Hi, My name is Native. I recently acquired a 1999 Dodge Ram 3500 and I know nothing about Diesel engines. I have a strong automotive back ground and have worked in the power industry for over 20 years so taking on new equipment is nothing new to me. I find I am liking this truck more and more every day I drive it though and I want to take care of it so here I am. Looking forward to soaking up as much knowledge as I can.

Welcome to the forum Native! Ask away, anything and everything! If you could fill out what you know about the truck in your signature it will help with evaluation and answers from others. First, congrats on the new to you cummins! You will love it and if you take care of it, it will take care of you. You should check for and immediately upgrade if needed the following: lift pump (if factory replace it with aftermarket) GET GAUGES!!! EGT/BOOST/FUEL PRESSURE minimum The vp44 requires good fuel pressure to stay alive. Without this it will die sooner than later. and this will cost upwards of ~$1200 or more. you should also start on a fuel additive for lubrication of the vp44. I personally use super-tech tc-w3 outboard 2 stroke oil (ashless). 1 gallon will treat about 4 tank full's and is about $12. this also will keep the vp alive seeing the new ULSD basically has no lube anymore. there are many others that people use but this is an example. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-TC-W3-Outboard-2-Cycle-Oil-1-Gallon/16795065 Here you will not get flamed for asking anything noobish or not, this is family and i hope you enjoy your stay!

Hey Randy, I find myself keeping several tabs open, highlighting words and phrases I don't know and reading the articles I find. Thank you for pointing me in the mod direction, it would never have occurred to me at this point to start looking into it. I have read a few things about clean fuel and quality parts but hadn't seen anything yet on adding the 2cycle to the fuel for my fuel pump. Making that a priority first thing this morning. This truck had one owner prior to me and I will have to crawl around it and see what he did though mostly it looks like wiring for his speakers and CB. I haven't been this excited about a new project in a long time and I am looking forward to spending some time getting this truck tip top.Thanks again,Native

hey native, the mixture is 128:1 so for every gallon its one fluid oz or a quart per tank. http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/5078-2-cycle-oil?highlight=2+stroke is your truck an auto?

auto trans? yes. At the moment I have been awake for about 20 or more hours, first night shift this week and I had to be awake early to help out a friends son before work. I will figure out how to update my stats/sig after I have had some sleep. Been having to much fun reading. I'm amazed at how much time people here put into their answers with links and clear explanations. Gonna love hanging out here and hopefully being able to be as helpful some day to. I could teach you how to rebuild a jet engine but I have never had much time to be around diesels. I'm thinking this in going to be a blast

Welcome to the family Native... CumminsDieselPwr is right we typically deal with the weak points of the truck first thing before anything else can go wrong. Being that fuel pressure gauge and a good quality lift pump usually keeps injection pump failures at bay.But enjoy the reading and ask plenty of questions...

To tired at the moment to find a better place for this Thank you but WOW....just WOW. Filled up on the way home from work did like you said with the 2cycle and just that little bit of change had the engine sounding so much smoother(40min drive home). Have to get some rest before my next shift but definitely hooked on this site. Thanks again!!Native

Welcome! Nice to have another Rhode Islander find their way here. This is a good group, always willing to give good advise.Russ

Welcome, always good to add another to the family!-Jordan-

Welcome to you Native. You have found a great place to Keep loving that truck. Ask all you want.

Welcome. There is a wealth of knowledge here.