I have heard that the wrong thermostat can cause heating problems and here is a quote I saved from some forum:
'The correct thermostat will have a little barrel on the bottom of the thermostat that moves down restricting water flow thru the engine and directing water thru the radiator instead. Without this type thermostat the water will just circulate thru the block over and over untill the engine heat sinks and overheats.
A Robert Shaw brand thermostat that can be purchased at Auto Zone...( I know I hate the place) is made like you need...Compare one to a Stant and you will see the difference very quickly'
Haven't had to replace my thermostat yet so don't have any part numbers. You should be able to get part numbers from any auto parts house tho'.
-jc
78 Robinhood 23' Class C
97 Geo Tracker Convertible 4x4
87 Jeep Comanche Chief 4x4
Air conditioning with ice and a cooler.
It's an ebay ad
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=017&item=270004738755&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1
A cool idea for our air that went out?
Do you have a external transmission radiator.. Not too spendy but it sounds like its the hills not the heat.
Throw a 12v fan on top of that (as you may not be moving too fast to get the radiator enough air).
I live in Minnesota so don't listnen to me. I do think the transmission radiator is fairly common though.
PS - Are you towing anything? if so drop and follow through the hills.
Right?
timmac wrote:
Need help here, my 79 dodge 440 runs hot on hills, have replaced radiator with a 4 core super cooler, new stat, new hoses, new cap, and installed a new large transmission cooler and 50/50 antifreeze, motor runs cool in town with Vegas high temps and stop and go with no problem, runs cool on flat highways however it all goes to #@%$* when I drive up large grades in the summer, with all this work what is going wrong or is this normal for these old dodge motorhomes...
Need help here, my 79 dodge 440 runs hot on hills, have replaced radiator with a 4 core super cooler, new stat, new hoses, new cap, and installed a new large transmission cooler and 50/50 antifreeze, motor runs cool in town with Vegas high temps and stop and go with no problem, runs cool on flat highways however it all goes to #@%$* when I drive up large grades in the summer, with all this work what is going wrong or is this normal for these old dodge motorhomes...
I just got back last night from Bridgeport Calif. and it was 107* at times, I changed my radiator also but along with that put in a Milodon high volume water pump and thermostat, I also changed the fan just because I wanted to cover all the bases.The rig (a 1977 dodge establishment on a MB400 chassis, 440-3 motor)had no heating issues but I did experience what I would call a small case of vapor lock the unit would act like it was out of gas and at first I thought it was a fuel filter but it would come and go not like a filter problem. I replaced the thermoquad with the edelbrock replacement carb and boy it was not cheap and it did come with the phenolic spacer but I still think this issue was a vapor lock situation, although it never put us on the side of the road 100* degree weather all the way and no overheating problems, after the first trip this was a success story.
I have to say the ride rite air bags were a big improvement in the handling of these types of motorhomes, I was a mess after the last trip and this time it was much better. If you have any questions on the mods I have done you can e-mail me [email protected]
ssvette
http://community.webshots.com/user/ssvette
Our Camping History:
Variety of tents
'72 Lionel pop-up
'76 Dodge Jamboree Motor Home
'98 Sportsmen 28' Travel Trailer
'93 Coachmen Catalina 23.5 ft 5th wheel
'98 Palomino Pop-Up
'01 Wildwood Lite Travel Trailer
D&Sluv2fishandcampMN wrote:
How many of you take your old beasts on trips of 150+ miles? I have always limeted mine to about 1 hour long trips.
How many of you take your old beasts on trips of 150+ miles? I have always limeted mine to about 1 hour long trips.
Just got back from a 720 mile trip 7 hours each way, averaged about 8MPG not to bad but a lot of work to get it to this level. Showers everyday and everything works even the fresh water level and battery level gauges. I did install a new fan system on the fridge it kept the trout frozen all the way home.
timmac wrote:
Need help here, my 79 dodge 440 runs hot on hills, have replaced radiator with a 4 core super cooler, new stat, new hoses, new cap, and installed a new large transmission cooler and 50/50 antifreeze, motor runs cool in town with Vegas high temps and stop and go with no problem, runs cool on flat highways however it all goes to #@%$* when I drive up large grades in the summer, with all this work what is going wrong or is this normal for these old dodge motorhomes...
Need help here, my 79 dodge 440 runs hot on hills, have replaced radiator with a 4 core super cooler, new stat, new hoses, new cap, and installed a new large transmission cooler and 50/50 antifreeze, motor runs cool in town with Vegas high temps and stop and go with no problem, runs cool on flat highways however it all goes to #@%$* when I drive up large grades in the summer, with all this work what is going wrong or is this normal for these old dodge motorhomes...
We had a 1977 Allegro class A based on a Dodge 440 chassis. The best thing I ever did was replace the exhaust system with dual full flow systems. We never ran hot again, and the rig just ran super
Donna and Brian
Sebastian, FL
'07 Chevy Duramax 2500
08 Travel Lite Truck Camper
2008 HD RoadKing
D&Sluv2fishandcampMN wrote:
How many of you take your old beasts on trips of 150+ miles? I have always limeted mine to about 1 hour long trips.
How many of you take your old beasts on trips of 150+ miles? I have always limeted mine to about 1 hour long trips.
We drove ours to the beach and back. 200+ each way. It ran fine. I figure if you've got oil in the crankcase, air in the tires, coolant in the radiator, and gas in the tank you'll probably get there. That applies to all vehicles.
Only running issue I've got at the moment is the starter turns the engine very slowly after a gas stop. i.e. when the engine's hot. Engine spins fine when cold. I had to replace the starter because the old one was failing to engage reliably, but the hot start behavior is the same on the old starter and the new one. I'm going to try and add a heat shield of some sort between the engine and the starter; I'm guessing that's the problem.