MontanaChinook

Sorry I re read your first post. So you already replaced the timing cover? And it's still leaking?

Probably your alternator. Leaking timing cover can cause oil there, depending on where its cracked. Might be time to do headgasket, timing chain, oil pump water pump job... To replace the timing cover the CORRECT way, you should take the head off. At that point you've got all the above listed parts removed and ready to replace... Kinda early in its life for that sort of job, but I wouldn't dig that far into the engine without replacing those parts. Or you could just live with the oil leakage for another 30 or so thousand miles.

I guess you drive this thing a lot? By which I guess I mean, it doesn't ever sit for long periods of time? Seems like its pretty easy to determine if you're burning or leaking. I know you said no visible leaks. So...if it sits for two months, does it need oil added then? Or only when you drive it? Some leaks will only get bad when the oil is heated, and circulated, then they'll slow down or even stop once you're totally cooled off. But 1 quart every 400-500 miles would be a noticeable leak when you park. Even if its coming out of the valve cover half moon gasket in the back and hitting the top of the tranny first, that much oil will make its way to the bottom of the front (bell housing) of the tranny and start dripping back there and make you think it's the rear main seal. Seems to me that no matter where the leak is, that much oil will show up on the pavement. So I'd say you're burning it...

Yeah, that's the way it goes! Well, I'll figure out how I want to do the insulation. As long as the foil doesn't NEED air space to reflect radiant heat, I won't worry too much about it. I actually think my rv has already been partially re wired at some point...so I wonder if insulation was taken out and not replaced... Anyways, I'll post again when there's been some more progress!

Nope, they didn't post one. Anyone interested would just have to contact them.

Assuming its a true one ton... http://montana.craigslist.org/pts/3622804584.html

Well, throw another $100 onto the project...just ordered some foam. Sound dampening and insulation are important to me. I really did tell myself, when I bought this, that I wouldn't let it turn into an expensive project, and I'd just "use it". Right!!

As long as my roof can handle a canoe...I'd be happy. Or maybe one small solar panel. My roof supports are all intact. Maybe rotten...but they look fine through the fiberglass. My Chinook had no insulation when I opened up the walls. The roof has that faux leather (pleather), stretched over some mattress foam type stuff, on really thin board. That's the only thing that would qualify as insulation in the whole vehicle. That polyethylene foam in rolls is a good idea...the guy I talked to about the foil said I need something like 1/4" of space on one side for it to be effective. It doesn't look like they did that. Wonder if I'd have space for one layer of foil and one layer of foam, with a small gap, without having to build out my studs a little...not a big deal on the sides, but if I lower the roof even a fraction of an inch, I won't be able to stand up straight in there anymore.

My roof seems to be metal supports running across the width of the vehicle, and maybe wood going between them along the length, with some wood blocks placed in areas where screws needed to secure something to the roof. Is that the same as yours?

Thanks! That's basically the insulation I got. I think maybe the innovative insulation double-bubble might be a slight step up from reflectix, but same idea, and that's one of the links somebody posted on another thread here that got me leaning towards the bubble/foil insulation instead of foam. Interesting paneling...I'm definitely leaning towards wood, mostly for looks, but I'll need to see what kind of prices I'm looking at. If one is way more expensive than the other, that might determine what I do in the end.

Good! And that's good to know that an inverter is still possible, down the road. I'm also leaving open the option to put a solar panel in at some point, even if just wired to utilities and not a battery bank, just so I'm using sunlight during the day, not draining the battery at all until night.

Door locks work but could be lubed. But even brand new, they didn't provide much security... So will that paneling bend with my walls? It's all very curvy on the inside... I agree, in all the photos I've seen, I've never seen the utilities up at the back of the cab.

Nice work. I need to figure something out for mine. It works...but I'd like little more security than it offers. Could easily be popped open. I'll have to figure out some fabricated design. Mine is the weird split door design, so one lock on the top door, one lock on the bottom.

It'll be fun. It's more or less going back together exactly how it was, but with new appliances and countertops, plus insulation. But I'll probably find a way to get a little more counter space and storage. If nothing else, new walls with insulation, new surfaces, plus a more efficient, quieter converter and furnace will be a huge improvement.

The wood braces don't seem rotten...definitely not broken. I'll take a closer look. What was the paneling you bought, exactly? I will very soon be running into the same thing, so that would be helpful. I wonder if there's space for a little foam along with the bubble...most of the searching I did for rv insulation was coming up with reflective bubble stuff, so that's what I bought. I want some heat and cool kept in, but especially heat kept out. It'll be sitting in the sun with expensive musical instruments and a dog in it fairly often. I mean I'll always try to find shade and never park and leave the dog where he'll boil, but I was hoping some radiant heat barrier would allow more exposure/time out in the sun than I can currently get away with. I honestly don't know about the fridge. I was told it didn't work, and at this point, the Chinook is parked for the winter, on a good slant, so I'm not going to try it till I have some flat ground. I'm willing to try cleaning and replacing a couple things and giving it a shot. Until then, it's an icebox, and that's fine. I won't pay the money for a new one, and I just bought a new converter and don't plan on switching to an inverter anytime soon. The yahoo Chinook group has photo albums that might have photos of one like yours. Unless you've checked already. I know some of them had an interior set up more like the Newport/Omegas, with the stove and fridge on one side, sink on the other, and a bed where you sleep across the width of the vehicle instead of along the length, like most pop tops.

I bought this back in September. Didn't like the color someone painted the inside, and there was some water damage, so I wanted to replace the interior walls. Of course, that turned into gutting it and pretty much replacing everything in it. I bought some insulation, tires, wheels, new faucet, new furnace, new converter, will replace most of the wiring, wire some speakers into the back and get a new stereo, new led bulbs for the coach, do new counter tops, table, walls...eventually new cushions and upholstery. I've pretty much gutted it as much as I plan to. I've been convinced to let a professional wire the 120V for the new converter, then I'll start on the 12V system. Then the new furnace. Then whatever wiring I plan on replacing. Insulation. Then new walls. Finally new cabinets, counter tops (hopefully some nice hardwood veneer), and whatever finishing touches it needs. At some point along the way I'll get the new tires and wheels put on. It WILL be in use by June! Luckily it doesn't need much mechanically. 48,000 miles, and well used, but not abused. Just needs an oil change, full tune up (plugs, wires, cap, valve adjustment, belts, air filter, carb adjustments), new wheel bearings all the way around. At some point before too long I'll get new shocks and look into adding a leaf to the spring pack. Probably could use a flush of clutch and brake fluid. I may change out the clutch, just because, but we'll see. A roll of Innovative Insulation Double-Bubble, Progressive Dynamics Mighty Mini 4045, Suburban NT 16SEQ furnace. Some Hankook RA08s. I don't think my fridge works, but I've decided not to spend that money at this point...3-way fridge is just really expensive.

I guess it's just not a Montana thing! Or Eastern Idaho. Or Rural Utah. I would guess that if I more regularly drove major interstates, over mountain passes in the winter, I would have run into this at some point. But where I mostly drive, I guess they just don't do it.

Oh I hear you. I feel the same way about Toyotas. But yeah. I've had an 87 GL Wagon, and my current 93 Loyale. It will be sad day when they're gone...they absolutely do just STICK to the road. And the GL Wagon, with 4low, was amazing. Luckily they're still around, out here. There are even a few early 80s wagons around town in pretty nice shape with the EA81. There's an awesome lifted Brat driving around town . Lifted just enough to put truck tires on (look like 31x10.50s), and it looks just like a nice little truck, and you'd think it was if you didn't know better. Not sure If raising the center of gravity up that high starts defeating the whole purpose though, in snow anyway.

I've never heard of anyone getting pulled over in Montana for no front license plate, unless the cop was looking for an excuse to pull them over. So "required" or not, you see a lot of vehicles without them. It's probably the same in Wyoming. That's not to say it may not be from any of those states you listed, though, and that's a good catch!

Yes, I'll be getting chains for my new Hankooks (they show up today!) very soon, and it's a good topic. MT/ID they'll typically shut down the road. But most passes I drive locally don't have gates, and I've never seen them shut down. There are only four ways out of town, and only one of them isn't a mt pass. And that one way usually has the worst road conditions. I was surprised at the roads in the winter when I first moved here. They rarely plow most of them, all winter, and this is a town of 30,000. Two wheel drive vehicles don't do so well. My Subaru, in 4wd, with four studded snow tires is the best vehicle I've found for our conditions, short of a snowmobile.

Looks like Teton National Park! That would be the Grand Teton in the background. Awesome place. Basically one in the same as Yellowstone. A coworker has a funny bumper sticker I've seen, that I think comes from a ski hill nearby. "From here, we can see your Tetons"... : )

I will be buying chains for my Chinook, but its kind of funny that I've lived in the mountains for the last 18 years, and have never owned chains or been turned away from a mountain pass for not having them. Is this an eastern thing? Or just a "higher population concentration" thing? Our passes get BAD sometimes. But pretty much...if you want to try it, go for it...seems to be the attitude. I remember when I first moved to Utah, we tried to get into Yellowstone during an early season snowstorm, and they did turn us away at the gates. Flat ground. But I've never been stopped at a mountain pass.

Yeah, definitely time to invest in chains. Thanks!

Well then i did good going with skinnier tires and rims than Chinook called for, and skinnier tires and rims than what are on there now. So more than likely ill see an improvement in handling. The rims are 2" more narrow than Chinooks recommended size, and the tires are definitely more narrow. I'm not sure what I actually weigh.