AGPTurbo

Just to follow up, I went ahead and called Cummins,$80 + dollars for a thermostat- no thanks. I got a good quality 190 Stant from advance for 20. Truck heats up faster, blows heat within a few minutes and seems happier after being plugged in. I did't test the old one but it looked original and was marked cal-therm. If it fails early I'll upgrade to the Cummins. Until then, I'm happy with the performance. Hope this helps someone. AP

Here! here!

Kotta390, I wish you luck, whatever you choose. I know I would try to mend it first and buy me time to save for a replacement- but, the reality is, all of the pampering and measuring and watching the gauges we do, really is a waste of time when something like this may be inevitable for all of our trucks, and a replacement motor can be had for $1000 bucks ( less than the VP pump!) AP

I'd start with something like this: http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/4282793601.html OR http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/4221676193.html OR https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/pts/4305807897.html These motors are a dime a dozen. The trucks they were put in die long before the motor (albeit your case) I'd still try to clean and fill with a metal epoxy- you might spend $30 on gaskets and coolant but who cares if it gets you through to the warmer months.

I work for a construction company and we have had great results with a product called mega stick. Its made by lawson industries and is like a jb weld. I think if you were to run a wire wheel over it this would get you down the road for a while. Im going out to look at mine! Ap

Got the new grid today from Bridgeway Cummins in Pittsburgh. Cummins # 3969987 $99.55, (great price) Also 2 metal style intake gaskets PN 3969988 , 4.42 ea. I couldn't get a replacement from Rock Auto under 115 plus shipping. Swapped out, works perfect. The old one had both grids hard shorted. I disassembled and all seemed normal, tested on the ground with jumper cables, did the same thing, hello scrap pile!. For the $99, I wouldn't waste my time with used junk, especially since this one lasted 100K. Also, I tested the old vs. new with a multimeter- old read 0 ohms, new one reads 3-5 in case anyone ever gets in a similar jam. Thanks for the replies. AP

Joe , it's in the articles section, 24v. Also someone just put the link in an earlier post Ap

Ok, Just for S's & G's, I pulled the air horn again, and took some high quality jumper cables and hooked them direct- battery to grid heater. It never glowed, just made my jumper cables smoke lol. I guess this thing i shorted internally. I'll post the results of the NAPA trip tomorrow. AP

Thanks MnTom I'm going to check it again, The new fusible link burned in seconds , all wires check out, no direct ground paths. Only thing I can figure is the heater itself.

I just pulled the relay set and checked them, No shorts or visible arc damage to speak of. I put 12v to each side and they opened and closed normally. I guess it has to be the heater itself- there is no other possibility I can see. I do see a NAPA part # CRB265000 for $161 and a mopar Part # 5086720AC for $130 from dodgepart.net (Berry Dodge, TX). Guess I'll order one up unless someone has another idea. AP

It melted the new wire in 3 seconds, so its getting way too much power. Hard to say if one or both because I get the same readings. Are the bushings a problem?

Hi guys, got the new grid heater battery jumper wire set I had ordered. I put it on, tried it and fried it in 5 seconds- bye bye $40. Anyway, I just followed the troubleshooting instructions here after this disaster: http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/troubleshooting/Maniford_htr.htm I have .1 or 0 Ohms (depending on the multimeter setting) across the heater grid terminals as stated in the 2002 instructions. But it seems like you wouldn't want 0 if going from the grid terminals to ground as that would in indicate a direct short to ground. If I jump the grid straight to the battery its like a welder. Anyone have any issues with this before? I took the intake horn off just to check if something was sitting on the grid and it's clear. Im not sure what could be grounding out. I also checked the heavy relay to grid wires and they are fine. I'm out of ideas and its 10F today and high of 1 and 3 F this week. Thanks

Thanks gang, this is the first truck I've owned without an owners manual. Who loses these things????

And of course, after I posted- the light came on after I started it up! Filled about 5 mile later- 30.6 Gal. So that gives me 5 gal reserve? AP

Gate was stuck closed- hard. No CEL, only knew it from the key trick. Truck would die after 2200, thought it was just how these trucks with autos were- I just sold a Super Duty and got the Cummins 800 miles ago. Waste gate cleaned and functional now, truck pulls well into 3K rpm range. 0234 MAP over boost, not sure if the code will go away on its own or not. I don't have any fooler or programmer, but thought it would be a cool option because of the stories of people breaking off the arm trying to free the gate, since some people j-hook and fool for more power. Problem is if you j-hook and don't fool your truck is a code-throwing dog. Either way , that's the down low. AP

I have an 02, at what fuel level will this light illuminate? Long bed qc 4x4. I have no owners manual. Thanks Ap

Good job- this is right up my alley. Thanks for all the pics. AP

UPDATE: Just spent the last 3 hours in the garage. I was able to remove the turbo by getting at the lower rear nut with an combination wrench by putting the box end on the nut and then i slipped a pickle fork over the wrench near the open end. I held the fork in place and gave it a couple of blows to loosen the nut and I was in business. I WAS ABLE to free the gate by removing the gate motor arm, giving the gate lever some gentle taps, PB blaster and by grabbing it with some vice grips and S L O W L Y working it free until it worked itself loose. I re-installed everything and took it for a test loop. No more defueling, tons of power! First time I took the truck to 3K rpm and it was still pulling hard. It was definitely worth the effort because I thought it was the trans just not being able to take the motor. Thanks everyone for the replies- Now onto this mushy steering!

Yes so far so good. We've had some real crappy weather here the last 2 days. I took it off today just to look, and the shield stopped a ton of salt from coming at the filter from the shock tower area. Very good fit. AP

I just want to add that I have no CEL. I only know about the code through the key trick and the loss of power over 2200 rpm. I'm going to try to get this thing off agian. AP

John and CT, you guys are very helpful. 1. Is there a homemade boost fooler mod? 2. Should I even free up the waste gate or leave it suck? 3. Should I just swap out the turbo?

Update- I did complete the BHAF today! I got the 2790, Napa gold filter for $46.80 at the local Napa. I printed and taped together Mike's heat shield template on some aluminum sheet, and it fit really well, as in the heat shield dropped right over the three studs. Time will tell if the aluminum holds up next to the turbo, if not I'll switch to 14-16Ga steel. The truck runs out MUCH better, turbo spools faster, truck up-shifts faster, and holds gears longer. I think right behind the fuel pressure gauge- this should be your number 2! Many thanks MIKE! AP

Ok guys, Now that I know what is going on with the stuck waste gate, it is obvious it is defueling at around 2200 rpm. I'm going to swing by Cummins tomorrow and get a thermostat, valve cover gasket, and turbo gasket kit. I hope I can get the waste gate unstuck. BUT- if I cant, would anybody think its crazy to do a homemade boost fooler with a resistor on the MAP sensor? I could also swap out the turbo with a craigslist unit I guess. Anyone do a boost fooler here? AP

Whoa whoa whoa! So now I read that who cares if its stuck, add a boost fooler and gain some mojo! I need to figure this out.

Ok dripley, I want to tackle this on the weekend. I was just thinking if nearby dodge dealer wouldn't have the gasket what my options were. I have been searching the web and can't find a single person who has gotten this fixed with a lube up so to speak. Makes me nervous. AP