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Hopefully this information can help those faced with and old rusted fuel tank and non working fuel gauge. 1987 Sunrader (1986 Toyota pick up) with a 26.5 gallon Transfer Flow fuel tank. After conducting test suggested by my friends on this site, I decided to drop the tank and remove the sending unit. I found it to be completely rusted with no arm movement. The tank feels solid although covered in rust inside and out. The sending unit appeared to be modified to accommodate the tank depth. I also removed the fuel pump and stand to get a better look at the interior tank condition. Couldn't see much, the baffle was in place and everything was covered in rust and sludge. This sunrader had been sitting still since 1998 when I rescued it from Craigs list. After removing about 10 lbs of nuts and bolts from the bottom, (someone had been drooping in the fill line) A simple cleaning was out of the question. I called Transfer Flow (still in business) To inquire about replacement. $1,600 because they would have to build a new one. Transfer Flow suggested a less expensive alternative "Gas Tank RENU" . About an hour a half away, I brought the tank and pump stand there. $660. to completely restore the tank and pump stand. Not bad considering the alternative. www.gastankrenu.com I was given a tour of the process and was very impressed. I pick up my Re-Nu tank Tuesday. In the meanwhile I ordered new gaskets and a new Toyota sending unit. I got the new sending unit and was surprised to see it was the same depth as the modified one. Although the tank is 15 inches deep, the sending unit is 11.5 . I'm not going to modify it. I'll just live with knowing I have about 6 gallons left when on empty.

I need some help here, my Sunrader has a horizontal tank that appears to have an "PDQ" (i have no idea what this means) OPD. This is a conundrum to me, because as far as I've read only BBQ tanks (vertical) are suppose to have these. Please help me identify what type of tank this is and weather I need to replace it, the hose, the regulator, etc. I want this thing SAFE and able to be refilled. As is, there are no propane leaks that i've been able to detect and all gas appliances work. As always, thanks for all the feedback and assistance!

I just bought a 1984 21' Sunrader and I can feel (and hear) under the carpet that the subfloor at about mid-point is rotted and will need replacing. I'll probably replace the entire subfloor since I'm going to gut the interior (excluding the bathroom). I assume the existing subfloor is particle board (heavy!) and was wondering for those that have replaced the subfloor what material they replaced it with? Maybe something lighter than particle/wafer board? Thanks

Does anyone know how many gallons the gas tank holds in a 21' 1984 Toyota Sunrader? I googled it first but coudn't find anything for my year. Thanks

I just bought a 1984 Toyota Sunrader 21'er. Its a fixer-upper. I plan on gutting the inside to make it the way I want. I have lots of experience with woodworking and fiberglassing (both epoxy and polyester) and plan on avoiding holes through the coach roof if at all possible (well, maybe one hole for the solar cell wires). I'm doing as much of the work myself so I can do it right and also to same money because cost does matter. I have some questions please... 1) Can I step anywhere on the roof without cracking it? I weigh 190 and heard a few slight crunchy sounds as I carefully walked on it. 2) Do I really need those little lights at the top of the coach? They seem like more places for leaks and would rather get rid of them. (I plan on glassing over a few of the existing access doors, etc. so will need to repaint the coach anyway.) 3) What is the purpose of that goofy little railing on the roof near the back of the coach? If it doesn't serve a good purpose then I will get rid of that too. 4) Since I'll be re-painting the coach, I plan on pulling all the windows out and recaulking them. What sealant/caulk will last a super long time in the tropics? Some of that stuff used on boats?? 5) In the area where the back of the Toyota cab meets the Sunrader coach, there is a little piece of trim. In my case that trim is cracked and funky. Can that trim be replaced without separating the coach from the front cab? If not, any suggestions what I could do there? 6) Any suggestions for a simple, cheap, durable, easy to set up awning? (I would rather glass attachments in place than drill through the coach) 7) I have no keys for the side door of the coach and the Toyota doors. Is it possible to have all three locks use the same key? If not, can I buy a replacement lock and key for the side door at a motorhome place (or eBay)? 8) I'm going to tear out the carpet in the front cab area and want to replace it with thick durable rubber material. Any suggestions for durable stuff that I can cut to fit as if it came from the factory? It would have to go under the seats too. 9) I want to remove that funny looking Sunrader trim on the side. Should I fill the channel with Bondo? 10) If I was to remove and glass over the two vent holes in the roof, do you have any suggestions for a cheap and simple way to move lots of fresh air through the coach - and even while raining hard? Thank you very much! Steve

Hi ALL! First I'd like to say THANK YOU to all of the forum members who have contributed to this awesome site, creating a wealth of knowledge, experience, and information for us Toyota Motor Home owners. I'm a new member - both here and to the Toyota Motorhome owner scene. I purchased my first Toyhome, a 1983 Toyota Sunrader (18ft w/ "death axle"....we'll get to that later), after MUCH research on these great, fuel efficient, reliable RVs. The Sunrader (who is as of yet unnamed) we found had only has 35k original miles and the interior was completely original and in great shape (considering the vintage) with only a small amount of water damage from a leaking window. All appliances still in working order without water/gas leaks. Only surface rust on the undercarriage from sitting over unpaved/ungraveled parking for years, AND the "death axle" (however thanks to this site I was aware of this going into the deal and was able to bargain accordingly). SO all-in-all we were very happy with our new Toyhome! Then the search began for the 1-ton full-floating 6 lug rear end....car-parts.com, partshotlines.com, Ebay motors, cold calling local (and less-than-local) salvage yards one-by-one, and craigslist. Craigslist. AND MORE CRAIGSLIST!!!....until......Magic. Fate. Prayer. Planets in alignment. The ending of the Myan Calendar. Whatever the case may have been, a late-night search on craigslist with the paltry term: Sunrader (one of hundreds of keyword searches I had been doing religiously for a month) returned a 1984 21ft Toyota Sunrader in water damage decay 35 miles from our home selling "camper only, chassis is NOT for sale" HOW COULD THIS BE!!! SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR AWAY. I decided I'd try, I HAD TO! After not-so-negative email exchanges with the seller, I arranged to go and see this magnificent pile of scrap RV. There it was in all its glory, taunting me with its perfection...THE 1-ton full-floating 6 lug rear end....the words "Again, Chassis is NOT for sale" spinning through my mind. I picked my jaw up from the ground and began fuddling about the camper looking for any spare bits I might find useful while I explained my scenario to the fine gentleman who was selling her off piece by piece.......I bought a fan motor for the vent, eyed the propane tanks, looked at little fixtures here and there....THEN the clouds parted and a voice sang out to me "I'll tell you what...." My heart leapt, my knees buckled. "Yes, yes, that sounds good. I'll talk to you tomorrow!" IT. WAS. MINE!!!! And delivered to boot! EVERYTHING, axle, springs, shackles, he gave me the ENTIRE frame section! Only shy one upper shock mount (***any help here is appreciated**). Once it was sitting in my garage, I realized that EVERYTHING is going to fit...just bolt right up!!! The driveshaft holes are the same, the spring mounts are the same, the torsion bar!!!!!!!!! The Toyhome gods have smiled upon me....I must repay this debt! Sooooo, I will try to document in this thread my axle upgrade as best I can, pictures and all, for those that find themselves in similar circumstances. Thanks again for everyone's help & contribution (past, present, and future), Patrick Here she sat with her "death axle" waiting... And here is her new pair of shoes...

What are the cabinets and interior walls attached to inside a Sunrader? Did Sunrader glue vertical studs and horizontal stringers to the inside of the fiberglass shell as attachment points for the walls and cabinets? I'm asking because I might buy a Sunrader that will require a new interior and I want to know what I'll be dealing with. Thanks Steve

Well, the project begins. Probably should have started when it would be warm a little longer but all this last week we've been pulling stuff out. So far we've taken 360 lbs worth to the dump with easily twice that much weight in the garage in more trash, appliances, and four deep cycle batteries. Not entirely sure where we're going with this but we've decided we'd like to start with a clean slate. From the pictures, you can see I've had a little help. I've gotten some more done but don't have pictures yet. We've got a bit of snow that's slowed the process a bit. I pulled the shower/bathroom stall out in one piece through the back window opening. I'm going to end up cutting it up to use to fill old window/accessory holes we're not going to use anymore. The tear down should go relatively quickly. It's the build back that's going to take forever.

Has anyone fiberglassed ALL the seams on the house part of their motorhome thus making it seamless kind of like a Sunrader? Thanks Steve

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Hello! I just brought home the 1978 Toyota Sunrader my brother gave me & it needs a TLC. For the most part it looks like just cosmetic work needs to be done... new flooring, recovering the cushions, new cabinet doors, fresh paint on the interior, & a good detailing. The little 4 cylinder engine still runs like a champ... okay, so a slow champ... which makes me think there's nothing wrong with it mechanically. After it warms up it sounds like any new car on the road. Question Part: The exterior seems to have cracked caulking along the seams where the cab & the coach meet. Does anyone have any good advice on how to do that? Should I sand down the old stuff & put new caulking over it? Does anyone have any other good tips a new RV owner should look for to make sure things are sealed up tight? Background on me: 100% small car owner who has owned 3 VW New Beetles over the past 12 years (2000, 2006, & 2003) & a 1985 Honda CRX before that. The most I've done to my cars was add racing stripe decals, change the oil (just once was enough for me), & wash them. So I'm sure this little RV from 1978 is going to have its challenges & rewards.

I've read everything I can find on the rear axle issues, but can't find what I'm looking for. I have a 1983 Sunrader, and it as the upgraded 6 lug axle, but I can't find any information on it. Is it a later model Toyota axle? Is it from a different manufacturer? Did Gardner Pacific replace it with something completely different? Is it a 1 ton or a 3/4? What size cylinder and seals does it take? We've tried 3 different sets, but nothing seems to fit. Any help greatly appreciated. Ron

Hi. I'm looking for some advice for my '88 Toyota Sunrader - 22RE. A few months ago it stalled while driving, and we couldn't get it started again. I had it towed to a mechanic and he got it started no problem, and could not reproduce the problem, so he gave me a tune up... new spark plugs, fuel filter, new belts, and a a new battery. On the way home it stalled again, but started again after a minute. He told me he didn't know why and to put gas in it. After a few more short drives, it stalled again on the highway, but started up again after about 10 mins of continually trying. It was still turning over just fine. Once started it ran fine. I didn't know what to do. Today, while driving on the highway, some stop and go traffic for awhile in the heat, it started running really poorly. There was no power when I accelerated. It was 'clunky'. In neutral its smooth, but in gear, its jerky and when I hit the gas, I get very slow response. It takes a lot longer to get up to speed - no power. I called the mechanic, and he says it sounds like its fuel starved. Well, the fuel pump was replaced last October, so I don't know how that could have gone bad already. I didn't drive it much over the winter, and have only been out on short trips since spring. He also suggested the catalytic converter, but I need to ask him why he didn't check that when he had it last. I think that could cause loss of power, but could that cause the stalling? My dad suggested it might be the Air Mass Meter (or Air Flow Meter?) I'm hoping for some advice from people with experience with this engine. Has anyone had a similar experience or have some insights about my problem? Thanks, Miranda Rose