AH64ID

I have a set and like them as well. Rocks can bounce off the trailer. I've broken one back window on a 4Runner years ago from a rock bouncing off the trailer. I see rocks fly by the windows as they pass me, but I haven't noticed any contact with the truck.

I have an issue like you describe, on my NV5600, at a stop light. I always assumed it was the clutch as it started about the time the clutch went in. Does his do it when moving too? Mine shifts like a hot knife thru butter with a little wheel speed.

I have done a little oil research but not a lot on the G56. I know that Amsoil Syncromesh has come up often; however, when you do the cross from the Mercedes spec to Amsoil the Syncromesh is not the fluid that comes up and the 75w-90 MTG. It's not a direct cross but both the Mobiltrans SHC-DC and the MTG have similar ratings. Syncromesh and MTG are for different applications, i.e. NV5600 and NV4500. Generally speaking they are not compatible with the opposite transmission, but that's only a generalization. My dad is running Royal Purple Syncromax, which is their recommendation for Manual Transmission that call for ATF from the OEM. This is also what works in the NV5600, and could be why so many run syncromesh in their G56... which makes more decisions tough. The MTG, Delvac 50, and Mobiltrans SHC-DC are all GL-4 oils and the Syncromesh is not. That doesn't preclude the Syncromesh it just adds a point to the MTG. So there you go. That's what I know but to be honest I am not sure what I would run in mine. The MTG is likely what I would run, but it's hard to say.

I will not be disconnecting any panels. My 10w panel does not pull power from the batteries and the controller for my new setup says it has diodes. It's going to be a simple install.

Huh?? I guess the Ammeter will tell me that.

Hopefully you can find something in the shifting mechanism to fix, but if not I would reconsider the 6 speed. Give it a few more miles... there is a reason that 5 speeds quit being offered. The added gear between 1 and direct sure is nice for towing and these mountain roads. I have driven a 5 speed on the roads around here and you can KEEP it... the added gear may be an extra shift but it sure isn't worth the gear gap. The 6 speeds have a ~10% lower 2nd gear which makes starting in 2nd much easier and 1st is nearly always skipped unless towing above around 15K GCW. If your spending money you should strongly consider the 6 speed. OD is actually different on the NV4500, NV5600, G56 AD, and G56 AE. G56 AD is 0.79:1 (great for towing) and the AE is 0.74:1. 45 mph is a great example. (265/75R16 and 3.73's) NV4500 is either at 3069, 1838, or 1378. NV5600 is either at 2555, 1838, or 1342. NV5600 for the win when towing. Above 50 the differences start to minimize as there are enough rpms in direct to use it on most hills, but if you have to slow for a corner... well you get the idea. 40 in a NV4500 is either 2728 or 1634, neither of which is great for acceleration or steady hill climbing. Or look at fixed rpms, like 2200. NV4500: 10,18,32,54,72 NV5600: 10,16,26,39,54,74 I do know several people that prefer the 5 speed for empty driving but for anything with a trailer they all prefer the 6 speed once they get a couple miles on it. I never understood why Dodge didn't publish a fluid change interval for the manual transmissions.

I am going to replace my 10W roof mounted panel with a 100W roof mounted panel. Based on observations over the last few years camping with this camper I know that most of the time I get a decent charge window even in the trees. My issue is that I use more than 10W with the radio/fridge/etc on so the 10W wasn't ever charging and just slowing the rate down. I am only going with 100W because I already own, and take, a quiet Honda generator and while 100W is affordable going to 300 or 400W would cost more than I spend on gas over multiple camping seasons. Usually the sound of the creek/river is louder than the EU2000i anyhow. I really wanted to add a charge controller as well, as the 10W doesn't have one and on a sunny day parked in the yard the voltage can get a little high if there isn't much using 12V. I generally turn the solar off for this reason but a charge controller would allow me to charge more with solar between trips. I am not sure when I will get it installed but hopefully soon. Most the parts are here and I can reuse the existing wiring and just add the charge controller into the mix at the 12V distro panel. What kind of issues? I have never even noticed, from the truck, anything different with low house batteries. I have a 300AH bank so when they are around 50% they need a long charge, which the truck cannot provide on a 2-3 hour trip. The truck provides max amperage for those 2-3 hours and I haven't ever seen anything odd. The wiring is just too small to allow for any decent current flow and the alternator will only output as much current as required to keep the truck voltage at the set point.

JAG you are actually of the proper age to know who Price is. I was never a fan of his music.

I would highly recommend a piston change to the 03-04 style. If you plan to add power go with the QSB480 piston over the OEM 03 piston. This will require a injector nozzle swap, but it's worth it for the better piston design.

As Michael said it's the distance. Did you increase the size of the ground too? There is probably 30', if not more, of cable between the alternator and the camper batteries. At a 30A charge rate and a 14V supply the voltage at the camper batteries will be 12.87V. To get to the a better charge voltage the wire needs to be at least 6 or the current drop to under 20A. It's a slow charge, but all day driving would charge most setups even at 15A max. My truck won't charge my batteries from 50% SOC in a 2-3 hour drive and I don't even think they get up to 75%. Then again I have a 300AH battery bank.

The 7 pin plug is setup to charge. My OEM fuse is 30A; however, due to the size of the wiring the most I have ever seen going into the camper batteries is about 15A. That's not nearly as hard on the alternator as the grid heaters. I li do know that some folks will run larger wiring to their campers/trailers for faster charging but I have never seen the need with my use.

503hp vs 518hp is fairly meaning less without rpms. Just like torque without rpms is meaningless. If the old setup peaks at 3400 rpms and the new one at 2500 rpms there is going to be a HUGE butt dyno difference. Just like looking at the 6.4 Hemi vs Aisin 6.7 hp. The Hemi has more power but the 6.7 makes it at a lower rpm which improves the towing experiance. Once up to speed the Hemi could actually out tow the 6.7, but getting up to speed it will lack. The excessive smoke is your lack of higher rpm hp. Dyno's are hard to load the motor and even harder at elevation. My setup is very quick spooling and very very clean running and it smokes on the dyno, even when loaded to 100% with the service brakes.

Well in regards to weight :-)

Tires and registration.. Those are the only black and white laws around here.

Reread what I said they are immaterial too... Either way Idaho doesn't have any laws or statues governing manufacturers GVWRs and GCWRs, period. Cops, like most people, that want you believe that they are legal limits are either uneducated on the subject or just telling you to follow them because it's much easier than the actual laws. How do they even know what the GCWR is? Laws may be changing but until they do the currents ones are what you have to go by. Laws carry more weight than opinion. That article/link is for commercial use. There is no requirement for a DOT number for Billy Bob to tow a trailer under 26,000 regardless of GCWR.

You talked about registration and weight so here is what I know for Idaho. There are 3 weight categories for non-commercial vehicles. 0-8,000 lbs, and what most everyone has. 8,000-16,000 lbs 16,001 - 26,000 lbs. These are for your GCW and are immaterial of your GVWR or GCWR. If you have a 8,800 GVWR and a 8,000 lb registration you are illegal at 8,800 lbs. The only exception is weight with an RV sticker (trailer, slide in, etc). So with a 8K registration you could be at 16,000 GCW legally as long as your RV stickerd trailer was at least 8K lbs. Making a redneck toy hauler (camper on a gooseneck) would be a little of both. The trailer would be a standard trailer and count towards the registered weight, but the weight of the camper would not. This gets many folks in Idaho in trouble because the DMV has a history of not asking you how much weight you want to register for and last I heard Idaho does ticket non-commercial for weight issues. I have also heard the DMV is doing a better job of asking about weight, but??? Personally I register to 26K and don't worry about it. My truck is 8,400 without a trailer. I rarely go over the 16K mark but the last two weeks I have a couple hundred miles in the 23-26K range.

AFIK all 1st and 2nd gens have oil pressure senders and not switches; however, there is a flash for the 24V crowd that turns the actual oil pressure gauge into a 3rd gen dummy gauge. IIRC any 24V with the latest software will get this "feature". Flashing your truck with a Smarty, and possibly other programmers, will get you the latest software. So you guys are all correct. Some of your gauges work and some don't. AFIK the dash gauge on all 12V's works properly.

Big Twin Diesel in Meridian.

Snug should do it. JIC is used for high pressure systems and can take a little snugging.

I just filled up.. 60.4% towing miles this calendar year That's the older test right? It's not a Bosch test like you stated, at least not that I have seen. The newer test with 2-stroke shows that it might not be what everyone thinks it is. It shows an increase in HFRR on 2/3 of the fuel tested.. makes you wonder what happened to the 3rd, as well as a potential cetane increase (not decrease like Michael has been telling us for years), and it shows severe fouling like I mentioned earlier. As far as power... Engine test results show that a 200:1 blend of 2-stroke oil in diesel results in a 2% loss of engine power in a 16 hour test due to injector fouling, a risk that would apply to any common rail diesel engine, but could also worsen fouling in older engines.

Fuel heater won't do anything for cold soaked engine oil. I'll look for the video. Block heater will help but only somewhat. The oil sits in the bottom of the pan and the block heater heats the coolant in the block. There will be some warming of the oil due to proximity, but it won't be as warm as the block. But the bigger issue is that it's not always possible to use the block heater, nor is it cost effective.

Cummins does have some criteria allowing a 30wt in the 5.9; however, a straight 30wt seems like it wouldn't do well. Having ran 15w-40 non-synthetic for a winter and having a real oil pressure gauge that isn't something I would recommend. That oil does not like to flow when cold. Ever see the video I put on here with oil at -5°F?? It makes it very easy to see why Cummins doesn't want 15w-40 dino below 0°F.

That sounds like weak batteries and/or alternator. The brake controller is weird thou! Have you unplugged it to see if the problem returns? It's more than likely just a coincidence.

No one is arguing Bosch's information. Minimum HFRR is 520 in the US, not 650. Numbers mean things. The simple fact of the matter is that fuel isn't that dry. If it was people would be dropping VP44's left and right. Most VP44 trucks run the stock lift pump and fuel without additives... and they get plenty of miles out of them. I am also not saying lubricity isn't a bad thing, just saying I don't think 2 stroke is the proper way to increase lubricity. I need to try and find the test from a few threads ago that shows 2 stoke isn't that great. I don't recall the thread topic but I do recall a bunch of believers discounting it. Where is this Bosch testing of 2-stroke as a diesel lubricity improver? Remember.. this is about 2 stroke as a lubricity improver and not about lubricity improving in general. I do feel that diesel out of the pump is adequate for a long life; however, I do still put an additive it for a little more. I don't really feel it will increase the life that much but I like some of the other benefits as well. I've seen a test with Amsoil and it did improve it; however, that same test said 2-stroke was a huge improver and the recent 2-stroke test was the opposite. Lubricity is just one part of the additive I run. I also know that it's an additive designed for diesel fuel. Have you done a dyno with and without it? I would be curious to see the results. Much like the dyno with and without Cetane booster.

Yeah only about 36% of my miles are towing over the last 3-4 years. 100% this week. I've been hauling road mix to build a side driveway and shop. 12K empty to the gravel pit and 24-26K GCW home. These trucks handle weight so nice! It's also amazing how effortlessly they can move 25K at 65 mph when it's a dump trailer vs a travel trailer. That at being said the time for incompete combustion is at low rpm and low load, especially on a cold engine. So idling or very high fuel efficiency (50mpg type downhill). Your diesel would still burn and get the fuel economy but the 2-stroke may not and you would get deposits. This is very common on 2-stroke engines, just look at what happens to spark plugs when they aren't ran with a heavy load. Granted 50:1 is a lot heavier concentration the oil will still react the same way.