bufbooth

I have been using Rock Auto for the last couple years, never a problem, good prices. The two rear brake drums for my 1990 Toyota Odyssey were purchased from Rock Auto, I paid $24 for each.

I finished getting the air bags swapped and was able to find out the model of them, the logo was still on the other one, they are Firestone AirSleeve TTT 3-T. I also finished the job of putting new rear brake drums on, new rear brake shoes, new axle seals, and bleed the brake lines. I had a hard time getting the rear brake shoes adjusted though the bottom rear adjuster access hole, but finally found a tool that made the job easy and without having to take the tires off. I used an electric box cross bar (35 cents at the hardware store). It was the perfect length, just a little bit narrower than the access hole. Due to its width it never misses catching the brake sprocket adjuster. Attached is a picture of it.

speaking of cushions, I took all of my off, unzipped them, removed the foam, and washed the cushions in the washing machine and then let dry on a clothes line...got them all back together and they looked great.

I have talked to a few from the South about starting a Rally, even offering to share my past notes and even helping with recruitement, but it never got past an initial discussion. Guessing due to low interest.

The rear rims on your 1991 should be split (vs welded) and all six of your rims should be identical. Dennis...

I do not know about the ST205-75-R14 Hercules that you mentioned, but one red flag would be the 205-75 size. The 205-75 might end up being too wide to be used for your Duellys, that is they might end up touching which is bad (heat build up, tire explodes), Regarding the Hankook RA08, I know that a 195/R14 Load Range D works great with the Duellies, I have them on my 1990 Odyssey (6,500 lbs) which I think is the heaviest model of the Toyotas and I still have a solid 1/2 gap between the tires, and have seen others use the same tire. The Hankook RA08 used to be hard to find (at least in my neck of the woods), but a recent search showed that Sears, Walmart, Discount Tire, and others now carry them or can order them. The above size basically has a 2,000 capacity. Dennis...

We now have 6 confirmed reservations, 4 more weeks to go!

Regarding the 400lbs...my toyota was weighed when it was half loaded.

another route to take is go to walmart and get a heavy duty plastic storage bin that is a little bit bigger than the A/C unit. Cut vent holes in the side where the old ones were (if you can't recall just look at some for sale on ebay), and find a way to secure it down (rubber straps, or metal plumbers tape). Should cost less than $20. Dennis...

Hello All, I had to pull my rear axle on my 1990 Toyota Odyssey today, was installing new brakes and drums. After I put the axle back in I looked at my 1990 Toyota Factory Repair manual and for the six axle nuts (the ones with the cone washers), it stated 125lbs. Actually, it stated (340 km-cm, 125 ft. lbs, 33 N-m). There was no way these nuts (12mm) were going to handle 125lbs, so I did a conversion on the 340 km-cm and the 33 N-m and they came up to 24.3 and 24.6....so I think the correct ft. lbs should of been 25 ft. lbs instead of 125. Dennis...

Hello All...I just got done from crawling out from under my Toyota after being under it all day. Regarding my Air bags they are Firestone, but could not see the model name, but they stated 20 lbs min., 100 lbs max, and mine are installed with two seperate air valves (that is one valve for each bag so that I can put different air pressures in each bag), which I believe is an Odyssey factory standard since I have seen two other 1990/1991 Odysseys with the same exact setup, even the same air pressure labels. On a side note, they are also marked Carmel, IN (I live in Carmel, IN!). I did figure out why one was hitting the shock, the air bags were installed on the wrong side. My set actually has a left and right side. The air bag is 3.5 inches wide and it is mounted on a 4 inch square plate that is welded to a U-shaped bracket that slides over the leaf springs, however, this 4-inch plate is not centered on the U-shaped bracket, that is 1/4 inch overhangs one side and 3/4 inch overhangs the otherside, and both air bags are a mirror image. I switched them today, that is I put the left side one on the right side and the right side one on the left, and they both now center perfectly and I have a 1/2 inch gap between the shock and the air bag now (instead of them touching). Also, I could not just spin them 180 degree due to a welded on bracket that secures them to the axle. Also, to possilbly explain why I have a passenger side lean, according to my scale measurements, my passenger rear tires have 400lbs more weight then the driver's side. This is probably do to having the closet, gas tank, outside storage unit, and a full size (two seperate doors) refig all on the passenger side and on/behind the rear axle. The air bag that was rubbing has some rubber off, but it appears to not have any thread damage, I currently have it on and put in 80lbs to test it and it has been holding air all day and the rubbed area looks good. The rubber coating is actually pretty thin on these air bags, I am going to get some rubber sealant or shoe goo to give it a protective layer (just have a 1/2 by 1 inch area to be covered). Dennis...

Isnt that the main purpose of an air bag, to level?

Regarding the refrigerator and hot-water vents, I was getting mice nest in there, which made for some interesting Fall heater test, I have flames and black smoke coming out of the vent. After two years in a row of this, I took off the vent cover and installed a heavy metal screen. When I took my Toyota out of storage this year, I did not have anything in the refrigerator and hot-water vents.

Hello All...after I put on my new Bilstein rear shocks, I realized that they now touch the left side air bag and have started to rub away the rubber coating. There is no way to move/adjust the air bag to make it better, all adjustments make it worse. My first question is does anyone know what brand/model air bag I have, from the past owner the bag is 8 to 10 years old, it is 8.5 inches long (uninflated, not counting the metal bracket and 3 inches wide. My second question is about how old is the service life of an air bag, since I have one off, is it about time to replace it with a new one, especially since I have some rubber off? And third, do I really need the air bag on the left side? With all air out of both air bags my Toyota's rear end is plenty high, only used the air bags to level the sides and my right side was always lower than the left side. Even after new coil spring bushings and the new Bilstein shocks, my toyota still leans to the right, requiring the right side air bag to get about 70lbs to level it. I have been putting 20lbs of air into the left air bag (the one I have out right now), only because there was a warning label to keep a mininum of 20lbs in them. Since it appears that I do not need the left air bag (actually by not having it I might only need 50lbs in my right air bag), is there any reason/danger in only having one air bag installed? I am currently thinking I will have a better ride with only the one air bag since it will have less air in it and there will be no left air bag. Thanks, Dennis...

Replace your air filter...a really dirty one can rob you of up to 20% of your mpg.

Usually rear brakes do not work too well in reverse.

I had to laugh at Karin's comment about Burning Man, I could not tell if she was referring to straying one's self down with glue or one's Toyota... After all, it is Burning Man!

A tarp (or even a RV cover) will lead to scratch if you let it flap enough. You probably could use a trap if you secured it well. Use rubber straps instead of rope tie downs, rope will loose up over time which will result in the tarp or cover flapping, rubber straps will keep tension on the tarp or cover.

From a Toyota motorhome owner perpective, it means no wood damage/rot and almost no chance of rust. Even Sunraders contain some wood components. These campers do not contain any wood and only a couple steel components. One could have a water leak and there would be no structural or interior damage. The other benefit is the reduced weight.

Long time ago in grade school, I was told that Napoleon would tell his orders to a front line solider before having them released to his chain of command in order to ensure that the orders were clear and understandable.

If recent head gasket replacements are really occurring, there is a very easy solution to prove it. All one needs is the name of a Toyota dealership that recently did a free head gasket replacement, and then just call the manager of that dealership and ask exactly how they processed the claim. If a dealership name is not being provided, then I really doubt that these free head gasket replacements are occurring. I would not be surprised that some dealerships are claiming they are doing the free head gasket replacement in order to charge for a list of other work items to be done at the same time just to get the business. That would explain why Toyota headquarters is stating the campaign doesn't apply anymore. I would really like to hear from someone that only got the head gasket replaced (no other work) for free. Guessing that we will probably not find that situation. Dennis...

Interesting information

I have a photo of a Toyota motorhome somewhere that the owner did a total strip down of the coach, just left the aluminum framing. I will post it if I can find it. Dennis...

Very interesting design: http://www.livinlite.com/

A number of companies offer fully rebuilt (all new tubing) cooling units.