paulnptld

Thanks. She's going in tomorrow for the few week fix. I also noticed that distinctive Toyota 'ticking' noise. Unsure of whether it's the injectors or valves. I suppose I'm about to find out.

I've been intrigued by the aftermarket on demand systems for outside our RVs. Is there a simple way to swap out the internal water heater (which I believe has a 5 gallon tank) for a far more efficient on demand model? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Ugh...this is getting DEEP. Painful. But good suggestions. With 109k on it I should probably do the timing chain as well I suppose.

Well, called them...and like everyone else they're saying expect $2,000 for a valve job. So I guess that's what I need to prepare for.

Great suggestions. The compressions in the other cylinders were great. Just #6 @ 20lbs. I contacted a place that was suggested in this thread, but they're saying expect $2,000. This is just really unfortunate.

Linda - I'll cancel my appt tomorrow at Foster and call the place you recommended. Thanks!

...no offroading, btw. I'll be driving this up to Mt. Hood here in Oregon frequently during the winter. 4wd would be awesome to have.

Interesting topic. I just purchased a V6 Dolphin. Are there any conversions that can be done on my existing vehicle rather than swapping?

Thanks for the input. Would compression at 20lbs exist if it's a valve issue?

Like I said, he told me it was just cold and that it had been tuned up the month prior. Only at idle do you notice anything. At cruise, it seems fine. But 20lbs of compression means the cylinder is shot.

Here's what I've heard so far: The #6 cyl is at 20lbs of compression. Someone here asked "How did you not know?" Well, it idled rough, but once you started moving forward there was nearly zero vibration, the power seemed fine (considering I had nothing to compare it to), and there were no other indicators. Further, the guy told me it had just had a full tune up the month before, which I verified. It baffles me that the shop that did the tune up would have missed it. This morning I took it to a Toyota repair shop that came highly recommended. When I got there they said they wouldn't work on it because they didn't realize it was an RV. Like I said...I'm new to this. I found this place in Portland: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/aos/3976255148.html They said they will do it for $1,250. The guy I bought it from has indicated he's willing to help to some extent. I'm increasingly convinced he knew it had this issue. $6,000 for a 1990 with 108,000 miles. It didn't have a generator or propane refrigerator, which was fine at that price. But if I have to spend $3k for engine repairs, the equation changes quickly.

Hi all. New to the forum, but wish I had better news on my 'new' Toyhome. I just bought a 1990 Dolphin V6 Automatic from a guy a few hours outside of Portland. He represented the vehicle had loads of recent work, including a full tune up. I did notice it idled rough, but he said that was because it was cold. When I got back to Portland it was still idling rough, so I immediately took it to a mechanic. Two days later, they've determined that one of the cylinders is shot. Naturally, the guy I bought it from is saying 'tough luck.' That part aside, and assuming I'm stuck: Has anyone here had to rebuild the 3.0 V6? Can it be converted to the infinitely more reliable 3.4L when it has the automatic? How long can you drive with a dead cylinder? While idle was terrible, it still drove well at cruise speeds. This is a bit of a nightmare for me. It looked like it was well maintained, but I suddenly feel like I'm out $6,000. I feel sick and can't imagine sharing this with my wife right now.