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I love/hate my 1973 Dodge RV


Libby

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So I bought this 1973 Dodge RV, and I'm currently living in it on the road...It's called an "AladdinDelRay", though I haven't been able to find anything about it in person or on the web...It's a 22 foot long (I think class C? it has the bed over the driver cab), small dinette/turns into a bed, bathroom in the back, etc deal....

I am definately not mechanically inclined, but I have broken down enough to know the following:

1973 Dodge

(has the van front)

double tires in back

Lettered "AladdinDelRay" on the RV body

360 engine

When I get parts from the auto part store they look it up as "B300" van

Has a 727 transmission, the 'short shaft'

I know this about the tranny because it started slipping, so I had a friend replace it with a transmission from the junkyard...that worked for about 40 miles and then went out. Had same friend put in a different junkyard tranny...this one seemed to work for the first 20 miles and then went out. next junkyard transmisson is in there now, and it did well for the first 150 miles, now all of a sudden I can't get over 35 mph uphill, though the tranny doesn't feel like it's slipping.


I know this is a long boring story but I really need help on this RV...I'm living in it on the road and having tons of trouble...

anybody know:

why I can't go uphill at more than 35 mph?

what can I do to go more than 35 mph uphill?

why do my transmissions keep going bad?

thanks so much, any help would be greatly appreciated!

:icon_confused:
 


Rico

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I'm too sure with out doing a lot of research.
I think what may help you in the transmission department is a auto shift kit for your transmission. They sell those at practically any parts store. Tell your friend to put one of those on. He should be able to that if he can install those transmissions of yours. The other thing may be the torque converter is just not heavy-duty enough, but that's a little more money though and just a guess.:dunno:
 

baddis

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has the fuel filter been changed or has the fuel pump been checked? if it feels like the tranny is not slipping i would think of a fuel issue next
 

Will

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I want to move to Slab City in my Skoolie.

Where are you?

You don't need a shift kit. You need one good tranny. I'm suprised your friend could find that many small-block 727s so quickly. You don't get rid of the core on a 35-yo truck. You fix it or have it fixed.
 

rusty ol ranger

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Usually the torqueflite 727 is a good trans.

Id take yours in and have it rebuilt, reason being....that way you KNOW its good.

later,
Dustin
 

Libby

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alright, so the newest update is -

fuel filters are great, changed recently and still clear

fuel pump is barely a month old, hope it's not that. heard about a test that checks pressure in the fuel lines? is it worth paying a shop to do that test?

as far as the tranny goes, I just don't want to believe it could be another bad transmission. don't have the money to have it rebuilt. anything else fun to try? had somebody say laquer thinner would help swell the bands inside, but I don't know how safe that sounds..

thanks again

oh yeah, and I absolutely did use up all the junkyard 727's in central tennessee, so don't try looking for one there, thats for damn sure. now I'm in illinois and don't have a cheap mechanic here, so anything else I can try on my own?
 

Will

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I'm willing to talk about this but we need details. You said in the past it was slipping, but what were the actual symptoms? Lots of pedal and no forward motion? Now, you say it won't go over 35, but is the engine revving or what exactly do you perceive is going on? Is it hunkin and chunkin? Or is it smooth but powerless? Will it rev freely in neutral? Can you floor it from a stop without killing it or having it backfire? Details, man, details.
 

Libby

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the first transmission felt like it skipped second gear. from a dead stop I could start out slow, but when it should have switched to 2nd it would make a whirring noise and not accerlate any more. I was still trying to baby it and work through slow at that point, but after a couple times I found I could just romp on the gas from a dead stop, get through the whirring noise into drive, and go go forward. It went on like this for about a week, and then nothing, no forward pull at all.

put in another trans, no good

again, no good - different this time though, wouldn't go in reverse, shifted hard and loud

changed it again, and this one seemed to be doing fine. it doesn't have any of the symptoms the others had. I can start out from a dead stop just fine, whether I do it slow and nice or romp the hell out of it, it'll go. no problem. no whirring noise, shifts nice and easy and quiet. and as long as the road is flat, I can get it as fast as I want. it'll get up to 85 mph and cruise, as long as it's flat. no noises, no puttering, just great.

then if there is any sort of incline....even a really small slope, I'll drop from 65 to 35 in less than 5 seconds. at this point there is a slight sputtering noise...putt-putting up the hill. sometimes it sounds like it might cut out, but it never does. at this point the pedal will be to the floor and it just doesn't have any power left.

one weird thing is that if I start up a hill from a dead stop, like a redlight before a hill, I can climb it fine, even accerlate (say from 0 to 30) and it feels like it has plenty of power. no sputtering, nice and easy, climbing steady.

(sorry I know this is long but I'm trying to cover everything..)

As for your questions,

as long as it's warmed up, I can romp it and it won't stall. if it's still cold, it will definately stall.

never backfires

going up hills doesn't really rev the engine, I mean, you can hear it working hard but not revving crazily.

it feels nothing like the other transmission problems I've had in the past, thats why I want to think it's not the tranny..

I do apprecaite your brain power on this, thanks again
 

legacyABQ

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kickdown rod

If I were you I would take a close look at your kickdown rod. It goes from your carb to the transmission and on these trannys it is very important that it existsw, and is properly adjusted..

Spend the 12 dollars to buy a chilton or haynes book for this year vehicle, and read up on how to check it..

Improper or non-existent rods will RUIN your transmission and make it not shift right at all..

Get back to me on this..

legacynettech at yahoo dot comm
 

legacyABQ

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also check

also check your distributor, making sure your vacuum advance is hooked up and hose isnt leaking.
 

Ozwynn

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yup, what they said. check the kick down rod and check the dizzy.


have you tried manually shifting it on the hill when it loses power?
 

rusty ol ranger

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...and its going to stall when you floor it while cold. Its carburated.
 

LEVE

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You should be able to pick up a Manual and a rebuild kit for the TF727 for < $100. I've got it's little brother in my CJ7. You can pull it, clean it, and rebuild it over a week-end in your driveway with common hand tools. It is one of the easiest, and most dependable transmissions ever made. I strongly suggest you take one of the cores and rebuild it.

Make sure you replace the torque converter with a new one, or have the old one rebuilt. The price is about the same.

Also, install a good AFT cooler. It will save the transmission.
 

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