tumolt

Live and learn. I tried a set of passenger car tires on my 1980 Toyota Huntsman. Uneven wear and hard as hell to steer. Now just put on 6 new Hankook RA08 tires. The reviews on these tires puts them out in front of the Continental Vanco 2 tires for traction on wet and dry pavement and the weight rating is 1850 lbs. per tire. They are a lot smoother riding than soft ply tires and track well and offer more positive steering. I inflated them to 60 psi which is 5 lbs. below what they allow. I believe these to be the finest tires available for my vehicle and recommend you get a set the next time you buy tires. Online you can pay around $98. per tire delivered to your door and pay someone to mount and balance them. I bought mine at Roadway tire here in Pompano Beach and paid $94. plus tax each and $100. for mounting and balancing at Dixie Tire. Don't buy anything else. Nexen is another Korean tire and I saw Yokahama had a tire for this application. I think I made a good choice and hope you do as well. I don't like to give advice on things I don't know. But this is different and I hope it helps you in your quest for an honest opinion. Happy motoring.

I would drop the gas tank and clean it out. Obvious problem is bad gas (old gas) which has bad consequences on all vehicles, even fuel injected ones. You need to blow out your gas lines, change the filter again, clean the carb, which is fairly easy to do and then start with fresh gasoline once you've gone through the system. Any gas hoses made of rubber should be replaced too which new gas hose. The problem is gasohol deteriorates the rubber hoses and that in itself along with old gas can cause this problem. Good luck.

There is only two things I know that can cause an engine not to fire. Spark or gas. Fuel injectors that are bad or clogged might be the underlying problem. You may want to check them to see if there is gas in each cylinder. It's fairly easy to check spark. Could be a bad coil. Work your way through each system until you locate the problem. I've seen fuel injecting systems deteriorate over time due to water in the filters. The ethanol fuel causes build up of water in the system. I add marine foam or high octane fuel injector cleaner to a full tank of gas every 5 to 10 fill ups on my 22R with a carb to keep this from happening. It is common in many vehicles today to experience this problem which alone accounts for billions of tax payers dollars to go into repairs that would not happen if there was no alcohol added to the gas. You can thank your congressmen and senators for this which is also subsidized by the tax payers at over $4 billion a year. It cost 1.5 time more to produce ethanol than gas and you get less performance. Good luck and hopefully this will get you started and running smoothly.

Let's face it folks. We're not driving a race car with horse power. What we typically see is a severe lack of power going up hills, The weight to horse power ratio difference between a race car and a motorhome is enormous. Race car 600 hp, weight 2400 lbs., motorhome 275 hp, weight 12,500 lbs., Toyota Motorhome 90-150 hp., weight 4000-5500 lbs. It doesn't take a genious to figure out why you can't maintain speed going up hill. No air filter K & N, no headers, no valve job, no increase in compression, no bigger pistons will make any difference if the weight to horse power ration isn't changed dramatically. What you will do is spend more money than it is worth and make gas mileage go up not down.

I am thinking about getting these tires for my 1980 Toyota Huntsman motorhome. I talked to a tire man with many years in the business. He told me that 6 ply tires are hard riding. That my passenger car tires would give a smoother and better ride. I have 35 lbs. max in my tires now which are still in great shape with about 15K miles on them. But in 5K miles I want to go to new tires just to be on the safe side. I would say the pressure is high and could be adjusted down. Try 40 to see if there is a difference in ride and noise. If there is no difference, try 35. You can always go back up to 50 which probably won't hurt the tire, just the ride.

Looks like reiiable info is posted already. Go Toyota Go.

Hi. Very good job. What material did you use for the hose? I used what the manufacturer used, a cpvc clear 1/4" hose with compression fittings but I am going to replace the lines with copper. Plastic is not reliable and I have had to fix it twice since I put new bags on my Huntsman. Have a safe and great trip. Matt

I have been looking at Continental Vanco 8 and Hankook RA08 tires. Went with standard 215 70 14 Firestone tires 4 years ago since the load range was 980 lbs. per tire and with 6 was well within tolerance since the MH weighs less than 4800 lbs. Vanco's are not good on snow and ice, otherwise they seem suitable. Hankook were good on both and offered great tracking. I have not been able to differentiate between R.V. tires and Motor home tires. Is there a difference and what is best for my use. I know with my dually rear wheels I have good off road traction. I want something good for wet weather slick roads and low noise.

You are nuts to take anything to a dealership. A regular garage will do the same work for 1/4 or less the cost you were quoted.

You can check here for specs on engines, tranny, rears, and more. http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/faq/parts/

Good luck and happy camping.

Sorry, 6 X 980 is 5880 lbs. which is less than your vehicle should weigh by about 800 lbs. Safety first as I always say.

Six times 980 lbs. equals 5080 lbs. weight. Which I am sure you are not over that. The sidewall is more flexible so you should keep a check on tire inflation which should be 35 lbs. A 6 ply tire is thicker and heavier which is what everyone who full time R.V.'s uses, but it is stiffer and noisier than passenger car tires and require more gas to move on the road . Irrespective of what people tell you, all tires age over time, get cracked and dry rotted. I change tires every 20 to 25000 miles so I have pleanty of tread on the road for safer driving in wet weather. Just my 2 cents.

Also suspension should be looked at. Most shocks should be replaced every 50-60000 miles. If the unit has airbags on the rear they maybe shot and need replacement. I paid less money by shopping around for new ones on ebay. I kept the guys name and number and have referred several of the members of this forum to him. The newer ones needed to be fitted so the installation was part of my rear end changeout that I mentioned I did in my first replay. New shocks, aleignment, inspect tires, passenger car tires are ok replacement (980 lb. load) is sufficient. 6 ply tires are better (1200 lb. load) cost about $100-125 each) but it won't really make a difference unless you pull a lot more weight.

The original dually wheel rim is from my experience a one piece affair that puts too much stress on the outer wheel axle bearings when the unit is overloaded with weight beyond the capacity for which the unit was intended. With that in mind, should you want to put stuff in the camper and you're concerned about weight, then use caution. Otherwise it maybe alright to continue to use the lower weight capacity rear end. I elected to swap out mine with a dually 1 ton full floating axle which was used out of a 1989 Toyota Uhaul truck that I bought for $700. I had to spend another $600. to have it installed but I wanted to tow a trailer that would hold the spare tires, commercial grade jack, extra parts, belts, hoses, camping gear, etc. that would not fit inside the camper. Remember, these were made for light duty, not heavy duty. The 20r with 4 speed manual tranny works well when I am not towing the trailer and I won't go over 45 mph with the trailer in tow because of the weight distribution which caused the front end to ride higher than if not towing the trailer. So I would have a backup plan for the future just in case the rear end should become a problem. Otherwise leave it alone and just have the rear looked at from time to time by someone who specializes in servicing rear ends. New lube in the rear, new brakes on the rear which should be done around 60-80000 miles would be cheaper than replacement of the axles. If there is wear and the bearings are worn, then the mechanic should tell you to upgrade to new axles and bearings. Also they inspect the ring and pinion gear when they change out the old lube in the rear. That said, it seems as a newby you have a good grasp of going on a trip more prepared than some who have more experience. I wouldn't pay more than $4000. for the unit if the owner has no receipts for repairs or maintenance of the vehicle and if they do be prepared to ask questions like overheating the motor, water pump replacement, hoses, belts, alternator, fan clutch, clutch if manual, tranny service if automatic, radiator, tune up, carburator, propane system, water system, roof leaks, tires, brakes, and make a note of everything that wasn't done and how much it would cost to fix if it were to fail. If your unit has been well taken care of, then you can assume that with proof that you have a good foundation in which to pump more money into over time with less cost in repairs. Just want you to be prepared before jumping in. Oh, those skylights crack from heat and should be replaced every 3 years or so, even with the heavy skylight covers that are available as an aftermarket add on. Walmart sells the heavy skylight covers cheaper than the motorhome parts places by more than 50%. They allow you to keep the skylight open even when it rains to keep the unit cool when parked or when traveling or at night when you are asleep. Asked owner if he has to add oil to the motor between oil changes. Some early 22r and 20r motors have a bad oil ring design and there are replacement (not factory original) piston and ring sets that have a better and bigger oil ring to prevent oil consumption between oil changes. There is a lot to know about your unit. Get as much information as possible before hand and make a log on what was done, needs to be done, and keep a record of all service you do over time. A good precaution would be to change the water pump, thermostat, and radiator cap. Any of these can fail over time and can cost you a lot more money should the unit overheat because of these relatively cheap and inexpensive parts going bad. Good luck with your new home. Matt

Weigh the vehicle at a truck stop. You can find a weigh station near you by calling around truck repair shops. Once you have the weight, then you can inquire with a rear end specialist as to what would be best for your Sunrader. You must also take into consideration the dry weight and the total weight of the vehicle after adding all the stuff (clothes, pots, pans, dishes, etc) that you will be taking inside the vehicle. I have a 1980 Toyota single axle (5 lug) which has only 16000 miles on it for sale. I upgraded to a full floating 1 ton dually on my Huntsman. That's because I felt insecure towing a 3500 lb. trailer with the smaller rear. I have a six lug pattern on the back and the original 5 lug pattern front rims. All are 14" rims. So I have to carry two different spare tires but I feel more secure.

I replaced all 4 of my shocks with a similar setup. I have air bags on the rear. The shocks were standard replacement shocks, either Monroe or Gabriel. I noticed a smoother ride and I was told air shocks only make the ride stiffer not better. Good luck. Matt

I replaced all 4 of my shocks with a similar setup. I have air bags on the rear. The shocks were standard replacement shocks, either Monroe or Gabriel. I noticed a smoother ride and I was told air shocks only make the ride stiffer not better. Good luck. Matt

I ordered replacement airbags from Boros. Call him after monday, since he is out of town. 216-789-1647 I also bought new brackets off ebay and replaced the values and air lines when I redid mine a few years ago. Boros is helpful and he can get you the airbags at the right price.

I have a 1980 Toyota Huntsman that had a single rim with dually wheels on each side. The rear end was not a six lug design which was subject to coming apart. The unit was not designed to carry a lot of weight and owners soon found out the hard way when something went seriously wrong. Separation of the axles led to the manufacturer to beef up the 5 lug rear end configuration. I bought a 1989 Uhaul Toyota moving truck and used the rear end out of it which is a 6 lug one ton full floating axle to fix the problem. I also used the 6 lug rims which have mounted on them a 215 75 14 tire on each rim (4) which fit perfect under the rear. Now there are lighter units that do no require the heavier rear end. But they are sparse inside meaning no fridge, stove, toilet, sink, just a basic sleeper. But that is the size tire I use all the way around with the old 5 lug bolt pattern on the front and the six lug bolt pattern on the rear. It is hard to find the rims for this unit as well as other Toyota motorhomes. These are passenger car tires which are not heavy duty but are rated for 900 lbs each tire. There are 6 ply tires which are rated higher and cost more. Nexen makes a 6 ply radial in this size as well as Continental (more money). I plan on replacing all 6 tires when the time comes with the Nexen brand. You can do a search on Toyota motorhome recalls on rear ends and learn more about the issue I explained above. It maybe the best place to start to see if your particular unit was recalled. It will also show what the rear looks like as well as what was done to upgrade the unit (bigger axles, etc.) Good luck on your quest. The best thing is that now that you have a starting point you can make more of a educated decision on which way you want to proceed.

'80 Huntsman purchased 4 years ago with 16K miles. Has 20r, 4 spd, manual trans, dash and roof A/C, dash and coach heater, refrigerator 3 way, propane stove, sink, shower, toilet, and all oak wood (not press board) walls, floor, cabinets with sliding doors and closet. The rear end is out of a '89 Toyota U-haul. It has an all fiberglass shell. I get 18-20 mpg. I now have appx. 29K original miles on the odometer. I have learned aLOT about these motorhomes. If you're not in a hurry to get somewhere and cruise at 55 on the hwy, they are great. Easy to park anywhere and since I love the outdoors it's ideal for travel and camping. I also had the U-haul moving truck rear compartment converted to a trailer with electric brakes that I can pull with the motorhome. I upgraded to a sturdier clutch but haven't pulled it since the upgrade. If you have gear for fishing, camping, etc. you need the space. As of now I am happy to have had the experience with these motorhomes. I would build one with a 4.3 ltr. chevy with 4 wheel drive and lift kit for outbacking and wilderness adventures. Surprisingly the dually wheels and 4 speed works great and I wouldn't hessitate taking it off road. List of things in addition to remodel: New clutch, hoses, belts, pistons and rings, A/C compressor, alternator, regulator, oil, temp, electric meters, blackout shades with curtains, and I have a reasonable amount of spare parts just in case I need them. You need tools tools. See you on the road and good luck hunting.

Carb for sure. I never go with rebuilt ones, especially if they are old and worn. Even with new parts they can still have problems. I bought a new Holley carb for my 20r and it works great. Cost about $260. Bought off ebay.

Around $16. a piece at most tire retailers. Try an RV supply or truck tire company.

Get regular shocks. Air shocks are not a good absorber of rough roads. The rest of the stuff, leaf springs and airbags are doing their job. Replace all 4 of your shocks and you'll notice a difference. It won't ever ride like a car. It's an overbuilt Toyota pickup truck with a lot of weight. I take my 2 dogs and there is room for one more. Bark, bark, bark.

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/faq/parts/ and scroll down to view engine specs, rear ends, and trannys. Add this site to your favorites.