BUYER BEWARE 1996 Chinook Concourse Side Entry 7.3

[motofreak0592]

I thought I found the Chinook for me but unfortunately after a thorough inspection I decided against it. I’m posting on here because the seller stated that there were other people interested and I’d hate for someone to end up with more of a project than they were expecting.

Before flying out to inspect it, I asked if there was any signs of rust, especially the underbody and if everything worked properly and I was told that there was no rust and everything worked fine. On the ad he stated that the condition is like new and it has new tires.

Upon inspection I found a moderate coolant leak (reservoir was empty and coolant was actively leaking underneath), a small oil leaks here and there (not uncommon for an old diesel but also not ideal), undercarriage and frame rust, the transmission dipstick was broken in half (potentially letting moisture and debris into the transmission), needs new brakes and suspension and that the tires were purchased in 2017 (they obviously weren't used much and had no visible cracking but they were not new). I plugged into the OBD2 port and ran a injector buzz test and cylinder contribution test to get a look at the health of the engine. The injector for cylinder 2 failed the buzz test and cylinder 2 failed the contribution test, so I'm thinking cylinder 2 has injector issues at the very least and from my understanding that is not a cheap repair. I also checked to see if there were any DTCs and found a LONG list of codes most of them related to the PCM or electrical circuits. I've inspected a few 7.3s over the years and have never seen this many trouble codes. I use Forscan with an OBD2 to USB dongle connected to my laptop and am very familiar with the program as I use it to monitor the health of the 7.3 van that I have owned for over 2 years now.

As for the house itself, it wasn't too bad, I only noticed some small things that were easily repairable. The floors were redone but had uneven gaps and warping throughout. There was a bit of exposed wiring that utilized cheap butt connectors and at the very least was visually unpleasant. The rear ladder was broken, the door for the right side rear compartment was broken and both generator start switches in the cabin were inoperable. I'll include as much info below for anyone who may be looking at this RV.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 6925753735

VIN: 1FDKE30FXTHA12108

Located in Naperville, Illinois

Mileage: 113,807

Asking Price: $39,000

[Chinnin-about]

I thought I found the Chinook for me but unfortunately after a thorough inspection I decided against it. I’m posting on here because the seller stated that there were other people interested and I’d hate for someone to end up with more of a project than they were expecting.

Thanks for the heads up. It's a real shame because the side entries are rare and highly sought after, and so is the 7.3 powerstroke. Would be hard not to make an emotional decision faced with these two golden chalices.

[sm350bl]

that is a nice combo, the injector problem wouldn't bother me too much. if all the other injectors buzzed strong I would throw a injector solenoid at it and retest. The solenoid is the electromagnet on top of the injector and can be removed and replaced without having to pull the injector itself out of the head. Those do fail from time to time and can set off IDM/PCM codes as well as circuit codes because the computer is saying essentially it can't communicate with injector number two. The IDM can lose control of a injector circuit internally but they normally fail by taking out a whole bank of 4 injectors or outright stall the engine and wont restart. Ironically I just had to replace an injector solenoid on a 7.3 on one of my buses at work just a couple weeks ago so this is all still fresh in my mind. Very similar situation, had a bunch of codes too. if somebody is mechanically inclined and had the space to take it apart and take their time doing it this wouldn't be a bad job. if you were going to pay somebody to do it then I could see if being pricey mainly due to labor hours to get access to under the valve cover.

[motofreak0592]

that is a nice combo, the injector problem wouldn't bother me too much. if all the other injectors buzzed strong I would throw a injector solenoid at it and retest. The solenoid is the electromagnet on top of the injector and can be removed and replaced without having to pull the injector itself out of the head. Those do fail from time to time and can set off IDM/PCM codes as well as circuit codes because the computer is saying essentially it can't communicate with injector number two. The IDM can lose control of a injector circuit internally but they normally fail by taking out a whole bank of 4 injectors or outright stall the engine and wont restart. Ironically I just had to replace an injector solenoid on a 7.3 on one of my buses at work just a couple weeks ago so this is all still fresh in my mind. Very similar situation, had a bunch of codes too. if somebody is mechanically inclined and had the space to take it apart and take their time doing it this wouldn't be a bad job. if you were going to pay somebody to do it then I could see if being pricey mainly due to labor hours to get access to under the valve cover.

Thanks for that info! I didnt know that about the solenoid. The seller did not argue any of my findings and I actually offered him $25k as is ( I felt that was more than fair considering the potential work needed) after I made that offer I was promptly kicked off of his property. I asked for my $1000 deposit back since it was not as advertised and he lied about the rust and he became extremely rude and did not refund me the deposit. Had the injector been the only issue I may have reconsidered but it was too pricey for my taste.

[chin_k]

Sorry that you lost your deposit. This is one of the reasons I almost never put deposit down without seeing it in person, unless there is recourse to get my deposit back if things are not as advertised.

[motofreak0592]

I normally don't either but the seller told me that someone else was going to come buy it if I didn't put down a deposit. The 7.3 side entry got me excited so I agreed......one of those expensive life lessons. This was a great learning experience for me as you could probably tell.

[ltg]

Thats a sad story.
I put the sale of our Glacier on hold for nine days for an individual that said he wanted to buy it.
He said he wanted to buy.
He sent me a copy of a cashiers check for the full sales price.
I picked him up at the airport which is 32 miles from my residence.
I drove to the RV storage shed which is another 35 mies on a toll road.
We arrived, he said it was not what he was expecting.
He left.
I did not require a deposit.
Big mistake.
I an sorry that you lost your deposit but I fully understand why sellers ask for them.

Larry Gregory

[chin_k]

ltg, what is it that he is not expecting? Much better than he dreamed?

It is usually a sad story from both side, since the buyer did spend the time and money (plane ticket) to see your rig. This is why it is important to make sure both parties need to know the condition and express their expectation well before too much commitment is made.

[ltg]

The buyer was disappointed that the Glacier did not have full body Paint.
And, he thought the drivers seat would have the same space and room that his diesel pusher has.
Basically, he just wanted to see and drive a Glacier.
I regret not asking for a big non refundable deposit.
I am not a RV Dealer.
My time is important to me.
I am not an RV training institute.

[68camaro]

I normally don't either but the seller told me that someone else was going to come buy it if I didn't put down a deposit. The 7.3 side entry got me excited so I agreed......one of those expensive life lessons. This was a great learning experience for me as you could probably tell.

When the market is hot you have to pony up quick or lose and hope for best. Before buying mine I was first call on another and a Provan Tiger, I said I wanted to think about it and called both back within hours to find they were sold already to second caller,

When I found mine it was agreement on phone, deposit wired and plane ticket purchased all in same afternoon. Luckily it worked out but I could see it easily could not have.