Mopar1973Man

Thanks... I pass this along to my friend Andrew and he might like the idea.

Ol' Jon @Dynamic is a killer transmission man. I know he can make anything work for these beasts. I get it some people just don't like the Dodge 2nd Gen Bodies.

Fuel start to create asphaltenes when you start getting upwards in temperature. I'm not sure what temperature but I know my setup never gets over 140*F much. This starts to plug up fuel filters. I monitor fuel temp right out the VP44 with the Quadzilla tuner. Even my last trip in 2020 to Arizona with temperatures over 115*F I never broke over 145*F fuel temp. Even after 600 miles of driving. My fuel temp and IAT temp follow within +/- 5*F. It doesn't. The fact my straw is NOT in the fuel sender basket. This make my fuel cooler because the return from the rear of the head is the hottest fuel returned to the fuel basket. That fuel is heated to the same temperature of the head metal. No. This is incorrect. Optimal is 14 to 20 PSI this keeps the return valve on the VP44 open and cooler fuel moving always. Below 14 PSI to 10 PSI that overflow valve start to close and completely closed by 10 PSI. So the 5 PSI number is rather damaging being the overflow valve is completely close no return fuel at all. This will continue to build heat in the pump. I can say safely the fuel temp of 140*F and below is no cause for alarm at all. I think the P0168 code for VP44 fuel temp is set at 195*F IIRC. I've only seen 1 member with a over temp code. I've extended my filter changes to 60k miles being the filter stay much cleaner and at 15k miles my filters still looked new. I've seen members here reporting 150 to 160*F temps with returns in the fuel basket. AirDog 150 filter after 15k miles. 54k miles on this AirDog 150 and barely colored... Stock filter is the same time.

I'm sure more than I should on the wiretap. But only on Level (CanBus) I barely reach 1,200*F EGT's. Level 2 (stock fuel) then it barely makes 1,100*F. Even on my trip to Arizona I ran wide open on the tuner but never had any EGT's issues towing a total weight of 17,000 to 18,000 pound between truck and RV. Running 65 MPH on the highway. Typically my boost is super low empty like 2 PSI at 65 MPH. Yes I know my WOT gets hot on the upper end (running wire tap) but I don't race per say but I've got good spiriting power for 3 to 5 seconds will typically get me to over 90 MPH. Being I typically don't use wiretap much any more I normally don't have an issue with EGT's for most normal travel.

Yup. Charger with equalize mode are not cheap. Try not to get any automatic chargers they don't seem to work all that good. I've used a few automatic chargers most shut down too fast. Hence why I like my time base charger off the inverter. My Trace Inverter in Equalize mode on a 24V battery bank. Look close the batteries started to boil. This is normal and the rotten egg smell too. Hydrogen gas will be created. Oh look at the cables these are 25 YEARS OLD. No corrosion, no rotten leads. Hmmm... Engine oil is a wonderful corrosion prevention. This battery bank cost me $4,800 dollars to replace 10 years ago. Each battery is 125 pounds. There is a 1,000 pounds of batteries. Four 6V batteries tied as 24V in two banks. The small yellow lead is my one and only temp sensor for the batteries. As you see I tucked in between the 3rd batteries. It cannot tell what the other 6 batteries are doing for temperature either.

Ok. Equalizing Batteries you want to reach 15.5 to 15.7 Volts and the battery need to be charged outside or open air. They do boil at this point. Now continue to charge till the charge amps drop to near zero. This should be completed. Like I cheat and just use jump cables and hook the battery to my solar system and let it ride with inverter during the equalize charge. My system is set to run for 2 hours at 31.0 Volts for 24V battery bank. Hooking up as a 12V battery to the bank it will typically show about 15.5 to 15.7 Volts and all the batteries are boiling. Now afterwards check your electrolyte levels and return the battery to service. As from Battery University...

Still expensive... Ugh. At least the ECM/PCM combo is gone and only a single ECM.

After being up on that roof and shoveling 4 foot of snow off a house I just started thinking about how that felt on me and though about you and your knee injury. Yeah I got a caring heart and tend to watch out for others.

It won't. Being if the hot battery was being monitor now the charge voltage would of drop super low and undercharged the battery and being its a shorted cell it would of created less charging voltage and left with weak starting batteries. Battery temp sensor is ONLY for setting the charge voltage NOT to protect from runaway charging with bad batteries. Again it only sets the charging voltage base on battery temperature. It is not used as a fail safe to prevent boiling over a shorted cell battery. Again this system is design for maintaining proper voltage for charging based ON WEATHER. Cold winter days require more charging voltage to get the battery up to temp to charge properly. Then in hot summers reduce the battery temperature to prevent boiling over. The old Mopar External regulator was based on under hood temperature this was used from the early 60's to early 90's. These little regulator boxes where mounted in special location to detect under temperatures but the system was flawed and typically boiled batteries over and then in the summer when overheating the engine would under charge. This was updated in the modern system to detect only 1 battery being both battery are bound together. Being cell temperatures can vary from one battery to the other it up to the owner to replace batteries as a pair, inspect cables that have excessive voltage drop and test batteries separately. Again battery temperature sensor is NOT to protect against shorted cell batteries. Cell that shorted out is because the lead plate start to sulfate and the debris piles up in the bottom of the battery now shorting the cell plates out. Now if @JAG1was doing his equalizing charge on the batteries then the that sulfation would of been pull back into the plates and saved the batteries. It's not the temperature sensor job to do this either. Again it only sets the charge voltage to what the battery temperature is.

You 2k RPM pressure is TOO HIGH! The whole problem pressure go up with RPM. The return system is not designed for 20+ PSI inlet pressure. Hence why your fighting this. Then again you not going to gain anything on the return being there is no way to open the passage from the VP44 return port internally. Above 30 PSI you at risk fro blowing out the front seal which does happen quite a bit. Mine is fairly steady at 15 to 17 PSI over from idle to 3k RPM. So my return line is not over pressurized and fuel temps remain low. Mine has been like this for years. Like I know my pressure regulator spring is getting weak my pressure have been slipping slightly down in the loaded area. I'll be ordering a AirDog 17 PSI spring.

Be careful about you knees... Man after all you been through be careful.

Hence why most of my daily driver tunes have the wire tap set high like 15 PSI and up. This way your already built on boost before introducing more fuel. Then the middle of my current tune is all 100% fuel which works out really nice for daily driving being the middle of the map is flat and not climbing fuel amounts adding the entire way. So my surge of power is way up above 15 PSI and then the power is strong.

For me the yard is starting to empty out. I'm down to a couple of simple jobs today I need to change an oxygen sensor on a VW and then install a MAP sensor on a Chevy Suburban. I'm very happy to start seeing slower times once again. Like I tell @Wet Vette (Eileen) I need to go to Riggins and ***** myself out on the street corner. This sounds funny but its totally true. I can go to Riggins, ID park my truck on the side of the building with my logo facing the street. Now go to the Chevron store grab a Pepsi and go chat with Steve Crump. Within less than a hour typically I'll have a job either Steve doesn't want to mess with or someone spots my logo and pulls in with Cummins issues. I do a bit of chatting and explaining like always and I'm pretty sure I can be turning wrenches in a short time. Like my snow thread I want to change hats for a day talking to a few friends I got one friend that has his own business in McCall ID that he's a landscaper. During the winter does snow removal. I know shoveling snow is not easy but its nice to change jobs some days. I hooked up with my friend Sean Davis and haul to McCall in a snowstorm and shoveled a roof off in a mere 3 to 4 hours and made $100 for the job. Sad part was I got focused and forgot the photos... I was dragging tail by the time I was done.

Because these old dinosaurs are easier to work on than the new trucks and parts are cheaper. CR engine for a set of injectors right about $2,100 for stock injectors. I can buy a VP44 for half that price. Then injectors for us are quarter that price. Why do we want to pay for new technology that cost more to fix? I know I'm hypocrite now being I also own a 2006 Dodge ram now too and plan on dropping that same $2,100 on injectors too. Being I bought it cheap I could fix it up and use it for a time and them trade for something else I find.

First of return pressure isn't a concern. The restriction is NOT the plumbing but the VP44. Look at the photo the return is the left side while supply is the right side. No matter what you do for the plumbing this restriction will always be in the pump and will not flow any more. My max fuel temp in the summer with temps between 110 to 115*F outside barely makes 130 to 140*F fuel temp for me. Still running fully stock return lines. The key for me is I do NOT draw from the basket where all the heat fuel is coming back to. I pull from the front side of the tank on a separate draw straw. For all you drawing from the sender basket remember the return from the rear of the heat is heating the fuel to near coolant temperatures and then return to the sender basket to be sent back to the VP44 preheated. Again where I draw away from the heated fuel and get cooler pump temperatures.

Agree... They do look good on 35 inch tires but rarely does anyone do the modification right. I'll give away a street racing secret. Take a truck like mine where the ratio is correct and sitting on 245's. (3.69:1 final ratio) Now go to big city and find a truck jack up with 35" to 37" tires (3.20 to 3.00 final ratio) and egg him on to race. The other truck ratio is too tall and they struggle to keep up with me. This typically because EGT's jump high really quick for them. Not to mention being high up in the air wind drag is a huge factor I've got less drag. I usually pull a good truck length on them. Being I've got all my low end power I can walk away and gain my lead right out of the hole. 99% of the time all they done was pull the stock wheels off and up sized to there new tire. Then added a leveling kit. No readjustment of thrust angle or caster angle. Then whine about how bad it steers now. Then complain about poor MPG, steering and suspension issues. Just like the 2005 sitting in my yard that @Blue-Top Steering just rebuilt the steering box and its on its way back. Now if was done right with adjustable track bar, adjustable lower control arms, then re-gear the tire for your tire size and reprogram the computer for revs per miles. But alas 99% of the time just wheel swap and hope for the best. Why not ask why I know how to rebuild 1960's to current sagnaw steering boxes? Because my first truck 1972 Dodge Power Wagon I done just like all you change the wheels and tires and went up a size. Ended up adding more stress for the steering box and was constantly rebuilding them even in my younger years for friends around me that drove Chevy's and Dodge's. Hence why I made the promise to my parent when I bought the 2002 I would never lift and run over sized tires. RIP Mom and Dad but I kept my promise. On that 1972 Dodge I broke wheel joints a bunch. Then wore out ball joints like candy. Steering boxes always leaked. Axle bearing failed more after the wheel and tire change which made me monthly task of repacking the bearings. Since I've never done all the lift and oversized tires to my current truck... I've never had any of the steering issues you boys do...

Correct. @Tractorman Battery temp sensor isn't design for detecting shorted cells. Only to set the maximum charge voltage. Colder the temperature the higher the level goes. The warmer the battery the lower it goes. I've seen from 13.2 to 14.8 volts as a range. Battery temp sensor will not protect anything. Even in @JAG1case there is no way to stop a shorted battery from getting hot and drawing more current. No matter what battery had the sensor the only thing is might of had a weak battery in the morning (sensing high battery temp) or in his case sensing the cooler battery and boil the electrolyte out of the shorted battery. Either way its not the battery temp sensor job it the owners job to replace the bad batteries (as a set) and then clean and test his terminals. Again battery temp sensor will not protect alternators or batteries just sets the voltage based on temperature.

Might check fuel temp in the summer below a 1/2 tank. Being you be re-pumping that hot return fuel from the head return.

Yup... I forgot about that and he did a good job of breaking that stud.

Absolutely correct do not stack tuners. This creates a headache and troubles adjusting around the other tuner.

Just buy the pump head. Easy to just replace and its the only wear item. Why replace the filter base and hoses?

Good way to break a stud. high chances of hot torque will make the studs fail... Again straight from ARP - DO NOT do a hot torque. Why would you want everything expanded and try to clamp the head tighter? Why not do it cold when everything is condensed and get a good clamp on the head as the engine warm up everything expands and tightens more.

I ran a Southbend Con OFE clutch for many years below 500 HP. Very good holding clutch. This time with the mods I've got I stepped up to the Dual Disc Valair Organic clutch. Again a good holding clutch but loud throw out bearing. Next clutch I will most likely swap back to Southbend...

No. Because as soon as you reset back to stock tune the setting is erased from the ABS computer. The only thing you get to keep is high idle. All other setting like speedo, tune etc is lost when returned back to stock. You be better off going to the dealer and having the ABS flashed once for shop hour and be done.

Lens is NOT the problem its the reflector. I've got a set of head light housing from Amazon clear lens but the reflector suxs for pattern. Now no matter what you do with housing and bulbs most of it is going to be crappy patterned hotspot on the highway and never be all that great. Like even on my 1996 Dodge I've got new housing and new LED bulbs they are bright but the pattern suxs. Great hotspot in the middle of the highway lane but no light to the edge of the road at all. If a deer jump up out of the ditch I'd never see it. HID's whole new world. The light is evenly cast over the full width of the highway plus another 20 to 30 feet pass the fog lines on both sides. The lens is what makes this all possible. I'm not using any huge bulbs either just the standard 4,000 lumen 5k bulb. On high beam I can light the top of pine tree that is 50 foot tall. Like I said you can play with housing and bulbs till the cows come home but you'll never come close to HID's quality of any sort. I've tried every from sport headlights with the relay mod, new headlight housing and LED bulbs. the HID's... Just no way to do cheap lighting.... Lo Beam HIDs, and PIAA LEDs on as well. Great cutoff and never in on coming eyes. Still a good reach without being to high in peoples eyes. Hi beam on the HID's being it was a short distance to the back drop it doesn't look too tall but out on the open road and looking out in the distance you can clearly see the tops of trees at 50 feet tall. You can see all the way to the curve...