eyeteeth wrote:
Wouldn't they be the same length? Looking it up online, sites seem to think the DS930 is around 32 inches.
Wouldn't they be the same length? Looking it up online, sites seem to think the DS930 is around 32 inches.
Nope, two completely different axles ... plus, you're dealing with medium duty trucks ... a completely different game, never mind ballpark.
Also, Mother Mopar, and her five sons, was notorious for doing weird things. Case in point, my '66 Polara had a truck 383 engine, with two barrel carb, in it. I can't count the number of knowledgeable people who've insisted all automobile 383's had four barrel carbs ... right up until I opened the hood ... and showed them the build sheet. (A few checked the number stamped in the block ... and found it was the heavy duty truck engine.)
That's part of the "adventure" in dealing with older Dodge trucks. Fortunately, by 1979 the six of them had settled down somewhat.
Trying to apply what you know about light duty trucks to medium duty trucks is like going to a swim meet and expecting the competitors to be following NFL rules.
* This post was edited 09/04/17 09:19pm by Griff in Fairbanks *
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
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
No, I went snooping the Federal-Mogul/Moog websites.
Wouldn't trust Spicer (in this area) because some minimum wage flunky is just regurgitating Moog info, probably without a clue regarding what they're entering ... and probably wouldn't recognize a drag link if someone hit them over the head with one.
eyeteeth wrote:
Wouldn't they be the same length? Looking it up online, sites seem to think the DS930 is around 32 inches.
I wonder what other 'clues' there might be to look for... Are you looking at a Spicer catalogue? The only part I see listed there is the DS930.
Wouldn't they be the same length? Looking it up online, sites seem to think the DS930 is around 32 inches.
I wonder what other 'clues' there might be to look for... Are you looking at a Spicer catalogue? The only part I see listed there is the DS930.
No, I went snooping the Federal-Mogul/Moog websites.
Wouldn't trust Spicer (in this area) because some minimum wage flunky is just regurgitating Moog info, probably without a clue regarding what they're entering ... and probably wouldn't recognize a drag link if someone hit them over the head with one.
I was looking at an online parts listing/catalog.
One upon a time I read a blog along the lines of saving the planet at 8 mpg... but it was a full timer who did a lot of boon docking in an old Lazy Daze who talked about how he'd 'live' with little water, making use of solar, extending batter life with dc appliance and usage. It was pretty cool can't find it now.
Engine (re)builders often ask, "How much horsepower can you afford?" We can rephrase that, "How much fuel economy can you afford?"
Inexpensive things first. These are aimed towards ensuring your motorhome makes effective use of the fuel it consumes and doesn't waste any.
Decades ago, an old timer told me, "Ignition first, fuel second." While he was referring to getting a stubborn engine running, it also applies to fuel economy.
Effective use of fuel requires a hot spark in the cylinders, at the right time. If you don't have that, messing with the fuel system is a waste of time.
So, new spark plugs, distributor cap, and distributor rotor, at a minimum. Make sure the spark plug gaps are correct. Most come with the correct gap but it does hurt to make sure. (Be sure to use the correct, wire-type gap gauge.)
If you have doubts about the plug wires, get a new set and make sure the wires are going to the right cylinders. Mixed up wires means at least two (25 percent) of your cylinders aren't burning the fuel they consume.
At a minimum, make sure your distributor is properly adjusted to the timing specifications for your engine.
While better than nothing, any specification you find is likely meant for engines in automobiles and light trucks. Likewise, the specification is a theoretical average. It takes into account various applications, driving style, fuel economy, and engine characteristics. It's likely the engine in your heavy motorhome actually needs different timing.
Here (http://tvmoparclub.com/files/tech/Mopar%20Timing.pdf) is a good article on finding out what's the best timing for your motorhome's engine. (There's at least one typo -- 'disconnect' versus 'reconnect' -- so be careful to understand what the author is trying to say.) You're probably going to need to read it multiple times to fully grasp what the author is saying.
When I put the rebuilt 351M engine in my 1980 Ford Bronco, I threw the published timing specifications in the trashcan and followed the same basic procedure as those in that article. (I also rebuilt and tuned the carburetor, resulting in an essentially new engine.) When I was done, the staff at the Ft Wainwright Auto Skills Center put the Bronco on an emissions test machine. For comparison, they also tested a new EPA-compliant automobile. The Bronco was producing 25 percent less emissions than the new car, easily exceeding EPA minimum standards.
Initially, the Bronco was getting 24 MPG highway. During subsequent tweaking, I was able to get the mileage up to 26 MPG but that setting didn't suit my occasional need to tow a relatively heavy trailer. Over several months I continued tweaking it, until I found the 'sweet spot' that suit my driving style and vehicle use. The end result was 22 MPG highway while lightly loaded and 19 MPG highway when towing a heavy trailer.
Note: I had thrown away most of the OEM smog gear, arguing significantly better fuel mileage meant less emissions. After their tests, the Auto Skills Center personnel begrudgingly agreed with me. (Being military employees, they couldn't completely abandon government regulations.)
Enough for now ... I'm taking a break before resuming my sermon.
* This post was edited 09/05/17 04:01pm by Griff in Fairbanks *
Let me emphasize -- Driving style is usually the single most significant factor affecting fuel economy.
Case in point: My '77 Dodge B200 van, with a 318 engine, averaged 18 mpg during typical driving and load, if I kept it down to 50-60 mph. This was in the mountainous area around Anchorage, Alaska, including frequent trips over Turnagain Pass. It probably would have gotten 20 mpg or better in the Midwest flatlands.
I often drove at 70 mph or more. So, actual average fuel mileage was 14-16 mpg. It would have been even worse but my acceleration and brake usage favored better mileage.
Yes, the engine was tuned for good (not maximum) fuel economy, to match my driving style and use.
My '69/70 Explorer Class A motorhome got 14-16 mpg, if I behaved myself. Usually, I got 10-12 mpg and it dropped into the single digits if I was in a hurry.
The speedometer was broken so I never knew just how fast I was going. A friend once followed me from Anchorage to Homer, Alaska. When asked how fast I was going, he said, "Well, you occasionally slowed down to 65." (He also mentioned I tended to ignore lane markings ... I replied, "The state laid down all that pavement so I might as well make full use of it.")
The old timer I quoted in my previous post taught me to "tune by ear." I now use a timing light for initial timing but tweak it by ear afterwards. Process is rotate distributor back and forth a bit until I find fastest idle RPM, adjust idle back down to 550-650 RPM, and repeat until I find the 'sweet' spot.
It's worth noting I once used this technique to tune two identical OEM engines. When I was done, the timing light indicated two degrees difference between the engines. Both had a roughly equal improvement in fuel mileage. (One of the owners complained he suffered a 2 MPG decrease in fuel economy when a shop re-tuned his engine to factory specifications.)
The 318 engines in both the '77 van and '69/70 motorhome had advanced timing (more degrees BTDC) than factory specifications. This produces earlier ignition, leading to a more complete burn and more power out of a given fuel-air charge.
However, doing this requires a light foot on the accelerator to avoid engine ping and knock. Advancing the timing too far can result in the expanding combustion pushing piston and connecting rod against the crankshaft rotation. In extreme cases, this can lead to engine damage.
While my experience is limited to the two 318 engines and non-Mopar engines, I believe advancing the timing in all non-computer-controlled engines can improve fuel economy ... provided you don't go heavy on the accelerator.
Process is to advance the timing a few degrees, until the engine starts knocking or pinging during normal driving. Then back off (******) the timing a few degrees. (Going up a steep hill is the best indication you've advanced the timing too far.) Be careful, a few degrees at a time to ensure you don't damage the engine.
Next up is other inexpensive things you can do improve engine efficiency.
Addendum after posting: RV.NET's nanny routines 'starred out' the standard term I used for the opposite of advancing the timing. This is because it is also a derogatory term for people suffering diminished mental capacity and/or learning disadvantage/disabilities. (i.e., "advance the timing" versus "****** the timing.")
* This post was edited 09/05/17 05:44pm by Griff in Fairbanks *
I was two-thirds through composing my next post on fuel economy when some idiot managed to take down the electrical grid along 18 miles of road where we live.
I'm not in the mood to try to re-compose what I'd typed in right now. Instead, I'll share a secret about Alaska. (Most of you would probably dearly love to bring your motorhomes up to Alaska for a visit.)
It's really hard ... almost impossible ... to get lost in Alaska if you stay reasonably close to the pavement. (Every year or so, someone in the military, stationed in Alaska, actually tries ... and fails.)
There's only one big loop in Alaska, consisting of the Parks, Richardson, and Glenn highways. (The highways up here have numbers but nobody uses them.) Everything else are out and back roads.
No matter which way you go, you'll wind up at Cook Inlet/Kachemack Bay, Resurrection Bay, Port of Valdez, or the Canadian border. Three of those mean teaching your motorhome to swim if you don't want to go back the way you came. (The other means leaving Alaska.)
The Kenai Peninsula is arguably the best tourist area. In a fairly small area, you can see just about all there is in Alaska. I could easily spend months just wandering around the Peninsula, even though I've already spent several hundred days down there.
The secret is turn right every chance you get. (You could turn left but that means sometimes having to wait for oncoming traffic.)
Start by heading south from Anchorage on the Seward Highway. As soon as you come down the hill, start your right hand turns. (You can't miss when to start ... you'll be close to sea level, with the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet on your right and Potter's Marsh on the left.
Do NOT venture onto the mud flats around Turnagain Arm. They're worse than quicksand ... more insidious and stronger than wet cement.
(If you time things right, you may see a bore tide along Turnagain Arm, especially midway between Anchorage and Girdwood ... locals can tell you where and when it's best to see a bore tide.)
This isn't limited to pavement ... turn right on every road that's not obviously someone's driveway. (Don't worry, most locals are reasonably friendly and used to meandering tourists wandering onto their driveways.)
In each case, you'll eventually reach the end of each road. Just turn around and go back to where you turned off, turning right again.
In some cases, you'll reach the end of the road in a mile or two and sometimes as little as a few hundred yards. Most often, these are relatively unexplored and visited infrequently. Some of these also happen to offer the best scenery, to be enjoyed all by yourself.
Okay, a few of those side roads lead to gravel or unimproved 'roads' up the side of mountains ... so use your best judgement before proceeding. Just about all of these eventually have a good turn-around spot, although you may endure more of an adventure than you wanted getting to the turn-around. (More than once, my wife has made some rude comments about where I'd gone ... and I knew better than take her some of the places I'd been.)
Don't be tempted to turn left. You'll eventually come back to whatever appears interesting on that side of the road.
After a day or so, you'll turn right onto the Sterling Highway. It's less than 100 miles from Anchorage to the Sterling Highway turnoff. But, you'll likely take at least a day to get there because you'll keep stopping to view the scenery and explore.
You'll spend at least a week, and possibly a month or more, doing your 'right turn exploration' along the Sterling Highway before arriving back at the turnoff.
Avoid being tempted to wade in rivers and lakes. Except for a few small lakes towards the end of summer, all fresh water on the Kenai never gets much above freezing. (I've seen people levitate and run on water when they fall in.)
If you have a boat, do not take it out on Skilak Lake. It's glacier fed, so extremely cold. Surrounding mountains and passes channel fierce winds onto the lake, creating huge waves. The winds can come up suddenly, creating waves big enough to swamp 30-foot cabin cruisers. (This can happen during apparently calm, clear weather conditions.)
Tustumena Lake is worse than Skilak Lake. Fortunately, it's relatively difficult to get to, so is the cause of less fatalities.
If your return to the Seward/Sterling turnoff is in mid-summer (usually during July), you may get a chance to witness "combat fishing for red salmon at the Russian River." People are shoulder to shoulder -- two, three, or four deep -- casting over each other. I've only participated once because (1) I don't like combat fishing and (2) I prefer silver salmon. (Red salmon is the Alaska name for sockeye and silver salmon for coho.) I have, however, been down there several times -- with a lawn chair, binoculars, and a full cooler -- to sit on the opposite bank to watch. Throw in a few brown (overgrown grizzly) bears sneaking out of the woods to steal fresh-caught salmon and the result is quite a show.
When you return to the Seward/Sterling turnoff, a right turn will take you to Resurrection Bay and the town of Seward. (Seward was one of the places most affected by the Good Friday Earthquake.)
From Seward and Resurrection Bay, you'll return to Anchorage along roads you've already traveled. Still, the return to Anchorage could easily take a week or more, due to the many possible 'right hand' stops along the way.
The area around Girdwood (right turn 40 miles before reaching Anchorage) has a number of things to see. One of my favorites is the Crow Creek Historic Gold Mine, which offers recreational gold mining. (Two decades ago, they allowed limited camping, without any hookups ... don't know if that's changed, for better or worse.)
Other sights to see around Girdwood are the Begich Boggs Visitor Center, the Alaska Railroad tunnel through the mountains between Girdwood and Whittier, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Alyeska Resort, and many other attractions.
I've never been to Alyeska Resort, but everyone I know who's been there gush about it. It's a ski resort but is arguably even better during the summer. From what I understand, it definitely worth splurging on the Seven Glaciers Restaurant, a multi-award winning mountain-top dining experience. If you don't want to or can't splurge, the Alyeska Aerial Tram Ride and Dine offers the same tram ride and a credit at the Bore Tide Deli, with a similar panoramic view, at a significantly lower cost.
So, plan on at least several days in Girdwood, with at least one full day at the gold mine, before a quick trip back to Anchorage.
Before closing, an Alaska axiom: Where there are fish, there are people -- where there are people, there are fish. This is especially true for salmon. On the other hand, there are many places on the Kenai Peninsula where you can fish for rainbow trout, Dolly Varden (a char), and grayling without anyone is sight. (At some, you're more likely to see moose or bears than another person.)
* This post was edited 09/05/17 10:47pm by Griff in Fairbanks *
You might want to add carburetor replacement to your future consideration list.
My opinion, not share by many people, is a Carter AFB or Edelbrock. (Edelbrock bought Carter's molds and machinery, so Edelbrock carburetors are essentially just slightly improved AFBs ... most parts interchange.)