Odyssey 4x4

I have never used Dynamat before but considering how often I'd be driving the Toyota on an upcoming trip I wanted to give it a try. I am definitely impressed with the sound difference in the cab while driving, it is much better. I am actually considering doing my car now!

Hey all, I bought my Escaper with no cab carpet and finally got around to putting one in. I thought maybe people would like to see. I did a base layer of Dynamat Xtreme which is a sound and a heat barrier. It all went in well. Here is how the cab looked when I bought the truck. Pulled the seats, seatbelts, and kick panels and cleared the floor. Cleaned the floor pretty well of dust and old carpet pieces to make sure the Dyanamat would stick. Started in the middle to work our way out. Almost there! It all went on really well with the roller tool and had no problem creasing into corners and what not. Nice! Another view, don't forget to mark and poke your bolt holes! I even had two sheets leftover, perfect size for the doors. Easy as 1... 2... 3! After about an hour of trimming and wrestling Another view I'm so glad I did this and it looks so nice now and even feels more comfortable when driving. The Dynamat worked AWESOME and the road noise is amazingly quieter, I went from hearing every noise my engine made, to now hearing new small things instead (I can hear my speedometer cable spinning.) There is now no heat coming through the floor and all is good! Overall this whole install took a little under 3 hours.

My uncle drives an 18 wheeler so I asked him how he felt about it, he said he doesn't mind when people draft on him but he knows other truckers that aren't too fond of it.

Looks and sounds like a good time, is it bad that I would have totally taken the money?

I agree with ^, anything that looks brand new and claims to be some type of green R12 or anything like that is NOT what you want. The real R12 on Ebay is all likely old stuff that has sat for years and as long as the can is not punctured it should be fine. Also what he said about the top type is correct.

shotgun pocket?

I bet you felt special haha. What speed were you cruising at?

Yup it performed flawlessly. My fridge auto light does not work but I have no had a chance to look at it yet, would it be able to use the same board?

I hear R12 is better at cooling, especially at an idle when air is not moving across the coil. I wouldn't mind spending a little more for the purpose of not having to convert and also having the better performance. I will be sure what I order on Ebay is the real R12 and I will be ordering by the 12 Oz can. Maybe I'll end up doing 134, I'll decide when I get around to doing that project! The truck occasionally makes the noise whether the ac is on or off. When the ac is turned on, the clutch does start turning so I know the compressor is at least not locked up. If it had no refrigerant in it it shouldn't work at all, unless these do not have a low pressure switch? Also regarding the R12 on ebay, I have not looked into any newer stuff. All the ones I saw are Dupont and appear to be cans that just sat around for a long time and are not currently produced. My EPA friend has all kinds of stuff, he has done residential HVAC for 30+ years and is a fix it type of person for any application included mechanics. I am sure he will be able to take care of it for me.

Hey all, I figured maybe someone would find the info useful so I am posting this here. My 87 Escaper water heater ignitor wasn't working so I wanted to get that taken care of. The previous owner put it a new sparker itself, but the problem was in the board. I took the board off and googled the part number and found a few but they were priced at about $150. Upon further research I found a board made by Dinosaur electronics that was supposed to be compatible with my heater. It cost me $55 on Ebay. I had to trim down the rubber piece that covers the part that snaps onto the little sparker thing. I pulled the old board off and plugged everything into the new board and gave it a test. Upon nothing happening I figured maybe the problem was elsewhere, then it hit me! No literally, it shocked the heck out of me. So hey I was happy it worked! I just wasn't aware it had a built in delay. So for $55 bucks it was totally worth the fix and another thing crossed off of my list. Here's a video of it in action. Thanks for the read! Maybe this will help someone out with a similar issue.

R-12 is still available on ebay and I've seen it on craigslist too. It is not much more than 134. I will be using r-12 in mine for the better performance and it will be installed by my EPA certified HVAC friend. It can be purchased with an EPA certification or if you sign a document stating it is for resale only to an EPA certified person. Obviously don't buy it illegally because I hear the fine is over $10,000 if caught using without a license! Thanks for all the info everyone! So after further investigation, I have found this compressor on ebay which appears to be an exact match other than the red sticker having different numbers on it. Is it safe to assume that this is what I need? http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-DKS-15BH-A-C-Compressor-with-Clutch-/221219903495?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3381bbd807&vxp=mtr

I'm going to pull it off and see if there are any more hidden numbers on it, I am trying to locate that specific one but cannot seem to find it. I am not too familiar with automotive HVAC so I am unsure what can vary as far as sizes and specs to work on my specific vehicle.

Hey all, I recently purchased a 1987 Toyota Escaper mini. The truck is awesome and in great shape but the cap air does not work! The compressor sounds like it has a bad bearing even when ac is not on, it still turns on when a/c is turned on but no cool air. So I ordered a new compressor for a 1987 Toyota pick up and to my surprise when it showed up, it is a completely different mounting style. After some more investigating it appears the truck may have had the a/c system put on it aftermarket possibly? The system on it uses a bracket with a belt tensioner as part of the bracket as you can see here. Also notice the way the bolts attach the compressor to the mount. The compressor sent to me that is the correct part number for an 87 toyota pick up looks like this...(Denso 471-0137 ) As you can see, completely different mounting style. So after this happened I looked at the compressor currently on the truck and saw these numbers...Blue sticker is DKS-15BH and red sticker reads 509618-5703. After googling the part number on the compressor (DKS-15BH) it is showing it is made for a Volvo?! This is what has lead me to think it is an aftermarket ac system? When I look at that compressor part number on google it looks like the correct mounting style but appears to be a little different if you look at the way the lines attach and location. Also notice the number on the blue sticker is the same, but the red sticker is different! If anyone could help me figure this out I would more than appreciate it!

Thanks for the welcome and info everyone. I do believe mine is the aluminum frame as I have all the manuals and paperwork and it shows the frame being aluminum on the pamphlet that came with the rv. Surprisingly enough I have sat in the camper through a pretty harsh rain storm and the only leak I am seeing is coming in around the emergency escape window (the large window on the drivers side), so I will be finding that leak when I get the time. If anyone wants to, they can check out my blog I just started up at (www.daysofexploration.blogspot.com). I've got a few things I've done to it on there and will be posting plenty more plus when I actually travel it will all be documented on there. So far I've had to redo some hoses on the fresh water tank (previous owner had overflow draining back into the cabin beside the 12v distribution box...). I also had to put a new freshwater drain valve because the one on it was completely rotted out and dripped all the time, not very ideal for dry camping I also just did a complete rear brake job on it since the rears were locking up. Parts included new cylinders, shoes, drums, and I replaced all the fluid. While it was apart I also replaced the main seals and regreased the bearings since they were in good shape. I also did a new head unit install since it had a non working cassette player, the new system can hook up to smart phones via USB and has a few extra hook ups in the glove box. I'm waiting for my next day off to install the new 12v water pump for the coach, new cab carpet since it currently doesn't have one, and will be doing a full led light conversion when my lights get here. I ordered them on ebay and it says they should be here within a few days. Within the next month or two I will most likely be painting the entire thing. It's funny, I've had fast cars and motorcycles but I enjoy working on my old Toyota camper the most haha

Thanks guys. It's a 1987. It seems well taken care of, it has all the paperwork and documents with it for the coach, truck, and all appliances. There are receipts from the last few years including a new ac unit, new carb on the generator, and plenty of other things. One of the receipts was for $2,600 alone on parts and maintenance! I paid $4,500 for it which I consider a steal with the condition, and working generator and all working appliances including the lp gas/electric refrigerator. Also, I probably am the youngest on the forum, 23 years old to be exact. I study biology at USF in Tampa, FL. I have been wanting to travel for as long as I can think about since I've only ever gotten the chance to see Buffalo, NY and Michigan. After a few years I made it a reality and had the money for the Escaper and have money put away to fund travels for the summer. Nice Escaper by the way Bob, ours are definitely twins.

Hey everyone, I've been lurking on this forum for a couple months checking out what people had to say about their Toyota minis. I was looking into purchasing one and started searching around my area but unfortunately all the ones I looked at were in pretty bad shape or overpriced. I constantly searched craigslist (my entire state), ebay, and a few other sites. I even almost drove to North Carolina to pick one up (I'm in Florida). One day I was at an auto parts store I asked my friend that worked there if he knew anyone with a Toyota RV for sale and he said yeah! The guy wasn't trying to sell it and it was not listed anywhere but he offered to show it to me and he may sell it! I checked it out, it was a 1987 Toyota Escaper automatic. The condition was awesome. It had everything I wanted including a working ac unit, working refrigerator, working Onan Microlite, full and functional bathroom and kitchen, and plenty more. It fired right up and so did the generator from the in cab switch and outside. It drove great but the brakes felt a little off. The condition was overall pretty great compared to most I've seen, especially considering what I paid for it. I loved it! A test drive and a couple days later I was driving it home. It needs a few things here and there fixed and I will be doing some custom stuff in it as well. Anyways, I've had it a few days and love it and have been doing this and that to it getting ready to travel this summer while I'm off from college. I just finished installing a new drain valve for the fresh water tank, new rear brake system, and new stereo system. I have been taking many pictures of all the things I've been doing to it as well and posting the work in a blog I made dedicated to my travels (not sure if I am aloud to post link here). I will try to devote what I can to this site but I am super busy most of the time with school so I usually only get to work on it on weekends. I have followed many threads on here and in all the different sub forums and there is some awesome information from this community! I will add what I can as I do all my own work and am quite mechanically able. I'm sure I will have plenty of questions to ask too. Thanks for the read!

I just purchased my 1987 Escaper and it is in my drive way after I just finished a brake job on it. Odessa, FL