Lance Andrus

I've had to replace a few lines here and there. Since the grey pipe and the related fittings no longer exist, I used PEX pipe and the push fittings. As long as the PEX and grey pipe ends are cut square, I haven't had a single leak and they seem to hold just fine under the pressure of my new water pump.

This past summer I ripped out the carpet in my Coachman and installed vinyl flooring. Had some mold under the carpet so I sprayed a bleach solution on the floor and swept it out good Then sprayed KILZ over the entire floor and let it cure for 2 days before I layed down a new 1/4" underlayment. Couple that with a total step rebuild and my floor is so much better than it was with carpet. It took me about 3 weeks working on and off. Going to rebuild the overhead compartment walls this winter.

UPDATE: Pulled the return line yesterday...not sure if the flow is good or not....seemed to have a fair amount of air in the system. When the pump picked up oil it pumped it strong. However, my coach is parked on a fairly good down slope....will pull it level this afternoon and try it again. Fluid is very brown so I'm fairly sure the fluid is getting hotter than it should. Started coach and let it warm up while monitoring temp in the cooler...Cooler remained cool until the engine thermostat opened and then the cooler temp shot up...I'm assuming this is normal. Coach normally runs cool and before I installed the gauge, not sure how hot the tranny was running.....2 years ago I took it into the mountains...strange thing...when I was running straight out on the interstate, it ran hotter than in the mountains.......3 weeks ago I noticed that when I backed off the gas, the temp goes down....sounds like I may have a tranny issue and not a cooling system issue. 4 cyl

When I replaced the radiator I reinstalled the inlet line and then ran the out side into the extra cooler. the ran the extra cooler out line back to the tranny. Not sure how I could have bypassed them but I'll check them this weekend.

In the bottom front corner of the pan. I installed it following some directions I found on the board.

I could really use some advice here. My tranny always seems to run fairly hot. I replaced the radiator last year and have installed the largest cooler I can find in my local parts stores. I also installed a capillary tube tranny gauge last year and replaced the filter and fluid while I had the pan off.. Coming home today the gauge was reading about 240 for the majority of the trip. My question, what could be causing that poor tranny to be running so hot. The motor seems to run fairly cool as the engine temp gauge never reaches the mid way point in it's travel. As I understand it, with the fluid running through the radiator and then through a separate cooler, the temp shouldn't get above 190. I have a fairly long trip coming up next month and I really don't feel very safe with the tranny running that hot. What is going wrong????

I just rebuilt the step on my Coachman not to long ago. I just removed the entire step assembly, sheet metal and all. Trashed the old wood and rebuilt the entire step out of 1/2" treated plywood. It is stronger than the original step and only took me a few hours from start to finish.

Did some research and discovered that the water valve can be replaced for around $30 and 1/2 hour. Looks like I have my work cut out for me next weekend.

I've got a pressure regulator. It came with the RV, I assume it works, but will replace it this year just to be sure. Re the toilet valve, would I need to replace the entire toilet or can I just replace the valve? I'm all for whatever is easiest and quickest.

thanks for the insight. Took our Toy out for the first time this year 2 weeks ago. The coach carpet got soaked from what I think is a leak in the water tank. It drained half way down then stopped. My problem is that my tank is mounted underneath the stove. Not sure how to get it out. Another issue I have is with the toilet. When hooked up to city water, the black water tank fills up to the point that I have to empty it daily. Guess I need to hook it up and do some serious troubleshooting at the toilet water connection and see if it is leaking into the toilet constantly.

I'm running the biggest cooler I could find at my local parts store. It is odd actually, the only time the temp rose that high was on the interstate. When I was climbing the mountains, the temp stayed at or slightly above 190. I would have expected the polar opposite, higher in the mountains and cooler on the highway.

Just got home from our annual trip to the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Young Harris, Ga. From Fayetteville, NC and back it is 685 miles. I did some work to the MH so I was happy to see how it did. My lowest milage was 12.74 with my highest being 14.77. Fixing the OD and using it smartly in the mountains seemed to help. The tranny temp never rose above 235, and the ride was very smooth. She still slows to about 25 on the steep hills, but considering my Toy has the 22RE, I can live with it. Camping for the week was just as nice as it can be in our Toy. We were given the top site which was fine for us since we like our privacy. It took a bit to get it level enough for the fridge to work, but other than that, the camp site was fine. Looking forward to my next major trip in November. Toyota Motor Homes RULE!

transmission filter changed, temp gauge installed, new fuel level sending unit installed. I guess I'm ready for the year and so off we go for our annual pilgramage to Northern Georgia for a week in the mountains. Hopefully the "Rolling fart" will do just fine. I'll let you all know when I get back next Saturday.

Got the tranny gauge installed yesterday, filter and fluid changed, new radiator installed, new fuel level sending unit installed. The toy is ready to roll with the exception of the fuel filter. I guess I'll give it another look today and see if there is any way I can get to it and get it replaced. I really think it is the stock filter.

Got the ball joints greased. I left the zerks in place so I won't have to replace them next time. I actually considered drilling out the backs of the tie rod ends so I could install a zerk and grease them but decided against it.

I consider myself fairly mechanically inclined. I've always wondered about the wisdom of some car engineers when it comes to parts placement. That really has rung true with the placement of the fuel filter on the 22 RE motor. Who in their right mind places a fuel filter under the intake manifold and above the starter? Not to hard a job until you try to remove the starter and can't get to the top starter bolt. If anyone has a simple way to get to the fuel filter short of removing the intake manifold, or a way to bypass the old filter so I can bolt a new one on I'd be very grateful. Universal fuel level sending units aren't universal. Toyota steering linkages and universal joints are NOT made to be greased. I wonder how long the factory grease will hold up? Hmmm, now where are those parts to the lug wrench so I can pull the tires? Toyotas must have been made for people with smaller forearms than me. Just some ranting after a trying weekend. On a positive note, the tranny filter has been replaced and I'm just waiting for the new tranny temp gauge so I can install that. The fuel level sending unit seems to work.

A great explaination and pics. This is for a 22RE with an A43D tranny. Maybe if I can get my gas tank done today I'll get the oil drained from the tranny today. Guess I'll have to look for someone to do the brazing for me since I'm not equipped to do the job. I assume that a brass fitting would work as well.

I'm finally taking the smart route and installing a tranny temp gauge when I cahnge the filter and fluid before my big trip the end of June. Can anyone help me with some particulars as to where the best location for the sensor. I've heard welded in the pan, but I've also heard about adaptors that fit on the return line from the cooler. Thanks for the help.

WOW, what a nasty looking rear end. Maybe I should look at mine as well. When I was in the army I had to check rear end oil levels bi annually. Our procedure was to remove the plug, put your finger inside the hole to the first knuckle and feel for the oil. The rear end uses 90W oil. If it's low, add 90W until it comes out of the hole. Simple. Hope this helps>

When you make the club decal, please try to make it a generic style since there are more than just the Sunrader out there. I myself own a Caochmen. JMHO

Last summer the wife and I took our Toy on our first week long trip.. We had used it for weekend trips to the beach and the mountains, but this was our first long trip in it. We departed Fayetteville and travelled to Young Harris, Ga to the William Holland Lapidary Arts school. Since the OD didn't work, it was a long trip with the coach slowing to around 25 mph in the Georgia mountains. Living in the coach for the week was very nice. We don't have a television in the coach so it gave us some quality time to reconnect with each other. Everything worked great except for a small leak in the vicinity of the water heater. We are taking the same trip again the last week in June. I can't wait. I'm so glad that I purchased my Toy and look forward to many more trips in it.

Has anyone in the Mid Atlantic to South East area ever considered a Toyin in our neck of the woods?

Default is off and the light is on. My OD never worked since I bought the RV, I was just tired of it wanting to shift so I troubleshot the entire system and found the broken wire.

Got the wires figured out. Now I just need to get the battery charged and I'm all set. My volt meter shows 10v on the battery but the batt gauge inside the coach shows very much in the red. I'm just hoping the battery isn't shot.

I'm in Raleigh quite often for one thing or another