Tractorman

Southbend's part # HYDX1-50 has an adjustable pedal feature. This is important as the OEM and other aftermarket non-adjustable pedal clutch hydraulics will likely frustrate you because they probably will not have enough stroke with the new clutch parts. - John

This seems logical, but I have always wondered that with so many gears rotating and flinging oil everywhere, could the OEM vent be overwhelmed? It would seem that a tappet cover vent would be in a lesser turbulent environment and would have less oil entering the vent so it could do its job better. Just my thoughts. - John

This is what I want to do. I was just wondering if someone else has already done that and if they are happy with the results. - John I agree that a vent is a vent, unless one style separates oil from the vapors more efficiently. This is why I was wondering if the tappet cover vent may be a better solution. Thanks for the tip on the stock fuel pump bracket. I would probably trim the bracket as you did since I have a frame mounted lift pump. - John

Can you tell if one breather is more oil-free than the other? I like the idea of using only the tappet cover vent if it works equally as well or better than the factory vent just to get rid of the additional plumbing to extend the factory vent. - John

Thank you, appreciate you doing that. - John

Did you actually wait 24 hours for the silicone to cure and THEN tighten the bolts? Or did you re-tighten (re-torque) the bolts 24 hours later? Just trying to get clarification on your procedure, because if the bolts weren't tightened when you installed the cover, then tightening the bolts 24 hours later (after the silicone cured) would likely cause a leak. So you are actually running two breathers on your engine. I would be very interested to know if the tappet cover breather stays dry. - John

I have a related question to ask about the tappet cover. I have done the oil crankcase breather mod similar to Mopar1973Man's, but I still get some oil dripping out of the tube. It has always dripped the same amount of oil since it was new. I have seen aluminum tappet covers and 12 valve factory tappet covers advertised that have integrated the crankcase breather and vent into the tappet cover. Has anyone installed either setup on a 24 valve engine and did it stop oil from dripping out of the new crankcase vent tube? 3979-01dodge24v59, I don't mean to hijack your post, but maybe we both an get answers to of our questions here. - John

Sounds like is time to put it all behind you and enjoy your new truck! - John

Whew! For awhile I thought I was being taken too seriously. I ran your idea by my wife - she said, "Install the RV injectors!". I guess I will just have to risk the chance the vacuum hose will pop off. - John

So the vacuum line pops off when you install RV275 injectors. Does this happen when you install other injectors? I need to know because I have a set of RV275 injectors to install. The vacuum pump is gear driven and is attached to the front gear cover just below the fuel injection pump. The power steering pump is piggy-backed onto the vacuum pump. Follow the power steering hose from the brake booster to the power steering pump which is attached to the back of the vacuum pump. - John

It is likely a vacuum line, which would explain why you can't change your mode settings. Without a vacuum source, the HVAC system will default to defrost mode. Start at the vacuum pump location and follow the lines up to the firewall (near the top part of your photo). You should be able to find the other disconnected part. - John

When I check tire, brake, or bearing temps by feel on road trips, I am not looking for a specific temperature - I am looking for a different temperature between like objects doing the same duty, for example: one front hub bearing being considerably warmer than the other front hub bearing. - John

This has been an interesting read. I am now at 297,000 miles with original non-greased hub bearings. So, should I go to the trouble of greasing them, or should I just replace them? On road trips I routinely check the hub temps by feel, especially on the interstate - I will pull into a rest area using only the exhaust brake and gears to get down to 10 mph and then feel the hub temperature after I have parked. Now I wonder if I should be more concerned after reading the reports of sudden bearing failures. Did anyone happen to do routine hub checks for heat prior to their sudden bearing failure? - John

Since the very tip of the pilot shaft did not receive any damage, a sleeve would not fit over it. I think that in order for a sleeve to work, some machining would have to be done to reduce the diameter of the whole bearing area on the pilot shaft. - John

I am thinking that it was a very good decision. I was getting ready to buy the 235 tires, but you started experimenting with the 245's with even better performance for our application. It is rather ironic though, how long it takes for us to put on the tire that is recommended on the label in the door jamb on our 2002 trucks. How did those guys know that? Another benefit for the 235 or the 245 tire that hasn't been mentioned - a reduced chance for hydroplaning. - John

No, and of course it would have been the most important picture. The needle bearing chewed away a few thousands of an inch of pilot shaft material all the way around the bearing area precisely the length of a needle bearing. Because of the missing material, the new needle bearing will not support the pilot shaft as well as before when the clutch is disengaged. - John

Thought I would show a couple of photos with the new 245/75R16 tires. - John

I thought I would share my experience with the clutch replacement job on my truck. I just did a clutch replacement on my truck after a good service life of 297,000 miles. However, in hindsight, I know now that I should have replaced the clutch much sooner, perhaps at around 225,000 or 250,000 miles. The primary failure was the pilot bearing which I had noticed recently because at times there was difficulty getting the transmission into gear with the engine running. Eventually, the needle bearings were spit out and the shifting problem went away. However, the failed pilot bearing damaged the bearing surface area on the input shaft to the transmission. I replaced the clutch disc, pressure plate, T/O bearing, pilot bearing, and flywheel. I decided to go with Napa because the clutch and pressure plate were manufactured by Luk, as were original clutch parts. I elected not to replace the damaged transmission input shaft at this time because I think that even with the pilot bearing surface damage, I can still get a reasonable service life before doing another clutch job. At that point the transmission may need other parts as well and all the work could be done at the same time. The photos show some of my observations. The friction surface of the pressure plate is not shown, but it looked the same as the friction surface of the flywheel. Also, the heat marks on the flywheel and pressure plate were caused by one event in which I was slipping the clutch repeatedly under a light load to diagnose a steering problem. I could smell hot friction material during this testing. Not one of my brightest moments. - John

Doing some math (3.55/410 = .865 (about 87%) and comparing your speed vs. rpm and my speed vs. rpm, I am guessing that you have a 4.10 axle ratio. One way to check axle ratio is to mark a relationship spot with chalk on the driveshaft end yoke and the rear pinion housing. Then do the same on each rear tire to the ground. Chock the front wheels of the truck and place the transmission in neutral. Have a helper jack up one rear tire and rotate that tire one revolution while you observe and track the revolution of the drive shaft. Then have the helper lower that tire to the ground and repeat the same procedure with the other rear tire. If you have 4.10 axle ratio, then the driveshaft will have rotated 4.1 times. If you have a limited slip rear axle, then both rear tires can be raised at the same. With limited slip, both tires will rotate together. Hope this helps, - John

I have this setup. Just last week I changed over to four 245/75R16 Yokohama tires. For the previous 297,000 miles I ran 265/75R16 Michelins. The 245's are performing just like Mopar1973Man states and I like the benefits - less steering effort, better braking (with and without exhaust brake), and more time spent in sixth gear. One more benefit - the truck is 1/2 inch closer to the ground. Also, I do tow in sixth gear if my road speed is higher than 45 mph, which is most of the time. And, if the grade is 5% or less I will stay in sixth gear just as long as my road speed is 50 mph or higher and the speed can easily be maintained. I agree with Mopar1973Man here. Your engine rpm numbers don't match the road speed numbers for 3.55 gears. Your 235/85R16 tire and my previous 265/75R16 tire are virtually the same diameter. With my 265 tire the tach would read 2000 rpm @ 50 mph in fifth gear and right near 2000 rpm @ 70 mph in sixth gear. Thanks, Mopar1973Man, for introducing the 245 tire idea. - John

The MPG's sound good along with the overall performance benefits. Tomorrow, my wife and I will be leaving with the travel trailer to Baker City - we purchased a 5 acre parcel of land there right at the base of the Elkhorn Mountains, about 14 miles northwest of Baker City. We will spend about three or four days there figuring out where to put the well and septic system and to find out what is required from the county to build a house there. This will be the last trip with the 265 tires and the next set of tires will be the 245's. Thanks for your prompt response about the fuel mileage. - John It sounds like you are happy with the 245 tires, as well. Thank you for your input. Having the 6 spd manual transmission, my overdrive is not quite as tall as yours, so I think that I will be able to climb most grades in overdrive - my combined truck and travel trailer weight is 12,500 lbs. - John

I have noted that for a number of years you have used 235/85R16 tires on your truck and you have liked their performance – less stress on the steering components, less rotating mass, better snow traction, etc. I have run 265/75R16’s for the life of the truck and was going to make the change to 235/R8516’s because I agree with your observations. I am ready to buy the tires now, but I just read about your testing of the 245/75R16 tires on your truck and your positive performance observations. So, I am holding off purchasing tires until I read about your fuel economy with the different final drive ratio using the 245 tires. I rarely drive over 65 mph (especially when I’m towing), so the benefits of 245 tires would seem to be excellent. I am looking forward to hearing the results of your fuel economy test. - John

When I lived in Leadville, Colorado, I bought a new Honda Foreman four wheeler in 1987 - I think it was the first year for them. Back then it came with a 350 cc engine and a 5 speed manual transmission with first and reverse gear being extra low ratio. I modified a used electric over hydraulic power unit and mounted it and a large battery on the rear rack. I then modified my 5 ft snow plow blade with a hydraulic angle cylinder and plowed snow for eight winters there - didn't even need chains. It was an awesome machine. My daughter just sold the four wheeler last year (30 years old and still running, of course). - John

I am currently approaching 294,000 miles on the original clutch and transmission with lots of towing over its life. The last 45,000 miles have been with a Smarty programmer set on Software 5. I don't have coolers on the transmission (someday I will), but I overfill by one quart. If you make an effort to match road speed to engine rpm during shifts (up and down), you can make a transmission and a clutch last for a very long time. Enjoy the truck! - John

For awhile I thought you were going to have to change your slogan to "Truckless for the first time FOR a decade". - John