2 days ago I became the lucky owner of one very neglected 84 chieftan 33. This is gonna be an experience (just getting it home already was, we broke down no less than 4 times) I feel as though it will eventually be a wonderful thing for my family but I'm sure I'll need lots of help since this poor girl hasn't seen love in at least ten years. The first break down was what we thought was just a loose wire on the starter. This turned into the top of the starter disintegrating in my husband's hands when he tried to tighten the wire. Holy cow that thing is huge and heavy when trying to put the bolts back in! Next it was the batteries. They weren't charging and left us dead in the water not 50miles from where the starter crapped out. We figured the problem was the solenoid at the back of the battery box since it looked like it was partly rusted out. This worked and the main battery began charging but with the circuit closed on the house battery the solenoid clicks about every 30seconds and the lights noticably dim with every click. Left that disconnected to look into later when we got home. At some point while we were messing with the batteries something crossed somewhere and all our low amp fuses blew. Still haven't figured out what happened to the running lights. Replaced the fuse and the rest of the lights work those have stubbornly remained out of commission. The last time was for a heat issue. The temp really fluctuates and the blower motor won't kick in. We ended up just limping her home real slow and gentle. It was a rough start but I know in the end she's gonna be worth it even though it's gonna be a long trip getting her fixed up. The interior is in pretty good shape for the age and there is plenty of room for the whole family. Hopefully we will get her to the point where she can take us on great adventures. We do plan on towing our sailboat with her at some point but it's gonna be awhile I think before she's healthy enough for that. Anyways Hi everyone! I'm happy to be here! This community seems to be super friendly and I look forward to digging into this new experience.
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