MontanaChinook

Glowing exhaust manifold happened to my friend in my Subaru. Like Linda mentioned there are a few things that could make it happen, cause I googled it, too. In my friend's case, it was because not all the spark plugs were firing. Mice had chewed through a couple spark plug wires. I would check the the wires and plugs, and the timing. Could be an electrical issue with the coil or ignitor or plugs or wires. The fact that it's coming and going seems like an intermittent electrical issue...which unfortunately are probably the hardest to track down... But it seems to me that if you weren't getting spark on one or more cylinders, you would notice a major lack of power. The fact that it only happens on climbs seems strange, and seems like more of a cooling issue... BUT the fact that the manifold is glowing makes me think it has nothing directly to do with the cooling system (radiator, coolant, thermostat, fan clutch). So that's an interesting one... There were arguments on whether running lean makes the engine overheat or running rich, that I saw. I think running lean causes the engine to run hotter, but running rich specifically causes the exhaust to run hotter rather than the entire engine, because unburnt fuel is making it out of the engine, then burning up when it hits the hot exhaust manifold (which can happen if a spark plug isn't firing and burning up that fuel in the cylinder). But the temperature sensor is in your coolant system. So whatever is going on is causing the entire engine to run hot. So there you have a bunch of contradictory information from me... But maybe it'll give you some ideas...

Well I'm not sure it has a name because it's just a make-shift cap someone clamped onto a water line. Do you have a Weber carb? Looks like someone maybe got rid of a water choked carb and installed something else? Someone might have better ideas, but my only advice is to find something else which looks like it can fit over that hose and clamp it back down. When the engine is cold you should be able to take off that hose clamp and look at what's underneath, and find something suitable to re-cap it with.

Even though I'm sure you're partially kidding here, let's not discount the value of being older and wiser. It's a wonder any of us lived through our teenage years, and to some extent our 20s. There is a danger with the jerry cans which is worth taking into account. But yeah, I guess my point...in the scheme of things, it seems like a pretty small danger compared to the rest of the rv. When you're young you can have worry-free fun because you tend not to understand the danger. These days I prefer to know the danger, then decide what amount of risk I'm willing to take. I do NOT like it when I realize I've missed a danger. I want to know and understand the danger, and make the decision whether I'm ok with it or not. I don't like being ignorant anymore...

Not bad! Those actually look pretty nice. Not that anyone would spend this kind of money without looking at something closely in person, but if you're looking for a new RV, definitely spend some time looking at them in real life. I went to an RV show last winter, and I didn't walk into one single RV that I would take over my 1978 Chinook. They were cramped, with crappy layouts, jammed full of every modern convenience in cheap plastic and other materials, and felt like the world's most cramped airplane cockpit. Some of it was likely just personal taste, but I think the majority of the RVs in this size class out there are poorly designed. More emphasis on "all the comforts of home" in appliances, with none of the coziness or home-y feeling of home.

By the way, this is really easy to fix on this engine with a valve cover gasket and half-moon gasket replacement. At 73,000 miles I wouldn't necessarily say it's normal, but with a 30 year old engine, yes. Rubber seals are hardened and cracked and not holding back oil anymore.

Well I'm certainly no expert. But yeah, like I said, results matter. I've learned "a bit" about engines and how they work, due to all the old vehicles I've owned and the fact that I can't afford to pay someone to keep them running, so I've had to do it myself. But I'm no mechanic. As far as rubber seals go, they may be salvageable in a newer vehicle, and able to "swell" with the right additive. But if you've ever worked on an old engine and replaced seals, and had them crack apart in your hand...believe me, there was no rejuvenating that seal with any additive. It was done. On most old engines, nothing will fix leaks other than replacing seals. I think the whole thing here is that yeah, a clogged pcv will cause pressure and push oil out. But a quart every 2-300 miles?? That's crazy. Then on top of that the fact that you never saw a bunch of blue smoke or a bunch of oil on the ground. I mean if it's losing a quart every tank, it's got to go SOMEWHERE, right? So it's just confusing. I'll be interested to see how things go when you've got the truck out on the road again next year. I trust what you're telling us. Just don't expect me to explain it

No one commented because no one understands. That's because changing a PCV shouldn't have that much of an effect. None of this is meant to be an insult and I don't want you take offense at it, but you'll take it how you take it. I don't personally know you. You're a guy on the internet. I can't confirm A. your actual oil usuage B. whether or not you noticed smoke out the tailpipe C. whether you noticed oil puddles on the ground. We're taking your word for it, because that's what we do around here and you certainly seem to have your act together. The fact is that with the amount of oil you were losing, it's hard to believe there wasn't a giant plume of smoke coming out your tailpipe, or a large puddle of oil under the engine. It's also hard to believe replacing a pcv and throwing what some would call "snake oil" into your engine would take care of that kind of oil consumption. A small amount, sure. But not a quart every tank of gas. So all we can do is take your word for what you've experienced. We can't explain it, however, because it doesn't really make sense to us. But what counts are results. If you had the problems you had, did the work you did, and now the problems are gone, how can I argue with that? But I'm afraid I can't comment on how that stuff worked, other than my comments of "it shouldn't have".

Yes, but, you know... I read a lot about it leading up to buying one. On one forum, there was a guy who worked in some capacity that had him responding to highway accidents. A guy like that, who has "seen it all" and was very over (I think) cautious because of it, was very against having extra gas anywhere, period. In theory it can add another very real element of danger to an already bad situation. But getting rear-ended won't be the issue. It'll just spill gas. The issue is a terrible accident in which crap really hits the fan and your camper and someone else's vehicle are scattered all over the highway. At that point the jerry can is probably more succeptible to spilling than your gas tank is, and if there's any ignition source, you could have a fire in addition to the accident. The NATO jerry cans are going to be a lot safer than those plastic gas cans you use for the lawnmower, as far as spilling. In the end, you take your chances. You're driving around in a little truck with a probably sketchy frame extension, with a house more or less haphazardly attached, with a gas tank, a propane tank and any other number of sketchy things. Not sure if adding a gas can to the back bumper is really adding anything significant to the "death-trap" equation you already have going... And they are perfectly legal. Which doesn't necessarily mean they're safe, but...

I don't know what rv you have or how long. As people have mentioned, that will make a huge different. My Chinook was about as small as they get, with the exception of the pop-top Chinooks. It was my daily driver for a couple months last year. Given no other option, it was "fine". It was 17', and could fit in a normal parking spot and easily make a U-turn on a residential street. And the town I lived in had a population of about 30,000. It was fine, but I didn't prefer it. There are real considerations to take into account, then there's just personal tolerance/lifestyle. Real considerations would be stuff like parking garages (can't fit in them), drive-throughs (can't fit through most of them), parking on narrow streets without creating a hazard for other people. Probably more but I ran out for now. Personal stuff is just whether you're willing to deal with the hassle. Yes, you could absolutely do it, if you don't mind the hassle. If you're fine parking farther away from stuff, driving much less and walking/biking more, and being slow and cumbersome. It's no big deal for the right personality type. Aside from that I'd just second Maineah's point. Every mile put on that truck is a mile of maxed-out suspension, heavy hauling and maxed-out brakes. On the highway that's not such a big deal. Like with any vehicle, stop and go driving is a killer. That's multiplied when you have the weight of a house on your truck. It will definitely wear it down much faster. It will also take away the magic of jumping in for a weekend trip. You'd be in the thing driving all the time. It wouldn't seem so special when it's time to go camping or hit the road. But that kind of stuff is all up to you.

I agree with jd. Stock Toyota parts are great. I used to be into upgrading to "heavy duty" stuff on my 4x4 trucks. In many cases it didn't work out all that well. Toyota engineering is just hard to beat. Many companies make a product that has some stronger this or some stronger that, but they don't hold up as well. They aren't engineered as well. In theory, the idea is sound. But the execution is lacking. So they make a stronger part but with lower quality work. From what I've heard, a heavier duty clutch will also tear up your flywheel more. And the pedal will be way more stiff; way harder to press down. With just a few exceptions, there just isn't much to improve on over Toyota OEM parts.

You won't see many references to external head gasket leaks of any kind with any Toyota engine. They don't seem to be very common. It's almost always an internal leak, and probably a lot of people have them...and only notice them when they get bad enough that performance issues start to pop up. I got some confused responses when I asked about my external coolant leak. But a couple people had exeperienced them. If we can assume your mechanic didn't make a mistake, then I guess you're just lucky enough to have a rare problem

So it's one of those more rare external leaks, rather than an internal leak? I don't know if one is necessarily better than the other, but maybe external is better. I had an external coolant leak from my headgasket a while back. It's a scary place to have a leak. And one of those things...could be fine for thousands and thousands of miles. But if it fails...you're stranded. My engine performance didn't suffer at all with my leak. I know that typically a headgasket leak gets detected by poor engine performance before you actually notice any fluid loss. But some of the external leaks don't seem to cause this. You aren't loosing compression and you aren't mixing oil and coolant, or burning coolant etc. For me it would depend on how I use the camper. If I'm all over the country in it, I don't mess around. I fix things before they strand me. If it's just a weekend warrior vehicle...I'd probably let it slide and just watch it really close.

That's great. People have aleady mentioned this, but...a quart every tankfull is a LOT. There is either a major leak or you're burning a large amount of oil. All that oil had to be going somewhere. Either onto the ground, or out the tailpipe. Nowhere else for it to go. Even an extremely leaky valve cover couldn't go through that much. I don't know. Good to hear you don't notice any coming out the tailpipe but I'll be interested to see what you find long term. I can't believe that much oil loss was fixed by an additive and new pcv. Hard to believe it would even really put a dent in it. But time will tell!

Wow. Someone in the twin cities area was giving away a 21ft Sunrader shell, taken off a truck and gutted. With more time, money and fiberglass skills, I could have converted it to a 5th wheel...Probably not worth the time and money That thing is pretty cool though.

Yep, I get pretty excited when I pass someone. What was actually more fun was the first trip or two I took the Chinook on, before I kept myself at a sane speed. I loved going past someone at 75mph or more and seeing the look on their faces... The first time I drove down the I-15 corridor through Salt Lake, I kept up with the flow of traffic at 80mph. Never again, though...

It really makes a huge difference. Although it was easy to get my Chinook up to 70, and above...and because of the size it didn't effect my mileage quite as much...it still made a difference. Once I got used to never passing anyone, and going slower, I find I really don't mind it. I've been keeping at 70mph in my Tacoma on the highway. And they just changed the limit all along this stretch of I-15 to 80mph. No thanks... Every now and then I actually get to pass someone.

The 5 gallon tank took 95% of the stress out of it, for me. Having a non-working gas gauge might be stressful for some people, but for me, I knew if I ran out, I could just pour 5 gallons in and be on my way. I knew I was out of gas when the truck started jerking. I would always have at least 10 miles of highway driving after feeling the first signs, before things got bad, which is plenty of time to find a place to pull over in 99% of stretches of highway. I paid close attention to my mileage, and tried to always get gas before I was getting "close". Now there's always the chance that it'd run out of gas sitting at a stop light in busy traffic or something, which wouldn't be fun. But in a town, I just always made sure to be very conservative on my estimates, and fill up long before I knew I'd need to. For me, 150 miles was completely safe. 170 was usually fine. 190 if I was doing real good. But typically if I was at 150 and anywhere near a gas station, I'd fill up. And worst case...I'd feel the truck start bucking, pull over, add 5 gallons. No big deal. That would not work for anyone who tends to get stressed out more easily. Worked fine for me, though. I probably ran out of gas 30 times on all my travels. Feel some hesitation, find a spot to pull over, fill up from my jerry can. No big deal.

My camper only had a 14 gallon tank, and even at that...it never took more than 12 gallons at the pump. And I mean at practically bone-dry. I drove 30 miles AFTER the first time I stalled. Driving along, chugging, stalling, speed getting slower and slower to where I was driving on the shoulder of the highway at 45mph...35...25...jerking and shuddering...stalling and coasting...engine kicking back in again...stalling again. Finally stalled for good, I thought, so I walked to the closest gas station planning to buy a can and fill it, but it was closed (sunday), so I walked back to see if I had anything to fill with gas. Figured I'd try once more...started up and limped the rest of the way to the gas station. And still, it took just a hair under 12 gallons. It seems some people have similar issues with their tank never taking it's supposed capacity, and some people don't. Not sure what the deal is... But I never travelled without a gas can (full) after that. Didn't help that my gas gauge never really worked...

I checked out your facebook page and saw the trip had come and went! Some really cool photos and it looks like a really good time. Oil burning...does it leak, too, or just burn? Does it smoke much? There are some ways for a non-mechanic to get a good idea of whether it's the rings or valve seals which are leaking...but I don't remember what they are right now. I think it's something to do with whether it smokes mostly on start-up, or out on the road.

I'm used to living where gas stations are few and far between. I always carried a 5 gallon gas can on the back of my camper. Cheapest solution to the small gas tank.

I bought an iPad over the winter, and ended up getting rid of my hotspot. The iPad has internet service through Verizon, and I can use it as a hotspot if I need to use the laptop for something instead of the iPad. I don't think the iPad is meant to be used regularly as a hotspot, but since I do most anything I need to do on the iPad itself, I don't need to use it as a hotspot often. Other people do other things and will have other needs, but for me, this setup works really well. Only annoyance is when I need the booster. The booster is just a cradle for a phone, iPad doesn't fit in the cradle. So I kind of need to take the "arms" off the cradle and rest the iPad on the booster, which is awkward. But typcially if I'm out somewhere that I need a booster, I don't want to be spending much time on the internet anyways.

The best? Why? It doesn't have very good reviews... What makes you say it's the best?

Thanks for the advice. I sold the Chinook about a month ago, but the guy who bought it had started checking out this site, so if he hasn't tracked down the cause yet, hopefully this will help.

Yeah, I think they had them pretty early on, though "luckily" (for people like me, anyway, who love manuals), they don't seem to be as common. Derek, I see what you mean. They look like they'd put you in a very reclined position. Not the best for driving. Swapping out seats is just one of the fun projects involved in getting a 30-plus year old truck... Also, it's hard to tell from the photos, and harder to tell since it's parked on grass and not necessarily level, but it looks like the rear bumper is only inches from the ground. Might just be parked on a slant, but rear suspension work is also expensive. New leaf springs, and the labor to put them in, aren't cheap...I know. I put new rear shocks on mine and had a shop add a leaf to the suspension, but it eventually leveled back out and sat pretty low back there. It was still a huge improvement in how it drove, but the rear end was still very low. Putting brand new leaf springs WITH an added add-a-leaf is the way to go. But expensive. Like add another $1,000 onto the cost of the camper... Not to say it's not worth it. Just another thing to consider. But IF the suspension is actually sagging that much and it's not just parked off-level, you can do a "band-aid" approach of just getting new rear shocks, and adding a leaf to the rear leaf spring pack, rather than getting all new leaves.

Looks like it's an automatic. I don't know anything about the quality of the auto transmissions. Yeah...towing with that thing isn't a good idea. New vehicles cost a lot, too. My 78 didn't cost me as much as my 98. The 98 is 20 years newer, but still nearly 20 years old. Parts are expensive, and there are more of them. Jobs that took me 30 minutes on my 78 will take a weekend on my 98. Etc. It's all a balance. You won't find a "new" motorhome, which doesn't require some work and maintenace, for under $15,000. And anything truly new is going to be more in the $100,000 range. So expensive is all relative...this Chinook will never cost you what a new rv would cost, no matter how many problems it has. But it's up to you to ask questions and look closely at the Chinook and make sure it's not due for a new transmission or engine or has water damage or rot or failing appliances. There's something very freeing and easy about tent camping with a car. So much less hassle in so many ways...but so much more hassle in other ways. It's really, really nice to have a place to stand up, cook food, sit at a table indoors, flip on the heater, have some tea/coffee...pull over and make a sandwich etc., especially in nasty weather. Really, really nice. You'll attract a lot more attention in the Chinook, which can be good or bad, depending. It's fun. But sometimes you want to be anonymous...