zero

Voltage readings mean nothing unless you can read voltage and measure current at the same time. It can drive you nuts. A few years ago I put solar panels in a remote cabin and had it all wired for 12 volts. At first all my lights were CFLs and all worked fine. When I changed to LEDs, I had two that glowed dim even when turned off. Finally in a fit of desperation - I cut one of power wires right off at the bulb-fixture and it STILL glowed dim. Figure that one out? Note - it WAS grounded to earth. So, two wires to complete the 12 volt DC circuit plus a ground to earth. Note - the fix was cutting off that d*mn ground wire.

I compared brake rotors between a 1985 HD cab & chassis with single rear wheels - versus - a 1988 HD cab & chassis with a full floater and dual rear wheels. Both rotors are the same size. One mounts with 5 bolts and the other with 6 bolts. Since they are the same thickness and diameter, it makes me think the old brake mounts and calipers will work. Again - I am not 100% sure. Ask Totem on this forum. He changed his over and not sure what he had to use.

Just to make something clear. Nothing wrong with sticking in new contacts or cleaning up the old ones. Had to do it many time in my Subarus with Hitachi starters. Not yet with my 88 Toyota. My point about my personal choice for buying new is this. By the time contacts in a starter get so worn they fail to work - you can assume the rest of the starter has a lot of wear. So you can stick in new contacts, or clean up the old ones - it might work for years to come - or it might fail two months later from worn out brushes, melted field wires, bad drive, etc. I used to nickel and dime all my starter and alternator repairs (I used to rebuild them professional when it was still profitable for a small shop). So just my personal choice. Since the Chinese have come up with dirt-cheap brand new starters and alternators - I choose to replace with brand new. Two of my John Deere tractors have Chinese starters. So does my 1978 Toyota Chinook. So does my Ford F250 diesel truck. I just put a new Chinese alternator on my Dodge van yesterday; My old Chevy diesel plow truck also has a Chinese starter. So far - all have worked flawlessly. NOT trying to confuse the issue. Just giving you something to think about when trying to decide to renew your contacts, or buy a local "rebuilt", or buy brand new.

Starter motor needs 9 volts to spin properly - not 12 volts. At 9 volts - headlights dim a little, and anything lower - near go out. Thus the test. If the headlights stay fairly bright when you hear the "click" - then you know the starter is not drawing power and it is NOT a battery issue. That "click" is always there. You just can't hear it when the starter motor spins and does its job. If the "click" is at the starter. Two metal contacts that hit each other and turn power on to the starter (and also put the starter drive in mesh). Either they are no longer making electrical contact, or the the starter has worn out brushes. The only way to know 100% for sure is to test voltage at the starter-post when it "clicks." If anything over 9 volts - something inside the starter is the problem. I find the headlight test much easier. I've changed a lot of starter contacts in many makes of starters. Not much anymore. In my older age, where I've come to hate fixing dead vehicles - especially out on the road, I have adopted this mentality. If a starter gives me trouble - I buy a brand new one, and NOT a rebuilt. This way I don't have to trade in the old one. I then install the new one, and rebuild the old one myself when I get in the mood and then have a spare. Brand new starter for your rig is $65. NEW, not rebuilt. If this was an old Chevy - you could buy an entire new solenoid with new contacts for $15 change it in 15 minutes. Not so with a Denso starter in a Toyota. You CAN pop the lid off the starter and file the contacts to get more life out of them.

I bought that Chinook in Maine from a Cajun kid from Louisiana. He was travelling, but got stopped in Maine with a broken windshield. I bought it for $500. He painted it with a spray can. I am still trying to find a way to remove that layer of paint but save the still-existing Chinook MPG lettering and decals underneath. It is TOUGH stuff. Acetone won't touch it.

I did a changeover on a 78 Chinook with coil-spring suspension and that was NOT easy. I am the only such truck I've ever seen where it was done. Maybe other owners have better things to do with their time.. On a 1985 - finding those hubs is the main issue because you are not going to get them aftermarket. That and the brake-caliper-brackets IF you need them. The rest is easy. New calipers, pads, and rotors are dirt-cheap at places like Rock Auto. Note - if you have a friend who wants to do such a change and decides the brake-caliper-brackets are needed - I have a pair I'd sell cheap. I have them left-over from when I changed over my 1978 Chinook to 6 lug. No way could I adapt 1987 brakes to my 1978 Chinook so I still have those brackets. I only used the hubs.

Certainly no rules as to latch choice. This is what I have on mine. Mine top came half way up on a trip last year when I forgot to latch them. I lucky I didn't blow the top off (which has happened to others).

Plenty around like that. My 1988 Minicruiser has one spare to fit front or back and Toyota designed it so all wheels have the same off-set. The 1987 box-truck I stripped was the same. Same with my ugly 1978 Chinook except with that - I did all the change-over work. Certainly did not come from the factory like that. I know of many duals on Toyotas in 185R-14C, 185/75-14, and 195/75-14 that worked fine on bad rocky roads and I've never heard of rocks getting wedge inbetween to be any special issue. I do most of my travel on gravel roads and I certainly have had no problems.

What the heck does that imply? The 6 lug hubs have the same bearings as the 5 lug hubs. So you just take the old hubs off put the 6 lug hubs on. If the bearing races are good in the 6 lug hubs - then nothing to be pressed in, or out. Just use the bearing races in the 6 lug hubs and bearing cones from the 5 lug hubs - lube, adjust, and that's it. Rotor bolts to the hubs and in the case of a 1985 - I do not know if the rotors from the 5 lug setup will fit. I suspect not. I think (and maybe someone will correct me) - that 5 lug hubs for 5 lug wheels have rotors with 5 mounting holes. 6 lug hubs for 6 lug wheels have rotors with 6 mounting holes. I've never done the changeover on a 1985. I've only done it on older rigs with coil-spring front-suspensions and those have totally different brakes. I assume (but am not sure) - for a complete change - you need two hubs, two rotors. two brake-caliper brackets and maybe two calipers. It is possible the old calipers do not need to be changed but I am not sure on an 85.

I've got no argument about the 4.3 being a rock-solid engine. So is the Chrysler 3.3 and 3.8. All good-old fashioned pushrod engines that are extremely reliable. One could argue that the 4.3 is based on a 61 year-old design and that's a pretty good record. I know of several Winnebago Lesharos that came with 2.2 liter gas engine and got 14 MPG. When changed over to Mopar 3.3 or 3.8s - they had more power and got 15 MPG. Makes a person wonder sometimes about what we really gain with "high tech." Some will argue here that the best Toyota truck engine was the 70s 2.2, then next "not quite as good" the 2.4, and worse yet the 3 liter. Not a Toyota - but I've got a GM badged as a Suzuki XL7. Has the GM "high feature" engine also used in some Cadillacs. 3.6 liter, high compression, four cams, variable valve timing, timing chains all over the place, etc. So, what is the purpose of all this high-tech? It's an AWD and gets 19 MPG on highway runs. My old pushrod 3.8 in my 1998 AWD Grand Caravan gets 21 MPG on the same trips and has all the power I want. I don't get it with why some of this newer stuff is so complex, but with little to no gain. Anyway, I digress. 4.3 sounds like a great swap for that Mirage. I know the Provan Tiger RVs based on Astrovans with 4.3s have been tested at 15-16 MPG and that is better then my 2.4 does in my 1988 Toyota.

I rarely ever see these already off and for sale. Not exactly cheap though. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Motor-home-Front-Dual-Wheel-Hubs-/381706849809?hash=item58df804e11:g:HnIAAOSwdzVXjZ4Y&vxp=mtr

I guess I'm veering of the Toyota subject a bit - but the 50/50 price seems all about convenience. Anybody here use Roundup as a weed-killer? Roundup or a generic brand of the same thing (glyphosate) sells for crazy prices in "small dilluted doses" for gardeners. I pay $26 for 2 1/2 gallons at full 41% strength and it makes 320 gallons of spray. The little gardener's bottles at Home Depot are $13 and make 5 gallons of the same strength mix. So I pay 8 cents per gallon, whereas people who buy those small "covenient" bottles are paying $2.60 per gallon. Same sort of reasoning with the 50/50 coolant but BIGGER price disparity.

I had a 1986 4WD S15 Jimmy for years with a TBI 2.8 and a 700R4. It ran fine for what it was. Got 19 MPG on highway runs. Sold it with 180K and engine ran fine, but yes - not a powerhouse. The reality is - I would not expect any engine that small to be powerful - at least not of that vintage. I went from that to a 1995 AWD Astrovan with the 4.3 and CPI injection and the 4L60E. It got a best of 18 MPG and is likely the worse piece of crap I ever owned, including the CPI fuel system. Never any huge mechanical issues other then the fuel injection. Many small problems - almost on a weekly basis. When it comes to V8s - if I wanted one in an RV - I'd have something like a Roadtrek, or a coach-on-frame diesel. Not why I mess with little Toyotas and Datsuns. My main goal is ultimate fuel mileage for travellilng cross country with three people and a dog. I am kind of disappointed with the fuel mileage in my 1988 20 footer with the 2.4 EFI and auto trans. My 1978 Chinook with the 2.2 and 5 speed manual is MUCH better, but it is also MUCH smaller. I've got a dually full-floater in that. I can get 22 MPG with it and I wonder if it would do better is I'd left the original single-tire SF rear in it that it came with OEM.

I had a little lightning-bolt of insight this morning. I have a hypothesis as to what happened. If the positive lead to the battery lost all contact with the battery post - the alternator-regulator got a signal saying the battery was "stone dead." In that case, voltage would rise as high as possible within the design limits of the alternator-regulator. How high that figure is - I do not know. I suspect super-high voltage caused my ignition system and maybe my fuel system to go crazy. It kind of makes sense now because when this happened - with the head-lights on, and AC also on, the engine would idle fine. Once I hit the gas it would crap out; I suspect at low engine idle - voltage was low enough to not have a stroke. I agonize over things like this because if it died once - I really want to know what the cause was so I can prevent it from happening again. We drove it 400 miles since I fixed the terminals and put in a new battery and it's been fine.

Looks like a fine upgrade, but I have to ask. Why choose the Toyota/Dyna dually when you are working on an S10? I've got a 21 foot Dolphin RV parked near me I can buy cheap and it is built upon a 1983 S10 chassis. The price keeps going down and I might wind up buying it for $500. Runs fine and has a 2.8 V6 and a 700R4 trans with lock-up converter and OD. It also has a very convoluted add-on dually kit of unknown make or origin. If I get it - I too want to stick in a full-floater. I already have a spare Toyota full-floater and a dozen of those scarce 6 X 7.25" 14" wheels. But - I'd like to match GM to GM if possible and also have matching front and rear wheels. I don't own it yet, so have not done much research. I am kind of hoping though to use a 14 bolt semi-floater from a 3/4 ton truck, and perhaps will find adapter hubs to put on front so the wheels match. As far as I know - S10s always had 5 lug wheels and the 14 bolt GM rears always had 6 or 8 lug wheels. So, I don't know if there is an easy swap to have wheels match, front and back.

I am still amazed at how much coolant gets sold in 50/50 mix. At least with the stuff I buy locally, a gallon of 50/50 is near the same price as a gallon of 100% strength. What amazes me is how lazy some people are - they will pay twice the price to avoid mixing their own. I don't know if works the same way with the new stuff since I'll never -ever - buy any.

GM used Stanadyne/Roosamaster DB2 pumps - exactly the same models as Ford used. Also the same as used by the military on Humvees and diesel K5 Blazers and cargo carriers, etc. U.S. Army, starting in 1990, used JP8 military fuel in all diesels. NOT US "pump diesel." My 1994 F250 has the original pump with 240,000 miles (a "junk" Stanadyne like GM uses). Since you put a 90K figure on them, seems I'm doing better then most. Note my truck has always been run on farm diesel, or heating oil, or conventional pump diesel, or ultra-low-sulfur with 2-stroke oil added. US Military bought thousands of trucks with civilian-type 6.2 and 6.5 diesels. Same as what came in half-ton pickups (and more HD rigs), along with K5 Blazers. There are hundreds of documents from the U.S. Army documenting pump wear problems. low lube issues, and the many efforts they made to off-set those issues. Note - that's with JP8 military diesel that is close to winter-blend diesel we get at the pump. HMMWV, CUCV, - M1008, M1009, M1010, M1028, M1031, etc. All with the same Stanadyne pumps we got in civilian trucks up through 1993.

I worked in three different diesel fuel injection shops but all were off-road. On-road requires different equipment and has different rules due to highway emissions regs.. That said, back in the 70s and 80s - many of the same injection pumps were used on cars, trucks, farm tractors, log skidders, etc. That all changed in the 90s. GM's last year for a mechanical pump was 1993. Ford was mid 1994, etc. Most of our customers used off-road diesel that was NOT low sulfur when it was mandated at the pumps. Now - it is all low-sulfur - even heating oil (at least where I live). We saw many pump problems - but to be fair - we did not get customers come visit us just to tell us how great their rigs were running. We only saw the bad. I DID go to many service schools an DID keep up with what was going on with auto-diesels. I also owned a dozen GM, VW, Dodge Cummins, Ford-IH, and Isuzu diesels myself. There is no question that ultra-low sulfur diesel has the natural lube cooked out of it. Also no question that fuel sellers are supposed to dump a fuel lube additive into that fuel before selling to you. I also have little doubt that most sellers have little concern for weirdos that are still driving mechanically-injected diesels from the past and they are the ones with the higher lube needs. Our US military refused to switch over to electronic pumps for the GM engines in Humvees (same engines that came in K5 Blazers, ?Suburbans, and pickups). So there is much info from the military with the constant pump failures from low-lube - especially in hot areas like Iraq. Not the same fuel as the pump fuel we get here - but close. I know this. #1 Most people including mechanics don't own tools to check a timing advance and many have no clue how to even try #2 Besides advance wear from low-lube fuel - for some reason the newer fuel also eats up rubber parts so materials got updated. For me? Considering a replacement pump can cost over $1000 - I trust myself to make sure my fuel has all the lube it needs. For those that trust fuel sellers to care about us with old rigs - go for it.

I got thinking about your rig. I forgot until looking in my tech manual that the alternator in a 81 diesel is different from an 81 gas version. My book says your alternator has an internal voltage regulator. That likely means that IF you really want a rectifier-based isolator - you need a four-post unit and NOT a three-post like you have now. A four-post hooks up just the same as you have now except it has that 4th post that gets hooked to IGN wire that senses voltage somewhere other then the alternator post. I feel bad making this all sound convoluted - but it is. Lots of different charging systems out there and not all isolator work on all RVs. Double check for yourself - but it looks to me you have three choices IF you want full charge voltage to reach all your batteries. #1 Buy a 4 post rectifier-based isolator. #2 Buy an FET isolator (looks like what you have now but has near no voltage drop and has no rectifiers inside) #3 (MY CHOICE) Buy a "smart" relay. No voltage drop and no semi-conductors to blow out and FULL charge voltage. I have the PowerStream "smart" relay I attached an image of.

Isolators come in three post and four post. Newer Toyotas (mid 80s and up) usually use a four-post unit. Back to your question. All a three post isolator is - is two one-way "check valves" tied together at the middle post. Inside the box are two large diode/rectifiers. I have never seen one go partially bad. Usually they work, or they are completely blown like a fuse. Just one side can blow however. So power from the alternator goes to the center post. It can only go one-way. It can go into and through the isolator, but cannot go backwards. That power travels one-way to both end posts. One for the cranking battery and one for the coach battery. So power goes to each, but can never flow backwards. This keeps one battery from draining the other. The device is simple. Only problems are this. #1 if overloaded it will blow just like a fuse. #2 when working correctly there is always a voltage drop of 7/10 ths of a volt. So if the alternator is making 14.2 volts (what batteries should get), the end terminals of that isolator drop to 13.5 volts which will charge your batteries - but not like they should be charged. I will get more complicated now. All alternators and regulator combos MUST have a way to sense actual battery voltage do the alternator can adjust voltage AT the battery and not AT the alternator post. As I recall, that is why some rigs need a four post isolator. I think the rule-of-thumb with Toyotas is - if the alternator has an internal regulator - a four post isolator is needed (but double check).or If you isolator is working - but only reads somewhere around 13.5 volts - then nobody is telling your alternator about it. If it knew - it would adjust and you'd see voltage at the alternator output post rise to 14.9 volts so the output of the isolator would be the proper 14.2 volts. One more note. Life is much simply by just getting rid of the isolator and put in a isolator-relay instead. Nothing to blow, and not voltage drop to deal with.

I'll add you do NOT want to put a 20 amp breaker in there anywhere. It does not match the ampacity of 14 gauge wire. 15 amp is what is called for and you already have two of them.

I must be missing something. Your panel already has two 15 amp breakers. One for the outlets and one for the converter. Why do you want more breakers? Just use the outlet circuit for your air-conditioner.

I've come across many VIN databases that do not recognize cab & chassis DLX trucks. 10 digit or 17 digit. Here are some examples. Make sure what you is the same format. 1977 Chinook 2.2 stick RN28066939 1978 Dolphin RN28122252 1978 Chinook 2.2 stick RN28106873 1979 Keystone Toyota RN28126012 1981 Sunrader 18 foot JT5RN44D0B0024133 1982 Toyota Minicruiser diesel jt4ln44d3c0059843 1982 Sunrader 2.4 gas, man. Trans. 18’ JT5RN44D0B0037478 1982 18 foot Toyota Minicruiser diesel jt4ln44d3c0059843 1984 Toyota Sunrader jt5rn55d5f5027722 1984 Dolphin stick JT5RN44D8D1148194 1986 cab and chassis 2.4 stick JT5RN75T7G0008221 1986 Granville JT5RN75U9G0002140 1986 RBR Minicruiser jt5rn75u5g0008761 1986 Coachman 21 footer VIN: JT5RN75U8G0003070 1986 Granville 4 cylinder VIN: JT5RN75U9G0002140 1987 Sunrader 22RE JT5RN75U6G0003200 1989 V6 stick not RV JT5VN94T8K0010340 1993 21 foot V6 JT5VN94T1P0032607 1983 Toyota Diesel Chinook motorhome jt4rn44sxd1147597 1985 cab chassis motorhome 4 cylinder JT5N55D4F5038923 1986 Mirage 22R automatic – dually rear - JT5RN55T4G7000173 1986 Toyota Odyssey 17 foot jt5rn75u6g0004153 1988 Travelmaster with 2.4 auto. JT5RN75U0H0014730 truck made 3/87 1988 Minicruiser 2.4 auto JT5RN75U2H0015460 1989 Dolphin V6 JT5VN94T6K0006187 1990 cab & chassis auto JT5VN94TXL0014682 1990 V6 Odyssey V6 JT5VN94T0L0012648 1990 Sunrader V6 JT5VN94T3K0010617 1990 V6 Dolphin JT5VN94T9L0019825 1990 Dolphin V6 JT5VN94T0K0009778 1990 Odysessey V6 JT5VN94TXL0012740 1991 Winnebago Warrior V6 JT5VN94T9M0021608 1990 Winnebago with V6 JT5VN94T7L0013893 1992 Winnebago V6 JT5VN94T0M0024574 1992 Winnebago V6 JT5VN94T6N0027738

Nice looking rig. Report your gas mileage. I know a guy that owns one Sunrader, three Dolphins, and two Winnebagos. He swears the Winnebagos handle the best and also get the best fuel mileage. True or BS, who knows? I've never owned a Winnebago Toyota yet, but have torn apart several Lesharos and am very impressed with Winnebago build-quality.

As far as I can tell, Toyota never designed (or ordered) any trans or converter with an overloaded RV in mind that just about never got driven with overdrive engaged. Subsequently, I don't see what the 4.10 ratio has to do with any stall-speed design. Toyota built a truck with a 4.10 rear and an overdrive of .688. Not a truck with a 4.10 rear driven all the time with a 1 to 1 ratio in the trans. So - when changing gears to 4.56 and then being able to use the .688 overdrive - not really a huge change for demand on the torque-converter as I see it. As far as lock-up goes with a conversion? At this point, I am kind of clueless when it comes to a A43D with lock-up. I just assume there are easy work-arounds. Last automatic trans I rebuilt was a 700R4 in a diesel Chevy Suburban and it was easy to modify it so I had lock-up in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. My 1994 Ford diesel with an E40D, in stock trim, has lock-up in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. In fact, it has too much due to some sort of problem. When cold, once it reaches lock-up, it stays locked up. Almost pushed me through a red light once. Once driven a few miles after a cold start it is fine. Could be a solenoid, could be a mechanical defect in the converter - who knows at this point? I'd rather just swap to a 5 speed manual trans, but was considering a lock-up automatic if I found anyone who has done it and is happy with it. Even with lock-up, the trans would still be robbing engine power to run the hydraulics. I don't have much of a reference point on the matter. Only thing close is to compare Winnebago Lesharos or Phasars. I have records of several with 2.2 gas engines and lock-up converter automatic transmissions. Most got around 14 MPG on the highway at 55-60 MPH. No they are not Toyota RVs, but close. Same size engines (or close), 14" tires, similar wind-resistance and similar GVWR.