Mopar1973Man

Congrads... It will make you feel better driving down the road looking at a full dash bezel and not a broken one.

After driving 30 miles highway speeds I measured 150*F in the reservoir. The hoses were hot but not enough to burn you but not enough to make me let go either.

Everyone knows I just did a coolant flush not to long ago and change my thermostat for the 190*F from NAPA. Come to find out the new thermostat tend to lean on the high side of the 190's. No problem. MPG numbers seemed good. I started to wonder about if I changed the thermostat from 190*F to 180*F if the IAT would follow? Guess what it does. Instead of the constant +40*F offset the 180*F makes roughly a +30*F offset with 80*F outside temp the IAT floated 105-110*F. If your looking for colder IAT temps then the thermostat will give you at least -10*F drop. This was only a 30 mile round trip to town. I'll leave it in and watch the IAT and ECT closely for the next few days. I'm going to bet I'm going to take an MPG hit because of thermodynamic and too much heat energy will be lost to the coolant being colder. We'll see, won't we? Here is some photos. Part number for NAPA. Old version of the 190*F thermostat versus the new version on the right.

Just like me driving up a narrow one lane forestry road and find out I've got to turn around in the road. You end up doing like a good 5 point forward and backup there is some time when that space is extremely limited and you have to force that steering from lock to lock without moving. Worse yet doing the same thing in an old school small parking lot with pavement and limited room to maneuver. I understand the purpose of tires sizes. Like walking in snow every step you make your foot will sink. Throw on a set of snowshoes and you can walk on top of the snow. This would be the same for mud or sand. Size does matter to the application and usage but there is an inherent risk of damage, being stuck from lack of traction/floatation or worse yet loss of control of the vehicle from too much floatation on icy roads.

Something to try @KATOOM ... Now go out in a paved parking lot. With shoes on foot flat on the ground. Now try to pivot your entire foot on the pavement. You'll most likely break your ankles trying. Now get up on the ball of your foot and pivot you can spin with ease. Size does matter to leverage force where looking at steering. This why it not suggested to have a quick ratio steering back with any tire above 265's because it will kill the steering gear quickly as it will be the weak link like your ankles will be. Being it takes more pressure to twist the large tire hence fluid temperatures are higher. Again a tidbit of science. Just for fun I'll make a lap to town and back today and measure the fluid temp for you.

No it won't... We've got a solution for that too... AC noise will need to be check and fixed but we have a solution to prevent future damage to the computers. Or the simple version...

LMAO... I'm not going that extreme. I don't think that little tire could hold the torque. My selection on size is more based on final gear ratio and face width for the amount of power I'm putting out. Realizing if I go down 1 inch of tire size and gaining nearly 3.73 gear (3.69:1 ratio) this means I've got to keep some width for traction purpose. Hence why I'm looking at the 245's for the Cummins and the half-ton got the 215's being its fraction of the power and fraction of the weight (5,500 pounds). I'm actually applying a bit of science and calculation to the choice. Like the brakes and power steering life span. I'm more in the science of it, not the cool factor. Leverage is still leverage and work is work. Work always creates heat.

Actually be careful... The external regulator is sensitive to under hood temperature. If mount in an area too cold will cause it to overcharge. Then if mount to close to like the turbo the excessive heat will make it undercharge. I've had this discussion with a local tech and found an article dating back to the 1968 realm where Mopar admitted that the external regulator will change the voltage between 13.2 to 14.8 as well based on underhood temperatures. Hence why this system was ditched and the PCM controlled regulator came into existence. Now we can measure the battery temperature and regulate the voltage based on battery temperature and not under hood temperature which can swing pretty wide.

I understand what you're saying. My monthly expenses here would shock most people and how little it actually cost to live where I do. Like with Moparmom doing dialysis in Ontario I've had people ask why don't I sell out place and move to Ontario, OR. Fat chance... I've only got few bills here and the cost of living in Ontario is nearly triple what it cost me now. (Rent, wtaer, sewer, power, phone, internet, trash, etc.) I generate a percentage of my own power. Water is pumped from my own yard. Sewer is a septic tank. Trash I haul myself to the dump. Phone and internet are a package deal. No rent I own the property. Why give this up? Right!

Final gear ratio to the ground makes a huge difference in pulling power. 4.88:1 ratio I'm curious of what size tires are on the truck as well. Funny how on the truck side everyone whines about the 4.10 gears but now the cab and chassis Dodge with 4.88 gears are more likable. Higher gear ratios might make them bit more short legged but the pulling power is surprising better in the 2k RPM realm.

4 to 5 foot frost line. My power steering whines in the dead cold start. Even my 46RE in the half ton whines in the cold on initial start up. LOL. I'm going to clear over 200k miles on brakes. Then I dropped the 265's long ago for the 235's made huge saving fuel wise, ball joint wise, tie rod wise and even track bar wise. Just that small width change of the tires extended the life of everything. Even reduced the temperature of the power steering fluid. Now the change to 245's is going to change slightly wider at 10mm 0.3 inches thne 1 full inch smaller. Will it have an impact? Sure it will. Being I've managed to get all front parts and brakes to outlive the average seen on the Internet. Kind of like the switch to 215's on the 96 Dodge already made a +2 MPG gain on that truck from the 235's I had!

Quadzilla if fair cheaper than the Smarty UDC Pro. Then Quadzilla provides way more power over the Smarty UDC Pro.

Sounds like an oxymoron...

Ummm... Then the whole idea of me power washing the engine every week must really be bad. I spray it down with concentrate engine degreaser let it soak a bit. Then wash down the entire engine with 3,000 PSI power washer from top to bottom. I seriously doubt there is any harm to lose those foam corners. I've lost both on the 96 Dodge no ill effect from it or the power washing. Then on 2002 I kept them both and re-glued with silicone. Still power wash that engine all the time.

Naw that's what I was quoted for the used one I could find. That why I researched rebuilding. Out here Dodge Cummins truck are sold before they even hit the dirt of a salvage yard. Very difficult to get salvage anything Cummins. Dodge gasser are not better but still tough. I seen a great bench seat 2nd Gen. Shocked at the 450 price and it was sold. Dang...

Haha... Another California reject. So am I. I was born and raised in Los Angeles area (Mission Hills, CA to be exact). Enjoy your new life out there and enjoy working on your truck we'll help you get the stuff done...

So I've got to take a whooping for that...

While your all worrying about temperatures of the power steering I look at something a bit different. First off @dripley at 451k miles and still got the stock power steering pump as well as myself at 354k miles and still no issues. Then here in about 2 months, there will be snow on the ground for me. My mornings are starting now at 45*F and getting colder. By the time I get to full winter swing, I can see temps as low as -30*F for the months of December or January. I'll keep doing power steering flushes and changing the fluid. Here in the next week I should have my new 245's on the truck and reduce a bit more steering heat from the system with smaller tires. I'll measure my power steering fluid this winter we'll talk another story.

Ummm... I don't like crimps. I would rather solder and shrink wrap the ends. Like that will never slip out that ring being it soldered together now. How about the grounds? Those are not going to slip out of that ring terminal. Again soldered together. PS: Don't look at the wiretap with crimp terminals...

Not Salvaged no. Too risky. I live way out in the middle of nowhere. Give you an idea it's 125 miles to a WalMart for me. 35 miles to just a NAPA parts store. Post Office is 20 miles. Then getting to a Bank can be 125 mile trip too. Everything I do is about 100-mile drive. So when I research rebuilder like Module Master with a five-year warranty for a mere $130 dollars you'd be foolish to buy a salvage one. When I was at that point the closest ABS module was in Colorado and was priced at $500 and unknown if it would work. No returns on electronic devices on salvage. So would you buy a salvage $500 ABS computer or get you rebuilt with a 5-year warranty for $130??? I think its a no brainer. PS: I almost forgot... There is a CCD Network difference over the years. So you have to have the right year module to work correctly.

The biggest thing about a Smarty S-03 is basically everything is above stock fuel map. So if you already have large injectors like myself there is no way to defuel below stock levels to control launching smoke or pre-boost smoke. This is where the Quadzilla really shines you can go below ECM fuel map level to hold the fuel back long enough to spool cleanly and then pour the fuel on after the turbo spooled a good 10 PSI or so without flooding the highway with smoke. Also, take note to @Me78569 data map that you're at 100% CANBus fuel by 30% to 35% throttle. This makes controlling smoke rather difficult. As you'll see I'm starting with only 80% CANBus fuel max. Something Smarty S-03 can't do...

In all that said... 90% of the people here set their cruise control for 65, 75, or 85 MPH and not think about it. The daily driver there is next to zero gain to be had with exhaust or intakes for a daily driver. Yeah, if you jumped on a dyno or raced quarter mile now these little tidbits will add up to little off your quarter mile time or just a few extra HP/TQ in the curve. Still, in all majority of the people on this website drive their truck to and from work and haul trailers up and down the highway. I've learned long ago not to bite the hype of performance this or performance that because those number only applied to someone that was WOT all the time. Now the daily driver whole different story and different factual numbers come from them.

Why chance it with used junk. Why not just get it rebuilt for $130... https://modulemaster.com/rebuilds/shop/brakes/abs-modules/abs-kh-dodge/

ABS computer issues most likely? CCD network delivers the speed signal directly to the cluster. PCM is not the handler for speed signal.

That's a project I've got to do in the near future before winter hit and lube the slide pins and check the piston operation. I've replaced my rear calipers last winter because of a weeping brake fluid issue past the piston seals. Not to mention the rust really took hold on the rear calipers. Might have to check mine on the way home with a seat of the pants feel with my finger test for warmth or dragging issues. Might be a good idea with all the miles I put down.