blake

Well, heres what I ended up with. --- Update to the previous post... I have a question for anybody in the know. These wheels allegedly came off a 3/4 ton Dodge van. Would the somehow be different from the truck steel wheels? Is there any worry about the weight capacity or anything?

The 235/85/16 is the standard dually tire size and used to be the standard 3/4 ton SRW tire too. Most of them are E rated and fine for towing heavy.Check out individual weight ratings for each tire you're looking at though. I bought a set of 285/75/16 Yokos in load range D and they were very close to the weight rating of a standard 235 in E.I took them back though because the sidewalls were way too soft and felt like driving on ice all the time. I looked hard at the 255/85/16E before settling on a 265/75/16E. I really like the tall/skinny concept but they're just so hard to find and I didn't want to buy another spare tire and didn't want to be stranded somewhere with a blowout or two and no 255/85s in stock anywhere.

I don't have the high idle flash so I just crank up, let idle for about 30 seconds, and drive off taking it easy. Unfortunately there's an interstate on ramp that I take that's about 3 miles from the house, 45mph all the way to it, and then onto the ramp.When it's below about 30F outside my auto transmission really does not want to shift into over drive getting on the interstate. If traffic is light I can take it easy and feather the throttle to get it to lock up and then load it a bit to get up to 55 or 60mph. If traffic is heavy sometimes it wants to just sit at 45mph, 2k rpm, and not shift until it hits about 2200rpm. It does not sound good on a cold truck.

Score! I've been dinking around on craigslist and I found a set of 5 2nd gen "ST" steelies with lugs, centercaps, and some worn out 245/75/16s on them. Super cheap too! Hopefully I can pick them up tomorrow and have my current (very new) Michelins swapped over. If these work out I'll probably try to sell the chrome wheels on craigslist too to break even. There should be no issue mounting my 265s I imagine since they look exactly like my spare tire with the factory 265 spare.

My 2001 has the fancy chrome wheels and unfortunately every one has a case of the corrosion cancer that I guess is separating the chrome or clearcoat from the wheel metal. It looks horrible and is flaking off pretty badly. I can deal with this issue on the body paint, but not the wheels too! :lol:I have never liked these wheels anyway - have always preferred a more utilitarian look like the old white steelies on older trucks. My question is this - does anyone run 4 steel "spare" wheels on a 2nd gen? Is there anything different about them in terms of load or anything? My factory steel spare came with a Michelin LTX MS 265/75/16E mounted on it so I would guess the answer is no.Any ideas on where I would get 3 more spares? Are there any other good stock-size options out there for relatively cheap?

Well, last night I got home after dark and got under the hood and unscrewed the threaded top of the the lever to pull out the plunger. I didn't realize beforehand that you have to pull the whole assembly off the filter bowl to get that one piece off. So, I fiddled with it and got it threaded back on and in place. I went and cranked the truck and watched for drips and didn't see any after watching for a full minute or so. :shrug:Maybe the o-ring wasn't seating or something, who knows. I'm going hunting this weekend so I'll be driving about 2.5-3hrs each way. I was thinking of spraying brake cleaner all over that side of the engine so that I would be able to see new drips if there are any.Anything to worry about with spraying brake cleaner on the block, fender, filter bowl, etc.?

North Georgia. I found a download for the factory service manual for 2001 Trucks here: http://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen-ram-faqs/236110-factory-service-manual-for-2nd-gen-rams.html We'll see if it has a schematic for that drain assembly. It's a big ol' file to download. --- Update to the previous post... Ok, the manual does not break down the drain valve in a schematic. I'll take it apart tonight and see about the o-ring. If that doesn't work I'll buy the whole assembly and replace. :banghead:

Do any of y'all have a link to an online version of that manual?

No I noticed the leak after I changed my fuel filter about 1000 miles ago. Generally I make a mess and it takes a week for the diesel smell to evaporate, but it hung around too long and now I know why.I'll probably take it apart tonight and see what I find. I'm not too keen on buying the $32 assembly just for an o-ring. I wish I knew what kind of o-ring to buy so that I don't have to immobilize my one vehicle and then try to figure a way to the parts store to try to find a match. My other thought is that I wonder if it's really worth messing with. It's not a big enough leak to worry about the cost of wasted fuel, but it is making a mess. Luckily my engine bay is covered with old oil from the crank case vent and leaky transmission lines so I don't notice .I was thinking of just buying some new fuel line and running it down to axle level and just letting the thing drip for now until I have a better way to chase down the o-ring, or decide to buy the assembly.

I don't have a Freightliner dealer anywhere close. Does anybody know if I need a special kind of o-ring since it's going in a fuel system? Also, what about the drain line/hose out of the valve? Mine fell off a long time ago and I wouldn't mind running a couple of feet of it and securing at axle height. That way if it keeps dripping a drop every 10-15 seconds it won't be coating the engine compartment.

Dealer says it's part number 5015580AB for the whole plastic valve assembly, and is $32. I am going to unscrew the threaded part and see if I can find a little o-ring for the plunger end and see if that stops the leak.

I tried out a set of Yokohama Geolandars in 285/75/16D and they rubbed hard on the control arms when turning sharp left. Stock everything else.

My fuel filter bowl drain has a constant drip leak out of the drain valve. I have monkeyed with it but can't get it to stop. It was doing about one drip per second but now I have it down to about one drip every 10 seconds. It is still leaking straight on to the engine mount and there is a fuel sheen on everything on that side of the block, and the truck stinks like a diesel leak.Is this common at all? It seems that just the plastic valve for emptying the fuel bowl is what is leaking, or rather, won't close back up completely. Can I buy a new plastic valve or anything to fix this? Some O-ring in there to replace?Thanks in advance

In my experience the Michelin LTX MS and the new MS2 is the best tire out there, period, for a truck that spends more than half of it's life on pavement. They're pricey at first but you get more miles per dollar when it's all said and done.

I had the exact same problem with mine. The solution for me was to reposition the ground wires for the whole gauge setup and ensure a good ground. I used a sheet metal screw into the firewall with better fittings on the wire and better strip and crimp. Mine has been rock solid ever since.

The place is in Jasper GA. I 100% recommend them. If anyone is in the area PM me for their contact.Do y'all know how to get this blue stuff off the lettering? I asked them if it would and they said yes, but I forgot to ask how to get it off.

Well these Yokohama tires ride like crap. They are really squirrely and feel like I'm towing a front-heavy trailer when I'm empty. I guess that's what you get for running a cheaper tire in a 285 (8 ply too). I'm lucky that I bought them from the little shop that my buddy recommended. I called the shop and the owner (3 employees total) answered and I asked him what I could do to make these tires right, that I was afraid to tow a trailer with the way it is right now. He said he has put thousands of sets of 285s 8 plys on 3/4 ton diesels over the years and never had a problem but wants me happy and comfortable. He told me that he would do whatever it took to make it right and he swapped the Yokos for Michelin (265/75/16 E rated) tires. All I had to pay was the difference in what I paid for the Yokohamas and the price of the Michelins. Basically a full refund on the Yokohamas even though I put 200 mi on them. The Michelins are good and are a 100K mile tire from my experience and many others. I've run them before and they're pretty boring but dependable and really long lasting once you swallow the price. I will be giving this guy 100% of my business from now on and will be sending all my friends there as well.

After seeing that submerged axle thread I got to thinking about what other maintenance items I need to address, axles included, which I don't do now. Please take a look at my current regimen and let me know what else I need to be doing to keep this truck on the road. 5K - Rotella 15W40, Fleetguard Oil filter, tire rotation10K - Fleetguard Fuel filter25K - BG Transmission Fluid Exchange - O'Reilly's ATF+4100K - BHAF changeI guess I need to do axles too but I don't know how or really anything about it - mileage, type of oil, etc.Thanks fellas!

Haha, yeah it took a while for me to get used to it. I now use the ash tray for my cell phone or sunglasses or whatever.By the way I highly recommend Genos - they have always gone the extra mile to get stuff to me on time and help with parts or installs if needed. I order all my oil and fuel filters from them. If you go the Westach route don't worry too much about wiring the gauge light bulb into a headlight relay or anything. I was in a hurry when I did mine and I just wired it to come on whenever the ignition was on - maybe the radio fuse or something. It has been 3 years and the little bulb still works. They offer the replacement bulb I believe for when/if it burns out.

The little cubby hole to the right of the radio. When you have the main dash trim piece off you just unbolt the 3 screws that hold the cubby hole in and replace with the flat lexan piece. It is cut and drilled to fit right in. Here's a picture of mine:

Here's what I got: Gauge and sender http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WM-FPKT-30 Fuel line http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp?number=VULCAN-FH They'll send you the piece to mount the gauge in the dash free of charge - or they used to at least.

:shrug:They're not that bad considering you get a gauge, sender, etc. I run the Westach 0-30psi package from Genos Garage with the in-dash mount. It's been doing fine for 3 years now. I think I paid right at $100 for the gauge and all and then $20 for the fuel line that plugs right into the schrader valve on the VP.

Good looking exhaust setup. I remember doing mine at night in a wet driveway after work because I HAD to have it in that night. I still have all the socket extensions rolling around my tool box 3 years later.... just in case.Any video of it yet?

Those pictures are VERY flattering. I don't bother washing it anymore because it brings out the horrible brush pinstriping and scratches. There are no major dents other than the bedrails and tailgate but the paint is shot. Completely scratched up, clearcoat flaking off roof and hood, etc. I could never own a nice new $50K truck because I use the crap out of stuff the way it was designed to be used. This truck gets used hard.