yota_mkii Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 howdy from Sunny Florida, I have just purchased a 1983 Minnie Cruiser, and am about to set off on a x-country voyage. There are a few problems, and many unanswered questions regarding this rig. First of all, i have been told that there is a propane leak at the regulator, and so can't use any of the propane appliances (fridge, water heater, stove). Anyone have any advice on locating the source of the leak, fixing/replacing the regulator? i also have recieved no manuals or instructions on this rig, and it is my first one, so i'm in the dark about a lot of things. 1. hydro - it seems there is a circular, 3 prong plug on the back - is this standard? i don't have any way of hooking up the AC that i can see. 2. water pressure - how do i get the water running? how do i drain the grey/black water tanks? (i.e. is there an electric pump for one/both of these?) 3. i'm scared of the water heater - i guess once i have the propane running i can start to think about this, 4. second battery? right now there is only one battery - though there seems to be a crossover/regulator type thing under the hood - any advice on 2nd battery hookup. also along these lines, i'm thinking of getting an inverter for AC current while driving - any advice on inverters, what do people normally do? well thats all for now, though i have tons of other questions - lots of mystery boxes and things here and there - i'll upload some pics when i get the camera working. thanks for existing, and any and all response to these issues are welcome! cheers and happy 2012, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xanthogar Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 howdy from Sunny Florida, I have just purchased a 1983 Minnie Cruiser, and am about to set off on a x-country voyage. There are a few problems, and many unanswered questions regarding this rig. First of all, i have been told that there is a propane leak at the regulator, and so can't use any of the propane appliances (fridge, water heater, stove). Anyone have any advice on locating the source of the leak, fixing/replacing the regulator? Regulators are cheap and easy to replace about $20 from any rv store might also check the tubes they're cheap too. i also have recieved no manuals or instructions on this rig, and it is my first one, so i'm in the dark about a lot of things. Check the forums there are plenty of 83 manuals, let me know what you need. 1. hydro - it seems there is a circular, 3 prong plug on the back - is this standard? i don't have any way of hooking up the AC that i can see. that plug may be a generator plug post a pic there are tons of experts on here to ID weird stuff. 2. water pressure - how do i get the water running? how do i drain the grey/black water tanks? (i.e. is there an electric pump for one/both of these?) water works 2 ways you have a switch somewhere for the water pump or it can be pressurized by using city water. The gray and black tanks (or one tank for both on some) should be a small t handle you pull near the drain it's gravity drainage no pumps. 3. i'm scared of the water heater - i guess once i have the propane running i can start to think about this, water heaters can go bad but it's unusual try pulling the drain and flushing it first. 4. second battery? right now there is only one battery - though there seems to be a crossover/regulator type thing under the hood - any advice on 2nd battery hookup. also along these lines, i'm thinking of getting an inverter for AC current while driving - any advice on inverters, what do people normally do? Check to make sure there isn't an exterior or interior compartment for a second battery if not there should be a place for one under the hood well thats all for now, though i have tons of other questions - lots of mystery boxes and things here and there - i'll upload some pics when i get the camera working. . thanks for existing, and any and all response to these issues are welcome! cheers and happy 2012, This board has tons of answers and congratulations on your purchase I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine (83 dolphin) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84TOYRV Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 #2 question: There must be a water pump switch in the coach. Mine is in the monitor, on the galley cupboard. Fill fresh water tank and turn it on. Plug in the coach first, because it sounds like you may not have coach battery. Do the lights work? The waste tanks have drains with covers beneath the coach. They have slides that pull out to open drains. Mine are on drivers side in back. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 As for the propane leak, mine also leaked, not just at the regulator, but the supply hose also had microscopic leaks. I elected to replace everything, regulator, hose, etc. I replaced the hose with a longer one and upgraded it to the ACME fitting. (same kind you find on BBQ tank) When I park overnight, If I'm going to be running the furnace, I set up my BBQ tank outside, remove the hose from the horizontal tank and connect it to the BBQ tank. Heres a link to the propane upgrades I did: Waiters Propane Upgrade #1 - I'm not sure what you talking about??? #2 There should be a small switch on you tank status panel that runs the water pump. The pump should have a pressure switch on it so it will turn on/off as the water pressure in the line drops. Most of these don't work. We just turn the switch on/off as we run water. The gray/Black should have their own "T" handle "gate valves" look around under the vehicle, probably the drivers side. There's usually a large fitting that you connect a large drain hose to, pull the "T" handle to open the valve. Drain the black first, close the valve, then drain the gray, this flushes out the hose. The hose might be stored inside the rear bumper. #3 I bypassed mine - we don't used the shower in the MH. so any water we need (dishes, face towel) we just heat it in a kettle on the stove. Probably if we were connected to city water and stayed in the MH for weeks at a location, the hot water and shower would be used.but the way we use our Toyhouse, the hot water tank is a royal pain to winterize, so I just bypassed it with a hose. Water Heater Bypass Shower Closet #4 Look around, you should have a second battery somewhere. What do you intend to use the inverter for??? John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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