Christian

Pdq...You can get an add a room at many RV supply stores...they can order them if they don't have them in stock. Or check good ole ebay Mine might be going on there in a couple weeks even...lol I think it's a twelve footer. WME...I know I wont break even...I thought I would actually make some money on it when we first got it though and breaking even was worst case scenario...I only have one trip planned and then I will "have" to sell it...thats what is so hard. This is our second one...the first one we bought needed way to much and had the bad axle setup...we learned a lot with that one but I guess not enough Supur...I got a used rooftop A/C from a local used RV parts store...the place is called Rv Doctor George in Sacramento...it happened to be one that had sat there for a long time and had no shroud but it was the same model as the one I had so it worked out well. The cheapest I have seen one other then that is on craigslist.org...one was posted for $80 in the Sacramento area.

Some of you may have seen a couple of my posts lately...my luck in the RV world just hasn't been too good sa far to say the least...lol I started out on my first Rv trip and made it about 400 miles when my motor blew up...now I need to find out what this thing will be worth when I get back home and try to sell it. I bought a 1986 Toyota Odyssey and here is the list of repairs so far with the prices. This might be good for some first time RV buyers like myself as well....things add up real quick if you don't watch out. I would like any comments on what my asking price should be...I have done research but it varies so much from RV to RV. You will not hurt my feelings if you think I am way over my head in it...I just don't know This may not be in order...just going through receipts and memory. This also does not include the labor for two people more then full time for over three weeks. Thank you. Summary: 1986 Toyota Odyssey Length 20' Mileage 58,000 Mileage on Rebuilt Motor 1100 Mileage on new rear Tires 1500 Trans: Auto w/Overdrive Generator: Kohler Extras / Bonuses: Add a room, microwave, in dash DVD w/ backup camera, new rear tires, rebuilt motor, completely resealed roof with new vents, two new batteries, all appliances and ACs work, nice layout with very clean blue cushions...drives nice. Cons: Sat for a month or so with bad roof vents...some minor signs of leakage in cab area...but not rotten. One semi soft spot by entry way...not falling through or anything. Crack in fiberglass where awning connects by generator. (thank you tow truck) Ladder bent a little (Thank you tow truck) Awning has normal wear and is a little rotten where it connects to RV (was told to duct tape it) My costs on repairs... Purchased RV $1,700.00 Tires (4 rear Hankook) $700.00 Rooftop A/C Replaced $140.00 Cab A/C Diagnostic $45.00 Hose Replacement $35.00 Diagnostic $60.00 Hose Replacement $35.00 Filled R12 $120.00 General Mechanic Transmission Flush Oil Change Fixed Heater Core Bolt Exhaust Gaskets Total Labor $260.00 Parts on above $140.00 New Roof Vents (3 at $45) $140.00 Roof Sealer (Dicor) $120.00 Roof Coating (Lowes Elastometric) $90.00 Spare Tire (Painted / Mounted) $60.00 New Coach Heater Circuit Board $160.00 Fixed Awning Torsion Bar $80.00 Welded Crack in Exhaust $50.00 Fixed Bent Bumper $50.00 Stereo System 7" In Dash DVD $350.00 Sony 6x9 Speakers $85.00 Two Sub Woofers $80.00 Two Amplifiers $140.00 Cables & Wire $45.00 Toggle Switches $15.00 Reverse Camera $60.00 Carpet Shampoo (9 Bottles) $45.00 Water Heater Door Latch $5.00 Fixed Interior Door / Drawer Latches $15.00 New Key For Deadbolt $20.00 New Front Cab Window $120.00 Rebuilt A/C Shroud $60.00 Generator Oil Change & Plug $15.00 New Light In Cab $15.00 Rebuilt Motor Machined Block Machined Head New Valves New RV Cam New Timing Chain New Head Gasket New Pistons Total on Rebuilt Motor $2,200.00 New 3 Row Radiator $220.00 New Clutch Fan $100.00 All New Belts $60.00 Two New Batteries $180.00 Propane Tank $45.00 Fixed KC Lights $12.00 Bought New Matching Microwave $70.00 Misc Parts From RV George $320.00 Total Investment $8,262.00 Interior Pics Will be added soon...sorry, only have older ones right now.

Well I found someone who said they would rebuild the motor top and bottom for $1600 about 70 miles away...no idea if they are good or not but said they have done 4 22 RE's in the past two months so keeping my fingers crossed since I went with them. They also had someone that would tow me the 70 miles to their shop for $100 and let me tell you...that was absolutely INSANE! I didn't knowwhat type of vehicle he would bring (assumed flatbed truck) but he should up with a GMC Suburban and a flatbed car trailer. Not only was the truck and trailer too small the trailer only had class C tires that were about 9 years old....crazy. It took us 2 hours and more stress and muscle power then I would like to imagine to get the RV onto the trailer...then the fun really began. We started off driving and as soon as he got it up to 20 mph it was fishtailing all over the road. Was certain we were not going to make the 70 mile trip...he was even pretty sure we wouldn't but we plugged away. We took backroads for all but 5 miles of the trip where we had to get on the freeway (I5) once on the freeway we were almost immediately pulled over and asked very assertively to leave the freeway as soon as possible. Guess the officer didn't like that we were doing 15 mph on the shoulder with such an unsafe setup. Once we got to about 1.2 miles from the shop we were headed too we got pulled over once again...this time the officer was not so nice. He set the pace right off the bat by asking the age of the two boys in the back seat...we told him they were 14 years old and he said he should have this guys drivers and business license revoked for what he is looking at. He went back and checked things out more then returned with the news. Told the driver of the truck he could almost be thrown in jail for the neglegence he has found...couldn't believ we had even made it 5 miles (driver told him we only went 15 miles instead of the 70 also). Said there were soo many things wrong with this that he didn't know where too start.. Things I remember are: Load was too heavy fior truck and trailer Holdown chain was less than half the size required Brakes were not working on trailer Tung height was too high and causing too much lift on trucks rear end. No emergency release cable Lights on trailer were shorting out Tires were underrated for weight of trailer and load Office was not very pleased with us but I assured him I had tried other methods and wanted to get the kids off the road. he said only because we had somehow made it this far without loosing both vehicles he would only issue one ticket and not throw the driver in jail for child endangerment...the ticket was $250...what a fun trip that was...70 mile tow took a total of 7.5 hours. The Rv is currently being worked on and I got someone to come down and pick me up from 400 miles away. I have been sitting here stressing on how I had to leave it in a not so good part of town and what if something bad happens to it or the mechanic is shady...this would be the last straw in my attempt to get this thing fixed up and road ready. I will post details about what my insurance company said soon regarding this and when I return home will try to post some of the RV getting loaded onto that trailer. Thanks for all the replies...my adventure continues

Just woke up and thank goodness for the stove still having propane left for some heat...brrr! The engine made one heck of a noise...oil blew out the bottom and there are metal shavings all over the dip stick...bottom end at least is a goner I beleive. I did happen to find someone willing to part with a motor 70 miles away...it was a brand new motor that has a bad head...below the head he says has 300 miles and he wants $300 for it (which is cheaper then he originally wanted but is helping me out). I may try to find someone to help me install that...I would have no idea how to do this alone however nor the tools needed. I would still like to get it home though so maybe I will keep looking for a tow somehow. And yes it is an Automatic and has a very little front bumber...I am not sure how the tow bar hooks up but it seems like I would drop the bumper and hook a tow bar to the four bolts that hold the bumber on. They don't appear to be in that strong of metal if I recall correctly though. Thanks for all the replies...still trying to get something figured out. I have one tow coming from Geico up to about 30 miles....I need to use that wisely

I am in Roseburg Oregon. I went to Uhaul today (only thing open) and they didn't have anything they said would work. They said no way to a tow dolly....they pointed out a tow bar however but its max weight says 5000 lbs. and it costs $180 to buy...not rentable. I wouldn't mind trying this if I had some reassurance that a 14' Uhaul truck would handle the 400 mile pull home. I have my son and one his friends so ssafety is priority one right now. I am sitting in the RV we put so much time and money into writing this by the light of the soon to be out propane stove....I managed to get to Walmart today and bought one of these little internet only laptops so I could figure out my options. Too bad I have no power to charge it anymore or to turn on lights etc....been one of those days. So back to the original topic...anyone think a Tow bar rated at 5000 lb maximum will work behind a 14' Uhaul towing a fully loaded 18 footer...with generator, 6 lug etc. I would take all that can be removed out and put it in the truck but I would think I am still going to be at least 6000lbs. and it seems weird that a 14' truck could pull a larger and heavier truck without causing unwanted issues...such as crashing. Man what a week...I had this thing sold several times this past couple weeks had I wanted to sell it...was followed home twice and had two notes left on it asking if I would sell Might be coming to that...would be very sad as we have put in a very large list of work....over $5500 invested so far

Took out my 86, 18ft toyota odyssey on my first voyage with 2 kids and a cat. Made it half way 400 miles when motor blew up. Need to figure out how to tow this vehicle back home. Stuck in a town with no rental cars or mechanics etc. In desperate need of help. Friend is posting this for me since i do not have internet access. I can check email. Please email directly with suggestions. claidig -AT- gmail.com or call me directly at 916-276-7424 Wondering what type of vehicle can tow this back home without having to pay a tow company. Uhaul full size pickup with tow bar etc. Thank you very much!

This unit has two knobs...one that says cooler with an arrow and then one that says fan lo, fan hi, cool lo, cool hi...etc. Is that the thermostat? or does it not have one? Thank you.

We are still working on our 1986 Odyssey and for some reason the rooftop AC unit stopped getting cold. I think it used to be louder when ran but I am not positive about this. I can turn it on and the fan works but no cold air is coming out. Any suggestions on what to look for as a possible fix? Or is it just dead now? It is a Westinghouse. Thank you.

Thanks Nibs...I am trying to get someone to help me with the head gasket as soon as possible. I guess it is worth a shot since I will only be in it $350 more dollars and the engine does sound really good and doesn't smoke. I am in Sacramento CA, been working on resealing my metal roof since 5:30 a.m....trying to beat the rain thats on it's way. This is a backbreaking job....the previous owners had used silicone along the joints then went over it with something like Dicor it appears...it is all cracked up and I am scraping as much as possible off and then using two of Lowes metal roof products to do the entire thing. I will be checking the oil situation later today and see what it looks like again...and sounds liek I will have to stick to the auto instead of going to manual....just wondering how this things power will be (if the trans works that is..lol)....Well off to scraping I go....yay!

Thank you all for the comments and I am sorry for the delay...been working on this thing day and night but still haven't figured out what I am going to do yet. Thank you all for the comments and I am sorry for the delay...been working on this thing day and night but still haven't figured out what I am going to do yet. I do have a couple more questions now based on your comments though. Please note that I am not that mechanically versed when reading these...lol 1. Would the motor in this RV most likely have anything special like an RV cam if it is the original motor for the 1987 Odyssey? - If I go the "only fixing the head gasket route" is there anything I should know when getting parts or telling a mechanic? 2. If this motor has been sitting for around a year with a blown head gasket should I just replace that or will I end up wasting the money because there could be problems with the lower end of the motor from water being in the oil? 57k on motor. 3. If the head gasket gets fixed should I do anything at the same time? Timing chain etc.? 4. The transmission definitely takes a bit to warm up before it will move...no matter what gear. Does this mean the tranny is bad...does it need fluid changed etc? Looking for possibles here. 5. If that tranny is bad and I look for a new one will I need / or should I buy any new parts at the same time? For example if I was getting a 5 speed to put in it I would want to add a new clutch while it is out. Thank you all very much for your help...I am new to this stuff and am trying to learn but it seems like I am learning the hard way all the time On that note...errrr! to roof leaks...lol

Ok thanks for the ehads up on the "RE" I was wondering about that. So your opinion would be to find an RE for this or else try to fix the one it has? I am finding a few 22 R's around but not any RE's. Also is a manual better to have in these or should I stay with the Auto if it works properly? I did drive this a couple of blocks and it took about two minutes for the transmission to warm up before it would take off...not sure if that is normal or not yet.

I am looking for a motor right now for a 1986 18 ft odyssey which has a feul injected 22re with automatic. I have found a setup from an 87 pickup that has a 22re carbed motor with auto transmission. Can someone tell me if it would be fine to unbolt the motor and tranny from the truck and just drop it in the motorhome. Is there pros and cons to this...and does anybody know the "best" setup I should look for. Thank you.

Well I talked to the main RV guy around here and he said I should get it so I did. Now I am strapped for cash and will have to take a loss on my 1984 New Horizon. I put in soooo many hours redoing the rear axle assembly, new carpet throughout the cab and just fixing minor little things...I am actually already attached to it and it has only been two weeks...lol So if anyone is interested here is my ad: http://www.toyotamotorhome.org/classifieds...ng.php?view=580 Also I am now looking for a mid 80's motor so if anyone has any suggestions they would be appreciated. I don't think I want to tackle swapping the tranny yet since it seems to big of job but who knows...if I find the right package deal I may go for it.

I will need to pay a friend of mine $200 to help with either a head replacement (so plus parts) and or $300 for a motor swap...it has an auto tranny in it now and I can get a 5 speed for $100 at the same time but not sure if that would be a good idea or not. We really like this one and if I had not just put all my money into the 84 new horizon I would buy this almost for sure. I know the roof is an issue but I have yet to see any of these RV's under 5k that have don't or didn't have water leaks. What is the biggest concern with water leaks other then the mildew? Thank you.

I have an opportunity to buy a 1986 18 ft Odyssey this weekend but would like to know if it would be a wise purchase. It has about 80k miles...eveything including generator and rooftop a/c works. Awning is like new...a little water damage in roof at front of cab and the biggest thing is it needs a motor. Price is $1600...I am in the process of fixing up a 1984 21 ft New Horizon and am thinking of getting this one instead since wife likes the floorplan and automatic better. Opinions? Thanks in advance.

It appears I may have the option to use a rear end with a gear ratio of 1.9 or one with a ratio of 4.1 on my 21 ft. 1984 new horizon with a 22r motor. Does anyone know what difference in power of MPG I would get if using either of the above rear ends? Thank you.

Hi all...I have just purchased a 1984 New Horizon with the bad rear axle and now I also purchased a 1986 1 ton dually toyota pickup with the 6 lug setup. I have searched and searched for a topic on this but had no luck...my vehicles are jacked up and I am ready to start the work but. I was planning on unbolting the shocks, leaf assemblies and brake lines so I could just roll the entire assembly under the RV but I just noticed the rear end on my RV is larger then the rear end on my parts truck but the axle housing diameter is smaller. The rouch dimension of the rear end on my RV is about one inch larger all the way around and the axle housing is a half inch smaller. My questions are... Which rear end would be better (or can I tell just by the housing size)? Is what I am attempting to do the proper way of doing things? Sorry if I am using the worng terminology...I don't know much about this stuff obviously...and I am sure I am in over my head by now Any help will be greatly appreciated...I am running out of time very rapidly since I am doing this work on the street and am sure the neighbors are not pleased. Thank you, Christian p.s. If there are any experts in on this stuff I would be more then happy to pay them for a phone conversation. I am really lost right now and want to so the right things.

Hi All... Newbie to the RV world...this site and owning a Toyota pickup even....so I think I may be a regular here soon...lol I was lucky enough to have my wife and I fall in love with a little 1984 New Horizon so I bought it and drove it home about 140 miles. Along the way I heard some noises that I was unsure of so first thing in the morning I googled it and I bet you all know what I found....errr! So now I have this camper that we had planned opn taking on a very long road trip (thus why I wanted a Toyota) but I am scared to drive it out of my driveway after reading about all the axle failures. I would really like to get the axle upgrade done but a) hardly have any money and not too knowledgable with mechanic work. First thing I would like to know though is what years can I use if I find a "1 Ton" axle setup? Or is it the "size that matters"?...lol (she says it doesn't but we'll see...lol) Also is there any other pointers...tips or tricks that anyone can give me? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you and look forward to becoming part of this community. Christian