1976 Dodge Sportsman Help

aussiebrewerinco wrote:
Thanks Bordercollie, ouch!

It appears (or was told) that the engine is a Chrysler 440, does that make any difference?

Also, is there no vin check for RV's? I tried to look it up but usual vin check sites say invalid VIN. I'm just wondering if this is all original parts or if something major has been replaced.

Thanks!

The VIN was not standardized until 1981. VIN check sites usually assume the standard form used later.

The 440 will have the same fuel and ignition system issues as the Chrysler smallblock.

From my antique and classic experience, I've learned I can't usually just shut off a car or truck to let it sit 30+ years, and expect it to start and run like it did the day it was last driven. If I'm really lucky, it might run well enough to get it back the shop to start working on it. Often, though, the project starts with a tow.

There are a lot of rubber and plastic parts that degrade with age, which would normally be replaced every 5-10 years in continuous use. Just sitting, they've degraded anyway.

The late '70s to mid '80s era is one of the worst because the first stages of emission control involved "lean burn" with barely usable fuel-air mixtures managed by mechanical interconnections of fuel and ignition systems, lots of hoses to sense vacuum at various points, and control vacuum servos adjusting settings for different driving conditions. All the connection hoses rot and leak, servos can leak or freeze up. Exhaust gas recirculation valves also frequently lock up or get blocked. Someone who knows the engine needs to get under the hood and check it all out, replace all those little hoses, and maybe some other parts. It is a whole lot messier than engines from the '40s and '50s, or late model engines where every thing is controlled by a computer and the sensors and servos all connected by wire. I'd much rather work on something from 1960 or earlier, than something from 1972-1990.

Not familiar with the big Chrysler, but some engines from 1966 into the 80s had air injection into the exhaust manifold, some using a pump and a check/diverter valve (with a vacuum sensor), others using an aspirator valve at the manifold to pull air from the intake side (PulseAir). Chrysler may have used the reed valve system on the 440, which means there is some air plumbing to the exhaust to be checked out.

Then there is the problem with the carb gumming up. But that's just part of it, because there are gaskets in the carb that have probably dried out and leak. In the fuel system, there are also a some metal pieces that can corrode when not kept wet with fuel. Fuel pumps and filters can be a problem.

For example, right now we are discussing how to deal with carb leaks on a '86 El Camino that belonged to a friend who died three years ago. He had it for 22 years, drove it every week, worked on it every week. It has now been sitting three years. It started and ran well enough to back out of the garage, but gaskets have dried out and it leaks fuel from the carb. To get it ready to sell, his family will most likely replace the carb, because it doesn't cost that much more than a rebuild, and if the rebuild doesn't take care of the problem you are buying again anyway.

If the motorhome has been sitting for a really long time, I would also be worried about oil seals. These parts are kept in condition by the oil splashing against them, dried out they can fail quickly. I remember a couple of cars we bought from the junkyard that started OK and ran well enough to drive to the shop, but blew oil seals on the way to the shop. An oil seal is not something you would want to replace as preventive maintenance, as the labor is non-trivial, but something you need to be aware of, so you can watch out for it and stop soon enough to avoid major engine damage. Seal problems also apply to automatic transmissions.

Since these are car/truck issues, rather than RV issues, you might try connecting locally with car club, a group of people who restore and drive old cars. The knowledge and skill levels for your vintage will be higher than you can expect to find at most service shops. Most service techs today are too young to have been trained to work on something built before they were born.