Intermittent major loss of Engine power?

[The_Handier_Man1]

From: leighsur  (Original Message)
Sent: 12/13/2004 7:11 PM

help we are on our way to vegas and are stuck in St.Louis for the following reason
we were driving along at 55 mph everything sounded great and running fine - then all of a sudden we dropped to 30-35 mph and couldn't go any faster, then all of a sudden we would get back to 55 and it would repeat that, now we are stuck in st.louis & don' know what to do - the winny seems to run rough now and like I said it was running great. any suggestions as to what this might be? we have a 79 brave
thanks !!
Leigh



From: cooneytunes
Sent: 12/13/2004 7:36 PM

lesure.....sounds like it may be a fuel problem....Either a clogged fuel line ( plugged fuel filter)  very common problem with Older Winnebago's or fuel pump it self is gone bad, but then it wouldn't run at all.  Your not leaking fuel anywhere are You? First I'd get some universal fuel filters ( 3/8th) the kind you can see through, about 3 feet of 3/8th rubber gas line, and a few clamps, and replace the filters, and any fuel line that looks like old rubber (dry rotted and cracked..... If this seem to solve the problem, put some kind of fuel additive/cleaner in the tanks, run them out, change the filters again, and repete fuel cleaner & full tank of fuel. I've know people to do this about 3 times. If your filters still show a lot of junk in them after a 3rd time, you'll need to drop the tanks and clean them or replace them.
Hope you get it fixed.....Let us know.
Timmy



From: mightybooboo
Sent: 12/13/2004 7:48 PM

Check spark plug wires.They are in a very hostile enviornment in our Winnies and tend to pop   off,burn  at the boots,or fall into manifold and burn   up.Intermittent or no  spark then results.On your furnace,also check the coach fuse box,sometimes the little auto type fuses make a bad connection.Just shine the fuse and holder with some emory cloth,and you may need to pinch the fuse holder a little tighter when you have the fuse out,those goofy fuses can be a real headache in your electrical system on these old rigs.
BTW,looks like CWM is coming thru with fast replies to on the road emergencies yet again,gotta love this site when you need fast help or ideas.

BooBoo



From: HeavyHaulTrucker
Sent: 12/13/2004 9:01 PM

I think I will have to agree with Timmy... this sounds almost exactly like the first time my filters plugged up.  But there are a couple of other possibilities.

Pop your distributor cap and make sure that the pickup coil has not loosened up and increased or decreased the gap.

Do you have a multi meter?  If so, check the coil for proper resistance.  Place the probes on the two small nuts... you should have 1 to 2 ohms there.  Now, leave one probe on the small nut and pull the coil wire; place the other probe down into the coil tower so that it contacts the inside.  You should have 10,000 ohms or more there.  If secondary resistance is substantially less than that, you have a bad coil -- which can cause symptoms exactly like you describe.

I would almost bet on a clogged or compromised fuel line, but the above can also cause what you describe.

John



From: denison
Sent: 12/14/2004 5:34 PM

I would agree with the previous diagnoses - except I think the rubber fuel line hoses are 5/16th inch. I have found it helps with clogging fuel lines to blow air back into the tank from the fuel hose. An air chuck would be better than just puffing into it. This is because there might be a "sock" on the end of the fuel pickup tube that had gotten covered with the gummy muck from old fuel --- for which there is no known solvent.
If you are still having trouble, check that your distributors centrifugal advance is working. This allows the distributor to pivot a few degrees in the direction of rotation (counterclockwise for a 440, clockwise for the 318 or 360.) You lube it by taking the rotor off and putting a drop of oil onto the wick in the top of the distributor shaft.
If you are still having trouble after that, try to describe to the group what is happening, or not. We will be thinking about your problem.
Do you know if it is a 440 or a 360? A 440 Has the distributor at the front of the motor.



From: DaveVa78Chieftain
Sent: 12/15/2004 7:26 PM

Mine originally was going through one of the see through fuel filters about once per tank of gas.  A real pain.  I was not in a position to do the drop, clean and POR approach so .....

I went to the local farm store and bought one of those hugh gas filters assemblies (the size of and looks like a spin on oil filter) that are used with gas storage tanks on farms.  The tanks they use to refill a tractor and such.  I also bought pipe adaptors and hoses to hook it up.  Even though I also bought a replacement cartridge, the original filter has been on mine for over 6 months and I have had no reason to change it yet.   While this is not the final fix needed (POR), it has worked extremly well for me for now.   Given, how far you still have to travel, you may want to do something simular if it is a dirty gas tank problem.  Mine acted just the way you described.

Dave