[Lowering Rear Axle Gear Ratio]

Sorry for my confusion with part numbers. The box my ring and pinion came in does not match what Yukon shows on their site.

So - I looked up what I got on my old desktop computer.

The ring & pinion for my 1988 is Yukon part # YG-T8-456

The install kit is Yukon part # MK-T8A

The factory imperfect ring & pinion set from Yukon is sold as U.S. Standard brand name with part # ZG-T8-456.

[Lowering Rear Axle Gear Ratio]

I thought the switch to 8" happened long before 1988.

The so-called "8" V6" rear with four pinion diff. came out around 1985 as far as I know. The four-cylinder 8" rear with two pinion diff. came out earlier. I have trouble with the terminology used for Toyota rears. The four-cylinder "8" rears are sometimes called "7.8" rears - so who the heck knows? I suspect part of the problem is because the ring gear measures 7.8" on back and 8" on the front.

The 7.5" rear, as I recall, is the one Toyota dumped after model year 1974, and switched to the 7.8" to beef up the Chinook camper which was still a Toyota Corporate project at the time.

Regardless, I should of said the 1988 Toyota RV needs a 7.8" rear (or call it 8"), not a 7.5" rear. My mistake.

I went out and looked at the Yukon box my gears came in for my 1988 four-cylinder, two-pinion rear. Ring & Pinion kit is Yukon part # MK-T8A. Install kit is part # 12072.

[Lowering Rear Axle Gear Ratio]

Yukon Gear seems to be the most prominent supplier for Toyota rear axle gears and parts. Yukon does not sell direct, so you have go through a dealer. Your rig has a 7.5" rear often called the "four cylilnder" rear. The 3 liter V6 has a slight different 8" rear.

Yukon's main site is here:

https://www.yukongear.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProdID=1110

Here are a few dealers:

http://www.ronsmachiningservice.net/ring-pinions/toyota/toyota-7-5/yg-t7-5-456-toyota-7-5-4-56-ring-and-pinion-yukon-gear-set/

http://www.alldrivelines.com/yg-t7-5-456-high-performance-yukon-ring-pinion-gear-set-for-toyota-7-5-in-a-4-56-ratio/

[Lowering Rear Axle Gear Ratio]

Good Morning

I have a 1988 dolphin / 22RE engine with 51K miles / A43D transmission / 4.10 rear axle gear ratio. I have the typical issues; first gear not low enough for hills, OD to high. I have read in forums that a rear axle gearing change would be advantageous Has anyone done this?

Any kick the right direction would be great.

Thanks

Yes, I did it. What exactly do you want to know? I used a new 4.56 ring and pinion which seems to be the best all-around ratio for a 20-21 footer with a A43D trans. Makes more power in 1st and makes OD usable. My rig is a 1988 Minicruiser, 2.4 FI engine.

You need a ring & pinion and also an adapter speedometer gearbox to make the speedometer and odometer work right when done. Takes some work to set up the new gears and an install kit with a new gasket and crush-collar is essential.

You might get lucky and find a complete used Hotchkiss center-section with the 4.56 gears - but not so common. Then there is also the problem of buying a used center-section without knowing if it has problems, makes weird noises, etc. I would NEVER buy a used rear unless it came out of a vehilce I was able hear run first.

Note that if buying new gears for your job - they come in "off road" and "on road" versions. The "off road" is cheaper because they are factory seconds and will often howl at high speeds. NOT something you want in an RV. So if buying used beware. Gears from mud-boggers and off-road trucks often have the cheaper noisy gears that will drive you nuts in a rig driven @ 60 MPH on the highway.

Yukon highway version 4.56 to 1 ring & pinion - $230-$250 part # YG T7 5-456

Yukon install kit with seals, crush collar, gear marking compound $32

Speedo adapter gearbox - $75

If you don't set up the gears yourself - God knows who you will find to do it and how much lablor they will charge you. It MUST be done right or it will make noise.

[Dually Wheel Spacer With Studs For '79 Ford Courier]

One of 6 studs is broken at my rear dually wheel, Mechanic says that must be replaced with whole spacer plate, He does not know where to get the spacer plate for '79 model. Did not find it at eBay.

Many of those dually adapter kits for 70s-80s minitrucks were made by Arrowcraft and that company is still in business. I doubt they can help you, but maybe. Why can't that broken stud be torched out and a new one welded in? Arrowcraft is in Royal Oaks, Michigan. 248-280-0210. Likely the people working there now never heard of a Mazda or a Ford Courier.

[Toyota Chinook. Buying My First Camper. Need Help.]

So yes. Im thinking to buy my first Toyota camper and I want a Chinook.

I found one not far from me, didnt go down to take look at it yet. Owner has replaced 20r engine with 22re. Saying that it will have more power now. I wonder how much more power will it have and what is the MPG going to be.

Also what I should be looking at when I will be checking it out? Special rust spots,leaks, cracks?? This will be my First camper and oldest car I have ever driven.

Owner told me it is rust free and it is 1983 And I thought that last one was produced in 1978 or so.

Chinook did not make them in 1983. 1979 was their last year and the 79 was a very stripped down version. If it's a genuine Chinook RV coach - check closely for floor rot and slump, and also roof sag.

The floor is unique and made from a sort of honeycombed carboard glued to 3/8" plywood. At the perimeter of the sides there is weight bearing down on it from roof and wall supports and there is nothing under the floor to support it. So once a little rot gets in, it slumps something awful.

The roofs on Chinooks are known to sag in the middle pretty bad. In fact, some owners put props inside to support the roofs when in storage. Take a close look at it. Or just take a garden hose and spray some water on top. If it all runs off, the roof is fine. If it forms a pond up there, it is slumped.

[Toyota Chinook. Buying My First Camper. Need Help.]

This is what a Chinook looks like with a full-floater dually and 6 lug wheels front and back. It's the ugly orange one on the left in the photo of three of my Toyota RVs. Not that it needs the FF rear.. Chinook (1975 and newer) is also factory rated for trailer towing, whereas none of the 20-21 footers are.

[Toyota Chinook. Buying My First Camper. Need Help.]

Before you buy it, you must realize that even with the 6 cylinder engine, they are slow and underpowered by todays standards.

You also need to check it to see if it has a 5 or 6 lug rear axle. If it has 5 lugs, it need to have the rear axle replaced because the 5 lug axles are not safe with the loads that are put on the backs of that 1/2 ton truck.

Chinook zips right along with a 2.2 much better then any 20-21 foot, high-roof Toyota RV with a 2.4 or 3 liter engine. Night-and-day difference in power-to weight (or wind-resistance) ratio.

As to the FF rear axles versus the semi-floating 5 lug rears? Even on the big 20-21 footers, the 5 lug axles have worked fine in Europe and Australia up into the 2000s.. It's just here in the USA (and maybe Canada) where a big deal was made out of it and the BS flew. It appears the failures had little to nothing to do with the weight-bearing integrity of the rear axles. The problems were from uneven stress on the rear-axles from dual-wheel add-on kits that did NOT center the dual wheels and spread the load-stress evenly. Also, since semi-floaters have bearings that cannot be lubed and must be replaced now and then. A worn out bearing can cause the loss of an axle and have it leave the vehicle with the wheel - just like the older Ford F100s and F150s used to do.

Neat thing about the Chinook is how light and simple it is. In fact, when driving, the steering feels just as easy as the power-assit in my 1988 Minicruiser.

As to gas mileage? Mine gets around 17-18 MPG on highway drives @ 55-60 MPH. Load it with a lot of weight and it gets 14 MPG. That with a 2.2 engine. L42 manual 4 speed trans., and a 4.10 or 4.11 to 1 rear (I forget which). The rears change from 4.10 to 4.11 but I don't remember when.

My big Ford truck is broken right now with a bad trans. So yesterday, I loaded my 1978 Chinook with a lot of weight. Almost up the ceiling with heavy parts including two Toyota transmissions, three doors, a rear axle center section, and much more. I drove it 80 miles at 55-60 MPH. Power was fine. In fact I could of done 75 MPH easily. All flat northern Michigan roads. I got 14.2 MPG (with the top down of course).

[12 Volt Additions To The Rv]

OK these are designed for RV's and sold as such the LED is not a plug in and has no electronics of it's own.

I'm not saying they don't exist, but I've yet to come across an LED for lighting purposes that does not have some sort of power-supply or regulator on board. Even my new 12 volt LED marker and clearance lights have circuit boards with little goodies on them.

[12 Volt Additions To The Rv]

When I retro fitted the RV to LED, I used bulbs meant to work with 12 volts using the existing fixture. There are plenty of bulbs out there. Unlike the bulbs you buy designed to plug into you household fixtures that run on AC, these have no need for all the electronics.

My advice still stands. Get a bulb intended to work directly with 12 volts and retro it in the fixture.

I started this post to show people how to make use of the RV battery for powering common every day items.

There are many 12 volt DC LCDs that also can give some interference with the FM band. Seems they all have built-in power supplies, regardless if meant for 120 VAC input or 12-14 volts DC input. I've got a whole cabin full of 12 volt DC lights (off grid solar) and only had a few slight problems. Kind of a crap shoot. Buy the bulb and try it. More on the AM band then FM for me. But yes, 120 volt AC to 12 volts DC conversion in some uses can wipe our fringe (weak) radio reception - regardless if in a LED light-bulb/power supply or just built into a radio itself. I spent many years participating in a few fringe-reception forums (for TV and radio) and bought some radios touted as having the best reception. One - targetted at the AM band is my Katio KA1103. In the weakest signal areas - it pulls in channels very well when on battery power, but if I plug it in to an AC outlet to power it - I lose those weak channels. Same with my Grundig (which is really a Tescun BCL-2000).

[Toyota Chinook With 22Re]

I will be looking at Chinook with 22re swapped into. I know that original was 20r.

I want to know how much more power I'm going to have and what about MPG compared to 20r.

is it better to find one with original motor?

This will be my first chinook first camper.

Fuel mileage for bare trucks were basically the same - between a 1978 with a 20R and a 1982 and up with a 22RE. No reason to expect the MPGs will be any different with a Chinook body on the truck either. The 22RE has around 10 more max horsepower and 15 more foot-pounds of max torque. So it's likely you'd find yourself climbing hills faster and subsequently, using a little more gas then with a 20R. Sounds like a nice swap. The 20R in some ways is a better engine but both are very rugged - so who the heck cares? Your Chinook would likely benefit greatly from a 5 speed trans with OD.

The Chinook are fun little RVs. Much handier then my "big" 1988, 20 foot Minicruiser. I've got duallies and a FF rear on my 1978 Chinook, and sometimes I wish I'd just left it alone as it left the factory. The original semi-floater rear is more than adequate as long as you don't let the wheel bearings go bad. I mainly installed mine, along with a rear stabilizer bar - to see if it would handle better in strong winds. NOPE.

One word of warning - fresh in my memory. Yesterday I was driving my Chinook around 50 MPH and it sounded funny. I looked back and found my "pop-top" had popped open all the way ! I'm lucky it did not blow off (which has happened to others). MAKE sure you have locks and they are fastened when driving.

How is the cardboard/honeycomb floor? Still flat with no rot or slumping on the outer sides?

[Need A Coach Water Pump]

A few more things you may, or may not want to know.

Your pump is likely what used to be the standard and now, is no longer made by Shurflo. It is adjustable and shuts itself "on" and "off" whenver you open the faucet. It will cycle on and off every time you turn on the faucet. It does this, because unlike a household water system, there is no pressure accumulator tank (unless you install one). RVs can have small plastic "trapped air" tanks that act as a big spring pushing against water so - when you turn the water on - the "spring" makes the water flow instead of the pump turning on an off all the time. Households use them to keep the pumps from wearing out. Since RVs are only part-time use - it's a low-concern item.

The new Shurflo pumps for RVs - called the "Revolution" have a bypass valve and never truly shut-off when using. The 55 PSI rating is kind of meaningless. That 55 PSI pump runs 30-40 PSI during normal useage.

Your pump might just need an adjustment. Or, it can be fixed with a repair kit. Or you can just buy new.

A new so-called "55 PSI, 3.5 GPM" pump only has high flow at zero pressure.

At 40 PSI, it flows 1.4 gallons per minute and uses 6 amps of power @ 12 volts.

At 30 PSI, it flows 1.6 gallons per minute and uses 5 amps of power @ 12 volts.

At 20 PSI, it flows 1.9 gallons per minute and uses 4.2 amps of power @ 12 volts

At 10 PSI, it flows 2.3 gallons per minute and uses 3.2 amps of power @ 12 volts

At 0 PSI, it flows 3 gallons per mintute and uses 2.8 amps of power @ 12 volts

[Need A Coach Water Pump]

I'm not getting much pressure from my pump. I'm going to look for a new one. What should I look for? I saw some "on demand" pumps. Is that the same as self priming?

"On demand" means the pump shuts itself "on" or "off" via a built in pressure switch.

"Self priming" means the pump can suck up water from a certain amount of feet below it - usually around 6 feet. In an RV - the pumps are just about always gravity fed water so priming is not an issue anyway.

Pressure in an RV does not have a lot of meaning. If a pump is rated at 55 PSI, that means it shuts itself off at 55 PSI. When you first turn the faucet on - you get that initial surge at 55 PSI and then as the water flows, the pressure drops to much lower. A 45 PSI pump and a 55 PSI pump can often pump exactly the same amount of water when the faucet or showerhead is open and running. It's basically just the stand-by pressure. GPMs is what makes water flow. Now if a pump flows (pushes) more water then pipe or show-head can handle, THEN the pressure comes up. You might see some benefit from 55 PSI with a low-flow showhead. 35-45 PSI is more the norm for an older RV. A Shurflo 45 PSI, 3 GPM pump is all you need.

[12 Volt Additions To The Rv]

I am publicly on record in this post as stating I dislike radio. Radio is dead to me (and a dying platform for many). This is just one more reason added to my list.

I'm on record as loving radio. Especially AM. I guess the experience is not quite what it was in the 30s with no TV or computers, and the family huddled around the big Atwater-Kent, listening to "fireside chats" from the president. "Talk radio" with the president began in the late 20s on WGY on the AM band and WGY is still going strong. Today, wherever I go, I can always get something on AM and I find that fascinating. Especially in the evening during the ionospheric bounce. It still works where cell-phones and Wi-Fi setups do not. FM, AKA "the Armstrong System? Good for music but with a much more limited range. I've never found it "interesting"; just OK to listen to when it comes in. I DO find the Armstrong family lawsuit interesting. I did old man Armstrong in when FM got virtually stolen from him, but his family prevailed in the courtroom after his death. Armstrong and FM radio, along with Henry Ford against the U.A.W. represent a fascinating part of corporate history when virtually one man stood up to the bullies.

[12 Volt Additions To The Rv]

The transformers in the typical wall wart won't care about a square wave AC but I've got a couple laptop supplies that don't like it at all. Gets hotter than hell.

Many older laptop power supplies as well as many battery chargers do NOT work well with many inverters (mod-wave and sine-wave) as well as not working well with many portable AC generators. Been a well know fact and problem for many years. It's still kind of a crap-shoot. I've got six lap-top computers and never had any issues with any of the power supplies working from an inverter. In fact. we have a portable Duracell 600 portable power-pack with a 26AH battery and a 600 watt mod-wave inverter. We've used it for years on lap-top. My wife is homeschooling our last child and when I'm in the woods cutting - she, the boy, and dog come along and use the laptop in the woods for school programs. That little 600 watt inverter and power-pack has worked flawlessly with all our HP, Sony, and Dell laptops. We've thrown it into our van a few times too to watch movies on a 32" TV and DVD player with no issues. Great little portable AC power source. Also the best DC 12 volt jump starter I've ever used.

[12 Volt Additions To The Rv]

Do you have a sine wave inverter or square?

I don't think so-called "square wave" inverters exist anymore. Modified wave inverters took their place and are cheap. You're not going to find any "true sine wave" inverters either at a portable consumer lever unless you spend a fortune. My house had two true sine-wave outback inverters to run a solar grid-tie setup but that's only because they are a requirement for grid-tie.

A 2000 watt (4000 watt surge) mod-wave inverter costs $130, more-or-less. A so-called "true sine-wave" inverter 2000/4000 watt (although it is NOT true sine-wave) will cost twice that or more. Square wave inverters are a thing of the past although mod-wave and sine-wave inverters have right-angle stepped waves instead of curved sine-waves.

As to compatibility? I've had just about zero issues with any of them - but it's a crap-shoot. My old Trace/Xantrex DR2412 is a mod-wave, 2000/4000 watt combo inverter/charger made for off-grid solar. NOT a cheap portable. Made for hard-wiring. It can run near anything except hard-wired smoke alarms or any GFCI outlets (makes them buzz). My portable Ramsond Sunray 1500/3000 "sine-wave" inverter runs GFCIs and smoke alarms fine but does not start compressor motors as well as my mod-wave Trace/Xantrex.

I've got over 30 inverters here and could go down the list of pros and cons. For the most part, even my $99 Harbor Freight 2000/4000 watt mod-wave inverter has been great and I've had zero compatiblity issues except with smoke alarms and GFCIs. Run many a power tool, air compressor, computer, and TV with it.

For an RV - for general use, microwave, refrigerator, TVs, computers, etc. - it's hard to beat a cheap mod-wave inverter UNLESS it has a full time cooling fan that some cheap ones have. The fan noise drives me nuts inside an RV. The better ones have thermal activated fans that never come on in general use. All inverters wipe out AM radio reception which is one draw-back. Mine (in my RV) has a remote control and if driving and trying to listen to AM, I turn it off.

The only "bad" inverters I've ever had were from Vector/Black & Decker and a few Chinese no-names. Bad advertising is also an issue. Some sellers advertise by the momentary "surge" rating instead of the true usable power - kind of like what Honda does when they sell their 1600 watt generator as a "2000."

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

I've kind of gotten lost as to what exactly we are talking about and what some of us are trying to do. Big motors certainly DO waste fuel when doing "small work." That's why the highest tech turbo-diesel 150 horse tractor can't make 10 horsepower anywhere near as efficiently as a gas tractor built in 1936.. Generally speaking - a gas or diesel engine runs at peak efficiency only when run within its torque curve. So gas or diesel generators dedicated to one fixed RPM and load are the most efficient. Problem is - people using generators rarely have just one predetermined load to meet. That is, except off-grid solar users that run the batteries down to 50% (during dark periods) and then DO have one fixed load, more-or-less during the bulk-charging cycle.

For myself, in an RV, I find using the main (truck engine driven) generator to be the best way to go. Yes, a 2.4 liter engine making only 1000 watts of DC power is not super efficient - but - it saves by not needing a second engine and generator to worry about. I've got #2 copper run from my alternator to my rear house batteries and can use my full alternator potential.

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

We've had this discussion before so I'm well aware of your disagreement. Regardless, many cheap AC gensets will not power conventional battery chargers very well. It is a well documented fact. Thus the reason why many off-grid solar users built gas-driven bulk-chargers with automotive alternators and lawn-mower engines.

Also the reason why many solar equipment dealers sell higher-end electronic battery chargers that work well on poor AC power like made from cheap portable AC generators.

In addition it is also why most companies that sell inverter/charger combos likeTrace/Xantrex/Duracell stopped using conventional battery chargers and are including more sophisticated electronic chargers in the combo units.

Generally speaking, the old cast-iron generators used in cars, trucks and tractors mid-60s and back, were a big pain in the a**. Prone to brush problems, and very inefficient for their size since much of the power potential is thrown away and not used.

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

There are a few circuit diagrams for the regulator on the web. I only glanced at them but not much to them. Transistor biased via a zener diode with a couple caps and resistors.

This is one I've seen copied and used.

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

$90k used to $150K new. Sure, I'll take two. Neat rig indeed. Might need to ask to borrow a couple bucks.

I've never spent more then $3300 in my life for any car, truck, or RV. But it's fun to see some of these newer rigs and what systems might work. I suppose a brand new Toyota RV would be $75K now if they were still made in the USA. The new ones cost a fortune in Europe and Australia.

[12 Volt Additions To The Rv]

TV's are becoming increasingly harder to find with external power supplies like the one I installed in the RV.

Many of the smaller then 32" Sceptre LCD-LED TVs run on 12 volts DC and come with separate power supplies clearly marked "12 volts DC." So does my new LG Blue Ray player. I used to think it was a great advantage for an RV. Not any more. I have one main inverter in my RV. Very little loss, no noise, and it runs any cheap appliance I want. Saves a lot of messing around. When we camp there is never any grid power available. I just take the main RV power cord and plug it into my inverter and then everything wired AC in my camper works. Obviously this would NOT work with AC but we never use AC in the RV or our house.

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

The advantage seems to be cheap. Old lawn mower and a junk yard alternator pull. I might have to try this.

I've built many. A 3-5 horse engine coupled to an automotive alternator makes a great battery-bank "bulk" charger. Just need to build a custom voltage regulator. Used to be very common with off-grid solar users. There were also a few factory-built versions.

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

With batteries as a buffer and the ability to produce some decent current, coupled with a decent sized inverter wouldn't even a 5k btu household air conditioner be possible for those who want to go that route? I mean at the cost of running a gas motor but that is what many do now. I'm just intrigued by the question and wonder where the holes are.

Your thoughts?

RoadTrek E-Trek. Solar, lots of batteries, no propane, no separate generator. Kind of a neat rig.

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

As a electronics guy, I've no love for AC power.

Edited: Looked it up. Calculates out at 1.6hp at 100 amps without mechanical and generation losses.

All our electricity made in our RVs comes from rotation and magnets and that always begins as AC power. So, kind of hard to avoid it. DC is more-or-less derived from the alternating current. AC has the benefit of not arcing and burning switch contacts like DC does.

It takes approx. one horsepower (from a gas or diesel engine) to make 40 amps of charge current @ 14 volts.

Back to Toyotas and alternators. Toyota uses a 5 7/8" crank pulley driving a 2 3/4" alternator pulley. I.e. a 2.1 to 1 ratio. When the engine idles at 800 RPM, the alternator spins at 1700 RPM. If the engine idles at 1000 RPM, the alternator spins at 2100 RPM. Just about all alternators must spin at least 1600 RPM to do anything. A stock Denso 45 or 60 amp alternator with stock pulleys makes around 25 amps with the engine idling @ 800 RPM. Here are some alternators that do better. The Delco 10SI often sold in Toyota "upgrade" kits barely does more then the stock Denso. But a CS-144 easily makes 75 amps at engine idle speed.

At 1600 shaft RPM – Delco 10SI = 23 amps, 12SI= 30 amps, 15SI = 40 amps. 17 SI = 50 amps, CS-144 = 75 amps (140 amp model)

[Leave Appliances Running While Driving?]

None that I know of for alternators with external regulators. Late 80s alternators from supras are often used as bolt in upgrades but only for systems with built in regulators.