LiveOak

Sounds like a nice truck that gets very good fuel economy. I still cannot get past the price. For $56,000, I am reasonably confident that I can find a 1998.5 12V or a 2001.5 24V truck in half way decent shape, take my time, do a FULL frame off restore, rebuild EVERYTHING bumper to bumper, repaint, and refinish the cab interior and pretty much have a new truck for around half the price maybe 2/3rds depending upon how much work in out sourced. In addition to the above, pay FAR, FAR, less in registration/personal property taxes on it when it comes time to get tags. NO EGR systems, NO DEF, NO DPF, or any other EPA foolishness with almost as good a fuel economy and FAR more hauling/towing capacity. I realize that not everyone has the ability or shop to do this but I think at these prices it would still be cheaper to pay someone to do the above and come out money saved, just not as much. In any case, what makes America such a great place (or at least used to) is the freedom to choose what you want. Some like chocolate and some like vanilla. Glad you like your new truck and it meets your expectations. That is a VERY rare occurrence these days. Nice looking truck and I am sure the ride must be SOOOOOOO MUCH smoother and easy on the seat of the pants dynamometer compared to the 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks.

I am subscribing to this thread for my own knowledge. Perhaps I have incorrect information or have been out of the loop for too long but it was my understanding (whether correct or not) that the HOVP44 and SOVP44 are NOT interchangeable and required different ECM's to operate. Perhaps someone could clarify this for me? Thanks!

Now here is an example of bed liner taken to new levels. http://www.dieselpowermag.com/features/dodge/1998_dodge_ram_2500_mean_green/ This would make a nice brush truck to take on back trails in forest land. I would have to take a look at the Linex paint job up close to see how it looks but the concept is definitely a good idea.

There is a BIG poison pill in all of this. Did anyone notice in the comparison that the price as tested for all 3 trucks was OVER $46,000!!!!! If I were Warren Buffet, I would NEVER pay that much for a truck. This is one reason I am still driving my 2002 2500 Ram. I will have to say that Dodge has done a LOT to improve and refine the latest Ram 1500 but is it REALLY worth $53,690??? It seems like a real nice truck. I paid about $28,000 for my truck back in 2002. I understand how inflation and the rise in the cost of living works but over 100% price inflation in 12 years. Even if you could get a "dream price" of say......$40,000 for this truck as equipped in the test.......NO WAY I would pay that much for it. It is a super nice truck........just NOT worth that price. Guess I'll have to be the tight wade/stick in the mud.

Just a thought. This won't fix the waste gate problem but it may make it pretty much irrelevant. Rather than remove or replace the turbo, see if you can find a used Edge EZ or a boost fooler. This will prevent the overboost codes from being set and the defueling taking place as a result. You should see a noticeable improvement in performance, drivability, and fuel mileage with a few minutes worth of work on your part installing one or the other.

I agree. I think the 3.3 liter Cummins 4 cylinder or a lightened version would be a perfect engine for a small pickup.

In my opinion, I think the stock turbo will produce pretty much all you want once you get some decent size injectors. Before I would go with the Super B turbo or any turbo producing more boost than the stock turbo or much over 30 psi, I would strongly recommend installing ARP head studs to maximize the chances against blowing the OEM head gasket. I realize there are folks out there who are running the OEM head bolts and gasket with bigger turbo's and boost approaching the upper 30's psi or near 40 psi but I think they are taking a risk in doing so. The transmission is a weak point once you up the power as well. I am running the OEM turbo and I have to be careful especially when pulling or hauling a heavy load as my set up can easily slip the OEM clutch and achieve 36 psi boost if not careful. I try my best to stay under 30 psi. Better to match the engine components to work together and compliment each other in making reliable and consistent power.

I think I would wait and see what Toyota and Nissan come out with. Right now they are doing development and research on bringing a 5 liter Cummins V8 diesel to market. http://www.briggsnissanlawrence.com/blog/nissan-cummins-5-0l-v8-turbo-diesel-specs/ http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/next-generation-2016-toyota-tundra-to-share-5-0l-cummins-turbodiesel-with-nissan/ I would FAR rather buy one of those than a Dodge pickup with a VM diesel. In particular, I would go for the Toyota as Nissan builds poor quality JUNK in my opinion. The ONLY reason I bought my Dodge pickup is that it was wrapped around a Cummins engine, New Venture Transmission, and Dana axles.

LOL!!!!!! Mechanical humor is hilarious unless YOU are the one who has to fix it.

+2 for the Super B. Not too long ago, there was a very good article comparing the top rated turbo's in Diesel power magazine. IIRC the Super B was one of the top contenders. The best overall setup was twins but that drives the cost immensely higher. Take a look and see what you think. Hope this helps answer your questions. http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/1311_which_turbo_is_best_for_you_upgrading_your_diesels_turbocharger/ http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/dodge/1209dp_the_worlds_biggest_turbo_test/viewall.html

I have got to replace the tstat in the wife's truck. I used it to haul a load of 8 55 gallon barrels (about 3,400 lbs.) full of sugar the other day. Even with the Winter front louvers on the grill and in 5th gear with the pedal to the floor, I had a very difficult time getting the engine to reach full operating temperature and when I back off the power on level ground, the engine temperature would drop down below what I estimate to be 160 degrees on the temperature guage. On the other hand, I got an opportunity to go along as a driver and helper to pick up the sugar. We rented a GMC long box truck equipped with the Duramax diesel and Allison automatic transmission. We loaded 40 55 gallon barrels of sugar (17,000 lbs.) The engine temp stayed pegged at about 190 even when we climbed up the mountains coming out of South Pittsburg, TN where I had the pedal to the floor for about half hour holding about 50 mph. I wish our Cummins engines and thermostats had temperature consistency and control like that. Even though the Duramax in the rental truck was derated and the transmission had torque limiting (or at least appeared to) for initial take off in 1st gear, I was very impressed with how it performed. I still prefer my Cummins as the Duramax is a complicated and cramped mess to work on in my opinion. Driving a vehicle with that much weight, mass, and forward momentum and NO exhaust brake was a TOTALLY new experience but that is a topic for another post.

Oooops! It looks like the above is the 180 degree thermostat. Apparently the 200 degree thermostat is P/N 4990285.

This is the Cummins part number I came up with. 4929642

Can someone post a Cummins or other part number for the 200 degree thermostat? It would be much appreciated. I will see what I can find.

Can't miss mixing kerosene or Jet A-1. If Amalgamated gelled up, I would be contacting Randy Walker at Amalgamated and explain what happened. Not sure if Randy is still working there or not. Give them the opportunity to make it right.

Hope you learned your lesson and it was not too expensive.

If fuel gelling or icing up is an issue, I would think a fuel additive or just adding some kerosene is MUCH cheaper and effective than adding fuel heaters/warmers. I buy my fuel additive from Amalgamated in the 5 gallon container. I use the TDR-WDA formula for Winter http://www.amalgamatedinc.com/tdr-wda.aspx TDR-S for warm seasons http://www.amalgamatedinc.com/tdr-s.aspx 10 gallons of fuel additive will last you a LONG time. If icing up is a really bad issue, go to an airport and buy 55 gallons (a drum or several diesel cans) of Jet-A1 and mix it with your diesel starting with a 5 -10% mix or until you can titrate a mix % that will not gell or ice up. Jet A-1 by its very nature is very resistant to gelling and icing up but has required additives that cover a range of issues to include a biocide to prevent bacterial and algae growth among other things. In my entire career in Army Aviation, I NEVER once observed or even heard of JP-8 (military spec version similar to Jet A-1) gelling, clouding, or icing up. IF you DO add any jet fuel, I HIGHLY recommend adding a lubrication additive which you should be using already like the Walmart Supertech 2 stroke lube oil. Do NOT used these types of fuels full strength as their cetane properties are such that they cause issues with delayed combustion and have SIGNIFICANTLY reduced lubrication properties as compared to diesel fuel.......not to mention that they cost a lot more unless you work some place where you can get CLEAN waste jet fuel.

No!!!!!!! Don't feed them like that. You will drown 1,000's of them. I was using boardman feeder but am transitioning over to these: http://www.kelleybees.com/Shop/22/Queens-Bees/Feed/4236/Community-Feeders The price sucks but you can order one and use it as a pattern to make your own with improvements. With respect to VSH bees, I don't think this influences much if anything with fogging. My bees, many of which are almost 8 years old and the queens have been superseded MANY MANY times as they have adapted to my area. I don't requeen. I let the bees do what nature bred them to do. Your area's climate is obviously MUCH colder in Winter than mine as I am maybe 30 miles from the Alabama border. I suspect you will need to choose warm (comparatively speaking) days to fog your bees. A cold day for my area is the 20's and the temps are usually much warmer than that. Watch Don's video and get a feel for how fogging works and the times or year it can be doneL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-crv868VZHU So far, the fogging seems to have worked well enough that I have not felt the need to try OAV. I like how your bees are sheltered for the Winter. I am sure your bees benefit greatly from that and appreciate it.

For many years I have used hydrogen peroxide full strength right out of the bottle. Use it after brushing my teeth once or twice a week, any more than that can irritate the mouth lining, take a mouth full and swish it between my teeth for about 20 minutes. It reacts with all of the plaque and bacteria that resides in your mouth. My dentist and the hygienist always comment on how clean and healthy my teeth and gums are. Take care of what you have......it will not get better with age.

These pumps are advertised and buyers are led to believe they are a vast improvement of the OEM pump and in most case they are.........however, these pumps should work in ALL conditions just as the OEM pumps should. It is bad enough that the customer has to fork out another $600 for a fuel pump to replace the OEM fuel pump that should be adequate in the first place. Being required to pay out even more for something that should have worked in the first place round II is not my idea of a pump that supposedly is an improvement over OEM systems. At the very least, they should make it VERY & CRYSTAL clear to the customer that these pumps are NOT suitable for use in cold weather climates and if used without proper modification at significant customer cost over and above the cost of the pump, SERIOUS damage can be caused to the injector pump. I doubt this would be very good for Airdog or FASS pump sales. On edit: In addition to the above, Diamler/Chrysler (at the time) had their OWN technical service bulletins that were not only contradictory in nature but clearly demonstrated the OEM pump was NOT suitable, reliable, nor suited for the purpose it was sold as even on a bone stock truck. I remember when my VP gave me the P0216 death code at 48K babied and bones stock miles all caused by the totally worthless and inadequate Carter OEM lift pump. Remember all of the Cummins Campaign Lift Pumps, Diamler/Chrysler BS fuel volume tests, and the TSB that installed the in tank lift pump that was STILL junk? All I ask is that if you sell it, stand behind your product and work with the customer. For $600, Airdog needs to stand behind their pump and make it right.

I understand that. That kits costs $189.05. It should be no cost to the customer. These types of problems should have been foreseen and dealt with long before these pumps were released for sale to the public. Maybe they are and I am looking at this wrong.

So, am I to take this that the customer pays for this or does AirDog???

This stuff is TOUGH. Pretty easy to apply and comes with a sprayer. It is tough enough that I use it for liner on body armor. http://www.ebay.com/itm/U-Pol-Raptor-Truck-Black-Bed-Liner-Kit-with-Applicator-Gun-ME-820-/271524735872?hash=item3f3822ab80&item=271524735872&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr Give it a try and see what you think. Try it on something small first to get a feel for how it goes on first, then move on to the nerf bars.

Actually it fit quite nicely. The down pipe starts off at the outlet size of the turbo, in my case exhaust brake and gradually tappers up in diameter until it reaches 5 inches towards the end of the pipe. From there, everything is 5 inch diameter pipe. The only issue where the pipe runs close to anything is where the pipe transitions by the spare tire. I have open diffs so I can use the OEM size spare tire. Any tire larger than 285/75R-16 will not fit in the spare tire compartment anyway. There is still a 3/8" approx. air gap between the pipe and the spare tire but that far back, the pipe does not get that hot. I went with the 5 inch pipe because the "alleged" EDM Mach 2.5 injectors smoked like a freight train and made my EGT's go through the roof. I think they may have been mismarked. Once the BHAF and 5 inch pipe was installed the EGT became very tame and manageable almost to being like stock. I think the much larger pipe diameter and corresponding surface heat radiation area allows the pipe to run a good bit cooler than the OEM pipe. This exhaust also allows for the later upgrade to twins or an after market performance turbo.

When and IF the riots start and the crys or "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" go out. The store owners, home owners, and private property owners need to shout back "Pants UP, Don't Loot!" I could certainly understand if these "protestors" and the local black people who live there burned the police stations and kicked the crap out of the cops. If they are any remotely like our sheriff, they desperately deserve and need it. This would take courage, integrity, and heart. Burning and looting peoples private property and businesses is nothing more than lawless, criminally savage behavior. The above having been said AND knowing all the facts are NOT out yet........from my limited and current understanding, it you try to grab my firearm away from me, I would very likely shoot too. Life is TOUGH........it tougher if you are stupid.