MKUltra Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 The back door on my Chinook has started popping open while I'm driving down the road. Nothing has gone flying out yet, thank goodness, but I'm getting pretty paranoid. The first time, it was unlocked and I was storing my drinking water dispenser in the little landing, and I think it knocked the door open when I hit a bump. However, it happened again even with the door locked. Now I don't keep anything in that area, but the other day it opened up twice, while locked, just randomly. Road was somewhat bumpy but not terrible. I've been crawling through from the cab and locking the little deadbolt on the inside when I'm driving, but it's a pain. The little red handle on the inside of the latch doesn't budge, either, so I'm wondering if the whole thing just needs to be replaced and it's just not catching enough to stay closed. If I try to pull it open, though, I can't, so I'm concerned that there's something else going on, with the door jamb or something. Another separate issue I'm having is ground clearance. Seems like every time I pull into a slightly steep driveway or go over a speedbump (they're huge here), I end up scraping the ground. My leaf springs are new and there's not a lot of weight back there. Is this just an issue with motorhomes? I'm going over stuff so slow to try to avoid it but it still happens. Is there anything I need to look at or add to it to get it up a little? Air shocks have been suggested, but to look at it, nothing sags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 RE the rear door . . I've worked with several. Toyota Chinooks and Chevy Blazer Chalets with the same problem. Usually a combination of events. Door rot, striker area falling apart, door-lock assembly not working right (kind of a rare item), and or body flex. If you cannot force it open when parked - then it's seems obvious that the door and/or door-frame is flexing at the RV goes down the road and hits uneven surfaces. How bad is the floor rotted or sagging at the end-corners in back? That is a common trouble spot on Chinooks. The structure is a honey-comb sort of HD cardboard with no other supports where it extends past the frame on each side. I can't tell from here but I'd suspect the door itself and latch first. Every Chinook door I've ever come across had a rotted out frame and needed to be redone. Fairly simple job. It's just a wood frame with an aluminum skin pulled over it. The original door uses a wood frame and some more of that HD honeycomb cardboard. Once rotted - easiest way to fix is with a wood frame and plywood or foam-core to fix. Door latch is a Keeler that was used in Toyota Chinooks, Chevy Blazer Chalets, GMC Casa Grande, and Airstream trailers. In ref. to bottoming out? First of all, Toyota never made stock spring capable of sustaining the weight of the Chinook to the level it needs. New spring are a good start but ought to have a few leafs added to the stack. Air shocks or spring-assist shocks can help too. I have a brand new set here I'd sell cheap for a Chinook I bought them new and then before installing - converted my Chinook to a full-floating 1987 dually that uses different staggered-mount shocks. When you bottom out - what exactly is hitting? I've driven my 1978 Toyota off-road and never had much of an issue and it does not seem to sit especially high. I DID beef up the spring stacks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 By the way - the new spring assist shocks I have (still in the box) are Gabriel 43048, Monroe 58486, or Delco 5192. I don't remember which but they are all basically the same for the 1978 Chinook. $35 plus shipping if you want them. I've got a room loaded with brand new parts for Chinooks and 70s Toyota trucks. Also a LOT of used Toyota and Chinook parts. One caution with air-shocks on these old Toyotas. By "older" I mean non-staggered like the 1978 uses. The top mounting pins bend fairly easy if overloaded and air-shocks are likely to bend them eventually. In my opinion, the spring-assist shocks are better suited for the job. Here's what a new door latch looks like but I doubt you'll find one. Many places say they have it but have really been "out of stock" for years. Also here is how high my 1978 Chinook sits. Yes, it's really ratty looking. Looks somewhat better now then when those photos were taken. But the last owner used it as a fishing rig in Louisiana and had the bright idea to spray paint it one day with a few spray cans. I'm in hopes of painting it back to original this winter. Hardest part is coming up with replacement decals unless it all gets hand-painted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKUltra Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 I really have a hard time believing there could be any rot in this thing. It's in really, really nice shape. Only 62K original miles and was in a garage its whole life until the guy before me bought it ~2 years ago, and it's been in San Diego since then. The back is all redone, too. This is the latch that is on it now: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-locks/rv-door-locks.htm Seems kind of rinky dink. I think there's something wrong with the tumbler, the top key slot is screwy, and the deadbolt handle is stuck. I would like to get a sturdier setup anyway. But yeah, the not opening when I pull makes me wonder about all the stuff you're saying. I really think the guy that did the rebuild did a solid job. It was completely gutted and everything replaced, just can't believe he wouldn't have taken care of any structural issues then. Is there any way to know when visually, everything looks perfect and new? The bottoming out sucks because I think it's my exhaust system that's hitting. When I bought the thing I took it to a good mechanic and had him go over absolutely everything and fix it, and exhaust was fine. A couple months later, started getting some buzzing/rattling under the cab, took it back, and sure enough had a (minor) exhaust leak. The tailpipe sits really low too, and is exactly at the height of the curbs, so I can't get too close when parallel parking or it will drag. I would like to be able to go on dirt roads, rougher roads, etc without ripping off my exhaust (and the door popping open, hahaha!). I might take those shocks off your hands if you think they would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKUltra Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 Still looking for a passenger side window screen if you've got one of those!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Sorry, I forgot about the screen. The reality is - I get asked a lot about used parts and 99% of the time - I reply with info and then never hear from the "askers" again. Not even when I offer parts for free to help out. I'm at our spring-summer-fall place. Our "winter only" place is 40 miles from here and that is where all my Chinook parts are. My kid has chickens over there so we have to go back there at least once a week. I'll try to remember next trip. Considering your rig was redone - it obviously must of had some rot or issues? Same goes for the aftermarket lock assembly? Considering you cannot force the door open when parked - it must be some sort of flex issue. To check the door itself is easy. Just open it , push on a corner and see if it flexes and changes from a rectangle to a parallelogram. You might want to consider a lock assembly with a deeper moving bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 The back door on my Chinook has started popping open while I'm driving down the road. Nothing has gone flying out yet, thank goodness, but I'm getting pretty paranoid. The first time, it was unlocked and I was storing my drinking water dispenser in the little landing, and I think it knocked the door open when I hit a bump. However, it happened again even with the door locked. Now I don't keep anything in that area, but the other day it opened up twice, while locked, just randomly. Road was somewhat bumpy but not terrible. I've been crawling through from the cab and locking the little deadbolt on the inside when I'm driving, but it's a pain. The little red handle on the inside of the latch doesn't budge, either, so I'm wondering if the whole thing just needs to be replaced and it's just not catching enough to stay closed. If I try to pull it open, though, I can't, so I'm concerned that there's something else going on, with the door jamb or something. Another separate issue I'm having is ground clearance. Seems like every time I pull into a slightly steep driveway or go over a speedbump (they're huge here), I end up scraping the ground. My leaf springs are new and there's not a lot of weight back there. Is this just an issue with motorhomes? I'm going over stuff so slow to try to avoid it but it still happens. Is there anything I need to look at or add to it to get it up a little? Air shocks have been suggested, but to look at it, nothing sags. post a photo of the lock. If its like the one on my 1980 Sunrader I can tell you how to adjust it. But another thing that can happen which effects the door lock is if the hinges are coming loose. That will allow the door to move. So first easy trouble shooting step, check the hinge installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 The original poster already gave the info on the lock he has. Chinook had a Keeler lock originally. Somebody stuck a smalller Fastec lock in his Chinook door. It will not fit correctly without some work. That Fastec lock is what Airstream sells in a change-over repair kit for Airstreams that used the same Keeler locks as the 70s Chinooks did. I'm wondering what sort of job the person did installing this smaller lock? Also, Fastec had a huge recall on those locks (not for popping open though. The Airstream kit has a lot of parts to adapt that Fastec lock to a Chinook door. A more preferred lock to fix Chinooks when the Keeler became unavailable was the Bargman L-300. They are pretty much all gone to and were over $100 when available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKUltra Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 Yep that's my lock. It looks like everything lines up and it fits correctly, but there must be something wrong with it internally. Just watched (part of) an extremely long YouTube video where a guy takes one of these apart to fix it. Some little cast aluminum piece had broken so he made something to replace it. I will buy a new one before I screw around with all that. This one's about $25. Can you recommend one that you would use that is still currently available? Seems like everything you like is no longer made. I pushed on the door every which-way and the door itself doesn't seem to flex or change shape at all. I'll check the hinges today. Here's a pic of my truck. You can see it sits up nice and high. There's a Scat around that is a similar size but it has the dual back wheels and the back end sags really bad still. It's around the same age but just in way worse shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Still looking for a passenger side window screen if you've got one of those!! I got over to my other place today. Here are two extra screens. Frames look fine. $20 each plus shipping if you want one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKUltra Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 I will definitely take one! Shocks too. PM me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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