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Old 01-25-2019, 07:41 PM   #1
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Need advice

Purchased a 15 ft 1983 Sunline online that seemed to be in decent condition. Obviously it was bound to have some issues. I'm up to tackling them but was wondering if there was someplace that I could find a manual of my Sunline so I can read about where everything is and how it's supposed to work?
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Old 01-25-2019, 10:51 PM   #2
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Welcome and congrats! I have a 1987 T1550 (15ft).

If you have the model number for the appliances in your trailer, you can look up the manuals in the files section. I don't think there is an actual manual that will tell you where everything is. There are a lot of files in the file section so you should definitely check there.

If you have questions, ask away. There are some knowledgeable folks on this site and they are very helpful! You have definitely come to the right place. Pics are loved here! Can't wait to see pics of yours.

Happy camping!
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Old 01-27-2019, 11:01 PM   #3
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Tommie is spot on- there never was a true manual to tell you how to operate everything, not like you would receive with a car. What did come with the trailer was an envelope or (later) a three ring binder that contained the paperwork on the individual appliances. Luckily you can still find a lot of those manuals via Google or in our files section of this website. There was a generic RV operations manual included with most Sunlines- which you can download from the files section under "owner's manuals". It's not at all model specific, but it should give you some good pointers. Note that it won't tell you specific locations of things in the trailer though:

Sunline Coach Owner's Club - Sunline Owner's Files - 1975-1983 Sunline Owner's Manual
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 01-31-2019, 01:48 PM   #4
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I had a T1350 Sunline and approached it in the same manor. I was mechanical by nature but knew very little about the trailer itself.

the safety is number one, no matter what the previous owners told you.
Make sure you have good new tires and a new spare
Make sure your brakes are new or at least in good shape
Check your chassis to make sure it's sound.
Instead of checking my wiring I ran all new wiring but I soldered all my joints and heat shrink
As for lighting I went with all new LEDs. The older lights can have some pretty funky connections inside the fixtures. Bi-pass the grief and go all new. Cosmetics can be done at your pace
I was told originally that I did not require a weigh distribution system. But I had sway and back-n-forth bucking when on the secondary roads. I did add an anti sway bar but looking back I wish I had installed a weight distribution system.

Then you look for soft spots on the floor. Just do one thing at a time, but safety is always first. If the cops pull you over for inspection...you can smile
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Old 02-16-2019, 06:15 PM   #5
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Black water tank help

Thanks for info. I started perusing thru the files tab to what might be helpful. In the meantime I found a leak that was dripping from underneath the trailer by where the kitchen sink is however there were no leaks coming from there so upon further inspection realized leak was coming from under black water tank. I am including some pics because trying to figure out how to remove tank and further inspect the bathroom pipes to see if there are any other leaks. I've started to unscrew the furnace so I can remove it and have a better look at the water lines but having trouble disconnecting the outside plate where the exhaust comes out. So basically I need advice on repair / replace the black water tank.
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Old 02-16-2019, 06:19 PM   #6
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I don't know model number of my recently purchased 1983 15ft Sunline but attaching pic.
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Old 02-16-2019, 10:45 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Newrver View Post
I don't know model number of my recently purchased 1983 15ft Sunline but attaching pic.
It's a T-1550. A very popular Sunline model.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 02-17-2019, 07:28 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Newrver View Post

upon further inspection realized leak was coming from under black water tank. I am including some pics because trying to figure out how to remove tank and further inspect the bathroom pipes to see if there are any other leaks. I've started to unscrew the furnace so I can remove it and have a better look at the water lines but having trouble disconnecting the outside plate where the exhaust comes out. So basically I need advice on repair / replace the black water tank.
Hi,

I'm not totally fluent on your older camper but may be able to help.

First is the furnace vent. Please post a furnace model number so we can look it up and know which exact one you have.

In general, many of the older Hydro Flame furnaces that are close to your pic, have an outer intake/exhaust pipe. The furnace draws outside air inside the furnace heat chamber, mixes with the burning gas and allows the burnt gas to blow outside the heat chamber through an exhaust pipe outside. A fan blower, moves air inside the camper over the outside of hot heat chamber and blows it inside the camper that is how heat gets inside. Unless there is a hole in the heat chamber due to rusting etc, the outside air never mixes with the inside air or flue gases.

That outside vent, many times they get rusted into the furnace pipe inside. The exhaust pipe (several inches long to go through the wall and into the furnace) normally fits inside a slightly larger pipe inside the camper that ties into the heat chamber. The fit between those 2 pipes is very small and as such, rust can start and corrode the 2 pipes together. Yours may have never been removed in a real long time, if ever.

I'm saying this generically as we do not know which exact furnace you have. I'm assuming you took the screws out of the outside wall flange and are now trying to figure out how to remove the exhaust pipe/outer wall flange etc. Yes/ no?

Post some pics of the outside grill/flange of your furnace. Getting a rusted exhuast pipe out can be a bugger.

The black tank, it is an "effort" to remove the black tank. It can be done but ideally you know for sure the black tank is the problem before you start into that. The tank vent stack to the roof may be solvent welded into the top of the tank and that means you would have to cut that pipe and then later weld a coupling back on to take the tank down. I am not sure if the old Sunlines used a rubber grommet ring on the vent stack or they do it like the newer ones which are solvent welded to the tank top making that part complex when you go to put the tank back in.

If the black tank has a leak, you should hopefully be able to see it on the outside. And is so, where is the water traces/stains originating from? If it is indeed a black tank leak coming from water inside the tank, that leak normally comes from the toilet connection. That connection leak can be found sometimes by lifting up the toilet, taking the toilet floor flange out of the tank (many screw in) and then with a flashlight look around inside the floor to see if water is leaking all over from the toilet flange or the flange seal and dealing with the issue without dropping the tank. Some older campers, non sunline brands, had a gray tank water tie in to the black, but I do not know if Sunline ever did that.

Hope this helps.

John
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Old 02-19-2019, 09:59 PM   #9
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Thank you again for advice and identifying my Sunline model #. I am going to attach pics of furnace although I can only do one at a time because that's all it uploads. So I'll do several post. Also can anyone recommend a good roof sealant?
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Old 02-19-2019, 10:03 PM   #10
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This is the outside furnace plate.
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Old 02-19-2019, 10:26 PM   #11
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To confirm, this black tank is inside/above the trailer floor, correct? I know some of the older ones with small black tanks had them inside in a floor box, not mounted underneath.

As John eluded, there are three outlets on the tank- the drain, the fill (from toilet), and the vent pipe (often called stink pipe). In my '79, the black and gray tanks share a stink pipe.

Does the tank seem to leak water when sitting, or does it seem worse when flushing? If needed, pour some water into the tank via a hose or container instead of flushing, to get it directly into the bottom of the tank.

If the tank holds water ok, it's likely the toilet to tank seal/pipe. If you remove the toilet via the two bolts (one on each side), you should reveal a black plastic flange screwed into the floor. These flanges are known to crack, which can cause leaking. Look around with a flashlight to see if you see any cracks. This flange screws into the top of the black tank, I unscrewed mine with some large pliers, after removing all the screws holding it down. If needed, these can be bought new and replaced.

John, the stink pipes were ABS welded the whole way from the tanks in my '79.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 02-19-2019, 10:27 PM   #12
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Also can anyone recommend a good roof sealant?
Dyco 20/20. Comes in a can and you brush it on the seams. A quart should be plenty to do a 1550.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 02-21-2019, 09:08 AM   #13
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ive run water into the black tank and the leaking I see is coming down this pipe...which is the pipe connected to the black tank which is located above the floor. It's not huge amount but can see the leak sliding down the pipe. So question is does the entire black tank have to be removed to fix this leak? This pipe is not located underneath the toilet area...its at the other end of the black tank.
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Old 02-25-2019, 07:01 PM   #14
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ive run water into the black tank and the leaking I see is coming down this pipe...which is the pipe connected to the black tank which is located above the floor. It's not huge amount but can see the leak sliding down the pipe. So question is does the entire black tank have to be removed to fix this leak? This pipe is not located underneath the toilet area...its at the other end of the black tank.
More than likely you'll need to remove the toilet and tank to repair or replace. I'm guessing the crack is probably on the bottom of the tank somewhere and it just follows the tank to the outlet where it can drain out.

If you have access to an inspection camera, you could put that in the tank to try to find the crack, but you'll still need to pull it to do an ABS plastic repair.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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