RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Okay, I decided I didn't want to do anything I was supposed to be doing ...
The instrument voltage regulator for both the '76 & '78 Dodge B300 is CarQuest ECC 52-1402, which they call an Instrument Cluster Voltage Regulator.
Should be the same for the MB300s.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
there is a track for the slider screen. the window on the other side has a sliding screen in it. The window is vertical. on my way to check out e-bay. i'm sure I'll be looking for other parts down the road. Hope to do business with you. Thank you
If the track is there, it may be possible to make the screen ... although a bit of a PITA.
Otherwise, good luck. Sorry I could be more help.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
cool. as to the window slide for a screen, it's the long window on the passenger side of the truck. The one over the water tank. if you have one, let me know how much and we can go from there . Again, thanks for all your help!!
First, did the window originally have a screen? If so, you may be able to just replace the screen. You may have to remove the window assembly to get at the (hidden) screws holding the screen frame in place. (If you do remove the assembly, be sure to re-bed -- seal -- the assembly when you reinstall it.)
Second, does your window have raked (slanted) sides or are the sides vertical? All the spare windows I have are raked. If yours are raked, I'll need the dimensions to see if I have a match.
If yours have vertical sides, search eBay for "RV windows" ... there are new overstock windows available that are better than older replacements. Some may be an exact replacement for your window, with better insulation, glass, mechanisms, and -- sometimes -- emergency egress fittings.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Thanks for the info. I think it's a 'c' it says it had a 360, but it's been replaced with a 440. says something about a MBH-300. as you can see I don't know a lot about this stuff. it's 10,000 lbs loaded. 23ft long. 6 wheel xpoler 260. I have found a lot of info on other xplorers, but nobody seams to know about the 260. I think it's just the short brother of the 300's. what can I tell you that would say 'a' or 'c'? and again, thanks for your help.
Yes, it's a Class C.
The Dodge Class A chassis are MXXX or RMXXX. The M chassis had all drum brakkes and the RM chassis (sometimes called a R3, R4, or R5 chassis) had disc front brakes.
The original motorhomes (Travcos and their essentially-the-same predecessor) were on P300 delivery truck chassis, with slant six engines. (People had trouble believing their fancy motorhome was on the same chassis as their local dairy/laundry/bread service trucks so Dodge came up with the M300 designation ever though the M300 chassis was identical to the P300 chassis.)
The Dodge BXXX trucks were/are the vans. The Class C chassis is MB300, with the M standing for motorhome. (To the best of my knowledge, all Class C's are 1-ton MB300 chassis.) As in your case, you will sometimes find additional letters thrown in there (Mother Mopar got weird at times) but the 300 and the MB are the important parts.
Because the MB300 is a cut-away version of the B300, most of the non-coach parts are the same ... which is why I tell people to tell the counter folks to look for B300 parts.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Hi! my fuel gauge just seams to go anywhere it wants to. would that be the limiter? oh, mine is a 76 xplorer 260 I need a side window slide so I can put a screen in it. The front corners are curved. I also need a heater control panel. not sure what the last guy was doing, but it's gone. I do have a few tech sheets from the 70's if there is any thing i can help with, more than happy to see if I can find any info.
Yes, a faulty instrument regulator could cause that, especially if it's malfunctioning intermittently.
All older electric gauges, except ammeters, are essentially voltage meters. The sensors, in turn, are variable resistors, varying the voltage going to the meter based on changes in oil pressure, water temperature, or float position in the fuel tank. Faulty voltage regulators, corroded connections, longer or shorter wires, and bad grounds will all contribute to erroneous readings.
As for windows, do you have a Class C or a Class A? As long as you're not looking for a Class A driver's or passenger's window, I might be able to help you out ... I have quite a few salvaged from other motorhomes. Rectangular windows are fairly easy to find but the parallelogram (raked) windows are becoming hard to find. (I'm hanging on to the front side windows for projects in progress or on the drawing board.)
Heater control panels depend upon whether you have a Class A or Class C. (To the best of my knowledge, Xplorers were all Class A's.) If Class C, ask the parts person for the heater control for a '76 Dodge B300. (If they're clueless, I will be able to look up third party part numbers for you.)
If you have a Class A, the heater controls becomes very problematic. To the best of my knowledge, all Class A's used third party heater systems and it can be very difficult to track down who made the heater and where to get parts ... assuming they're still in business and/or anyone's even heard of them. Parts stores specializing in medium- and heavy-duty trucks may be able to help you.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Hi Griff In Fairbanks...& thanks!
The stock Fuel gauge is connected to a voltage limiter, turning 12v into 5v to make it work.
The voltage limiter is burnt out so need to bypass that.
So now how do I approach that problem with using a new aftermarket gauge Sorry, just not sure.
Interesting what your doing installing modern with old school!!
Thanks
Aftermarket gauges each have their own voltage regulator (limiter) ... wire them directly to 12v.
Or, replace the OEM instrument voltage regulator. If your parts person gives you a perplexed look, tell them to look it up for a '78 Dodge B300. If they're still hopeless, let me know and I'll look up the part number through my weblink parts finder.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Have 1978 Dodge Sportsman Otto MH. Speedo & gauges not working, damaged circuit board broken power plug pins.
Unfixable near impossible to find replacement cluster.
Wondering if anyone here has hooked up aftermarket gauges.
Concerned mainly about aftermarket temp gauge. Are all aftermarket gauges compatible with my 78 or does voltage needs need to match?
Thanks
Gary
Replace the OEM sensor with the aftermarket sensor that corresponds to the aftermarket gauge.
I'm replacing all my gauges with Autometer gauges and using the corresponding Autometer sensors. (Except the oil pressure sensor but did the research to make sure the Autometer gauge was reasonably compatible with the OEM sensor.) That's especially true for the fuel gauge as the spec's vary wildly between various OEM and aftermarket gauges.
Of course, I'm immediately voiding the Autometer warranty by cutting the guts (movement) out of the casing, making new faceplates, and mounting them inside a '69 Dodge truck cluster. (Modern gauges combined with old skool look.)
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Its inspection time for the '74 Dodge Rockwood and for the most part all went great. I had to replace a few bulbs, windshield washer pump and the emergency brake cable....there lies the problem.
My mechanic is not having any luck finding the right E-brake cable. Any suggestions. He got one from Dorman(part# C93516)and also one from Wagner(BC88831). Both are too short.
Any advice on where to find the proper cable? My Dodge is on a 1974 B300 sportsman.
Thanks for any suggestions, I can't wait to get camping!
Joe
Try CarQuest BRK 8498 (Raybestos). If that's not right, try BRK 68420, which is the one for the school bus version of the 74 B300 chassis.
BTW - your actual chassis designation is MB300 but a lot of parts databases don't list that chassis so B300 is the "best" alternative ... and hope there wasn't any differences between the two chassis for the part you're looking for.
Yours may be a split year motorhome, in which case your chassis could actually be a 73 or even a 72. Look for the chassis VIN stamped in the frame above and a little to the front of the right front wheel. (Or, left front wheel -- Mother Mopar moved it to the other side at some point in history.)
The chassis VIN may not match the title VIN as the final body manufacturer (i.e., Rockwood) assigns the title year and VIN. On split year motorhomes, the chassis year is always older than the title year. Some coach manufacturers used the chassis VIN but most assigned their own VIN. (And a few, like Explorer, used either depending on when they built the coach.)
I also checked 73 MB300 but my Weblink didn't show a e-brake cable for that year & model. That simply means they didn't enter it in the online database. I have other resources for looking up older truck parts.
Weblink did show a cable for the 73 (and earlier) B300 Maxi -- p/n PIO CA-5044 (Pioneer).
If none of this helps, let me know and I'll keep digging.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
eyeteeth - how close is it to a heat source? The coach builder may have put it in the wrong place and the extra heat might be causing them to fail prematurely.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Funny, I've spent less in repairs and upgrades than those I know with brand new RVs.
You couldn't make me buy a new one.
Agreed.
As long as the coach is solid, unless you're like me and like to completely rebuild them.
Mostly, replace a few parts, upgrade a few others, do routine maintenance, and understand them.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
First of all, welcome, Missjaymie.
Leeann - She has a catalytic heater, which is different from your forced-air heater.
I believe the heater issue has to do with the "spark" it's an old thermx catalytic heater. I've gotten it to run once, but it usually wont light, and when it does it starts with a puff of flame, that quite frankly worries me.
The difference is combustion within a sealed chamber versus combustion on the surface of a synthetic mat.
Almost all catalytic heaters start with a puff of flame -- unnerving but not really dangerous unless you try to start it with your face, hands, hair or a combustible material close to it.
Leeann's heater draws combustion air in from outside and vents the fumes outside. Yours draws its combustion air from the surface of the synthetic mat (i.e., from the inside of the vehicle) and vents the fumes off the mat's surface, to the inside of the vehicle.
Not the best option for heat but okay if you use some precautions, in addition to the precaution mentioned above.
First, you need to be sure the oxygen used for combustion is replaced. Your vehicle probably has enough air leaks but I'd leave a window slightly open, just in case.
Second, install a good battery-operated carbon monoxide detector (always a good idea) and keep the batteries fresh.
Third, if you find yourself feeling light-headed, dizzy, or unusually sleepy, get out and get some fresh air. At night, I'd leave a window close to, and higher than, the bed slightly open to be sure you get fresh air while sleeping.
Don't let this scare you -- catalytic heaters are comparatively safe, as long as you are aware and use some common sense.
As for the range, Leeann is probably right -- if there's any gas in the lines, it's probably stale or significantly diluted. In my cabin, it takes a couple of minutes for the gas to reach the range and build up sufficient volume whenever I change cylinders.
Good luck and have fun.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Yes. It pulled out very easily. Actually getting it back in is a little bit of a challenge. I've been thinking about trying to find a way to re-attach the two parts.
Probably won't hold unless you weld and grind it carefully. Welding something that small is difficult and you'll need to grind it to fit the tube.
Mini-bike and go-cart suppliers may have something that matches.
Get me pictures of the ends and measure the length. I'll check at work to see if something is available through CarQuest.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Hey Rehoppe. I wish I could send some to Colorado right now too with the way that wildland fire is moving... Right now we get rain from October through June apparently, and who knows what the weather will be like with this new tropical storm starting. Normally when that happens we get cool temps and rain. If this keeps up it is going to feel like year-round winter. I think we know where all of your rain went...
As to my gauge... okay, now I'm really confused... I managed to get the coolant temperature sensor off without pulling the alternator (still don't know how I managed that one but I did it). Got everything put back together and it looks good. Started up my rig. At first, no joy, then the needle on my Temp gauge starts to move upwards very slowly. I think to myself 'Finally!':@
Then the needle drops back down all the way to the bottom of the gauge and stops registering. Seriously!? :S
So now I'm thoroughly confused. I rechecked my wiring, I've a good ground, continuity, etc. But every time I start up my rig once it has cooled down and let it warm back up, it works for a little bit and then drops down again. I'm really lost. :h
Flush and "burp" your coolant system -- you may have an air bubble that expands when the engine gets hot, causing the sensor to lose contact with the coolant.
RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Hey Griff,
But boy oh boy is the location of the temperature sending unit eluding me. I have two service manuals, both show different locations, both are wrong. The first shows it is right next to the thermostat housing, accessed through the hood. But short of two hoses next to the radiator hose, all I'm finding there is a 3 prong vacuum source nipple temp sensor for the EGR, and it's nothing like the replacement single prong replacement I picked up at NAPA, who told me the 3 prong I located is definitely not what I'm looking for.
The second book shows inside the doghouse on the front of the intake manifold. No joy. I've followed every wire I can in both areas and I'm lost :h I know you have different models/years than I do, and sorry to ask, but do you happen to have any thoughts where it might be? I can't believe this little part is so hard to find.
On a LA small block (273/318/340/360), it should be located next to the thermostat housing in the intake manifold next to the coolant bypass hose. (The coolant bypass hose is a short 1" diameter hose running from the water pump to the intake manifold.)
Note: I said, "LA small block." It may be different on the Magnum small block.
On a B/RB big block (350/360/383/400/413/426/440), it is on the front of the water pump housing between the water pump and alternator, behind the alternator bracket.
In both cases, it is located towards the front of the engine on the passenger side. It is small and hard to see.
Here is a picture of the temp sensor on a big block:
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=12125&d=1268509342
It's possible a previous owner upgraded to one of the newer sensors, which would look different. (Unlike older versus newer oil pressure sensors, I can't think of any reason for upgrading the temp sensor, other than they couldn't find a stock sensor.)
