2002 Chinook Destiny 2400 - Replacement Fridge

[CaliforniaLG]

Hello!
Brand new here. My boyfriend and I are going tomorrow to see an AMAZING 2004 Chinook Destiny 2400. We are super excited and hoping to purchase it. The only thing is that the owner was very upfront about the fact that they have been trying to replace the fridge and the only reason they have not is that they have had a VERY difficult time finding a replacement part.

Wondering if anyone can tell me if we take if off their hands as is, for a discount, how hard will it be for us to find this part on our own? Is it impossible, or just hard right now? Any insight would be great, we are really excited about this rig and hope to make her ours, we are cool with travelling with coolers for a while, but of course, would like a working fridge at some point.

TIA~
LG

[Manitou]

Hello and welcome to the forum. My 1st question would be why is it broken? There's a replacement chip board made my an aftermarket company called dinosaur (something like that). Several motorhome owners have used that board with success.

If the system leaks gas, there was some omish groups that would replace those parts from the outside without removing.

If you really need to replace the unit, you can find some threads here on what is involved. It's not easy, but possible. The newer units are by far more efficient.

[CaliforniaLG]

Thank you so much! We are going to see the rig tomorrow, so I will make sure we find out what is not working about it - its possible they already removed it but based on what I have read, that sounds pretty unlikely.

I really appreciate it! Hopefully we will be regulars around here if we get the rig

[sm350bl]

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds like kinda a cluster ...., I think in a ideal situation the rv would have been sold with the "non working fridge" disclaimer then you could have troubleshooted the problem then assessed if it truly needed to be removed from the coach. Obviously that is not your situation. There are many ways a rv fridge can " not " work, most of these problems I believe to be external and can be repaired / replaced without requiring a fridge replacement.

I think if it were me personally, if i bought something like this, I would probably shove the fridge back into its hole and hook it back up and start troubleshooting the problem and assess from those results. As Manitou mentioned, it could be something external like the control circuit board that can be replaced.

Lets say the cooling unit of the fridge is out, requiring removal. If a new replacement is hard to locate, I wouldn't hesitate about rebuilding your old unit. You can purchase a rebuilt cooling unit for your fridge's model and the fridge can be disassembled and the mechanism that is responsible for the cold can be replaced within your old fridge cabinet. I have done it to several rv refrigerators. The first one I did was in my old 5th wheel. The unit was too big to fit through the door so me and the girlfriend tore it apart on the dinette table. So it can be done. There is alot of good knowledge here so don't be afraid to ask questions.

[chin_k]

The RV fridge is available, but you may have a hard time finding the *exact* style and color locally. Consider the possibility that you may need to go without it for weeks as you try to find the replacement, so there should be a slight discount if it is not already reflected in the asking price.

I would definitely try to get it repaired first. It can be as simple as replace the DC fuse in the panel, but you will not know what it is until you have the time to troubleshoot. If it is a simple problem, then you got a good deal, but I am sure there will be some hidden surprise with any used (and some new) rig that you will find too.

The Destiny is a bigger rig than Concourse/Premier that most of us have, so you will have a few more things to watch out for when you check the condition of the rig. Make sure you take your time, and try to know as much about it from the previous owner as you can. Good luck.

[CaliforniaLG]

Thank you everyone! We went to see the rig today and it was immaculate! We put down a deposit and are picking her up Thursday. The Fridge is fully in tact but they said the mechanic said it has a freon leak. They gave us 2K off the price of the rig (assuming we will have to replace it and for parts and labor) but I think our first route will be to see if we can repair it.

We are so excited, she is truly a beaut with a custom paint job to boot. I will post pics in the appropriate thread once we have the keys.

Thanks again!
LG

[chin_k]

Welcome to the club of Chinook Owners then! Make sure you check all the other systems, and learn as much about it from the previous owner... take notes if you can.

Hopefully the fridge leak can be fixed easily. The thing that is odd to me is that very, very few Chinook use Feon. Most of us use some kind of ammonia in there so that it will work with propane. Maybe your Destiny is one of a few of them that does not use ammonia, but use Feon instead. Makes me suspicion whenever a profession used the wrong term.

[CaliforniaLG]

Thanks for that info, the owners are a senior couple and they just misspoke - they were told by the repair person it had a leak, they assumed Freon - we are getting it all checked out as soon as possible once we get it. Should be getting it Wednesday!

Best,
LG