Mopar1973Man

Well Gang... I broke out of the house hitch up the RV and hauled to St. Maries and back again. Little bit of adventuring and enjoying the travelling and seeing different things. The entire trip was done boondocking style no RV parks and no hook ups. The first night we found our home just about 15 miles south of St. Maries on Highway 3. The first thing that was brought to my attention is I lost a house battery after almost 6 years. The power just wasn't lasting as long as it should and dipping low enough to trip the fridge DC LO warning. So stopped in St. Maries and had the batteries load tested 1 failed. So not going to argue about it just replace both. I have no idea of the usage of the batteries that came with the RV. So we continued on and wondered the back roads like Highway 3 ,6 ,8 and a few others. On the second day we wondered back to Twin Bridges just south of Whitebird, ID and camped. Now that was a hot spot to be 9pm at night and the temp was still 90*F outside. Good ol' MoparMom was to busy making the dinner salad with her home grown tomatoes to even smile for the camera. Nice to have 120 VAC power without the noise of generator and watch a few DVD movies at night. So we slept with the door open and about 2am I woke up to close the door. Talk about dark out. Beautiful to look up and see the dim light from the stars in the havens above. So this morning we got up had coffee and packed the last little bit home. But we are both sold more so on the boondocking and realize we need to some of the gear we have on board the RV for this kind of camping. Second night was much better power wise with fresh batteries. Now this morning I find that there is a propane soot smell in the air and now need to look at the burner tube for the fridge. Most likely got a spider nest or something going on.

I just took a look at the Alcoa wheel they are pretty cool looking but $262 per wheel can be rather expensive. So I'd say you got a screaming deal at $400...

Don't even go there. I should write "Got Soot?" on the bumper corner chrome and take a picture...

Don't push your luck... Eventually the pockets will become empty.

Our engine will burn engine oil like 10w-30 or 15w-40. But the problem is ash. Now if you follow oil talk threads you'll find all engine oil today has things like zinc and other soft metals added to the oil. This is ash. So this why the 2 cycle oil theory got started because the ash was piling up in the piston bowl as well as injector tips. Being that most all 2 cycle oil today is ASHLESS its a safe diesel fuel lubricant.

LOL... You might want to look under my truck. I still got a nearly brand new Mitchlin tire under mine. I've only used it 3 times and maybe 100 miles total. I'm guilt of the tire offset spare wise too. I've got a 265/75 R16 spare and running 235/85 R16 tires. So that 1 rev per mile difference. Here soon I'll pull that spare and replace it with a used 235.

2 Cycle oil is safe for all Cummins diesels from 1989 to 2007. As for Optilube its a good product which tested out good for lubricity score. So really there is no real worry about either product. To me the fact of mail ordering a product just for one vehicle when I can stop at the local fuel station and get a quart of 2 cycle oil easy. Why? Being I do run chainsaws and weedwackers most of the summer.

I would imagine that cetane boosters would aid in cleaning up the smoke. Very true. You need to show readiness for OBD testing. I know my ScanGauge II shows this information during code scanning with either NOT READY or READY. Each vehicle might be a bit different in getting a READY status. Another way is to hitch up a trailer and get some nice and hot pyrometer temperatures going to cook the exhaust system clean also cook the injectors clean as well. Might help clean up some of the smoking issues.

From what I understand about the conversion you need... Rotors, wheels, tires, calipers, caliper mounts and the new pads. But I've never done one nor do I have a write up on it.

The only non-Cummins thermostat that I would even try is a NAPA which I've had really good luck with.

The only thing about Optilube I'm not happy with is it increases cetane and reduces BTU. Also its not locally available and requires to be shipped UPS ground which adds cost to it.

The biggest thing is the visual inspection looking for modification. Loooking for wire taps, other plug in mods like my high idle and MPG fooler would cause a fail. So the first thing is to make the truck visually stock looking. This means in the cab too. So if you got a Edge Juice module hanging on the A-pillar you most likely going to fail. You might want to also check for any existing error codes even if the check engine light is OFF. There is some code that will not trip a light but might impact the ability of making a passing grade. This doesn't mean erasing the codes and hoping they stay away. This means reading the codes writing them down. Then erase the codes. Then go for a nice 10-20 mile ride to get full warmed up and allow the truck go through cycle. Then check the codes again and deal with the second set if any. The first set will give you a clue to intermittent issues that might still give problems later. But be sure that all codes are clear and repaired before testing. Might be also a good thing to do a tune up fo changing fuel and air filters. It couldn't hurt.

I guess that might not even hit the classified ads...

Be careful with the Edge EZ they are known to leak water inside the case of the unit and eat the circuit board. The only difference between the Edge Comp and Edge EZ is the Edge Comp is mounted inside the cab also has 1 extra wire (pump tap). Now if you want to tap the pump you can do this with a Stealth Plate. This makes it super easy for smog time take 5 screws out remove the plate and put the stock cover back on. No wire tap. Edge Comp will give in the cab control where the Edge EZ has jumper in the box. Both Edge Comp and EZ both hook to the MAP sensor and the CANBUS. But the Edge Comp will give 25 different setting for smoke control and fuel/timing vs. only 3 setting of the EZ. Edge EZ setting... As you can see you have to remove the end cap to set it. http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/pics/data/500/22074EZ_jumpers.jpg Edge Comp in the cab adjustment.

Agreed 180*F is too cold. Should be 190*F thermostat. Also like Bill said how about the face of the radiator? I just had a Ford truck here that had really poor A/C cooling. After taking the time and blowing all the bugs out with a 3,000 PSI power washer the A/C is super cold now. You might have the same issue just packed with dirt and bugs. Might have to pull the radiator to get a good cleaning.

Lets say I found out how different size tire can rip apart a 1972 dodge Power Wagon front axle. Very costly mistake... If the 2 tire sizes are on a differential axle there will be damage. But if its a solid axle or front axle of 2WD then your safe. Well kind of... It still not suggested because the steering will be affected.

Ok. So how am I doing on the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500? It's a 46RE automatic with 3.55 gears? Still go up and down the same roads with it too without eating brake pads up. Now you really got to think harder... When I bought that truck back in 2001 used I've never done a brake job yet. So that includes hauling trailers and firewood too with that truck.

I still kind of chuckle with these brake upgrades. There is a trade off for gaining the braking power which in turn add cost to operation of the truck. 17" tires are typically more expensive than any 16" tire. Then the brake pads themselves aren't much different in price. Considering I'm closing in on 1/4 of million miles and only done 1 brake job so far and travel mountain road with grades that do exceed 16%. I even visit the big cities of Ontario Oregon, Boise Idaho and Lewiston Idaho. So it not like I never see stop and go traffic either. But I will say a exhaust brake is a better upgrade than 3rd Gen brakes IMHO...

Strange... You might want to help out Pepsi71Ocean on how to get better than 16 MPG with Smarty. He calls here now and then and the same story poor fuel mileage with that Smarty no matter what setting he using. Just rolled home after a 100 mile trip today and made 21 MPG so far cruise set for 60 MPH most of it.

... but Edge timing curves are better for efficiency and MPG numbers. That is something that drives me crazy not being able to see timing on these engines.

That's nothing wait till JAG1 asks, "What's this bolt for?" then proceeds to drop it right down the intercooler tube. That cost him a second beer at that rate.

Bill gets the prize!

Sound like you are making a donation eh?

You'll need all 5 wheels to be 17" wheels. There is no way to use a 16" wheel once the brake upgrade is done. Personally I would not mix and match tires sizes on a differential axle because even small difference will put much more work on the spider gears.

1989 to 2002 is strictly Power Steering Fluid. 2003 and up is strictly ATF+4. Don't use ATF in out systems it will cause leaks and seal problems. As for fluid additives none are needed. Just need to change the fluid every 30k miles. I'm at 247k miles now still leak free on the gear box.