RE: I was just wondering (Fuel Question)
My 1999 Deville Concours, Says right under the fuel gauge to use only Premium. 185,000 miles
My 82 Pace Arrow 454 4 bbl runs better on premium more pep no pinging.48,000 miles
My 1964 deville convert uses Premium/non oxygenated 71,000 miles
I run Premium every tank.
Sorry but I think it makes all the difference.:B
My 2003 325HP Northstar STS said premium fuel but I always used 87 and it ran perfectly fine for the last 60K miles.all smoke and mirrors on newer port injected computer controlled enginesBoth arguments are erroneous and have absolutely NOTHING to do with octane rating.
On contrare its all about octane. manual suggest,s(recomends) useing premium fuel(higher octane)I use regular fuel(lower octane)(cheaper to buy)+ still ran perfectly fine so I stick with it(lower octane fuel)The guys 84 454 pace arrow pinged on low octane fuel so he used premium and no pinging(higher octane fuel)
its all about Octane ratings
Now that being said none of this answers the OP question at allThe fact that your Northstar runs fine is because it has a computer - so it is an irrelevant argument. The computer will make it run fine, no matter what fuel you run, however higher octane will make more power in the Northstar Engine. Your Northstar is designed to run premium, but the computer detunes it to run on the lower octane. The DEtuning means that it has less power, so your definition of "fine" is not really an accurate method of judging octane.
There was also a listing of the mileage on each engine, as if to say the fact the engine is still working is criteria for it being OK or not. The '84 454 does not need premium if one is running per OEM conditions and tuning. If it is knocking, it is probably a result of carbon build up in the engine or someone has advanced the timing beyond the design point. While higher octane may make it run better, it is not the root cause solution.
RE: I was just wondering (Fuel Question)
My 1999 Deville Concours, Says right under the fuel gauge to use only Premium. 185,000 miles
My 82 Pace Arrow 454 4 bbl runs better on premium more pep no pinging.48,000 miles
My 1964 deville convert uses Premium/non oxygenated 71,000 miles
I run Premium every tank.
Sorry but I think it makes all the difference.:B
My 2003 325HP Northstar STS said premium fuel but I always used 87 and it ran perfectly fine for the last 60K miles.all smoke and mirrors on newer port injected computer controlled enginesBoth arguments are erroneous and have absolutely NOTHING to do with octane rating.
RE: I was just wondering (Fuel Question)
Yup, my daughter's BMW, my SILs BMW, and my BIL Mercedes all require premium gas. My other DD has a Nissan and it is recommended but not required so she uses premium every 3rd or 4th fill up to prevent knocking.OK, I have trouble understanding the effectiveness of that choice. Higher octane will only prevent knocking when that is the fuel that is in the combustion chamber. This means that you will only be having an effect, every 3rd or 4th fill up. In between fill ups will be just as prone to knock as if one ran low octane all the time. Even if you are filling up at a half tank or above, means the dilution of the octane boosters will have no real effect. Secondly, the computer will prevent knocking anytime the octane is too low. Any modern engine recognizes the knock, and detunes the engine, so it won't knock. Detuning reduces available power. So what that means is that every 3rd or 4th fill up, they have increased available power. You probably don't notice it unless you run wide open throttle, where the air pressure in the cylinder would be high enough to cause knock. Otherwise, you will never know the difference.
RE: re-caulking windows
On my first 2 RV's I did that but on my current 2003 I just scrapped away the old and resealed with new2003 and you are resealing the windows? wow.
RE: P30 Chassis
I know where you can find 10+ mpg for cheap. There is a '78 Revcon in Colorado for sale for super cheap. It needs brakes, tie rods and front suspension wear parts replaced. If driven at 55 mph, it should give a very solid 10 mpg, assuming the engine is in decent shape. Its got the Olds 403 in it, so the mileage wasn't bad with those. I have no idea the condition of the interior, but if its typical Revcon, the upholstery will be worn, but the cabinets will be like new.
RE: P30 Chassis
You might look around for a used Gear Vendor overdrive unit. It worked nicely in the P30 I had..New ones run $2700.
They bolt up to the turbo 400 trans, then all you have to do is shorten the drive shaft- about $120.
How much mileage gain did you see using that overdrive?And that is the exact question I have, based on my experience with TC slip.
RE: 1982 Pace Arrow
IF you are looking at a Pace Arrow, you need to look for delamination. While most coaches of that era may delaminate, Fleetwood had a pretty serious problem with it. Not sure when their worst problems started, but pretty much mid 80s into the early 90s, it is a very common problem. Delamination is when the side wall has soft spots that sag away from the side of the coach. This is caused by water intrusion into the wall, which rots the wood luan layer, so the glass skin is no longer attached to anything. You will often see wavy sides, or sagging sides, especially under windows and seams. Some will try to tell you that it is no big deal, but it is a huge deal. Not only does water intrusion mean mold, but it also means that the wall framing can rot/rust/corrode away. I have seen coaches where the whole wall had detached from the base of the coach. The owner had no idea the extent of the problem. If it has no delamination, then it could be from a time period before they started having problems. If it has any bubbles or soft spots, it will be the biggest curse you have ever received - unless you just strip it for appliances and parts to install in the Flxible.
RE: P30 Chassis
NO YOU CAN NOT. OK maybe you can, but there are some serious considerations, that highly limit what you can do, or what benefit you will get. I'm going to make an assumption that if you are asking this question, that you are talking about a motorhome with a TH400. If so, you have a critical problem - TC stall speed. When I first dropped the 502 in my coach, I changed the gearing, because I had gobs of low end torque. What I found was, that unless the engine was turning 2500 RPM or higher, there was enough TC slip, that it had virtually NO impact on my mileage. So cruising at 55, compared to cruising at 75 or higher resulted in the SAME mileage. It was not enough slip to heat the trans, but just enough to hurt the mileage. The only thing changing the ratio did for me was forced me to cruise at a higher speed. You can just tell, especially with an engine computer and live display what is really going on.
These vehicles are designed surprising well, in that TC slip, gear ratios, and weight are all designed to work together. If you change one thing, there is a domino effect, a whole series of other things that are no longer "in tune" with your change. The picture is bigger than just a personal preference of mileage vs drivability.
BTW: You don't just want to change your TC to a lower stall speed, because then you will never be able to get rolling with the change in gear ratio. I hate to say it, but the only viable solution is going to a 4L85E which will give the acceleration off the line, and the low engine RPM in 4th with lockup. Still not sure that a older 454 will handle it. Maybe a late version Vortec can, but probably not the original 454 from the 70s and 80s.
RE: Pace Arrow engine removal
http://s213.photobucket.com/user/Daveinet/library/Engine?sort=3&page=1
Most the engine pics are on page 2. I removed the couch and the dinette, as well on of the front seats. I laid tarps down over the carpet and laid plywood over the top of the tarps to protect the tarps. Removing that stuff was easy and made it tons easier to work around the engine. There is a video of putting the engine in toward the bottom. Getting the engine out of the coach was pretty straight forward. It just involved setting it down several times, repositioning the hoist and then lifting and rolling. Project ran around 9 grand, but that was just parts.
OK, lets ad some info: You want to have an equalizer, so you can rock the engine back and forth to get it out through the hole. http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc10/Daveinet/Engine/headsup.jpg
I know, someone suggested earlier that it looked a lot like birthing a child. It was at this point in the photo that I removed the flywheel for clearance.
Below is a photo of the modification to the engine hoist, so the legs would go up over the raised area over the engine. http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc10/Daveinet/Engine/hoist.jpg
One other important note about the engine hoist. It has an air to raise it up. That made a huge difference as I was working in a very confined space. It also allowed me to lift the engine, without being at the back of the hoist. I could move the engine around while lifting. I bought it from Pep Boys on sale for 100 bucks. Have no idea what they go for now.
RE: Has anyone glassed the front / rear end cap seams??
Tom,
I agree that is what we have been told by the RV makers, but...is it because it is easier and cheaper to do it that way?? I know there are many very good fiberglass boat hulls that take a beating in the ocean - and they are one-piece hulls, not a bunch of panels stuck together. Is there an engineer among us for some enlightenment??
The difference between a fiberglass boat and an RV is that the fiberglass on an RV is mounted to a steel or aluminum frame. The steel frame and the fiberglass panels have to work together. Lock the fiberglass in one piece and something has to give. It isn't going to be the frame.
-TomFiberglass boats have wood stringers, and sometimes a wood core. My coach has a fiberglass front cap and rear cap, riveted to aluminum frame and to aluminum side panels. Everything is sealed and solid. The riveted seams between the fiberglass and the aluminum do not give. I have yet to hear of a Revcon that has ever had a leaking seam.
I would suggest that fiberglass is plenty flexible to absorb movement from going down the road. If it was a hard 90 degree bend, then there would be a stress point, but the corners on most coaches have a radius, which dissipates the stress over a larger area.
RE: Onan Repairs
The slides are Acuride and can be purchased from most woodworking stores. Menards sells that brand, but I do not know if the ones they sell are heavy enough.
RE: Starter Capacitor - Air Conditioner
Visual sign of being bad are swollen or burst. Typically the stink pretty bad as well. If the cap is OK, have someone turn the unit on. At the point they are turning it on, give the compressor a good wack with a rubber mallet, or a 2X4. It may take off and run. Sometimes after they sit for a long time, the compressor will stick. Wacking it when it is trying to start may break it loose.
RE: Has anyone glassed the front / rear end cap seams??
Ok, to any naysayer that thinks there is too much flex, take a good look at an Ungers from the late 60s, early 70s. They were hand laid up fiberglass in on complete piece. There are no seems anywhere in the shell. They built them upside down. The only seems where the floor met the side walls up underneath the coach. The glass did hold up, as I have seen a few somewhat recently.
Now having said that, I can't figure out why you would do that to a Rexhall. The roof cap overlaps the 2 end caps and the side walls, so I can't figure out why it would ever leak anyway. Its one of the very few coaches that are built that way,
RE: Jasper engines 454
If you decide to look at the 454 GM crate, check what version block they are using, and try to get a gen VI block. Its worth extra money so if it costs extra, spend it.
On Edit, that would be 1996 and newer ie L29. It should still be a nearly bolt in deal still. I don't think they went to tall deck until after 2000. Tall deck just means a different intake manifold. '96 also means it has vortec heads, which I believe are fast burn. This also means significantly more HP as well.
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/74-Ltr-454-CID-GM-ENGINE-1996-2000-Reman-12491355-P10715C720.aspx
And then click on spec sheet.
3 years 100K mile warranty, which should be the sames as Jasper. For comparison, you want to also make sure the warranty is valid if installed in a "truck". This voids some warranties, or shortens the warranty.
I should also mention that CrateEngineDepot is where I bought my 502. They were very good to work with, as I had to change my order after I bought it. I picked it up, as they were only about 30 miles from my house.
RE: Jasper engines 454
From GM performance crate engine. www.crateenginedepot.com If you are a bit of a mechanic, you may want to opt for just the block and drop Edelbrock heads on it. The reason for this is that Edelbrock teamed up with GM to make the fast burn head. Fast burn improves efficiency, as well as allows for higher compression. Get the 502 with the HT cam (high torque) and then use the Edelbrock head.
If you have money to burn, go for the RamJet 502, which is what I wished I had done. For the money I spent on the Edelbrock MPFI, for not much more, I could have run the RamJet. Even though its a very high performance engine, the FI means that it still has gobs of torque in the low end - more than the high torque version.
RE: Jasper engines 454
Hummm, a 502 would be nice, since your already replacing the engine anyways.
NeilX2.
It is an easy swap. Everything is design to be a direct bolt in, including my old headers. The only difference I found was the bolt holes on the front of the engine were one size larger. I had to drill out some of the accessory brackets, but no big deal. The huge advantage of going with a 502 is that you get the GEN VI block, which has roller lifters, and significant changes made in the oil delivery paths. This made the engine tons more reliable. The 502 is bullet proof and is designed to scream all day long if you want to. Gobs of torque and effortless acceleration.
If you plan to keep the coach, its a no brainer. Stock 454 is not really compatible with modern oils.
RE: 76 GMC / 455 Battery
I should also suggest that you need to get on a couple of the GMC forums. While this forum is useful somethings and makes a nice community, you will not survive without being on a GMC specific forum. There are a ton of resources, solutions for obsolete parts. It doesn't make any sense to figure out stuff twice. There are design weaknesses that need to be overcome, things you need to know about before they become a problem. The GMC community is a very tight community with a ton of resources to help.
RE: 76 GMC / 455 Battery
Measure the space and just buy the biggest battery that will fit. I would consider an AGM, possibly from NAPA. That is what I put in my bike, and their prices were not too bad. AGM will not tend to discharge on its own, so when the coach sits for extended periods of time, the battery will not be as prone to going dead from sitting.
RE: I broke my Beast's butt
Try http://www.plastex.net/
Sorry I couldn't find this info earlier. Owning a motorcycle that is entirely enclosed in plastic, repairs are quite common. This seems to be the most popular stuff to use. I've seen some even mold new parts out of the stuff.
