Diesel_Aggie

http://www.winnebagoind.com/service/wincd/1994/94t321rb.pdf Just stumbled across this when looking for a regrigerator thermocouple. It appears to be a .pdf of the full parts list for 1994 Winnebago Toyotahomes. Complete with part numbers and diagrams. Seems like a really good resource for people who own one.

Thanks for teaching me about a new tool 5Toyota. Had no idea they existed. http://www.sears.com/search=nut%20splitter should take you to the Sears website showing several nut splitters.

Are you able to get to it from above with a deep socket and either an air or electric impact wrench? They often help with rusty bolts. If that won't work, would a crow's foot wrench give enough clearance to attach the impact to? Never tried but always heard lemon juice can help. Maybe try some other brand of penetrating lubricant such as PB Blaster or Yamaha's Lube-Zall. Maybe the different formulas well help. There is a product call The Inductor http://www.theinductor.com/index.php?m=41 that will heat the bolt in a safe manner. It's not affordable for most of us, me included, but maybe you could find one to rent. What does the upper shock go through? I'm looking at the 90 Toyota truck factory shop manual and it's not real clear. And I don't remember what it looks like under there either. Can what it bolts to be removed from the truck with the shock attached? Had to do that on a VW Passat rear strut once and cut the chrome shaft with a torch to retrieve my upper strut mount that I needed to reuse. Could you destroy the upper shock bushings enough to create a gap where you could try tightening the bolt first? Sometimes that will break enough rust loose. Your bushings may be so worn that you have play now. Beat on the wrench with a hammer both directions to try and free it up. Lube it again. Drink your favorite beverage. Repeat. If you access the bolt with a combination wrench, put the box end on the bolt. Get the longest cheater pipe you can come up with and see what happens. Get a helper too. May need to remove the tire to get clearance for the pipe. If you have some packing foam to wrap the pipe and protect the fender in the direction you are headed that would be a great idea if you slip off or something breaks. In this case, breaking the nut would actually be a good thing. Hope at least of of these helps you. One more thing and this may sound real stupid. Most upper shocks will spin when you try to get the nut off. You often have to hold the shaft at the tip to prevent it from spinning with the nut. Sometimes it is notched where a small wrench will hold it. Other times you need channel locks or vise grips. Does your bolt not budge at all or have you just been spinning the whole assembly and not getting anywhere because the threads are turning with you?

90ToyDolphin: I sold my Toyotahome before putting shocks on it. I have used KYB on other vehicles and they are a quality product. rraabe: At this age you probably need shocks! There are several ways you can tell. There is a chrome piston that goes in and out of the larger part of the shock. If it is oily, scratched or pitted you need shocks. If you see oil leaking on the shock you need new shocks. There are rubber bushings on either end of the shock. If they are cracking or oblong, you need at least new bushings and probably new shocks. Shocks can also wear internally. On a regular vehicle you can do a "bounce test" by pushing each corner up and down repeatedly and seeing if it bounces more that 1-2 times. If it does you definitely need new shocks. This doesn't really worn on Toyotahomes as they are so heavily loaded they don't bounce well. You can also notice if the vehicles bounces or floats over bumps when going down the road, particularly at highway speeds. If it does, shocks could be the issue. At 20-30 years old, Toyotahomes are due for new shocks and new rubber bushings in the suspension (leaf springs in particular). Many will need new leaf springs as well. While I never got to rebuild my Toyotahome suspension I have rebuilt many suspensions on older and/or high mileage vehicles and it makes a world of difference.

I would be most suspect of the starter or starter solenoid. If you can duplicate the problem somewhere that you have a multimeter you can put the meter on the battery and the starter solenoid while someone turns the key to the on position. You can see how much voltage you have at each location and look for a voltage drop. There is probably something worn that is creating a large resistance when hot that is eating up your voltage and causing the no start.

Your overheat situation confuses me. I'm not real clear on what you mean. My definition of overheat is driving down the road the temperature gauge gets dangerously near the red. Was it cranking after you stopped for gas and just not starting? In this case it could be a vapor lock situation especially if your rig is carbureted. If it was not cranking at all, then it could be a weak/overheated starter or starter solenoid. As they age they may work fine in normal temperatures but not as well in very cold or hot temperatures. If this is identified as the cause, replacement with new parts is the solution. You can also have a corroded, loose or damaged battery cable that can cause similar symptoms. in conclusion, a better description is needed.

You don't say how many miles you went during your two quarts of oil burn. The industry guideline is 1 quart every 1000 miles is acceptable. My view is that that 1 quart every 1500 miles is acceptable. The industry has a lower number as their guideline to reduce their warranty claims. Each engine is different and will burn more or less oil. Sometimes changing oil brand or type can change the amount burned. I've found that on all but one vehicle I changed to Mobil 1 or Rotella T synthetic that oil consumption decreased. Changing the cab A/C back to R12 will lower the temp at the vents an average of 5-6 degrees. You must increase system capacity by 19% for R34 to cool as well as R12. The manufacturers were able to do this when they updated. This still won't be enough to cool the back of the RV though. You simply have to many cubic feet to cool. The only solution I know of would be to run the generator and the rooftop A/C. Pretty much all RV refrigerators need a level surface to run. They can be damaged when operated on an unlevel surface. It's nice to know the 3 degree number though.

I'd never seen anything but the silver can with blue lettering. Glad you posted that to prevent confusion. Have you ever used the clearcoat safe product? How do you like it? I'd like to find a good product for restoring clearcoat aging. When you say you used TR3 with blue lettering on your camper, do you mean on the camper shell itself? Are you fiberglass or aluminum? How does it work? It strikes me as a little abrasive for gel coat fiberglass but I'd sure like something more harsh than the 3M product I've been using for the areas I have to do by hand........way too much elbow work in those areas!

Oldiesel: That is a really handy idea! I'm going to add that to my bag of tricks! Just as handy for finding insulation leaks too.

It's important to remember that it's very possible to get lower fuel mileage out of a 5-speed than a 4-speed when dealing with an underpowered vehicle. If you are doing this swap for less rpm and noise on flat ground you'll get what you want. If it is for fuel economy, I doubt you will be satisfied. I have an old reply to someone else's post that has more details. Try searching on my user name and see if you can find it. I'd certainly recommend picking a 5-speed with a lower 1st gear for the reasons stated above. Can't really go wrong there. A lower reverse can be a benefit if backing into a steep area as well. You might want to look at http://www.marlincrawler.com/transmission/rebuilt-complete as it shows pictures of many different transmissions. You need to make sure the bellhousing bolt patterns are the same and that the clutch linkage and starter will attach on the same side of the transmission and in the same manner. The driveshaft and yoke swapping is easy for a competent drvieshaft shop. Yokes are pretty universal (as in you don't need to go to Toyota) most driveshaft shops can order Spicer or similar brand parts that are high quality.

My experience with RV and trailer tires is that 6 years is really the safe limit. Car tires can usually go longer. Many RVs and trailers are heavily loaded which seems to weaken the tire faster. They also often sit for long periods which can also cause weakening. While tires seem expensive, it is MUCH cheaper to replace all 7 than it is to rebuild an RV damaged by a blow out. At least one member in the past has posted blowout damage pics on here in the past. If you have an aluminum sided Toyotahome it can all be rebuitl with enough money and time as wood and aluminum sheeting are available. If you have a fiberglass shelled Toyotahome..........good luck. Not many people rebuild fiberglass and it's very hard to get it shaped exactly like it should. If you do, you still need to gel coat the entire RV to get it to match properly....unless you have a garage kept RV with no fading. I've seen 2 RVs where the wiring, plumbing and tanks were shattered and ripped out from a blowout. Tanks can be custom built, but it's not cheap either. Don't let postponing $700 in tires do thousands in damage to your Toyotahome or worse, total it out. Also keep in mind what it would cost to have a tire service out to the side of I-90 near Spearfish, SD when it's 100 degrees and your factory jacking tools either won't lift the fully loaded RV or you can't get the lugs loose. Your family would prefer getting to Yellowstone.

I used 3M Marine Restorer/Wax. It comes in a white plastic bottle with a green label. When I called 3M they also recommended a particular 3M buffing pad which I also got and an rpm for the buffer. I used this on my Sunrader. I went over it twice and then hand waxed it with an automotive wax. It looked outstanding. I started with a very chalky exterior. If you can pull off vents, lights, etc. that allows you to use the buffer in more areas. No way I would have gotten these results by hand unless I spent 100+ hours polishing by hand. But, my arms would have fallen off long before that. I did have do the places where the buffer would not reach by hand. Some did come out as well as buffed areas, others did not. If sure if I buffed long enough those areas would have come out as good. I spent about 20 hours on the job. Since many of our rigs are NOT a basecoat/clearcoat paint TR3 Resin Glaze is a pretty good product for removing oxidation on the hood, fenders and doors. It has a mild to moderate cutting action that pulls the dead paint off. You need to use a small test area to make sure your paint is not so thin that you rub through. I also had great results on the 1983 Sunrader with this product. Used to use it a lot on the past but don't run into non-clearcoat paint much these days. I highly recommend against using it on clearcoat paint!

Had the exact same problem on the 1983. No parts are available unless you have them custom machined. The striker is adjustable and may help. My striker had a section on it that was worn down. A combination of playing with the adjustment and cleaning/lubing the door side of the mechanism eventually got it to work as designed. Until I solved then I hooked a bungee cord from the inner door latch to the passenger headrest mast. Good luck.

http://www.all-rite.com/screw-covers-trims-c-52.html will show you some of the various styles of the vinyl trim that covers up the screw around the RV. This company can probably tell you how to measure as well. All Rite has many other hard to find RV parts. I've called several times and always spoke with a helpful person. If you click on each trim style it will tell you it's measurement. ....I'm just not sure if that is inner/outer etc.

I've never used a roof rack and wish they were not there. They are a potential leak point and also an added maintenance item to reseal every few years. If I were ever to re-gel coat a fiberglass camper or reroof another style camper I'd remove them, seal the holes (or reroof over them) so they could never leak again. If I were to build my dream Sunrader I'd also eliminate both front windows and one of the side bunk windows to reduce leak points. Just fiberglass the wholes up and gel coat the whole shell to make it look new. I'd leave the ladder though.....too dangerous to get on the roof without it!