Tractorman

More questions than answers. Is the noise EXACTLY the same as before? How far is the drive home? 2 miles..., 30 miles? Did the noise occur right away? What are the engine rpms when the noise occurs? Does the noise still occur when the AC compressor is not running? When you had the serpentine belt removed, did you check the condition of the other pulleys? How about the belt condition? These details are needed to help eliminate possible sources of the noise. - John

P2509 ECM/PCM Power Input Signal Intermittent P2127 Pedal Validation Switch 2 Low I would stop changing parts. You may have good intentions, but new problems could easily be introduced and make it even more difficult to diagnose. I would start with P2509 code. If power to the ECM/PCM is intermittent (not sure if there is a PCM on a 2003), this could easily be the source of your problem. You have access to wiring diagrams on this site, if you don't have a factory service manual. The ECM/PCM power source needs to confirmed that it is in good working order. Double check that all positive and negative wires were reconnected when you installed the new batteries. - John

Here's another tidbit of information. As has been noted, there is just a piece of straight pipe sticking out into the engine compartment. A few years ago my passenger side carpet was getting wet. Turned out that the seal between the HVAC housing and engine firewall had weathered enough to allow water leaving the end of the pipe to find a path back into the cabin. I inserted a rubber hose elbow on the end pipe - problem resolved. It took me awhile to figure out the problem as we were on vacation with our travel trailer east of the Rockies. Since it was raining every other day or so, I first thought it was rain water leaking into the cabin. - John

I agree with @Mopar1973Man. Way too many gears that will never be used. Awhile back, I made a chart to compare some manual transmissions. I added the Eaton Fuller RTO 6610 (10 speed Overdrive) transmission. I think it could be a good option. 660 lb/ft input torque and transmission weighs in at 359 lbs. Very uniform close ratio transmission. - John

The 1.24:1 is still an underdrive in 8th gear on the 613 transmission. The 613 had two choices - direct drive 1:1 or 1.24:1. No overdrive. - John

Good catch on your part. I think this happens more frequently than is ever mentioned. This type of bushing contains two parts. They each have their purpose. One part is a flexible bushing that is intended to flex and absorb energy. The other part is an internal steel sleeve that is slightly wider than the bushing. Its purpose is to ensure the assembly can be clamped with enough force between two steel ears that the steel sleeve will never move. This type of bushing is also used for leaf spring hangers and shackles as well as some shock absorber mounts. Proper torque for the fastener may be set correctly, but this does not guarantee that the ears (usually welded onto the frame or axle) are bending enough to reach their full clamping force on the inner steel sleeve of the bushing. For this reason I usually torque the fastener to a higher value to ensure good clamping force. I follow up with an inspection after a couple of thousand miles to check for tightness. @Mopar1973Man, since the track bar connection on your truck has been loose for awhile, the steel sleeve and / or ear mounts will wear some, possibly removing material. This will make it harder to attain the clamping force when the fastener is re-tightened. I recommend inspecting the connection again after a few hundred miles. - John

@David E, I can't help you regarding the adapter, but I am interested in your project. Would that Roadranger be an 8 speed? I always thought that this transmission would be an excellent choice for a Dodge Cummins powered truck. - John

Can you give details as to what transpired here? Example: was the home unoccupied for a few months first? Or, were the owners gone for a couple of weeks (vacation)? Or, did the owners go to the grocery store and return to find people occupying their house? Could make a difference on how to prepare by knowing what you are up against. - John

@Great work!, you are a talented man!! I couldn't even begin to take on that task. - John

@Thr333_Arr0ws, it may be that nothing is wrong. The following is only my thoughts, but it would seem to me that the ECM easily has the capabilities of operating stock injectors smoothly through all engine rpm's and engine loads, including engine idle. But, when you replace stock injectors with significantly higher horsepower injectors, then I could see that the ECM may struggle to arrive at and maintain a smooth idle. Look at it this way - the engine is going to use the same amount of fuel to idle whether it has stock injectors or high horsepower injectors. The difference would be that with the high horsepower injectors, the ECM would have to cut fuel duration time way back for the engine to idle at the same rpm. To me this could make it difficult for the ECM to precisely meter the exact amount of fuel required to make a smooth transition to idle with high horsepower injectors. I currently run RV275 hp injectors in my truck - that is only a 30 hp bump. While I have no change in the way the engine arrives at idle, I do now have a slight hunting in rpm's at times during clutch engagement. I attribute this to what I just mentioned above and consider it normal. Again, these are only my thoughts - no verification that this is even happening. There could easily be something else going on. - John

I am not going to be of much help here, but can you describe the above in more detail? Is this a rapid change in rpm - such as, 2 or 3 times per second? Or, is this a much slower change? Also, what were the previous injectors - stock, OEM, etc.?. Are the replaced Bosch injectors new, or re-manufactured? Do you know where the VP44 came from and did it come with a new PSG or a used / reconditioned one? I asked these questions because others more knowledgeable than me, will come to your aid shortly and they will probably want to know some of these answers. It sounds like the truck has been well maintained by the previous owner and currently by you. - John

Good to hear that you won with your decision to replace a defective new clutch fan. It's a bummer that you should have to do the job twice, but I am glad to hear the engine is running as it should. - John

Well dang! That shoots that idea. Another area to possibly look at would be to check if there is any dirt buildup on the front side and center area of the radiator. This collection of dirt is caused by crankcase vapors from the OEM location of the engine breather. It is very difficult to gauge how dirty it is. Years ago this occurred on my truck and would cause a minor heating problem on long grades with heavy loads. I spent several months trying to figure out the problem. I even installed a new clutch fan and nothing changed. Once I saw how badly the airflow was restricted (after removing the radiator), I cleaned it thoroughly and re-installed it. On my first test drive, I noticed the engine fan was much quieter under all operating conditions. Previously, the restricted air flow causes so much turbulence around the engine fan that the fan was noisy all of the time. The long period of time needed for the airflow to become restricted occurred so slowly that I never noticed the ever increasing noise of the fan. Not saying this is your problem, just trying to cover all bases. Might worth giving the fan a second chance by driving the truck for awhile after the engine reaches operating temperature. - John

When you are checking out your new clutch fan, are you checking fan operation without driving the truck? If so, it would be normal for the fan to be in full lockup on a cold start, or even a warm start. Normally, driving the truck for several blocks or maybe a mile or so, the fan should unlock. Can you give more detail on how you are checking the fan operation? - John

I have a small mini-excavator - a 2007 Takeuchi TB016 with rubber tracks. I know it is not the same, but it is similar. I bought the machine used with 1550 hours on the hour meter. Still had the OEM tracks. At 2200 hours, because the rubber had many rips and tears, I replaced the tracks with new tracks from Prowler. Those tracks kept coming off - even when I was being very careful with turns. I tried various methods of adjusting them. I thoroughly inspected the undercarriage components and could not find anything wrong. Finally, after 140 hours of operation I removed the tracks and set the new and old tracks side by side for comparison. The OEM tracks were far superior. The photo below shows some of the differences between the OEM tracks and the Prowler tracks. The major difference was that the OEM's steel foundation for the guides was much more robust. The bonding to the rubber was also superior. The OEM tracks are shown in the upper part of the photo. The guides are in far better condition at 2200 operating hours than the Prowler tracks are at 140 hours. Also, the OEM tracks never de-tracked. I re-installed the old tracks and sent my documentation to Prowler. They gave me a full refund. I ran the OEM tracks for another 300 hours while looking for another set of tracks. I finally purchased a set from National. Those tracks are built much more like the OEM tracks. They are working fine (500 hours of operation now). I have de-tracked the Natinal tracks a couple of times, but each time was under severe operating conditions. I think that new tracks are more susceptible for de-tracking just because they have much more traction than the replaced worn tracks. Good traction with aggressive maneuvering can lead to de-tracking. You may want to give a close comparison inspection of your old and new track and evaluate any quality difference. It could be contributing to your problem. - John

No worries. - John

I based my response on what you wrote. You made no mention of using the VP44 gear timing mark or using Moparman's article. Now that you have clarified what you did, I think you have adjusted the valves correctly. This would be normal. Once you rotate the engine, some of the valves you adjusted will be approaching a camshaft lobe or just be coming off of a camshaft lobe. You will feel some looseness, but the proper feeler gauge will not fit in the space because the camshaft lobe is not in the right position for full clearance. Always double check your work and you will be fine. - John

No valves are adjusted with engine at BDC. With cylinder #1 at TDC compression stroke adjust: Turn crankshaft one revolution to #6 TDC compression stroke. Adjust the following: - John

Here is what I recall. All trucks from 1994 through 2002 have disc brakes on the front axles. 1994 - 2001 - front disc brakes and rear drum brakes, rear axle anti-lock brakes only (not independent rear wheel anti-lock) 2001.5 - 2002 - front disc brakes and rear disc brakes, four wheel independent anti-lock brakes I think the answer is yes. I believe the RWAL system uses a single sensor at the ring gear location - not a sensor at each rear wheel. It would seem that the ABS controller would not know whether or not the rear brakes are drum or disc. - John

Sound coming from the turn signal cancellation mechanism? It is about the right position of the steering wheel for the noise to occur. - John

Mike (JAG1) and I just arrived at my place about 10 miles northwest of Baker City. I want the thank Mike Nelson for his hospitality and letting us visit for a couple of days. In our defense, we really weren't sleeping in - would you step outside if there was a big guy out there walking around with blue hair and a 9 mm? I don't think so. - John

Don't have my laptop so responding with Tractorman's. Nice to hear from you guys. We had steaks tonight. Yum! Hope you get better Dan. Billy thank you for all your effort on the site Weather is as perfect as ever here now JAG1.

I am assuming the your truck has the single bulb per side OEM headlights that use the 9004 bulb and I am also assuming that your headlights are NOT relayed. If the above statement is true, then your headlight output (in lumens) will be about 50% of bulb rated output because there is no relay. The wiring from the headlights are long in distance and are undersized in diameter, consequently a severe voltage drop occurs at the bulb. Properly installed relays will bring up the voltage at the bulb so that the bulb will reach 100% rated output (in lumens). No matter what halogen bulb system you use, the system must be relayed. If not, there will be no improvement. The 9004 bulb is a low / high beam bulb. The low beam is only 45 watts (for long life). Most low beam bulbs are 55 watts. I switched from single bulb per side to two bulbs per side (Sport Headlights) years ago. Unlike Moparman's experience with Sport Headlights, my experience has been exactly the opposite - good beam pattern and great illumination to the sides and forward (low and high beam). Not nearly as effective as his Morimotos, but far better than the OEM non Sport Headlight. Daniel Stern recommends the following bulbs for the Sport Headlights: The best 9007 bulbs presently on the market are the GE Night Hawk Xenon 9007NHX or the Philips Xtreme Vision 9007XVS2 The best 9004 bulbs presently on the market are the GE Night Hawk Platnium 9004NHP or Philips Xtreme Vision 9004XVS2 I would not have any faith in the quality of the headlights at the website that you linked to because there is only one review and because there are no photos showing the actual beam pattern on the roadway. It is very difficult to buy a good set of headlights on the Internet because there is never any proof that shows how effective the headlights are at doing what they are supposed to do. The Sport Headlights and relays are within your budget. - John

From looking at your photos, the steering shaft can only slide on to a specific position. The first photo shows a space between two sets of splines. The bolt will pass though that space when the steering shaft is slid onto the steering gearbox shaft into the correct position. That is what keeps it connected even if the bolt came loose. Your second photo shows that the steering shaft needs to go farther onto the steering box shaft. There may be a burr on one of the splines. Make sure the splines are clean and add a few drops of oil to help it slide on. Light tapping with a small hammer may help. - John

It is likely to be a poor connection in either the grounding circuit or the supply circuit. In either situation, a poor connection can become worse when another electric load is turned on (the headlights in your case). Definitely check out all ground connections to body, frame, and engine as well as battery cables - both positive and negative. - John