Mace

That’s what I’ve done for a temp fix. The light is off. I found a used buckle online and am awaiting for it in the mail.

That’s unfortunate I’ve hadn’t had any honks and found that info about the foil wrap on other forums. I only have 1 wrap. I’ve noticed my fob doesn’t have the range it did before. Sorry bud I was hoping it was gonna work for you.

Well I think I’ll remove it and see if I can find a similar one from maybe a later model Ram and see if I can make it work. If I do I’ll post which one I used. Yes, it’s held on with 1 screw, easy. There’s a harness coming out of my latch on the driver buckle. 2 wire with a connector.

I’ve been killing some gremlins in my truck lately and this is the last one. I’ve had the 3 horn honk when unlocking the door with my fob for the last 15 years that I solved by wrapping the ctm in foil tape…this blows my mind. $6 from Home Depot. Unbelievable. The last is my driver side seatbelt latch switch is i think the issue. The dash light stays on but if I wiggle the latch just right it stays off. I think the switch contacts inside is worn out. Has anyone found a seatbelt latch that’ll work (they’re discontinued) or is the switch serviceable?

If you want to refill coolant properly use a vacuum tool such as Snap-On sells. If your cooling system is in a vacuum coolant will enter every crevice where the vacuum is, hence no air pockets. This is the only way we do it at Freightliner as air pockets can develop (such like in a egr cooler) that don’t necessarily burp out right away.

2nd Gen diesel trucks come with (2) Group 27 top post batteries from OEM. My 27’s at the time were 750 CCA.They work fine for most of our truck’s service life but if your like me and have a few extra electrical loads then moving up to commercial Group 31’s is an ideal modification. There is an article here about modifying the plastic OEM trays to accept 31’s but in my case after 25 years and weathering & fear of cracking I just wanted a new hassle free setup. The only company (so far) offering this is LRB Speed. They made them for the early 2nd gens (94-98.5) and they weren’t tested in the later ones. I rolled the dice and found they work fine with only minimum modification. They come unassembled so just follow the directions and rivet them together. They make them to accommodate the factory temp sensor & cruise servo for the L/H tray. I don’t have a cruise servo so this didn’t apply to me, the temp sensor bracket was a perfect fit for the sensor. The only mod I had to do was move the horns somewhere else as the R/H tray will contact them. So I moved them to a bracket that supports my Webasto coolant heater and simply extended & secured the factory wiring harness. The bottom of each tray mounts through the holes in the bottom of the fender. I drilled the tray holes bigger and installed 5/16” rivnuts instead of the smaller M8 ones they come with (for rigidity). I installed two standard/flooded 925 CCA top stud batteries with 190 minute reserve capacity. I put lug terminals on them so as to not have to modify my battery cables. Main reason I did this is my Webasto was starting to draw the 27’s down enough that I would get a no flame fault and it wouldn’t run in the cold mornings before I went to work. I run a Nations 180A alternator and with the W-T mod and upgraded battery cables completed a few years earlier I feel I have a very reliable setup now. View full Cummins article

You betcha!

I read an article here about modifying our existing battery trays to accommodate 31’s. I pondered it but I decided to go another, more expensive route for some reason. LRB Speed makes “put together yourself” aluminum ones for $400. I run 925 CCA Detroit Diesel batteries (from my work) and I’m pretty happy. They’re made well and even a proper spot for the temp sensor on the driver side tray. I had to relocate my horns but other then that they fit and lined up great. With my Nations 180 amp alternator I feel it’s a good combo. My old 27’s were 750 CCA if I remember correctly. This will help with running my Webasto coolant heater I have as well running in cold mornings. Enjoy!

I’m absolutely gonna get a air ride hitch and convert the trailer for gooseneck. When I do tow it I’m gonna convert the back to dually as it will put less stress on just two tires. That’s why I want 3 axle not 2. Distribute the weight better.

I think it’s 3k pin weight. I’ve seen one truck the same as mine (still a dually) do it from La to NC. It’s doable. I have a trailer brake controller, exhaust brake, 3rd gen brakes and a 6 spd. That’s just the trailer. I’ll never haul it loaded with water or anything. It’ll be overweight for sure but a Dana 80 can do it. That’s the only thing I think is somewhat weak on our trucks is the frame. If I could sit my cab on a F450 frame I’d be so happy.

I have the 6 spd so I’m not changing anything that way. I’m buying a new 3 axle toyhauler that’s about 44’ long and 16k lbs. I’m gonna buy some extended Synergy rear sway bar links and the Timbrens as well just to make it as bullet proof as possible. I actually ended up reusing the oem blocks so I could use Timbrens, the taper is too excessive and no matter how you install it the pinion angle is too far off. That’s a mistake on my end I though it would correct this. The oem blocks made everything perfect again. Most likely crack the frame but the springs should be fine :)

And this is why I went to a flange.

It’s time to “spring” into action! 8 leaf 4000 lb pack 2 leaf 1150 lb overloads New shackles (All from Rockauto) I used 4” blocks from ProForm Fabrication (they’re also tapered to get the pinion angle straight too). I didn’t want the *** end to sit up super duper high so to compensate for the thicker pack I used slightly shorter blocks (my oem blocks are 4.5” tall). Old leaf pack is 2” thick and the new ones are 3-9/16“. The bolt by the fuel tank is not really an issue. Just cut it off flush with the hanger and you can drive it all the way in without hitting the tank. You can fish it out with a magnet and then put the new bolt in from the outside. I used locally made 5/8” ubolts and my old Barnes4wd top plates to keep the flip. For the eyelets I used 5/8”x 5” fine thread bolts with stover nuts. Removed the old bump stops since they do nothing now. My truck is a 2001, so it’s time for new springs. I can’t use airbags because unless it’s the c&c kit my gooseneck hitch interferes with the mounting plates. Also the c&c kit sits on the oem block pedestals and I don’t have those anymore now. Next up: Rebuilt NV5600 & clutch from LRG. Enjoy!

Timbo is a repackaged Williams Control. WC 131973/133284 is what they actually are.