SanDiegoPaul

Thank you for that! Sure seems that on an old MH though, one would need to be careful. Wouldn't the pressure of a garden hose pop fittings and hoses that are used to a 12V pump?

By the shower in the far, back corner under the motorhome I found a water connection for a hose. What is it for? Are you not supposed to use the water pump water in the shower? Sorry, I don't have a clue...

My old '79 pickup had the same type things on the 20R engine. It's like a motor mount; metal & rubber fused together. You've got the 10mm nut on top of the carb stud, and there are two other nuts that fasten the air cleaner housing on to the top of the valve cover. These nuts are on studs sticking out of these rubber thingamabobs. Where can you get the thingamabobs? I have one that broke & I tossed it last time I removed the air cleaner to replace vacuum hoses and the filter. Now the nut on the carb loosens up and the filter housing vibrates against the valve cover making a hideous noise on acceleration. I can of course tighten up that little 10mm nut on the carb, but a week later it's vibrating again. So I would love to buy a couple of those metal & rubber thingamabobs to fasten that housing down to the 22R valve cover like it's supposed to be. Suggestions?

Snickers? oooo, even I would have broken in to steal & eat one of those!

Is your mh a V6 or 4 cylinder? I wouldn't tow anything too awfully heavy behind one of these motorhomes, but dont' see any reason why it wouldn't tow a bike.

I did get the stove burners to light. Proves that the fuel in that old tank is still good. I let them run for at least 5 minutes, all of them. Then I tried again to light the hot water pilot. It just must be plugged. I even put something in there to hold the button down for about ten minutes and went around the Toyota looking for gas leaks. None found. I went inside and relit the stove burners. No problem at all. Went out to the hot water tank one more time - the button was still being held down and I tried lighting it again. Not a bit of propane is coming out that small hole. Actually let it stay open for a while longer before removing the pliers that I had holding the button down and shutting the valve off. How can I unplug that pilot? Is it something you can replace? I don't even know if the main heating element is any good so I would rather not spend any money on this particular project yet as it's not really a priority. Now, to switch gears to the Fridge: The refrigerator has two buttons to light it; one for gas and one for an electric lighter. I don't see any action down there either; how do I know whether the electric lighter on the fridge is working? Can't see anything in the viewer. Basically at this point the only thing I know that works in the propane system is the stove, which I would not be using where I go. But it's nice to know the system is intact. Now, how in the world can I find out if the other two devices are any good? Those, I need! -Paul in San Diego

before lighting the hot water tank, how long before you should be able to smell gas from the pilot? The propane tank on my '85 shows to be half full but it's old. When I disconnected it though, and opened the valve it definitely showed pressure and a lot of gas came out. So I hooked it back up to the hose and turned on the gas valve. I went over to the other side of the coach and tried to light the pilot for the hot water tank, but could not. I depressed the red priming button for several minutes to let gas get over there, and tried over & over again to light it. No go. So I pressed that red button down again, this time for several more minutes and still could not smell gas - and it still would not light. Motorhome was stored by previous owner for years before I got it. Next I tried the fridge. Same deal; I turned on the gas and pressed the button for several minutes. There's another button to press to light it but I have no idea if that peizo lighter is even working. How do you tell? When I'm on 110V, I can hear the movment inside the fridge but I'm never really satisfied that it's working. That's why I figured I'd try gas. The old propane tank that's in the coach has a level gauge on top, and it shows half full. I tried to get the regulator off it, to put on another tank that is for my BBQ but could not get that regulator off it. Could the propane just be old? Is the propane the same as what's in my back yard BBQ tank? The fitting size looks the same and I'd like to try that one if I can get the regulator off the old one in the motorhome. The one for the BBQ does not have the flange on it, to be bolted down like that old one does, so it would just be used to try the appliances one more time before buying new ones. Thanks! Paul in San Diego <newbie motorhome owner>

Those '041s show to be for a Dodge Durango. Did they fit? I have new shocks (Monroe) on the front but need rears.

The day after I got my '85 the wife and I spent some time getting to know this thing, and the couch/bed foldout was one of the things we messed with. In our case, the unit was very rusty and had probably never been folded out - and it was a bear to get back into place. I suspect that your hinges are rusty too, and causing it to be hard to get along with. Perhaps spray some WD40 on the hinges and try again? There was no release lever on mine.

There were a LOT of folks making coaches out of Toyota Cab & Chassis back then. Even more in the late '80s and the 90s unless I'm mistaken. Don't expect to get much info on the box part, but the truck is a regular Toyota pickup. Enjoy it!

And if you pull all that stuff back up, then how do you lay the carpet back down? Not tack strips like in a home, I guess? Pneumatic staple gun? Sorry if it seems so elementary - but I can't imagine the carpet just being stapled in! Been there for a lotta years so I guess it must work though .... -Paul

Yea battery disconnects are a good thing. Also a theft deterrent. I havent' had mine that long yet (a month) but so far, the engine battery appears to be just fine. And the only time the coach battery went down was when I tried to see if the fridge worked, and I left it on the 12v setting for several days. I haven't let it sit for weeks on end yet because I'm always doing something to it!

The previous owner of my RV just put in a new coach battery, and it is a Deep Cycle one which I know is correct. I'd like to know if there is any chance that this deep cycle battery does charge with the engine alternator? The charging system on my '85 works fine and keeps the engine battery charged well. I did notice my coach battery went dead after leaving the refrigerator on 12V for a few days. It charged up fine when I plugged the RV in to 110V. But is it supposed to get any charge at all, from the Alternator? There is no generator on my motorhome. Thanks Paul in San Diego

I'm interested in a similar project too. Can somebody tell me if I pull the carpet up (How do you do that?) will it be able to be reused? I want to put plywood panels over the floor and then lay the existing, good carpet right back down on top of it.

One thing I am always amazed at, is the number of creative floor plans they had back then! And I have never seen another one like mine, which is an 85 Rogue.

I don't know how 'correct' it is, but I went to Home Depot and picked up a can of roof sealant. It's white, reflective coating says to reflect up to 90% of the sun's heat and it is painted on. In my case the roof needed quite a bit of repair, but this sealer is the top coat over all the other stuff I did. There was a lot of rotted paneling in the roof around the rear vent over the bathroom. It had broken long ago, and the previous owner didn't do anything about it so water rotted all thewood around it & I couldnt' just replace the vent. I cut 3/8" plywood sheets to cover the roof in sections and screwed them in with 3" screws which thread into 1x2 ribs that are inside the ceiling of the motorhome. Between the plywood and the roof, on the outside, is a coating of this sealer. It dried overnight on the outside skin of the motorhome, before the plywood went on. Then after the plywood was cut and installed on top, another coating of this white sealer went over it all. It took 1 1/2 gallons to do the whole job. Side bennie from the new plywood roof: The motorhome is MUCH more quiet when on the road. Feels like a much more rigid box now.

Thanks Dennis. Your stems are metal stubbies, like an inch or so long? I'm surprised you can get in there with a gauge at all. I know what a truck tire gauge is, but didn't think it would work. Thanks for the tip.

Funny - I did check but used the word Motorhomes instead. So it didn't report there being one, even though I was sure that there would be! I figure that there's enough of these RV's around that the more information available, the better. This particular forum has been a terrific source of information for me already, and I am a new member. Thanks all, for the help you give! -Paul in San Diego

Seeing a great need for info, I have begun a Yahoo Users Group for Toyota Motorhomes. The group is in no way trying to compete or challenge this terrific resource here, as this forum is also a great help to us that drive these vehicles. My aim is only to supplement us and provide yet another method of sharing information The group is under Recreational Vehicles in the Yahoo! Database.

I am ready to put the propane bottle to the motorhome ('85 Rogue) for the first time. I'm hopeful because everything else seems to work in this vehicle and don't see any reason for the gas stuff to be any different ... but I do know it sat for the last five years before I bought it. I know that the tip for checking leaks around a gas BBQ is to pressurize, then spray all fittings with soapy water then check for bubbles. On the motorhome though, you cannot see all the fittings. I want to put a new tank on it and see if I can get any hot water. But there are no controls of any kind on the tank? How can I feel confident that the system is not leaking gas once I pressureize with a new tank? And how do you turn on the hot water?

It's tucked in to the cabinets next to the hot water tank. ('85 Rogue) This does not look like a fun, nor an easy thing to get at & replace. When in use though, water seeps from the pump itself, not the surrounding plumbing. Any tips?

Thanks but extensions are NOT what I want. They leak. Braided valve stem extensions are the #1 reason for premature tire replacement on a motor home. What I'm looking for is truck style valve stems for duallies. They are brass, and the inner ones are long enough for you to get to the stem for checking the air.

My '86 has rubber stems in the rears. I've had 8ply, with 10 ply rating tires installed but they did not have metal valve stems for these rears. So I have had them leave in the rubber ones but I know that's not good. Passenger car, rubber valve stems cannot be inflated to the 65PSI that these tires are rated for. At length, they did find me some metal ones they think will fit. But they are just metal stubbies like in the front wheels. There is no way to check the air pressure in the rear inside wheels with these. I want proper duallie style metal stems where there is a tube coming from the inside wheel that allows you to check the air in them. I've seen these in the past, the tube looks like a big brass, 8" long valve stem. Suggestions appreciated. Paul in San Diego Still smoky but getting better.

Thanks Pat. The local folks I tried weren't too much help but I know I can get what I need somewhere!

DUH! I guess some things are just too darn obvious? Thanks Dennis - I never guessed it would be that easy.