Tractorman

Of course you can. You asked, "should I flush the system and add back the CORRECT power steering fluid OR should I buy a new hydroboost module?" and you also asked, "so should I flush the system and prepare for replacing gaskets or should I flush the system in preparation of replacing the hydroboost?" I gave you my personal recommendation. I based my new hydroboost replacement decision on the fact that my OEM hydroboost gave flawless service for 24 years and 393,000 miles. I didn't want to put a seal kit in this unit because, even though it would fix the leak, all of the internal components still had 24 years and 393,000 miles of operation on them. There is sophisticated valving inside the unit and an accumulator that has an unknown state of pre-charge after all the years gone by. I hold high regard for safety in braking components, such as the booster and the master cylinder, so I prefer to buy new - not rebuild or reseal. John

The 2002 FSM states: CAUTION: Use MOPAR Power Steering Fluid or equivalent. Do not use automatic transmission fluid and do not overfill. Even though you used ATF, it probably didn't cause your leak - after all, you have gotten a lot of miles out of the unit. My personal recommendation is to replace the hydroboost with a NEW unit. They can be purchased at Parts Geek or Rock Auto for a reasonable price. Flush the power steering system and use a quality power steering fluid of your choice. I replaced my hydroboost a year and a half ago at 393,000 miles (it started to drip fluid). I purchased the Parts Geek unit (new) and it has performed well for the last 10,000 miles. Whichever way you go, make sure the push rod length (hydro to master cylinder) is correct - very important and the manufacturers don't seem to pay much attention to that detail. I had to cut mine shorter to ensure the free play measurement was correct. John

What about temporarily testing with a Voltmeter? Connect one lead to the OR/BK wire from terminal #11 at Connector #2 PCM connector and the other lead to ground and go for a test drive. When TCC is unlocked - 12 volts should be present. With the TCC locked - 0 volts should be present. You might get some useful information with this test and it doesn't cost anything to perform. John

I used a Standard Motor Products VCP112 electric vacuum pump for my application. It was less than $100 from Parts Geek. This vacuum pump regulates pressure from 13" HG to 15" HG and there is no flow rating listed. It is suitable for my application because it only supplies vacuum to the HVAC and the 4WD CAD unit. My cruise control is operated by the ECM, so no vacuum servo is used. If you are going to use a vacuum servo, then air flow volume could be a concern for you. My previous exhaust brake was vacuum controlled. The reduced volume of the SMP VCP112 made the exhaust brake slow to actuate and to release, which was not acceptable for me. That didn't matter at the time because I replaced the vacuum operated Jacobs exhaust brake with a PacBrake PRXB and air compressor at the time of the vacuum pump / power steering pump conversion. @Mace, who provided the information for this conversion, uses a similar vacuum pump as mine. He noted the delay of his exhaust brake operation as well, but it was acceptable for him. Parts needed for Vacuum Pump Conversion and Power Steering Pump Conversion by @Mace . Vacuum Pump Conversion CON166 - pump connector (Rockauto) VCP112 - vacuum pump (Rockauto) Vacuum hose Mini fuse tap connector 4 pin relay & base connector Power Steering Pump Conversion 4002056 plug - Cummins RES0161 reservoir - Rockauto 4988390 pump kit - Cummins performance.com M20x1.5 to 6 jic fitting The description for these mods is in the following thread. John

Good lookin' truck ya got there. 406,000 on my 2002, 4WD 6 spd (bought it new in October, 2001) John

Congratulations!!! Are you feeling euphoric? I have been waiting for you post. Now that your truck has thoroughly tested you and you won, the truck should behave itself for the rest of its life under your ownership. John

Good to have another source for ECM repairs. Also, glad to hear that your truck is running well. Just for clarification, the ECM does run the lift pump for about 1/4 second when the ignition switch is turned on. If the starter is bumped and then the key is released, the lift pump will run for approx 25 seconds. From the FSM (2002): The transfer pump is self-priming: When the key is first turned on (without cranking engine), the pump will operate for approximately 1/4 second and then shut off. The pump will also operate for up to 25 seconds after the starter is engaged, and then disengaged and the engine is not running. The pump shuts off immediately if the key is on and the engine stops running. John

I think you have found the issue. I also strongly think that the noise that you have been hearing is mechanical. I think the noise faded away when you disabled one cylinder and when you ran the engine with the ECM out of the loop because you changed the cadence or resonance of the engine in motion, thus changing the movement behavior of the loose tone ring piece. This would also explain why no code was set for the crankshaft sensor and why the engine performed as it should - not a timing issue. I think your perseverance has paid off. Great job on your part! Post a photo the tone ring. John

Good to hear back from you. I am hoping that you are on the right path and that you have finally found a solution to your forever lasting symptoms. Of course, you know that when this is fixed, you will constantly be hearing random phantom ticking noises for at least six months - then you can finally relax. John

I mounted mine on the lower part of the factory air filter housing right next to the battery. My guess is that you probably don't have a factory air filter housing. John

I won't be able to offer any help - I am responding because you haven't received a response yet and I didn't want you to think you were being ignored. From reading your post it seems that you have been very thorough in trying to get your issue resolved. You have checked everything that I can think of that needs to be checked. Maybe @Mopar1973Man will respond now that I have flagged him. He is knowledgeable in this area. John

Correction - This moves ECM, VP and grid heater relay grounds from the right battery to the left battery. From W-T: John

The photo below shows a 250 amp fuse and fuse holder similar to the style of fuse that I used. My fuse is 150 amp and has been reliable for over 3 years and over 30,000 miles. John

The 140 amp fuse is not there to protect the alternator. It is there for safety reasons in case the alternator or alternator output wiring shorted directly to ground. A fire could easily be started from the large amount of stored energy available from two large batteries that would have a direct path to ground if the alternator output circuit was not fused. By adding a non-fused second output wire, you are contributing to the potential for a fire. Personally, I would remove the old alternator output wire to the 140 amp fuse. I would run a single wire of the correct diameter through a suitable 250 amp fuse to the passenger side battery. The W-T Ground Reference mod wires the alternator output to the passenger side battery as part of the rewiring procedure. John

Then fill your radiator 50/50 (water/oil) so the o-ring will stay well lubed! .... just kidding! I do understand that you are trying to make something better. John

My radiator drain plugs are and have been the threaded plug style, too - I just incorrectly called it a petcock. What I have observed is that antifreeze does not make dynamic o-ring seals slippery like oil does, in fact antifreeze is kind of grippy. This is one of the reasons why water pumps use mechanical face seals. Years ago I took one of my drain plugs apart and cleaned it and after reassembly it didn't perform any better. I never really worried about the difficulty turning the drain plug because 99.9999% of its life is spent as a static seal and it never leaks. John

The radiator drain plug can be removed, but I probably would not do it. There a thick o-ring seal inside that the plastic petcock shaft fits through. The o-ring elongates because of friction while turning the petcock which in turn makes the petcock difficult to rotate. I find that if I rotate the petcock a little bit in each direction while opening or closing, it performs a little better. I have never broken one, but my brother-in-law has broken two. To my knowledge, there is no drain plug on the engine block. John

From Geno's Delphi Series 680 description: The Heavy Duty replacement steering box is a 16:1 ratio. The benefit to you: effectively 3.5 turns from lock-to-lock compared to 4.5 turns. I purchased and installed an new (not rebuilt) Delpi 680 series steering gearbox (part# BO800120) in 2015. It is a good steering box, but the ratio wasn't as advertised - the one I received was exactly 4 turns, stop to stop (my old one was 4 1/4 turns). The strange part was that the steering felt much quicker than the old box - not just a little quicker. I contacted Borgeson company and was eventually able to talk to an engineer. After explaining what I was experiencing, the engineer commented that it was strange as there is only one part number for all the second generation trucks that it was used on. She said that she wanted to look into it and would call be back. Here is what I wrote in my maintenance log: New steering gearbox - 4 turns from lock to lock (expecting 3 1/2 turns). Contacted Borgeson - engineer representative Barbara said that there are two boxes made for this era of Dodge trucks. She said that one is a 14:1 ratio and the other is a variable ratio with the highest ratio in the center of steering. She said that both of the steering boxes are sold under the same part number and that the customer has no say in which steering box the customer receives. I told the engineer that I have no issue with the steering gearbox that I received and thanked her for explaining the differences. So, I got the variable ratio one and I do like the steering gearbox. So anyway, I don't think that you would be disappointed with that steering gearbox, but I just wanted to let you know that you may get something slightly different than advertised. I have currently logged 186,000 miles on the Series 680 steering gearbox and I am still pleased with its performance. John

Steps 1 through 3 are good. When checking battery cables, make sure there is no corrosion creeping into the cable under the wire insulation. This corrosion is difficult to see and it commonly happens with aged crossover cables. There a wiring modification called the "W-T Ground Reference" mod. If you have not done that, it is a good thing to do. It takes care of some potential ground issues on the driver side of the engine. This will not likely correct your issue but it is a prudent modification to do as quality ground circuits are necessary for reliable computerized engine control components. This could be a beneficial test for diagnosing. What you accidentally did is called a "wiggle test" in the automotive industry. Perform this test in various locations with a helper watching the dash while the ignition key is turned on, or while the engine is running. You just may quickly find your issue. John

Thank you for that information and the quick response. There should be some very helpful wiring diagrams in the manual. When you are checking connectors, be sure to inspect that there are no pins pushed partially back into the connector body. This sometimes happens and it is easily overlooked. Not sure of what work you are doing inside the cab, but there are a couple of locations for ground connections for dash components. You will want to find those grounds (shown in the manual) and ensure there is good electrical connection at those locations. You also should do a thorough inspection of all the main battery cables and connections, including the positive crossover cable. The alternator charges the driver side battery, but senses voltage (state of charge) from the passenger side battery. John

You listed your truck as 1998 2500. A 1998 truck has a 12 valve engine (P7100 injection pump), a 1998.5 has a 24 valve engine (Bosch VP44 injection pump). Is your truck a 24 valve? 2 wheel drive? 4 wheel drive? So, the truck ran fine when it was parked and ran fine in September of 2024. What prompted you to send out the PCM for repairs? I am trying get a picture in my mind of the time line of what was wrong and when it was wrong, and what you did and why did it, as you progressed. As in,"a new battery", not "a different battery"? Are both batteries connected? Are both batteries the same model and the same age? You can download this 1999 service manual (assuming your truck is a 1998.5 year). John

Need more detail on the truck history and sequence of occurring events. Was the truck running fine prior to being parked for a few years? Was the PCM repaired before or after the truck was parked? You mentioned, "PCM was sent out and rebuilt, signs of over-voltage." What was the over voltage value? Was the truck parked inside or outside for the years it was parked? If outside, rodents could have been chewing on wires. Do you have a repair manual to use for wiring diagram information? Please provide as much detail as you can. John

Were you trying to save money on the recycling charge for used coolant? A few years back, I patiently filled my diesel tractor with five gallons of gasoline from a five gallon container. Ya think I should have noticed the vaporous odors of gasoline? - Nope. I started to drive the tractor and noticed that the engine idle was fluctuating. I figured it out and shut down the engine. Fortunately, no harm was done. Stuff happens. I think you are probably okay. I would monitor engine coolant for leaks and periodically check the engine oil condition for moisture. After you have re-established the coolant mixture ratio and the coolant level has stabilized, then monitor the overflow reservoir for normal changes in volume (cold engine vs warm engine).

P1682 - Charging System Voltage Too Low P0217 - Decreased Engine Performance Due To Engine Overheating Condition The two codes above match your symptoms. The P1693 is of no concern as it is considered as a companion code - meaning that a related code is set in another computer module (ECM, PCM). Sounds like you have an OEM style engine mounted lift pump (left side of engine). That particular lift pump location is noisy and raspy sounding. Not the best design as the lift pump has to "lift" fuel from the fuel tank as opposed to frame-mounted lift pumps or in-tank mounted lift pumps that push fuel through the system. After the coolant leak is repaired, then you can check if fuel is present at the VP44 by doing the bump start test. Do you have a means of checking for and clearing DTC's? John

First, I would like to commend you on an excellent first post. Lot of relevant detail there. This is not a serious issue. Likely there is a small leak in the low pressure part of the fuel system. Fuel may not leak out, but air can leak in when the truck isn't used for several days or weeks at a time. It takes a while for the lift pump to prime the system, consequently a delayed start. This issue does need attention, but it is not a priority at this time. When you say "bottomed out", was the voltage gauge pegged to the low side or the high side? Since you had a major loss of coolant, the temperature gauge was probably reading correctly. The coolant spraying all over the right side of the engine may be causing an electrical problem. I would first concentrate on getting the coolant leak repaired. If you fill the radiator and cannot detect a coolant leak, then it is best to test with a radiator pressure tester. Many auto parts stores have a loaner tool, or a rental tool program that may work for you. Does your truck have a fuel pressure gauge for the lift pump? Is the lift pump located in the factory engine mount location? You should be able to hear the lift pump run under the conditions listed below: Key in the "On" position - lift pump runs for 1/4 second Turn key into the "Start" position just briefly ( a bump) and then let go - lift pump should run for approximately 20 seconds. John