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Showing content with the highest reputation since 05/25/2024 in all areas

  1. 6 points
    Welp, just ponied up for another year, and I've got to say that this one of the better expenses that I have. The amount of technical knowledge, experience, and willingness to share is outstanding and needs to be supported. For those of you who use this site for information and advise (as I do) remember, it costs money to keep it up and running. Mike and his Mods aren't trying to make money, they're just trying to cover costs. For less than $10 bucks a month we can maintain this site, and continue to have access to one of, if not the best sites for our trucks. Remember, information not shared, is information lost. Mark
  2. Well, I'm completed with chemo and all surgeries... This all comes at a cost to me of 8 months of cancer treatment has weakened me quite a bit. I'm slowly working with my body giving myself a chance of pushing a bit and working muscles that haven't worked in 8 months. I'm off all my Big Pharma drugs and my blood pressure is back to normal. No pain meds or anything. I'm back to using my herbs are supplements and managed to keep normal blood pressure now. I'm now without a bladder or prostate I will never have bladder cancer again. This is a weird one I know people have phantom limb and experience pain and a sense of feeling. How about having a phantom moment thinking I have to urinate? Yup, I had a moment in the morning thinking I needed to pee and get to the bathroom looking down at the bag. Face palm moment knowing that my body doesn't work like that anymore. Yeah, I've had 5 different times feeling like I had to take a leak but nothing there. Try calling to open the bladder and urinate. I more or less get a message back "Printer not available" I've had one ER visit having a bleed on my stoma and wound up spending the day in the ER. It was my blood thinners and of course, my body just wouldn't heal up with anti-clotting pills and blood thinners. That was a bit scary to wake up and find the tubing full of bloody urine and about a full liter overnight. By the time I was done with the ER my backup mount started to fail because of the wipes they used to clean me up so I had my shirt plugging the hole and drove home to change my mount and bag again. Argh! Be aware most hospitals do NOT supply any ostomy supplies because of how rare it is to see one of us. I've been learning how to live again. For a while, it was here at home sore from the pain I could feel and then my blood pressure would reflect the other pains I couldn't feel. It's not too bad being the way I am and I can see how people get along with life but I had to build my confidence in handling my bag changes and doing the mounts quickly. Now I'm showering without any appliance on my body just me and my little red stoma poking out on my belly. I shower normally and wash all the sealants off around my stoma. Yup, I'm currently fighting a minor yeast infection around my stoma. The bad part is having an itch under the base mount. Oh, talk about crazy trying to rub or scratch close to the base to stop the itch. As for my mental state, I'm still a crazy Cummins owner. Seriously, my makeup work and cosplay are getting better as time goes on. It has been a wild ride working with many medical people and at the same time dealing with all the depression that you could be faced with and finding a way to always pull it together and do something wild and make people laugh and smile at what I do. For a very short time, I'm capable of enjoying life with all the medical devices I've had on my body between the pair of bags hooked to my kidneys and now the ostomy and stoma on my body. Something else to throw in there... I met a gal in one of my appointments. On my last ostomy appointment, I was 2 hours early because of worry about road construction but made it early. I was waiting in the hallway by the elevators and started talking to older gal that was waiting for her appointment you have to remember I'm in full makeup and with my spiked collar and concert shirt on. Suzanna came off the elevator and points at me and said, "I remember you from the last visit!". I was very curious what she had to say. Suzanna was the first of anyone to ask me for my phone number because she was truly interested in me for my wild nature and makeup work. We talk every evening and phone calls last for hours talking about all kinds of topics and being very open with each other. We both come from abusive past so neither one of us wants to hurt the other. The crazy part is I wouldn't have met her unless I had my ostomy surgery and went to my appointments in full dress mode with makeup. So my limitation now is I'm a high hernia risk for life so I cannot lift anything heavy at this point because my belly has a lot of scars where the doctor was pulling my bladder and prostate out then a larger scar under my belly button where he reached in a cut about 9 inches of small intestine where my small and large intestine met. This is brought forward to hook both my kidneys to the right side of my belly. All this healed up well and no issues. Good news! I'M CANCER FREE !!!! Now keep in mind I just cheated death TWICE. I will survive this but I'm pretty sure it took a bit out of my lifespan. So I'll admit my life has been forever changed by the two runs of cancer. Its very frustrating to attempt to do some of my old tasks and have issues with the ostomy being in my way or limiting what I can do because currently I have to still be careful of my kidney till I hear bac on my labs if my kidney are improving.
  3. 4 points
    Big thanks to you for getting those computers back to me. Also, I messaged Mike on here this morning and he was a phone call away in no time helping me source this issue! That’s a community This is why I really enjoy this forum. In the beginning we had Dave Fritz/Dodgeram.org, now we have TDR (to some extent). Finally we have this place where all the mysteries have been solved. Don’t forget Mike as we discussed: You may perish of cancer but the forum lives forever, so you live forever!
  4. 4 points
    Thank you for the wonderful comment. Truth yes it's still paying to keep the server alive and keep paying the bills. Remember Mopar1973Man.Com is the LAST PRIVATELY OWNED WEBSITE left. I'm not owned by a corporate clearing house like Cummins Forum which is owned by VerticalScope Inc. Or DieselBombers which is owned by Internet Brands. All these other websites are corporate owned groups.
  5. @Mopar1973Man It looks like he has the updated main shaft already. I purchased several of my transmission parts from Allstate Gear online. The 5th gear nut I used was their "super nut" kit that cane in the master rebuild kit that I bought. I has to replace all 3 shafts, input shaft, counter shaft and the kit came with the full spline updated main shaft as well. My trans was trashed. The main shaft bearing in the front took a massive dump and trashed everything. Also, get a big torque wrench! As Mike mentioned, the 5th gear nut needs to be torqued to 300ft/lbs. DO NOT use a chisel and hammer and think it's good. It isnt. I post some pics of mine below. The carnage More carnage New input shaft and counter shaft New counter shaft in place, reused the small reverse idler. Case has been cleaned here also New main shaft installed, also replaced the tail housing with a cast iron piece. OEM was aluminum and had the mount holes hogged out of round. Now, the shift ring or collar that I have circled in this pic are important! I installed the ring backwards. If you look closely the ring is flat on one side and has a tapper on the other. The flat side has to go toward the large gear to the right as shown in the pic. Due to installing that ring backwards I do not have the use of 1st gear. I don't need it unless towing and I will pill it and make it right, just haven't yet. Hope all this helps!
  6. Well I'm coming back. I'll admit I'm not able to do a lot of jobs. Anything in the heavy lift is over. Currently have Thor stuffed in the house garage and getting ready to go back over the injectors again. Now Thor my 2006 Common rail is my pet project. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes the new version of me will be going public. Sadly no more wrench time for me. I'll still play with my own rigs. My problem is I've got to consider my stoma and kidneys. So I'll continue my education of the Cummins line. As for my medical issues I'm clean of cancer nearly 6 months. Check up coming. I'm stuck with Stage 3 Cronic Kidney disease this is due to my kidneys being choked by the cancer. The website I'm going to upgrade software and there is a lot of new features coming. Stay tuned in. There is a feature to have live chats again and when the chat ends it will convert the chat unto a forum thread auto-magically. One of many.
  7. I'm still here. I'm still waking up every morning ready to battle each day. Even though my body is not quite ready for the world of work but I'm trying to figure out how to work with my new body. I'm thankful I've got a few good friends that advocate for me and helped out. I need to call out Mark Hall thank you for being a close friend and helping out get my firewood for the winter. Then Dan Catherman for bringing his Datsun pickup with his fishing pole setup that loaded all the logs on my trailer. Then Einer for helping up in going out and doing the heavy work getting the firewood loaded. I'm even making attempts to see how much I can do. I had the driver's wheel joint fail last spring. I managed to change it out but took two days getting it done and still not quite right. The wheel joint is fine but my slide pins on the calipers need replacing and the kits were missing the rubber boots. Now to add a bit of good news. I had to endure hell to get to heaven. What do I mean by this. My hell was handling my mother's dialysis, my mother's death @MoparMom, 3 bad relationships. Then hit with bladder cancer both times on 2018 and 2023 Christmas. Then deal with 4 months of chemo. Then a 7-hour surgery to modify my body to no longer have a prostate or bladder which are gone! Now on my trip to Portico West medical building, I ran into Suzanna Lopez and had a few words and got called into my appointment. Now during my appointment, I rescheduled for 2 weeks not the 4 weeks that the doctor wanted. This lined me up to see Suzanna a second time and she came off the elevator and said "I remember you from the last time!" yes this was true. I was decked out in my Black and blue hair and makeup. She got in and sat down and the first thing she asked was for my phone number. Crazy fact Suzanna is the first woman to walk up to me in 53 years to ask me for my phone number. I asked why she was impressed with my makeup and appearance as well as some of my story about my cancer and taking care of my mother. Suzanna has more or less just stayed with me. She is attempting even right now to sort through all the Social Security documents and getting information dealt with. She has been there for all my medical appointments too. We have already been together already 2 months and have a difficult time when we are separated for a length of time. Suzanna issues are that she was injured in an accident that broke her left ankle and then had issues for most of her life. Now she had her ankle fused and now we are healing together attempting to support each other to work out and get back into shape. So there you go gang a tidbit of good news. I'm trying to get over the Social Security hurdles and she is being a huge help.
  8. If your seatbelts are stiff or slow to retract, I found this little trick online that really helped mine out. I was constantly having to force feed my seatbelts back into the retractors and it was driving me nuts. I got some clamps, pulled my belts all the way out and used the clamps to hold them out. I filled two medium sized bowls with hot water and dawn dish soap and let the belts soak overnight. The next day I changed the water and used a brush to scrub them a bit and then did my best to dry them with a towel. I left the widows down and let the belts finish air drying for the day. When I removed the clamps the belts were slow to retract from having the springs compressed for so long but they bounced back after a few uses. Now my seatbelts work like new, no more force feeding them in.
  9. I'm still here its just been very busy running back and forth with my medical appointments. I'm also on another leash issue. I've got to be careful how much I'm working on my website since the different government agencies know that my website is still here and producing income so it has been reported. Now if I'm working too many hours on my website it could disqualify me from getting any benefits from these agencies. I'm very limited on what I can do. I'm sorry if I'm not here in the lime light as usual...
  10. I finally got around to installing my Geno’s dash top and junkyard dash core. This also marks the near completion of my interior color swap. The only thing I have left to do is paint the overhead console. I also installed a new pioneer head unit I had ordered several years ago as well. It’s so nice having everything on the dash attached to something else. I used a dash core from a slightly older truck which only has the one driver side power port. I didn’t realize my airbag switch wouldn’t fit so I hid it behind the dash and got the other power port from the junkyard that properly filled the hole.
  11. Also best ways to test what works and dont work. Friends are trying so hard to make every thing like super tasty or trying bring more normal food. I paid the price twice in a day. AJ brought me a half of BLT sandwich. Oh that was so good but the lettuce made me gassy and painful. Ouch. Then Einar made a creamy type of hamburger helper looked good but just a but strong on black pepper oh that hurt again. Now that I'm attempting to get things right and such yeah I've gotta be careful on foods I eat even though it looks good smells good no high fiber oh my Gwad that chit hurts. Today I've got to change my bag day. MON and WED. Right now my belly is sore from a few food mishaps. No high fiber foods I ate a leaf of lettuce OMG that hurt. Then Einar made a home brew hamburger helper for me but there was black pepper mixed in tasted awesome but OMG that hurts. You know I'm enjoying my 2L night bag I can couple up and pass out for entire night. I could change to MON and THU being I'm a bit sore right now. We will see how morning goes and if im showing any signs of leaking or skin problems. Might be nice to shower after my woulds on my back and belly are tended to first this morning. Other than that the old Michael Nelson is changing before peoples eyes and my not putting up with bullchit from anyone but taking care of me first. I seriously thinking going to Urgent Care and getting my wounds looked at and see how much I can get removed. Grab a few bottles of alcohol for sanitizing my work space. This way on bag change days I can get a shower without bag and clean up really good. Afterwards I do have to dry my skin very well to ensure the base sticks to my belly like putting on a bandaid on a wet finger. Don't work. Second night with my night bag is awesome and sleep the full time of the night without the mental call to wake up and drain my bladder or old bag systems. Even all my time in the hospital I was just enjoying to be different. This part of my life I don't care. I still continue to do my make up daily and my hair. Just like my body I'm forever changed I'll never be the same. With my stoma I can get hernias easy being those muscles have been cut. I've got a bag hanging off the front of my belly. Now ive got to learn my new life and how to do things carefully and being able to get the bag change down to a science. It not quite peel and stick on. The is steps to remove, clean, prep the new bag and base with sealant, and apply. Only like 15 minutes but I'll admit I'm nervous first time solo today. I'm more or less looking for the most bang for the buck today. Note to self I need razor blade I need to shave.
  12. I'm home. Man it's so nice to crash in my own bed at night. My pain level and anxiety are much lower. My blood pressure is very easy to control using my cannabis. I also so nice to lay in bed all night and not have alarms or bag to dump every 4 hours. I got home Einar made dinner and I loaded up with plenty of food. Started hitting the vape pen I got pretty stoned last night moved to my bed and set up my night bag. Got myself hooked up and rolled over and passed out at 9pm and slept till 5am. That was awesome sleep. I feel very recharged and ready for today. My pain is like when your doing injectors the milk crate slides out from your feet and you scrap your belly on the hood latch. Internally I feel nothing. In my lower back I feel nothing. So basically I feel the skin level stuff but internally I'm a constant zero. I know I'm going to heal much faster at home than in the hospital. My anxiety is way down now too. I was anxiety drug and I'm glad I got one it helped the entire time I was in the hospital being it was on my med list. I've gotta say I'm very thankful the people that took care of me in the hospital were awesome. Right down to the housekeepers and all the way up to the charge nurse for the floor. Thank you all!!! Sad news over the weekend my neighbor Jim had a minor heart attack and fluid in the lungs. Sadly my neighbor passed away June 30th 8pm. Rest In Peace - Jim Gould. He was a wonderful neighbor both Jim and Sharon adopted me into there family after mom passed away. I had the blessing to have the ability to get the charge nurse to release me from my floor and be transported by wheel chair down to see Jim one last time. I'm home and doing rather quite well for a guy that had his bladder and prostate remove then 9 inches of my small intestine turned into my stoma and plumbing. Having a ostomy bag isn't the end of the world. After everything heals on me it won't be bad at all. I can mens urinals again. Yeah I've got to do some clothes shopping get shirts and different pants to work with my ostomy bag. It was awesome to sleep through the night at home. Another sad moment in time. Lost another friend to a very rare form of cancer that attacks the soft connective tissues in the body his started in his neck and between chemo and radiation wasn't enough and cancer won and took his life two days before my surgery. Rest In Peace - Randy which was a friend. Now the struggles of learning my new life after I heal for a good month. Like standing in front of the bathroom mirror and looking at my belly for really the first time. I've been cut all over my belly and have the doctor digging into me to create my urostomy. Yeah it looks like it hurts. but here shortly have some my holes heal up I can finally take normal showers with my ostomy bag. It will be like my first full shower in the hospital. I was like a little kid play in the water and running over my back and my head having a ball. As for changing my ostomy bag it not hard at all but I'm going to take advantage of my 2 piece bag and just mount the base first before snapping the bag to the base so I can center the base hole easier over my stoma on my belly which is 1-3/8 for size for my base hole stoma is closer to 1-1/4 so there is a bit of give for mount and so I don't rub the stoma much. As for the hospital stay. I had more fun at night with nurses. I make a request for a night walk and nurse would vote on my 3 different wigs I brought along. Every one staff wise loved my avatar photo which is my black and purple hair and my black makeup. Change of shift I ended up with different staff so the fun always got started few hours after shift change. Most would inquire about my look and hair. Everyone enjoyed put smiles on even other patients i would happen to see on my walks.
  13. My buddy traded me a first gen 6bt to do some body work for him on his truck. So several patch panels later I got a "free" engine.
  14. 3 points
    This is a tech article regarding those who (like me) think the oem spot for the apps is not ideal. Exposed to outside elements, heat, vibration and potential corrosion, moving it inside was most practical. Non Dodge/ midrange applications of Cummins 5.9 24V ISB’s all have their TPS/APPS inside the cab, mounted on the pedal assembly. So nothing is changing on the apps operation, just moving it. This mod does not works on trucks that are auto/use vacuum for cruise. The auto trans kickdown cable is attached to the bellcrank assembly. As with the vacuum solenoid setup too so if you can live without them then it will work. Parts needed: 699-5101 pedal assembly (2x) 6 pin Duetsch connectors kits Zip ties Grommet 6’ of 6 wire harness Tools needed: Duetsch connector terminal pliers Wire strippers Making the mount will be up to you. I can show you pictures on how I made mine but it’s just a one off. Either way you need to mount it inside. First, disconnect the 6 pin Duetsch connector from the apps, remove the bellcrank assembly from the cylinder head. Cut off the cable and discard. The oem pedal assembly will need to be removed and the oem mount has a pivot pin on the bottom that’ll twist out with some channel lock pliers. Once you mount your new pedal to the mount and it’s installed all that is needed is how to control via ecm. So a 6 wire jumper harness is needed. I would HIGHLY recommend removing and tossing the apps that comes supplied with the new pedal and install your current one in its place. I can’t guarantee its quality. If you need an apps, a Williams Control 131973 or 133284 will work perfectly (Timbo is just a repackaged WC). Available from any oem truck dealer (I.e. Kenworth or Freightliner). On your engine side of your harness you need to make a 6 pin male Duetsch connector. Ensure you new connector kits have the locks in them, some kits do not come with them for some reason. YouTube or Google can provide a video on how to use Duetsch connector pliers, they’re super easy to use. Using the hole in firewall that the original pull cable went through install a grommet to prevent rubbing and feed your harness through. If you prefer to drill a hole the same size of the connector body you’ll need a 7/8” drill bit. **It’s easier to make the harness, THEN crimp the new terminals on after feeding it through the oem firewall hole for a cleaner look.** Cut your 6 wire harness to length and crimp on the terminals, install the connector body and plug it in. Theoretically the engine doesn’t know where the apps is so it will work. Make sure you mate up each wire in its proper spot on each connector, if you mess them up a CEL will come on/non functionality of the apps. Secure the harness to various points with zip ties so it’s rigid. This provides a clean look and more room in the engine compartment for future servicing. Start the engine and test. Throttle response should be crisp since there is no cable anymore that has slack as it wore.
  15. 3 points
    Wanted to show something here. Here’s the new APPS, number on it is 133284, same as the Timbo. Even though I ordered a 131973 this is what comes now. You can buy these at any truck dealership. Here’s a pic of my relocation bracket.
  16. 3 points
    I would like to introduce myself to all of you. I met Michael last July in Meridian, Idaho at a medical facility. He had a follow up appointment for his urostomy/ileostomy, while I was getting wound care treatment for my ankle. We briefly met at this place once before but had not been able to chat. On this particular July day, we had a few minutes to chat. As I learned more about Michael's life, I realized that he is an amazingly unique person with a kind heart and good old fashioned values. Upon listening to how he sacrificed on behalf of his mother's need for dialysis in the midst of dealing with his bladder cancer, I began to highly respect and admire this wonderful man. He genuinely cares for people. I knew he was amazingly unique...and I did NOT want to lose track of him. So...I asked for his phone number immediately after he was called in for his appointment. I wanted to know more about him. The crazy thing is that I was adamantly resolved to never get involved with another man at that time! However, we have NOT been apart for more than a few consecutive days since the time we met up at his house shortly after our encounter in Meridian! My interest grew even more when I learned he's a Diesel Mechanic. I was already familiar in auto mechanics, as my dad was an auto mechanic himself doing it as a hobby. I come with a small background in basic auto mechanics...my dad graciously taught me how to do a few maintenance repairs on my own car. To further expand my knowledge base, I have recently joined the Mopar1973man website as Michael's partner, another site administrator and his "soon to be" wife! Our plan is to get married this Spring! We have discussed a few exciting ideas that we would like to implement in the future. We are also working on improving this website for all of you. Be safe out there on those roads!! And...stay tuned!!
  17. WT mod should be done in full first. I don’t have much troubleshooting experience with autos as I have the 6 spd but from what I understand a lot of issues are solved when the mod is done. At least you can rule that out.
  18. We were right, the harness itself was wired incorrectly. IAT and ECT plugs reversed. New harness arrived and problem solved! 3 and 6 both work with correct values displayed.
  19. @mace, I have performed the power steering pump and vacuum pump conversion that you brought to this site. I hope you are still perusing the site and will see this. The time and effort spent on this project (and the APPS relocate) has been very worthwhile. Much engine space has been freed up and the power steering reservoir is right where it should be for easy fluid check / fill. The reservoir is like the brake master cylinder reservoir – you can see the fluid level through the reservoir. An unexpected benefit is that this direct mount power steering pump outperforms any previous power steering pump that has been on this truck. There is no more stopping of the steering wheel when the power steering is under high demand, such as when maneuvering in tight spaces, steering from stop to stop with little forward or backward movement of the truck. I started the project by finding a location for the new power steering reservoir, which was going to be right where the APPS assembly used to be. Then I built a mounting bracket for the reservoir (shown below). The first part of the bracket assembly is designed to let the weight of the oil and reservoir rest in the V slot. In the above photo, note the welded nut where the tab on the top of the reservoir is screwed into the bracket. In the photos below, more brackets are added to fasten the unit to the engine. Below is the new location for the reservoir in the engine compartment - lots of space available for mounting with the removal of the APPS and APPS mounting assembly. I don't have any photos of the actual pump mount, but the mounting is straight forward, especially with the addition of studs instead of bolts. Much easier installation the old vacuum pump / power steering pump combination was. I didn't use a gasket - just the grey Permatex RTV gasket maker. The one thing that Mace did that I should have done (which he clearly mentioned) is to have the pump suction fitting turned down on a lathe from 22 mm to 19 mm to match the 19 mm connection on the reservoir. Because I didn't do that, I have not-so-neat connections from the pump suction to the reservoir (another reason to not take a photo down there). @Mace, thank you again for making this possible. That’s all, folks! John
  20. This is an entirely new method of not just relocating the controller but making one from scratch. It's independent of an ECU. I made a github project with all the details https://github.com/Greatwrk/VP44-EXPLORER
  21. Another update. Medically I'm healing slowly. Finally made it past my first cancer check and still going. No medical appts except for PT which I need to help ditch my spare tire. I need more core strength to prevent having hernia anytime soon. Still a risk with any heavy lifting. Tidbit that is funny that my makeup and Goth look now has nurses betting with money what I'm going to be wearing. Yeah it true I just was down getting resized from 1 inch stoma to 7/8 inch stoma and change the Rx. The nurse was overjoyed when I was there with my black and purple hair and makeup.
  22. I decided to open source my stand alone VP44 electronics project. I started a github repository. It's far from a bolt on replacement. It's just a prototype but it has been running reliably for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, it's not a project for beginners and requires good soldering experience and there is one surface mount part on the board. The circuits have some high energy parts and requires some testing before operating. The software is not simple and has time critical routines. An in depth understanding of the MCU internal peripherals (timers, PWM) is also required. Any mistakes in assembly or coding can cause permanent damage to the fuel solenoid or speed sensor. My project explores the electrical operation of the mysterious VP44. I included some diagrams and tutorial. The mechanical operation is described on various websites so I skipped it. It may help to review some of those sites. https://github.com/Greatwrk/VP44-EXPLORER
  23. Corners done and ready for paint....
  24. With stock sized / near stock sized tires and stock suspension height - I say no. I am not sure that there would be any benefit even with bigger tires and raised suspension. I installed a steering brace years ago and I have since removed it. The one thing that bothered me about the steering brace was that there were only two set screws (90° apart) for centering the bearing on the the Pitman shaft. That never made sense to me - it always forced the bearing to one side which in turn forced the Pitman shaft to one side, and the set screws would never stay tight. That did made sense to me. I would think that three set screws at 120° apart would have allowed for accurately centering the bearing and would have kept the set screws tight. - John
  25. Got to spend a day at L&L classic auto in Wendell, ID last week. They have 120 acres of vehicles from the 20’s and up. They loaned us a trailblazer for $10 to tool around the yard in. My friend Dan got some parts for his 59 Plymouth and my other friend Matt got a door for his 82 mustang. The yard was awesome, my only complaint would be the pricing. They tell you when you get there not to remove anything until you get a price just in case you don’t like it. Thankfully I was only there for the scenery and to help scout.
  26. So my trips back and forth to medical appointments are coming to a end. I'm attempting to get my disability fired up but I've got to play ball with all the different agencies and play by their rules. Social Security limits me on the amount of hours I'm allowed to work my website currently. Then Welfare limits me on how much income I'm allowed to have as well. As for information, I'm still helping guys with different truck issues. I have to do it where I'm not in public view sadly. Like I got to run and get a plumbing part today. I'm trying to build my strength up and return to my old self. Sadly I'm still very weak and have issues just holding my 1/2" impact gun in my hand it too heavy to do much work with it yet. My belly I've lost most of my muscles through my abdomen and gained more fat more so. Ugh! Yeah I still weigh the same old 235 pounds but my body fat content is higher. Ugh. I took a break and went camping for 3 days at Smokey Boulder Rd. Yeah, it was great, the simple task of hitching the RV will wear me down and get me huffing and puffing to catch my breathe at times. Not having the endurance I used to have... But I didn't get here overnight it was 8 months of cancer treatments and surgeries that did this and will take me time to recover my strength. I'm working at smaller and lighter jobs like picking up the loose stones in the yard and cleaning up the yard carefully and slowly. I'm a high-risk hernia patient now. I'm no longer capable of heavy lifting of anything now. Like doing a transmission or clutch job is out of my range of work forever sadly. My endurance last about 4 to 5 hours on average before I'm too tired to work anymore. I still have to monitor my blood pressure since I can't feel pain internally in my back or around my kidneys. When my blood pressure rises I've got to go lay down and let my pain levels back down to get my blood pressure back to normal realm. You have no idea how much not being able to handle my business and work on truck affects me mentally. It absolutely sucks and very depressing. Then not looking forward to more medical visits all the time you are doing this. 3.5 hour drive to Boise to be poked at by a doctor for one reason or another. Running across town to handle Norco Inc for my Ostomy supplies I'll be using forever. How about sitting on my riding lawn mower (zero turn) and have your ostomy bag blow out and soak you in your own urine? Yup this happened twice now. I've even have to be careful standing up if my bag is nearing full. I can catch it between my thigh and squeeze the bag and blow it out over my lap. I've done that too. I'm still learning and still trying to get all this figured out. My fun stuff... I still enjoying making smiles as I travel back and forth to places.
  27. I'm starting to do my training for my ostomy bag. Which I've got to change every 3 to 4 days. Yeah kind of funky to have a chunk of my small intestine poking out of my belly. I manage to cut the hole in the base need a bit of help smoothing the hole out. Then there is a putty to roll out in your hands to make a ring to help seal my bag. Got it all in place and change for the first time. Feeling good enough to do make and hair today.
  28. I heard this song on Pandora as I was coming home from a doctor visit and heard the song. I actually stopped in Ontario OR and played the lyrics as I ate lunch. Very fitting song for what going on in my life.
  29. Hey Gang, I've managed to get Thor running for the first time in 2 years. I opted for a stock fuel pump for right now since I'm missing parts yet for the AirDog 150 fuel system I've got I'm looking for a bracket for the pump. I have good positive pressure for the CP3 injection pump. I need to find out what the misfire and studdering are about. Cold start it's a bit long cranking not bad. Once it starts it runs rough and smokes white. I've got a set of @dieselautopower +50 HP injectors installed and had them sent back to DAP and found one injector had an issue and was repaired and sent back. Then I ordered a set of o-rings and replaced all o-rings on injectors and cross-over tubes. Once warmed up all roughness is gone. It runs good and strong for what it is. I can even do the oil cap test and the cap does not even move. I'm trying to figure out the cold idle roughness and warm up smoke them once warm it drives and runs great. Even yesterday I drove to town and got 50 dollars of fresh diesel fuel to make sure its got enough cetane and pour point depressants. Currently 39*F here. Last problem in this category is the grid heater light came on yesterday and dinged 10 times signaling its high flow rates of the CP3. It idles at about 7,9xx PSI of fuel rail. At 1,500 RPM its pumping up to 11,8xx roughly and appears the fuel rail is building good pressure. With Thor being my project I plan on writing articles as I get things figured out. So anyone give me a hand on this? Monday I'm going to put insurance and registration on Thor and he's going to become my daily runner. Why? Beast finally needs shop time and the rear main seal is leaking. Thor becomes the primary rig for now while I gather supplies for Beast and get my help here to remove the transmission and transfer case so we can access the rear main seal. Thor is also going to lose the heavy flat bed and front bumper soon. I'm going back to the lighter factory box and tailgate then factory bumpers and ditch close to a full ton of steel. Thor is fat at 9,300 pounds even empty.
  30. Running boards ready for dry fit. I know I have notch something for the cab mounts.
  31. This is a tech article regarding those who (like me) think the oem spot for the apps is not ideal. Exposed to outside elements, heat, vibration and potential corrosion, moving it inside was most practical. Non Dodge/ midrange applications of Cummins 5.9 24V ISB’s all have their TPS/APPS inside the cab, mounted on the pedal assembly. So nothing is changing on the apps operation, just moving it. This mod does not works on trucks that are auto/use vacuum for cruise. The auto trans kickdown cable is attached to the bellcrank assembly. As with the vacuum solenoid setup too so if you can live without them then it will work. Parts needed: 699-5101 pedal assembly (2x) 6 pin Duetsch connectors kits Zip ties Grommet 6’ of 6 wire harness Tools needed: Duetsch connector terminal pliers Wire strippers Making the mount will be up to you. I can show you pictures on how I made mine but it’s just a one off. Either way you need to mount it inside. First, disconnect the 6 pin Duetsch connector from the apps, remove the bellcrank assembly from the cylinder head. Cut off the cable and discard. The oem pedal assembly will need to be removed and the oem mount has a pivot pin on the bottom that’ll twist out with some channel lock pliers. Once you mount your new pedal to the mount and it’s installed all that is needed is how to control via ecm. So a 6 wire jumper harness is needed. I would HIGHLY recommend removing and tossing the apps that comes supplied with the new pedal and install your current one in its place. I can’t guarantee its quality. If you need an apps, a Williams Control 131973 or 133284 will work perfectly (Timbo is just a repackaged WC). Available from any oem truck dealer (I.e. Kenworth or Freightliner). On your engine side of your harness you need to make a 6 pin male Duetsch connector. Ensure you new connector kits have the locks in them, some kits do not come with them for some reason. YouTube or Google can provide a video on how to use Duetsch connector pliers, they’re super easy to use. Using the hole in firewall that the original pull cable went through install a grommet to prevent rubbing and feed your harness through. If you prefer to drill a hole the same size of the connector body you’ll need a 7/8” drill bit. **It’s easier to make the harness, THEN crimp the new terminals on after feeding it through the oem firewall hole for a cleaner look.** Cut your 6 wire harness to length and crimp on the terminals, install the connector body and plug it in. Theoretically the engine doesn’t know where the apps is so it will work. Make sure you mate up each wire in its proper spot on each connector, if you mess them up a CEL will come on/non functionality of the apps. Secure the harness to various points with zip ties so it’s rigid. This provides a clean look and more room in the engine compartment for future servicing. Start the engine and test. Throttle response should be crisp since there is no cable anymore that has slack as it wore. View full Cummins article
  32. 2 points
    Thank you!! We are so excited for this upcoming Spring! And yes, it will be very nice to meet you in person...may be we can travel to you!! I am also enjoying the website. And plan to assist Michael in making some changes to improve areas on the website. Thank you very much for your sentiments and well wishes! What you said is so true! We already have shared so much...and our relationship just keeps getting better and better!
  33. 2 points
    Congratulations
  34. 2 points
    Yup it is true. Strange enough I was in full makeup when we met both times. She enjoys my artistry of my makeup and wigs which she continues to encourage me to learn more about the art. Yeah after I did give Suzanna my number it seemed like there was so many questions and so much to talk about most of our phone calls went till 2am most nights. Strange some night we still just talk till early hours. Yes it's true we plan on getting married in the spring of the year. Suzanna was amazed by what I've created with Beast. She enjoys good Cummins power. Now we both want to build into 3rd and 4th Gen lines hence why the active work on Thor to attempt to give me time to repair Beast which is nearly 500k miles now. There is a lot going on with software changes, server changes, and even things on the site. Suzanna and I are going to fix the website up and bring more newer generations to the article database. Right now I'm just cleaning up after moving servers to cut operational costs.
  35. I had a feeling that you would go back to the first running board after you had better results with the second running board. That's not "OCD" - that's a "good decision"! - John
  36. Yesterday, I put your situation in the "911" section of the TDR, but so far no response - but, it was a weekend. Here is what I posted, "Trying to help someone out here. Fellow has a '99 2WD Dodge Cummins truck. He is 1100 miles from home and has lost 5th gear. He wants to know if he can remove 5th gear and drive home, or if anyone knows of a reliable manual transmission repair shop in the Fort Myers, Florida area. Thanks," I let you know if / when I hear anything. - John
  37. I went for it yesterday on the first running board top skin. Those long beads are tough to try and keep straight. Did I? Mostly.....at least its gonna be Rino Lined and not gloss back!
  38. This should help others to install common rail injectors properly. More to come!
  39. All your testing are no good. You need a DVM capable of less than 2 volts AC with multiple frequencies, not just 60 hz. A household DVM will do this, which is why your test data is confusing. Look for a DVM like a Fluke or SnapOn DVMs which are very capable of multifrequencies and voltages less than 2 volts. Just look your DVM has a 200 VAC setting too large. Needs to be 2 VAC or less.
  40. Hey Mike, I contacted Quadzilla Monday and they are sending me out a new PCB board and switch. I will keep you updated on how that turns out. They will send me a wiring harness if that doesn't correct things.
  41. Yup. Im still here plugging along slowly but still going forward.
  42. Sadly. I would remove the injection pump and see about getting a rebuild kit and replace all the seals including the front seal too so the diesel fuel doesn't leak in the crankcase. Reman pumps are available from @dieselautopower . I would consider that being the governor spring and other internal parts do wear out. So before performing any repairs I would highly suggest removing the pump from the truck. That cover should have 4 Allen bolts holding it on. Be careful the Governor Spring is attached to the cover and could be replaced but be careful not to stretch the spring. Serioyusly I would just consider a reman'd pump at least then the pump is in good shape to keep running.
  43. Well, Elvis (TODD) has left the building...off to paint!
  44. Yesterday was a run to Lewiston and get supplies for the house. For me it's very draining to walk all over Walmart then go to Home Depot and walk all over too. Strange enough a nice gent wanted a photo of me. After the photo the fine gent prayed over both Suzanna and myself for help from the Good Lord to aid both of us on our road to recovery. Then headed over to WinCo for a few food items. Yeah I'm wore out energy wise today but gain ground. Health wise my blood pressure is in check and doing good just out of shape. Even my weight is down 5 pounds and doing better.
  45. I've got a story for all of you to hear. I've got a trick I can only do once in my life and can't do it again. Then I can claim I'm the only male that has managed to do this trick. Back up the train to about the 3rd day after surgery, I was starting to heal up and walk the hospital floor and doing all the little things like PT and OT. My doctor shows up and I'm in the middle of doing my makeup that morning. I asked my doctor to see about removing the tubes from my kidneys. I was tired of sleeping on Lego bricks (the connector). My PT doctor came in and asked me if I had stairs in my house I said yes. We took a walk to the staircase and up and down I went. No problems. The PT doctor saw me in my different wigs and makeup already too. He suggested to switch over to my black and blue wig and do my black and blue makeup. I quickly tweak everything sitting on the edge of the bed. PT doctor sent for my transport downstairs so I could get my tubes pulled out of my kidneys. I got down there the surgeons loved the makeup and the style heck of a conversation piece. My surgeon asked what I wanted to have for anesthetic for the removal of my tubes. I told him I was going to "Raw Dog" them out, meaning no pain meds or anesthetic. The surgeon started on my left side and cut the stitches holding my tubing in place in my back. In one pull it came out quickly and I asked did you get it out and he showed it to me. Never felt a thing, remember no drugs were used. Surgeon move to the right side and stops notifying me that he's got to contact my other surgeon about my stent on the right side. Remember I'm laying on my stoma in the front of my belly as I'm belly down. After about 15 minutes the surgeon returns says it's fine and pulls my right side out. I felt a warm and wet feeling and wasn't sure if I just felt blood. I asked the surgeon, "What was that doc was that blood?" The surgeon replies, "Nope. You just urinated out your back on the right side!" Yup, I was able to urinate out my back because laying on my stoma allowed my kidney to build up a bit of pressure and as the tubing came out the urine just followed the tunnels in my back to the surface. So... I can say I'm one of the few people if not the only person that can say he could pee out his back and only do it once in my life.
  46. 2 points
    Your OEM engine block mounted lift pump is operated directly by the ECM. Lift pumps typically draw 8 to 12 amps depending on make and model. A relay will remove this heavy electrical load from the ECM. You can still use the ECM to trigger the coil on the relay (only about 200 milliamps). Deutsch 2-pn connectors should match your 2-pin connector on the OEM lift pump and are available on Amazon. This way you can easily extend the OEM wiring harness to wherever the relay is mounted. - John
  47. Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone. It's been a quite the ride so far. Learning about my ostomy bag. Then working on walking and building my strength. Even doing a early morning 4am walk this morning. I'm so ready for solid food. Blood sugar is starting to drop and needing to recharge with just apple juice. Yeah been on a liquid diet since the surgery trying to restart my bowels again. Yeah my only hang up is all the pain meds require me to be on 2L/min of oxygen as I sleep. Oh do I sleep very well with all the meds. I'm working on sitting up and doing my makeup for the day. All the nurse love the look as I'm walking the halls. Wait till I leave I'll be in makeup wearing my black scrubs and black hair. Yes I planned that. I'm handling all this very well try to keep everyone laughing. My night assistant nurse sneaked in and woke me by draining my urine bag. I told her I can feel the movement on my leg. Geez I know my junk don't work but just get a handful. She was laughing hard I was too I paid with the pain of laughter.
  48. After getting my 90° down tube...figured I needed a tich more room (advice from others I was FORCED to listen to, LOL). The results:
  49. Ok I know several members have done this mod and said it was easy. It sure is easy. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish to complete this project. You'll need the terminal lugs and the metric bolt that @W-T specifies in his article. 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.
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