Tractorman

For the second generation Dodge Ram ('95-'02), this is about the blend door actuator. It is the only electronically operated ventilation door on our trucks. The rest of the doors are vacuum operated. The blend door's OEM "interposer" is plastic and prone to cracking or just wearing out. The replacement interposer is steel. - John

I wrote this post almost 24 hours ago, but an ice storm nearby shut off the internet service, so I could not post. Even though it appears that you have solved your problem, I am posting now anyway. I would use a test light with an incandescent bulb for all my tests. This test light will place a small electrical load on the circuit being tested and clearly show whether or not the circuit is working properly. The tests are simple and reliable. For part of the testing I would use a jumper wire. For the following tests, use the wiring diagram to follow along for each test to help you understand the test and the test results. Make sure the transmission is in "Park" and the park brake is set. Ignition key "Off". First test. This test will check continuity between the starter relay terminal #87 and the starter solenoid. Remove the starter relay. Use a jumper wire and connect one end to terminal #87 of the relay base and the other end to the positive battery post. The starter should operate. If it doe not, then continuity between terminal #87 and the starter relay has been lost. Second test. This test will check continuity between the starter relay and ground via the transmission neutral safety switch. Connect a test light clamp to the the positive battery post. Touch the other end to the #85 terminal of the relay base. The lamp should glow. If the lamp does not glow, then have a helper move the transmission selector around during the test. If the lamp occasionally glows, then the transmission linkage needs adjustment or the neutral safety switch needs be replaced. Third test. The test will check continuity between the battery, through Fuse #9 (30 amp), and terminal #30 in the relay base. Use a jumper wire and connect one end to terminal #30 and the other end to terminal #87 in the relay base. The starter should operate. If it does not, then check the condition of the 30 amp fuse and wiring between terminal #30 and the battery. Fourth and last test. This test will check continuity between terminal #85 and the ignition switch "start" terminal. Connect a test light clamp to the negative battery post. Touch the other end to terminal #86 in the relay base. Have a helper turn the ignition switch to the "start " position. The test lamp should glow. If it does not, then continuity has been lost between terminal #85 and the start terminal on the ignition switch. Performing these tests should find the problem. - John

I think @IBMobilehas it right. When the coil is energized, current will flow between terminal 30 and 87. - John

Your readings could very well be correct. Heating elements can fail both ways - a shorted / partially shorted circuit or an open / partially open circuit. Either way, there will be little or no heat generated by the element. I would be curious for you to retest the old grid heater elements on the bench to verify your first test. Also, do you make a practice of setting a specific range on your multimeter? Do you first touch the leads together to ensure a "0" ohm reading with the leads before testing a component? Even if you checked the resistance value for an new one, the information would not be helpful. Using Ohm's Law one can calculate the approximate resistance value, but only for a heated element that is probably glowing. Under a load the applied voltage would be around 11 volts. The current flow would be approximately 90 amps. That would calculate to be around 1.22 ohms of resistance. But, since that is a heated resistance, that resistance value doesn't mean much. The resistance value would be much, much lower after the element cooled. Our meters do not have anywhere close to the capability to read accurate resistance values that low. Even if they could, an absolutely perfect electrical connection would be required at both meter connections and the resistance value for a cold element would have to be known. Another way to look at this would be to consider that only one wire strand of a 20 strand wire was connected and the rest of the wire strands were broken and not connected. The one connected strand would still give you the same almost "0" ohm reading, consequently, there would be no value to that reading. With one connected strand and 19 disconnected strands, an electrical load could not function properly, yet the ohm reading would indicate that the circuit is okay. - John

Today's weather forecast was to be partly sunny. No mention of snow. But we got 4 inches anyway. - John

Make sure to verify that the ground terminal of the grid heaters is not problem before replacing the grid heaters. Probably not the case, but it shouldn't be overlooked. - John

@Doubletrouble, I apologize for my remark regarding not being ready for winter. It was meant as humor, but obviously it didn't come across that way. I know that you have some hardships come your way and it seems that you dedicating yourself to taking care of your parents. Very caring. You don't need any sarcastic remarks from me. Also, I thought I was quoting MoparMan - he lives in snow country. In fact, he is about 90 air miles to the east from me (across the Snake River). I think I should pay more attention to who I am quoting. - John

It's January..., How could you not be ready for it? There's more coming your way - looks like a snowy week ahead for us. - John

I can't offer any help regarding the transfer case, but i do have some thoughts about lack of traction in two-wheel drive. * What tire pressure are you running in the rear tires (looks like a dually according to your avatar)? I would run no higher than 40 psi, maybe even less. * Throw some weight in the bed over the rear axle. (500-700 lbs). I carry a 600 lb pallet of pavers during the winter month just for that reason. It works very well for traction, even in two-wheel drive with an open differential. * What material is the clutch made from? organic, ceramic, etc? Organic will have the smoothest engagement Ceramic encourages axle wrap. * What is the condition of your rear shocks? The rear shocks are mounted at an angle on the rear axle to help with forward / reverse torsional stability when putting power to the wheels or engaging the clutch. * Do you engage the clutch without throttle? As you know, these engine have lots of clutch engagement torque. No throttle should be applied until the clutch is fully engaged. Any or all of the above mentioned items can contribute to wheel hop / axle wrap and / or traction loss. - John

You need stop sharing useless facts! Now! We have no use for useless facts! In case you haven't heard, we are in a global warming trend. This has to be the warmest winter ever! It just has to be! For everyone! Everywhere! Oh no! I just found out it's supposed to snow tonight - that's going to wreck everything. - John

That's a nicely detailed list. You have to feel good completing that job. That transmission and clutch combination will be enjoyable to drive and should take you lots of places trouble free. - John

@dlg , you bring up a lot of good points and I completely understand your frustration. A stock 47RE is not a good transmission to have behind a Cummins 5.9 liter engine. You have listed all of the shortcomings of this application very well. Well, you may or may not, but I am going say probably not. The Cummins engine develops peak torque at about 1600 rpm. It maintains close to peak torque even above 2,000 rpm. If the truck loses road speed in 4th gear locked up climbing a grade, this means that the load has exceeded the full torque capability of the engine. If the converter did unlock you would have the slight benefit of a simulated partial downshift that would provide slightly more torque to the rear wheels, but that added torque would be cancelled immediately by the power loss from heat generation of a slipping torque converter. This means less power to the rear wheels. And, this excessive heat will be damaging to the transmission. So, when your transmission downshifts to 3rd, you have much more torque multiplication to the rear wheels and when the converter locks you will now even have more torque to the rear wheels. The truck will accelerate easily. Another downside to the overdrive gear (4th) on the 47RE is that the gear is too tall. The overdrive gear in the manual 5 and 6 spd transmission is not nearly as tall, thus better aligned with the Cummins engine torque for better performance. No, because the converter will immediately lock up and all of the engine torque will go to the rear wheels Yes. but not as much heat for the same grade. You will have much more available torque because of torque multiplication from the gears as you shift to lower gears. So, not a much engine power is needed. Hopefully that wasn't really a 45 degree hill. That would be 100% grade. A 10% or 15% grade is very steep. Regardless, yes, you would be making lots of heat. It really is not okay, but that is the product you have (the 47RE) and you can't really do anything about that particular situation. The transmission cannot be locked during a shift. If it was locked, the shift would be jarring and damage to the transmission would likely occur. It would be like speed shifting a manual transmission. Most people who have used this transmission for towing have significantly upgraded the transmission - mainly a lower stall speed heavy duty triple disc torque converter (converter lock up clutch), higher line pressure, heavier clutch packs, and converter lockup available in every forward gear. These amenities allow for the use of an engine tuner that will provide the needed engine torque to easily climb grades in fourth gear locked up. Both the engine and transmission will be happy. - John

When would it be hugely beneficial to be not locked up in 4th? An unlocked converter generates heat, lots of heat - the heavier the load and the further the throttle is pressed, the more heat will be generated. When the converter is locked, all of the engine power is transmitted to the rear wheels (just like a in a manual transmission), thus generating far less heat and putting much more power to the wheels. To me the "bad design" is there really should have never been only four gears place behind a high torque at low rpm diesel engine in the first place. And even worse, only the two top gears allow converter lock up. Simply not enough gears (or converter lock up) to keep the engine in the peak torque range. This is why I drive a 6 spd manual transmission - always the right gear available and no slippage, no matter how demanding the load is. Gears one through three are shifted hydraulically. Fourth gear is shifted electrically with a solenoid. Converter lock up will happen only in third or fourth gear. If there is a full gear shift happening, there will be a significant engine rpm change. If the converter is locking and unlocking, there will about 100-200 rpm change under light throttle. See if you can determine which is happening. Sounds to me like a converter unlocking and locking under a steady throttle - and you are right, that should not be happening. The PCM supplies the signal for converter lock up. When unwanted converter unlocking and locking occurs, it is usually an electrical field interference generated from another electrical source. The PCM stores this unwanted information until it determines that is normal and then changes the signal to adapt to the new normal. One thing to try. Disconnect the ground at both batteries. Turn the ignition switch to "run" position. Slowly depress the throttle to the floor and slowly let it return. Do this two or three times. Hookup the batteries and drive the truck. Did the problem disappear? If so, this confirms that you are having an electrical interference with the torque converter lock up signal. The symptoms will return. - John

This is normal operation. This is also normal operation. If the transmission is in fourth gear, pressing the Overdrive button "off" is commanding the transmission to downshift to third. There is no "switch" to unlock the converter. At what speed and which gears? Or is the converter locking and unlocking instead? - John

A most unusual sunset last night. The colors reflected from the sky made the snow turn pink. - John

Your description of the engine power loss indicates the engine is going into "limp mode". The ECM will reduce fueling to a specific level when certain parameters are not met. If you are getting codes pointing to the VP44, this could be the cause of triggering the limp mode. What are all of the codes you are showing? These DTC's are important as they are a good source of information to help diagnose whatever is going on. This could be normal. The engine will not produce much heat while in the limp mode. I drove my truck for one year (over 20,000 miles) with a P0216 code (timing issue) that would force the engine into limp mode on a regular basis. I just learned how to drive the truck to avoid the limp mode until I replaced the VP44. - John

One thing you can do in the interim is to park the truck on a fairly steep incline overnight (nose pointing downhill) and see how the engine starts in the morning. Make sure the fuel tank is at least half full. If it starts easily, I would suspect a leak somewhere between the tank and the injection pump inlet. You may get some differing opinions here, but I don't think this is the source of your problem. Is it possible that you are having a problem with the fuel shutoff solenoid? - John

Couldn't ask for a better start for the day.... Happy Holidays!

What are the actual symptoms that initially brought it to your attention that something was wrong? Was the engine running poorly? Did the engine just not start one day? What happened? Those details may be helpful. Here is a wiring diagram from a 2006 FSM for the injectors. You may already have this diagram, but if not, maybe it will help. The four DTC's you are getting indicate a poor electrical connection somewhere in the circuit. - John

A couple of questions. The DTC's listed below (which include the ones you listed) are for open circuits for injectors 1-6. What do you mean when you say, "when I turn on the key injector one and injector number five start pulsing …if I try to start, the engine, turns over and the pulsing goes to injector two and six until I turn the key switch off"? An open circuit would mean that no electrical current could flow to fire an injector, which in turn would mean that injector would not fire. I am assuming the engine does not start and run. Is this correct? P0201 FUEL INJECTOR 1 CIRCUIT/OPEN P0202 FUEL INJECTOR 2 CIRCUIT/OPEN P0203 FUEL INJECTOR 3 CIRCUIT/OPEN P0204 FUEL INJECTOR 4 CIRCUIT/OPEN P0205 FUEL INJECTOR 5 CIRCUIT/OPEN P0206 FUEL INJECTOR 6 CIRCUIT/OPEN Listed below are possible causes and testing procedures for an open injector circuit, which includes all wiring from the ECM to the injector coil. · P0205 INJECTOR #5 CONTROL CIRCUIT NOTE: All symptoms listed above are diagnosed using the same tests. The title for the tests will be P0205-INJECTOR #5 CONTROL CIRCUIT. When Monitored and Set Condition: When Monitored: While the engine is running. Set Condition: When the injector current falls below a calibrated threshold. POSSIBLE CAUSES PASS TROUGH CONNECTORS OPEN FUEL INJECTOR INJECTOR HARNESS OPEN HIGH SIDE DRIVER HARNESS OPEN LOW SIDE DRIVER HARNESS OPEN ECM DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE NOTE: Refer to VERIFICATION TESTS for appropriate verification test procedures. 1. With the DRBIII®, read DTCs. Are all 6 of the injector DTCs (P0201 - P0206) present? Yes --> Go To 2 No --> Go To 3 2. Inspect wiring harness for signs of multiple open circuits between the ECM and the injector pass through connectors. Inspect the wiring harness between the pass through connectors to the injectors. Are there open circuits in the wiring harness? Yes --> Repair or replace the open connectors or wiring. No --> Go To 3 3. Turn the ignition off. Disconnect the pigtail nuts from the suspect injector. Using an Ohmmeter, measure the resistance between the solenoid posts of the injector. NOTE: Be sure to zero the ohm meter prior to checking the injector circuit. Is the resistance less than 1 ohm and greater than 0 ohms? Yes --> Go To 4 No --> Replace the fuel injector. 4. Connect the pigtail nuts for the suspect injector. Disconnect the injector harness connector for the suspect injector. Measure the resistance of the injector harness circuit between the high side driver circuit and the low side driver circuit for the suspect injector at the injector harness connector. NOTE: Be sure to zero the ohm meter prior to checking the injector circuit. Is the resistance less than 1 ohm and greater than 0 ohms? Yes --> Go To 5 No --> Replace or repair the injector harness. 5. Disconnect the ECM harness connectors. Disconnect the Injector harness connector. Check connectors - Clean/repair as necessary. Measure the resistance of the Bank 1 high side driver circuit between the ECM connector and the injector harness connector. Is the resistance less than 10 Ohms? Yes --> Go To 6 No --> Replace or repair the open engine harness. 6. Measure the resistance of the Bank 1 low side driver circuit between the ECM connector and the injector harness connector. Is the resistance less than 10 Ohms? Yes --> Test Complete. No --> Replace or repair the open engine harness. - John

I have never used an Autel scan tool, so I don't know the answer, but I highly doubt that any of the scan tools will have the ability to enable the high idle / 3 cyl idle feature. The banjo fitting in the photo below should be the fitting you are looking for. All that has been added in the 1/8" NPT threaded port in the end of the bolt. You will find the banjo bolt that you need to replace is fitted at the inlet of the VP44 injection pump. - John

You did say in your first post that you thought everything was stock, but you didn't mention whether the transmission was an auto or manual. This is important because the overdrive gear ratio in an auto transmission is .69:1, a much taller gear than that of an overdrive gear in a manual transmission. I deduced that it was an automatic because you mentioned that, "overdrive kicks in around 45-50 mph". Also, knowing the specific tire size and the specific axle ratio is very helpful. The tire size on your truck is the best match for the axle ratio and automatic transmission in your truck to get the best performance from the engine in your truck. I will try to answer some of the questions you asked, but didn't get answered. Finding a reputable shop can be difficult. Finding a reputable shop that knows and understands VP44 engines can even be more difficult, but that is what I would search for. A dealer or a shop with specialized tools may be able to help you with the enabling of the high idle and 3 cylinder idle. I have this feature enabled because I have a Smarty S03 tuner. It may be possible (not sure about this) that if you can find someone with the Smarty S03 who is willing to connect to your diagnostic port and lock in the VIN# one time, the feature may be enabled. Again, not sure about this. @Mopar1973Man, can you answer this question? Do you already have a fuel pressure gauge on your truck? If not, this would be a good option. It is important to ensure that there is always a positive pressure (lift pump pressure) at the inlet of the VP44 fuel injection pump (a specific value is not important). First, let me make it clear that I have no experience with the Quadzilla tuner, but I do have experience with tuning a VP44 engine. From what I understand about the Quadzilla, is that you have a lot of control when setting fueling and timing parameters for varying engine rpms and throttle positions. It seems to me that you are having limited fueling in the 1500 - 2000 rpm range. If you are in overdrive and the torque converter is locked, are you getting any black smoke from the tailpipe when accelerating hard at 1500 rpm? If the tailpipe is clear, I would start adding fuel in this rpm range. I also understand that the Quadzilla is one of the tuners that is more difficult to understand how to set the desirable parameters with fueling and timing. I am using a Smarty S03 tuner with a manual 6 spd transmission. I have it set to start fueling hard from about 1300 rpm, so by 1500 rpm the engine is delivering a lot of torque (without smoke). I am doing this with stock timing. I would be more concerned about the stock transmission than the engine. The lockup converter clutch is a weak link, especially at lower engine rpms under high engine torque. @dlgasked, "On to the tuning questions. I would rather pay someone experienced to help me with this, rather than try to figure it out myself and mess something up." @Mopar1973Man, can you build him a tune? - John

How many miles on your truck? - John

@Mopar1973Manwill likely reply at some point, but I know he will want a bit more information. He is the residential expert regarding the Quadzilla. He can provide you a custom tune. Automatic transmission (sound like an automatic from you post)? What is your tire size? What is your axle ratio? Still have stock injectors and turbo? - John

@01_Cummins_4x4, hopefully you will let us know what the final fix is. - John