Diesel_Aggie

Typically Toyota sold a chassis cab to the RV manufactuers. This is often referred to as an "unfinished vehicle". Each RV maker is typically a licensed converter or manufacturer who would then sell the vehicle under their model name with their vehicle data label affixed to the vehicle. 30 years ago more things could fall through the cracks as regulations and enforcement were more lax and there weren't computer systems to catch errors. I'm sure there are many exceptions to this. The same basic principle is how it works today too not just on RVs but box trucks, utility trucks, etc.

What about using a stud finder on the ceiling? Might be of some benefit but "stud" in the RV industry typically means a 1"x2" at best.

Simple to very involved. Are you good at woodwork? Do you have a place to work? Do you have the tools? Each RV is different but most were not designed with wood replacement in mind. You might get lucky and have easy access to your section. Or you might end up having to remove the window to get access. Or the cabinets. Or 1/2 the inside of the RV. Wood rot is somewhat like rust. What you see may only be the tip of the iceberg. Once you start pulling wood away you may find other areas where water has run to and damaged. Don't forget to properly reseal the window. My opinion is if you notice rotten wood, find another unit. That does become a challenge if you want a Toyota MH as the newest one is 17 years old. Or you may be in a part of the country where your choice is severely limited. If you do buy one with rot, make certain it is at a steep discount. At least you get compensated for your work that way.

Sounds like you got a bargain! In my answers I'm assuming there is not generator on your unit. Lights: I'm assuming we are talking about the lights inside the RV not the headlights on the Toyota. Your unit should have two batteries under the hood. One is the battery that runs the Toyota and the other (house battery) runs the electrics on the RV. Are they both there? Are the connections clean and tight? Do you have a multimeter you can test them with to make sure they have a charge? If the house battery is charged and connected you just need to turn switches that are on each light. You can also power these lights by plugging in the RV to the appropriate style plug. You will have either a 20 amp (household style plug) or a 30 amp plug (needs special outlet). You can buy a 30amp to 20amp plug adapter that will allow you to plug into a household outlet. Keep in mind this will not run the rooftop A/C without throwing a breaker in the house. Most household outlets only have a 15 amp rating. If you lights don't work under either of these circumstances find the electrical converter inside your RV. They are normally a rectangular metal box with a cover that pivots up for access. Flip all the circuit breakers to make sure they are not tripped. Now examine the bulbs in each socket. They will be 12 volt auto style bulbs. If they look bad, replace. Take your multimeter to each socket and see if you are getting voltage. If not, you have a wiring problem somewhere that must be traced. If none of the lights work and everything else seems good I'd suspect a bad ground somewhere on the RV. The odds of all the wiring being damaged at the same time are slim but not impossible. Squirrels and mice sometimes treat vehicles like an all you can eat buffet. Battery: The truck battery should charge off the alternator like any other vehicle The house battery should charge anytime the RV is plugged in. On most RVs the house battery will also charge off the alternator but at a very slow rate. I don't know if yours is set up like this. A/C: I assume we are talking about the rooftop A/C and not the truck A/C. It will only work when the RV is plugged into an outlet. This is a very high draw item. Once plugged in, there should be switches on the inner roof where the A/C vents are. Typically a warmer-colder knob and a fan/function knob. You typically have the option of just running the fan or fan with A/C engaged along with a few different fan speeds. Operation Manual: I believe there is one in the pictures/files forum (can't recall exactly name right now). You'll just have to dig thru there and look. I found it to be of little help. On your A/C, stove, heater, refrigerator look for the manufacturer and model number. Sometimes the manufacturer can provide a manual for that item. Also Google the manufacturer and model number. There are lots of manuals floating around in .pdf format. Registration: What state is it titled in? I'm a Texan but I've researched some of the CA registration laws in the past. It is my understanding that if it was registered in CA and the registration expired without being transferred to non-op status they require you to pay all the past years registrations plus penalties. Of course if the owner moved out of state, that shouldn't apply. Being last registered out of state is a good sign. Titled out of state is even better. You should be able to show that it was bought out of state and not subject to CA Fee Extortion. Research the laws on the CA DMV site and others. You can link to the codes and figure out what they do. Now if for some reason it is a CA title a few anonymous calls are in order to see what they would do. From what I see, the basic cost of registration in CA is pretty reasonable. I'm not sure what other fees they add. You should also research if you will need smog testing. Someone else posted on here about that a year or two ago.....you might use the search feature to try and find that thread. Hope this helps and welcome to the forums.

The dump valves are pretty standard. You may have to pull yours off and take it to a local RV store to match it. I find listings for 1.5", 2" & 3". It should look similar to this: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-toilets-tanks/20097.htm They have all three sizes and will ship. Good people to deal with. After rereading I'm not clear on if you need the valve or the part downstream of the valve that has 4 round tabs which is what the sewer hose would twist onto and lock. This piece is usually pretty standard too. At least on the sewer hose side, I've never seen anything other than the standard size for a 4" hose which appears to be what you have. A decent RV parts store should have one of these too. I couldn't find one on the PPL site but I'm certain they have it as their service facility and inventory is very large. There is a small tank under the shower floor. Basically you need to put a drain valve on, just as above. You certainly should not see daylight. If the tank overflows which taking a shower, you will need to take another shower after draining the tank. Poor design. If you search or read some old threads here you will find some discussion on modifying this. I've never had a tank splash up while driving but if it is filled to 1" of the shower grate then it certainly seems possible. The best way I know to deal with a black water tank is to start with an empty tank. Add some water to the tank to start with. Add chemical deodorizer if you choose. This keep the solids from sticking to the bottom of the tank. Use RV specific toilet paper. When it is convenient to empty the black water tank, fill it up as much as possible with water before draining. This gives you the best chance of flushing the solids out. If you don't fill the tank with some water initially the solids can fall on a dry part of the tank, stick, harden and become a fossil. You now have tank odor that is hard to get rid of. Often times you will have to scrape the tank or replace it if this happens. As this tank is so odd, replacement almost certainly means having one custom made. You may wish to look at some of the larger RV forum sites for general things like this. They have LOTS more traffic and these subjects are often covered in FAQs there. I'm not going to list the site names as I"m not sure if that is permitted here.

Get a multimeter or test light and see if you are getting power at the socket. If yes then take a close look at the contacts that touch the bulb. In some light designs it is possible for the contacts to be bent back too far after years of bulb changes. If you think this is the case bend them gently so that they will make better contact with the bulb. If no then your problem is between the bulb socket and the point where the left and right back up light wires split. You have a good switch on the transmission sending signal back to the lights if one works. And the wires are good up to where the split is. You'll just have to take a close look for any damaged wiring, loose connections, burnt wiring/contacts or dirty ground connections. Knowing the year make and model of your RV would be helpful as well.

http://www.dieseltoyz.com/ appears to have the knowledge and experience to do it. He mentioned in another forum somewhere that he'd love to do a Toyota RV.

I searched on www.car-part.com until I found the right year axle that had springs and wheels. I wanted to get it all from one place so I knew it was a matched set off one vehicle. It was a salvage yard in Alabama and I don't know if they had more. I suspect if they do it will show up in a search. If you really want the name of the place I think I can pull it off some receipts. I had the shock mounts fabricated simply because I forget to order them from Toyota. Hope this helps. I think the hardest part of the job is finding someone to do the fabrication work. I can turn wrenches but I don't weld.

I think you have several potential problems. If you know a brake caliper is dragging, replace it AND the rubber hose. At this age I'd just replace both sides. The brake hoses fail from the inside out and collapse inward on themselves. This can cause not enough pressure to get to the caliper to provide adequate "squeeze" on the pads or it can cause not enough pressure release causing the brakes to drag. If you can do the work yourself, this is pretty cheap. Next, has anyone looked to see that the rear brakes are adjusted properly and that the self adjusters are working? If they are out of adjustment, "loose", then they are not doing their fair share of the work. Guess who has to work extra hard? The front brakes. This creates extra heat that can warp the rotors. You will feel this in the pedal and the steering wheel and it gets worse with speed and how hard you step on the brakes. When checking the rear brakes have them check for an out of round drum as well. Having contributing rear brakes is very important on a vehicle with this much weight over the rear end. This may also dramatically shorten your stopping distances. What kind of rotors and pads is your mechanic using? I have had terrible luck with cheap brake rotors and drums. Many are now made in China. I find as a general rule that their metallurgy is horrible and they warp quick. Most auto parts stores have at least two lines of brake parts. I almost always go for the highest line in all parts. I rarely warp high end rotors/drums. The pads/shoes are important too, ESPECIALLY on something like a Toyota motorhome that is borderline overloaded to begin with. A high end semi metallic lining holds up much better in high heat and resists fading much better. This brings up another concern. I would not let someone turn the rotors/drums on a Toyota motorhome. Doing so reduces the thickness of the metal and makes them much more prone to warp as they heat up quicker and get hotter as they can't dissipate as much heat. It's fine on a full size car that has very thick rotors to begin with. The last thing to consider is the brake fluid. Odds are it looks like maple syrup in most of the rigs here. It should be flushed every two years. Why? It is hygroscopic and absorbs water. About 2% per year by most studies. Water causes corrosion in the brake system so we want it gone. It also gets dirty from the rubber hoses and seals breaking down. This dirt/water mix is a major contributor to brake caliper failure as the gunk ends up at the bottom of the system. This grit destroys the calipers. The higher the water content, the lower the boiling point of the brake fluid. When brake fluid boils, you pedal starts sinking and may go to the floor. Not want you want bringing the family down Pikes Peak. Hope this helps. Brakes are a system and need to be serviced as such.

I drove my 1983 22R 4speed Sunrader back from OR to TX at elevations of up to 8800' on I-80. I was concerned about the carb but it performed flawlessly. Worst fuel tank was 12.9mpg and this was not in the biggest mountains. It was coming across Utah and Idaho with a strong headwind. Keep in mind I was unloaded but never fell below 45-50mph. Would I prefer an injected 22RE? Sure. Most Japanese carburetors are very stout, offer great performance and last forever. The biggest benefit of injection for me is the quicker starting after sitting for long periods and pretty much eliminates the gas evaporating and leaving behind varnish when sitting.

I have similar problems. Have to tighten the belt at 200 miles and replace at 400. Got very good at this when I drove it home from OR. I too suspect poor pulley alignment. What I noticed when I entered all the previous service data into my database was that the problem started shortly after the water pump was replaced. I have a new pump from NAPA but have not had the chance to replace it and see if there is a change. What is wierd is that there is no squeal with a new belt. It all looks and sounds good. Another important point is that just because an aftermarket belt "crosses" over to the stock one does not mean it is correct. I ran into this on a 1982 VW Rabbit diesel pickup. The correct VW belt was halfway between any of the replacement belts the chain stores had. Small was too small and wouldn't fit, large was too large, would not get tight and slipped. All the stores insisted it was correct. It wasn't. Getting the correct length belt from a German parts supplier solved the issues. I have not done the research on the Sunrader to see if this may apply. Was anyone with this problem running Toyota dealer belts? Also check for any gouges or corrosion in the pulleys. I don't know enough about Toyotas but maybe a later version of your engine used a serpentine set up and you can convert. Or there may be some aftermarket conversions available. I personally hate V-belts.

I'd recommend new springs all around to start out. They are dieing a slow death of old age sagging more and more with each day and mile. Until you address this, everything else is a band aid for the real problem.

Read at least the last 3 posts here: http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1192&st=0&p=5481&fromsearch=1entry5481 Here's what I did on my 83 Sunrader. Yours should be the same. "I ordered an '88 1-ton full floating DRW axle, 4 wheels with almost new Bridgestone tires, swaybar, shocks and springs for $600. Shipping from south Alabama to Amarillo, TX was $300. Local 4x4 fabrication shop will be doing the install/fabrication next week. "

I doubt you'll find shop manual for a Sunrader and I'm not sure it existed. The tail lights are pretty simple. First you need to determine if you are getting power to the turn signals and back up lights. If you are, the problem is in the tail light assemblies. Clean out any rust/corrosion and make sure the wires are clean, in good shape and clearly attached. Look closely for any loose, broken or corroded ground wires any where along the coach. Not sure if your 79 has the same taillights as my 83 but if so be very careful as replacement housings are no longer available. Mine cleaned up nicely with some sand paper. I washed the outer lenses in warm soapy water and used a toothbrush to clean them up. Keep in mind you may have to access the inner side of the tail lights. To do this requires some disassembly of the inside but it was pretty simple on mine. If you don't have power to the lights you need to trace wires forward looking for damage and loose connections. Repair what you found. If the front signals work it's 99% likely you have a relatively simple wiring issue. On the back up lights, there is probably a switch on the side of your transmission that triggers the lights. The switches can go bad (easily tested at the switch), the linkages can come undone or wires can come loose.

Most long bed crew cab pick ups are close to 21' particularly if they have a grille guard or winch mount bumper on them. You are no wider than a dually pick up. I even parked my crew cab dually in regular parking spots when I had the Lance camper on it making it 2' longer still. This won't work in all parking spots but in most it will. Even in the province of Alberta. I always back in large vehicles. That way you are less likely to get parked in while you are gone. It is also a safety issue. You have poor rear visibility. But if you JUST drove by the spot you want to park in you were able to scan it for obstacles. You have a clear view when you pull out and can cut the steering wheel sooner (accounting for overhang past the rear axle).

I'm guessing here but it seems there has to be some sort of switching valve or solenoid under there that will switch the flow from one tank to the other. This would be something that either Sunrader or an owner installed. Are there any rocker or toggle switches on or under the dash? If so try and trace the wiring and see where it goes. You could also flip the switch and see if you could hear anything clicking under the RV. Next I'd follow the fuel line from the engine back to the tanks and see if you can spot the valve. The 3rd tank on my 96 F-350 has a toggle switch under the dash and a switching valve tapped into the fuel line under the back of the cab. When you flip the switch with the key on and truck not running you can hear a click. Hope this sends you in the right direction.

I plugged the 04495-35180 number for brake shoes in at www.1sttoyotaparts.com and they show available for $61.13 although you may want to call and confirm that info. Sometimes their VW pricing is off a bit.

I can certainly say I've never seen a Ranger dually! The camper part looks very similar to another I've seen but I can't remember the brand. Do you know if this Rollalong is the same company who has done full size pick up truck conversions for years?

I don't think shocks will help with the problem you describe even if they are worn. The purpose of a shock absorber is to dampen (stop) the up and down movement of the vehicle once it is bouncing. They do very little with side to side motion. It's certainly possible your springs are weak from age and the heavy load and have lost some stiffness. A less stiff spring is more likely to deflect and cause rocking and more suspension movement in general. Degraded rubber bushings will also cause more movement in the suspension. Replacing these with new rubber or better yet much stiffer polyurethane will certainly eliminate some slop. Bushings are cheap but it's a lot of labor. I don't think with new shocks and springs you will eliminate the movement you refer to. I used to own a 33' 5th wheel weighing 9800 pounds empty and it would rock when a dog or someone moved around. Same thing with my Lance camper on back of a 1-ton dually which weighed in around 12,000 pounds fully loaded. Any Toyota motorhome or for that matter any vehicle of this age is certainly due for a suspension rebuild. Haven't rebuilt the Sunrader suspension yet but new struts, springs, polyurethane bushings and mounts all around did wonders on the 390,000 miles Civic and 360,000 mile Passat.

While looking for an aux tank for another vehicle I stumbled across http://www.nwmp.com/viewOptions.asp who shows to have replacement tanks for Toyota pickups in sizes ranging from 22-26 that will replace the factory tank. Comes with mounting hardware and gauge modification kit. They also offer 13.5 gallon tanks for pickups that go where spare tires do. I would think the stock replacement tanks will work just fine on our 79-93 motor homes. Probably a great upgrade if your stock tank is rusty. Just tried my own link....you will have to do a new search as the link only takes you to the new search point. I searched "Toyota" and "All Models". Discovered they also support the Datsun/Nissan tanks as well. I know nothing else about this company and have not ever bought from them.

I have not tackled the exterior of my Sunrader yet but I had great results on a fiberglass 5th wheel trailer using 3M products. 3M has so many products that I found a customer service number to call on their website and was transferred to the correct department. Keep in mind the Sunrader seems to be gel coat fiberglass with a very smooth coating and the 5th wheel I had was plain fiberglass that was a little rougher. Mine was also very weathered and chalky. If you rubbed up against it your clothes became a dusty white. They recommended a 3M marine compound/wax followed up by a pure wax. They also recommended a specific 3M buffing pad and a certain RPM for the orbital buffer. I used their recommendations and had great results. I skipped the last waxing as the 33' 5th wheel was so huge it took a month of weekends to do and I was selling it anyway. I recommend getting painters tape and covering up the decals. The buffer was picking up some dye from them and spreading it around. Compound/wax was $12/bottle in 2007, buffing pad was about $35 (same one did the whole trailer and is still good....great quality!) and I spent about $50-60 on the buffer at Northern Tool & Equipment. I wanted a more well known brand but this was the only one I could find with the proper RPM. It still works fine. Meguiars used to have a similar service where you called and told them about your vehicle and they recommended particular products. They may still have this. When I do the Sunrader I plan on calling 3M again. I want an expert opinion from the people who designed the product not the minimum wage worker at the parts store who wants to sell what's on their shelf.

The service manual for the Toyota chassis, drivetrain, etc. can be found on Ebay by searching "1986 Toyota service manual" or 1986 Toyota shop manual". You might also search there for a Kohler service manual. If you wouldn't mind adding capital letters to the start of your sentences it would make your posts easier to read. Welcome to the board. You can learn a lot just by reading through old posts in your spare time.

I've run across two of these for sale. Both were single rear wheel so they may use a different rear shock than a 4x4 Sunrader. I'd be curious as to what the Odyssey uses for a rear axle.

My 18' 1983 Sunrader is insured with full coverage in Texas (not in a large metro area) with a stated value coverage of $5500. Cost is $260/year with a $1000 deductible. They asked nothing about the axle. I didn't make a claim when my left duals passed me by during my 65mph-0mph slide to the shoulder of the highway. I highly recommend an axle upgrade for any Toyota motor home no matter what length or weight.

I'm running the Heavy Dutys on all the vehicles I've installed them on. Your application is a bit challenging. I'm fairly certain the B46-1139-H1 shock that fits the front of the 1986 4x4 pickup will fit fine but I don't know for sure. On the rear you may have to either call Bilstein tech support at 858-386-5900 and/or measure your current shocks and compare to others. Bilstein makes a rear shock for a 2WD dually in your year or for a 4x4. To my knowledge, the only dually 4x4 Toyotas were the Sunraders. If you are not comfortable with measuring the shocks, try a local 4x4 shop that does lifts/fabrication and see if they will do it. Basically you need to know how the shock mounts, distance between the mounts, maybe the diameter if there is something that might run on a larger shock, then make sure the shock has enough travel when the suspension extends and finally that the shock won't bottom out when the suspension is fully compressed. Then you compare the manufacturers spec sheets to find one that works. If you find the part numbers that will work, post it here in case one of the other 25 4x4 Sunrader owners needs to know.