HI this is my first rv, i would like your opinion's, it has a 440 engine and 727 loadflite trans and has a onan gen. i bought it for 3800.00 and it has 75,000 miles, it seems to run great, except for the dash airconditioning is missing the belt and the blower fan screeches loud....
77 dodge monaco class c
- Thread starter ash
- Start date
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Karl
Moderator Emeritus
Hi Ash,
You didn't say what year the mh is, but the A-727 Loadflite/Torqueflite tranny is a good one. The 440 is basically good also, but back in the middle to late 70's they put a lot of anti-pollution on it and took away quite a bit of h.p. If that's your case, the Carter AFB carb that came on them can be re-jetted and the timing advanced quite a bit for better performance and mileage. The a/c belt was probably removed because the compressor clutch was making lots of squealing noises - not uncommon and not hard to fix if you have the proper puller. The blower motor, however, may be another story. I'm sure there is a special place in Hell just for engineers who design them to be one of the nastiest things to replace. There's sure to be at least one bolt that's almost totally inaccessable. Before you tackle that job, I suggest you hit each of your fingers with a hammer - that's so the swear words will come tripping lightly to your tongue when really needed ;D ;D
You didn't say what year the mh is, but the A-727 Loadflite/Torqueflite tranny is a good one. The 440 is basically good also, but back in the middle to late 70's they put a lot of anti-pollution on it and took away quite a bit of h.p. If that's your case, the Carter AFB carb that came on them can be re-jetted and the timing advanced quite a bit for better performance and mileage. The a/c belt was probably removed because the compressor clutch was making lots of squealing noises - not uncommon and not hard to fix if you have the proper puller. The blower motor, however, may be another story. I'm sure there is a special place in Hell just for engineers who design them to be one of the nastiest things to replace. There's sure to be at least one bolt that's almost totally inaccessable. Before you tackle that job, I suggest you hit each of your fingers with a hammer - that's so the swear words will come tripping lightly to your tongue when really needed ;D ;D
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
It's not so much a science as an art, or more simply, try and see what works. Most auto performance shops will have a variety of stepped metering rods (or an get them), and can suggest two or three to try based on your driving needs and fuel octane rating. Replacing them is a very simple matter of removing one screw on the metering rod cover plate on each side of the carb, removing the rod, and replacing it with the new one. New rod springs may also be suggested to allow the rods to go to the next power 'step' earlier or later. For the timing, you want to replace the springs on the centrifugal weights inside the distributer with ones that will bring in full advance at about 2200-2500 rpm. You need to remove the distributer cap, rotor, and timing transducer plate to get at them. It's not necessary to remove the distributer from the engine. Once that's done, you merely loosen the distributer clamp (a special, inexpensive wrench is required), bring the engine up to 3000 rpm, and turn the distributer in the advance direction until you notice a slight miss; then back off a just a few degrees. A timing light will be helpful. Retighten the clamp and drive the vehicle at full throttle up to about 3500 rpm in an intermediate gear, not low, preferably up a slight hill. If, under full load you experience a miss or knock, it will be necessary to back off the timing an additional degree or two. Don't forget this step as detonation (knock) can, over time, cause damage to the pistons. Alternately, you can go to a higher octane fuel to eliminate the knock, but it will cost more to run over the long term and, if you're not planning to do a lot of mountain driving, it may be better to just accept a little less power by backing off the timing. You must decide which is better for you.
I used the term "rejetting" as a generic term when, in actuality, the Carter AFB uses metering rods, not jets, for the power curve of the engine. It does use jets to set the idle, but these are not important for performance tuning, just for starting and idling. Hope I didn't confuse you.
I used the term "rejetting" as a generic term when, in actuality, the Carter AFB uses metering rods, not jets, for the power curve of the engine. It does use jets to set the idle, but these are not important for performance tuning, just for starting and idling. Hope I didn't confuse you.
dear golftrip my advice to you, the carb on my 440 is a carter thermoquad not a carter afb. I have owened several powerwagons in the past ,with this carb,If this is same as yours, you can tell it has plastic body. if its running good and not leaking PLEASE DONT MESS WITH IT..... you'll be sorry!!!!!!!!
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
Ash,
O.k., so the Thermoquad doesn't have secondary metering rods (only primaries) and there's an adjustment screw. If you take your time and don't bend the rods, the job is pretty easy. Rebuilds can be tricky, but we're not pulling anything apart here.
O.k., so the Thermoquad doesn't have secondary metering rods (only primaries) and there's an adjustment screw. If you take your time and don't bend the rods, the job is pretty easy. Rebuilds can be tricky, but we're not pulling anything apart here.
fredethomas
Moderator Emeritus
I had a coach with a Dodge 440. Make sure you know where the ignition ceramic resistor block is. During the start cycle one resistor is in series with the spark plugs and when running another is connected. The block cracks from the heat and causes a "non-start" or a "non-run" situation. I was caught in Northern Maine for days while a service center tried to find the problem. Also - make sure the sparkplug wires are run in a place well away from the heat. I burned several off in the short time we owned the rig. It is a good idea to have several fuel pumps in hand. They fail often because the diaphragms age and crack. They are getting hard to find. Make sure the starter solenoid is shielded from the heat of the muffler. The heat causes a binding and will not allow a restart while hot.
This was all on a class A where heat is a large factor.
I should take a 40 year mortgage and get something that has parts that are easier to find.
This was all on a class A where heat is a large factor.
I should take a 40 year mortgage and get something that has parts that are easier to find.
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
Fred,
Absolutely right about the resistor blocks! They're about 3" long, 1/2 = 3/4" wide, generally white in color, 2 or 3 spade lug connectors, and are usually mounted on the firewall, but could be almost anywhere. You can bypass it in an emergency with a jumper wire, but don't want to run like that very long as it will cause overheating of the ignition coil. I also burned ignition wires; always the hardest ones to reach - #7 and #3
Absolutely right about the resistor blocks! They're about 3" long, 1/2 = 3/4" wide, generally white in color, 2 or 3 spade lug connectors, and are usually mounted on the firewall, but could be almost anywhere. You can bypass it in an emergency with a jumper wire, but don't want to run like that very long as it will cause overheating of the ignition coil. I also burned ignition wires; always the hardest ones to reach - #7 and #3
