After 18 years of interesting CTD enthusiasts and transmission specialty outlets all contributing their method, or fix, to the well known TC lock unlock syndrome, I can no longer remain silent.

 

Extensive review of many posts regarding TC lock unlock, the rerouting methodes, the add on filters for APPS and last, but not least,...the "tin-foil hat" brigade. I do realize that each individual or company that contributed to the vast amount of information on the web had good intentions and I must acknowledge that some of the procedures caused me to closely examine what these people were trying to do. I believe it is well known that even a blind mouse occasionally finds a morsel of cheese.

 

Again, as it is well known @Mopar1973Man  was the only entity who positively identified the instigating source of this key issue. My entry today is not about alternators...it is about what Daimler/Chrysler did in regard to production of these Cummins powered platforms and the complete disregard of common sense Electronic Engineering.  Please note, this applies to automatic and manual transmissions as each platform is plagued in the same manor with different quirks. 

 

This Blk/Tan #8 gage wire is quite critical in the scheme of things. It is contained within a 1" plastic conduit passing along the front of the engine. It contains water temp sensor leads, air conditioning leads, alternator/PCM leads and the #6 gage alternator charge line to the PDC. This #8 gage Blk/Tan passes over the top/backend of the alternator and is "eventually" connected to the Auxiliary Battery (passenger side) negative terminal.

  

This snapshot of the Factory Service manual documents "four critical ground leads" that are "spliced" in an unconventional method.

 

This photo depicts the three #18 gage wires and the single #14 gage wire entering the shrink-tubing where the "crush-splice" occurs. This bundle exits the large plastic conduit below the VP44

 

This again is a most disturbing depiction of the Daimler/Chrysler method of splicing critical ground leads and then routing this across the top of the alternator and "eventually" bringing this to ground reference. 

 

This photo depicts where this #8 gage Blk/Tan first connects on the way to "eventual" ground...yes this is the Auxiliary Battery tray connector. Please note: it is spliced again and joins the PCM circuit board grounds...which are critical in their own nature...and "eventually" terminate at the negative post of the Auxiliary Battery's negative terminal.  

 

This photo is very interesting, it is the Factory Service manual and the assembly line documentation follows this as a road map in the matrix during production. Please NOTE the title "NAME" to each battery...I looked at this for a considerable amount of time before I realized the assembly line coordinators tried to work with the documentation from the Engineering Staff to "make it as it looks"...Could this single oversight be the reason of a four foot ten inch critical ground wire combination traveling the distance to "EVENTUALLY" terminate at ground? From a basic engineering standpoint regarding ground...you "NEVER CHOOSE THE PATH OF EVENTUAL GROUND" !!! 

 

It is to be the shortest and most concise connection in reference to ground...this is biblical in ALL ELECTRONICS...including pickup trucks.  !

 

Here is the Factory Service manual documenting the PCM circuit board reference ground starting as a pair of #14 gage wires being spliced into a #10 gage bundle and arriving at the Auxiliary Battery through another connector that joins a #8 gage wire that is "splice-joined" under plastic conduit in a Y configuration joining the rouge #8 gage "after passing over the alternator" traversing the entire engine compartment from the driver side of the vehicle. Seriously 

 

I have been drinking excessively, most recently, due to the nature of this blatant discovery.   

 

This is the hidden Y splice at the Auxiliary Battery where the "mess" EVENTUALLY terminates for ground reference.

 

This photo shows the correct "HOLE" of where to apply ground for the VP44, ECM and the PDC...note the logical location

 

It took a little research to find the size and proper thread-pitch.

 

Metric M5 with a 5/16" hex head is perfect

 

This is where you apply a fresh "quality" #6 gage ground and terminate this at the Main Battery negative post on the drivers side for absolute ground reference for the VP44 and ECM 

 

This is a very short and concise reference to ground.

 

This is the corrected procedure for a rather critical ground.

 

The two largest wires originally contained within the 1 inch conduit are no longer present and located well away from the alternator.

 

My alternator B+ "charge" line is now a #4 gage line directly connected to the Auxiliary Battery and when my new battery terminals arrive and they are secured, I'll provide photos of a completed Master Power Supply System within this engine bay. 

 

With these corrections, I would hypothesize that a poor ripple specification on a given alternator would be overcome by the immense capacitance of the parallel batteries and would become less prone to causing the dreaded TC lock/unlock for automatics and cruise-control abnormalities for the manual transmission platforms. 

 

The #8 gage Blk/Tan passing over the alternator as an "EVENTUAL" ground is gone...the PCM, ECM, VP44 and the PDC are now grounded in accordance of standard Electronic Engineering practices.

 

Respectfully

W-T  

Edited September 3, 20195 yr by IBMobile
spelling

You cut the one wire that comes from the other side for the other computer grounds that you ground to the timing gear case and get rid of that wire. Or you could just cut the Y out and solder enough wire to reach the passenger (aulilary) battery negative terminal. Right Mr @IBMobile or @W-T?

This is what I deciphered from W-T's post also.  

22 hours ago, Dodgeih said:

So... Trying to follow... Here's what i got in my head.... The alternator wire is pulled out of the loom and now connected to passenger battery. Then the ground is pulled out of the loom and the group of grounds is connected under vp with a jumper to drivers battery? Sorry lots of info that is slightly over my head so trying to follow along 

 

That's why I asked for a basic simplification of exactly what W-T actually re-wired

 

 

.

 

Edited April 10, 20186 yr by GSP7

5 hours ago, Dodgeih said:

Then do you just hook up the ground that runs back behind the air cleaner back up to the battery on the passenger side? Since that ground splits into a y

The ground wire that comes from the auxiliary battery negative post clamp and splits in a Y has a connector at the end of each 'leg of the Y'. 

 

One leg connected to the ground wire that ran by the alternator, in front of the engine and to the point where the 4 wires spliced on to it.  This wire is unplugged from the connector by the auxiliary battery, cut of at the point where the 4 smaller ground wires join it on the left side of the engine and thrown away.

 

The other wire that runs by the air cleaner is the ground for the PCM.  This wire run is 2-#14 black/yellow wires from PCM spliced to a #10 black/yellow wire to a connector.  This connector joins the other leg of the Y which is spliced to the #8 wire at the auxiliary battery negative clamp.  

It can be either left plugged into the other leg of the Y connector or you can cut out the connector and Y splice at the battery.  Now find where the 2 #14 AWG  grounds for the PCM splice into the #10 AWG and cut out the #10 wire.   You can now solder the 2 #14 grounds to a new length of #8 AWG and the other end to the #8 at the aux. battery.   

 

"A picture (or diagram) is worth a thousand words "

 

:D

 

 

.

Edited April 10, 20186 yr by GSP7

It seems to me cutting the remaing grounds to as few joints as possible would be best. At least that will be my plan of attack.

Quote

.....cutting the remaing grounds to as few joints.....

 

What does that mean?

 

 

.

 

The ground wire that runs back to the PCM goes thru a y splice then a plugin joint connector and to one more splice that is necessary. I woul go back to that splice with a new wire, no splices or joints, for a cleaner connection to the batterry.

 You would not have to do this. You can just leave the wire as is and tape the y splice after you cut the other ground, from the drivers side, loose. 

Technically the best design would of been come out of each device and ground right there next to the device. I know the VP44 has that nice threaded hole next to it that @W-T used. Now the ECM has the ground for the lift pump and fuel heater behind the starter right close to the ECM. The PCM you would have to go to the other end of the ground strap. That would cover the 3 main computers. 

Part 2 

 

I wish to apologize for my absence and attempt to clear some of the stress I may have created.

 

Members @GSP7 and @Dodgeih, my humble and sincere apologies.

 

My thanks to Nick @Me78569, @syndicateshop, @IBMobile, @RipnRam99, @dripley and @JAG1 for filling in the blanks during my absence regarding this lengthy posted subject matter. I'm nearing retirement and I'll be more expedient in the near future.

 

This thread is a focus to remedy the tragic TC Lock/UnLock syndrome and it does tie into the alternator issues bestowed to all 2nd Gen CTD owners. The Godfather @Mopar1973Manis the one who deserves the recognition in this thread.

 

The following photos should suffice in rendering clarity to the "procedures" required to accomplish the the task.

 

Please NOTE: the methods applied are Electronic Engineering standards for high-current demands with ABSOLUTE references to GROUND. The excursions are ONLY for balance (equalization)  between two storage batteries in a parallel configuration. This is DONE to allow the Battery Temperature Sensor located on the Main Battery tray (driver side) to be accurate during charge-rate intervals for both batteries. This is accutley important when higher current Alternators are placed into the system.  

 

I must emphasize the reasoning: The two batteries are physically separated in distance to accommodate the given engine bay and the Daimler/Chrysler budget to produce the CTD platform. Perfection or "the correct way of doing it" was NEVER a consideration of the manufacturer. I do not wish to continue harping on their oversites...this is what should be done in following the opening portion of this thread.

 

This photo depicts the correct 4 gage conductor directly terminated at the Auxiliary Battery positive terminal. @IBMobile has completed this step and documented his work.

 

This photo documents the "direct" ground from the PCM and fender-ground terminated at the Auxiliary Battery negative terminal. @dripley is very correct in mentioning the "least" amount of connections (splices) should be observed. @IBMobile  also accurately documents the "hidden crush-splice" in the wire loom near the PCM where this PCM ground originates. To be a purist, opening this conduit and directly replacing this ground lead with a "clean" 8 gage (or 10 gage) and bringing this directly to the negative terminal would be the best practice. 

 

This photo depicts the additional 2/0 Gage lines that "absolutely" strap both storage batteries into compliance of equalization. Again, this excursion (not originally documented in the opening thread) is done for ABSOLUTE integrity between the two storage cells. The "charge" rate from the Alternator supplying the Auxiliary Battery is absolute and mirrored at the Main Battery tray temperature sensor for accuracy. Again, this is most important for those who elected to upgrade the Alternator platform to a higher current device. I would encourage anyone applying this general modification to at least provide, one additional ground strap between the Auxiliary and Main Battery. Do not assume the two 0 gage ground leads to the engine block to provide absolute "ground reference" between the two storage batteries, even, if you remain with the "stock factory" Alternator. The direct 4 gage B+ charge line supplies the Auxiliary Battery first and is in parallel with the Main Battery...the engine block is ground however: for ABSOLUTE ground reference between the two storage cells you should strap an additional ground. The temperature sensor at the Main Battery tray relies on "equalization" between the two cells for sinusoidal charge rates.

 

This photo depicts the Main Battery lines and their perspective terminations. The only excursion here is the replacement of the Starter Motor 2/0 gage supply line. I didn't like the ugly factory line from the front mounting location. This line comes up from the back of the firewall and passes below the PDC box...it certainly cleans up the appearance and provides added accessibility below the VP44 and vacuum/power steering components. Changes like this provide additional serviceability with an artistic flare. 

 

 

This photo depicts the left front fender ground location that terminates at the Main Battery negative terminal. The ugly factory "lug" and sheet metal screw has been replaced with brass components. All connections are below the fender-lip and all paint was removed (Dremel tool grinder) to provide a corrected high-current ground point. Below this connection point are two rather large grounding posts that need attention. The large amount of grounding lines in this corner require some TLC, the method I used provides integrity for DC ground and cleans up the crude slipshod procedure. Besides...mine looks pretty. I should also mention, the brass-to-body connection is treated with conductive grease to eliminate any dissimilar "metal-to-metal" corrosion. @JAG1 has procured the best copper-conductive product available for such purposes and I've not been able to con him out of a few ounces yet. 

 

This photo depicts the elected components selected for the heavy current demands in this project. All 2/0 gage line is flexible copper Welding stock...it is very nice to work with and I purchased a modest 12 ton hydraulic "crimper" to apply all zinc-coated connectors as terminations. All shrink-tubing is 3M with internal adhesive for moisture incursion prevention. 

 

These beautiful Orion battery connectors provide a very convenient sevicability aspect. Please NOTE the Grid Connection point.

 

Removing the protective caps to expose the connector is very easy !

 

This is done with Mike @Mopar1973Man in mind to allow the Grids to be disabled for the summer time conditions where Grids are not required. A small Allen wrench is all that is required and can be performed in less than one minute.This photo depicts the graceful run of four 2/0 gage lines across the top of the radiator and artfully draping into position.This depicts a correct Parallel DC storage Battery system created with serviceability in mind.This completes the creation of a DC Power supply worthy of the Cummins platform. 

 

The new DC Power Engineering XP270 Alternator with corrected DC ground lines and complementary strapping is exemplary. The performance of a cold morning start was impressive as the Grids fired sequentially without a hint of stress. The "stiff" DC current supplied by the XP270 mimicked a full military hardened assault vehicle under load. I couldn't be more pleased 

 

The test drive under warm road conditions yesterday afternoon with particular attention to speed and road conditions showed NO TC lock/unlock syndrome...again win/win.

 

I conclude this saga in humble reverence of the Cummins Turbo Diesel Fraternity in a sharing gesture for all disciples.

 

Cheers,

W-T            

I want to know how you kept your engine bay spotless for this long!

@W-T that is the most beautiful engine bay I have ever seen!!!!!

Not sure mine wss that clean when I left the dealership with it.

 

Good to see you back.

2 hours ago, trreed said:

I want to know how you kept your engine bay spotless for this long!

Morning trreed, the front radiator/multi-cooling condensers have been shrouded with inexpensive black plastic screen since day one to prevent any insects from plugging the air flow pathways. The "breather" puke bottle was removed and I merly extended the "tube" straight down as an "old fashioned" road-draft tube that were common in 1952. I played with the length of this "tube" as it drafts to the atmosphere when the vehicle is moving forward down the road. The "ventury" effect of the minor blow-by was "tuned" to dispel the "oily fairimones" without excessive deposits accumulating under the hood. It allows for a cleaner environment...because the humor of a diesel has a tendency to vomit all over itself. By doing this, I was able to find the length to complement the dispersal of the oily-mist to a precision lower drivetrain contamination discipline. An occasional wipe down of the front Dana 60 is all that is required. As for under the hood...with the lack of oily-mist contaminating all the surfaces I'm able to wipe the surfaces in the same manner as cleaning a firearm. As for the "nooks and crannies" I use a toothbrush only slightly dampened with a drop of WD-40 to "Swiffer" away dust and excessive accumulations. My insanity is fueled by a cold beer and good music as I doodle under the hood and it certainly makes things nice if I have to remove something during a repair. I've been under the hood for hours and barley get my hands dirty.   

2 hours ago, syndicateshop said:

@W-T that is the most beautiful engine bay I have ever seen!!!!!

Thank you...it's all for the appreciation of the mechanical newaunces and it astounds the "under thirty group" when they see an "old guy" with something that doesn't make sense. I never laugh as they approach me at a fuel station after exiting their Prius...it's fun to blow them away with real American muscle.  

1 hour ago, dripley said:

Not sure mine wss that clean when I left the dealership with it.

 

Good to see you back.

dripley...Thank you...I have six weeks to go and I'm fully retired.

Edited April 21, 20186 yr by W-T
spelling

14 minutes ago, W-T said:

I have six weeks to go and I'm fully retired

Not quite there. 2 more years I hope. My finances are getting there. Just don't need a bunch of lingering crap when I do. 

Where did you get your crimper and ends at? 

1 hour ago, jeremyd72 said:

Where did you get your crimper and ends at? 

 Jeremy, this is a cheap eBay purchase for less than $65 and it comes with ten pairs of dies. You can crimp from 8 gage all the way up to 4/0 gage. It's heavy but, it does a nice symmetric crimp with very positive results.

 

As for connectors...I found my local battery retail facility to have the quality zinc coated connectors for about $2.15 a piece. The copper units are available at most hardware stores but, at nearly twice the price.

 

I measured and cut my cables with extreme precision for appearance and serviceability...I wouldn't expect a shop who prepares cable ends to be as careful as I wished...hence, I did this myself. The end result is excellent and I feel the job was well done.

 

Guys...I must shut down for the evening...I won't be back until Saturday April 28th...thank you and safe travels.

 

Cheers,

W-T

   

  

@W-T wow that's all 

W-T is the only guy I know that flosses his truck.

 

Lol, its beautiful! and very nice write up BTW.

Once again @W-T you did a fantastic write up.  I am very impressed with your attention to detail. I can only hope some of it rubs off on me. 

 

You better be careful with your great and detailed posts...we are going to expect this from now on 

 

L8tr

D

@W-T Please tell us how you keep your engine bay so clean! It’s amazing! And good work my friend!