LiveOak

OK, here is the deal on traction aid devices on my particular 2nd Gen 2002 2500 but this applies to 00 - 02 2500's & 3500's. The rear axle being a Dana 80 is compatible with the Eaton TruTrac Part # 915A567. This in my opinion is the best limited slip/locking device for the rear axle. The front axle on the other had is an odd duck thanks to Dodge cheaping out and electing to buy 32 spline Dana 60 front axles. There aside from an ARB Locker and some other axle lockers that are NOT suitable for full time use on public roads, there is as far as I am aware of ONLY 1 traction device made for this particular front Dana 60 32 spline axle that Dodge used on their 00 - 02 trucks and that is the Yukon Dura Grip clutch pack type limited slip differential. This is not an ideal solution albeit the only solution but from others I have spoken with tell me that it will work pretty good. The other solution that will allow the installation of the Eaton TruTrac Part # 915A367 is to buy and modify an older front Dana 60 35 spline axle to fit on my truck from a Dodge or Ford or install the Syntec Upgrade kit that upgrades the outer stub axles to 35 spline and then find of have custom made 35 spline inner axles to the differential carrier. This mod would run into the thousands of dollars plus the cost of the TruTrac, and the cost of installation. Not worth the hassle for the periodic off road driving I do managing our forestry units. Figured I would pass this along so anyone else with a 00 - 02 2nd gen truck who is fed up with getting stuck off road will know of this option. Rock Auto sells the Yukon Dura Grip differential for about $565. I like dealing with Summit Performance so I called them and they price matched it. They also price match the Eaton TruTrac. Dodge is such A-holes & jerks for what they did to the 00 - 02 2nd Gen trucks. They cheaped out and cut corners on these trucks in so many places but it was the last year they made mine and I figured they would have all of the bugs out of them. I figured WRONG. My biggest peevs are Dodge deleting the CAD system on the front axle, eliminating the fender well liners, and the hood insulation. There are other peevs but they are minor or design flaws like the Carter block mounted lift pump. Hope this helps the next guy out who wants better off road traction with the front axle.

I'm not sure. I am still researching this.

Agree. If I had a factory limited slip, I would not be replacing it. I think I would just add a front TruTrac in that case. I have open diff's front and rear and they REALLY suck in mud or even damp grass. Having a front limited slip differential that does not affect steering dramatically is a BIG plus for me as I am on logging roads from time to time. I kinda had my doubts and did an eye roll on the 20,000 mile thing too.

The Eaton TruTrac is not a differential locker per se. It is substantially similar to the Torsen differential: Torsen Differential The Eaton TruTrac achieves similar if not stronger results: Eaton TruTrac Exploded The Eaton TruTrac to my understanding provides the best of both worlds in that it provides a locking function but does allow axle differentiation thus minimizing torque steer in frront axle applications. I think this guy can explain it better than I can starting at 5:20 if you don't want to listen to the entire presentation: Differential Locker Comparison

Being that the wife's truck had over 185,000 miles on it, I decided to replace the crossover tubes out of an abundance of caution. When a friend and I installed the F1 Mach 1.6 injectors, we decided to reuse the crossover tubes being that my engine had under 50,000 miles and they have worked fine as best I can tell. If you are doing the work yourself, going back inside the engine to replace the crossover tubes is just the cost of the tubes. When you are paying a shop to do it, I want it all to go back together RIGHT the first time and minimize any chances of problems.

I just had the head gasket replaced on the wife's truck. I didn't even want to allow the slight possibility (even then, anything can happen) for head gasket failure due to a bad head bolt or similar issue and had the shop install ARP head studs when they reassembled. They did not charge extra for installing them and with head studs, you are likely to get the best possible head clam load distribution possible. Still does NOT mean that the head gasket cannot fail again but in my opinion sure does significantly reduce that possibility. I think they are worth the money especially if you plan to make any performance mods to the engine down the road.

I am looking at having front and rear Eaton TruTrac's installed in the wife's and my truck. Getting really fed up with getting stuck/tire spine on damp grass and poor off road manners especially in mud & steep forestry roads. I am trying to figure out an easy way to determine what spline axles are in each of the axles. Both trucks I am pretty sure I have 3.54 gears in both trucks. Any comments, opinions, suggestions, and recommendations welcome.

Wow! Mike, that sounds REALLY high to me. I just had all of my injector crossover tubes replaced when I had new Bosch 275 RV injectors installed when I had the head gasket replaced. Geno's Garage has them for $41.95 each https://www.genosgarage.com/product/dodge-ram-cummins-crossover-tubes-with-orings-3936953/Fuel-Injector-Components-Gaskets#minicart_a I am late to this party and have not read all of the posts to the end of this thread so disregard if you have already got them. This was about the same time AND the same code my VP-44 threw when I had mine replaced under warranty in the last month and last 2 weeks of the warranty. Guess I was not the only one with this issue ehh???

Have you checked where the fuel hose/line makes the 90 degree bend going into the tank? This is a very common place for air leaks due to deteriorating rubber fuel hose. Are you sure the Raptor fuel pump is running properly through all of this? It could be that it stops running intermittently due to over heating, poor electrical connection, shorted wire, etc. The only other thing I can think of is the circuit board on top of the VP-44 getting hot and intermittently losing electrical continuity. Just a few things to take a look at that comes to mind. Hope you figure it out.

Just got done with a head gasket replacement on the wife's truck with about 185,000 miles on it. I decided to have new Bosch 275 RV injectors, all new cross over tubes to ensure there were no problems to clean up after the engine was reassembled. I think that was the prudent course of action being the head was off the engine and sent out to a shop for rebuild.

Well I picked up the truck yesterday and WOW! What a difference. I was into the repair for another $2,363 but that was because of the head work. All new valves, new springs, seals, freeze plugs, machining, etc. The instant I started the engine, I could immediately note the difference in sound and idle. The combustion knock/noise was much more noticeable but the exhaust note was much stronger and throatier. On the test drive home, the difference in power was definitely noticeable as well. It was not a really big increase in power but a HUGE increase in torque. Now, when I roll into the the throttle, I can seriously feel myself being pushed back in the seat and if I back out of the throttle too quickly, there is definite axle wrap situation that never happened before. Overall, the shop did a real nice job and the truck I am sure the wife will be VERY happy with. Now we just need to get started on repairing the dash and other interior issues. I have a brand new set of BFG 295/75R-16 KO2's in the garage ready to get mounted that I think will definitely improve the ride quality.

Just wanted to get back to the forum and let everyone know that my mounting and balancing experience went MUCH better than expected but then again, they knew I was standing right there watching them work on my baby. The girl who logs in customers for tire service got in my truck to move it and I immediately noted the WTF look on her face so I immediately began walking towards my truck thinking "does she even know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle??? Turns out she did NOT and the rest of the shop saw me walking that way and the manager who DID know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle brought my truck in the shop. From there on, it went pretty smooth. The guys in the shop asked me why I was replacing the tires as they still had a LOT of tread remaining. I told them the tires were at least 10 years old and I felt they were NOT safe. I could sense their intentions of re-using my tires until they started removing them from the wheels and the side walls tore they were so dry rotted. It WAS LONG PAST time for those tires to go to the shredder. I again warned them about using the old tires and they had decided to not use them. These tires were soooooooooooooooooo much smoother, no wondering around on the road, and just as quiet as the old tires. They did a good balance job as I took a short run up to about 85 mph indicated on a remote stretch of road which was probably well over 90 mph and they were still pretty smooth. Now I can pick up a load of sugar barrels or a 330 gallon IBC tote of sugar syrup with confidence and not be close to over loading the tires weight capacity. These tires are about 3/8 inch in width less and about a half inch less tall than the old tires. Lastly, I can again now make sharp turns and NOT rub the lower track bars. The final drive ratio is a bit better but still pretty tall but very tolerable. I'll come back and update this post at a later date to let your know how these tires are performing long term. For now, I'm very happy with them!

As it turns out, Walmart finally showed the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 295/75R16 128 R Tires in stock and allowed ordering. I immediately ordered 8 of these tires. I have been using this size or larger for almost almost 17 years. I get what you are saying about final drive ratio. I may change ring and pinion set when and if I update the axles with Eaton Truetrac differentials. In the mean time this set up works for me. Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

I have been going back and looking over my notes and why I purchased the 295/75R-16's in the past and I forgot that they are as far as I know the largest size true load range E/10 ply rated 128 load index tire that will fit on our trucks. Unfortunately Walmart cannot get them right now and cannot order them either. I suspect due to the Corona Virus situation. I am not sure if they will ever get them in stock in a reasonable time frame. Walmart does have the Toyo Open Country A/T II 295/75R16 128 R Tire in stock. Does anyone here have any experience with Toyo tires? I have never heard anything bad about them and the builder that came to the farm to look at our home building site had them on his 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 and he said he liked them and has not had any issues with them. I am very concerned that as our nation continues to circle down the world's toilet, that more and more things that we use and take for granted are always available will NOT be. There is already a wood/building supply shortage, automobile shortage, gun shortage, ammo shortage, shoes, to some degree various foods, and I could go one. Yet a symptom of how our political leaders have sold AmeriKa out and addicted it to cheap Chinese schitt! (rant over) I am beginning to think that I should buy what I can get now before they are not available. (I ran into a similar situation with ordering tires for our Kubota RTVX 1100C) I have tried the El Cheapo tires in the past and although they did pretty good on the road, they were horrible off road and were EASILY punctured by rocks. If the Toyo tires are a good tire and Toyo has a record of good quality products, I think I would be happy with them but would prefer the BFG's. I have not pulled anything heavy in years, only the occasional load of sugar barrels. The 315's with the 3.54 gears although pretty tall, do get great fuel mileage when the truck in not loaded heavily. The taller tires and off road tread I need for ground clearance and traction in mud and and off road use.

I was also looking at these too. Has anyone used these tires? If so, what was your experience with them? Kelly Safari TSR 315/75R16 127 Q Tire

Not meaning to resurrect an old thread but I am about the pull the trigger on 8 more tires. These are the SAME tires that are what I was discussing above in this post. These have been great tires, the tread holds up fantastic, we only had one flat and that was because some ****** bag shot on of these tires but otherwise they have done very, very well. Most of them still have quite a bit of tread left on them but these tires are pushing 9 years old and some of them may be older. Typically it is recommended NOT to run a tire for more than 6 years and in some instances I believe BFG says upto 10 years if they are regularly inspected. I'm not sure I want to take that chance especially since we periodically make sugar barrel runs and being her truck is a long bed carries eight 450 lb. barrels of sugar and mine being a short bed carries six 450 lb. barrels of sugar. I have been searching and reading reviews on various brands and size tires and the BFG's seem to have by FAR the best review (I can understand why). I would like to go with the 295/75R-16's but this is a very odd size tire and few if any stores carry them so if we ever needed to have a tire replaced while on the road, we would either have to wait for a special order to come in of buy all new tires. 295's rub very little, fill up the wheel well, and provide great traction & flotation for when we are driving off road. In order to stay with a tire size that is readily available and widely carried, we would have to drop down to the 285/75R-16's which I do NOT want to do, or step up to the 315/75R-16's which we currently are running and aside from the lower track bar rubbing issue have had very good luck with. The only draw back is and AH64ID mentioned it above is that if we are not carrying any load or much of a load, the rear tires must be deflated to around 35 - 45 psi or whatever allows the tire tread to run flat on the pavement so as to provide an even wear pattern which so far has not been a big deal for us. The 315's also have the highest available weight bearing capacity. These are what I am planning to order: All-Terrain T/A® KO2 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 315/75R16 127 R Tire As much as I hate to support Walmart, they have stores nationwide and a decent road hazard warranty in the event we had to replace a tire. The floor is open for discussion, opinions, feed back, rotten tomato's, etc.

I missed the fine print: It appears these are 4000 lumen.

Unless it is something really big or heavy, we usually take the Honda Pilot but the wife likes her Honda Element SC for local trips and the Honda CR-V for longer duty.

Is there a difference in performance/value of the fanless LED light vs fan cooled LED lights. I went ahead and got the LED lights that were paired with the headlight assemblies you linked me to just to make sure I got what would definitely work. VoRock8 R2 COB 9004 HB1 8000 Lumens Led Headlight Conversion Kit, High Low Beam Headlamp, Dual Beam Head Light, Halogen Head Light Replacement, 6500K Xenon White While reading the information and comparisons of this LED light to others, I noticed this LED light Torchbeam T2 9004/HB1 LED Headlight Bulbs, 12,000 LM 6500K Cool White, 400% Brightness, Compact Size, Replacement Bulbs Bigger, brighter, hotter, etc. is NOT always better and having fans to cool the lights raised some questions and doubts about reliability and longevity so I stuck with what was recommended to work. 12,000 lumens is pretty darn bright but I wonder about real world performance and usability, not to mention blinding oncoming drivers even if properly adjusted.

Can you put up the links to what you purchased for your truck?

I just want to buy a kit or at least the items that I can plug and play on my 2001 & 2002 2nd gen 24 valve. I don't want to get into any complicated issues of repinning plugs or fabricating harnesses or anything like that. Is there such a thing. I just want to SIMPLY install a set of clean lense headlights with LED bulbs on our trucks. Is there such a thing and if so, a link would be great. Thanks.

Thanks! That was what I was hoping would be the case. I ordered one just to be on the safe side but my wife really doesn't care about that kinda stuff so maybe I'll save it to put on my truck's engine.

I am pretty sure there was a mud dauber nest in the front crank case vent tube that may have cause the tappet cover gasket to blow out. I'm thinking about buying one of these and have it installed while the head is off. Billet Tappet Cover It uses an o-ring instead of the leak prone gasket. Can this be installed WITHOUT removing the VP-44 injector pump without a lot of pain in the neck? Any links or suggestions to a tappet cover catch can/vent fitting/hose kit would be MUCH appreciated as well!

Totally agree! I just ordered 12 gallons of Shell ELC NT coolant for my head gasket job. I was surprised to see that I could order it from Walmart and got free shipping! https://www.walmart.com/ip/SHELL-ROTELLA-ELC-NF-50-50-ANTIFREEZE-1-Gallon/342162211 When you figure up the cost of me driving to a place that actually carries this stuff, tax, and my time, the price is not too bad. I have been using Shell ELC in my 2002 for about 14 years and I have been gradually keeping it up to par by drawing out a gallon at each oil change and adding a fresh gallon of the premix. I think Caj Flynn does this and has had pretty good longevity on his trucks. I do the same thing with the power steering fluid too.

Good call! I called the shop today and they are going to send the head out to a shop that specializes in this and give the head the total work over and check everything out. Probably going to cost me even more but I want the head and everything else 100% correct for reassembly and want to get it right the FIRST time.