snowbird

Profile: 1999 quad cab, short bed, 4wd, 3.55 rear, auto, stock size tires 245-75-16. Owned since new now with 141,000 miles. Tow 10-10500 Lb fifth wheel est about half of my miles are tow miles. Fuel pressure, EGT and boost gages since new. Installed 275 Bosch reman injectors at around 30,000 miles. Replaced stock muffler with free flowing unit. Air flow is now a straight flow out to the exhaust. Egts have always been low considering. Installed boost elbow and boost fooler. I can run up to 30 lbs of boost with waste gain closed BUT from 26/27 to 30lbs there is no real power gain. All air no fuel :). So I set the waste gate as close as I could to 26 lbs of boost. I have always estimated from my boost level that I am getting about 250 to 260 hp. Thats just a best guess. Stock I was getting somewhere between 18 to 19lbs maybe 20 if you squinted your eye and looked at an angle. Before I installed the injectors towing it seems to always down shift on moderate short grades but after it now stays locked up over short small grades. Very pleased. It generates a bit more soot and will puff some black smoke if I step into it for a short period of time. In Idaho where live we have emissions testing for Opacity % (snap test). The fail point is 40.0 (has to be less). Two days ago I renewed my emissions passed a 5.4.... That was an average of 3 snaps. I try not to "snap" it to hard, kind of a sweet spot to get it passed. I think the run up was to 2500 RPM. I think I lost .5 - 1 mpg with the 275's but am very happy with how the truck runs for towing. I am a VERY conservitve driver and don't horse it around. I let the truck tell me what it wants to do. My sweet spot for towing is 68 mph. average 11.5mpg on occasion I have gotten 12.8 towing. I did the 55 mph thing many times, might get me a fraction better fuel economy but hardly measurable and it drives me nuts at 55mph, transmission is actually working harder more of a pain it the rear..... at 65 to 68 it just flys along and still have power to pass if needed. Hope the information helps. The 275's seem to be pretty cost effective if you don't have the need for lots of power. IMO if you need somewhere between 300 and 500 + hp then you are getting into an area where you need to think about your transmission, brake upgrades etc. Down the rabbit hole :). DON'T forget to install a boost fooler or you will probably get a check engine light (over boost) and a boost elbow to move your waste gate opening pressure up to take advantage of your increased fuel. Don't hold me to tight to this but I think my Bosch part number was 0 432 193 635. Cummins part number 394418399. Sorry for the long post....

Good Morning. I am not nearly as well versed as most members here so please forgive me. From reading your about your problem first you mention the 2 stroke oil. I have over dosed mine a few times and all it did was change the sound, it got noticeably quieter but no impact on normal driving. IMO not your problem. Sounds like you do not have any gauges. When possable I would try to get some installed but for now I would see if someone in your area has a mechanical fuel pressure gauge you can borrow. As a note Harbor Freight has a cheap mechanical fuel injection test set for less than 20.00 (I paid 16.00 with discount) comes with some adapters, you might look into that if in a jam. The HF set is 0 to100psi range from memory. While not the best set but it will give you an indicatior. I bought one and purchaced a couple of extra cheap gages, 0-50 PSi and one 0-300 psi.. I used it for testing transmission line pressure.. Just throwing out an idea. Now back to what I would do with no gauges. Check for water in your fuel filter-change/replace the fuel filter-check your intake for any restrictions (filter and inside the fender well area)- borrow a code reader and check for pending of full on codes. I hope it isn't your injection pump. A question ? Are you running a stock 2000 fuel pump ?. My first fuel pump failed at around 50K (got down to 7 psi) and at 135,000 I am still on my second one (14-15 psi at start up, runs 12 to 14 around town, towing 10k I can drive it down to 10psi under WOT. Normally towing around 12psi just going down the road) Forgive the interruption :). I see your last post, I was slow on my post. OK about the Edge ! I hope that is it. That would be good news. Sweet. I feel really dumb I see in your signature you have a Fass lift pump.. Noted .

Just did mine. My 99 spec's power steering fluid not ATF. I use a large syringe with a rubber hose jammed on the end to suck out the fluid. The large syringe is from a farm store used for horses etc.. You can only get about 1/2 qt of fluid out of the pump at a time. I take out as much as I can, fill the pump, take it for a short drive, come back and repeat the operation again. I did that 4 times and used 2 quarts of fluid in total. I used Prestone power steering fluid. They make 2 versions one standard P/S fluid and one with Leak Seal/Sop Leak etc. . The Stop Leak is a bit thicker. Standard P/S fluid from what I have read is 20W the Stop Leak to me feels like about 30w. I use the standard P/S fluid/oil at about 5 to 6 bucks a qt. They do make a synthetic P/S oil also (not Prestone) and I have no experance with it and did not want to mix it with my existing oil the oil is also 13-15.00 a quart here and harder to find. I do this "almost a flush" about every 4 or 5 years. As a note after one of the fluid changes I did I started up the truck and no power steering or brakes.......... Damn.. Turned out really simple, just rev up the engine a few times and all was good and pumping again. Guess it was air locked. I didn't jack up the front end or anything just turned the steering wheel left to right a few time and took it to a parking lot and did a number turns and used the brakes etc. all good. What I did is not a true flush but I am in hopes that it will suffice in that I have done it a few times over the years. IMO pretty important to do because we are using that fluid for the hydroboost. Oil or ATF depends on the year of your truck. Might be talking out of my *** but I think 2003 and up specs ATF they have a little different set up (box, oil cooler etc). As noted by IBmobile the spec for the oil is Mopar MS 5931. Check your service manual.

A good wax job once a year. The truck is stored inside for about half the year. Used a LOT of waxs over the years and the best I have found is Star brite boat Premium Marine Polish with PTEF (Teflon). I get mine at Walmart in the sporting goods / boat section. Not all the stores seem to carry it like most box stores a hit or miss deal.

@dripley Yes it does. The hardest part so far is all the Loctited bolts from the factory.... They drenched every bolt I think. Someone should have told "a little dab will do ya" for those old enough to remember that ad. :).

Thanks. Yes we are in the foothills. I know where the Escapees park is. We have been there before to look around. Was a member for a few years but never used it so we didn't renew. Good organization. If we were full time then it might work for us. We are what I call half timers plus. Not going to give up our home here in Idaho. We are pretty much free to go when we want and for as long as we want but it is a nice feeling to have a home to back to. About got the Valve body done. Old and slow :). Just taking my time blueprinting things. I made a "jig" to mount under the transfer case to make it esiaer (safer) to drop. That kept me busy for a day or two. everythng removed and ready to drop. I will use the jig and floor jack for the transfer case and transmission jack for the tranny. Looking forward to getting into in. Again keep in touch and let us know if you are down in Yuma.

@015point9 I understand about the medical issues. For 5 years we had to make our Yuma visits short or curtailed due to a family medical issue. We were in the same boat wondering if we should sell. That situation changed 2 years ago and we are back on our schedual or close to it. We bought a lot on 50th St one block West from 15th in the newer area back when it was being developed in 2002 after a few years of coming down to Yuma. We had talked about selling the lot now and buying a small modular home already on a lot (cheaper than putting a new one on our existing lot) passed up on a few real good deals so decided to sell, figured it would take a while to sell. It sold the first week for cash (it was priced to sell, not advertise). As the original owners we were not over our heads in the place. We bought a small 650 sq foot modular home on 49th St with 2.5 places for an RV and lots of parking just a few days before we closed on our place on 50th. So it was an easy transistion almost a straight across trade. No realitor involved. That was in late Feb.. We relocated our fifth wheel over to the new to us place and stayed in it while we started the clean up and repaint etc.. Had to leave the middle of April and still stuff to do when we get back. But hopefully this year will be our last having to tow the trailer down. Don't get me wrong we enjoy the 5th wheel (a lot) but at 70, sometime in the future I will not be wanting to pull the unit back and forth. The home is a year 2000 tape and textured with vauling ceiling, newer HUD standareds etc.. Was owned by a 92 year old women that paased away up in Oregon. Want to do some counter top, flooring and some landscaping yet before we move in. Its our keep busy project in the sun during the winter. :). Back to the truck, you get nuts about what to carry. Try to out guess it but..... Still giving thought to just installing a lift pump on the frame and setting the connectors up for a quick change. I think Geno's Garage has a kit to do that. At this point in my life getted a new truck just dosen't make sense so I will keep up with what I have. IMO if anyone is running a stock lift pump they should have a fuel pressure gage installed. Between Boost, Pyro and fuel pressure gages you can do a lot of trouble shooting. Not to mention giving a lot of information while driving. Even though I can pull more boost I try to limit my boost to under 21 or 22 lbs while towing, I believe keeping the power and tq down to that level keeps the transmission in good shape. At 21/22 pounds I just slow down or drop a gear. Not in that much of a hurry :). My "sweet" spot for towing 10K with 3.54 (3.55) rear end is at 68 mph. So I try to stay close to that as much as I can on close to level ground. MPG dosen't seem to change much 55 vs 68. 11 for a low and 14 for a high. To many variables. I say my average for a number is 12mpg. The 11 was a strong head wind and tring make speed and 14 was no wind, 5th wheel loaded light (almost empty) and perhaps (?) a higher % of slight down grade. At 55 I might get .5 to 1 mpg difference but that speed drives me nuts... And it is harder on the truck IMO. 65 to 68mph for me. About ready to drop the transmission, everything dissconected and ready to drop. I pulled the valve body out last week and will have that back together today and bagged up. Totally dissasembled cleaned, inspected and updated with new shft kit (I installed one in it 15 years ago and Transgo has updated there kit). Got a super master kit from Cascade Transmission plus ordered stuff that I want to replace "just because". New sprages, and some upgraded billet stuff. Nothing crazy. The trans is still in servicable shape so possably no big parts have to be replaced. But I will replace anything that needs to be. Got to order or buy locally a new billet single disk tq converter. That should get ordered or in the pipe line next week. Might increase the clutch count as the rebuild progresses. Lot I don't know untill I get it on the bench, dissasembled for inspection. Sorry for the long message, time got away with me... Now back out to the shop! Have a good week end.

@015point9 Sorry about the bad experence with the fuel pump. One of the reasons I read through posts is for my own education. One of my big concerns is being broke in the middle of no where. Can't fix everything but I try to be as prepaired as possable. I put a fuel pressure gauge on first thing back in 1999 knowing even then the stock lift pump is marginal. My fisrt pump got down to 7psi on the output side of the filter when I changed it out with another stock pump at about 50,000 miles. The replacement (another stock pump) is still going OK at 130,000 miles. runs 12 to 14 psi, on one occasion on a very long grade (hwy 16 in the Big Horns) it got down to 10 PSI under load, got out of the fuel, slowed down and it went back up. At my power level it works OK but if I upgrade to any more power I would need a better system. I carried an extra pump but it got used by another person in need and I never purchased another one. My bad. If I was to replace it I would look into frame mounting it. In fact it would be a good place to keep a "spare". I see you have an Air Dog guess that something to think about, after the transmission rebuild. One thing at a time. :). If you go back down to Yuma let me know.

@015point9 We spend most winters there. Good location to hub out from. About 187 miles either to San Diego or PHX and Yuma has everything we need. We become great grandparents a few weeks ago so this winters trip is up in the air. We have a small home in the foothills (cabin in the desert).. Forgive me as I learn how to post here.

Mopar1973Man: You are only as old as you think you are ! Well at least until you crawl around on a garage floor and have to get back up, then you wonder. Reality hits the imagination. Cheers :).

dripley: At 70 and soon 71 I don't expect to be driving by 80 or 90 :). I use the truck mostly for towing the Fifth Wheel 2 or 3 times a year. My average miles per year with the truck is from 3,000 to 8000 miles. I might have done 10K last year but that was a trip to the Black Hills along with the normal summer camping trip and the annual run to Yuma which accounts for 2,000 miles of the total every year. Down there we have a beater car to drive and the truck see's very little use. Hate to buy a new truck at this point in my life. Best to just keep the maint. and cosmetic stuff up. Congrats on almost 500,000 miles !!!! That's a lot of expererence with the truck ! JAG1: understand about aches and pains as I am under my truck pulling the 4X4 drive train.... Rebuilding the transmission is the easy part :). At least when it comes to wrestling the heavy parts down and back up. At present I am about ready to drop the transfer case and transmission. Keep moving JAG1. Slow is OK :). IBMobile: Thanks. Been to a few schools on the subject but most has been learned over the years on the job. It is said that poverty is a great teacher :). 015point9: Thank you. I confess that I am not as sharp as I was years ago and have to focus harder on tasks but as a asset I have more time and can take it slower :). Gone are those days of week end rebuilds and "have to have it by...".

Thank You.

Thanks for letting me onto your forum. I have been lurking for many years absorbing information and knowledge. Think I finally signed on here back in 2016. life is a lot about learning and listening. As a mechanic at heart, cars and airplanes I like to scan through the files often, always things to learn. As a profile I am 70 years old, bought a 1999 Dodge 4 X4 diesel with automatic transmission in late 1998. I tow a 10,000 lb fifth wheel out West. I have 130,000 miles on the truck now with about 70,000 miles of it towing and it has only been into a dealer one time in its life to receive and updated flash. I do all my own maintenance and repair. Shortly after I bought the truck I added boost, pyro and fuel pressure gauges, added a Transgo shift kit, back 15 years ago I installed 275 hp RV injectors, replaced a fuel pump at 50,000 miles, replaced the APSS at about 110,000 miles, new alt. diode pack and upgraded transmission soleniods, installed new starter soleniod terminals, oh and a dash cover as mine was starting to crack. I change all the fluids often. Time changed out the belt and hoses at 100,000 miles and checked the valve clearances. Over all it has been a good truck and pulls great. Forgot to mention at around 60,000 miles I replaced the track bar. As I am grounded so to speak this summer and with 130,000 miles on the 47re I have decided it is time to rebuild the transmission, new TQ converter etc.. That's my current project. The transmission is still good but IMO it will fail between now and ?? miles so I might as well go through it at home in my own shop rather being in the middle of Nevada broke down and having to deal with the local "Joe's Garage". Planning some some minor updates. Mods are a bit of a rabbit hole, I have tell myself that the stock trans has given me good service for 130,000 miles and I probably will not put another 130,000 on it so don't get crazy. From looking at the max boost at WOT I am probably at the 270 hp range and have no plans to go to far over that. I don't run it hard and when towing I try to keep it under the 21/22 lbs of boost going up grades. Not in a hurry and IMO easier on the stock transmission. Sorry about the rambling ! Again thanks for adding me. I enjoy reading the posts.