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I was wondering how much your solar panels package cost and how difficult it was to install? It seems like solar panels make alot more sense than a generator.
Nate

I am glad you were able to find the site. I hope you find the posts interesting and informative. Spread the word on the site we are up to 17 members in less than a week.
Nate

Thanks to all for the tips. As for the piston slap, I have always used toyota filters. The mechanics here say it could be a piece of carbon and one has customer (4 -runner) with 250,000 and a piston slap that started at about 25,000. So I guess I won't worry until excessive oil use starts or something like that.

I tried Toyota (no help and evasive about their participation before))and even a while back traced down a lead on an axel kit from coachman but they wouldn't sell to me because mine was a huntsman. Of couse as they say about paybacks - I travel alot and never miss the chance to talk about what they wouldn't do for me - so I hope it has cost them a sale or two.

It appears to me that after you go on the natl. transportation site and look at all the axel problems, even recently, with toyota rvs and in view of the fact that toyota recognized the problem and was willing to help (accepting some responsibility by doing so)at one time, a case could be made to them to help again.

I certainly am a good customer with three toyotas including a 19991 Rav.

Any thoughts out there?

George

From: "Nolan " <rockhound@...>
Reply-To: toyota-campers@...
To: toyota-campers@...
Subject: [toyota-campers] Help with first RV
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 15:56:44 -0000

Hi George, Water leaks can be a real bugger to find sometimes, it
can leak on one side and migrate across the roof before showing up on
the other side. The roof edge molding might be a good place to check,
or the clearance lights across the front. Good luck on your hunt.
About 4 years ago when I replaced the rear axle in my toyhouse I
was told the recall was over but there were still 2 or 3 of the coach
manufacturers still standing behind the axle upgrade, Dolphin was one
of them, can't remember the others. If the particular coach was on
the recall list and not checked off they would supply the axle kit
but you had to pay freight and installation to have it fixed, during
the recall it was free of charge for the total package. Most of the
numerous coach builders at the time couldn't absorb the cost of the
recall so they went out of business or filed bankruptcy, or reopened
under another name ect. My Odessey was one that didn't get fixed so
when I went looking for a rear axle, Toyota quoated me around 3700.00
for the axle kit not installed. Used ones that I found ranged from
1700. to 1900.00 as is no warranty. I really couldn't justify that
expense so I was about to give up when I found one in a nickel ad
paper a guy had for sale, turned out it was brand new still in the
crate, one of the recall kits that never got installed and I paid
1000.00 for it. At todays prices I don't know what they sell for but
there may be more used ones around so they might be easier to find.

_________________________________________________________________
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Hi George, Water leaks can be a real bugger to find sometimes, it
can leak on one side and migrate across the roof before showing up on
the other side. The roof edge molding might be a good place to check,
or the clearance lights across the front. Good luck on your hunt.
About 4 years ago when I replaced the rear axle in my toyhouse I
was told the recall was over but there were still 2 or 3 of the coach
manufacturers still standing behind the axle upgrade, Dolphin was one
of them, can't remember the others. If the particular coach was on
the recall list and not checked off they would supply the axle kit
but you had to pay freight and installation to have it fixed, during
the recall it was free of charge for the total package. Most of the
numerous coach builders at the time couldn't absorb the cost of the
recall so they went out of business or filed bankruptcy, or reopened
under another name ect. My Odessey was one that didn't get fixed so
when I went looking for a rear axle, Toyota quoated me around 3700.00
for the axle kit not installed. Used ones that I found ranged from
1700. to 1900.00 as is no warranty. I really couldn't justify that
expense so I was about to give up when I found one in a nickel ad
paper a guy had for sale, turned out it was brand new still in the
crate, one of the recall kits that never got installed and I paid
1000.00 for it. At todays prices I don't know what they sell for but
there may be more used ones around so they might be easier to find.

Nate I made it to the site. I'm a previous Toyota motorhome owner. I
traded for a newer Nissan motorhome. I loved the Toyota and made
alot of trips in it. I pulled a 19ft inboard boat about 600 miles
into Canada fishing several years ago. The 4cyl 4 speed didn't run
away from traffic, but got there in good fashion. The Nissan I just
got is a 4cyl 5 speed, Mini-cruiser. It runs and drives real well
and I am looking forward to going to the Rockies from Ohio next
summer in it. If anyone else has owned a Nissan Motorhome let me
hear from you. Mike

--- In toyota-campers@..., "Benton " <wildlife@i...> wrote:

I am not sure how many of you all back woods it, but I outfitted my
chinook with two large unbreakable solar panels. These rest on top

of

the raised top. I had to tighted the springs on the lift top in

order

to increase the tension, but it all works wonderful. They send

power

to a large gell cell battery and this gives power to fans, car
sterio, lights, ETC....In a dryer climate it would easily power an
evaporative air conditioner. I have also installed a ceramic

filter,

in line, on my faucet to make even the dirtiest water safe...

Now if only it were 4 wheel drive.........


Benton

Hi Benton,
The solar panels sound like a good deal, I'll have to agree with you
on the water filter, I installed a filter system in my Chinook to get
rid of the plastic taste the water tank had, it worked wonders. Now
for the 4 wheel drive.... your starting to talk my language now :)

I agree with Redman.

On the VW Vanagons we learned the Frams would not
hold the oil in the heads on shut down.

I would never run a Fram or other cheap filter in
any engine.

I too only run dealer filters.

Jack A2

I am not sure how many of you all back woods it, but I outfitted my
chinook with two large unbreakable solar panels. These rest on top of
the raised top. I had to tighted the springs on the lift top in order
to increase the tension, but it all works wonderful. They send power
to a large gell cell battery and this gives power to fans, car
sterio, lights, ETC....In a dryer climate it would easily power an
evaporative air conditioner. I have also installed a ceramic filter,
in line, on my faucet to make even the dirtiest water safe...

Now if only it were 4 wheel drive.........


Benton

Hi George,

I understand that using anything other than Toyota oil filters will cause the oil to bleed back into the pan, and that may be causing your 'piston slap'. I put a Fram filter on mine, and now I have that problem. So I will be changing back to Toyota filters.

Jack

From: "george oviatt" <george_oviatt@...>
Reply-To: toyota-campers@...
To: toyota-campers@...
Subject: [toyota-campers] some help with my first toyota rv
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000 20:11:27 -0600

I have a 1985 Huntsman w/5 spd and only 40,000 miles which I bought from the
original owner. I have a couple of questions

1) The source and cost of a true dual axel kit? If salvage, what would be a
good price? Does anybody know if any companies still have the kits sent out
by toyota to rv makers who are still in business?

2) I have some small leaks around the front - not at the window but shows up
as a stain on the seam on the ceiling inside and down the side seams inside
close to the front. It appears like the source could be under the rubber
molding where the metal track is screwed on outside- any thoughts before I
tear into this?

3) I put about 15,000 miles on this and now the engine has developed what is
called a "piston slap" for about 5 minutes during warmup. No other problems
but this ringing sound when it is first started for a few miles. Should I
be worried?

Overall, what a way to go - 18-19 mpg and self contained as well!

I appreciate finding this site. Thanks in advance for the help from all you
"toyota fanatics" including myself.

george_oviatt@...

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at

I have a 1985 Huntsman w/5 spd and only 40,000 miles which I bought from the original owner. I have a couple of questions

1) The source and cost of a true dual axel kit? If salvage, what would be a good price? Does anybody know if any companies still have the kits sent out by toyota to rv makers who are still in business?

2) I have some small leaks around the front - not at the window but shows up as a stain on the seam on the ceiling inside and down the side seams inside close to the front. It appears like the source could be under the rubber molding where the metal track is screwed on outside- any thoughts before I tear into this?

3) I put about 15,000 miles on this and now the engine has developed what is called a "piston slap" for about 5 minutes during warmup. No other problems but this ringing sound when it is first started for a few miles. Should I be worried?

Overall, what a way to go - 18-19 mpg and self contained as well!

I appreciate finding this site. Thanks in advance for the help from all you "toyota fanatics" including myself.

george_oviatt@...

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at

I just want to thank all of you who have joined our group. I would like to encourage everybody to introduce themselves and include a description of your Toyota. I also want to make sure everybody keeps spreading the word about our group.
Thanks, Nate

Jack A2, Pulling the rear axle assembly from the bone yard flat bed
would be the ideal way to go, get the springs and all. The axles,
hubs, ect. from the 1 ton won't interchange with the stock toyota
rear axle, the 1 ton floater is physically bigger with gussets welded
onto the axle tubes for added support and also have the brackets
welded onto the housing for the sway bar if one wanted to install
that too. The gear ratio's are the same and the driveline connection
should bolt right up, if not the flange off the Sunrader stock rear
will fit on the floater, just remove the pinion nut, exchange the
flange, and replace the pinion nut, Make sure to use a new nut,
torque to specs and stake it in place and your in business.
One note I might throw in concerning the floater rear axle that
some owners might not know is, the rear wheel bearings are "NOT"
lubricated from the gear oil in the rear end, they are a grease
packed bearing the same as the front wheels, and should be checked
and packed on a regular basis.

--- In toyota-campers@..., rockhound@n... wrote:

Hi Jacka2, Toyota started building the true one ton in 86, when in

86

they were available I'm not sure, mid to later models? they were

only

available as a cab chassis unit, not a pickup. In the early 80's
toyota built the pickup in the standard, 3/4 ton, and 1 ton, they
were just the standard truck rear axle with extra leaf springs,
nothing special, the 1 ton had 2 or 3 extra leaf springs and 6 ply
tires to give it the 1 ton rating. The early motorhomes were just

the

standard rear axle with extra springs or overloads for increased
weight capacity. The true 1 ton floater axle was designed for the 86
and newer chassis but would fit back to 84 with no changes. If
swapped into a 79-83 chassis the axle would fit the frame width

fine,

the E brake connection was no problem, the bottom Ubolt plates were
different, the early models had the shocks both on the same side
where the newer models had the staggered shocks and the kit supplied
the newer staggered type plates, and the wheel cylinders needed to

be

changed in the rear to the early size, but were supplied in the kit.
If swapped into a 78 or earlier chassis the body style that still
had 4 headlights, the spring pads on the differintial had to be
removed and moved inboard an inch or so because the frame width is
narrower, the Ubolt/shock plates needed the same side style as the

79-

83, I had to fabricate mine, the E brake had to be adapted to hook

up

to the early style, not a big problem, and the driveline flange on
the rear third member had to be changed to the early style to fit

the

ujoint bolt pattern, and also the wheel cylinders were changed to

the

early type. It was a bit of work but not a real tough job and the
piece of mind was worth it knowing the rear axle wasn't going to
break off at some unknown time. Also if a person does make the
change, try to get the 1 ton rear springs along with the axle, they
are pretty stout and easier than having to build up a set of springs
like I did.

Nolan,

Very infomative post. A good one for the Archives.

My plan was to pull the whole rear end assembley
from an 86 (or so) flat bed that sits in the bone
yard here, and put it in my buddys 85 Sunrader.

Is this the way to go, or does one just pull the
axles, hubs, and wheels and use the use the old
3/4 ton differential? Are they the same?

If I switch differentials, would there be drive
shaft conciderations and/or ratio differences?

Jack A2

Hi Nate, thanks for the information on the overdirve. I especially wanted the automatic so my wife would feel more comfortable driving it, but so far I am the only one who drives it. So much for planning, eh.

Jack

From: theeagle@...
Reply-To: toyota-campers@...
To: toyota-campers@...
Subject: [toyota-campers] automatic overdrive
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000 18:07:35 -0000

My grandpa had an automatic in his 1986 4 cylinder and it would not stay in overdrive. I know that he was able to adjust a cable ( like a adjusting the clutch cable in manual) once it was adjusted it stayed in overdrive longer. Not as much kicking in and out. He has since had a 5 speed manual transmission put into it. He could not be happier. Mileage increased dramitically.
Nate

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at

My grandpa had an automatic in his 1986 4 cylinder and it would not stay in overdrive. I know that he was able to adjust a cable ( like a adjusting the clutch cable in manual) once it was adjusted it stayed in overdrive longer. Not as much kicking in and out. He has since had a 5 speed manual transmission put into it. He could not be happier. Mileage increased dramitically.
Nate

Hi Jacka2, Toyota started building the true one ton in 86, when in 86
they were available I'm not sure, mid to later models? they were only
available as a cab chassis unit, not a pickup. In the early 80's
toyota built the pickup in the standard, 3/4 ton, and 1 ton, they
were just the standard truck rear axle with extra leaf springs,
nothing special, the 1 ton had 2 or 3 extra leaf springs and 6 ply
tires to give it the 1 ton rating. The early motorhomes were just the
standard rear axle with extra springs or overloads for increased
weight capacity. The true 1 ton floater axle was designed for the 86
and newer chassis but would fit back to 84 with no changes. If
swapped into a 79-83 chassis the axle would fit the frame width fine,
the E brake connection was no problem, the bottom Ubolt plates were
different, the early models had the shocks both on the same side
where the newer models had the staggered shocks and the kit supplied
the newer staggered type plates, and the wheel cylinders needed to be
changed in the rear to the early size, but were supplied in the kit.
If swapped into a 78 or earlier chassis the body style that still
had 4 headlights, the spring pads on the differintial had to be
removed and moved inboard an inch or so because the frame width is
narrower, the Ubolt/shock plates needed the same side style as the 79-
83, I had to fabricate mine, the E brake had to be adapted to hook up
to the early style, not a big problem, and the driveline flange on
the rear third member had to be changed to the early style to fit the
ujoint bolt pattern, and also the wheel cylinders were changed to the
early type. It was a bit of work but not a real tough job and the
piece of mind was worth it knowing the rear axle wasn't going to
break off at some unknown time. Also if a person does make the
change, try to get the 1 ton rear springs along with the axle, they
are pretty stout and easier than having to build up a set of springs
like I did.

--- In toyota-campers@..., jack_redman@h... wrote:

Hi, I am glad to join this message board regarding Toyota campers.

I

have a '86 Sunrader, 4 cyl, automatic. It is 21 feet long and has
the rear dining area. I just love it. We have taken 7 trips in it
so far (since July 2000) and find it very comfortable. I have done
several improvements to the unit... added a cd player, added cruise
control, added a tachometer, added a dash clock (out of a salvage
pick-up, and added an indoor&#92;outdoor thermometer. My unit already
had supplemental air bags on the rear springs, but I added an

onboard

compressor to keep them pumped up.

My biggest concern with my unit is that it uses oil. It only has
81,000 miles but uses a quart every 500 miles. I switched to 20-50W
but did not notice any difference. It does not smoke or leak oil,

so

until it becomes an obvious problem I will just keep adding oil as I
go along.

I sure would like to get my hands on a copy of the original Sunrader
owners manual (not the Toyota owners manual). There must be a

wiring

diagram in that documentation to help me. If anyone has a set I
would be happy to pay the expense to have copies made and sent to

me.

Another issue with my Sunrader is that if I get into hilly country
that requires a lot of shifting, I find that my overdrive will stop
working. I think it is a thermal condition caused when the
transmission fluid heats up. The overdrive will eventually start
working again after we level out again. Has anyone else experienced
this problem?

Well, better close for now.

Jack

Hi Jack,

I guess we have two Jacks now. Might get a bit confusing.
I live in Ann Arbor, Mi, thus the A2.

On your Trans not shifing to OD. I read a post somwhere
that said the OD was operated by an internal cable. Could
it streach when hot? I would change trans fluid and filter
and add a trans cooler and temp gage.

I have the original Sunrader manual. It's useless. It is
generic and is, like all modern owners manuals, written by
the attorneys. It has no wiring or plumbing diagrams. It
doesn't even give the capacity of the water tank. Its says
"congratulations on your purchase of your new Sunrader".

Jack A2

Nolan and list

Were the one tons only supplied from 1986 up?

Were the early ones 3/4 ton?

Can the rearends and axle assemblys be swapped
out from the 86s up, to the early units ? (I've
seen them in the bone yards.)

Jack A2

--- In toyota-campers@..., theeagle@k... wrote:

Do you guys know of any other sites where I might find toyota

owners. I want to make as many people aware of this site as possible.

Thanks,
Nate

Nate,

Here are couple of real hot RV sites you might want to
hit. www.rvadvise.com and/or www.rvhome.com (may be same).

The best way to find them all is to use the Altavista
search engine and put in RV.

As with all list start ups, its best to post a number
of times to keep reminding them that a list exists, and
if you can, put in a link.

This site is great, thanks again for putting it up.

Jack A2

Hey Nate, should have said tell grandpa he's a good man for not
getting rid of the chinook instead of dad. Figured I would throw my 2
cents worth in here on the dual rear wheel setups. If you can find
one and can afford it go with the newer one ton axle and the seperate
rear dual wheels, much better way to go. The old style of rear duals
that were 2 wheels welded together with the sleeve in the center are
around but hard to find, don't know if anyone is even making them
anymore or not, doubt it. But in actual use if traveling, if you have
a flat on the road you either have to run a single spare or run with
the flat until you find somewhere to repair it. They are heavy, and
awkward to change, and most tire stores hate to mess with them
because the tires have to be mounted and dismounted by hand cause you
can't get a tire machine to work on the inner beads, they are nearly
impossible to balance. If a person is intent on running them a couple
of tips that will help the chances of less problems are to check the
lugnut tightness often and to run more air pressure in the inside
tire which helps carry more of the load centered over the axle
bearing.