neubie

A search of the forum says RA08s are allegedly the all weather equivalents. Its RA08s or 18s at this point but I cant install them myself, am hoping one of the local options will do the whole thing. Will know more tomorrow. Its a bit of a drive up an interstate to the tire-bearing wallyworld so thats another strike against them. this particular wallyworld also have some iffy reviews (dont they all?), but thats not factoring into the decision yet. Hoping a tire shop will work out. Lets see tomorrow.

Costco does the other vehicles, so i went the easy route first. I am also hoping to avoid having to lug the tires around myself -- tires are something a shop will have to do this time. Yes it will probably cost a bit more. I am trying for hankook ra08s from america's tire tomorrow. If they dont work out (either availability or installation) then I will try the tire merchents next. thanks.

Spent some time looking around for tires -- the local costco doesnt want to hear the letters R14 and the attendent couldnt say if they can even mount them. Must call tomorrowwhen actual mechanics are around. I would rather do tires+mounting in one place but havent found one yet that is able to do the job. Sigh. Fridge installation, some loose ends, then tires and a toyota dealer oil change was all I wanted before trying the apparatus out. Looks like it will take a bit longer.

thanks

Thank you Linda. I suppose new tires it is. Any place/brand hereabouts you recommend for the new set? This particular set doesnt appear to be in stock commonly.

Achiless 8 ply, date codes from 2012. Plenty of tread, no sign of serious deterioration. I think this is the tire -- https://simpletire.com/achilles-185-r14c-1302578542-tires Too old or good enough for while? They have only seen warm climate at least for the last 4-5 years of the 6 year existence. Will post pictures when there is good enough light for some.

Yup. Isolator. Have one too. Coach is disconnected from truck for now during reconstruction, so this is entirely out of circuit for me. As long as you dont want to trickle charge the house battery from the truck alternator it can be disconnected and stay disconnected, or at least until you diagnose the issue. Both ends carry 12v, so if you disconnect just at the isolator then dont leave the wires uncovered.

The glass wont just fall out if the glazing beads are taken out. At least they shouldn't. Looks like you need a good window cleaning inside and out. If cleaned and lubricated they shouldn't be bad at sliding either. Cleaning, new/reapplication of glazing and making sure weep holes aren't blocked is the answer. Many people will take out and reseal windows to make sure water isn't leaking around the frame. If the diagnosis is conclusively just blocked weep holes that's easily fixed by taking out the bead -- they are just popped into a channel. No idea on new windows, removing frames is often a big can of worms, revealing inevitable rot.

Cant help you with window sealing, but others here and searching on youtube can help. For the rubber, you want https://www.pellandent.com/RV_Products_List.aspx?CategoryID=303 its called a glazing bead. Its very specific, you cant use any other than what you have that the track/window was designed to accept. This company will ship you samples cheap -- look for sample kit or sample lengths -- that you can match to what you need. These things shrink in the sun. A hot water bath may help make them pliable and stretchable again unless they are ancient. They arent cheap. Check your windows for dirt blocking water egress too. A weephole may be the culprit in part.

rm2451. that's this fridge: http://www.rvpartscountry.com/Dometic-RM-2451-Americana-Fridge-1.html and its anything but suitable for a toyotahome. Consider the dimensions: 37x24x24 or thereabouts and weight about 80lb. Thats up there near the weight of a petite person. If you have fridge furniture already then unless someone did it for you before, you will be the lucky person to tear it down. Because it should be the 2351 dimensions. which are petite, to put it another way. Next will be the fridge vent. Its a propane device, it will need sealed proper venting to the outside unless you want to not wake up anymore. I didnt consider these issues carefully enough. The size was attractive, there was some bargain sale (not really, but they fooled me anyway). These things come freight. On a pallet. Some folks can only ship to like walmart parking lots aka business addresses. With the protective covering (the styrofoam only protects corners, its not really anything secure or tough), the dimensions are 41x28x28 or there abouts. Herein lies another predicament, your passanger door hole is but an inch or more than this clearance. And your truck cabin isnt much more wider. And the space between the bed/dinette is probably narrower than needed (I dont have these things, cant give you dimensions, but 28inch is way too much floor space from looking at images of other people's yotas). Get it installed professionally -- unless you have helpers and you are working with a complete tear down. It will cost you the cost of the fridge to get it shoved in and connected, after the cost of the fridge to get the cupboard and vent redone. With many of these things I was lucky. The fridge was on a dolly -- it could get wheeled to the door of the yota. I dont have a dinette, and courtesy of the need to let the cats run free, the bed is considerably narrower and the vent was torn off long ago, the fridge cupboard too will be built around the fridge. It just needs to wedge inside somehow. As it happens, I decided to lay down a movers quilt to prefent dings/scratches. As it turns out things dont slide very well on these. With the fridge tilted to its side and laid on a suitable height box (luck would have it, there is no shortage of cardboard when you are re equipping a yoterhome, it was just push and pull. Fingers crossed on injuries and damage. First obstable -- clearance not deep enough unless you get the driver seat out too. This concerned me a fair bit, because I value the ability to steer the vehicle quite highly. again with the nudge, nudge, push/pull. Due to the movers blanket, it was 2 inches forward, one back. The fridge comes on a little plastic base on top of the pallet. In their wisdom, this is also a ring and not a pan. So promptly decided to come off mid way. Fortunately, I had added a hundred wraps of movers ceran wrap to keep the rest of the packaging intact. It did expose the jagged edges of the bottom rails. Note that there isnt really anything to actually hold on and push on the apparatus. All you can do is push and slide. In the end, despite having to also make a left turn half way towards the coach, it went in. With just pushing and sliding. It sits upright now where your dinette would be. Net damage: scrapes and cuts worth a cage fight with a hungry tiger. Fridge seems intact, unless there was some hidden damage. cab and coach also seem to have escaped without incident. Frankly, I was half going to give up and get as shop to do the installation, except the fridge was on a box on its side and sticking it in was as much trouble as moving it back to the garage. So, thats the last of the devices to go in -- new water heater, toilet seat, fans, reconditioned oven and furnace were already in. propane is plumbed. Need a hole for the fridge water drain. Might stick it out the tirewall instead of making yet another hole in the floor. The tirewall has a fair bit of protection now, including a new plywood cover. A small hole near the wall away from the ties is probably not the end of the world. But its old plastic and they arent easy to replace. May be just the floor again,then. Decisions, decisions.

What if it is the self destruct switch? Seriously though, its likely a set of extra lights or something like that. Some folks do non road legal light bars this way.

Here is one, it solves a mystery for me too: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-Toyota-Oaklander-/322498206575 Someome had posted a picture with faded decals that none recognized. This one below. Looks like any others of the period.

Here are some almost-after pictures: fiber glass cleaned up (almost), new but ugly imperfectly cut stripes (meh,they will do), new plastic and covers all around, solar panel (works, but does it do enough?), maxxfan, yada yada (almost). Outside will get a coat of wax, and the rest of sprucing up will wait for a while until after some use has been made of the apparatus. Still need the fridge to go in there before I start thinking use. That and tank cleanup. And some caulk. And some....

I ended up running wires, underneath. Didnt have the courage to make the hole even after buying the parts for a wireless setup mostly. May be next time around. On the positive side -- dual dash cam dvr. On the negative side, rearview is still crappy quality even though the rear camera claims to be 720p, eats battery fast if left on all the time.

Thank you WME. This is very helpful. I am looking at needing a length of 50 feet with one end that will be unattended during use. Thats a bit on the long side and a bit risky for me from an accident/spill management perspective. Will need a bit more thought and planning from me. Can you combine with a smarttote type solution so there isnt a long sewage line to run? Are portable waste tanks meaningful as an aid in dumping at home?

does http://www.nawandihalabja.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/atwood-water-heater-switch-wiring-diagram-beautiful-50-unique-collection-rv-water-system-diagram-diagram-inspiration-of-atwood-water-heater-switch-wiring-diagram.jpg help?

The new fridge now remains the last major component, following that I can start testing the equipment for use. There will still be minor loose ends and shakedown of everything but at least the core standard functions will be available. I am toying withe idea of having a macerator around. Folks that use it -- is it worthwhile?

This is likely worn out shielding on some cable or static charge accumulation. First try measuring dc voltages -- use a voltmeter set at 20v. One probe at a chassis ground, touch in several suspect places. There shouldnt be any voltages. This is harmless but worth performing on an unknown or unexplored vehicle. This isnt harmless if you arent careful. This following text also assumes no heavy wattage invertor like one designed to run any appliance -- you must have chased down all sockets, stuck a voltmeter set to 120v ac into all ac sockets and verified 0 volts. You can now try a makeshift lightening protector. Unplug the convertor charger both ends -- it should plug into an ac socket one end and screw into two 12v dc locations the other end. Then take a single insulated cable, with exposed terminals, stick one into ground soil. Touch the other end where ucvt shows voltage or previously known/ suspected locations. Measure current through the cable with an ammmeter. If there is any current in meaningful amperege steadily/rising and going to ground through this cable -- disconnect immediately, you have a mystery component generating voltage. More likely, there isnt any and the static charge wears off as coach is grounded. Wash the vehicle to reduce/dull exposed fibers that might be picking up static charge.

The solar wires finally poked their head out of the separating wall between bathroom and kitchen -- The gap at the entrance of the gray water vent on the roof wasnt too wide, so I would drop them and they would conveniently bend their ends back and get stuck. Guiding lines, pulling from the bottom, nothing helped until I poked the damned things with a bit of moulding long enough and thin enough. Positive side -- the solar is connected. Negative -- have no clue how much its producing. The cheap PWM controller show a blinking arrow between a panel symbol and battery. And battery voltage ticking up. But no actual solar panel voltage or current. The panel is a decent 120W monocrystalline flexible unit, the controller is the absolutely cheapest one. At this point I am satisfied with just checking battery voltages at the end of the day. The controller will get replaced at next bargain opportunity. The only major thing left is sneaking in the refridgerator, fitting it in a cabinet and solving a minor puzzle. I upgraded to a RM2451 size instead of the RM2351 size. The decision wasnt terrible in the end BUT it means yet again creating a new cupboard and vent. And for some reason, having to find a place to drain the moisture. Presumably the old setup didnt need a water drain, so there isonly one hole/vent to pass the propane through. Now, I need a second drain hole. Thats the puzzle. I would rather not hole the floor again. And there is the big fridge vent inlet right behind. RM2451 series is also considerably heavier at around 80lb. The passanger door/seat is not a problem. Its just dragging 80lb to the door, getting it in and dragging it through, mounting on the cabinet that are all going to be major work items that will need help to get done. Life is sort of gallon sized items right now, so its quite intimidating to have to organise an 80lb item move. Lets see who/what can fix the conundrum. How have you folks -- who ended up a drain hole short, resolved your problem?

Thank you WME. I am still confused about how those small disposable bottles are connect and what the respective connectors, regulator, hoses are called/sized. But google is a much closer friend given this.

How does one plug in an oven -- its a 4 burner cooktop original 1986 era oven -- outside? I don't know if I need to replace the control knobs. Is there a way to plug the thing into a portable fuel or air source without too much trouble. The input on it is a regular 3/8 flare.

My solar setup is a bit different. The panel is a thin/flexible panel. And coach batteries are outside in the space vacated by the generator. The load center and solar controller are still inside. Everything is on the driver side. So the fridge vent isnt helpful. I am trying to avoid running the solar cables in visible spaces. There arent any real cabinets along the roof now, so the partition wall is the only hiding space. The original design carried all the ac, dc, and sound cabling inside this wall, so adding a solar cable isnt the end of the world. Its just a bit of pain because I didnt stick the wiring out when things were more open. It will get done eventually.

Finally stuck the solar panel on the roof along with new vents, including a maxx fan, and the gas, co, smoke sensors in the wall. Need to find a way to get the solar cables in without new holes, which should be possible via one of the ABS vent holes. The gray is in the right place. Just need to undo the vent to get the holes in the vent plastic right. Need to stick in the appliances back in, make the supply lines tight, and screw in the missing screws. The biggest issue is checking the oven before I stick it back in. Anyone know if there are adapters for compressed gas to 3/8 flare so I can check the oven without real gas? The oven has a 3/8 flare that I can plug back in but it would be a pain to take it out again if it turns out it was broken. Is there an adapter for the portable disposable tiny bottles to 3/8 flare?

if it looks like the attached image its ABS, not PVC. Plumbing is changed over often so yours could be PVC. The wall pipe to vent should still be 1-1/2" or something but more often than not the sink connections are a size smaller with a 1-1/2 to whatever the smallersize is (say 1-3/8" or 1-1/4") adapter being at the trap. This is due to Non standard size of the drain in the rv sinks. You should be able to take off the trap easily and take it to your store to verify exact dimensions. edit -- If its just leaks , you might want to consider leakproofing with appropriate plastic adhesive -- as long as you are happy cutting the next time instead of unscrewing. edit -- it looks like you are talking about water supply lines and not sink drain. plumbing is the abs. the gray water supply lines go two sizes too. 1/2" and 3/8". both are often extensively customized by now due to the issues you are facing now. They make relatively cheap nylon adapters for supply lines that can typically hold for a while with good clamping. edit : google 3/8" and 3/8" x 1/2" barb fittings to match the fitting you have now. They come in both nylon and metal (copper?). You probably need a 3/8" barb to 1/2".