Zach B

Sweet, good to know. Gonna get the timbo apps here soon after I buy tires and then move onto the Quadzilla. Thanks again or the help everyone, it’s very appreciated

Well it’s been a few days since my last post here, wanted to update y’all with my findings. I got my new batteries in the truck, cleaned all connections and all grounds I could get to. Tested for AC noise after letting the truck warm up for awhile just to make sure the batteries were charged fully. I used my Fluke meter and measured the average, low and high over a 5 minute interval (yes, I stood there and held the leads on for 5 minutes.) Numbers I got was an average of .023V over the 5 minute period, and the highest amount of voltage it saw over that 5 minute period was .035V Are these acceptable numbers or should I try to get them even lower? I’m pretty sure at this point the only thing I could try to do is replace the cables, every other thing that has been known to help is done. I even have newer copper lugs on the ends of the factory cables with the military style terminals and they’ve all been heat shrunk to seal the cable. What’s your thoughts?

Good thing I’ve never seen the trans temp light then, that is very hot for a trans. I was trying to figure out what kind of mount I would run for my phone. I have an old phone I thought of using as my Quadzilla monitor and control, that way I can have the quad pulled up all the time on it and have my current phone free for use. I wish they made a phone mount that went into one of the 2-1/16 holes for a triple pillar, that way I could put my phone in the bottom hole and my 2 extra pod gauges I wanna run in the holes above. I’ll do some looking around and come up with something. I honestly cannot tell you what my final drive ratio is, never looked into that. I have a 3.55 gear ratio in the truck, that’s what is on my sticker under the hood. In the summer I run 33inch tires on my nice wheels, in the winter I run stock size winter tires on stock wheels (I believe 245/65, not positive) Yes I did know this about injectors giving a bit of timing advance as they wear out due to needing less pressure to pop. Pry would be a good idea to replace them someday since the truck has 320k but it still runs good so I’ll let it slide. It may see some bigger ones in the near future anyways. Truck runs around 100-120 IAT in summer whenever I’m looking at it on my obd2 scanner, here recently it’s been lucky to get above 70 when the engine is at operating temp due to the extreme cold and highway speeds in the morning. I always thought colder air was better (to an extent) cause it was denser and shows to improve performance. Must just be a naturally aspirated gasoline thing then. I’ll do some testing and customize a piece of cardboard for ideal IAT temps. Glad you mentioned cooling system and water temp, that is a concern I have. Person who owned the truck before me obviously ran well water or something in the cooling system. It was all brown and nasty, as well as tons of buildup in the radiator looking down in. When I say it was bad, I mean it was bad. Ended up replacing the radiator and doing a few flushes and haven’t ever had overheating issues, but I can only imagine my heater core, heat exchanger, and oil cooler look the exact same way inside as that radiator. Almost wonder if I should replace the heat exchanger and oil cooler just to ensure it’s actually cooling the oil efficiently which would help both trans and oil temp come down. I’m also convinced that’s the reason I don’t get good heat in the winter cause my heater core is also plugged up and not transferring heat as well as it should. Sorry I don’t know how to quote multiple things in one reply. Would probably be easier if I was on a computer too

Good info to know about the engine load, mine is stock and hangs right around 7-8% at idle. Good to know as engine load goes down my injector life is getting shorter. Didn’t know the temp sensors were universal between oil and trans, good to know though. I thought the truck had a trans temp sensor already, I do have a light for it but I’ve never seen it on. My plan was to run some pillar gauges (I like the Power Driven Diesel ones) for what things I can’t get on the Quadzilla like transmission line pressure. I rebuilt my trans myself so it’d be nice to be able to continually monitor the health of it that way. Not surprised the stock map doesn’t read well above 25, it was never designed for that much boost. Good to know what kind of numbers you’re seeing on the Quad versus your issue Gauges. I probably won’t run dual sets of gauges right away, I’d rather put gauges the Quad doesn’t provide in the pillar mount. I’ll just keep in mind what you said about the difference in readings. I did end up painting all my grounds yesterday, so that’s taken care of. Also got results from ripple testing my alternator and load testing my batteries. Alternator tested completely fine, guy said ripple stayed in the green the entire test at max load but he didn’t give me any numbers. Battery load test revealed my driver side battery was completely shot, had zero cranking amps. Passenger side battery had very good health, measured 798 out of rated 810CCA. Bought two new batteries just cause, I’ll be putting them on tomorrow and hopefully my AC noise is down to the numbers you guys are seeing on your trucks. After that I should be all good to go with no more electrical issues and ready to move on to the quadzilla. I wish there was a way to test ECM health and if it’s working correctly, but oh well. Only thing that would have me thinking it’s not healthy is it gets a delayed WTS light about half the time you turn the key, other half the time it comes on immediately. Thanks for the good advice and tips, if you have any other words of wisdom please send them my way!

Sorry to hear about the cancer, hope treatment is going well for you and you’re getting back to good health. I will just plan on getting the Timbo apps then, sounds like a good upgrade even if you aren’t having issues. I am not 100% positive the alternator is working correctly, I am taking it to get ripple tested tomorrow. Found someone locally to do it. I am load testing the batteries tomorrow also, they both read the same voltage at 12.26v (yes, I unhooked them lol) but figured a load test wouldn’t hurt, they are pretty old. I’ll report my findings and see what you and others think of my results. I will have to repaint some grounds, wasn’t sure if the paint or rust would be a better option, but I’ll get the trusty rattle can out and get to spraying. Previous owner ground all the paint off and I never addressed it. Alright, now to the Quadzilla. So I know that I can see live data from the Cummins Canbus connector, is that different than the live data I can see from my obd2 port scanner? I have a obd2 scanner (brand is BlueDriver Pro) and I can read live data on everything you listed that the Quadzilla can read, ECT, IAT, APPS, and MAP. Those all read normal from my scanner except the apps which has been discussed. I can also see live engine load and rpm, but I have no idea how to interpret the engine load for the injector in life span. So technically I should be able to use that data I have from my scanner to determine engine health and if I’m getting excessive heat the same way the Quadzilla would, correct? Only thing I can’t read that you listed is my engine oil temp and egt. I don’t have any aftermarket gauges, my plan was to use the Quadzilla for the extras I wanted like EGT, trans temp, etc. I also recall reading that the Quad gauges aren’t as accurate as your analog pillar gauges?? I just hate to spend the money on the Quadzilla before spending money to fix any issues that would keep the Qaadzilla from maximizing its potential. I’m still not convinced my ecm is 100% healthy but I don’t think there’s a way to figure that out other than trying to make sure my electrical system is in good shape and then replacing/rebuilding the ECM.

Copy, I’ll do some looking around and find somewhere locally I can get it tested, hopefully that’s the issue so I am replace and be done with chasing issues and move on to buying a Quadzilla

I would agree with you, theres a good chance she is worn out. I will head to the store and see if I can pick one up, I had no idea he had a store with this website too. Learn something new every day lol. I'll look for a thread on APPS replacement here for when I pick up a new apps, that way I can make sure its installed right and I'm not losing any power from an incorrect install. I think I've hit all the mods for charging/PCM/ECM systems but I'm honestly not sure. I've done the ones I know of which is everything I listed in the first post but is there any I'm missing? Only issue I've had since doing the W/T mod and other mods I listed was the occasional converter lock/unlock, but its so few and far between it didn't really concern me. Before the mod I couldn't go anywhere without it doing it, but now sometimes it'll do it 2 or 3 times while driving and then be done. Other times it will be a tad bit more persistent but eventually stops. Probably related to my AC voltage still averaging in the .035V range at idle, which would be more at highway speed and cause it to still give me that occasional lock/unlock correct? That was the plan was to test batteries and alternator at the same time. I know where to take the batteries to be load tested but I need to figure out where to take my alternator for a bench test here locally. When its bench tested will they test full load AC ripple or do I have to specifically ask for that? I've never had one done before so not sure if the AC ripple is always tested or if that's something that only certain places can/will do.

Alright ill find where I can go get my alternator bench tested around my area and see if they can tell me what its getting for full load AC ripple. Like I said, I rebuilt the alternator with a new rectifier (from amazon so take that for what it is) and brushes and bearings from genos garage. I would think it'd be okay after that but who knows. As far as batteries go, they are pretty old, I think 7 years. I've never had them tested, but the truck never has issues starting, always starts right up no matter how long it sits and whenever I have the terminals unhooked and test them with the multimeter they always read good voltage. I know that isn't a load test, but they haven't given me any bad battery symptoms yet. I'd rather not replace the batteries if I don't have too but if I need to get that AC noise down Ill get them load tested and see what story it tells. As far as my APPS reading I mentioned in the original post, is that most likely related to the AC noise or is that a seperate issue, like a bad APPS? As far as I know the apps sensor is original (320k miles.) I have tried "relearning" the APPS before by unhooking batteries and leaving key on for a few hours, and it always goes back to reading 0-100% for the throttle position. After some time though it usually goes back to reading 7-8% at idle and 71-73% at WOT. I don't feel a difference in WOT engine performance when its reading 100% versus the 73%, but maybe its such a small difference I just cant feel it.

Hey all, hope some of you who know these trucks better than I do can help me out here. So I've gotten to the point I believe the truck is running the way it should and I am ready to buy the Quadzilla for it, but I wanted to pick your brains here just to see if I missed anything or if there's other things I can check. My main goal is to have the truck running 100% correctly stock before adding the tuner so that way I can maximize the potential of the tuner. I didn't want to throw the tuner on when the truck isn't running to its full potential in stock form. The truck is mechanically running perfect, what I'm looking for is things to test and check electrical wise. I'll list what I have already done to the truck electrical wise and you can let me know what all I have missed and need to do. Ecm has been replaced with a good running one, no codes (came from 99 auto, mine is 98 auto) WT Ground Wire Mod (AC noise averages around .03-.035 at idle which seems a tad bit high) New Rectifier and brushes in Alternator PCM protection Mod New Battery Cable terminals, copper lugs crimped and heat shrunk for weathertight seal Cleaned all block and chassis grounds running from batteries I think the only thing I have never messed with is the apps sensor, never tested or adjusted it. My throttle position never reads 0% at idle, usually reads 7-8% and at full throttle sometimes reads 73% and other times 100%. Not really sure what the deal is there. Otherwise, I believe I have hit it all. The AC noise seems higher than most people I've read about but not sure how to get it down any further since I've done all the mods. Very rarely the Converter will jump in and out of lockup, not sure if that could be related to my AC noise being in the .03 range. After reading everything I've done does anyone have any input, suggestions, or ideas on anything else I should check or test so I can ensure my truck is running to its full potential stock? Hopefully I'm all good to go, but if anyone has anything I should do or I have missed please let me know, I'm not looking to band aid an underpowered truck from electrical issues with a tuner.

Yes you’re correct, I did have some noise and slight vibration when I installed the pump. I continued to drive the truck and it went away and never came back, until now. Prior to installing the new pump the only time it had vibration and noise was last winter when it got cold, but the noise and vibration was much much worse than the little bit I had when the new pump was installed. Ive since topped the fluid off when I noticed the leak, did the bleed procedure and the vibration went away. I cleaned off the gearbox, lines and anything down there that had oil on it and have driven the truck for a couple days and it’s still as dry as can be, and the fluid level hasn’t dropped. I’ll order a seal kit and go ahead and install it, hopefully that prevents any problem from coming back

Yes I believe you are correct, it did appear the leak was coming from the output shaft of the gearbox Driving the truck it didn’t feel like the box was binding, really didn’t feel any different than before. Either way it shouldn’t be that far off from where it was because I only ran the screw in half a turn before it stopped, then backed it out the 3/4 turn since it wouldn’t let me go any further, even with hitting up on the output shaft. Any idea why that happened? If it’s as easy as you say it is I’ll go ahead and find a rebuild kit, anywhere you recommend getting it from? Also, I don’t have the dodge FSM for my truck, is there anywhere I can find directions for the box rebuild that includes specs? I want to do it once and have it work right. Also, any clues as to what’s causing the bad vibration and whine in the pedal and steering when it’s cold? It did the same thing occasionally last winter, but then other days it would be fine. The pump is new, so could it be something in my hydroboost? I don’t believe there’s anything in my gearbox that would cause that but I could be wrong

I know it’s been awhile since this thread has been posted in, but I didn’t want to make another one when I could kinda pickup where I left off here now that I have another issue. Moparman, I did try your adjusting procedure. I could not get the adjustment screw to turn in more than a 1/2 turn, or move out more than 3/4. I was tapping the shaft up and that did nothing, still stuck at 3/4 turn out so I said forget it. My new issue is now that cold weather has arrived my PS system is acting up. The last two times I started the truck cold, the steering has whined and vibrated very bad whenever I would push the brake pedal or turn. After the truck got up to operating temp it got better, but never left. I checked fluid level, it was where it should be. Tried bleeding procedure again, no bubbles. Today I notice my steering gearbox is leaking quite a bit. I was in a tight spot and had to make a 6 or 7 point turn and saw a trail of fluid on the ground which ended up being from my gearbox. Question is, could my vibration be from the steering box leaking/being bad? Or is it possible something else in the system is not operating correctly when it’s cold and it caused the seal to blow out of my gearbox? Also, is it possible for the average guy to locate a kit and rebuild this gearbox, or is it best to just buy one? Only reason I am considering rebuilding is because I cannot afford a Blue or redtop box right now, I’ve been getting hit pretty hard with unplanned expenses this whole month. If it is not recommended to rebuild on my own, I know they aren’t great but has anyone had any experience with a parts store reman gearbox (Cardone from advanced auto is what I was looking at). Sorry to open up this thread again, just stuck in a hard spot with this being my only vehicle

so it’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted in this thread. I ended up going on an long trip and just got back, so today I attempted to adjust the gearbox and it didn’t go as planned. I loosened the nut on the adjustment screw and backed it off plenty while holding the adjustment screw in place so I could run the adjustment screw all the way in. I then took my Allen wrench and went to run the adjustment crew in (clockwise) to bottom and got maybe a 1/2 turn before it bottomed out. I tried to go a little further in case it hit a tough spot on the threads but was afraid to break something because it felt like it was definitely bottomed out. So, I then went to run the screw out (counter clockwise) and only got maybe 3/4 of a turn before it stopped and cannot be turned out any further. I’ve tried working it back and forth thinking threads may be dirty with no luck. I also hit up on the output shaft to see if that was the reason the screw wouldn’t turn anymore but had no luck. Anyone know why this is or if it’s something I’m doing wrong? I figured it would take more than 1/2 a turn to run the screw in, but even if that’s all it took I can’t run it out the 2 turns like what was recommended by moparman. Not really sure where to go from here, anyone have ideas?

Makes much more sense now with the explanation to what I’m trying to achieve by adjusting the gearbox and the visual. Thank you for that

Okay, I’m a little confused so just to confirm I’m reading everything right about the adjustment: First loosen Jamnut on Allen screw. Then, run Allen screw in all the way then back out 1.5-2 turns. After the adjustment I am to hit on the output shaft of the gearbox where the pitman arm mounts with a soft hammer in the direction of the gearbox, correct? Only part I’m a little unsure about is the hitting with the hammer. So I’m to hit the shaft with the hammer if the Allen screw won’t move and that will help. But either way I am to hit it after I adjust the screw to where I want it, correct? Also, should adjustment be made with front tires off the ground to take load off of steering components or does it not matter

Thank you. I’ll adjust it and hopefully it makes a difference.

Well I won’t be getting a quick ratio because I’m running 33x12.50 tires, I’ll never go any bigger though. Thanks for all the help with my steering system, I think I’ll just hold off on rebuilding the gearbox until it becomes a problem. I may still try to look up the correct way to adjust it, couldn’t hurt right? Like I said, it doesn’t make noise or vibrate all the time, just periodically so I’m not super worried yet. It’s just one thing after another with these trucks, but we continue to own them and care for them lol. Someday, I’ll get to the point where I’ve taken care of every issue and she’s just like a new truck again!

Dang, not what I wanted to hear. I wouldn’t think it’s a regulator in the pump dumping pressure because the steering is great, if it was dumping pressure I’d think my steering would suffer from low pressure. Is there any way to get to the valves in the gear box to inspect/clean if necessary, or possibly replace? Or would I just need to go with a new steering box. I have considered adjusting the steering box, haven’t gotten that far yet though. I’d have to look up the correct procedure for a proper adjustment

I have checked for fluid foaming and bubbles a couple times now and havent been able to see any. Ive repeated the bleeding procedure a couple times thinking there may be air in the system somewhere. Each time, I had a helper turn the wheel for me and I watched the fluid in the reservoir and I can see that I have fluid flow, but I'm not getting any bubbles or foam in the fluid. Maybe I'll try bleeding it again, but I think it should be good as the fluid level hasn't changed at all since I put the pump on and bled it the first time. Since then, I've put about 600 miles on it.

Thanks for explaining the procedure for a flush. Somewhere, I don't remember where, I remember it saying you want to remove both return lines and start the vehicle. Obviously I found out quickly this is not the way to do it when it sucked all my fluid down. I ended up doing the procedure exactly as you described and it worked much, much better. I ended up not taking the old pump apart to see why the pressure relief valve stuck, I really didn't feel like messing with it when I had a new pump sitting on the bench. I put the new one on with the stock fitting, not the drilled one, and it works great. Turns on a dime and the brakes feel better. Must have just been a combination of the old fluid and a worn out pump making it so hard to turn. I still have the drilled "hot rod" fitting in case I want it, but I'm more than happy with the way it turns now so I don't anticipate myself swapping them out. Only complaint with the new pump is it makes a little bit of noise, not much, and sometimes I can feel a slight vibration in the brake pedal whenever I can hear the pump noise. Going to assume that's just what I get when buying a $65 reman pump from Advanced Auto to get me out of a pinch. Next one will be of higher quality, I promise.

Who knows, I thought I was pretty careful with it and I chamfered holes I drilled to prevent any burrs but it’s still possible. I have not removed the case and taken a look the pump, I was not familiar with these at all so I wasn’t going to attempt. I’ll take a look at that video though. I already have the new pump bolted to the vacuum pump, just debating wether to use the drilled fitting I have or keep the stock one. What would you do based on your experience?

Well, you found my problem for me. I tried bleeding the system some more with no luck. It was odd, my steering would work intermittently and the fluid level dropped quite a bit once, so I assumed it was air in the system. After bleeding it went back to not working, my hydro boost cut out occasionally but steering was not working at all. I did pop both return lines off and had very good fluid flow from both (my truck has a nice coat of it underneath now). Also, I am 100% positive I have no leaks in the system as I keep the engine compartment and underside of the truck degreased and every now and then steam clean it, just so I can identify leaks. Pulled the fitting back out like you said, and the PRV was stuck in, it seems like it’s bottomed out. Only problem is, I can’t get it out. I pulled the vacuum pump off and put the whole unit on the bench. I tried a strong 25lb magnet that would fit in the hole and have had no luck, that thing will not move. Any idea as to why this happened? Would it be error on reassembly when I first did the hot rod pump mod, or is it just a fluke thing? Another question I have, is it possible the hot rod mod caused this? Reason I’m asking is I went ahead and got a new pump today, it by no means is a nice one (Advanced Auto Parts Cardone Unit with Lifetime Warranty) due to the fact I could get it for $68 from all my rewards points. I know it’s not a quality unit, and it kinda hurts me to put it on but being in a tight spot it will do. I would like to do the hot rod pump mod to this one as well, but now I’m hesitant because of my previous experience. I have an extra main fitting that I did the hot rod mod on from a pump I found at my buddy’s house, so I would not have to modify the fitting that came on the Cardone Unit. Thoughts on putting this fitting in for the hot rod pump, or just leave it alone and buy a hot rod pump when I can afford it? I am pretty positive I didn’t have an obstruction anywhere, I kept everything clean as possible and like I stated in my reply above to IB, I found the pressure relief valve was bottomed out and stuck. It’s still a possibility though, just not a likely one in my eyes especially now. Also, I refilled with Prestone fluid that said it met the MS5931 spec on the back of the bottle. I know it’s not the greatest stuff and I’d have liked synthetic, but I just wanted to change that fluid because of how dirty and old it was, but now here we are lol

Hey all, hoping I can get some advice or an answer from somebody who has had this problem or knows a lot more than I do. Last night, I decided to flush my power steering system because my steering never has been great and I’m also sure it’s never been done (truck has 320k miles). Before flushing, I did the DIY hot rod pump mod because after reading and seeing how much people liked it I figured I’d give it a try. I drilled the holes to the proper size and location on my Bridgeport and made sure they were exactly centered. I cleaned the relief valve and reinstalled it as well. Next, I did the flushing procedure as described in the Haynes manual, removed both return lines and routed them to a bucket, had a helper turn the wheel while I added fluid. I wasn’t expecting it at first, but when the truck was started I had fluid blowing out the return line from the hydroboost before the wheel was even turned, so the pump ran dry for a second or so cause I couldn’t catch up with the bottle of fluid in my hand. Nothing came out of the return from the gearbox. I decided it’d be best to try flushing with the truck off because I went through so much fluid before I even turned the wheels. Did the procedure with the truck off until clean fluid came out of the gearbox return hose. Reinstalled both return lines, topped it off and bled the system until all bubbles were gone and I just saw clean fluid. I could see the fluid moving in the reservoir so I knew the pump was working. Sorry for the long part about the work I did, wanted to make sure everyone knew what I did, now to the part I need help with. I set the truck down off the jackstands and backed out of the garage and man, that power steering worked great! Turned easier than it ever has before at an idle while not moving. Brakes felt better too just in the driveway. I was pretty excited and thought I finally did something good for the ol girl. So I took it for a drive to my buddy’s house 5 minutes up the road and pulling out of the driveway it all worked great, but by the time I got to his house I had no power steering or brakes at all. Driving down the road the steering felt real easy but I did notice I had a lot of feedback into the wheel from bumps I’d hit, which I never had before. Whenever I’d slow down to turn is when I noticed my steering and brakes were basically not there. I checked the fluid level, it was fine and tried bleeding it again and got no air bubbles for the 20 minutes we turned the wheel back and forth on the stands. With the truck back on the ground, the wheel still won’t turn all, but looking inside the reservoir with the cap off the fluid level does drop some when my buddy tried to turn the wheel, but would come right back up when he’d let go of the wheel and let it return to wherever it returned to. So does anyone have an idea of what may be going on who knows these systems more than I do? I find it odd that it did work, but then quit in the short 5 minute drive to my buddy’s house. My guess would be my pump is shot, as that fluid that came out was very black and the inside of my pump reservoir had a dirty looking thin film coating the entire inside. Is it possible I killed it when it ran dry for a second trying to flush it, or did I mess up the DIY hot rod pump mod? I wouldn’t think I messed up the pump mod, because if I had it wouldn’t have worked at all to begin with right? I hope one of you who’s either been through this or know more about these systems can give me an idea of where to look or what I need to be buying. My guess would be the pump, but before going out and buying one I’d like to hear anyone else’s ideas first as I’m not in a position to throw tons of money at it currently.

Sorry for replying to you so late, I took a two week vacation with the family and did not login here at all. I'm back now and ready to work on the second gen again lol. So I ended up buying the diode off amazon for $20, the exact brand and part number you showed me in a previous post. I installed it in the alternator with new brushes and bearings from genos garage. I did the AC noise test again and it did not drop my AC noise at all, it is still sitting right around .025v. I did notice though that it does not spike above .030v anymore, it stays consistent at the .025v range. From what I read from other post it should be much lower after the new diode, correct? Or would you say its safe to run and I can finally send my ECM out to be repaired without risk of damaging it once I get it back. Also, I did notice on my scanner that my APPS sensor is suddenly reading correctly from 0-100% unlike the 8-71% before. I did not do a reset or anything, all I did was change the diode in the alternator and do the WT ground wire mod. Thanks for all the help with this issue I've had, sorry it took me a few weeks to reply. Hopefully this will be my last time posting in this thread and I can get that ECM rebuilt!!

Thank you, the brand and part number is all I needed. I’ll do a quick search on Google and place an order! After replacing this, I should be good to send my ecm out for repair, correct? AC noise is down from .04 to .025 with the WT ground mod and I’ve done the PCM protection mod. Just doing this to try to bring it down more and ensure I have a good rectifier in it