Boots

I think all of your concerns are ill placed, Europe has been running low sulphur for well over forty years, and they have that covered in the engine design. Always remember that it is the oil companies are to blame for blocking this, through their lobbyists. The reason it is more expensive (and way less profitable) to produce a low sulphur content fuel; it has to be refined more to remove the extra sulphur. It is also the fault of the car manufacturers because they too benefitted by using high sulphur, it was way cheaper to use the sulphur content to lubricate the pistons than to produce a high quality engine. And finally it is the fault of every citizen who cheered on the cheaper cars, opting to put the extra cash in their pockets and ignoring the environment costs, green house gases and haze/soot. Ultimately this short sightedness and ignorance will come to you all, with more violent environmental problems like hurricanes and floods. Take a hard look around you and see what this has brought to your door steps.

Hi Dan I think in this instance your mechanic may be correct. I had an RE22 engine and it was invincible - this is a commercial truck engine (which always seem to be called on to do more) and my experience in driving in all conditions, including desert areas and steep mountains the engine never overheated. This, I suspect to a oversized radiator and likely an oversized water pump. I always changed out my radiator fluid every two years, whether I needed it or not and I suggest Toyota's Red Antifreeze (yes it is more expensive, but so is replacing an antique water pump). I always flushed the radiator and engine before every change. Never had a problem. Brian

I had one of these units, and you will find that the 22RE is an excellent motor, and generally the whole unit is good. A number of things come to mind, make sure you have the dual axel rear end (4wheels) - do not, I repeat do not get any unit with 2 rear wheels, you will break the axels. I would replace the transmission fluid, completely all of it, twelve to thirteen litres or so, get synthetic oil to be on the safe side, same goes for the rear differential. If you are handy, install automatic transmission temperature guage and while installing put the temperature directly into the output side of the hot transmission oil line. Carry extra fuel cans, you will need then, fuel tank is about 7-8 gallons. Replace the coolant, buy the Toyota Brand (red coloured), make sure it is properly mixed; ensure you have a complete flush before installing new coolant. I would install the new synthetic 15-50 Weight engine oil (Mobil makes this). Inspect carefully all brakes, replace all of them if you can afford to do so. Again if you can afford to do replace both batteries, it will save you a lot of aggrevation. This is an extraordinally long (return) trip, I think something in the order of 18000 kilometers, a very long trip. This engine will pull you almost anywhere, but you may be travelling as slow as 10 mph going up hills, just be prepared for that. It also has an altitude compensating cut-out which will cut out the top gear, when it the unit goes over 5000 ft, so this may compound the speed issue.

Hi Just remember that the r22 campers have an altitude compensator that makes adjustments to the engine performance. It may be connected to the computer so, if you are planning on replacing the carbs, you might end up with a reduction in power. Brian

Hi, IN my 1992 Itasca, I (barely) have room for a type 31 battery, a Trojan 225 model - it is a tight fit, and I plan to remove the battery box, install a spacer and this will drop the battery box by approximately 1 - 1.5 inches. This will facilitate battery removal, access to the posts and safety clearances. By the way, this is one solid battery have camped for three - four days no problem.

Hi Bob, I set up a friend who was going camping with a CPAP; here is what I did I lent him a 225 amp/hr battery (fully charged) I lent him a 100 watt invertor (Canadian Tire) I had him check his CPAP machine name plate for amperage; 4.3 amps Doing the math for you, it turned out that the draw 43.6 amps DC This worked out to 4.9 hrs theoretical, in fact he had no troubles for the entire night. The battery was recharged each day. Brian

I went through this process of choosing batteries, and although I haven't measured my battery box, I took out a Canadian Tire deep cycle battery, which was in the unit when I bought it (size 27) and then purchased a Trojan SCS 225 deep cycle battery. It was a Type 31, which has 225 amp hour rating. I have had it for three years and it has never failed me. It was about 230 dollars, and i use the original (6300) battery charger to keep the battery charged. I have run for as long as four days on it, and never had a problem - 7 year warranty. http://www.trojanbattery.com/products/scs22512v.aspx Brian

Just to be clear, multimeters generally refer to the measurement of Voltage, and sometimes they can measure Resistance, however, if you want to measure Current, you need something that will read Amperage. A lot of small "multimeters" offer to read current, but they are not very accurate. If you really want to get an accurate reading of Amperage, buy a meter for that purpose, such as http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=26&prodid=87 - these use RMS meter calculations to determine the true current being drawn and also safety rated for explosion resistance or redirection. True, they are expensive, but you only have to buy one of them and they will likely last forever. These particular models are rated to 30 amps and on some models up to 400 amps DC. Brian

YHi Shaggy, The circuit breaker is there to protect the wire (same as in your house) from over current (the demand exceeds the safe current limit of the wire) and so it is integral to the system and its safety. I bought one from Lordco (probably NAPA for you) and it took about ten minutes to install, it was rated for 30 amps. When you are up to inspecting the rest of the system, check the charging wire from the battery isolator and ensure that it is sized correctly (depending on the output capacity of your alternator) for the current, I would suggest something in the #6 to #8 AWG size. If you want to step it up a notch, here are some marine grade battery isolators - http://www.cristec.fr/en/on-going-serial-products/rce-electronic-battery-isolators.html All said and done, if it was me, I would do the repair, if I knew I had a problem before leaving, and then I had trouble, I have only myself to blame. Enough said. Good luck. Brian

The real problem with this is the gases given off by the batteries, they are corrosive, toxic and flammable. You would be very foolish to do this. The reason batteries are housed outside of the RV is for venting, cooling, and corrision resistances. Outside is where they belong

I have seen two RV's burn to the ground, using wood stoves, three people dead. Is that your idea of roughing it? Brian

Hi Steve, I don't get it, you said 80 Watts (@12 volts) / 1 amp - the math doesn't work at a theoretical level... 80watts/12 volts equals 6.7 amps, thats a long way from 1 amp.

Hello Marco, If you are able, please provide a picture of the lever, or tell us a bit more about it. Does it look like it was part of the original design? The exhaust hood, over the stove normally requires just two wires, a positive (+) wire and a negative (-) which provide power to the exhaust fan hood (and possibly to power the exhaust hood light). So if the exhaust hood has a connection point ( a small metal box) which you can open, you might see two terminals (screws) and that is where you would connect the wires. Be sure to connect the positive (+) to the black wire and the negative (-) to the white wire. If the fans appears to be turning the wrong way, turn the power off and switch wires.

I agree that putting in a modern converter / inverter will save you a lot of grief in the long run, and will probably save the battery from premature failure. By the way, battery overheating is a function of the amount of energy that is being put into the battery itself, if the battery cannot absorb any more current, it reacts by disspating that heat inside the case. So there is a benefit from modern chargers, when equipped with a battery monitor, as temperature goes (regardless of what stager the charger is at) the current is scaled back incrementally until the battery temperature drops. I recall that car alternators are designed to only supply apporoximately 10% of the car's battery capacity, so if you have a 950 amp/hr rating then you could expect to see a maximum of 92 amps, which is a lot (1242 watts) pumped into that small case. Coach batteries are likely not to accept such large currents, so it would not be surprising to see charge rates in the 20 - 40 amp range. If you install a more modern charger say capable of higher current rates, then overheating is likely. By the way, one of the best practices of such any such upgrade is to increase the charger's wiring going to the battery to carry the new rated out put. So if you originally had a coach with #8 wiring going to the battery, for a new charge rate of 55 amps (maximum) you would need a #0 AWG wire. If you attempt to put 55 amps down a #8, in very short order you would have a fire, which you likely could not stop. Which the brings me to #2 best practice, fusing, for all the same reasons, installing a fuse between the output of the charger and the battery is required by code. Again on a #8 wire at 10 amps (depending on your battery capacity) a fuse of 30 amps is required, when you move up to 55 amps, you require a 300 amp fuse (time rated); some put fuses on both the positve (red) and negative (black) wires to protect both wires (as required by code) Check BlueSeas website for more on wiring and fuses. Cheers Brian

Hi SunRaider, On my rig, there is a battery isolater, in the engine compartment, which isolates the engine battery from the coach battery, in certain conditions. It works like this, engine is started and the alternator starts to replace the power used for the startup and to supply power to the coach battery, it measures both batteries for voltage and if one or the other (or both) require more current to bring up the voltage, the alternator output is adjusted to do so. Generally speaking this is happening continuously when you are running, however, when you shut off the ignition, a switch running from the ignition is opened, there is a loss of a 12 volt signal and the isolator is disconnected from the alternator source. From that point on any current draw from the coach battery is drawn strictly from the coach battery. The car battery is completely cut off from any demands and is preserved for the engine functions only. You can buy these devices from most local autoshops, such as Napa and install it in the engine compartment. If you are handy it is not too complicated (except for locating the ignition switch wire) - the other thing to do, while you are at it, is to measure your alternator output, and see if it is sufficient for your normal needs. Most Toyota alternators put out about 40 amps and this is generally all you need. I went to an alternator shop near where I live and they said they could rebuild my alternator to increase out put (up to 150 amps) for around 150 dollars. I bought a 225 amp Trojan battery for my rig, and easily run for two to three days, I am considering swapping out my stock charger for a more modern unit that is multi-staged and temperature sensing, to increase the battery life. My rigs stock charger is purported to put out 32 amps, but I have never checked that measurement. One of the advantages of the newer units is they can be ordered in capacities up to 65 amps, however, there is a danger of overheating the battery, and that can damage the battery - of course that is the reason for a battery temperature monitor, it can react to overheating and cut back as needed. The benefit of this is you can rapidly charge a battery in a relatively short time, say in three hours instead of eight hours. Let me know if this helps Brian

See my quote on Toyota warranty replacing head gaskets, you vehicle is in the qualifying age group 1987 - 1995 - along some other conditions, you may be eligible for replacement at no cost. Boots

Me, 1992 Toyota Itascia located in Nanaimo, British Columbia. I know of at least four other rigs in this area. Brian

Hi 90toydolphin, On Toyota's website, the explanation was that when they originally designed the V6, (approximately 1985 - 1986) they were using asbestos head gaskets and they were suitable and sucessful. It was in 1987 - 1988 that both Canada and US simulataneously agreed to ban the use of asbestos in car engines. Toyota switched to a non asbestos gasket in production and carried on. When they realized that the substitute material used in the manufacturer of the head gasket was failing prematurely, they made a decision that certain years models would be covered. From what I read on their public letters to owners, any model using the V6 dating from 1987 to 1992 (approximately) were eligible for (a) a Toyota replacement of the head gaskets ( a replacement motor or if the work was done © remibursement. There was some fine print, and the one condition that I read was that the engine head gasket would not be replaced a second time. Considering my toy is a 1992, I say fair enough. Brian

Hi Derek, Well, that is Part II of the story, after leaving the shop, and travelling about 50 miles, I stopped at a friends place to rest and visit. Monday morning we left, when I friends went to work. Driving away from their home, and headling down hill, we noticed a strange (strangling) sound and then the battery light came on and the power steering failed. Pulling into a convience store, we looked in to the motor compartment and saw immediately what all the commotion was. The driven sheave was at about 10 degrees off true from the front of the motor and as a consequences, all the belts were balled up in a knot (hence the strangling sound) and the power steering pump as well, the alternator were out of commission! It appears the shop had forgotten to tighten one critical bolt with a torque wrench, and after the short drive the bolt had vibrated out and that put an end to our quick get away. To the credit of the mechanics shop, when I phoned, they were aghast, and sorry, and immediately set about to correct the situation. They paid for a tow truck, found a reputable shop and paid for everything that needed to be paid for. The owner's wife even drove us around town so we could get something to eat and shop, and picked us up. We received a letter of apology and assurances that if anything esle came of this, they would stand good for it. As to the belts, all of the belts were frayed and nicked, so all were replaced. With regards to the valves, when the heads went up to the machine shop to be inspected, the valves were also inspected and set. The heads were well in tolerance and no milling had to be done. An adventure not to be repeated, I am sure you will agree. But when we considered what the alternative would have been, we were glad we dealt with the company we did. Brian

Just remember, that if you have tires that are over seven years old and as a result have a tire failure resulting in an accident, your insurance company may not pay out for the repair or liability. On a second note, ensure that if you are going to replace only two tires (say on the front) make sure they are exactly the same as the remaining tires. Most tires have a certain design of slip or angle deflection built into them, so as you turn into a corner, each tire has the same amount of angle deflection acting on the road. With a different set of manufacturer (or even with the same manufacturer, but with a different model) you would have one set of angles on (say the front tires) one pair of tires and potentially a different angle on the others. The end result is the potential for the vechile to "break away" and go into a tail spin ( the camper doing a 360 spin on the road) something you dont want to experience. Brian

As a follow up, Toyota Canada came through, I received a cheque for the full amount (in excess of 3200 Canadian) and a few instructions about keeping the coolant changed. The dealership was cheerful, considerate and fully responsive to my case. No quibbling and a handshake at the end! That is the Toyota way! Brian

Hi, I have spent a fair amount of time considering the heating and cooling of my Toy and here are my thoughts. I recently lost a head gasket / engine failure and during the course of getting it fixed, I had three conversations with Toyota and others about heat related failures. On the internet chats, a head related failure on piston #6 is common, and usually the result of ongoing overheating issues, the result of this failure is almost always a significant rebuild.. On my last conversation with Toyota, the service manager specifically warned me (as handed me my reimbursement cheque for my engine failure repairs) that they would not cover any more engine repairs and that I would be very wise to flush and change my coolant regularly because of piston 1 & 6 overheating problems. The end message try not to overheat your engine and get your transmission oil changed (all of it) and regularly flush and replace your engine coolant. By the way, my engine rebuild was 3200.00 and was covered by a secret Toyota warranty plan (for certain year models). I have had two friends who have problems similiar to yours with engine and transmission failures (on the V6) due to extended periods of overheating and poor/taxed cooling systems. My course of action is to add two temperature sensors, the first is a head temperature guage (600 + F range) and a specially ordered VDO transmission temperature guage (150 - 400 F range) plus a special adapter to have the temperature sensor in line with the outbound transmission oil (to ensure accurate reading of the transmission oil) and finally I will consider a larger overall radiator in the future. The reason for each of these guages is of course to know the actual temperature of the engine's head casting, rather than guessing at it or having someone say to " don't worry ". The reason for the special transmission temperature guage and sensor setup is it gives you actual temperature (not the transmission's oil pan mix blend area, where hot oil is mixed with cooled return transmission oil) - the concern with oil transmission temperatures is that if the transmission oil is overheated (say 300 - 350 F) for a short period of time (say climbing up and over a summit) the transmission oil will break down and the protective ingredients are compromised. The end result is that the life of your transmission oil goes from 25000 miles to 3000 miles. You don't have to be a genius to figure out that if you are on an extended trip, you could easily rack up the mileage with a compromised fluid. I looked into the cost of rebuilding my V6 transmission, and the general estimated is 2650.00 and a complete replacement if you can find one is 5100.00, the math is pretty straightforward. On another note, others have commented on a new / different temperature controller and here is a quote from another website that might be of interest to you. I think their suggestions are a wise investment, for a small amount of money. Here is what they have to say: " Temperature gauge overshoot. It's a somewhat common problem on the 22r series motors. Installing the dual stage thermostat (part# 90916-03070) should alleviate the problem. " Food for thought, Brian

I believe in the United States there is now a requirement to replace the old (standard) valve with a specific type of valve called an ODB valve. Here is an except from All About.com which says in part: Do you have a propane tank that was made before September 30, 1998? Well you might be in for a bit of a surprise the next time you go to fill it. As of April 1st, 2002 all new cylinders must be equipped with an Overfill Prevention Device (OPD). Also you can't get you old tank filled if it doesn't have this new valve. Don't worry, though, there are about 40 million obsolete cylinders out there now. Every year it is estimated that there are 600 fires or explosions caused by overfilled propane cylinders. To eliminate this problem the National Fire Prevention Agency recommended to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that they require the OPD be installed on all propane tanks. So after years, here we are, scrambling to replace obsolete propane cylinders. This ruling applies to all propane cylinders from 4 to 40 pounds. So most any cylinder sold for gas grills is involved. The OPD is a special valve that has a float inside the tank that will close the valve when the tank is 80% full. It won't measure how much propane is in the tank, but it is supposed to keep it from being overfilled. An overfilled propane tank can explode violently because of physical damage or exposure to moderate heat. Now, while the risk is relatively low, it is real. So, how do you know if you tank needs to be replaced? The new propane cylinders have a triangle shaped valve knob. Older models had a five-prong, circular knob. If you have the triangle knob, then you're fine. Otherwise you need to get a new tank. Of course, you'll ask, why can't you just replace the valve? Any tank older then 12 years is considered too old to be used. And for those in the between years, the cost of replacing the valve is going to be about the same as exchanging the whole cylinder. The cheapest way to exchange your tank is through a service like Blue Rhino or AmeriGas. These services will exchange your empty, obsolete tank with a new, filled tank for about $20USD. A new tank can cost about $25USD to $30USD. Old cylinders should be taken to a dealer or recycling center. Your local government can probably tell you where to take it. Some dealers might charge you a fee to take your old cylinder. Find someone who will take it for nothing. Or better yet, try on of the exchange services. You might also want to check with local hardware stores. Some stores are offering to replace you tank for you (at a fee of course). Brian.

Take off one of the spark plug high tension wires and install a spare sparkplug in this wire. Have someone to help you do this next step, Put the rig in neutral, put emergency brake on full. Have your helper, on your command, start the engine. Before you issue the command, position yourself in front of the engine, hood up and with the high tension wire in your hand, place the sparkplug close to but not touching the frame or other grounding points. When you are ready issue the command to start the engine. What should happen, if the coil and other ignition components are okay, is there should be a spark jumping from the tip of the spare plug to the grounding point (frame or engine) and that means the ignition system should not be the issue. If you are holding the sparkplug to far away from the frame or grounding point, the spark may not be strong enough to jump that distance and you may have to move the sparkplug closer, till it establishes that circuit and begins sparking. To be clear in your notes to us, you said it fired, and died. Does this mean the engine starter engaged and spun the motor, or it spun the motor and fired and then quit, more precise details please. Brian

Hi, From my persepective, I would say one thing to you, if you are driving with poor brakes you are putting your life, those of your family and any one else in your path in harm's way. These rigs are heavy, and stopping should be the first order of business. If you are uncertain about the mechanic's ability or performance find someone who knows what they are doing. In connection with this, if your tires are older than seven years, they are due to be replaced. You can confirm the date of manufacturer by reading the date code and confirm that with the manufacturer. The thinking is that is you have old tires, and poor brakes, you are setting yourself up to failure. Insurance companies will, when involved in claims and liabilities action will look at these factors to assign blame and liability. You have the accident, even if you did not cause it you may end paying for your portion in the payment claims. It is always too late after the fact. Brian