DRTDEVL
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Re: Dingy towing
Matt_Colie wrote: NC4ME, This may sound counter intuitive, but if you see the heat rising and are nervous about it, downshift! OK, what is this hair brained engineer try to do to you? Get you over the hill is what. By downshifting you lower the demand for BMEP from the engine. (You make the same horsepower spinning the crankshaft faster.) This also means you will be pumping oil and charge air faster, as well as spinning the fan and the water pump faster. All of those are in your favor. Enjoy the journey. Matt There is no "charge air" in a naturally-aspirated engine. Aside from that, the advice is solid.693Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air Pump to Cat 1991 Ford 460 Question
klutchdust wrote: rjstractor wrote: If it's running good I wouldn't be too inclined to mess with it much as long as you don't have emission testing or inspections. It's pre-OBD2 so taking it to an auto parts store for a free code reading won't help. Checking the code involves some combination of jumping terminals and counting flashes- do some research on the internet on how to do this or get your hands on a repair manual. What year vehicle are we talking about and why can't a reader be plugged in. Counting flashes sounds like a old vehicle. The answer to your question is literally in the title of his post.284Views0likes0CommentsRe: Input on Selling RV
Yes, it is unique... I have only ever seen a couple of them out in the wild. Valuation will be difficult, as there aren't a lot of comps out there. They are also highly desirable, as they have a fuel-efficient 6BT Cummins ISB *and* they actually have a tow capacity, provided the trans is taken care of. Sorry I can't help on the price. If timing were different, I'd probably be interested in the unit.332Views0likes0CommentsRe: Up grading my Class C
JaxDad wrote: Vic65 wrote: Hello, I currently have a 2002 Minnie Winnie Class C 31ft with 79,000. I love this rig however its getting old. Old? My C is a 1995 with nearly 200,000 on it. The house is the weak part of these things, the chassis is a well-proven unit designed to go 500,000 miles or more. Old? My C is a 1980 with nearly 30,000 miles on it (I know, it was parked for 20 years straight). I am just about done replacing the entire interior (reupholster, new appliances, upgraded electronics, etc). The chassis is solid as can be, 42 years after manufacture.519Views0likes0CommentsRe: Be Thankful Your Ford V10 Is The 2-Valve Version
Late to the party, but I beg to differ on the 5k oil changes on the 2v 5.4. I say it depends more upon the engine hours and usage. I used to expedite freight in a 1997 E150 high top with the 5.4 2V engine. I changed the oil filter every 5k miles and the oil every 20k miles. I only used 5w30 synthetic. I retired that van when the rear axle housing got bent by hitting a monster pothole in the rain when towing a loaded trailer. It had 304,000 miles on it, the engine fired up perfectly every time, had even compression numbers across the cylinders, and there was no smoke to be found. I changed the transmission fluid and filter every 50k with Amsoil, and the rear end at the same intervals. This placed my engine oil change interval at around 300 hours. Remember how I said it depended upon your usage? 300 hours in a normally used vehicle is only about 9,500 miles. The easiest miles on an engine are highway miles, and that van pretty much lived on US90 between El Paso and Del Rio, Laredo, and the RGV, just meandering along 2-lane highways at 65-70 mph with minimal traffic. The 5k oil filter changes exchanged nearly a quart of oil for fresh synthetic, and ensured the media was always in good shape to keep the oil clean. Back then I could pick the filters up at Walmart for about $4.50 each. So yeah, take the numbers and other people's processes with a grain of salt. They may not be right for your application.3.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Leeann wrote: Small outboard kneel-down boats, one runabout at 11' and one hydro at 12'. The two boats together weigh less than 200 lbs - the two of us can pick them up. The 2 race motors together weigh about 250 lbs (no gear shift, no starter, super short midsection, no cowls). The trailer is a stripped dual-axle with surge brakes boat trailer with just a wood deck and short bunks on it. All told, it's under 2,500 lbs. See my following post... I found your issue. You did not have a 47RH, All the 1990 B-vans had an A518, also known as the 46RH. I had a Ram 1500 4x4 with a 46RE (same trans, just electronically controlled) and it overheated driving 70 mph into a headwind. I couldn't think of towing a car dolly in OD with that truck, it had to be in D. The 47RH (also known as the A618) is a much beefier transmission, having 6 pinion gears in the planetary vs 4. The torque converter difference is insane, too (23 spline vs. 35 spline). The 47RH was originally found in the 2500 and 3500 Ram trucks with the Diesel or the V10. It was never originally found behind a 360.760Views0likes0CommentsRe: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
OOF. I just looked it up. Your 1990 B250 had a 46RH, not a 47RH. I had a Ram 1500 with a 360 and a 46RE (electronic version of the same transmission), and you couldn't drive into a stiff headwind in OD without the "Trans temp" light coming on and it locking itself out into D,760Views0likes0CommentsRe: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Leeann wrote: DRTDEVL wrote: Finally, has anyone figured out how to diagnose and repair the cruise control on these? Mine has never worked since I owned it. The little vacuum diaphragm seems to hold vacuum and the supply is there. Nothing happens when I activate the cruise... no clicks, ticks, hums, or anything else mechanical, and the speed obviously falls to idle when activated going down the road. -or- would I be better off trying to retrofit aftermarket cruise control? DRTDEVL wrote: In the next year, I hope to source a built 47RH transmission with adjustable pressure and vacuum switches to automatically control OD and TCC Lock. Hopefully this will bring me up from the dismal 5.5 mpg I get towing the pictured trailer with one Harley inside at 60 and allow me to cruise at 65-70 without the engine screaming for mercy at those RPMs. I doubt you want an OD unit on one of these RVs, especially towing the trailer. The old mantra - tow in drive, keep your trans alive - is still true today. We had a 47RH in our '90 Dodge B250 with a 360, and the OD unit was a common failure point. And the failure on ours, too - my husband forgot the mantra and used the OD while towing our raceboat (open) trailer, which weighs a lot less than your enclosed trailer. If you could find a Gear Vendor overdrive unit, which bolts onto the 727, you'd be better off. They're built for heavy-duty use. Thank you for the diagram. I'll follow that and see what I come up with. As for the OD trans, I have been in talks with a company nearby who had built billet 47RH transmissions that can tow *HEAVY* in OD and stand up to the stress. Warranty will cover if the trans can't take it, too. The stock 47RH sucked, and yeah, they would burn up if towing in OD. Technological advances, however, have been able to cure most of the issues and allow these transmissions to stand up to incredible power being tossed their way from the diesel ricer crowd that likes to blow smoke and push 600+ hp and 1000+ tq through them. I'll be sticking to the stock 440-1 with roughly 300-350 hp and up to 450 tq. EDIT: I forgot to add that my trailer with a Harley inside likely weighs only 3,000 lbs, and my 20.5 RV likely only weighs 7500 lbs with the tanks full. This would be roughly the same as your B250 pulling a race boat with the stock transmission, as that boat on trailer likely weighed in around 5,000 with trailer, and the van likely weighed about 5,500 lbs. This puts the pair in the same neighborhood.760Views0likes0CommentsRe: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Griff in Fairbanks wrote: DRTDEVL wrote: I found my dash panel lights were no longer working. I rotated the knob back and forth, and the knob feels right and activates the interior light at the right spot, but nothing from the dash. Is there a common failure point I need to look at? I'm hoping rodents didn't munch on the wiring. There's light is actually two units combined into one physical unit. A variable resistor (also sometimes called a rheostat) for the dash lights and an off/off switch for the interior light. The variable resistor part could be corroded or simply Tango Uniform. Check with an ohm meter or just get a new unit. (Shouldn't be more than $20) I'm assuming the gauges in the instrument cluster work. If not, then it may be dash wires or connectors. The funny thing about that is every rheostat I have dealt with felt different after failure, as in you could feel that it was broken or corroded. This one feels smooth as it did last year (and probably as smooth as it did in 1979). I have to buy a new multimeter, as the cables on mine finally broke internally and is unreliable at best these days. Always something to do with these old units, but there's nothing better than running down the road in a 40+ year old RV, seeing a 90's model blow my doors off on the flats, only to roar past him on the next hill (since the Ford 460 and gm 454 units can't pull like the old 440 can).743Views0likes0Comments
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