370 LE start to finish.....

[bobmiller1]

Almost done with the temporary shelves for the closet, I’ll have my wood guy make the “nice” ones over the winter in addition to the TV stand, dinette, and bedroom dresser. Man, it’s never done, honestly. We’ve decided to take the 370LE back to the Tetons next summer (God willing) I have a very enjoyable time driving it. I said I would never tow the dolly again but now that I know to put 100 psi into the dolly tires instead of 35 psi I think I’ll have better luck! Regards, Bob

[CoffeeEric]

It's fun to read this blog! Getting a lot of information! Another question,
The Tag axle brakes, are they the same as the 345?
I've got a partnumber from the 345.....

P 30 Chassis. Tag Axle Electric Drum Brakes.
These are updated/upgraded auto adjusting units. Approx $60 per side from Easternmarine.com

DEXTER 12" x 2" NEV-R-ADJUST™️ Electric Brake Assy - R.H. / 7k #K23-465-00
DEXTER 12" x 2" NEV-R-ADJUST™️ Electric Brake Assy - L.H. / 7k #K23-464-00

[bobmiller1]

I did the tag brakes in my 325LE as well, I believe the tag brakes are larger in the 370LE as everything else is. I’ll check my parts book……if I remembered to write it in there. Dammmmm, I’ve done so much and have had so much apart it’s hard to remember. In any event the tag brakes work on my 370LE with an aftermarket brake controller as the original one I could not get to work. I ended up disconnecting them anyway because they would always lock up and skid no matter what setting I used. The disc brakes on the 370LE are huge so I doubt you would need the tag brakes anyway. As for the 325LE the tag brakes actually work well with the aftermarket brake controller, no skid or lock up concerns. The original brake controller that Airstream installed sucks and is unreliable, remove it and save yourself some grief. Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

I got everything buttoned up for our trip to Roger’s Rock, Lake George this weekend. The temporary closet shelves are installed as is the new wiring for the dishwasher. As it turns out the voltage is to high from the generator for the dishwasher and the voltage is to low from the inverter as well. If the 370LE had an inverter style generator it would probably work, but the Onan 6500 doesn’t have the finesse that the dishwasher requires. In any event I isolated the dishwasher electrical circuit from the rest of the 370LE’s electrical system so that the electric lock on the door stays locked when the generator starts. A simple switch inside the drinking water cabinet will allow me to turn the power on to the dishwasher while staying at campgrounds with electrical hook ups. Next weekend we will be in Crown Point, NY. on the border of Vermont, and the following weekend Cooperstown, NY. Regards, Bob

[Krg22]

Bob are u sure it's volts and not hertz I understand this is a problem sometimes with gennys.some models are ajustable

[bobmiller1]

Positive…….been there, done that.

[bobmiller1]

I’ve started to take Fridays off now when we go away for the weekend. It eliminates all the stress of rushing to get done early and get away from work on time. The boss has been a real prick for 32 years and has finally allowed me some time away to enjoy myself. We arrived at Lake George, NY yesterday at about 5:00 PM. All set up and dinner at 6. It’s a beautiful site (31) which we scoped out last year. It gave the levelers a real work out, but it’s perfectly leveled. The 370LE performed awesomely on the way up, pushed just over 13 MPG. The one shorted battery that I found was really making a difference, we had the rear furnace on all night and the battery voltage this morning is still above 12 volts, after making the first pot of coffee off the inverter. We’ll go around later and scope out some other campsites for future trips, Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

After walking the campground again……..here are some of the sites that will accommodate any Airstream. We’re going to try for site 4 next year, it’s right on the beach, no neighbors, if that’s not available, site 21, again-no neighbors, and of coarse 31, where we are now.

[bobmiller1]

[bobmiller1]

Again, Reserve America says that all the campsites are full (reserved), yet you can see from the pictures…..empty ! This has been the (norm) for us all summer…..interesting ! Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

Another great weekend, boy they sure go by fast. We tried to no avail to chase this rainbow down…..next weekend’s trip will bring us to Crown Point, on the border of New York/ Vermont. It’s a new place for both of us, so we’ll do a decent review with pictures again, Regards, Bob

[mehes]

Weekends were made for camping and Coronas. Keep up the good work scouting out the best places.

[stream3]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

The 370LE performed awesomely on the way up, pushed just over 13 MPG.

Alright, for those of us who are getting 6-8 MPG, what the heck have you done to get that kind of MPG? Those are fantasy numbers in my world. I'm running HT 502, 4L80e, Sniper FI, Banks stainless. Maybe 8 on a good day.

[bobmiller1]

Those are real numbers, it’s all about RPM’s on the highway. Both Charly (Streamquest) and I have installed highly modified E4ODE 4 speed transmissions. All of the internals are billet and the cases have been modified to accept the guts of the 4R100. A special modulated torque converter (Monster) has been added to drop the RPM another 300 when cruising. I believe your 4L80E has about the same final drive ratio in OD but I do not believe that you have a modulated torque converter. Also your 454 as I have in my 325LE does not put out the same torque as the Ford 460 which Charly and I have in our 370LE’s.

[stream3]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

Those are real numbers, it’s all about RPM’s on the highway. Both Charly (Streamquest) and I have installed highly modified E4ODE 4 speed transmissions. All of the internals are billet and the cases have been modified to accept the guts of the 4R100. A special modulated torque converter (Monster) has been added to drop the RPM another 300 when cruising. I believe your 4L80E has about the same final drive ratio in OD but I do not believe that you have a modulated torque converter. Also your 454 as I have in my 325LE does not put out the same torque as the Ford 460 which Charly and I have in our 370LE’s.

Interesting! I've got a lock up torque converter. I don't have a 454, I put in a HT 502 crate motor from Jegs a couple of years ago. It's just over 400 HP and has a ton of torque. I wish I could get your numbers!

[bobmiller1]

I missed the fact that you’re running a HT502 V8, the horsepower rating that you tell is 400. Just curious what the torque figure is…..should be with the paperwork that you got from Jegs. We all know that HP doesn’t move our Classics but torque values are more important. I’m trying to help you figure out why your gas mileage is so poor, my one guess is your fuel injection set up. The Holley Sniper throttle body design is really not the best way to go, I experimented with one years ago, could not make it run lean no matter what I did. I even installed a potentiometer into the coolant sensor circuit to try and fool the Holley computer that it was running hotter than it was. Have you hooked up a portable gas analyzer to see what your numbers are ? There are many complaints on the web regarding the performance concerns with the Sniper set-up. I would also check for vacuum leaks. I would think that properly tuned your rig should get 9-11 MPG with the 4L80E installed. What are you using for a Transmission controller, US Shift or PCS ? Are your shift points set up correctly ? Anything I can do to help let me know. Regards, Bob

[stream3]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

I missed the fact that you’re running a HT502 V8, the horsepower rating that you tell is 400. Just curious what the torque figure is…..should be with the paperwork that you got from Jegs. We all know that HP doesn’t move our Classics but torque values are more important. I’m trying to help you figure out why your gas mileage is so poor, my one guess is your fuel injection set up. The Holley Sniper throttle body design is really not the best way to go, I experimented with one years ago, could not make it run lean no matter what I did. I even installed a potentiometer into the coolant sensor circuit to try and fool the Holley computer that it was running hotter than it was. Have you hooked up a portable gas analyzer to see what your numbers are ? There are many complaints on the web regarding the performance concerns with the Sniper set-up. I would also check for vacuum leaks. I would think that properly tuned your rig should get 9-11 MPG with the 4L80E installed. What are you using for a Transmission controller, US Shift or PCS ? Are your shift points set up correctly ? Anything I can do to help let me know. Regards, Bob

Torque listed at 541 lb ft. I went with the HT specifically for the extra torque. When it's running well it's a great set-up. It never has gotten good mileage though. I'm running a B&M controller. It's going back in the shop in another week for a major going over. Got a compression problem in #7 so the head heads coming off. That started on our last long trip with a backfire and got worse. Of course it's out of warranty now! lol
Thanks, appreciate your help.

[bobmiller1]

Just curious if you pulled the valve cover off to have a look at #7. It could be a broken valve spring/rocker arm issue that you could repair without pulling the head ??? Your torque numbers are impressive. Actually right in the correct area (weight/ratio). I would lean more towards your fuel delivery system to increase your MPG. Honestly, you should be in the 9-11 MPG with what you have. Regards, Bob

[stream3]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

Just curious if you pulled the valve cover off to have a look at #7. It could be a broken valve spring/rocker arm issue that you could repair without pulling the head ??? Your torque numbers are impressive. Actually right in the correct area (weight/ratio). I would lean more towards your fuel delivery system to increase your MPG. Honestly, you should be in the 9-11 MPG with what you have. Regards, Bob

The head on the A/C compressor is blocking access to the cover so I don't have clearance to take it off and see what's going on. I don't have the experience to mess with the compressor. I'm sure as heck hoping it's a spring or rocker - that would be great. So yes, taking the head off is last resort. It has zero compression in #7.

[bobmiller1]

Hmmmm. You can squirt 3-4 pumps of oil into the spark plug hole then re-check compression. If the number goes up, the problem is downstairs. If the number stays the same (0) your problem is upstairs. Removing the AC compressor with the lines still on is not as hard as you think, about 30 minutes. That way you don’t lose any Freon. (0) compression tells me broken valve spring, (not uncommon) usually due to over speed (RPM’s) you would know when that happened. In any event, I believe you can save a lot of money doing it yourself, or with a friend. To bad you don’t live closer. Regards, Bob