Nicehobbits Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Just returned home to Canada after a road trip !Rig was our 1990 Toyota Dolphin ... Mum & Dad & 2 kids ... Fully loaded inc roof storage , 2 kayaks , motor scooter ...Left Manitoba Canada mid December , traveled the USA & Mainland Mexico 6,500 miles round trip ..Bert the Dolphin never never let us down , it is the most dynamic rig on the road for this type of adventure .The motor turned 100k miles on the way home , we ran 5w30 full synthetic oil & it did not used a single drop . Transmission we drained & filled 3 times before we left & 1 more time at our half way stage in Mexico .Ran regular unleaded gas & mileage varied from a high of 17mpg to 11mpg into a all day head wind in New Mexico ... On a real good test from Phoenix Arizona north to Flagstaff climbing 6500ft fully loaded , full fresh water tank but empty grey/black tanks we got 13.6 mpg ... & never got more than warm .We bought this Toyota for this trip only ... But I can say to all I doubt we will ever sell it now ....Bert is now one of the family ,, kinda like a older child to say .He was our home for 92 nights ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Well I guess you kind of won a lotto. Bought your rig at a crazy low auction price and went all the way to Mexico totally overloaded and no problems at all. Good going. Hope it runs for you for many years to come. Your kids will talk about your trips for the rest of their lives. That's the biggest win of all Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverman77 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Dear owners of "Bert", Some folks think that I'm crazy because of the (religious) frequency that I have my tranny oil flushed on my '88 Dolphin. I am glad to hear how you folks feel the same way that I do, by flushing 3 times before your wonderful journey. These poor little transmissions get beaten to death by heat and boiling trans fluids, not to mention our big ol' huge coaches mounted on top of them. Being a little excessive on the tranny flushes does indeed insure more reliable journeys. It sounds like your family also had a great time. Good going and many more happy travels to you! ~Riverman77 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1122 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Can you tell me what speed you kept the motorhome at to get your MPG? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicehobbits Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Hey Linda ... I sure wish I could win the Loto lol ... I'd share with ya ... Not sure how much ya traveled yourself but this Toyota is toughI do not see it as over loaded in anyway , handled very well , pulled great , never a problem braking , roads in Mexico can be a little rough in places , Topes ( speed bumps ) are the big surprise most days when you don't see them .. I've traveled the world in all kinds & sure wish I had this Toyota on some previous trips ..You got it right with the kids ...Fresh blood in a tranny is always the key . RivermanPete .. As we have been traveling so many miles & days & as you know with a Toyota & the small tank you get to stop for gas many times ... So we played around with it on many occasions ,, speed,, overdrive ,, using Cruzzzing control ,, not using ,, full water & holding tanks .. Empty ... Motor scooter loaded .. Not loaded ...Speed as you asked was changed too ... But the best mileage was achieved in warmer conditions holding 55-60 mph ...On one stretch from Flagstaff AZ to Santa Fe NM we 14.1 mpg with regular gas & fully loaded ... All math done with fill up to fill up noting gas tank completely full to spilling over ... Noting gallons used & miles driven .I've had a pile of RVs & all kinds of trucks to travel in ... I read lots about the little Toyotas , folks still saying they won't get you up a big mountain , they week , ...Sure I guess there is other units on the road that get you from A-B a bit faster & you get to carry more crap ... & I have one of them sitting in my yard ! But bought the dolphin to get us to Mexico & more over just for the hell of it .They get great mileage sitting in your yard ... I like to drive them ... I would not hesitate to drive it 20k miles next trip .You never get to overtake too many other things on the highway ... But I'm never in that much of a rush lol .Get your Toyotas out this summer & hit the road !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicehobbits Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 From the start of our trip ... Mileage from start of trip to the Mexico border = 2408 miles ... Gas $595 ....190 gallons .. Gas ranged from 2.68 low to 3.39 high per gallon .This was just the 1st leg of our trip ... But easy to see how the Toyota did on a long trip . Average of 12.67 mpg . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey 4x4 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Such a great time, thanks for the post and pictures. I am excited to get on the road with my Toyota with the motor I just built and see how it does on fuel mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Traveling with the kids is always a win for everyone. A year and a half ago, all 4 of our grown kids were sitting around the dinner table with my wife and I and were discussing our trips we took years ago. All 4 daughters had nothing but great memories of the trips and they even remembered that at times we all got one each others nerves. On June 14, two of those daughters, 2 grandkids, my beautiful wife and I are going on a 20 day trip from Baraboo, WI through the Badlands, Bighorn Mtns, Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon Nat Monument, Glacier NP, and back home. My wife always keeps detailed journals of our trips and the kids have read through them and planned our route. My wife and I will be traveling in our Toyhouse and the kids will be driving my wife's car pulling our pop-up camper. Reading about your trip has really got me thinking about this trip even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicehobbits Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Love road trips Bob ..... Family time brother ! . Rear view of Bert the Toyota ... Coastline on the West side mainland of Mexico , sea of Cortez ... Stopping for gas at a Pemex in Mexico .... 1990 Toyota Dolphin 3.0 V6 .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toobigboat2014 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 When you said you flush the tranny 3 times, does that mean you filled it up 3 times than drained it? I'm sorta confused. Or did u mean you changed it 3 times during your trip. I know it's a dumb question tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydancer2992 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 My 91 Warrior had been sitting a year or two. The transmission oil was cloudy and brownish. About two quarts came out the drain. I filled and drove it around. Still slightly discolored. Drained two quarts and filled. Took a trip and repeated. Now the oil is a nice red and clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaggyRV Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Sounds like an awesome trip! I have put nearly 20K miles on my 1985 22RE Granville in the last two summers. Martinsburg, WV to Key West and back. Myrtle beach 3 times. Jacksonville Florida area and back 3 times and many weekend jaunts. These little rigs are just plain tough. I have done lots of work on mine to make it reliable though. My first trip to Key West and back was done after flushing Diff oil. Engine oil and a fan clutch only. Since then I have replaced a lot more. Love these little rigs. Our/s is named Granny BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicehobbits Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Too big boat ... Not sure how you may have read that we flushed the transmission . But here goes . This is what I said " Transmission we drained & filled 3 times before we left & 1 more time at our half way stage in Mexico " ... So ... Let's say your transmission holds 12 liters of oil !! .. You unscrew the drain plug under the tranny sump & catch all the oil that drains out , I use a 1 gallon used clean dry milk plastic jug , it will not over flow , once it's finished dripping , make a note on the side of the milk jug , fill a 2nd jug with the same level amount of new oil .. Screw in the sump plug .. Then pour into the tranny fill tube ... Run the rig for 2-3 hundred miles .. Then do the same all over again .. Do it 3-4 times & you will have diluted them 12 liters into nice juicy new tranny oil ... Takes me less than 10 mins to complete a drain & fill .... Little toys trannys work real hard ... Nice fresh blood/oil transfusions are essential .... Cheep too . I'm in Canada & today I was talking to a rv dealer in the US about a class C motorhome & he was telling me he has 4 customers waiting for a Toyota to come up ... I know why I told him lol !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicehobbits Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Shaggy ... Granny ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Shaggy ... Granny ?? Well mine is Baby. I was parked at the beach in Santa Cruz between some behemoth motorhomes and a jogger came by and stopped and exclaimed OMG it looks like they had a baby. She's been Baby every since Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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