1994 Chinook Owner's Manual

[Scott]

Hopefully a useful resource for others ...

[Blue~Go]

I just downloaded it to look at - worked like a charm!

Going to look it over now, just to see the differences from my era.

I'm sure this will be much appreciated by anyone with an early 90's Chinook.

[kyidletime]

Thanks Scott, your wiring diagrams appear to be the same as those in my 95 manual. The thing that is missing on both diagrams is what the wires going through the "Ford pass thru plug" are connected to. I've tried everywhere to come up with that information, as I'm having problems in determining what color of wires should be connected to the posts of my emergency start switch and my battery disconnect switch. Could you take a look and tell me the colors of the connected wires, and how they are hooked up?

Thanks for posting your manual.

Alan

[Scott]

Hey Alan,

Yeah I know what you’re saying. The schematics are not comprehensive. My house battery disconnect switch is under the driver’s seat, and the emergency start is a momentary rocker switch on the dash. I should be able to get you the wire colors this weekend…
What are you trying to resolve?

[kyidletime]

Thanks Scott, seems like my 95 setup is different than any others, with the exception of maybe 96. If you could just check the batter disconnect switch I'd appreciate it. I think that we have figured out the color coding for the emergency start switch.

[kdarling]

Weird. I finally got around to comparing the posted 1994 manual with the manual that came with my 1994, and the wiring diagrams are different.

(Since mine has a 1992 Ford chassis, I wonder if it's an earlier 1994 Concourse than your 1994 Premier.)

The diagram in my manual matches what my Concourse has: a separate 110v to 12v power converter sitting under the stove, that's plugged into a hidden wall socket.

Does your Premier have a separate converter, or is yours combined with the fuse box like later Chinooks?

--

Also of interest is that I just noticed that the manuals folder that came with my rig has various wiring factory diagrams that the owners must've collected over the years. Most seem to date from 1996, and include versions from before and after the change to a combined converter, and even to the newer style overhead console controls.

I'll try to photograph and upload them (I guess to the Yahoo forum, unless there's also a file library here).

[Blue~Go]

Weird. I finally got around to comparing the posted 1994 manual with the manual that came with my 1994, and the wiring diagrams are different.

(Since mine has a 1992 Ford chassis, I wonder if it's an earlier 1994 Concourse than your 1994 Premier.)

Interesting.

I do slightly wonder about your 1994. It's relatively common for an RV (including Chinook) to have one year of chassis and be the "next year" RV (since the RV mfgr's year doesn't always match the vehicle builder's year); but I've never heard of one being two years "later." Not that it's not possible, but I just haven't seen it.

I hope you'll upload your photos here, as I can't see photos on Yahoo! (some Yahoo! glitch) and plus it would be great to have them here in the thread (you can attach photos or .pdf in the thread, up to three per post - if I have more than three I just "reply" as many times as necessary.

I have asked Manitou about making a reference document center as well (but maybe he didn't see it as it was in a thread). If he does, at this point there are few enough .pdf and reference type files that I think we could seek them out in the various threads and put copies in the document center. I'll PM Manitou and see what he thinks (he started this forum). [Just did PM Manitou about this]

[kdarling]

I do slightly wonder about your 1994. It's relatively common for an RV (including Chinook) to have one year of chassis and be the "next year" RV (since the RV mfgr's year doesn't always match the vehicle builder's year); but I've never heard of one being two years "later." Not that it's not possible, but I just haven't seen it.

Googling the topic revealed that even two year differences are not unusual at all, because you can easily get a late in year chassis (e.g. Dec 1992), with an early in year build out ( e.g. Jan 1994), so the difference is barely over a year.

Or the chassis might've been ordered later but come from old new stock. Or more were ordered than needed. Or the maker might have started designating finished models as the next year ahead of time.

The most interesting legal thing is that it's left up to the RV maker as to what year the RV will be marked and registered as. That means they could even build one in 2015 with a 2015 chassis, but designate it as an 2014, if they wanted to for some reason.

- Which reminds me. Does anyone have any idea how many Chinooks were sold, in any year? It'd be good to capture some of this info from factory sources, for reference.

[Blue~Go]

Fair enough. I see what you mean. And since there were not huge Ford changes (that I know of) from 1992 to 1994, it's not like an "ancient" chassis. That sort of thing would be a harder sell between say, 1996 and 1997 when the engines, dashboard, etc. all changed. Or 1991 and 1992 with a major body style change.

[Scott]

(Since mine has a 1992 Ford chassis, I wonder if it's an earlier 1994 Concourse than your 1994 Premier.)

Yeah, I dunno. My coach is a '94 according to the documentation it came with, and the chassis is a 94' according to the VIN. But based on what you say about the coach manufacturer having liberty to designate chassis model year, then I guess all this is mildly insignificant.

Does your Premier have a separate converter, or is yours combined with the fuse box like later Chinooks?

Combined with the fuse box under the sink

To me, the schematics in the owner's manual are vague reference material at best. It seems like there's tremendous variation among these rigs, and if you mix in a few poorly executed modifications from previous owners, you get to do a fair amount of problem solving.

Thank goodness for this forum!