As we drove south last Winter we began to notice, or thought we did, an increase in the slight shaking (wheel balance?) at certain speeds. By the time we got home in March it was noticeably worse but still not so bad that Mark could determine what it really might be. A visit to our local tire dealer was called for. They found cupping in the left front tire. balance? shocks? alignment? Unknown, but it was definably the source of the whopping sound that we'd begun to hear. Balancing and rotating all six tires seems to have salved both the shaking and the whopping. We'll have to see if they returns with the same apparent cause.
The attendant at one of the propane stations we stopped at while we were in Florida during the winter told us that our propane tank was badly rusted. He said that it wasn't dangerous yet but that we really should be taken care of before we filled up again. He also said that maybe cleaning and repainting would be enough. Mark inspected the tank himself later and saw that there was, in deed, rust spots here and there on the tank, especially where it was attached to the frame. It didn't look all that bad to him but he's no expert. It could at least go until we got home.
At Camping World in Lakewood, NJ we were told that replacement would cost about $400 and cleaning and painting a little less. They couldn't (or wouldn't) say if repainting was be enough to eliminate a dangerous explosion sometime down the road. It seemed that replacement was the safest way to go. It turned out that the tank had to be custom made at the factory where they were originally purchased by Trailwagons (Chinook). It ended up costing more than twice the original estimate but we have a tank that should last a while.
The brakes have been an off and on problem. Over time they seem to develop a harsh "chatter" seemingly taking over the steering wheel forcing it back and forth. It seems to be the worst on mountain roads and in stop and go traffic when the brakes a used a lot. About three years ago a Chevrolet truck repair facility tried to track down the problem to no avail. Finally they replace the whole front brake assembly at considerable cost not covered by warranty. That seemed to fix it. Since then we've learned that this seems to be a prevalent and chronic problem with the Destiny brakes, the only Chinook built on a Chevrolet chassis. Chatter on the internet puts forth several suggestions to eliminate a reoccurence, some pretty far out and expensive. Non completely fix the problem.
We met a full timer in Florida last winter who seems quite savvy about thing mechanical. He suggested that the problem could well be due to poor heat dissipation in the brake discs used on the chassis. He suggested stopping faster - Mark tends to use a light braking pressure and stopping over greater distances thus generating more heat in the discs. He suggested not leaving the brake engaged while stopped, or letting the motor home roll occasionally to allow the discs to cool evenly. He also suggested braking extra hard when it feel like the chatter is developing. We have driven about 2500 miles using these techniques and the seem to work very well. We'll see how long they continue to work.
