IdahoDoug

https://at-manuals.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/manuals/A43D repair manual.pdf if you find page AT-12, there is a labeled oil seal on each end of the shifter shaft. This is commonly the case, and the seal is commonly designed for removal and replacement without opening the transmission. PS- I cannot view your photo.

One of the indicators your coworker must/may have used was when the engine cranks with a broken chain/belt, it will turn over very fast. Perhaps that's what he/she did, as Fred's comment would be the near absolute answer, versus "it spins fast". My 22R is perhaps the fastest spinning engine I've ever owned on engine cranking speed. So, perhaps your coworker would be willing to jump on here and tell us what they found? Or give the specific answer to you. The answer would be "What did you use to verify the bottom and top of the engine are NOT connected by the chain? Specifically?" Perhaps he put a dowel down a spark plug hole, looked through the oil filler to see the valvetrain, etc...

Ah - the Firestones are much stronger than mine and designed for leaf springs. My AL's are coil style airbags - designed for much lighter loads. Thanks for the model number in case it comes to that for my Sunrader!

I have AirLifts on the rear coils of two vehicles now and have had them on two others. Dunno if yours are the same model, but the way mine are designed is for overload use. Unladen, measure distance to ground from a point. Apply load (cargo, full tanks n luggage, or in my case boat trailer) measure again. Then put say 10 psi in and apply load again. Still too much sag? 20psi. And so on. I believe mine have a max psi of less than 40. Once you've discovered the psi that works, note it somewhere.

We have a VW Vanagon and it uses those same tires with a high load rating. Include "van" in your searching and you will find plenty of them. Also, Linda's site is where we last bought some.

Ooh, great call!!

Crudsky! Okay, thanks. I keep going back and forth with getting the correct dually and later with the 4wd conversion having an undesirable dually rear axle, or finding a Toyota 1ton rear axle thats wider and single wheel. For offroading, the single rear would be better. I guess this answers it for me as if either solution will require fabrication, I may as well find that wider single Toyota 1 ton. While I have the floor, does anyone know of a Toyota single wheel 1ton axle thats wide enough to be cosmetically acceptable?

Yep, OK. So its a retrofit correct dually. My question is still hopeful. Can this directly fit on my Sunrader frame?

Are you sure? I just randomly googled 5 1984 Dolphins and every one had dual rear tires. Thinking of a different model, maybe?

I have a 1982 Sunrader 21 with the G082 fake dually rear axle. I have an opportunity to obtain a G292 true 1 ton axle from a 1984 Dolphin to replace it with. Other than the different gear ratio, how difficult is this to switch? Does it use all the same hard points (simply a bolt on solution) and welded on brackets, or does it require welding and fabrication work? How about the driveshaft length/flange - same? I know these are pretty granular details, but hoping someone will know on this astute board. Thanks.

You started this thread regarding a rough ride. I'd like to address that, while not derailing the axle concerns. Any 40 year old vehicle needs shock absorbers replaced unless you know that they are in good shape. Worn shocks will produce a terrible, harsh ride on a heavy vehicle. Especially if you are complaining about it at freeway speeds, this is likely the/an issue for your vehicle and the cheapest first step. Replace all 4 and see how you've improved it and if that makes it OK. Based on mine, these Sunraders do not ride well - others may chime in regarding the ride quality they've been able to achieve. It may simply be you've never owned a leaf sprung dually vehicle - not a good combination for ride and why many civilian vehicles switched away from leaf springs to coils to get less complaints on ride and handling. You didn't mention what tire inflation you were at, but proper levels will produce ride quality X and overinflated tires (common from tire shops who install them as it reduces their liability) will deteriorate ride quality below X significantly. So be sure to check that before anything. Don't replace your torsion springs pursuing a better ride. They don't deteriorate in a way that causes poor ride - actually the opposite. IF (I mean IF) they show ageing, it will be a slight sagging and all you have to do is rotate their adjusters to bring ride height back up to the factory level. This is a common feature on VERY heavy trucks and a proven design, so don't look here for a solution. Adjusting these is very simple but I suggest you bring it to a heavy truck mechanic and research/provide the proper ride height for them to target. Best.

Yep, copy that. So Bryan - have pics around of what the seals you removed look like, perchance? I will be a few months behind you in this work n it would br great to see!

Yeah, reman parts quality took a dive 5 years ago and Covid worsened it.

Linda, No worries, and you're accurate I have not done a WT dually axle yet, which it sounds like it is/may be a different setup from the full floater Cruiser setups I'm used to. The description of the seal you linked says "front axle" - perhaps that's a typo on the website. Here's the best picture I could get of the 1 ton rear full floater Toyota axle I've serviced many times. The paper gaskets are what goes in place of the sealant the OP found under his. The seals that keep the gear oil out of the wheel bearings are the smallest pair at the bottom of the picture and go in the tips of the axle tubes. And the unusual rear wheel bearing inner seals are the large rubber lipped seals midway down the page. If you zoom in on the seal on the right, you'll see the odd black rubber lip sticking up at the camera that's perhaps 1/16" tall. These only go on the rears, and the front FF axle has a conventional looking inner wheel bearing seal like the one you linked. Pics from the OP would be great to see what seals he took out for comparison.

I'm 100% certain that inner seal is incorrect for the seal that separates the diff's gear oil from the wheel bearing's grease. And 50% certain it's also incorrect for the rear wheel bearing's inner seal. That looks correct for the front FF 1 ton axle. I'm out of town for a week, but know at least my Toyota 1 ton LandCruiser rear axle uses a rear wheel bearing inner seal with a funny extra lip on it. I'll see if I can find a picture online. Pretty rare Linda misses one, so I'd better back that up (!!), and I mean that truly kindly, Linda. Also on my above instructions - another tip worth passing along I thought of while we were just out on a hike. Those six nuts and the tapered washers that hold the axle flange in/on. Turn the slits in the axle so they face straight out from the center (like spokes radiating from the hub). This way when you later can't get one off, the slit is easy to get penetrating oil directly into the cone washer. Even more importantly, those six nuts have a very low torque rating and are super easy to snap off. It's something very low and MAY be published in "inch-lbs" so beware. I also find it better to use a beam style torque wrench on them as you can watch the torque come up to the correct figure. They are so skinny, there is no clear stopping point and a click style beam may let you keep tightening them again on subsequent passes until they snap. The torque comes up weirdly slow and you'll feel like you're stripping them so long is the ramp up. But once there on with the pointer on an old style beam torque wrench (the beam flexes and a long pointer indicates torque). Use NO lubricant on them and it's wise to spray both the nut and the stud with brake cleaner before torquing them up. I've got a few minutes and I'll see if I can find a pic of the rear inner wheel bearing on my axle. I have some on my shelf at home.

So from the factory there was a paper gasket where you found the sealant. Best to use that if you can have the vehicle down long enough to get gaskets. They're cheap. The oil leaking always happens when you pull the axle out as there's a seal holding the gear oil in the axle, and keeping that from contaminating the grease in the wheel bearings. So, two separate areas of lubrication with different requirements. On my Toyota LandCruiser's FF 1 ton rear axle there is a unique wheel bearing torque arrangement requiring a three pin tool - curious if that's what was on yours? When you reinstall the axle, you should have a new axle seal that you tap into the axle tube. This seals off the gear oil - keeping it in the differential/axle tube. Then you clean and repack the wheel bearings, install them and re-install the axle shaft. When you install the axle shaft, lubricate it with a small amount of grease so it will slide through the new axle seal. They're notoriously easy to displace spring, or damage the lip by sliding a dry axle against one spot for the length of the shaft. You'll also want to support the axle shaft to avoid pressure on the seal, and some models if you use a flashlight and look in, you'll see a metal ring designed to rest the axle shaft on it to aid support of it and specifically keep weight and pressure of the new rubber seal. Put grease on the seal's surface in the last few inches of insertion so the shaft/seal will be lubricated vs running dry until it gets splashed. Takes only a short time to overheat those delicate seal lips if they're completely dry. If in the future you are just opening one side, you can jack the affected end up just a few inches and it will keep diff oil from spilling out while you tend to things. If you have further questions, let me know - done these many a time.

Wont he also need a super critical pinion crush sleeve number if that was disturbed? Maybe clarify what you did as there are some absolutes with diffs needing tending to.

Try an online service manual to find your exact torque settings. Thats a pretty critical component and deserves careful attention. Diff internals also often spec a thread locker as they are subject to component-flexing forces that loosen fasteners.

I grew up in the wooden boat mecca of Holland, MI and agree they ride rougher due to shaping limitations of the wood. I dont care for them myself, but power cats provide a surprisingly smooth ride. We find todays surf boat infested waterways really irritating. Sure, its fun, but what a price other boaters pay as those huge rollers cover the entire lake...

The Soarer was never sold in the US or Canada, so even a used part is not likely to be found on our shores if thats the only vehicle it was used in. Tough one.

I'm not very computer/pic savvy so this thumbnail transferred simply for me. Yes, it's a six lug and has the six smaller nuts that hold the axle flange onto the hub. Looks like the exact setup I have on my LandCruisers 1 ton axles with the 6 tapered split washers you have to tap on to get them to release (tip - leave the nuts on while doing this, or you'll be chasing them around the garage). I'm asking because there seem to be some flavors of the 1-ton axle that were used in the recall, and some that came from the factory, and still others that are lighter duty but deemed "acceptable". No idea if this axle fits into one of those categories, but hoping its a "good" one and I included the code for the axle in case that tells someone in the know "yes, this was an original correct 1 ton that's the desirable one", or "no - some of these G292's also failed", or similar input. Thanks in advance. Edit: In fact, I have the 3 pronged special Toyota tool used to tension the wheel bearing preload, and I guess I'm curious if that will also work on this axle? That would be a bonus!

I have a chance to buy this axle - from a 1984 Dolphin. Does anyone know if this is a proper full one ton Toyota axle? The pic shows what you want to see - the center hub protrudes several inches outboard of the mounting flange and into the outer dually. I'm pretty confident but could not find info on it's capacity, etc on any sites to confirm it's in fact got the high capacity. Thought I'd bring the question here to the knowledgeable folks!

Excellent!! Great sleuthing, Linda. I am having withdrawals not touching the Sunrader till I complete a minor remodel on the house, n trying to be set to hit the ground running in a few weeks.

I'm with WLKing on the symptoms not matching the mechanic's over the phone diagnosis. To me, it sounds like your fan belt simply came off - assuming it also drives the alternator. That's the brake/battery lights. It sounds like you "drove" (versus pure coasting) off the freeway to the next exit and off the exit. So that sounds like your engine was still running. In running without cooling, it got hot very quickly and may have either properly pushed past the radiator cap, or perhaps blew a hose. Dunno on that. Send some pictures of the belts right away if you want quick help. But either way, this is not a head gasket from the sounds of it. But the mechanic is being cagy with his 200 offer to open the engine. What are you going to say if he says "head gasket"? Tell him to put it together to go somewhere else for a 2nd opinion? Nope, he's got your truck in his garage partly disassembled and no longer able to drive. Send us pictures.

Nice to hear!!