Junkman

You really need to climb under and have someone turn the steering wheel while you look for any play. DW can put you in a ditch at speed and you haven't listed any specific diagnosed part that needed replacing. I had horribly worn shocks on my 4x4 and there was no DW. Granted, different steering set up but solid axles are more prone to DW.

This is ridiculous. If adding spacers on the tie rod tightens things up, there is your problem. Find out what isn't fitting and why. The vid looked like there was also slop in the connection to the pitman arm. Do a proper fix not some rigged, untested piece of crap. These are old trucks with old technology. They need to be repaired and not hacked. "It looks like (whatever)" is not the same as "it's engineered, tested and improved". Do you really want to take the increased chance of wrapping the truck around a tree or bouncing off another person or car for the price of new parts? If so, please stay off the road. I don't want to take the chance of you damaging my truck or person.

If your system is empty so you don't need to pay to evacuate, see this. I haven't tried it but you may get lucky.

Climb under the truck. With the engine running, have a helper turn the steering wheel lock to lock while you look for any movement in any joint in the linkage between the steering knuckles. I'm talking about excessive slop. There should be exactly 0. "Movement" will show up when they change direction and start turning to the other side. Replace anything that has play in it. That said, DW is "mostly" caused by play in the track bar. The fix is to replace with stock lifetime part or 3rd gen track bar. Don't go for all the hype.

No, these trucks fall apart around the beautiful engine that is Cummins. Dodge skimped on heavy duty parts and under-built the trucks. We are at the point where fewer people fix them and more are moving on.

Call them. They answer the phone and make quality products. I find it hard to believe that weathertech wouldn't make a mat for something as common as a 2nd gen. When did WT start in business? A friend in the parts business says 2nd gen part sales have dropped off in favor of newer vehicles.

Call WeatherTech. They are helpful and have more information than what's on their site. I recently bought mats for a Volvo V60. The data on the site was confusing so I called. They said the mats would fit. and I bought. This car has 3 mats. Two out of 3 mats were the wrong color which may have been my fault. Regardless, WeatherTech replaced the mats and paid shipping. The mats were a little more expensive than I wanted but I'm happy with the results.

I need to buy a better volt meter because my alternator is going out and I want t measure AC voltage on the replacement before leaving the store. I don't want to spend the money on a Fluke and am looking at an innova 3340. Will this work?

I must have screwed something up. Ball joints are in and axle is back together. I drove 2 mi round trip to get an alignment and a yellowish fluid is all over the passenger side wheel. Alignment shop said "brake fluid" but I suspect it is diff fluid from the passenger side axle seal leaking. I thought the seal was put in correctly. (I'll look at the brakes just in case but I don't think they're the problem. What axle seal install error is likely causing the leak? Will pulling the outer driver side axle cause a leak there?

Hard start after sitting may be as simple as air in fuel system especially if you had the hard lines off. Could also be leak in the return line or T at the back of head or grids not working correctly. I would scan it just because and in case there are codes. This is becoming convoluted. Exactly what is the complaint causing it to not be reliably driveable?

Every time I get frustrated and want to hire a shop, I'm reminded that they are expensive, few are competent and none locally are competent and familiar with Cummins Rams, 80s era Mercedes diesels or 78 Datsuns. I get stuck figuring it out which o always do - eventually. Are you sure no metalfrom the first pump is causing problems? There are only a few things in the system. You could replace all at less expense than having a shop diagnose and repair. Most shops are parts changers only. Pull both pumps as a unit. Make sure they both turn together freely. Block the return ports and make sure they are leak free. Run a clear hose from the pressure port into the reservoir and make sure pump works and air bleeds. A cheap plastic line from a hardware store will suffice. Something simple is,wrong and needs to be found.

I just had my PS pump off and bleeding was easy as pie. Unfortunately, there may still be a small leak somewhere power steering pump related - in one of the hoses or perhaps the reservoir where one of the lines connects. There is an o-ring in the spring loaded connector (I think that goes to the pressure line - I'll look tomorrow). The REALLY unfortunate thing is that there is lots of fluid by the driver side axle. I just replaced both diff seals and the passenger side looks dry. I only drove 2 mi to get an alignment & return. I'm hoping it's a brake line or caliper leaking because the fluid felt like brake fluid. The 2nd time is always easier but I'm getting tired of messing with this thing. It's close to boat and bike riding season & the truck needs to be off my plate.

There are rebuild kits available for sealing the PS/Vac pumps. There are also vids on youtube. Peter Gould has some that go into detail. The drive cog can be replaced. I saw destructions in Peter's vid.

I found it at O'Reillys of all places for $3 and change. Edelmann PN 148420 https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/edelmann-3479/hardware---fasteners-16585/brass-fittings-16690/pipe-thread-fittings-18437/edelmann-1-8-inch-flared-fitting/148420/4290480 The Cummins part is upwards of $10. I "think" the threads are "NPTF". "F" is a fuel designation and allows for a "dry seal". I'll know tomorrow if it works. Some machinist's threads said that these fittings are not necessarily reuseable because the NPTF threads compress to seal. Here's the specs from O'Reilly's. Warranty: 1 Year Limited Warranty Unit of Measure: Each UPC: #21597601500 Thread Size: 1/8 Inch Tube Size (In): 1/4 Inch Applications for this product Select a vehicle to see vehicle applications. Detailed Description Male Connector - 1/4 Inch Tube (7/16-20) Male SAE Thread X 1/8 Inch Male Pipe Thread; SAE 45 Degree Flared Fitting; Male Connector - 1/4" Tube (7/16-20) Male SAE Thread x 1/8" Male Pipe Thread

What I think I've learned is that the connector going into the pump has "NPTF" threads which are the same specs as NPT EXCEPT that NTPF has "interference" threads and seal dry. I didn't find any specific information that says sealant will prevent them from working but lots of info especially "machinist's forums" say sealant is not needed. The connection to the hose is a "JIC" fitting and also is not supposed to need sealant.

I can't tell from the pic what is on the one side of the fitting. Pump was resealed previously and is not leaking any place besides the oil line. Rain looks like it is holding off tomorrow so I'll be able to pull at least the end of the line off and examine. I may call Cummins in Nashville and have them tell me what the sealing mechanism is.

The fitting that threads into the vac pump came off when I unscrewed the line. I put pipe dope on it just because and don't think that connection is leaking. The connection to the actual line looks like other oil fittings where the male end is rounded and fits into a cupped female side. I can't see where any o-ring fits but I'm laying in the gravel on my back so it's not like I have a good view. I took it apart and reinstalled again and it still leaks so something is obviously wrong. here's the fitting https://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-2002-DODGE-RAM-24V-CUMMINS-DIESEL-VACUUM-PUMP-OIL-FEED-LINE-BLOCK-FITTING/122896104694?hash=item1c9d2dbcf6:g:OzkAAOSwTO9aTmCz&vxp=mtr here's the line. https://www.genosgarage.com/product/ram-cummins-vacuum-pump-to-block-oil-line-3934396/engine-replacement-parts-2 Doesn't look like it should leak. It's raining tomorrow. I'll look more on Tue but am open to any info.

I know I can afford something when I can write a check. I know I want it when I will write a check. I always pay at once and never advance payment or loan money. A contractor for example is too broke to be reliable if he is in business and doesn't have enough money to cover until he finishes and get paid. Loaning money especially to friends or family is a great way to ruin a friendship.

Discount Tire matches delivered price on online sellers. I usually look for a deal and try to push the price at Discount. They also repair any tire for no charge regardless of where it was purchased. Re: Firestone lifetime balancing - the tech are usually incompetent and only "align to specs". You almost have to fight with them to get them to a) get in the middle of specs &/or 2) make adjustments to compensate and have the vehicle drive better. Esample: I have an 84 & 85 Mercedes 300SD. Those cars have extremely adjustable front ends with caster specs at ~ 10 deg and camber also adjustable through a wide range. One guy gave my the car back with the camber adjustment on both wheels maxed all the way to 1 side. Wheels looked like //. He stupidly made a note "cannot be propery adjusted". I think what happened was because changes in 1 setting affect the other. When he pushed camber to the + side, it also threw caster more positive. Then he's subtract some caster and camber would also decrease. Of course they thing owners are idiots and he wouldn't read the FSM pages I handed him that explained all of this. I just took the car to another store and had them try it. I'd go elsewhere but there are no really competent places other than the Mercedes dealer. At least firestone is free for me. Another trick of the alignment shops is to get the specs close then bump the heads of the machine to make it look like it is adjusted correctly. Then they refer back to the print out and say "it's adjusted to spec". I hate sloppy work.

I took my vacuum pump & power steering pump off as a unit to seal the PS pump reservoir leak. The oil line is leaking where it connects to the vac pump. There is a threaded piece that screws into the pump itself then the oil line connects to that piece. I put oil resistant piece on the threads that screw into the pump. It looks like the leak is where the nut for the oil line threads onto that piece. Am I missing an o-ring or something? It looks like it is supposed to be a mechanical seal with metal surface to metal surface but is is a large leak. Removing the line and making sure everything was clean didn't help. Any ideas on how to stop it?

The fuel pressure bounce may be a measurement issue. Where is your gauge mounted? What gauge do you have? Do you have a needle valve &/or snubber to damp the pulses caused by the fuel pump? Alternatively, consider what you need for sufficient flow. The pump has to put out enough fuel flow to fill the lines and keep them at a given pressure. Note that larger lines allow more flow but will have lower pressure than smaller lines. Smaller lines will naturally have more pressure but the quantity of fluid will be less. Think of a fire hose vs garden hose.

No special tool needed. Use a long 3/8 extension or pry bar to knock the seals out. A5/8 threaded rod and something like a large socket to pull the new seal in. A helper would make it easier.

I didn't find a reasonable price from any shop that I trust and had to figure everything out. That and working on the ground around weather and my other tasks made it take a while. Sure, I could do it faster next time but there likely won't be another time. The 00 required extra steps of removing the center pin which I didn't find to be common or completely explained. I'm on to the next item after 1/1.

Final resolution was to remove the center pin per above, then the gears come out with a pry bar. I was on my back in the gravel so holding the gears was an issue. Buying long bolts and installing them in the bottom hole where the bearing cap bolt goes helped immensely. The bolts should be 6" long or so. You will use them to roll the gears back in. Having 2 people would also have made the job much easier. Pound the gears back in with a dead blow hammer then use the bearing caps to pull them all the way in. Then check your work. I'm on to other things so haven't driven the truck and won't for a while. I installed EMS free spin hubs which also took some figuring out. There are better instructions on the Yukon site than came with the hubs. EMS apparently is using Yukon si it is the same product only less expensive.

Two weeks later & I got time to work on it after buying another set of punches. You need "roll pin punches" because they have a small knob on the end that centers the punch. I bought these for slightly more than $20. https://www.wildetool.com/product/6-piece-roll-pin-spring-punch-set/ The 7/32 size is what I used. 1/4" is too big. Be sure to have the passenger inner axle in place because it helps hold the planet gears in the correct location. A socket and long extension on the punch will let you get enough swing with a BFH to remove the pin. I'll work more tomorrow but a cheap set of the correct type of punch made the job pretty reasonable. Dana should be shot for the design that requires the roll pin removal.