Apollo78 Report post Posted August 10, 2012 Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with Apollo Motor homes and the Dodge 440 engine. It has 57K miles, starts good, runs good. I have had it for about 4 months, I know it's an oldie, but in really good condition (except for everything being loose). Every time I drive it, within about 5 minutes it starts smoking somewhere and starts coming into the cab. I thought for sure it had to be a leak of some kind.I can't find any oil or fluid leaks, but the engine appears to run super hot, but cool according to the gauges. Any Ideas? Thanks. P.S. Anybody have a Users manual for the home (not chassis)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted August 10, 2012 Apollo78, Welcome to the Forum. Less then 1,700 miles per year for 34 years, Wow. What I see is an engine that has bearly broken in. With that few of miles what you may have is carbon build up, stuck rings or maybe valve stem seals bad. Does it blow a cloud of smoke when you start the engine? If yes, you may have bad valve stem seals letting oil drip pass the seal into the cylinder and it burns up when you start the engine. When you drive normal does it smoke or does it blow smoke when you really accelerate? That is a sign of stuck rings. There is some really good stuff you can get from a Boat dealer. It is used to de-carbon 2 cycle engines but work good on 4 strokes also, Some good additives to a fresh oil change my help to. The smoke coming into the cab may be from a bad crankcase ventilation valve. Stuck rings can allow what is known a Blow By. This will cause pressure to build up in the crank case and blow smoke out the vent and you may be getting smoke from there also. The 440 was a good old work horse of an engine. Give it some tender loving care and it will serve you well. A nice long trip may loosen up the engine and stop the smoking. Good Luck, Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted August 10, 2012 Good general older engine advice from Herman. In addition to that, the thing that concerns me is that the smoke is coming into the coach. That could indicate an exhaust leak and be VERY DANGEROUS. I would find someone familiar with the old Mopar 440 and have them help you troubleshoot it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted August 10, 2012 I have worked on dozens of 440-3 back in the 70's. These engines run hot externally, giving off a lot of heat, about1250 degrees around the manifold. Make sure the exhaust system is not leaking. Exhaust manifold gaskets were subject to leakage, we had better luck with header type thick gaskets. The one modification we did to reduce doghouse temp was to install vents through the side at the rear upper rear corner of the wheel well. We used boat vents about 2 x 5 inches. It would reduce the temp dozens of degrees. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoondockSaint Report post Posted August 10, 2012 You're going to want to flush the radiator and change the thermostat, if it is running hot that is. You could have yourself an exhaust leak which is only present once the engine gets up to operating temp. You could also have an oil leak that is dripping on the exhaust. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apollo78 Report post Posted August 13, 2012 Thanks to all for taking time with my questions. The fix to my problem was a little of all your advice. The main culprit was the crankcase vent valve really gunked up and dripping onto exhaust man. Adding vents by wheel well (thanks) was a huge difference in temp. I can now troubleshoot the exhaust leak next and it should be good. Thanks everybody. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
