First post lots of questions!

[noahrexion]

Hello you fantastic group of peoples! I must get out (which is seemingly obligatory on this site) my appreciation for the community and thoroughness I have seen on these forums the last few months. Happy to be a member (with a rig!).

My quick story:

My wife and I just bought ourselves an 86' Dolphin (22RE Auto, 63k miles) to travel/live in for a few weeks/months (we're going without much of a plan). We sold our home in Colorado and will be ending in the northwest area with family to settle. We're looking to make this punk VERY reliable and get everything solid enough to feel secure driving thousands of miles and using all the features this fine RV has to offer us. The brief history on the toy I bought is that I essentially bought it from the original owner (an advocate for the old gal). We ended up splurging for this one, even though it looked the worst on the exterior, because it seemed that almost all the toys we'd been looking at needed work and we figured why not save 1/2 the price (this was literally 1/2 the price we were considering paying) and reinvest into it - so we are. There are a number of issues I am really hoping that some of you experienced folks may help us out with. I've been searching here (and on yahoo board) but cannot seem to find the right posts/topics - thought I am sure these questions have been dealt with in some fashion before. Here we go!

1) Batteries: The PO installed 2 (wired parallel) wal-mart 24MS-6 batteries in the coach (underneath the rear dinette) which are "marine starting" batteries. Both are fresh/new-ish (about 2 years but look great and have great charges) and are working. My concern is whether or not we should trust these over a nice single true deep cycle setup. Being that they are a couple years old and that I will not really know how many times they've been drained/charged I am a little nervous. I am fine with replacing one - and I may just buy a nice new DC battery for the coach and then take one of these pretty guys and use it as the cab battery. Would you folks keep a dual-MS battery setup over a single DC battery? Do any of you run dual DC batteries in parallel? I have no idea how much a few lights, occasional fan and such will drain the batteries being out and about. Love some feedback!

2) A/C unit. My roof (inside) has an electrical cover that was covered up by the installation of this "Duo Thermo - Brisk Air" A/C unit. My guess is that this was installed later on and that my rig did not come with A/C from the factory. This unit seems to work "ok" when plugged in. I have no idea how many BTU's it is or what the demand of this would be if we wanted to run it off generator/inverter power but its likely too much. Terrible install on the exterior roof: it is elevated up a bit, not sealed great and the exterior cover for it is broken up in a few places. I was contemplating simply removing the unit but have a couple of concerns first: My wife loves the idea of running this thing while we're driving down the road on a hot day. I do to. However I like the idea of not having to buy a new generator (ours sucks) to do this, losing the weight up top and installing some maxx air vents in its place. Has anyone felt that the installation of 1 or more of those max air vents actually provides meaningful airflow to the coach while running? Secondly, does anyone have a link to a proper patching job for the roof if I were to remove this unit entirely? That is a pretty big hole and I am not entirely sure what is under there (would like to get an idea of the scope of the job before I rip it out).

3) Leaf springs/Air bags. My rig has 3 extra helper springs on the passenger side (heavier or just a bandaid to a sagging problem?) that I do not think is original My rig has air bags but they are fairly trashed. I was planning on replacing the airbag setup and have seen a few mentions of folks doing the same. My question is whether or not any of guys have actually had brand new leaf packs built. If so, where, how much and what kind of performance have you see from them? Did you replace the shackles and bushings as well? It'd be nice to not run the airbags (I think) but I'm not so sure. I'm willing to do either or both.

4) Any HD shock recommendations (front and rear) besides Monroe? I haven't seen much on this topic. I did see a yahoo user buy some monroe's or gabriels though. I am wondering if you guys have any "accepted" shock that has worked well so far? Bilsteins? Part numbers?

5) Any of you replaced the brushes in your alternator as preventative maintenance - or is carrying an extra set ample? I've got 14.2V output and it seems to be working just fine (63k miles isn't a lot). Just curious.

6) ROOF (ugh): Seems as if I fall in the range of what is normal when buying these rigs. My roof skin is bubbles and wobbly. Lots of rubberized painted goop all over the place and I don't even know where to start. It looks like the roof may be several pieces? I am at a loss for how I should start. What I'd like to do is: replace my vents with max air, or at least new covers - possibly remove my A/C and then reseal the thing. I see no evidence of leaks coming inside (except in the cab over - which I was told was repaired, ya right...). The vent over the cab over is much larger than the standard 14x14 that is over my dinette and bathroom. Link/type recommendations? I haven't found any max air (or similar) installs so far - or reviews on them to know if they really provide good airflow inside. I wish the fan was reversible so you could draw some nice cool air inside on those cool nights!

7) replacement seals and parts! I know you owners of these know exactly what I am talking about! I cannot find a site that shows my a breakdown of what I need at all! My roof/side skins come together to for a gap! I am wanting to pull all the screws, re-goop it up (suggestion here?) with something and then install new screws and a seal over them. My rv has been left untouched in the sun for a LONG time and the exterior needs help. The laminate has come up on some of the fiberglass skins and could be glued back down. I am sure most lights/hatches...etc need resealed and I really want to do this properly. We've got great weather and the time to do it, I just don't know where to start and/or get the right parts (or what to call them!). I need lens covers, seals, replacement panels (if they make them)....etc I've seen a lot of different types of "goops" used and that whole topic is a mess in my head. I see caulk, silicone, urethane, roll-on stuff, paint on stuff, putty, butyl tape? ....etc

8) Cruise Control: I do not have. It would be nice to have, and it'd be nice to know what aftermarket units work and what do not work so well so I can avoid them. Is there an original OEM Toyota cruise setup that can be installed? I have no idea what this costs but I'm not worried about getting it installed properly, I just wanted to get one to make the drive a bit more pleasant. Although I may be able to do a better job with gas mileage if I manage the peddle myself, not sure.

9) Overdrive - I'd like to disable the altitude thing to see if my O/D actually works before I leave. I live up in Colorado and wouldn't be able to find a spot under 4,000 ft. unless I drove a LONG ways from home. Is there an actual HOW TO somewhere with any pics? I've seen people mention this override in other posts but no actual instruction on how to do so. I understand the O/D limitations and mostly want to get it going for use on super flats, down hills and then of course once I get out west where the elevation is 0 - 2000 ft.

10) Mirrors: Any suggestion for mirror extensions that do not vibrate a wiggle so much that looking out of them makes you dizzy? My drivers side is ok but my passenger side mirrors were extended (I think because they installed an awning and it needed that much more room to see around it) and they SHAKE badly, yet they were extended with solid metal brackets.

11) Is there a downloadable repair manual or anything for these dolphins? I have the original manual that came with, but I could use some help with things like: rewiring my sensors for the tank level gauge, understanding what wires go where under the coach and inside the cabinets and such (lots of loose, old or broken connections)

12) I attached a photo - anyone know what that is for? There are two knobs with set screws and a flat head adjustment (like valve lash) with a little on/off switch and a red "on" indicator light. I have no idea what this could be. My thoughts were air bags or gas something.... they cover and and such look original.

That is all for now folks! I thank any and everyone for reading my post and helping out. I've got about 3 full weeks of time to knock some of this (and lots more mechanical/tune-up) stuff out of the way before the maiden voyage.

[WME]

Wow so many questions. For part ideas try google PPL RV

1 Use them, keep checking the water level. Plenty of Wal Marts to get replacements on the road. BAD NEWS maybe. Are they in sealed boxes and vented to the outside??? A lead acid battery vents hydrogen when charged.

2. Give up the idea of running the A/C while driving down the road without a generator. The battery draw into an inverter would be in the 150 AMP range. The stock alternator is 60 amps.

More later

[flatspin]

1) The starter batteries will have a fairly short lifespan in that kind of role. They're designed for high-current at short bursts and will tend to degrade internally when repeatedly depleted. DEFINITELY ensure good ventilation no matter what. Parallel is aok, but potentially unnecessary for things like interior lights and the occasional fan. Add a TV, use the microwave via an Inverter, etc. and the extra capacity will come in handy.

2) Try it. I think using the coach AC underway with the genset would be more of a hassle than it is worth. We have good luck with a Maxxair and the coach AC, but we are up in NorCal where there are only a few weeks over 100 in the summer.

3) How does the coach ride now? If you're level and can handle a load, you may be OK. If not, the idea is to have enough spring to support the coach and then use the airbags to re-level when you're loaded up... Airbags can hold up a dragging coach, but the real solution is to either re-arch or replace the springs, etc. In the grand scheme of things (and from your list you've got a pretty grand scheme) it isn't super expensive. Add in replacing the airbags, and you'll be out a chunk o change, though.

4) Just installed new monroes. Life changing. Bilsteins are great too. Easy to find online with your year/1ton p/u.

10) Post a pic of those mirrors...

[WME]

2. If your in the south then nothing beats A/C, in the NW you may be able to go without A/C. The vent where the A/C is is 14x14 so a Maxx Air cover and a Maxx Fan will draw in a lot of air. But it will never be cooler than the outside air.

3. Most people if they do anything will replace the bushings and use air bags. You just use the air bags to level the unit. So as your load changes then you can change the air pressure and keep a softer ride. Adding springs until its level loaded will make for a rough ride lightly loaded.

4. Bilsteins best shock for a Toy, Monroe best bang for your buck.

5. Your choice.

6 Remove the goop and use a good RV sealant and then a coat of SnowKote. Maxx Air and Fantastic Fan are both reversible

7. Your on your own here, just look for suitable RV stuff. Dicor, Pro Seal and SnowKote come to mind for starters.

8. You need a electric speed control, do NOT get one that uses a vacuum system to hold the throttle as the Toy doesn't have enough vacuum at 60mph to make it work.

9. Most people do not recommend using the OD on the 4 cylinder. Toyota says not to use O/D when the pickup is heavily loaded. Guess What.

10. Yea it sucks, but that's life. About the only thing I can think of is to extend the brackets on the mount. Extending the mirror just makes things worse as you have found out.

No help here. The factory manuals were just brochures from the appliance makers, no big Dolphin manual.

Its an old style 300 ohm TV connector. Does your Toy have a TV antenna somewhere.

[noahrexion]

I think we will likely just delete our A/C - I've got to pull it out to check around the area for repair/leaks anyhow.

As for the springs, I am now thinking and some new air bags will do the trick, the coach seems to ride ok and there is definitely some arch remaining in the springs.

I ordered some KYB gas adjust!

THanks for the cruise recommendation, and links WME!

Does anyone know of a solid link explaining the O/D setup and how its disabled? I certainly understand the limitations of the 22RE - but having ones own control certainly beats out the electronics of this 25 years old machine. Downhill, flatlands, tailwinds and low elevation (toppled with a nice vacuum gauge and trans temp gauge) are perfect situations in which once can maximize fuel economy.

WME - I did see an antenna on the roof. I will likely cut it off/seal it and then use the outlet space underneath for something else. Good call!

Flatspin - do you have any install recommendations for the maxx air? Did you simply install 1 unit (fan and cover)? Is it able to provide airflow that one can feel sitting in the coach? That is all that matters to me (good airflow) and I'd be wiling to install 2 or more if that were the case! Have any pictures or anything? We will end up in Portland area and certainly A/C is not always needed.

Thank you all very much for the response thus far!

[waiter]

1) two batteries in parallel give you more amp/hours. 2 years is probably mid life if they havn't been deep, deep cycled. Leave them and see what happens.

2) I think your electrical cover is standard. thats where the wire splice is for the A/C. I don't have an A/C but the wires are there and capped off.

I'm considering A/C as I plan on traveling south and sw. On our Alaska trip, we would have used it twice, once in Fairbanks when it was 85 deg and very humid, once in Iowa when it was very hot and humid.

3) Keep at least 20psi in the bags, keeps them from pinching. I run about 65psi in mine most of the time. good ride. (I replaced the air hoses when I added mud flaps. the hoses were very brittle and were the source of the bag leaks.

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7) Use bytyl tape, trim it, then go over it with the rubberized sealant.

8) CC - IMHO Mandatory - As others hav said - do not get vacuum servo, you must get electric servo (The thing that actually pulls the throttle cable.

9) OD - II use it, but if I find it poppin gin and out, I turn it off. Normally, seems to be OK below 55, with tail wind, or downhill. other than that, its almost useless.

JOhn Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

[flatspin]

I had a Fantastic Vent already installed, so all I had to do was put on the MaxxAir cover to protect the vent underway and in the rain. The vent pulls a lot of air through. I haven't tried the MaxxAir complete solution with a fan, but I imagine one or two of those would be quite effective. Again, I think trying out the AC while it is already installed is a good idea.

[Maineah]

Your A/C opening is standard 14" X 14" same thing as a vent. The start batteries are just that lots of short term power but little reserve and they do not like to be discharged and recharged you are better off with a good 120 amp deep cycle battery. As far as your alternator I doubt you'll have a whole lot of luck finding brush sets and changing them on the road will not be a lot of fun a rebuilt is probably less money then having some one installing brushes. Personal opinion don't waste your money on a cruse control with a 4 cylinder it really does not have enough power to hold a steady speed. The altitude cut out is more for the engine then the O/D you have less power above 4,000 feet and with the 4 you'll need all you can muster. Like WME said your picture is an old 300 ohm TV connection and the little red light is for the amp in the antenna. It's probably a Winegard "bat wing" and with out an add on part (called a "wingman") you most likely won't do very well with off the air reception because it was made for much lower freqs then we now use for digital. I agree running your A/C with out a generator ain't going to happen and unless you buy a generator made for a MH you will not be able to run it in a compartment.