siskiou

I forgot to add the link. Should be there now.

Would this be the correct one? http://www.jcwhitney.com/american-shifter-company-automatic-transmission-kickdown-cable/p3086554.jcwx?filterid=c3759d2183y1986g2u0j1 I'll let you know!

Great! Thanks! I hope, it's an easy fix! Do we need a new cable, or could it be just stuck? Anything we can try at home to fix it?

For some reason I can't upload files (space exceeded), so I hope the links works. Pisc shows the kickdown cable, when gas pedal is not pressed: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/dil5s8lyxr1gigj/ibTLuRqDAv https://www.dropbox.com/sc/1h6snjlrv6mm59r/MI_Nao5lG3

Thanks again! I'll try to take a photo of the throttle cable in both positions, tomorrow, in daylight. No recent exhaust work. PO did some exhaust work before selling, but that was 2 years ago, and the transmission was working fine then.

Yeah, you never know for sure, unfortunately. And who knows, if the next one will do any better! Would a mistake show up right away? It ran fine for the first year we had it.

Thanks, everyone! I thought I'd get an email, if someone posts on the thread, but I didn't. Reverse and 1st are fine, but it's not shifting up from 1st. The kickdown cable does not retract, when accelerator is not pressed. Could that cause it to not shift up at all? It goes into reverse just fine. Would it do that, if the cable was the culprit? Fluid level is fine, and color/smell is, too. Looks brand new. Transmission was rebuilt 5000k ago, according to previous owner. Got to go to work now, and won't have time to crawl under the truck until this weekend, but we haven't noticed any leaks.

Thank you!

We are having transmission trouble, starting with the MH being reluctant to shift up for the first trip out this spring. Was fine after warming up, but did it again, after sitting a few days. Fine again, after warming up. Fast forward to some more sitting over the summer and now it won't shift out of 1st at all. Fluid levels are fine, and it looks/smells nice and clean. I'm trying to figure out worst case scenario prices, and looking at getting a new/used tranny, but have been asked if it needs to be 1 1/2 ton or 1 ton version. We have the 6 lug rear axle and 5 lug front. Can someone help me out and let me know which exact model we would need, please?

Hi Elliot, sorry for the late reply! For some reason, I didn't get notified that there was a reply on this thread. Your MPG sounds exactly what we were getting on our first drive: 1000 miles on I5. We've kept track, and the best we've got was 14.5 MPG, but mostly it *is* between 11-12. I was hoping for better, too, but I guess the Odyssey is the heaviest of the bunch, and therefore uses more gas. We are planning on a new O2 sensor, to see if that makes a difference.

Would love to see some pics, too, before spending money on a horizontal use tank.

Was able to upload/attach pictures earlier today, but now it fails each time, and says uploading is not allowed. What could be the reason?

It took some doing, but the "nose" is now sealed and not leaking anymore! I'm not sure how the cabover area of an Odyssey is normally constructed, but ours had some aftermarket metal strip screwed across, over pounds and pounds of caulking, and it was leaking anyhow. Didn't look that nice, either. After taking the strip off, we found lots of rust, and an open seam beneath the caulking. Took hours, over several days, of cleaning it all up. We debated whether to just stick a strip of eternabond on it, but then decided to try and fiberglass it instead. I glued a piece of drywall bead with just the right angle across the seam. Three layers of fiberglass mat. Husband and daughter wanted some color on it, so I got a red that matches one of the vinyl stripes we are planning on adding to the sides later and went to work. And here it is! By no means perfect, but we like it and won't have to worry about cabover leaks from that area anymore! Oh, and ignore the debris on the hood! I haven't cleaned up, yet.

Yes, I know how to turn on the water pump! The other pump I mentioned is this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HKZHIW/ref=asc_df_B001HKZHIW2073776?smid=A3K29OG9312VDN&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B001HKZHIW&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17308812411742673461&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt= They *do* come on, for the rinse tank, so I know they work. Will do a thorough investigation today... Thanks! I'll be careful! Would this be only for a manual transmission? Ours is an automatic.

Here is a picture of the panel, with me checking the fresh water tank. Some sensor lights are not on, even though the sensors are under water. The same lights work for the grey water tank. And the pump I talked about is not the coach's water pump, but a pump designed to be able to dump your black and grey water into a home sewer. View of the water tank and the broken valve (the little white one way in the back on the bottom), plus a lot of junk that needs cleaning under there. Am I correct that the little white valve is the fresh water drain valve? I didn't see any other kind of valve under there. Have seen a type with a pull-ring mentioned, but I'm not sure our Odyssey has them. And another mystery switch: It's the top most one. No idea what it's for and previous owner didn't know, either.

Thanks! The switch is not the overdrive. That's located at the end of the gear shift. Hopefully, someone will have an idea. We don't have a large bank of batteries, but there are two for the coach. One accessible through an outside door, the other mounted underneath the coach, on the passenger side. The inverter works, though I've only tested it with a cell phone charger (before reading about modified sine waves, but it worked fine with my phone). My sensor panel doesn't have a way to reset anything. There are just the lights and the switches to check the battery (that one works), the fresh water (3 out ot 5 work), Rinse water (all sensors work) and Black (3 out of 5 work). So, from reading it must either be the sensors themselves, or the cables, right? The sensors are the kind that is stuck through the tank wall from the outside of the tank. Not sure if I should attempt to remove and clean the ones in question. Our sofa almost looks easiest to move by unbolting the feet, though I'm not sure if there is enough space to move it out of the way enough. I can't see how to take it apart otherwise. The cushions can't be removed, and I'm afraid if we take the springs off, we'll never be able to put it back together. First, we'll have to empty the fresh water tank, and since the drain valve broke, we'll have to do it by turning on all the faucets and empty the rinse and black tanks. The RV came with a Flojet pump, but we haven't tested it yet. Do you connect the clamps from the pump to the coach battery to run it? The battery weighs a ton, and I couldn't get it out of its compartment to try it out. Either that, or the battery is bolted down. Am continuing with the leak proofing, until Mr. Siskiou can give a hand after work.

Thanks for the tips, John! We'll try to follow the wires to see what the switch might do. Once we have access to the tank, can the sensors be taken out and cleaned, or replaced? Or is that opening up a can of worms regarding leaks? So far, the batteries are doing okay, with us only using a light or two, while fixing things. If we plug it in, how long before the batteries "get cooked"? Does that only happen if you leave it plugged in for months? We'll definitely sanitize the tanks, as soon as we fix that leak!

So, we are running into all sorts of things while working on fixing/cleaning up our newly acquired Toyhome, and are hoping to get some advice here, in addition to the yahoogroup. Posting pictures seems easier in a forum. I'm slowly making progress with re-sealing all the seams and windows! There are pounds of caulking and silicone to remove, which takes absolutely forever. Today, we filled up the fresh water tank to test the sensors (2 out of 5 don't work) and discovered a small leak where the hose from the outside connects to the tank. It's too far back to be reached easily, so we'll have to remove the jack-knife sofa. What fun! Any tips how to do this as painlessly as possible? Also, my husband tried to open the fresh water drain valve, which is inconveniently located under the sofa, way in the back, and the valve handle broke right off. The plastic was very brittle. At least, the valve itself didn't snap off! That would have been a real mess! How easy is that to replace and would it be possible to put on an elbow, drill a hole through the fiberglass, and have the valve on the outside of the motorhome? Next, does anyone know what this switch is for? Does it relate to having two coach batteries? And is this inverter any good and can someone explain how to use it properly? I read a pdf user manual, but can only hope that this was installed properly! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions soon!

Thanks for the list, Linda! I've joined the group and am going through the more recent messages! I hope the sellers will be able to answer at least the most important questions!

Just wondering: is there a checklist for buyers out there? A motorhome is pretty complex, and I could see myself missing something important, when the time comes to make a decision. It'll be me doing all the pre-checking, since my husband hates shopping of any kind (unless it's music related *g*), and as long as it doesn't smell musty, or look like a complete wreck, he'll go along with me, if the price is right. I love the research part, and try to learn as much as possible beforehand, so it works out great for us. Having never owned or rented a motorhome before, and knowing nobody who has, I'd love to print out a check list, so we don't end up buying something, and then discovering all the hidden flaws later!

I'll keep my eye on craigslist, and hope something good shows up at a reasonable price. There are several over $10,000 advertised and one that sounds good, but has over 100,000 miles on the engine, and a collection of 70s models.

Thanks! We'll definitely watch out for that! So, having to be slightly hunched over whenever standing up doesn't get to you with time? It's good to hear that the sleeping space is fine! It seems, in our area (Oregon), there are quite a few late 70s Toyota MHs available, but the newer ones are rare/expensive.

Thanks, Dennis and Derek! It certainly helps to be of average height when it comes to RVs!

Thanks for the input, Linda and Derek! I probably should have asked if the over the cab bed is long enough for him to stretch out and sleep compfortably! We will wait for a model with the 6 lug axle to become available in our area, and then check it out in-depth!

Hi, my husband and I are in the market for a small motorhome with good gas mileage and the Toyotas sound great. One problem: my husband is 6'4" tall. And so far, all the Toyota motorhomes we've come across have been too low for him to stand upright in. Are there any models that are higher at all? Or do we have to look for something else?