dogre

Linda, The small pop up drainplugs in my rig are under the galley sink and the sofa, both on the left (driver's side). They are very easy to overlook. One is back by between the shower and waterheater (closer to the shower), and two are under the sofa. They are only about 3/4" tall and have metal splitrings thru the top of the plugs. The sofa has to be reclined and then you have to do some searching with a flashlight. One is located to the left of the back of the sofa, and the other is almost impossible to find without pulling the sofa out (easily done with a socket wrench, two or four bolts and its removable. You can find this third plug by locating the pressure pump and then feeling around to the feed side (where the water comes into the pump from the storage tank). It is located about 2" from the pump. I marked my plugs with bright colored plasic strips when I had the sofa out earlier this year to replace the crumbling water fill tube. I will attempt some photos tomorrow and send them along at this site. I also read somewhere that opening the pressure relief valve on the hot water tank will allow it to drain more thoroughly but I haven't done that yet. Remember to close the plugs before adding the RV antifreeze or it will just drain out on the ground Does anyone reading this thread have more info than I have mentioned? Please share! Dave

Oh, yeah, another thing to consider. Little critters want to stay dry so you may have visitors this winter. You might want to remove food and clothes. I had a little stowaway join our trip this summer. A mouse came in out of the rain in the UP of Michigan and was so quiet that I didn't notice his presence till he jumped out from under the rig while I was fueling in Grand Coulee, WA. I determined when he started his journey after I found several cherry pits in my clothes drawers (I'd been parked under a cherry tree in Michigan) The little ingrate not only left me mouse turds but he also ate thru a couple of my favorite t-shirts. I'm not sure how you can winterize against rodents. I now toss my cat into the rig every week or so for a couple of hours. Nothing so far.

Hi, I would advise doing some winterization even in Salem. You should make sure your water tanks are empty, that the pressurized water lines are empty (my rig has three little pop-up valves that will allow the lines to drain), and that your holding tanks are empty. When you have accomplished those tasks you might do well to pour a gallon or two of RV antifreeze in the watertank, then repressurize your water system and then run each tap (both hot and cold) in your sinks and shower till you get pinkish fluids flowing out of each tap. I also add some RV antifreeze to the p-traps in the sinks and enough to the holding tanks to be sure that any remaining water is protected. DO NOT USE AUTOMOTIVE Antifreeze (the stuff you put in your radiator). I also pull my house battery and bring it indoors till I next want to use it. I don't trust the built in pseudo-trickle charger to keep from boiling the battery. I put it on a real trickle charger just before I want to use it again. You should probably get some Stabil fuel preservative, add it to your gas tank and then fill up so that water condensation doesn't foul your fuel. Gasoline can start breaking down in 30 days (especially the ethanol added crap) so the Stabil is cheap protection and will keep your gas fresh for up to a year. If possible, get your rig under cover as water is your biggest enemy. It is insidious and will find the smallest crack to invade. You might also want to get or two of the chemical dehumidifiers that take the little white pills to keep the moisture down as your rig sits and heats and cools. These can be found at most hardware stores or boat supply stores. These precautions should get you thru the winter, and if you want to use the rig this winter all you have to do is flush your water system with clean water, put your house battery back in and you are good to go...just remember to do all of the above again after your adventure. Better to be safe than sorry. Hope this helped. Dave in Chelan, WA

Thanks for the info about coastal camping. Just finished a swing thru Bend and then over to the John Day Fossil Bed area. Took a look at the Blue Mountains. Beautiful part of Oregon. I hope to get to the "wet" side later this fall.

Howdy, Ours is a '91 Itasca/Winnebago Spirit 21'. We bought it two months ago and have logged 6K miles and a full month of sleepiing in it. We are based in Chelan, WA. I hope to hear from you if you are in our area (North Central Washington State). May your flush valves work smoothly and your transmission look forward to the next mountain pass. Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

Howdy All, Misery (mysterious leaks, odd transmission behavior, etc.) loves company, and for that matter so do people with common interests. My question to you is would any of you be interested in a get together (aka Rally) in the Pacific Northwest? Oregon, Washington, B.C? Other venues are possible. All we need are your suggestions so that we can come to some consensus. I figure if we get three participants on the first try then this would be a success. I live in north central Washington state, specifically in Chelan, WA. Would any of you fellow Toy lovers be interested in a get together anywhere from Bend to Oosyous? Please share your thoughts. Is this a hare-brained idea? Are you interested? Your suggestions? Let me give you a target to shoot at. How about Chelan, WA sometime during the first week of October (specifically one of the Public Utility District campgrounds along the Columbia River). Beautiful empty parks with most amenities (except for a clubhouse/laundry). If you would like to rough it I suggest one of the state parks up the Entiat River. Your thoughts? Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA 509-860-4800

I, too have a 1991 V6 Itasca with 43K miles on it. I just bought it two months ago and immediately took it to my local mechanic to have him change out all belts, hoses, tune up, fluids, grease bearings, etc.. This vehicle sat unused for a long period so the mechanic suggested that I change my timing belt, too. He told me that originally Toyota suggested changing the belt at 90K miles but since my rig sat so long it would be good insurance. I chose not to change the timing belt yet and the Toyhome ran great on a 4700 mile trip with no problems. When I can afford it I will probably change the timing belt sometime in the next year. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your tips. I found that the cheap plastic filling hose (the white corrigated one) was brittle and had developed holes and splits. I replaced it with a 9" long 1 1/4" radiator hose. I doubt this will leak for at least a couple of decades. My wife finally tracked down the leak in the toilet and thinks she has it fixed. The waterhose inlet to the top rear of the toilet had come loose and after lots of sweating and swearing Kate was able to get it properly reseated.

Howdy, I'm a newbie to this forum and also to the small 'Toyboxes'. My spouse and I purchased one in late June, fixed it up and then took it on a 4700 mile road trip from north central Washington state, up into British Columbia, thru Canada to Saskatchewan, down into North Dakota, across northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and then into the UP of Michigan. We returned via Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and then home. The reason we used a motorhome was so our 14 year old pooch, Homer, could make the trip with us. We named the vehicle "Homer's Roamer". The reason for the trip was to attend a memorial service for my mother and to bury her ashes. Details. The vehicle is a 1991 Itasca Spirit. It is based on a one ton Toyota Hilux chasis (6 bolt axle). It has a V6 engine. It was a "grandpa's RV" that sat unused for 10 years. When we purchased it there were 42750 miles on the odometer. A thousand dollars + later we had new belts, hoses, tires, fluids, etc. Off we went. There is a fairly steep learning curve to these vehicles. The cruise control and the overdrive of Homer's Roamer don't like each other as set up. Put the cruise control on at 60 and the overdrive kicks in at 60, then bogs down causing a constant shifting pattern. I finally gave up on the cruise control. My mileage then went up and the vehicle 'felt' better. The harder I pushed the engine the better the MPG. Go figure. Some of the best mileage per gallon we got was while laboring up high mountain passes. We averaged 13.7 MPG during the 4725 miles. Our worst tank was 9.6 MPG (burning crappy 15% methanol) and our best was about 14.9 MPG. The fuel gauge on our vehicle is suspect so I never drove over 200 miles to a tank. Lots of gas stops and chances to explore small towns. As to the trip, here are a few observations: 1. Avoid popular places like Lake Louise and Banff during summer months. Same goes as to Mt. Rushmore. Way to many people with bad tempers and driving habits. 2. Find quirky places like Vulcan, Alberta, where you find oddities like a 'spaceship' visitors center that celebrates Star Trek. Drive those smaller back roads. They are usually smoother than the Trans-Canada Hwy. 3. When touring check the back of CENEX gas stations to see if they happen to have free waste dump sites (they aren't marked). They don't advertise them but they are free to use. Offer a couple of bucks to a local service club or charity to assuage your guilt. 4. NE North Dakota is very pretty, especially after SE Saskatchewan (you can actually see the curvature of the earth). Check the smaller towns for a township campground. Try the local foods like smoked turkey jerky, its great! 5. Most of those bright yellow fields are planted in canola, not mustard. 6. If you park in one spot for more than a day then check your clothing or food drawers to see if a mouse has moved in. We transported one from northern Michigan to central Washington by accident. 7. Boondocking tip, White River, SD has a very nice old camping park that is free and empty. If you have a long extension cord you can find power on light poles. Be ready for lots of grasshoppers. They don't bite but they sure smear your windows. 8. Be ready to listen to Harley Davidson motorcycles while transiting any where near Sturgis, SD (and a 300 mile radius) during late July or early August. They certainly reverb well in some of those steep walled canyons. 9. Hwy 40 in Alberta (southbround from the TCA), just east of Canmore and before Calgary, is incredible! I'm going back some time I don't have to meet a schedule. 10. Be responsible about going slow, get out of the way when you see others backed up behind you and be sure to enjoy the scenery. Happy backroads to you! Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

OK, I'm relatively new to this forum so I'm still learning how to post. Bear with me... If you are going to Michigan then you should seriously consider going to the upper peninsula of the state. It is beautiful and sparsley populated. May I suggest the small town of Grand Marais, located about half way between Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie? It is located on a natural harbor, has a decent township campground, miles of beautiful beaches, and a decent diner or two. The best fiction written about the area include Ernest Hemmingway (Two Hearted River) and Joseph Heywood (the Wood's Cop series). Look up my brother, Marc Oglevie. He can steer you to good fishing or other local activities. He owns the local newspaper (Grand Mararis Gazette). There are lots of places to "boondock" about 15 to 20 miles east of town which are located just above the beach. The fall colors are spectacular. Hunting for agates on the beaches is one of the popular activities. If you get a chance to eat a 'pastie' take it. It is a full meal in itsself. Other things to see in the UP (locals call themselves 'Yoopers') include Taquamanon (sp?) Falls, the large ACE locks at Sault Ste. Marie (just call it the "Soo"), Pictured Rocks National Park. There are other things to see as you go west in the UP but I am not very familiar with those even though I just drove thru there last month. I hope you have a great trip! Dave Oglevie Chelan, WA

Thanks for the suggestion. I presently have the couch out (darned water leak in the filling tube) so I have been familiarizing myself with the hidden electronic goodies. We don't have A/C AC. We don't even have a generator. The fuse that we can't find is the one for the dashboard AC. Any tips on the whereabouts of the 12V AC fuse box that was supposed to be on the passenger seat kickpanel? I hope I don't have to remove the passenger seat up front.

I recently bought a '91 21' Itasca Spirit. It was a "Grandpa" rig. Grandpa built a nifty plywood cargo box and affixed it to the rear bumper with angle iron. It works great! Doesn't seem to harm the ride (but you do have to be careful when backing up as it adds a couple of feet to the rig). Just finished a 4800 mile journey and wouldn't try it again if I didn't have the extra cargo capacity. It is also a great place to put stinky clothes and linens between laundromats.

We want to check the fuse for the cab AC in our 1991 Toyota/Itasca Spirit. The owner's manual shows 3 fuse panels. We found 2 - one on the driver's side and one under the hood but cannot find the 3rd. The manual says it is on the passenger side under the dash but we couldn't find one there. Anyone know where to look? Thanks

We have a 1991 Toyota/Itasca Spirit MH. We just finished a 4500 trip and all went well until we connected city water to the MH (with no pressure reducer - oops!) and sprang a leak at the connection to the toilet. I can see the problem but cannot figure out how to get a wrench on the connector to remove it and repair/replace it. Does anyone know how to do this without having to remove the toilet? We also discovered the water tank leaked to the interior of the MH when it was more than half full. Made for some very soggy carpeting. How does one track down the leak? Do we have to attempt to remove the tank? Do you have to remove the couch to get to this? As you can tell we are at a loss as to how to continue. Both of us are pretty handy but need some guidence. Thanks