Mopar1973Man

Yup. There isn't any way to tell. Even my 1996 Dodge that @Dynamicbuilt for me looked good inside. Even just opening it up and looking won't tell you much till you take it apart and look at clutches, bands, etc. No way to know...

Last trip out to the woods. I parked the RV tight under the trees and my solar panel couldn't reach the sun at all. Needless to say without any charging power at all I fire up the TV and DVD player and watch TV till I dozed off. Next morning the TV was still going and I still had lots of charge left. LED lighting huge saving in power. My TV and DVD player barely pull any power at all. Since I'm battery powered in both the house and RV it normal for me to check batteries every month. Since I gotta check the main house, I might as well check the RV too. My house (4kw) is nothing more that bigger version of the RV (1.2kw).

Yup. Optimal final ratio is between 3.55 and 3.73. With 35 inch tires on 3.55 is not good. Your final ratio is 3.21 with 35 inch tires. You most likely eat transmissions and have high EGT's. Just a point to make I change from 265/75 R16 to 245/ 75 R16 (30.5 Inch tire) which now bring my final ratio to 3.69:1 on the Beast. This magic of final ratio helped me get my high point 28.04 MPG. Cruising RPM is perfect 2k at 66 MPH, for 550*F EGT's. Acceleration is fast that 3.55 final gearing and pull trailers for about 200*F less EGT's. Big tires look cool but gotta be done right to make it work for you. You would need change ring and pinion to 4.10 for 35 inch tires. This would make your final ratio 3.71 to the ground. To give you a feel of 3.73 to the ground Thor is 265/70 R17 all the way around (stock tires) with 3.73 axles it cruise at 65 at 2,100 RPM. Just ditching the 275/75 R18 tires and wheels gained me a full 4 MPG getting back to the 3.73 ratio. Improper final ratio makes huge problems period... Typically result in higher EGT's, high transmission temps, and higher coolant temps.

Simplest way is to unhook the main power feed to the grid heater on the driver side battery. Takes just a minute or two. It will not throw a code. Any mod that messes with the smaller wires typically will set a P0380 or P0382 code. I know @IBMobilemanaged to do this mod and make it work but, keep it simple stupid (KISS) works out even better. 1/2 wrench remove a nut slip the ring terminal off and tighten the nut back up. Typically I unhook in the spring in April and leave it disconnected till October then hook it back up. It 45*F this morning and both trucks would fire up right now without grid heaters.

IAT and grid heater are not the cause. Both Thor and Beast are currently disconnected. As for white smoke its timing related or injector related. Like I mention somewhere else that a cracked nozzle you can't see but will make it run rough and white smoke I just had this last week with another local friend that wanted +140 HP injectors in his 1994 Dodge Cummins 12V. After his trip to California and it ran good. Now he goes to McCall and blows the head gasket. After doing the head gasket and getting it running the white smoke was bad and running with a mild miss at speed. After pulling all 6 injectors one nozzle was cracked and the other injector had a sticky pintle. After DAP serviced it out we install and problem gone. MAP sensor will not cause white smoke. It will only limit your fueling ability. These trucks will run fine without... MAP sensor IAT sensor ECT sensor The only impact it will have is low power. Limp mode. If a sensor is reporting wrong information say its 50*F outside the ECT and IAT should be close to the outside air temp at first key on. Typically mine matches between IAT and ECT values. Remember that if a sensor goes out of range hi or lo then code is thrown.

ECM is the controller for most. There is a empty pin that is used for the trigger on most kits. Typically most are mounted to the back of the turbo. Your sounds to be a in-line pipe kit. This is not a big thing but your going to need the pipe flanges for said exhaust brake. Like both Thor (BD exhaust brake) and Beast (Jacobs Exhaust brake) are turbo mounted. Now like my buddy down the road from me has a in-line added to his truck (DAP - BD exhaust brake). That kit had two pipe flanges that had to be welded in. Then the exhaust brake clamps to those flanged pipes.

I've done a front bearing a in a friends shop in down in south Idaho. I didn't have access to all the materials I needed. I typically anti-seize everything. Needless to say after one winter and having to pull that bearing again to do wheel joints it was about a 2 hour beating session with a 6 pound hammer to get it out. Anti-seize is a good friend of mine. Typically they come out really easy. Just don't leave anything metal on metal or you'll fight to get it out. I also do use a hone brush to clean up the bearing holes good and clean. All it takes is one winter with road salts and you'll be fighting.

That's the bonus I've got my winter are typically light but when you do get a heavy one I just got to carefully shovel off the snow.

I don't... Heavy snow winters tend to just tear the tarp. Neighbor to the north of me lost there cover in the first winter. The weight of the snow pull it tight and eventually rip from the constant water and ice contact.

Custom rebuild by Blue Top for the 1977 Ford I've been working on. @Blue-Top Steering

This is why the pumps are place on a calibration test stand. It to find the proper timing and tell the rebuilder what key to use. The VP44 will attempt to reach the set timing amount by either advancing or retarding.

This is because BC does not have a Bosch 815 test stand so they have to buy time on someone else's test stand to get the new PSG's tested, calibrated and flashed but each pump takes 3 hours. This is part of the cost problem I'm sure. In a 9 hour day you'll only get three VP44's done.

Last time I checked all RV's have a 12V converter and can maintain the batteries through a winter time. The only thing I've got to do is check the electrolytes monthly. Vehicles don't and require to be driven from time to time or install a trickle charger. Still even then you need to add a trickle charger being vehicles do not come with a 12V converter/charger.

Man I hate those flush style zerks. I've got just the straight needle for greasing like driveshafts u-joints. Just too messy and waste to much grease fighting the needle. Truthfully if I was going to do ball joint I would consider something like @dripley got or another brand setup the same way. Either way I'm past 200k on these...

$85 an hour... I'll do it if you drive out here. Injectors are about 1.5 to 2.0 hours. Head studs a bit more trouble but since the valve cover is off it would be too bad to pull a bolt and replace it with a stud.

I just loved the comments or being punny of "being hosed" that caught me off guard. Sad to say this happens ever day. I just talked to a guy that had a VP44 replaced for over $3,000. Highway robbery true... I've got clients now that refuse to have any one but me work on there vehicles. Again because someone else hosed the owner in a poor repair and charged way too much.

So what do you do for your vehicle batteries then? If my truck can be parked outside in minus temps, why does a RV battery need to be removed if it hooked to power and being trickle charged?

Yes. Ive got a 3 stage converter so there is a storage mode that keeps the batteries at 13.2 volts. Im going to be installing a 30A plug for my RV. Also I've kept my plugged in when at home.

The difference is my power generation is 24V solar panels on the house and the RV is 12V generation. Just route the DC power now to battery bank of some sort. Then your Inverter converters from DC power to AC household power. All done silently and without any fuels. I've always planed for times where weather or road travel is impossible. Plenty of food in the pantry, couple of 55 gallon barrels of fuel gasoline and diesel. Fuel is only for the vehicles typically now that I don't own a gasoline vehicle the only thing I would use gas for now is ATV, generator, lawn mower or the wood splitter. My setup with my power is also city power too. This gives me other options of selling power back that I generate, I can limit my city usage to a max amperage, or I can just turn the city power off. There is a few other bonuses. Like I do not require any surge protector, Why? It was required for Idaho code to have a lightning suppressor to be installed. Not to mention the inverter will drop any power that is dirty. If the power cycles +/- 2 Hz it will drop. If the voltage falls out of my set range it will drop city power. Also the inverter requires to match cycles before hooking to city power. I've got full overheat protection, over current protection, frequency protection, and voltage protection. Solar Power DC -> Battery Bank -> Inverter -> House Optional ways... Pelton Wheel -> Battery Bank -> Inverter -> House Windmill -> Battery Bank -> Inverter -> House You might want to watch the show Homestead Rescuers on Discovery Channel. Lots of good ideas and way of making your place ready.

+12V power fuse for both the PCM and ECM... Again like I said it could crack and do this random cut off. Fuse #2 also check fuse #10 being it feeds the KEY ON signal. Then the other fuse for key on trigger for both the ECM and PCM here is the other end of fuse #10. Be aware that is not our fuel pump relay it for the GAS series. Then for the VP44 you need to check Fuse #3 in the PDC.

But this is a dealership mechanic do you expect them to do anything right...???

I'm up here in west central Idaho with the same kind of weather with super cold winter (low as -40*F), power outages, floods, etc. I do have a generator (6,500w Harbor Freight). The house is completely power off of 4kw 120VAC inverter. Is so rare for me to pull the generator out because I've got solar and hydro power (summer only on the hydro). Even in my case I have a small list of thing I can't power. Stove, Oven, Drier, and HVAC system of the house. I do have wood heat as a fall back. 99% of the time the inverter handle the entire house. This system provide my power even for my well pump. I can be without city power for DAYS or WEEKS on bad storms. Like the 1996/1997 Flood here I was powered on just 4kw generator for over 21 days. It was to the point of hunting for abandon vehicles and siphon fuel for the tanks to just keep the generator going. My system no longer depend on fuel at all. I have eight 6V batteries with total Amp hours of 820 amp hours in a 24V layout with 2 banks. As I type this is the house load right now on the system. Flickering 3 to 4 AC Amps 120VAC. Totally quiet power system... Even my RV is solar powered. Smaller set up with 40w panels and a 1,200 watt inverter again just Harbor Freight solar panels and Harbor freight inverter. I've spent many of night out in the RV with the inverter running all night with watch a movies, etc. My solar panel fit under my bed and store good there. Very awesome ot go camping and not have to pack any fuel at all and no going out and starting a generator or anything. Just peace and quiet for hours on end. This I'll upgrade to two 6V batteries in the near future.

99.9% of all VP44's are re-manufactured and the body is reused but all the guts typically is gone through. Then the pump is place on a Bosch 815 test stand for 3 hours to calibrate the pump for the PSG unit. After 3 hours if it pass all the test the PSG is flashed with all the settings and the pump is ready. This is only Certified Bosch Rebuilder that do have a test stand. There is vendors like Blue Chip that re-use the PSG and have to ship there pump to be calibrate hence part of the price. This is why I started a Bosch certified list years ago.

Ummm... not during running when you key on for start. As for ECM and VP44 pump share the same ground on the passenger side battery. Highly suggest the W-T ground wire mod for your truck. Also check the PDC fuses. It possible to have them Crack and randomly shutdown as the fuse opens and then close again. Ive seen that before.