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

[whiteknight001]

I'm new here, and curious.

How many of us in Class C own Dodge B300 incomplete
cab/chassis based RV's? I know two others- Steve aka
Ripsaw, with a 1977 Brougham, and Leroy aka 1978_Dodge
_Delta who owns a 440V8 powered sharp looking 1978
Delta RV. I would like to ask, and offer, help, idea
swapping and comparing notes on our particular RV's
which are based on the Dodge B300 van chassis.

Yeah, I know. These are low tech, podgy old RV's that
would be considered "entry level" for folks like me,
but I have a deep and abiding respect for the quality
of these old "monsters of the open road". And anyone
wanting to pick brains, joke about, share notes or just
brag about our old A- Dodge-io's are certainly welcome
to PM or email me. Between all of us we can form a real
good support group, and help each other with problems
we know we'll encounter with an older vehicle.

Sure. I'd love a new RV. But I'd rather have an older
one already paid for, and a lotta great memories. Call
me frugal, an old hippie, or whatever you will. I'm proud
of my old land yacht.

Mopar Madness Manifest in the flesh,

Mark aka White Knight

P.S. Mine's a '72. Is there an older one out there someone's
motorvating in? Maybe even a Travco? W/K

[Leeann]

Jerry, have you removed the entire inside unit? Once you do, there are more bolts that hold the outside unit to the roof. There's always a foam gasket between the unit and the roof, but not sticky. Someone might have put a bead of sealant around it, though.

[Jer_Ger]

I have all the vents and seams removed off my RV roof now, that is all except for the A/C. I have all the bolts and screws removed from inside, but I can't get it to come loose on top for some reason. Any ideas of what I may have missed? I can see that I'll have to replace most of the rafters and I'll check to see if I can afford to install a rubber roof. The aluminum on there has SO many coating on it, I don't think I would ever get it to seal. I have some pics that I'll post as soon as I can figure out how....Jerry

[Leeann]

At least you HAVE a fan clutch. Ours is solid mount....hence the replacement, quieter, blade...

We went to NJ for a boat race. Had some trouble with the fuel pump on the front tank...or a clogged filter, we're not sure which yet. Of course, it was a full tank...we could use it on the flats, but no little bumps or hills. Ended up using almost all of it, but the bf had to switch back and forth.

That was our only (knock on wood) hiccup this time. Not too bad, actually 😉

[eyeteeth]

reads like problems are abound this weekend. On the way back out to the campground the fan clutch fried. At least the fan is spinning... unfortunately... it locked full, and VERY noisy. Back to the parts store tomorrow.

[lauchlin]

Well there is only so many thing that will make it back fire on just one hole
1 check firing order
2 check cap and wires check ignition timing
3 check compression if low ad oil check again if still low look for burnt valve broken valve spring wrong push rod ..........The valve are not adjustable

[The_Boodles]

Thanks for the heads up Eric and Griff. I am going to pull the wire from the #1 and Put in place of where the #3 wire was just to see if it still does it and the guy who did the work is going to come over and pop the valve cover and take a look himself (for free lol), to see if it maybe he adjusted the push rods or something incorrectly.
The reason I think its a spring is because she ran great with no problems, then suddenly began backfiring through the carb. I was as if something just popped. The backfire is there at any rpms, and increases or decreases in intensity/frequency depending on how high or low shes revving. You could set a metronome to it lol.
It seems like it is popping directly on the combustion stroke only. Wouldn't it be more sporadic if it was a problem with the timing/carburetor?

The Boodles
RWD and LRW

[Jer_Ger]

Well, according to my Chilton's book, Dk. Green or Lt. Green goes to the voltage reg., Dk. Blu. or Red goes toDual Ballast resistor, Blk. goes to Ammeter then other side turns red thru Fusible link then to +bat. Hope this helps....Jerry

[IDidWhat]

Hello to all, and what a terrific wealth of knowledge. I bought a 1977 Dodge Brougham 10 days ago that the sellers said would be ok to take on a 1000 mile trip. It,s still sitting in their driveway although its already registered in my name. I was hoping someone would know if F1 is the Rotor or Stator on the alternator? Troubleshooting a short and the red wire on the alternator has burned thru insulation.

Is Red or Yellowish wire hooked up closest to Battery terminal stud on alternator?

Side note, the PO told me the gas tank worked but since I didn't see any indication, dropped the tank and found the float didn't float because it was full of fuel. Emptied it and soldered over the crack hopefully will know how well it holds after finding this wiring short.

Thanks for all the insight

[79powerwagon]

RWD (I kinda like that! LOL) The cam is not too much. I've used that same cam in many Mopar engines and never had any issues. Got about 100,000 miles out of the 360 in my old Power Wagon running that cam, and running that truck HARD!

You probably still have fine tuning for both the ignition and the carb (which should be done simultaneously anyway), and you should do this before you spend money on anything else mechanical.

These old-tech engines are easy to work on, but now you know why "they" have gone to computer controls and EFI! :B

P.S. still want to see new pictures!

[Jer_Ger]

Well, the acetone seemed to help OK and I have all the screws out now except for one vent that I will get tomorrow. Thanks for the help....Jerry

[Griff_in_Fairba]

Just a little bit of oil -- maybe a teaspoon. I have a oil squirt can filled with tranny fluid I use for my sharpening stones, that I use when I want to check whether low compression is due to rings or valves.

I saw a case years ago where a chunk of combustion ash got jammed in the valve seat and prevented the valve from closing completely.

Havig said that, I still think you have a crossfire problem. The fact that it's just one cylinder and the problem disappears when you remove the spak plug wire indicates that the problem. The low compression is probably a secondary problem.

[lauchlin]

The Boodles wrote:
Thanks everyone. I just checked the compression on that cylinder and it's only 80 psi. I'm going to talk to the guy who fixed it (dropped my cell out at his shop and need to get it anyway..) It must be a valve spring i think. 😛 Do you think the new cam may be too much for the old springs? (by the way, if you read this Eric, is that an OE replacement or a HP cam?) I sure don't want to change them all this fall. Or could it be install error? One guy said if the cam wasn't broken in properly I could also have a flat lobe... Oh and the new spark plug was pretty black, wasn't singed, but a decent amount of carbon, I assume from the backfiring?
Well here's to just a valve spring I guess lol, I can at least do that in a day.
Hey quick question again... Do I need to change the gasket if it is brand new when I pop the valve cover? I know to always do it when you take them off, but with it being 4 days old? Never had to do that before lol.
Well thanks again for the advice, and I'll keep you posted.

The Boodles
Red Wheel Dude and Lady Red Wheel 😉

Put some oil in the low Cylinder will tell you if its ring or valves .If compression goes up it's ring if it stays the same it's valves .......Did you look at the valve spring did it look ok also try turning the motor over with the valve cover off check the action of all the lifters and pull the coil wire off the distributor and ground it first .......

[The_Boodles]

Thanks everyone. I just checked the compression on that cylinder and it's only 80 psi. I'm going to talk to the guy who fixed it (dropped my cell out at his shop and need to get it anyway..) It must be a valve spring i think. 😛 Do you think the new cam may be too much for the old springs? (by the way, if you read this Eric, is that an OE replacement or a HP cam?) I sure don't want to change them all this fall. Or could it be install error? One guy said if the cam wasn't broken in properly I could also have a flat lobe... Oh and the new spark plug was pretty black, wasn't singed, but a decent amount of carbon, I assume from the backfiring?
Well here's to just a valve spring I guess lol, I can at least do that in a day.
Hey quick question again... Do I need to change the gasket if it is brand new when I pop the valve cover? I know to always do it when you take them off, but with it being 4 days old? Never had to do that before lol.
Well thanks again for the advice, and I'll keep you posted.

The Boodles
Red Wheel Dude and Lady Red Wheel 😉

[lauchlin]

The Boodles wrote:
Ok please help. Got the cooling system working fine now, only runs at about 175-180.
Drove it home fine, and around town a bit. On a cty road at 60 suddenly I began getting continuous backfires up through the carb. It struggles to turn over to start now, but will. I drove it at about 20 home (wasn't too far away) .At idle, slow speeds, anything it is one continuous backfire up the carb. I am about to at least try to figure out which cylinder it is... Since I just had the cam, timing, and lifters replaced, could it be a valve spring? I assume its not the plug wires since it is firing up through the carb. Also, would this be something that I should have the guy who fixed look at? Should it be on the house since it's only been less than 24 hours? Please help, my wife and I just finished cleaning and fixing some of the interior.We just wanna go 5 minutes to a local campground. 😞

The Boodles

Try retarding the timing a little sound like its to far advanced it will all so make it hard to start .........

[Jer_Ger]

Ok, the coatings are all white or close, some layers really hard, some softer, but very gummy. Maybe some are Dicor, and I put some Eterbond (sp?) on some seams. Anyway, I'll try some acetone today and see if that helps. Thanks for the advise....Jerry