Jump to content

New to This


Recommended Posts

Hello everyone, man it took me a long time to figure out how this forum works...I hope I have it now.  I recently picked up an awesome little RV, 1978 Toyota Mini Mirage, and I need ANY help I can get in figuring out how to do some things.  Mechanically things are really good on it, and I believe I am the 2nd or 3rd owner.  I would love some tips from any of you. None of my RV systems came with manuals... 1: I would like to learn how to do the following:  Drain the water tanks and systems for the winter - best order of how to get the majority of water out of the RV.  2: How to operate the furnace or heater I believe it is a Suburban Traveler 2BH? (propane) - Lighting instructions etc.  3: Electrical outlets and which ones work while on battery power & which ones on land power?  I know I can figure this out from process of elimination, but any tips would be appreciated to best make things work or upgrades that result in better operation. 4: Refrigerator operation, I am pretty sure this is a gas/electric and I am not aware how it works. 5: Hooking up sewage / etc.  I am pretty sure this is pretty self explanatory, but any tips or modifications to the shower/toilet combo would be appreciated. Extra Credit:   I would really like to explore the option of including/integrating an additional battery source and charging system (including solar) if anyone has done a conversion or upgrade please let me know how it works and how you did it.  I have also been kicking around the idea of upgrading to a Weber Carb, any insight on this would be appreciated, this truck has had some recent carb issues and has been repaired, but it was recommended that the upgrade would be a positive one. My RV has just under 100K, all original from what I can tell and I can't wait to take it on some adventures this spring/summer. Thanks for any insight or tips you are willing to share. 

mirage10.jpg

20181112_133448.jpg

20181112_133500.jpg

20181112_133520.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Welcome to the forum PoetKirk.  One important thing to remember about these units, none of them are built by Toyota.  They are build ON Toyota chassis.  

Another good thing is that none of the RV appliances are specific to Toyota based RVs.  You can get the parts at any RV parts place.  You can download the manuals for any of the appliances such as furnaces, refrigerators, water heaters, water pumps, etc.  Just Google the manufacturer with part number.  I printed off all of the manuals for the stuff in my RV.

All of the outlets that look like the ones in your house are 120 volt (AC current) and they work only when plugged into a 120 volt power source. The 120 volt power goes into a power converter that charges the house (RV) battery and power all 12 volt power while plugged in.  Your 12 volt battery runs the 12 volt stuff when not plugged in as long as your battery is charged.  

The Toyota engine supplies 12 volt power to charge your house battery when the engine is running.  When the engine is running, the electricity goes first to a battery isolator,   it takes either the path to the truck battery or the house battery.  All of this takes time to understand.  The easiest way is to study one system at a time until you know how it works.

The people on this forum can teach you anything you need to know.  Ask  questions about a specific problem to avoid information overload.   My first RV was an Escaper built on a Toyota chassis and I learned so much from the great people here.  remember that you are dealing with an antique.  These units are easy to work on.  Basic tools are required to troubleshoot each piece.  Get yourself a good digital multimeter, you will need it to answer questions that the helpers will have.

Enjoy you travels.  Don't let the little problems ruin the fun;

Bob

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...