Wales Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Hey Everyone, I recently bought a 1986 Dolphin with a 4 cyl. 22 RE automatic EFI engine. It is my first RV and I am having trouble driving it. I am having a hard time getting the RV to cruise without reving up the engine. It seems like every time I just lightly touch the gas pedal the engine revs up and my tachometer goes from 2.5 to 4 and then down again. Can't find a consistent cruising speed. Seems like I burned a lot of gas too. I am worried there is something wrong with the transmission. What is the best crusing speed and how should I drive it smoothly? Please help! We are going to Yellowstone this summer and I need to get this figured out. It is really bothering me. Thanks, Wales Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Wales- I have a similiar rig and mine took some geting used to also. Keep driving your toyota on short, easy trips so that you get comfortable with it. Your gas mileage should be somewhere in the 18 mpg range at about 55 to 60 mph. Any faster and your mileage will drop a lot. Practice makes perfect here. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supurcar Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 If mine is jumping in and out of o/d I just turn it off, I read it is better to have it revving than bogging (for the transmission anyway) especially going uphill. I have a tough time keeping it from downshifting when I am on the freeway, I need to be on a very flat surface for it to stay. I also find I do not have to overfloor the gas pedal, I just give it enough gas until it is not picking up speed anymore and try to keep it there in third and it helps on the mileage (maybe a bit more than half throttle most of the time). Any futher stomping on the gas has no effect unless I am going slow enough for it to shift down to second which is overkill unless on a steep hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyutah Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 (edited) Hello, How heavy is your RV loaded when this occurs? Are you out west at higher alt? Tire pressure up? Pulling something, Air Conditioner on , boat on roof? High winds? In my mind from driving( my 22R standard transmission) on hills, I could guess that any more of a load (any or all of extra engine loads above) could cause the transmission to start looking for rpms somewhere besides the engine. (It will Shift down) In Overdrive? Wow....mine standard transmission only has 3 gears forward and I can't imagine what would happen on a hill with less RPMs than I have in 3rd now. wow. FYI at 60 mph on a flat with a light load I get real close to 20 mpg) Without being an 'expert' I'd say you're maxed out in power, and I think that when the rpm jumps up like that, the clutch in the automatic transmission is slipping because of so much toqure and so few RPMS. NOT GOOD. Don't let it do that. I'd manually put the auto transmission into 3rd and let the speed be what it may. When driving an 'underpowered' car (64 VW) I have always pushed my speed up as high as safely going down the hill to help me climb up the next one. RPMs are everything on a hill, and when at higher rpms, there is much less toque on your clutch. It works for me driving from Utah to California but that means 70+ going down, and 55 or less going up. A lot of this may come from driving on interstate and trying to keep up the 70+ mph. Take that back roads, much nicer, and you can drive at 55 and not feel pushed. Richard Edited May 26, 2009 by flyboyutah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Forget using O/D EVER. Just tootle along at 55-65, enjoy the view. Relax your Toy will get you where you want to go. I live in the Rockies and have no problem going places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estelle Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Hey Everyone,I recently bought a 1986 Dolphin with a 4 cyl. 22 RE automatic EFI engine. It is my first RV and I am having trouble driving it. I am having a hard time getting the RV to cruise without reving up the engine. It seems like every time I just lightly touch the gas pedal the engine revs up and my tachometer goes from 2.5 to 4 and then down again. Can't find a consistent cruising speed. Seems like I burned a lot of gas too. I am worried there is something wrong with the transmission. What is the best crusing speed and how should I drive it smoothly? Please help! We are going to Yellowstone this summer and I need to get this figured out. It is really bothering me. Thanks, Wales Hi... I am a newbie also and have same engine with automatic 3 spd w/overdrive. I find best cruising speed at 60 mph in overdrive on freeway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hey Everyone,I recently bought a 1986 Dolphin with a 4 cyl. 22 RE automatic EFI engine. It is my first RV and I am having trouble driving it. I am having a hard time getting the RV to cruise without reving up the engine. It seems like every time I just lightly touch the gas pedal the engine revs up and my tachometer goes from 2.5 to 4 and then down again. Can't find a consistent cruising speed. Seems like I burned a lot of gas too. I am worried there is something wrong with the transmission. What is the best crusing speed and how should I drive it smoothly? Please help! We are going to Yellowstone this summer and I need to get this figured out. It is really bothering me. Thanks, Wales There is always the possibility that the transmission is shifting down prematurely. If your on flat ground doing 45 mph in 3rd gear and you give it a little gas and it down shifts I am not sure that is right. Isn't there is some linkage between the throttle and transmission that controls the downshift, maybe its not adjusted right! Also is it actually shifting down or does it seem like its slipping? Slipping is a bit more serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 They do shift down a lot, any hill at 60 will cause it to down shift the wind resistance at 60 MPH is outrageous (it is a bit of a brick) so adding a hill does it in. If it shifts at normal speeds on a flat road it probably is adjusted correctly. It should shift about like the family sedan on a flat road. If you find it shifting a lot turn the overdrive off until you find flatter roads. 80% of fuel economy starts with the right foot it takes a light touch to make the Toyota stay in a higher gear. A fully loaded 6000+ pound Toyota MH will get 13 to 15 MPG or about twice as much as your friends V10 Ford motor home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Drop your rear end gears to 4.56:1 and drive between 50 and 55. Much more enjoyable this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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