eyeteeth
SW Michigan
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Joined: 09/26/2006
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Back to the carb questions.
Took the camper waaay north this past weekend to Mullet lake area. It ran pretty good on the way up, but on the way back, it was hot & humid, and the old girl was really fighting with me.
To try to explain, it would run fine until we had a slight incline. Then it would stumble, stall, buck, and backfire until we started coming down the other side. So, today, I'm looking up carb information.
I found a post a hundred or so pages back with links to Carter Thermo quad information, but I thought the 440 MH had 2 barrel Carters? Online, I can only find reference to 440's with 4 barrel Holley carbs.
Any suggestions or additional links would be appreciated. The majority of the conversations I find online involving the best fix for a 2 Barrel Carter carb is to replace it with something else. Weber is often mentioned, but... I can't find a reference as to "which" Weber people are using.
BTW... apart from the engine issue, everything worked fine and we had a real good time.
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Leeann
Maryland
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Joined: 08/22/2006
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My 440 has a ThermoQuad. It's pretty easy to check - pull the air cleaner. If your carb has a black phenolic (plastic) bowl, it's a TQ.
According to the MH service manual, the Carter BBD came on the 318s, the Holley 4-barrel on the 413s and the Carter TQ on the 440s.
Sounds to me like you might have been having trouble with 10% ethanol fuel and with timing.
In the spring, when we went through the highest spots on the PA turnpike (yes, Trish, they really are mountains), we had trouble with the ethanol 'enriched' fuel in the 90º heat. However, Sam had also advanced the timing further than factory spec, which also caused problems. We went up in the hills this weekend and had no trouble whatsoever with the timing set to factory spec (7.5º BTDC +/- 2.5º). It ran even better on the way home since we bought non-ethanol fuel while up there.
However, if neither ethanol nor timing are at fault, then we're talking carb adjustment. Look in your PM box....
'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo
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eyeteeth
SW Michigan
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Thanks for the PM Leeann. I could see the old engine not being too happy with the******they're watering down our fuel with in this day and age. Michigan has some REAL crappy blends. I see my mileage pickup on all my vehicles as soon as I get out of the state.
It could be a combination of the two. The ThermoQuad is a decent carb no? Wonder what a good alternative might be. If I can get the engine thing worked out, the whole family will be much happier.
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oslotaxi
Oslo.Norway
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Joined: 03/16/2008
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Edelbrock #1411 750cfm with #2696 Adapter plate works real good 
Johnny
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Leeann
Maryland
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Joined: 08/22/2006
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The ThermoQuad works just fine for us and is a more than decent carb when properly adjusted.
The bf rebuilt it (the kit is almost universal) and adjusted everything according to the instructions. Made a huge difference, too.
More info on the ThermoQuad here.
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eyeteeth
SW Michigan
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How's the mpg effected with the Edelbrock unit? Out of curiosity? If you can be smooth with your foot, and not constantly opening up all four barrels... how thirsty is it?
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oslotaxi
Oslo.Norway
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a little less than a TQ but works much better
better trottle response and better torq on lower rpm
And a he... lot easier to adjust.
Johnny
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Kendas
Tucson AZ
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Joined: 02/06/2007
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Leeann wrote:However, if neither ethanol nor timing are at fault, then we're talking carb adjustment. Look in your PM box.... One other thing to check is that all the plug wires are connected. They are a PITA to see/change... I had #3 off and didn't notice until I was fixing the hood latch last year. Saw the "silver" of the plug head where there should have only have been wire and crud. Explained the backfiring and no power on the hills on our TQ'd 440.
After I reconnected the plug wire she ran a lot better and went up hills that I had to down shift on before with no problems.
The thing was passing Arizona emissions testing two years running even on "seven".
No I didn't notice it before... Flowmaster exhaust with 3 inch pipe I could never hear the miss.
Ken
Edit: corrected "even hear the miss" to "never..."
* This post was
edited 09/05/08 12:11am by Kendas *
1978 21ft Tioga Dodge 440 Motor,
4.5kw Generac and 80 watts Solar
Misc Things I've done to my RV pictures
USAF Retired
To Err is human... To Forgive is not SAC Policy.
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Kendas
Tucson AZ
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Take a look at this link: Fixing water damage on the old Dodge
From the outside this looked like a pretty good deal... The gentleman is to be commended for his perseverance in this project. Me? I'm afraid to take the paneling off of the inside of the cabover to see what it actually looks like on mine.
Ken
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79powerwagon
S.E. Wisconsin
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Joined: 06/30/2007
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Almost every old RV has water damage of some kind. It's the nature of the poorly thought out beast. I paid less than $600.00 for mine, so I'm not too concerned about it, as long as the house doesn't fall off while driving! 
The main use for my rig is to go to Mopar events that are too far away to drive to, enjoy the event, then drive home in one day. It's my portable motel room. So, this being said, I'm not worried about long term stays or anything else, just a dry, reliable unit to spend a night in. (I have the roof fixed now, and it's drier than the Sahara in there).
Did you do well by passing on the truck? maybe...maybe not. Brakes and tires are the single most expensive wear item on these, and you can spend alot of money just on those! Would you be satisfied with your purchase? Only you can answer that.
Good luck on your search, and have fun doing it!
She ain't purdy, but at least she's slow!
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