TexasDiesel

40 miles from home on vacation to Florida, the NV-4500 developed a second neutral, right where 5th gear used to be.A mechanic friend got us right in and did the whole job for $250.He used the Chrysler split nut and some synthetic lube he uses in the NV-4500's.It is a little difficult to get out of 5th now when hot (towing) and didnt used to be. Fine when cooled down.We didnt have Royal Purple to put back; we have run RP for 110,000 miles with perfect shifting.5th gear was a little sloppy fitting on the shaft splines, 250,000 miles of wear I suppose.Any thoughts on the split nut fixing the problem of the nut backing off?And any thoughts on why now it is hard to get out of 5th gear when hot?TIA

The code was 216, internal timing failure (actually "cant reach full advance")I like the 1 ounce per gallon, ease to figure. And even at 200:1 the pump was quieter...

I've been adding 2 cycle oil to my VP-44 and my wife's 12V since 2001, 8 years now. Pulled the injectors once and they looked exactly as expected. No evil 2 cycle "gum" buildup.Now to the interesting part: I bought another used 3500 2001 with 117,000 miles. Shortly there afterwards, I started getting low power periods and P1693 (?), the code for "internal timing error". I didn't have the time or money to replace the VP at that time. So I experimented with heavy dosing of 2 cycle oil in the fuel. <100:1 mix ratio. I was able to drive the truck several more months before replacing the VP.My son didnt believe me about 2 cycle oil, his VP died at about 150,000 miles. Same code. He decided to try the heavy dosing of 2 cycle oil, and he was able to drive the truck for a month. But if he forgot to add the 100:1 2 cycle oil back wouold come the P1693 code. I had the same experience if I forgot to heavy dose.Is the heavy dosing a "fix"? Answer: no, the damage is already done, but the extra high dose of lubrication got the timing ring to move again.Suppositionally, I suggest that increasing the lurication quality of diesel fuel will prolong the life of the injection pump and injectors, since both are mechanical and I have not see a mechanical device that didnt benefit from improved lubrication.