Mopar Guys! '76 truck w 318 & A833 manual.. TIPS?

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SumpChump

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About to look at 1976 Dodge Pickup with the 318 and 4speed A833 manual tranny. ANY tips or "look for"? I have never owned a 318 and have no idea what particular faults leaks known issues apply to that engine nor do I know about that tranny. Heck I haven't driven a manual in 10 years.

So any tips at all will help! (I am familiar of course with the standard stuff to listen for on amy old car such as rod knock etc. but no experience in relation to old Dodge trucks.
 
Replace the timing chain and gears if they are not newer already. The 318 will bend every exhaust valve when the chain jumps. Also replace the little bypass hose.

Other than that just drive it.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Replace the timing chain and gears if they are not newer already. The 318 will bend every exhaust valve when the chain jumps. Also replace the little bypass hose.

Other than that just drive it.


Oooh... throw some timing gears on there maybe just for theatric effect.
wink.gif
 
Added info: He did say that he replaced the oil sending unit. Not sure if that is a particular clue on a 318 or not. In my GM experience it doesn't mean anything grave...just a faulty sensor.
 
rust is going to be the biggest concern.
although the fiber cam sprocket is definitely a ticking bomb.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Replace the timing chain and gears if they are not newer already. The 318 will bend every exhaust valve when the chain jumps. Also replace the little bypass hose.

Other than that just drive it.


That's about it. They' re easy to work on.

Keep a spare ignition box in the glove compartment.
 
the nylon cam gear is the only weak link on the old LA 318s. They are a 140 HP hunk of cast iron. Give them 1PSI of any oil and they will run forever.


The 883 trans will run forever if you keep fluid in it. They put that box behind hot 440s. A smog 318 is no problem.

If it has an 8.25 rear just keep fluid in it and it will never die.

7.25 rear don't dump the clutch or hotrod it.

Body rot is what sent the old Ram's to the junkyard... not drivetrain issues.


Every oldschool mopar guy keeps an ECU, voltage reg, and ballest resistor in the glove box. Sooner or later each one of those things will go out.
 
Last edited:
Probably has a 9.25" rear axle. Change the fluid and forget it.

833 is very tough. This might be an 833OD, though probably not. Do NOT use synthetic oil in it! It does not play well with the synchros used in the era.

Carry a spare ballast resistor-they're about thirty bucks. If it cranks fine, fires, and stalls as soon as you release the key, it's bad.
 
I have that combo in my plow truck. When I go for first, the gear lever bangs into the dashboard. Not sure if mine was built on a monday, if something has sagged or loosened over the years, or if they didn't have the same NVH standards back then. The stick has several bends in it, presumably to fit over a middle passenger's legs. Watch for it!
laugh.gif


Also, rust consumed the cab to a point where the lower seat belt bolt is just hanging there.
 
Originally Posted By: Elevguy
318 is a non interference engine. 360 is not.


So it will not bend valves if something goes wrong as was proposed earlier?
Also, do you know about this "fiber" cam gear/plate/thing mentioned earlier?

Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Probably has a 9.25" rear axle. Change the fluid and forget it.

833 is very tough. This might be an 833OD, though probably not. Do NOT use synthetic oil in it! It does not play well with the synchros used in the era.

Carry a spare ballast resistor-they're about thirty bucks. If it cranks fine, fires, and stalls as soon as you release the key, it's bad.


It is the OD version, anything notable or is it just tough?
 
As far as I know, a 318 (or any pushrod V8) is an interference engine if it jumps time far enough.

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbt...ine-or-not.html

If it jumps when you are trying to start it, you might not bend valves and pushrods but if it is running all bets are off. Back in the early '80s a 327 Chevy and a 326 Pontiac (yes, 326) in my extended family's fleet were ruined when they jumped time while running down the the highway.

If it has a nylon (fiber) coated cam gear, the other problem is that the nylon breaks off in chunks and can get sucked up in the oil pump pickup - not good.

Andrew S.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Originally Posted By: Elevguy
318 is a non interference engine. 360 is not.


So it will not bend valves if something goes wrong as was proposed earlier?
Also, do you know about this "fiber" cam gear/plate/thing mentioned earlier?

Thanks!
my 76 ramcharger with a 318 bent all its exhaust valves when tbe plastic timing gear stripped back in 1995.
 
^^^This.

At high miles the cam gear bits do indeed clog up the oil pump screen. And despite the claims above, it is definitely an interference engine if the chain slips enough.

Tough little engine, responds very well to minor mods. Recurve the distributor first!
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Probably has a 9.25" rear axle. Change the fluid and forget it.

833 is very tough. This might be an 833OD, though probably not. Do NOT use synthetic oil in it! It does not play well with the synchros used in the era.

Carry a spare ballast resistor-they're about thirty bucks. If it cranks fine, fires, and stalls as soon as you release the key, it's bad.


It is the OD version, anything notable or is it just tough?


Linkage is a bit different-mostly, the 3-4 shift lever is flipped. (Yes: internally, overdrive is actually THIRD gear.) Bellhousings are different due to different bearing retainer (?) size. 2-3 ratio split is pretty big.
 
I have never had one person tell me of a timing chain problem.Dad was a Dodge service manager.I have heard about this with GM products. That little hose is prone to going bad(happened to me) Unless you hear something bad or the oil or Radiator are doing something bad these motors last a long time.I have heard much more bad stuff about the newer engines.
 
Agree with the timing chain issue; gears will permanently solve the problem; all the 70s 318s I've owned needed a water pump and timing chain every 70k miles.

Otherwise, regular oil changes and the 318 will run nearly forever.

The manual transmission (creeper 1st?) is a tough unit....
 
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