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A couple of weeks ago my wife and I just got our first RV / Motorhome - 1986 Dolphin.

The engine is in good shape and just needed a tune-up, hoses and belts replaced and the fuel filler line.

The hoses and line will be done early June and I already did the tune-up.

It needs new tires and found some 185/R14 tires for about $600 (for all six) online and found a place to mount and balance them for $15 / tire.

The inside is a little rough, I think it must have had a leak at some point and the cabover and rear have had some surgery done.

As far as the inside, they did a horrible job re-paneling the walls. the carpet was hideous and they only appliances that were working were the burners and the fridge off of AC (or so we were told).

The water heater is there, but I'm not going to try and hook it up again.

It's set for bypass and the hot water lines are cut.. since the shower is gone I don't think we'd use hot water anyway.

  • I started checking out the appliances and after confirming that the fridge works on AC, I totally blew it out with some compressed air and was able to get it working off of LP as well. :)
  • The guy said the furnace never worked (they only owned it 2 years) and wasn't even hooked up.
    I got all the manuals online and started checking it out and it LOOKED like it was OK, just didn't have the thermostat hooked up.. which was disconnected and just laying in one of the upper cabinets.
    I figured out where to hook that up and fired it up (with LP off).. the fan came right on.. good sign.
    I turned the propane on, it tried three times to light and didn't. I turned it off and back on again and it lit on the first try and within a couple of minutes we had nice hot air coming out! :)
  • All four burners and the oven work.. don't imagine we'll ever use the oven though.
  • The electrical outlets work off of AC and the DC lights seem to work fine as well.
  • Toilet is there and works, but rear sink and shower are gone.. there's a closet where the shower used to be so I built some shelves in there.

So far we've replaced the floor, made covers for all the cushions, added shelves, fixed drawers, made some window coverings, got the furnace working, got fridge working on AC and hung a toilet paper holder (saved best for last). :)

We have a few more things to do before we take it out, mainly the hoses and tires and we plan on taking it out for Father's Day weekend.

Over the winter I'm going to gut it and replace all the walls and ceiling, as well as build some additional cabinets.

I've created a site if anyone is interested in looking at / tracking the progress: http://86dolphin.blogspot.com

I have some before and progress pictures and I'm trying to update it at least every other day.

I'm on the Yahoo Toyota-campers group, but just signed up for this site as well and it looks great! :)

Thanks.

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Looks like you have a great start and handle on your Toyota. Thanks for sharing your progress, and for the ideas and deals you have had. I have purchased an electric no tank instant water heat unit for less than 200 bucks that will work with my generator and when plugged in, so maybe that is something you can consider to easily solve the hot water situation you mentioned, its small, and one less thing for propane to use. I am ridding mine of all propane items. heres the link for where I got mine

http://www.marey.com/productDetailsi.asp?productID=26

Continued success, good luck, and PEACE!

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I have a ProForce 3200 generator that I put in the rear right side storage hatch that I made 2 inches wider to accomidate the unit. It is a low profile that holds 3 gallons for 8 to 10 hours of running time. I dont run it in the compartment, I pull it out and cable lock it to my rear hitch when used. It is very quiet, and when inside, one can barely hear it. It was less than 250 dollars and thinking more towards the 200 side than the 50 side. I can run everything except my roof air with it, but it will run it on high fan. Good luck to ya!

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Not sure what

Have you installed a 'hard start capacitor' on your A/C?

Not sure what ya mean Derek by hard start, as I have a Coleman RV roof air conditioner connected to my electrical system? I plug the motorhome power directly into the generator and all works fine, the Fridge, lights TV, heater and such. It's just that the person that had the Dolphin before me replaced the air unit with overkill, by using a huge Coleman, really too big for my Dolphin and when on Cool, it just pulls too many amps for the particular generator I currently am using. The air comes on fine and runs but it really strains the output capacity of the generator, and dont wanna burn it up. I dont go boondocking anymore, and only really use the generator at truck stops or at Walmarts and such when I am just staying overnight and dont need to pay for a campground. The air unit is so powerful that at night when I would be using the generator, all one needs is the fan on high, or ya could hang meat in there with me.

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What does a hard start capacitor do? I have a 2000 amp generator that also overloads with my ac on ... any solution for this or do I just have to get a bigger generator?

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Im confused, you say it

It might let you run a smaller A/C with 2000w. Not sure about a 13.5kBtuh unit.

://www.modmyrv.com/2009/05/27/rv-air-conditioner-hard-start-capacitor

Not all A/C and generators are created equal.

OK, I'm a bit confused? You say the capacitor might allow ya to run a smaller AC with the generator, but wouldent having a smaller AC alone solve the issue for overloading the generator? Still not sure I understand the capacator's function, sorry.

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i have a honda 2000 and in the specs it lists the 13,500 btu unit as too big to run. someone here has posted about a type of capacitor that can be put on some units requiring less electricity to start the compressor. the start up electricity required to start can be up to double what it takes to run. hopefully who ever that was can give you some specific info as to what to try to find and if it will work for your exact air conditioner.

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Definitely making progress on this beast.. some updates are:

  • Got the water heater working.. didn't think this was going to happen. :)
  • Hooked city water back up
  • Re-routed fresh water overflow / vent
  • hooked up fresh water tank drain

Next on the list is to get the new tires (ordering tomorrow) and get the fuel fill line and hoses replaced (taking to mechanic tonight).

Next month we'll have the belts replaced.. they're OK for now, but should be replaced next on the list.

I'm so psyched because when we got it the guy said the fridge worked off AC only, the burners work and water pump.. that's it.

Since then I've either checked out (including the fridge on propane), or gotten working (furnace and hot water heater) all the appliances! :)

Looks like we're still on track for Father's Day weekend being our first outing. :)

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i'm sure you'll enjoy it. i too had been told only certain things worked but luckily wasn't totally accruate. i did get to replace the frig which i did with an AC only unit and take a generator when without hookups.

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When you get your tires, search around on the internet for the lowest price (i.e. Hankook RA08 - 185R14)) Then make sure they beat the price.

Should be below $100 out the door. (balanced, mounted, etc.)

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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When you get your tires, search around on the internet for the lowest price (i.e. Hankook RA08 - 185R14)) Then make sure they beat the price.

Should be below $100 out the door. (balanced, mounted, etc.)

Thanks.

I did much research over the past couple of weeks and those are exactly the tires I'm getting and I found the best price I could and tires are already ordered.

The mounting, balancing, etc.. for all six is going to be $95.40 ($90 + tax) total at a local dealership.

All in all I'm right around $100 per tire, including mounting and balancing.

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  • 10 months later...

If anyone is interested I've done a ton more stuff to our little guy since posting this.. it's all blogged at the site in my signature, but here's a rundown:

  • Installed an outdoor shower, hooked in to cold and hot water
  • Completely ripped out the horrible paneling the previous owners had on the ceiling and reinforced all the ceiling frame
  • Installed a powered vent in the middle of the RV and a non-powered one in the bathroom.
  • Re-insulated the ceiling and replaced all the ceiling panels
  • installed a light in the ceiling just inside the door
  • Reinforced the wall between the rear bench seat and the bathroom.
  • Put 1/4 round trim in all the wall corners and between the
  • Replaced the floor with laminate that we got for free from our neighbors
  • Rebuilt the dinette bench seats

To-do:

  • Add 1/4 round trim between cabinets / wall and floor
  • Prime everything
  • Paint everything
  • Coat the roof with sealant.
  • Pop out the windows and re-seal them.
  • Paint the exterior.

On the site you can see what it looks like now and it changes on (almost) a daily basis. :)

Edited by showson1
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  • 3 years later...

While you were doing all your updates did you happen to come across two small items (valves I think) sticking out of the floor just to the right of the fuse panel and under the sofa? I just bought this 86 Dolphin and I have no idea what these things are.

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