Kuze

Hello all. Last spring i bought a 4dr dodge dually D350 for $1000. I have an upstart landscaping business and thought the truck would be perfect for pulling my 16' dual axle trailer with mowers or mulch, no more than 2 or 3 tons. I expected to have to work on the truck periodically because it is old and had sat for some time. The problem is that even though it runs, it barely has enough power to pull it's 6000lbs self up a hill. I have a 2000 model 3.9l Dakota that pulls my equip much easier but I'm worrying about the trans as it is starting to shift hard and is now slow to shift when cold. I really love the D350 but a 6cyl Dakota should not be able to out pull it. It has a 3 speed auto trans... i guess that's common. I have done a little work on the D350 to overcome some wiring problems that i doubt have been totally fixed. Key ignition is stuck so i removed the switch and now it hangs from the dash with a screwdriver to start it with. I paid a "shade tree mechanic" to help me find a spark and he found that my brand new coil was bad, (i hate autozone for that happens often). He ended up putting Chevy parts in it saying something about 6 volt system and Chevy is 12v..., whatever he did there did work. It has a new voltage regulator, second new coil, new distributor and new plugs and wires. But it's still so weak. I thought about converting from carb to efi but my researching makes me think that won't make a difference. I also considered a different transmission cause in no world is 3 gears enough to pull weight. I'm willing to spend some money on it but not enough to put diesel in it. Cheapest used cummins I've found is at least $3000, then i'd need trans, wiring,and fuel sys, also though I'm mechanically inclined, I'm basically totally ignorant and landscaping is NOT how to get rich. That's why to buy a cheap older truck. So the efi kits replace a lot of wiring right? If i coupled that with a better transmission would that be enough? Why would dodge put such a puny drivetrain in such a heavy truck? I'm pretty sure the Rochester qjet 4bbl carb needs to be rebuilt but that is not worth doing in my area because only performance shops offer that service and it's a similar cost to buying a new carb, which i'm dragging my feet on thinking about efi conversion. The guy that found my spark, is a Chevy fanatic when I asked him about efi conversion, he said drop a LS in it. Which is obviously not the solution. What are your thoughts about this? Any feedback is appreciated.

Iowan

You need to get to the basics, the health of the motor so compression test to start with. You don't say the motor size or rear end gears, should be on the bottom of the hood.A healthy 360 with 410 gears will more than pull the loads your talking about. Check it out and get back.

TVLynn

Yes a good tune up and a compression test would be the starting point also check the ign timing

Kuze

oh sorry, yeah it's a 360. The gears i have no idea and there are no identifying labels or markers under the hood other than jack storage.
As far as a tuneup, fresh oil and filter, new plugs and wires, new distributor rotor and cap... i don't know what else is involved.
Compression test..., is that something i can do at home or do i need a mechanic shop to do it? Like i said, I'm ignorant but ignorance is an opportunity to learn.

Kuze

Also my buddy that found my spark set the timing with a light, then test drove and advanced 2 more degrees. He said around 7 or 8°finished and that i may need to advance a little bit more which i haven't done yet cause i wanted more info and the repeated LS comment makes me distrust his biased advice.

TVLynn

360 smog motor 12 deg should work

RacerHog

I Agree...

Drag Pak

You may also wish to check the distributors advance mechanism to ensure it is not seized!

Iowan

I've had it happen in a truck, the distributor right at the back of the hoodso it tends to get wet.

Kuze

Thanks for the advice y'all. The distributor is new. I advanced it a little more and I'm estimating it at about 11. The motor seems to be running much stronger than ever. I think my biggest problem at this point is my transmission. Can anyone suggest a 5 speed transmission that would bolt right up to my motor and could handle the weight I'm pulling?

Coronet 500

If you plan on towing you must check total timing with vacuum advance disconnected and plugged. looking for 34, my smallblocks like 12 initial add 22=34.

With more than 34 you'll be knocking and hurting stuff. You may need to restrict the mechanical advance in the distributor, lots of on line material on this subject.

wimpy88

Your 360 3 spd auto should be more than adequate. Flush the transmission & replace the filter. I have an 85 D350 which typically ran @ 12000 pounds GVW.