<<For a List of vendors who have supplied junk parts or didn't stand behind their products....see the bottom of the article.>>
pepsi71ocean here. I decided to finally write this article up after another round of people with issues with reman companies.  So a while ago back in 10/2015 I shorted out my PCM with a botched rebuild on my Alternator(I forgot to add a sealing washer!)  As a result, after replacing the defective alternator I still had no charging on the alternator. I went hunting for a re builder for my PCM. I was quoted almost $800 for a new blank from Dodge, and that didn't include programming.  A friend of mine on Facebook who runs a Diesel Rebuild shop in the Midwest forwarded me this company here.

<<List of Verified and Reliable PCM/ECM Re-builders>>
I have put the company in table format, but If you have another one you used then message me and I'll add the Info. 

1. AUTOCOMPUTER SPECIALIST: I was referred to them by my friend Stanley. In the end I believe the price for the rebuild was about $350. I called them, they emailed me the form to fill out with a brief description of the problem, then shipped my PCM to them. And when they opened it up they also sent me a photo and let me know what the issue was. Now they also gave me the list of possible wire issues, but I also knew that I was almost sure it was a botched alternator rebuild that I did on the one NAPA alternator.  Here is the photo they sent me below.  Total Turn time for me was 5 days and that included the shipping to and from their place in Florida. 

PCM Rebuil by ACS at 118,506 Miles 11/2015

ACS Repaird a TIPM for a Chrysler200 1/2019

ECM Rebuilt by ACS at 165,406 Miles 10/2021

Current odometer is 201,505 5/10/2023
 

I also sent out my ECM o be rebuilt in Ocober of 2021, wih 140,000 miles on the truck. I had an another alternator start to go south.
To date I know of 4 other Dodge Cummins trucks running rebuild PCM's Although Stanley said he has sent out a dozen PCM/ECM's to them over time for customers from his shop, and that includes some medium duty stuff.
UPDATE:

The MAP sensor is installed into the rear of the intake manifold. The MAP sensor reacts to air pressure changes in the intake manifold. It provides an input voltage to the Engine Control Module (ECM). As pressure changes, MAP sensor voltage will change. The change in MAP sensor voltage results in a different input voltage to the ECM. The ECM uses this input, along with inputs from other sensors to provide fuel timing, fuel control and engine protection. Engine protection is used to derate (drop power off) the engine if turbocharger pressure becomes to high.

Mopar's Notes: This cleaning procedure will not correct any error codes that are being produced by the MAP sensor (P0237 or P0238). If you got a fueling enhancement box of any type hooked to the MAP sensor lines it could be a internal fault of the boost fooler circuit causing the MAP sensor error code. If the truck is stock then the MAP sensor requires replacement.

This cleaning process is normally for Dodge Cummins that have exhaust brakes installed. But there has be a few reports of MAP sensors being dirty without a exhaust brake install. There is no maintenance schedule for cleaning the MAP sensor. If you do have a exhaust brake I suggest every oil change you clean the sensor. I clean mine every 6,000 miles and do a oil change at the same time.

Ok. first thing when need to know is where is the MAP sensor located at. It's on the driver side of the engine just passed the fuel filter.

Now you need the proper tool to remove it. You need a 1-1/16" deep well socket to remove the MAP sensor. Also your going to need a 3" extension. Preferably 1/2" drive.

Mopar's Notes: It could also be a 1 1/4" socket too.

Here is what the sensor looks like when its dirty. Now all you got to do is give it a few sprays of carburetor cleaner to remove the oily coating.

Now that they are cleaned. Just reverse the process to install them back in the manifold.

Heat and load is generally the cause of electrical component failure.  The heat can kill the diodes themselves and also damage the solder joints on the circuit boards.  Heat can come from high power loads on the alternator like extended use of heater grids, high wattage aftermarket inverters or accessories, and also normal use during extremely hot weather.  Load can be normal electrical loads, but load can be unintentionally increased by deteriorating grounding or poor electrical connections.  It isn’t uncommon to see cables and corrosion on our old trucks and grounding alone can cause high intermittent resistance that can burn out electronics.  

  (Note: all of my tests were done with a Fluke 115  multimeter.) 

• From Mopar Man's article, we know we should not see more than 0.1 VAC from the alternator.  
• Ideally, VAC should be as low as possible.  Some noise is impossible to eliminate, but there should not be much.
• My original alternator voltage was 1.3 VAC max at higher RPM and 0.040 VAC max at idle.  Occasionally on really hot days, the truck would really act up and I am convinced that it was higher than this, but this is the highest I registered as I didn’t have the meter on it all the time. 

Needless to say, I needed a new alternator.  I decided to give Mechman a try.  It was expensive, but I don't really have time to mess around as I am on the road and away from home for an extended period.  Mechman is known for heavy duty high output alternators commonly used in very high output car audio systems as well as marine engines.  They advertise some pretty amazing numbers on youtube, have impressive made in USA parts, hairpin stators and solid copper rectifier plates with up to 300% more heat transfer capability than stock.  Mechman advertised the unit I purchased as being the same unit they sell for Cummins Marine applications and have yet to have one unit returned for overheating.  Plus, the alternator is also supposed to be capable of putting out more power at idle than the OEM alternator at RPM.  All sounds good, right?  I also bought the zero gauge cable kit, to make certain that at least the alternator is grounded.  More on the cable kit below.

Final Results:

• Mechman Alternator was showing 0.025 VAC at idle and 0.051 VAC throughout the RPM range.  
• Time will tell if this alternator keeps up, but overall I was impresed with how it runs.  The transmission shifts far far better than it ever has, even with the VAC within limits.
• I did request a OEM sized pulle on the unt, which must have been overlooked by Mechman.  I don't doubt they would fix this, but I have decided to give the smaller pulley a try.  

The kit, as delivered...  And yes, I know the engine is a bit dirty.  New cables and a wiring clean up is in the works. 

Front of the alternator, note the smaller than factory pulley.  I am getting some squeaking on shutdown due to the pulley and will end up getting a new smaller belt soon.  I will update if I find a good solution to this.  Mechman does this to get more power at idle, and advertised more output at idle than the factory alternator at peak RPM.

Rear of the alternator.  Note the copper plate and copper output stud.  A note about the stud, it doesn't fit the cable connectors included in the cable kit I bought, but the cable kit is easily drillable to the correct diameter and I found no problem with this minor "modification" required. 

Accessories in the Alternator box, not required for this installation. 

Cable kit, cable on left, connectors on the bottom, fuse zip ties and heat shrink on the right.  

Below is the cable and fuse.  It is a simple system.  I used the zip ties to keep a little tension on the cable as I fed it into the connector.  You cut and install the connectors yourself.  It wasn't that difficult, just remember to measure twice and cut once.  I still have enough black cable to make some additoinal grounds for the truck and I only used 4 connectors.  

I ordered the 170 Amp alternator that isn't advertised on their site.  You can call Mechman and ask for special stuff, and in this case, 170A is more than I need and cost less than their 260A model.  Mechman also runs a slightly smaller pulley to get more RPM from the alternator.  I was able to run the OEM sized accessory belt on my truck after the swap.  However, I do think that I will need to find a slightly smaller sized belt eventually as the OEM sized belt squeaks a little when I kill the engine. 

I opted for Mechman's 1/0 Zero Gauge cable kit.  This kit is overkill.  I love overkill when it comes to key systems like primary electrical and fuel system.  These cables could carry a lot more power than my 170A alternator can put out.  Chances are you could make your own kit for less money from a welding supply shop or good auto parts shop.  The kit included two lengths of cable, some really great adhesive backed heat shrink, connectors, and a decent 170 A fuse.  The idea here is to eliminate the resistance between the ground, battery, and the alternator.  Resistance causes heat, and the less heat I have the better and longer this system should work.  The factory small gauge wiring is suitable for OEM loads and the battery lead (positive lead from alternator to battery) should still be enough... But the OEM ground is inadequate in my opinion even for OEM alternators. 

Here is the OEM lead to the fuse block & battery.  Puny steel connectors running from alternator field to fuse block to battery.  

Mechman leads, which bypass the fuse block with a separate fuse straight into the battery... 

When this system is ran this way, it bypasses the 140A factory fuse, below in red. I disconnected the fuse and kept the fuse just in case I need the factory wiring, which I kept zip tied out of the way.  Removing this fuse de-energized the OEM field wire.  This post also makes a nice in junction box 12V unfused battery tap that I plan on using when I clean up my wiring and replace the battery cables.  

All in all, easy install, good parts, and hopefully... Peace of mind.  If the alternator fails or I have any trouble with it I will update the article.  Sofar so good, one month in as of 1/16.  

PCM Ground Splice Repair

It's not hard and took very little time to do. 

NOTE: Do this after the other modifications have been done or you will lose the ECM, VP and grid heater grounds. 

You need:

2 10-12 gauge butt connectors 

2 1/4 heat shrink tube 2" long

Rosin core solder 

140 watt solder gun (Weller) or small butane torch

1 roll of electrical tape

Razer knife

Wire cutters

Wire striper

Remove the air cleaner housing this will open up the whole area to work in.

No need to disconnect the batteries, just unplug the gray connector at the ground wires of the right (AUX) battery. The other gray connector may have already been disconnected when the ground wires were relocated to the back of the timing cover if a W-T .

Disconnect the 3 plugs at the PCM

Cut and strip the 8 gauge wire then cut the connector off the 10 gauge wire and strip it back to fit the butt connector.

  This is the connection with the cove off.  This is splice #S109 that the grounds for the ECM, PCM, VP44, grid heater relay and data link connector.

1. Disconnect and isolate negative cables of both batteries.
2. Raise and support vehicle.
3. Pull back protective rubber boot from solenoid battery terminal far enough to access and remove nut securing battery positive cable wire harness connector eyelet to solenoid battery terminal stud (Fig. 10).
4. Remove nut securing battery positive cable wire harness solenoid connector eyelet to solenoid terminal stud.(17mm)
5. Remove battery positive cable wire harness connector eyelets from solenoid terminal studs.
6. While supporting starter motor, remove three bolts securing starter motor to flywheel housing(8 or 10mm 12 point bolts, use box wrench or suitable socket)
7. Remove starter motor from engine (certain diesel engines have an aluminum spacer mounted between the starter and the starter mounting flange.
   Note position and orientation of spacer before removal).

Now some of the basic tools you'll need.

Now you can take the nut on the other side off(15mm). then a phillips screwdriver removes the 3 cap screws.

When the cap comes off the plunger springs out. there is a little ball behind the spring(mine didn't come out, but remember it is there, don't lose it). With the plunger out of the way, you can take the out side nuts off the studs. because of the plastic guards, i could not get a good enough bite with a wrench and with a impact gun made short work.

With the nuts off, you can remove the studs the contacts are press on the studs. Swap the old contacts for the new ones.

Try to keep the contact touching the back plate while tightening the nut (they try to twist when you tighten). Take the spring off the old plunger and place on new one put the ball in if it came out.

Insert new plunger and replace cap. Connect the wire to the stud and install starter on truck!

Article Wrote By: GuessWho512
http://forum.mopar1973man.c

Description

The starter motors used for the 5.9L diesel engine and the 8.0L gasoline engine available in this model are not interchangeable with each other, or with the starter motors used for the other available engines. The starter motor for the 5.9L diesel engine is mounted with three screws to the flywheel housing on the left side of the engine. Each of these starter motors incorporates several of the same features to create a reliable, efficient, compact, lightweight and powerful unit. The electric motors of all of these starters have four brushes contacting the motor commutator, and feature four electromagnetic field coils wound around four pole shoes. The 3.9L, 5.2L, 5.9L and 8.0L gasoline engine starter motors are rated at 1.4 kilowatts (about 1.9 horsepower) output at 12 volts, while the 5.9L diesel engine starter motor is rated at 2.7 kilowatts (about 3.6 horsepower) output at 12 volts. All of these starter motors are serviced only as a unit with their starter solenoids, and cannot be repaired. If either component is faulty or damaged, the entire starter motor and starter solenoid unit must be replaced.

Operation

These starter motors are equipped with a gear reduction (intermediate transmission) system. The gear reduction system consists of a gear that is integral to the output end of the electric motor armature shaft that is in continual engagement with a larger gear that is splined to the input end of the starter pinion gear shaft. This feature makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the starter. At the same time, it allows higher armature rotational speed and delivers increased torque through the starter pinion gear to the starter ring gear. The starter motors for all engines are activated by an integral heavy duty starter solenoid switch mounted to the overrunning clutch housing. This electromechanical switch connects and disconnects the feed of battery voltage to the starter motor, also engaging and disengaging the starter pinion gear with the starter ring gear. All starter motors use an overrunning clutch and starter pinion gear unit to engage and drive a starter ring gear that is integral to the flywheel (manual transmission), torque converter or torque converter drive plate (automatic transmission) mounted on the rear crankshaft flange.

Diagnosis & Testing - Starter Motor

Correct starter motor operation can be confirmed by performing the following free running bench test. This test can only be performed with starter motor removed from vehicle. Refer to Starter Specifications for starter motor specifications.

(1) Remove starter motor from vehicle. Refer to Starter Motor Removal and Installation.
(2) Mount starter motor securely in a soft-jawed bench vise. The vise jaws should be clamped on mounting flange of starter motor. Never clamp on starter motor by field frame.
(3) Connect suitable volt-ampere tester and 12-volt battery to starter motor in series, and set ammeter to 100 ampere scale (250 ampere scale for diesel engine starters). See instructions provided by manufacturer of volt-ampere tester being used.
(4) Install jumper wire from solenoid terminal to solenoid battery terminal. The starter motor should operate. If starter motor fails to operate, replace faulty starter motor assembly.
(5) Adjust carbon pile load of tester to obtain free running test voltage. Refer to Specifications for the starter motor free running test voltage specifications.
(6) Note reading on ammeter and compare this reading to free running test maximum amperage draw. Refer to Specifications for starter motor free running test maximum amperage draw specifications.
(7) If ammeter reading exceeds maximum amperage draw specification, replace faulty starter motor assembly.

Diagnosis & Testing - Starter Motor Solenoid

This test can only be performed with starter motor removed from vehicle.
(1) Remove starter motor. Refer to Starter Motor Removal and Installation.
(2) Disconnect wire from solenoid field coil terminal.
(3) Check for continuity between solenoid terminal and solenoid field coil terminal with continuity tester (Fig. 7). There should be continuity. If OK, go to Step 4. If not OK, replace faulty starter motor assembly.
(4) Check for continuity between solenoid terminal and solenoid case (Fig. 8). There should be continuity. If not OK, replace faulty starter motor assembly.

I just had a wonderful phone conversation with Rburks this morning and his chasing his problems with his idle well he happens to mention the fact he did the APPS sensor voltage adjustment and I like "OMG not again!" There is an article on the Internet that is written up wrong and need to be corrected and/or stopped being used.

To clear this up more... (The best I can)

The fact is that the stock APPS sensor is a rheostat yes. But APPS sensor is set at a particular voltage for the electronic switches inside that reports to the ECM if it at IDLE or THROTTLING. If the APPS sensor voltage rises above the voltage listed on the tag the switch changes to THROTTLING. Then when the voltage drops BELOW the voltage on the tag then the ECM switches to IDLING. This means the APPS sensor voltage is disregarded and idling software of the ECM takes over control of the Bosch VP44 injection.

NOW... The Timbo APPS sensor... There is no set voltage tag because the switch for ON IDLE and THROTTLING is mechanical this means once the APPS sensor bellcrank gets to a particular angle THROTTLING starts regardless of voltage. So there is no voltage to adjust the APPS sensor to just a matter of taking the slack out of the APPS sensor bellcrank.

So now you know why you DON'T set the APPS sensor for EXACTLY the tag voltage because now the APPS sensor idle validation switches will constantly flip back and forth between IDLING and THROTTLING causing issues with exhaust brakes, high idle software, etc.

It's not about the voltage, it's about the fact of the APPS sensor Idle validation switch state...

Problem #1 - Voltage on label

Everyone is trying to hit APPS sensor voltage dead on what's on the tag... DON'T! This is the voltage that the APPS sensor goes from ON idle start to OFF idle state. Your voltage MUST be BELOW this number.

Like on mine, the APPS sensor voltage is .519. Don't set the voltage at this set it below this mark say .480 to .490 because as you add in voltage gain or loss during normal operation of the truck it might cross the mark and go off idle and you end up with idle set at 950 to 1000. Then find out your exhaust brake, high idle and a few other things don't work!

WARNING! STOP! Don't set the APPS sensor voltage to the voltage on the label this is WRONG!

Like the Timbo APPS sensor, you adjust to the point you cross the dead zone and back off below this point 1/2 turn. The reason why is to keep the APPS from accidentally going to OFF idle state. As long as the voltage in the APPS sensor is below this state the ON idle signal is given to the ECM and the APPS signal is basically ignored and idle programming is used.

Now if the alternator or voltage of the system changes a little bit you going to have issues of the voltage crossing back and forth over this boundary. Please set your voltage BELOW what on the tag by about 0.020 volts to ensure the voltage is low enough to put the APPS sensor in ON Idle state. If this was my truck to set I would set the voltage for .480 volts at the APPS sensor plug.

Problem #2 - Where to measure the voltage?

I do know why they started to measure the voltage at the PCM in concerns of the torque converter lockup problem, but this is wrong too. Now if you go over to my wiring diagrams here...

And now look at Page 1 and look at the PCM on the right at pin #23 you see its labeled ACC PEDAL POS. You think this is tied to the APPS sensor?! Nope... Now switch back to page 3 now at look at the ECM on the right you find the wire at pin #28 on the ECM label ACC PEDAL POS SENS... But now look at all 3 pages this Orange/Blue wire doesn't connect to the APPS sensor at all, but it does pass the information to the PCM after it passes through the ECM (if there is any processing). So now look at Pin #25 on the ECM and you'll see it has a direct connection with the APPS. So if I was going to adjust the stock APPS sensor for voltage I would measure right at the APPS sensor or at the ECM pin #25 which happen to be light blue/black wire pin #3 on the APPS.

WARNING! STOP! Don't measure the APPS sensor voltage at the PCM this is WRONG!

Measure the APPS sensor voltage at the APPS sensor like Timbo does to if you're going for better measure it at the ECM. By the time you measure the voltage at the PCM there might be a minor voltage loss so the voltage at the ECM will be high so hence most people complain about high idle and other issues!

The picture above is of Timbo's APPS sensor setup, but the wire color for a stock APPS sensor is Light Blue stripped black pin #3 of the stock APPS.

The picture below is of the logic circuit within the stock OE APPS sensor and which you setting the voltage for not the PCM or ECM. This doesn't exist in the Timbo's APPS sensor.

Problem #3 - How to adjust the APPS sensor?

There is no need to yank the APPS sensor apart and mess with the 2 Torx screw on the back you can obtain all the adjustment you want in the set screw on the bellcrank. But once again don't adjust for the voltage marked on the label... Make sure to flick the APPS sensor bellcrank to WOT and let it snap back to idle a few times and check you voltage again if the voltage is changing constantly the APPS sensor is wore out and no amount of adjusting is going to fix this problem. Replacement of the APPS sensor is required.

WARNING! STOP! Don't bother messing with the 2 Torx screw just adjust the set screw on the bellcrank.

The problem with adjusting the APPS sensor by loosen the 2 Torx screw will now mess with the high side limit so since most of the time you are adjusting higher and find that now you can't get a full span of throttle you might come up to 5% short of WOT position. But if you just use the set screw on the bellcrank you won't effect the high side limit.

Actually, once again there is no reason to adjust the APPS at the PCM... PCM has no bearing on the engine... The only thing the PCM wants to see is throttle position for an automatic transmission for shift point reasons and the PCM feed throttle information to the ECM for cruise control for later model Cummins. Still and all the ECM is more important to get the voltage value right.

Problem #4 - Beware Of Out Dated Procedures

After working with Timbo to understand and learning the differences of the Timbo APPS sensor and the OE APPS sensor. What I found out is that the voltage number on the label is the point at which the IVS (Idle validation Switches) toggle their position with reference to sensor ground. This why I'm warning about outdated procedures like the one over at CF.com .  Being that this article is highly used and wrong, it will produce a very poor adjustment of the APPS sensor. Why? Well, the procedure requires measuring the voltage all the way at the PCM. By the time the voltage is passed to the ECM and then back out to the PCM it's lower than APPS original signal which is typical so by the time you compensate for it now the voltage is too high for the APPS sensor and its stuck in throttling mode.

Please don't use this proceed linked above it will cause problems for the APPS sensor!

First thing disconnect your batteries. I unhooked the two negative leads. 

You need to gain access to the loom going across the front of the engine. So you'll need to remove the upper alternator bracket and the the two loom holders on the front of the block. I did this during my coolant flush project so my upper hose and thermostat are removed. If you have my crankcase vent that will need to be removed as well.

Now I started at the battery and the alternator and started unhooking the wiring from these devices bring it forward.

Now you start working on getting the split loom off the wiring. Start at the tape with a small exacto knife or razor blade and carefully split the tape to release the plastic split loom cover. Carefully remove it. I found out mine was brittle after all the years of engine heat. Once you remove all that slpit loom you can again split the spiral tape holding the loom together.

Now you show be able to have both the ground lead and the alternator charge lead loose now. I will admit the alternator lead took a bit of work to release at the knot of tape on mine where it breaks out of the loom heading for the PDC. Just take your time with your razor blade and your get it released. You can clearly see the splice of the ground just like @W-T mentions in his article. 

Once you get the alternator lead out in one piece. Then the ground lead I used a pair of wire dikes and cut the ground right at the end of the splice. Now the alternator lead I reused the wire since it was in excellent condition. I mocked up the alternator lead by hooking it back up to the alternator like it should be and gave it a nice loop of slack then cut it to meet the positive battery terminal. 

On my terminal lugs, I took a hacksaw and scored the plastic collars and peeled them off for soldering. Then slipped the lug on and used a propane torch with the low flame and soldered the lugs right on to the wire. Good sold weld and this will seal the wire from future rot from battery acid and vapors.

This is the completed alternator connection now. All I did was grab an old nut and stacked on the battery terminal.

Now we are going to do the ground side. Now trim back the old splice and free the ends of the wires. Now strip back the wire so you can fit the wires into a lug. Again I did the same thing I took the hacksaw scored the plastic collar and peeled it off the lug and then slipped it on the wires and prepped it for soldering.  

Again just slipped the lug on the wires and low flame with a propane torch I soldered the lug to the wires. 

Now I cut the old plug off the splice on the passenger side ground and then trimmed the length of the wire with the plug so it would reach between the driver side battery and the gear case. Same again I peeled the plastic collar and slipped the lugs on and soldered with low flame propane torch.

This gives you an idea where the wires go. Take your metric bolt and attach the ground wires to the case. Then the ground cable to the negative battery terminal on the driver side. 

Beyond this is just clean up. Now you need to tape up your loom again. I'm going to replace my split loom with a smaller size being the old loom was brittle and was breaking during removal. The only thing that should run across the front of the engine now should be the ECT sensor which is a twisted pair. The A/C compressor, A/C high-pressure switch, and the alternator field lead.

Before AC noise level was 0.038 AC volts now after the mod its dropped to 0.015 AC volts (or 15mV AC).

About the parallel cables...

There is lot of folks being told they NEED the parallel the positive and negative cables. To test if you need that or not. Take a good quality DVM meter capable of DC mV scale. Now place a Black probe on the battery terminal and the red probe on the block (clean metal). Typically I see 3mV (0.003 volts) after doing the other part of the ground wire mod. Now take a set of jumper cables and go from the negative post to negative post. Also check the AC noise voltage with the jumper cable hooked up if there is no real change then you do not require the parallel cables. If the voltage drop is the same with the jump cables then you do not require the parallel cables because there are ZERO improvements. You can do this on the positive side as well. If there is a voltage change my first thought is to replace the BAD cables first before paralleling on a bad cable. All you do is covering up a bad connection. Adding the extra cables will not improve anything if it's not changing the voltage drop from point to point. 

Addon: Protection fuse or fusible link

Some members are suggesting to install a fusible link or fuse of the same size at 140 Amps on the charge lead as a protection method. Just in case for some reason the diode bridge happens to short the positive side to the ground and doesn't start an engine fire.  As for the size of the fusible link is still unknown as of yet. The factory is 140 amp fuse. The fusible link would be better suited than a fuse. 

I've found a few trucks that is incapable of doing a circuit breaker because of mystery loads and causing the breaker to trip prematurely. Fuse will solve this problem but make sure to carry an extra fuse. 

Addon: Resettable Circuit Breaker

I picked up an inexpensive 150A circuit breaker from Amazon. The breaker does the job but over time the breaker will get weak and trip prematurely. I still favor the circuit breaker over a fuse for the alternator protection. Fuses you might go through several and be left high and dry without a spare and unable to drive home. Make sure you buy plenty of spare fuses if you go that route. Even with my backcountry travels I still trust the circuit breaker better.