ToyoGuy Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Well, something had to go south, it was going too smooth. Was walking past the coach this afternoon and smelled gas and heard the telltale hissing..... Quickly and carefully disconnected both batteries, then opened the access door and shut the gas off at the live bottle (mine has two with a selector at the regulator, as per below) and checked for gas inside the MH. Made note of where I had parked the fire extinguisher just the day before yesterday and then with a flashlight,carefully inspected the interior of the LPG compartment, tanks, hoses and regulator. No clues. I squirted the whole deal down liberally with soapy water and just cracked the valve again. No bubbles but lots of gas sounds and smell. The hoses are old, so I figured I'd replace those on principle, (30 yrs, what the heck, y'know?) It's the original regulator, and it's rivited to the wall of the tank compartment, so I can't easily remove it to disassemble and inspect seals etc. Do folks just replace these instead? It's an awfully archaic-looking setup. On the bright side, I know my gas compartment doesn't leak, I was in the coach making measurements before I went out and discovered the problem. Everything carrying gas from the coach-side of the compartment throughout the coach is new, so I'm not concerned there, but I can only assume if nothing else is leaking, it's gotta be the 1984 regulator somehow. Maybe a diaphram, or seal? Anybody dealt with this? can a new regulator even be had? The fit in the compartment is mighty snug and I would hope for smaller, or same size. Thanks, TG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 New regulators look just like that. Not hard to replace. Not expensive. Make sure to use gas tape, like plumbers tape but yellow when you reinstall the new one and make sure you buy a vertical one not horizontal cause that's what's there now. I don't see a tank switch over there.Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyoGuy Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Thanks Linda, The upper of the 2 units has a knob w/arrow on the face of it for switching. The clear-plastic Red/Green gas indicator dome is at the very top of the whole thing and, as currently installed, is right up against the top of the compartment. Good opportunity to move it down a 1/2". The way it is, setting anything on the top of the sheet metal compartment from the inside of the coach, just mashes down on the top of the whole array. Maybe that's the cause of the current problem. I hadn't heard of the specialized gas tape. Thanks for the tip. TG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Most of the new regulators are 2 stage and much longer. You may need a few mods to your setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyoGuy Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Got the old reg taken out this morning. Had to drill out the rivits and I was right about the ceiling of the metal compartment pushing on the top of the regulator assembly all these years. The metal cap on top of the full / empty indicator was worn from years of vibration and the clear plastic housing under it just finally gave up the ghost. Amazing that it lasted as long as it did. More amazing it passed QA originally with it mounted that way. Also, the old regulator was mounted to the brackets with wood screws forced into the machined screw holes in the back of the regulator. Jeeze, I gotta believe you folks with newer than '84 Sunraders are seeing a lot less of this stuff... Thanks for the help. TG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Mine is an 86 and by then they came with one permanent under mount tank and 2 stage horizontal regulators. Much easier to replace than yours. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 local rv shops told me it is illegal now for them to install a single stage regulater. was also told for horizontal pullout tank use horizontal vented type not pull trailer style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyoGuy Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 Mine would be a bit tight for a horizontal regulator ........ Got all the new stuff installed and everything is copasetic. TG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 kind of nice to have two tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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