1978, 34', holiday rambler

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
T

troy_boy

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Posts
8
For a 78  vintage means it's more than likely a 77 chassis.  For 77 I'd prefef the Ford  cuz Chev had troubles with overheating and also head problems.   Probably the same reason.
 
It is a gas engine. Why is it so difficult to get manuals for? So if it is a ford than all running gear is ford? Than all I have to do is order a ford master cyl. and brake shoes for a 1978 ford mh?
Also, is the 3 pics I posted working? I cant get them to open....
 
Check the Vin#  for the chassis.  It's probably a 77 , but only the Ford Vin will tell youfor sure. Some parts may be from older units than that.
 
Whats interesting is the vin does not show up on the monico system! I dont get it. unless I need a different number. They said the number is not right....?
 
you have two #s  Avin# for the chassis and a another vehicle number for the coach.  2 different #s  both in some cases are call a vin #  like on cars  they are usually on the windshield dash and the door.  Coaches are usually some where near the drivers seat and also usder the hood on class A  not sure of C's
 
Not surprising that Monaco doesn't have any info on that motorhome as it was built years before MCC bought Holiday Rambler.  But for chassis information, you need to contact the chassis manufacturer with the VIN number, not the motorhome serial number.
 
I am very agrivated at this point. I think its a chrysler 440 chasis but now I cant find anything for repair manuals for motorhomes besides a typical fixer book. I tried looking at the brake system and its a little strange looking and I need a book that will tell me what im looking at. I dont understand why this is a hard book to find? Chrysler made the home, sold it, and now cant even look up how it works or even a truck chasis reference? Wierd. I mean, is it simular to a 1978 dodge 1 ton? I mean, it cant be that hard. Chrysler has no info on the vin pryor to 81. Does anyone on here have any information about the running gear for these units? I need to rebuild the brake master cylander and how do I order a kit if no one knows what it is? Man Im ready to commit hairy scary....HELP....
 
I f it's a Dodge Chassis  You'll only find info in Chilton manuals or Motor manuals.  Even factory manuals on newer units are verually worthless.  As for as appliances they are all the same, most can be found of the web are by writing the manufacturer.  It may be Dodge but once Motorhome is labeled to it  all bets are off.  In RVs many times parts are used from previous years regardless of when the chassis was built.  Just hang in there it's not that tough.
 
troy boy,
I forgot that Dodge was supplying motorhome chassis back then - yes indeed it could be a Dodge 440 engine and Dodge running gear. The VIN is issued for the chassis rather than the completed motorhome, so it will be a Dodge VIN.  Parts like a master cylinder will be Dodge parts, but may not be the same as a pick-up or van chassis from that same era.  Dodge made some medium duty trucks as well and probably had heavier grade parts for them.

There is a Dodge Chassis group within the FMCA (Family Motorcoach Assc) where you might get further help and info on Dodge parts. FMCA Dodge Chassis Chapter

The motorhome and chassis manuals will be separate and the motorhome manuals are actually a collection of individual component manuals, e.g., fridge, water heater, etc. And it is hardly surprising that  vintage manuals are difficult to find.  You may be able to find chassis info in a Chilton's manual, though.
 
RV Roamer said:
troy boy,
I forgot that Dodge was supplying motorhome chassis back then - yes indeed it could be a Dodge 440 engine and Dodge running gear. The VIN is issued for the chassis rather than the completed motorhome, so it will be a Dodge VIN.   Parts like a master cylinder will be Dodge parts, but may not be the same as a pick-up or van chassis from that same era.  Dodge made some medium duty trucks as well and probably had heavier grade parts for them.

There is a Dodge Chassis group within the FMCA (Family Motorcoach Assc) where you might get further help and info on Dodge parts. FMCA Dodge Chassis Chapter

The motorhome and chassis manuals will be separate and the motorhome manuals are actually a collection of individual component manuals, e.g., fridge, water heater, etc. And it is hardly surprising that  vintage manuals are difficult to find.  You may be able to find chassis info in a Chilton's manual, though.
Click to expand...

Shane, It is that tough when I need to drive this down a mountian dugway. The brakes are bleeding off!

Rv Roamer, thank you so much for the info. What i'm finding out so far is comparing the engine to pics, its a 440! Thats why the vin# wouldnt match the Monoco stuff! I still havent found the right number though for that but Im not concerned about the components as they all interchange one way or another.....I do have the original manuals for all the components! Wow! Its the running gear that has thrown me for a loop! i was thinking, what if the windshield cracked? I think I would croak. This MH is in excellent condition and only has 33k original miles on it. Its worth keeping.....I think. Thanks for the link Im going to check it out too........
 
All your chassis parts are Dodge, so forget Monaco when working on the chassis   you only need the dodge vin #  If the Brakes are bleeding off.  Keep bleeding them and flush out the system until it quits.  If not perhaps the Master Cylinder is bad.  All Dodge parts.
 
Shayne said:
All your chassis parts are Dodge, so forget Monaco when working on the chassis   you only need the dodge vin #  If the Brakes are bleeding off.  Keep bleeding them and flush out the system until it quits.  If not perhaps the Master Cylinder is bad.  All Dodge parts.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Im starting to get it.    ::)  I found a site called www.books4cars.com that has a parts listing for 1978 dodge motorhomes "m" series.      ???    My vin # starts with m60, dont know what that is yet, but the manual says m300-m600 series do you think its m600 and m60 is short? Anyway, I called them and the rep said this manual will work for my MH.    ;D  The only thing Im concered with there is that the parts are 77 or older and wont be covered in the 78 manual. Crazy. 64$ well spent if it works. I think its the same as the one monoco had for 130$ I'll find out if its good in a few days. For the master cylinder, I think its the seals within the unit as the fluid is bypassing the rod and bleeding back. Ive rebuilt the one on my firebird cuz it was doing the same thing, I just need the parts and a guide to get it done.
Something else I learned, The 3rd axil is not Dodge! Its Monocos deal! The plot thickens, There is a seperate brake system for it! Lovely. He told me those parts are very expensive and that I should troubleshoot the rest first, I said how if I cant get a manual? Funny.    :p

Thanks for the help you all. I'll try to find out mor as this sort of information can be helpful to others in my place....
 
Nope you're getting the idea  you should be alright now.  Any more Questions  just fire away and someone will come up with the answer.  Always remember that there are many RV Surplus and Salvage supplies listed in the Library files that you can check with.  When I lived in the Midwest  my friends and I used Colaw near Joplin, Mo  a lot and they were very helpful and know what they are talking about.    Good luck and keep at it;
 
The second "tag" axle is a separate unit with its own brakes and is normally added by the motorhome manufacturer, which was Holiday Rambler back then (long before Monaco bought them).The tag axle will have come from one of the axle/suspension manufacturers such as Dexter or Meritor, so see if you can find an identifier on it somewhere.  They are usually trouble free, though.
 
We had a 1977 motorhome on a Dodge chassis, M-600 for 15 years.  It served us well.  We had the master cylinder go bad.  Since the master cylinder was so close to the floor and in a tight spot, I let the shop do the job.  As I recall, the RV also had a hydro-boost feature instead of the automotive vacuum boost.  There may have been a slave cylinder boost setup as well, my memory is a little foggy in that area.  All of these assemblies were mounted on the outboard side of the frame rail.  I had a manual for the chassis, but found it mostly useless.  It was more of a generic shop manual, not specific enough for me.

I'm sure parts are still available, it'll just take some hunting to find them.  A good source of information would be you local truck garage.  They will know because Dodge put the same med-duty parts on other trucks they were building at the time.  The shop should be able to direct you to a location(s) to find the parts.  An internet and ebay search will also yield info and parts.  There are RV salvage yards about, but you need rebuild kits or assemblies not used parts.

With an RV of that age you should also be looking for rubber parts that need replacement.  That would include tires, belts, heater & radiator hoses, brake, vacuum, and fuel lines.  A good cooling system clean and flush maybe in order as well.

As I think harder (see smoke from the ears?), our old RV had a tire balance problem.  I took it to several different shops until the last one had the answer.  It turns out that the lug nuts did no have the usual cone shape to center the wheel on the hub.  The wheel could position itself off rotation center and cause the shake at highway speeds.  To fix the problem the shop had made special lug nuts with a cone to center the wheel on the hub.  Those nuts stayed at the shop.  After that we had no more vibrations!  Fortunately we did not have to take the wheels off except at that shop.

Enjoy!
 
Rsflight, Wow, good information there. I am more than willing to do the work on her and keep her runnin. Shes in great shape really. The brake issue you are talking about is new to me. There is a master cylinder attached to the frame, true but the slave? Not sure what this is. There is another " Master cylinder" when I open the front door. Its not air brakes is it? I will be getting with the RV shop in the next couple days to see what they know. But in Vernal, They wont be much help, but you never know.
What is the hydro boost feature? Maby that is the unit Im seeing there.
About the vibration, I noticed it a little and I will be looking into that. I thought it might have been from sitting. I'm going to be greasing the bearings and will get a good look at the lug nuts.
Thanks so much for the info.
What happened to your RV?

Oh, does anyone know how to tell if the engine is a 1-2 or3...440? I need to get tuneup parts and cant tell witch ones. this is a 440! Does 1-2 or 3 even matter? For oil filter, plugs ect.

Thanks again. Troy.
 
troy_boy said:
There is another " Master cylinder" when I open the front door.
Click to expand...
Not sure what you are referring to without further description.

Slave cylinder?  Or was it the brake booster unit?  I just don't recall.  In either case there might be a unit to the rear of the master cylinder and lower on the frame, within a foot or so.  Follow the brake lines and the power steering lines.  If they both go to this unit, it is the brake booster.  The unit used the power steering pump to create the increased brake pressure.  The function of it was to boost the brake fluid pressure to the wheels above what your foot could generate.  I also recall that the power steering fluid was special for brake boost systems.  I also recall that there was a air filter on the side of the unit that needed occasional replacement.

troy_boy said:
1-2 or3...440
Click to expand...
I think it might be a reference to the number of barrels in the carb.  There may have been a difference in the camshaft for RV applications.  For tune-up parts there was not difference.

The RVs have a problem of limited air flow around the exhaust manifolds which causes them to crack.  A solution was to put headers on in place of the cracked ones.  Ours cracked just before we traded it, so we just put new castings back on.

How many miles are there on the unit?

You can email pictures for more detailed info,  at [email protected]

Robert Flight
Rochester, NY

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 820 (members: 5, guests: 815)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,972
Posts
1,388,448
Members
137,722
Latest member
RoyL57
Back
Top Bottom