OlympicMtnBoy
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Posts posted by OlympicMtnBoy
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Cool, I have been thinking about adding pretty much the same USB port and wall pocket!
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Can you post a picture of what you are talking about?
I would go back and get a refund from the mechanic that charged you $250.00.
My A/C just needed some freon and of course the mechanic says I need a whole new compressor. I charged it and it works fine, I think they have a minimum they will work for and try to create work. I bet you did not need to "service" the unit at all or pay $250 for about $40 worth of freon.
I'll try to get a pic, but I'm heading to Mexico tomorrow (flying) and might not have time till I get back. Basically if you stick your head under the A/C unit in the cab you'll find a small black box on the left (towards the driver) side with a bunch of wires running into/out of it. The knob is pretty tiny and on that black control box with the letter "rpm" printed next to it.
I can't blame the shop too much, not many people in Seattle do R12 anymore (had to call around), and they charge $70/lb. Based on ebay prices, I could get it for about half that, but I didn't do that ahead of time and I'm getting ready for a trip. I wanted a leak test and all that since the unit had been unused for several years, so they get me with their posted $70 A/C service fee. They only charged me $20 in labor for trying to figure out why the compressor wouldn't engage (which I would like back but don't have time to hassle, and they were pretty nice about taking time to show me what they checked and what wire needed power, etc).
But yeah, I'm definitely leery of the "new compressor" gag. I also found out you can get the bearings and stuff seperately when those wear out.
Cheers,
Stewart
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Problem solved!
I just learned something new and fixed my problem the super easy way (the way that Toyota designed it)! I didn't have any bad switches or anything, no need for a toggle either.
I just traced the wire that was supposed to be powering the compressor through the firewall and stuck my head under the dash. The wire disappeared into a complex looking box bolted on the A/C unit with a bunch of other wires running in and out. On the box was a little knob labeled "rpm". It was set to one extreme end. I turned it the other way and now the compressor turns on with normal engine rpm and she blows nice and cool! Apparently the A/C folks I took her to today didn't bother to look under the dash mounted A/C unit.
So if you're stuck with the compressor not turning on, or only engaging at very high rpm, check that little dial first! I'm so happy not to have to rig some mickey mouse random switch or pay the shop any more!
- Stewart
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Hello All,
The previous owner of my little Chinook disconnected the belt on the A/C
compressor a few years ago and I'm trying to get it up and running again (it
supposedly was working) before a trip to Yosemite in a few weeks. I hooked the
belt back up and things seemed to work but the compressor wouldn't run unless
you got under the hood and forced it. Figured might be the low pressure switch
since the coolant probably leaked out with the disuse.
$250 later from the A/C shop for a R12 recharge and A/C "service" and they say
it's leak free and fully charged, but there is a control problem they can't get
the parts to fix. They said the low pressure switch is fine, but the circuit
that is supposed to power the compressor when the engine hits a certain rpm is
not kicking in. They suggested wiring a toggle switch into the cab to just turn
the compressor on and off manually. It has proper pressure and gets nice and
cold when running.
Anyone have suggestions? Is there a way to fix this for real instead of bypass
it? Will I burn up my compressor or something if I accidentally have it on with
low engine rpm? If I do a switch obviously I should take power from something
that only runs with the engine on, any good circuits I should tap for this? I'm
pretty much a novice, but I figure I can wire a switch easily enough and I had
them show me what terminal needs power.
Thanks,
Stewart
P.S. Posted this on the yahoo group too, not sure how many people read which one or both. :-)
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I just got new tires for my 77 Chinook today (same size). I found www.tires-easy.com had by far the biggest selection (11 different tires that fit including 5 all season options). It was reasonable to have them shipped, but instead I called up Discount Tire (same as America's Tires) and found they could order the ones I wanted, Hankook RA08, and got them to match the tires-easy.com price. So I pay sales tax instead of shipping and I get a nationwide warranty and flat repair.
- Stewart
We are redoing a 83 Sunrader, we could not locate tires in Alabama. Found them online in Fresno, CA. They were the correct tires and had six shipped for 389.00 total, 279.60 for the tires and 109.40 freight. 185R14C Wramg;er JT BSL Here is the name: Goodguys Tire Centers #20, 2478 S. Golden State BLVD, Fresno CA. 559-498-7700. Hope this is what you are looking for.MAC AND LISA
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Adding the chime was super easy. I mounted the chime under the dash cover, next to the speaker.
Remove the lower dash cover (unplugging the dimmer switch) and the kick panel cover.
The chime I bought has three wires. The red wire is tapped into the dash light circuit, the black wire to a grounding bolt, and the blue wire tapped into the door switch wire. The door switch creates a ground connection for the cab light when the door is opened. It now also fires off the chime. Working Excellently now.
Hey, that's pretty cool and sounds easy enough. Why didn't I think of that? I'm going to have to do this myself now that I got my other electronic gremlins searched out. Do you remember what chime you used? Radio Shack has a bunch of buzzers and stuff, but I don't want one that sounds like a car alarm or something.
- Stewart
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Hehe, thanks John. I checked the grounds on the running lights and they are fine, so I may have to chase some other wires or something. The running light in the rear is actually a dual filament bulb, along with the brake light. The brake light works and the bulb is good when i swap is for the left side. I think there must be a wire out somewhere since both running lights on that side are dead. No trailer harness, but I'll have to crawl around more. Thanks for the tip, I'm new at this RV stuff. :-)
Finally got it all straightened out. First there was a bad connection under the vehicle for the wire that runs both the tail and rear side running light. Found that by just jiggling things and one fell loose, the wiring diagram in the Haynes manual verified it was the right color. Fixed that and the tail light started working, but not the side. Voltmeter showed 9 volts, other working lights showed 11. Traced the wired from the fixture back into the closet and replaced the questionable old scotchlock connector, still no good, whenever there was a current draw to the bulb the voltage dropped, so there was still a really poor connection. Finally found it further down the line where the ground wire split off right before going to the two fixtures. There was another of those crappy scotchlocks used to make a y from the ground wire. Finally found the culprit! Woohoo, now all my lights work! So you guys were right, it was a ground after all!
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Some signs that a Reflect-o-lite 1400 has a bad ground connection:
Right Brake light is dim when lights are not on, no right brake when lights are on (and turns off tail light too); right flasher not working sometimes; right turn light on dash and front right turn light dimly lit when lights on.
This evidently had been a problem for quite a while before I got the SkiBumMobile. All the back right side wires had been hacked for probing and taped. I finally discovered the bad connection after replacing all the wires from the end of the Toyota wires to the fixture and adding a ground lug to the chassis.
The ground wire going to the unit is riveted to a strip of metal. The strip is screwed to the back of the three fixtures. The screw to the stop/tail fixture appeared tight, but still gave an intermittent lack of ground. Cleaned the surfaces and re-tightened the screws. Lights now working!
Toyota Ground - White\black stripe
Fixture Ground - White
Toyota Tail\Clearance - Green
Fixture Tail - Green
Toyota Brake - Green\white stripe
Fixture Brake - Red
Toyota R Turn - Green\yellow stripe
Fixture Turn - Yellow
(Toyota L Turn - Green\black stripe)
Toyota Back Up - Red\black stripe
Fixture Back Up - Blue
Thanks, this may help with my Chinook strange tail light problems!
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Howdy OlympicMtnBoy...
That's a really cool rig. When ya get one set of lights not workin' when you use another set of lights, check the ground contacts on the light bulb bases. Also, if ya have a trailer harness on the rig, check for corrosion at the taps in the tail light circuit wires.
Hope this helps...
John
Hehe, thanks John. I checked the grounds on the running lights and they are fine, so I may have to chase some other wires or something. The running light in the rear is actually a dual filament bulb, along with the brake light. The brake light works and the bulb is good when i swap is for the left side. I think there must be a wire out somewhere since both running lights on that side are dead. No trailer harness, but I'll have to crawl around more. Thanks for the tip, I'm new at this RV stuff. :-)
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Woohoo! Hello to the group!
After drooling for a while and watching craiglist for good deals, I finally bit the bullet on a 1977 Chinook here in Seattle ($2200)! She's pretty standard but in great shape for a vehicle older than I am. Interior is good, appliances all work (although I haven't fired up the furnace yet), and she runs pretty well too. Even has the hardware for the upper bunks and all the manuals. I spent my first night in her with my girlfriend last weekend and I'm planning to drive it to Yosemite a couple times this summer to hike and climb.
Some pics from the previous owner can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/matthiesen/Ste...7ToyotaChinook#
So far I only had to replace a couple of light bulbs and a clip to hold the window opener lever on. I found that the running lights on the right rear and rear side don't seem to be working so I'll have to track that down, and the left turn signal seems to stop blinking when the brake lights go on, but other than that it's working great.
I'm sure I'll have some questions for you folks soon though. This is my first camper and I'm glad this group is around!
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any info out there on single axle toyota rvs ........ dont know if my 84 bandit was involved in this recall i read about. it doesnt seem very heavy so im not worried about wheels breaking off or anything, just would like to find some info on this topic thx everyone
From what I've read here and on the yahoo group if it has single wheels on the single axle (not fake duallies), and you have a light 17' rig, you should be fine. It was the weird dual wheels that put extra strain on the axle when loaded with a heavy camper. I'm not an expert though.
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Its probably OK. The Chinooks weigh far less than the 18 ft Sunraders. But if it has or has had the rear welded together dual wheels they created extra leverage (bending) of the axle ends and there could be some stress damage from that. That's one of the big factors that cause the rear axle breakage in the larger units with the stock (bad) pickup axles. They keep flexing at the ends right at the bearing and eventually snap off. But like I said, the Chinooks are far lighter. If it is a concern you could replace the axles with newer heavy duty ones and replace the welded together wheels with singles and higher weight rated tires and bee good, as long as you don't fill the back up with people or cargo to the roof. Maybe someone here who owns a Chinook will throw out some first hand knowledge!
Thanks Greg, it sounds like I'm OK since I have a light model and single wheels. I did some reading on the yahoo group and that seems to be the general consensus as long as I don't overload the thing. I do need to get new tires though. :-) -
bokwus said:I am looking at an early version (1979) of the Sunrader that is 17 feet long. Would the 5-lug axle be considered safe or should one replace it with the 6-lug dually?
Thanks. John
I'll see if anyone is still reading this thread! I just got a 1977 Chinook (pop-top) that is 17' long and it has single rear wheels and a 5 lug axle. The axle FAQ mostly talks about 18' and longer vehicles and the recall website doesn't seem to want to display any recalls for 1977 other than for Toyota Corolla. Any idea how I figure out if my rear axle is safe. The vehicle has 140K on it and seems to have been a lot of places, should I just not worry about it at this point?
Thanks,
OlympicMtnBoy (Toyota MH newbie)
86 Sunrader 21' Leaf Springs & Suspension question
in Engines - Transmissions - Drive Train - Suspension - Chassis - Steering - Exhaust - Tires - Etc.
Posted
I do believe you can also reindex the front torsion bars, but you can only get so much out of them either way. Check out some of the 4x4 Toyota truck forums for lots of DIY write ups on that. You can get new spring packs custom made for the rear. I was quoted over $1000 to get new spring packs for my Nissan Sunrader though, I just ended up going with airbags since I didn't have them.