment is out, but it appeared to be fine. They are dual filliment bulbs. I have no clue where to start to look. Once it warms up outside maybe I will go play with it.

Robert the first thing to check is the ground circuit on the bulb(s) that isn't right.

[engine stalls]

Hello all. I'd like to get some ideas on where to start trouble shooting this problem.

I have been learning and tuning my 86' 22re , 4spd auto, since i got it a few months back. I have made progress and feel the engine is starting to function more as it should.

The problem that im facing now is that when i shift from park into reverse or drive the engine will stall out if i dont hold the brake and give it gas. It would do this when i first got the rig, but not as often because someone had the throttle stop screw adjsted and it was idling high. This idle increase may have been done to compensate for this problem or one of the other problems ive been working on.

The engine is idling closer to where it should now so the stall problem is constant. I am going to replace the EGR because it wont seat without a little tapping. I dont know if EGR replacment will help this problem or is even related but it is needed and is where i ended trouble shooting fuel system.

From what little i've read these transmissions dont have any vacum relation to the motor ,so i dont think any undetected vacum leaks could cause this problem.

If any of you good folks have run into something similar help me out. Thanks in advance. Bama.

Sure, the EGR can certainly cause a stall at idle. So can a large vacuum leak. You could try using some Berrymans' carb cleaner to clean the carbon out of the EGR. See if that frees it up.

[Charging the coach battery]

Well here is a pic if it comes thru. It is like a wall socket, when I unplugged it I had no more current drain on my battery, until I found the off switch inside the thing a few days later. Again I am new with this thing and learning as I go, and trying not to break anything as I learn. I did notice a converter panel down below my sink, it looked real clean and in good order. My stove finally lit today, I did not wait long enough for the gas to travel to the burner last time when I tried to lite it.

So once I fix the gas gauge (my last project) I am ready to take it on a road trip.

That's how mine is. Wall Socket. When I shut the fridge off, the battery stayed up just fine. I had just forgotten that it was on when it discharged the battery the first time. Since then I've run it on 110V power and it still doesn't get cold, so I'm going to just forget about it for now. Bigger fish to fry than that right now!

[Exhaust manifold gasket work]

Doug. Hate to hear about your manifold woes. I think that any working mechanic "willing" to jump right on an exhaust manifold job for a vehicle thats pushing 20 years old is either clueless or hungry. Your mechanic may be neither.

I think there may be a few differences in your manifold job compared to the manifold replacements i've read about here.

First off, your talking about a V6. you've got 2 exhaust manifolds, left and right. Us four bangers just got one manifold.

Next is just a guess, but, if the engine bay on your 91' is near the size of my 86', i bet its a pretty tight fit reaching either manifold.The thought of slipped wrenches while in a contorted skin removing position is enough to make most mechanics think twice.

One likeness between the 2 is the fact that your manifold and the 4cly manifold both use threaded studs inserted into the head and the manifold is held on with nuts.

The aggrivation comes in during removal. After years of heating, cooling,and moisture, the nuts form a bond with the studs. When reverse torque is applied the result can be a broken stud. When that stud breaks it opens up a whole new can of worms.

That stud has to be removed and replaced in order for your manifold seal properly. This removal and installation of studs can send some mechanics, shad tree or professional, into panic attacks.

Pre soaking the nuts in some sort of "liquid wrench" is probably the best place to start. Find a mechanic that will tell you all this up front and is still willing to do the work and you may have your man.Dont be surprised if the price is a little steep though.

This problem is not just specific to Toyota its true for lots of vehicles. Hope all this helps. Bama.

Right on target! I turned wrenches for a coupla decades, and I know exhaust manifold work very well. Out of all the things I've done, exhaust work is about the most time consuming. RE: A mechanic turning it down? On that I disagree; I was always taught that 'it's all just nuts & bolts' and I went into each job with that attitude. Some jobs take longer, especially when things break. But then you charge accordingly so you get compensated. I think that any technician that drags his heels on a job is being fed too much easy stuff and isn't really hungry. A HUNGRY tech will do exhaust manifold work all day long.

[toyota 22r thermostat in dolphine]

Just wondering what kind of thermostat you are running in a 22r. 180 or 190. I have a 18 or 20 foot dolphin with a 22r. I just did lots of motor work and when I drive on the freeway it wants to heat up past the center of gauge not enough it over heat but it gets lots hotter than my 22r in the crawler with 39s. When I took the motor apart I noticed it did not have a thermostat at all. i just changed the water pump, thermostat, all hoses and head gasket flushed the radiator a few times and had the head checked. I have probably put one take of gas since I fixed it and it runs great other wise. any ides do I need a new bigger radiator, Flex light or ????

Thanks

Tom

I would use a 180* thermostat. If it is still warming up on the hills then back the timing down 2* at a time until it's running at normal temp.

[Charging the coach battery]

Paul - If you leave the fridge running on 12V it will draw about 12 amps. This will definitely run the coach battery down pretty quickly. I am surprised you got 3 days out of it. When your RV is plugged into 120VAC the converter should keep the coach battery charged.

Bill

Thanks - but I've all but given up on the fridge now. All it does is gurgle but never gets cool inside. I haven't tried it yet real level and may try that one more time before giving up. So far, I've just settled for "comfortably level" but I know these things are supposed to be absolutly level instead.

My main focus is the hot water heater now. Cant' get the pilot to light no matter what. I can live w/out the fridge but it would be great to have hot water!

[Floor Plans and Sleeping Arrangements]

what type of layout does your rogue have?

It has a cabover double bed, and at the far back is a bathroom w/shower. As you walk toward the back, there is a chair just left of the door, then the sink & stove/oven. On the right is a foldout bed just across from the side door, and then cabinets & refrigerator before you hit the bathroom. I think it's longer than SunRaiders & Dolphins but havent' measured it yet.

[Oil capacity & filters 22RE]

On my toyota P/U and the camper, I have had only the 22R motor, not the FI model. But I always used the full sized PH8a filter. Drove my toyota PU for 180K miles with a regular PH8a filter on it, much larger than the OEM but same threads and O-Ring size. When I got this motorhome, I immediately did an oil change on it - and used the big filter on it too.

[Hot water tank use]

In the back of my refrigerator (accessible through the outside door) is a brass valve on the refrigerator propane input line. My furnace is located under the sofa and is accessible by raising the seat halfway up. There is another brass valve on the propane line right before it gets to the furnace.

Allen

83 Sunrader

Thanks Allen. No furnace here and no brass valves...darn!