Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?

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Topic: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?

Posted By: goreds2 on 10/05/15 11:17am

goreds2 wrote:

I have been loving this thread going on 7 years now when I had my 1975 Class C. I now have (for 5 years) a 1989 Dodge XPLORER RV Class B with 318 engine. Today, I took it out on the open highway and at about 55 MPH it was shaking. I know it can be a number of things but just wondering if any owners of late 80's Dodges have experienced this. Thanks,

Note that I checked the tire pressure and they are read the same. (50-PSI)

I took my van out yesterday and it id not shake at all. Maybe is was older gas that was in the tank making it shake? I did put fresh gas in after the shaking was discovered two Saturdays ago. Whatever the reason, it seems to be alright now. Fingers crossed

See Picture In My Profile
I have a 1989 Dodge XPLORER RV Class B - Purchased 10/15/10 IN CASH
Fiance' purchased a Class C 2002 Dynamax Carri-go on 5/1/15 IN CASH
We've got the best of both worlds

Posted By: Leeann on 10/05/15 02:44pm

Bad/old gas absolutely will cause that issue.

If we park our rig for any amount of time, we add the appropriate amount of Marine Star-tron (it seems to help ethanol issues with older motors, too).

'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/05/15 03:02pm

Mykedynamics wrote:

Thanks for all the good stuff Griff! I was able to snag one of the EGr's from jersey parts..gave the beast a tune up last night and it's running wonderfully..I'll keep tuning over the next week then smog time!! Wish me luck and any tuning pointers to help with smog would be great!

Eric

You're welcome.

New sparkplugs, distributor cap, and distributor rotor. Check the timing, although the old engines with electronic ignition tended to stay on the timing mark once you set it.

New air filter and PCV valve. If the filter is dirty or the PCV stuck, they sometimes affected test results. Fresh air filter can also improve fuel mileage, depending on the condition of the old filter. A plugged/malfunctioning PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation/Valve/Vacuum) can adversely affect engine performance as well as fuel mileage. (The PCV system creates a partial vacuum in the crankcase, which makes it easier to move the pistons on the down stroke, allowing slightly more power to be sent to the transmission instead of being spent on engine operation.)

Fresh oil change and oil filter. Combustion fumes trapped in old oil can re-enter the intake via the PCV and might affect test results. Depending on how worn the piston rings are, small amounts of unburned fuel and combustion fumes leak past the rings and becomes trapped in the oil. These, in turn, combine with moisture to form acids that eat away at bearing and other internal engine parts when the vehicle sits idle. Frequent short trips allow the moisture and contaminates to build up in the oil, creating more acid which leads to greater internal corrosion. Occasional longer trips (20+ miles) at full operating temperature cause the moisture and contaminates to evaporate out of the oil and get drawn out of the crankcase via the PCV system. (Taking 20+ mile run just before the smog test will remove oil contaminates and increase your chances of passing.)

In Alaska, most (all?) test facilities operate on "no pass, no pay" basis. As a result, most IM technicians tend to fix any small problems, such as loose vacuum lines, they encounter during the inspection phase before conducting the emissions test.

1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A

Posted By: Mykedynamics on 10/06/15 12:20am

Thank you griff! Too bad California doesn't run that way...they're making a killing out here!

Eric

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/06/15 01:22am

Mykedynamics wrote:

Thank you griff! Too bad California doesn't run that way...they're making a killing out here!

Eric

So, the smog test stations are owned, staffed, and operated by the state? If so, I imagine there's also a large bureaucracy for overseeing those stations.

The people of Alaska made it clear they didn't want to have to sit through another long line/waiting period to get an IM test, to only have to spend more time sitting in the DMV waiting room to get their plates and registration. They also objected to the possibility of the state adding a lot of bureaucrats to run the program and technicians to perform the tests to the state payroll, especially if some of the technicians would be sitting idle -- but still on the clock -- waiting for people to come in for a test.

In response to this resistance, someone realized there were a lot of commercial places, already servicing and repairing vehicles, that could do the test just as well. So, the state created a much, much, much smaller bureaucracy to oversee the program, hired a few more people to certify commercial test stations and technicians, and a few state-operated facilities for difficult cases.

Businesses got to grow and diversify their operation (with more customers), technicians who were certified got a pay raise, and people didn't have to wait for a test that usually only took 15-20 minutes. (If one station was backed up, there was usually another nearby.)

Initially, people had to get the test and then take the test results to DMV to finish their registration. Eventually, the state also handed the registration function off to some the IM stations, with those businesses charging a small added fee for the service, while heavily advertising the convenience of the added service.

Somewhere during the program's existence, a few stations initiated a "no pass, no pay" policy and most of the other stations had to follow suit just to keep up and avoid losing customers.

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/06/15 06:42pm

My wife just got back from a trip to town to buy more building materials and new winter tires for our van. She told me the tire salesman, while entering her info into the computer, suddenly looked up and asked, "Are you Griff's wife?"

I had already been told a significant number of CarQuest customers were expressing serious disappointment upon learning I had quit, although they were mostly understanding when they learned my resignation was mostly due to the job's adverse impact on my disabilities. (A few even indicated the only reason they shopped at the somewhat out-of-the-way Carquest store, as opposed to more convenient parts stores, was because of the knowledge I shared.)

However, I didn't realize the extent of my local reputation. I can honestly say I don't who the salesman is because I don't recall any specific contact with anyone working at that tire store. (Fairbanks is a relatively small town, with an active social "telegraph" but still ... )

Posted By: Wolf_n_Kat on 10/09/15 05:38pm

Sorry I haven't been active recently, had a few things to take care of (including yanking out the second stereo and six or eight speakers that the previous owner VERY sloppily installed!!).

I appeal to the combined genius of the folks on the forum - does anybody know where I can find a front emergency brake cable for my '74 Eldorado? I've hit all the auto and RV places in town and come up empty. Every time they've said "We've got it" and I've pulled out the tape measure, they come up in the 104" range. Unfortunately, what I need is a little closer to 171".

Any suggestions, short of "Pollack engineering"?

(my wife calls it that and she should know, considering she's of Polish ancestry! [emoticon]

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/24/15 07:39am

Wolf_n_Kat wrote:

There's some places on the internet that sells custom cables. For emergency brake cables, I'd start with Lokar.

There's other places that sell "specialty" cables, including one that sells pushbutton shift cables for late 50s/early 60s Mopar PowerFlite and TorqueFlite transmissions. (I don't have the name/website at hand right now -- it's buried somewhere in the huge pile of notes I've collected.)

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/24/15 11:54am

For those who have been waiting for my next post -- sorry for the delay. The various stuff for activities that were pending all came in at almost the same time so I've been busy making progress on a lot of projects. (As busy as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.)

Also, my posts have a secondary purpose, in addition to sharing information I have that may be useful to others. I've been toying with the idea of starting a writing career so these posts are serving as warm-up and practice.

I'll finish the 20+ mpg from a Class A motorhome arc before getting back to electrical systems --

Initial data:

-- 55 to 65 mph for majority (80-90%) of driving.
-- LT235/85R16 drive (rear axle) tires.
-- Dana 70 rear axle with 4.10 gear ratio.
-- LoadFlite A727 automatic transmission with 1:1 final (3rd) gear ratio.

Notes on initial data:

1. Based on past experience, I know a significant portion of the remaining 10-20% of operation (when not driving at highway speeds) will be off-the-pavement. Standard dual wheel rims limit tire selection so 85% aspect ratio provides the maximum tire diameter and, therefore, slightly better ground clearance.

2. The type of rear axle (Dana 70) is immaterial to these calculations. The rear axle gear ratio (4.10) is the important datum. Likewise, the transmission type (LoadFlite A727 automatic) is also immaterial, with the final gear ratio (1:1) being the important part. (Virtually all non-overdrive transmissions have a 1:1 final gear ratio.)

Calculations:

1. Number of tire revolutions per mile:

Some tire manufacturer and distributor's websites, such as Tire Rack .com, give the number of tire revolutions per mile. This is the best, and easiest, starting point for calculations. You can calculate the revolutions per mile using the tire's overall diameter or even the tire size (e.g., LT235/85R16) but the calculations are tedious and, at most, only approximate. Tire Rack .com's Tech Center provides lots of good information, in many areas in addition to tires. For our purposes, their "tire specs explained" page is especially useful, particularly the section on revolutions per mile. (This is not necessarily a Tire Rack .com endorsement -- it's simply a good place to find information.)

Tire Rack .com lists 655 revolutions per mile for one of the candidate tires in the size I've chosen.

2. Axleshaft revolutions per minute (RPM's):

Revolutions per mile (655) times miles per hour (55-65) divided by minutes per hour (60) equals axleshaft RPM's. The miles per hour is a range so we need to do two calculations to get the range of axleshaft RPM's.

655 x 55 / 60 = 600.42 axle shaft RPM's @ 55 MPH

655 x 65 / 60 = 709.58 axle shaft RPM's @ 65 MPH

3. Driveshaft revolutions per minute (RPM's):

The drive (rear) axle ratio is a gear reduction ratio between the driveshaft input and axleshaft output, so a 4.10 rear axle gear ratio means the driveshaft turn 4.1 times for each revolution of the axleshafts.

600.42 x 4.1 = 2461.722 RPM's, rounded to 2460 driveshaft RPM's @ 55 MPH

709.58 x 4.1 = 2909.278 RPM's, rounded to 2910 driveshaft RPM's @ 65 MPH

Note: I got the rear axle gear ratio from the data plate for the vehicle the rear axle came from -- the 41 stamped in the Rear Axle space indicates a 4.10 ratio.

[image]

However, with older vehicles it's always safe to assume a previous owner changed something so it's best to verify all information. With the rear axle on jack stands and the transmission in neutral, I put a mark on one tire and counted the number of times I had to turn the driveshaft (by hand) to cause the tire to make one complete revolution. The result was a little over four turns.

4. Engine revolutions per minute (RPM's):

A transmission final (3rd, 4th, or whatever is the highest gear) ratio of 1:1 means the engine turns the same number of RPMs as the driveshaft. So, I want a combination of engine components, modifications, and machining that results in an engine that's works most efficiently at 2460 to 2910 RPM's.

Note: Based on graphs I've seen, late '60's/early '70's Dodge small block LA 318 engines are designed and built with this RPM range in mind … so, keeping the engine original would be just fine. However, I'm not going to leave good-enough alone.

Overdrive transmissions have a different final ratio. For example, the addition of a Gear Vendors Under/Overdrive unit results in a final ration of .78:1. So, to determine engine RPM's you'd have to multiple the driveshaft RPM's by .78. Using our example, with this unit:

2461.722 x .78 = 1920.14316, rounded to 1920 engine RPM's @ 55 MPH

2909.278 x .78 = 2269.23684, rounded to 2270 engine RPM's @ 65 MPH

The RPM range we've calculated (2460-2910 RPM's) represents a balance between fuel economy and performance. In general, lower engine RPM's means better fuel economy. However, the improvement in fuel economy comes at the expense of high demand performance. The lower RPM range with a Gear Vendors unit (1920-2270 RPM's) creates issues when towing trailer, traversing a series of hills, or -- especially -- climbing mountain passes.

Vehicles that claim high mileage due to a drivetrain that lowers engine RPM's often get dismal ratings in independent reviews due to needing a lot of downshifting in hilly country, (In worst case scenario, the engine can bog down -- or even stall -- if the transmission isn't up to the task.) Towing a trailer through hilly country with an overdrive transmission (including one equipped with a Gear Vendors unit) can cause the transmission to "thrash" -- that is, downshift and upshift a lot, which is hard on clutches and bands. (The overdrive in my 1990 Ford E-150 is fairly good, especially compared to the A518 in my daughter's Dodge Van, but I still force it out of overdrive when dealing with steeper hills,)

Enough for now … in my next post I'll finish what I'm doing with the engine and drivetrain in my current project.

Posted By: chinook440 on 10/25/15 03:44pm

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