jumpjg

Haven't been on the forum for a while, but I think I have a problem & could use some help. I've owned my '99 3500 dually for about 5 years now. When I first got it the lift pump/ wait to start light would energize as soon as the ignition was turned on, but after a few months sometimes (about 50-70% of the time) it would take about 5 or 6 seconds to get the pulse/light. The engine would always crank but it wouldn't light off until the lift pump pulsed. No big deal, just wait for the fuel pressure gauge to pulse then hit the key. Over the years I've read this was an indication of a problem inside the ECM (the computer on the engine block) that requires replacement to correct. Being in no hurry to spend the cubic dollars to replace the ECM, I've just lived with it and there has been no change with the delayed pulse - until recently. Over the past week or two I've noticed the wait time for the pulse has increased from 5-6 seconds to 10-12 seconds, and it seems to be 100% of the time now. It still starts & runs fine after the pulse - just drove it to Dayton, OH & back, 6 hrs each way. All other systems work fine, no engine warning light, no trouble codes showing up on the Ultra Gauge. So I'm looking for guidance so I know what to do on that one day when it fails to pulse. I'm a little too old school to understand all the intricacies of matching up a used ECM or flash codes and the like. Is there a proven reliable rework center for these ECMs? Will it still have to be flashed by a dealer to work. Any advice appreciated - thanks!

Well I had the alt checked at Autozone & it failed their test almost instantly. I decided to buy a replacement while I was there, a rebuilt-in-Mexico ND unit with a lifetime replacement warranty. Ran the replacement alt across their test bench and it passed - took about 3 times as long to do the test on the replacement than on my old unit. Brought it home, installed it, reconnected the batteries (cleaned terminals too), did the APPS reset, and started it up. After the grid heaters stopped cycling it holds a steady 14-0 - 14.2 volts, even at idle. So I guess I'm good to go! Thanks for the help! Joe in St Louis

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I put a charger on the batteries overnight & they came up to 12.6. My charger is an automatic type that shuts off when the batteries reach "100%" then goes into a float mode; they hit the 100% mark sometime overnight. At this point I don't believe the problem is with the batteries - although they may not be like new it seems like they are still serviceable. I pulled the alternator this morning and will get it bench tested at the local Auto zone. I'll report back later witth the results. Mike, you mentioned checking the blue wire (field supply) for 12 volts. I quickly connected the L/H battery and did a quick check with the ignition switch on, but didn't register any voltage. Do you think the engine needs to be running before the power gets turned on to the blue wire, or perhaps the power is supplied by the R/H battery? Thanks again for the help! Joe in St Louis

I recently took my truck/5th wheel on a trip to the U.P. of MI. On the first day out, a couple hrs into the drive, I glanced down at my gauges and noticed the voltmeter hanging low in the 12 volt area. At the time I was running with my headlights on which included all the running lights on the 5ver. First thing I did was turn off the lights - voltage came up slightly. About that time my better half informed me she was due for a pit stop so I pulled over on an exit ramp & let her into the trailer. While she was doing that I had a look under the hood. All looked fine but I detected a slight noise coming from the alternator that was unfamiliar; it did not seem to change pitch with rpm like a noisy bearing would do, not a belt slip - kinda hard to describe but like an electronic buzz. By this time she was ready to go so we got back underway. After a short while I noticed the voltmeter was looking normal again so I tried the lights to see if it would draw it down again - it didn't. At the next fuel stop about 2 hrs later I listened under the hood again for the noise but it had stopped. We finished our 2000 mile,13 day trip wiithout anoother incident, and I was watching the voltmeter like a hawk. Since our trip (returned home 2 weeks ago today) I hadn't used the truck until yesterday to commute to work. It started right up & ran fine, voltmeter showing a normal indication. I have a Juice with Attitude unit installed on my truck and I changed the display to monitor ECM voltage. At idle with headlights and wipers it would read as low as 12.2, but would quickly increase to 13.9/14.2 volts while underway (1600 - 1800 rpm). After work the rain was gone so I started out without the headlights & wipers, and the voltage was 13.2 + at idle immediatly after start-up. I pulled out of the lot at work and drove the 1/2 mile to the interstate ramp, when I glanced at the ECM voltage which was now reading 12.2 volts. I closeely monitored the voltage during the 17 mile commute and saw it slowly going down to 11.7 at idle and a peak of 12.0 at speed. Once at home I parked the truck & shut it down, then i turned on the ignition (did not start) to see where battery voltage was - it showed12.2 volts. I then re-started the truck & the voltage read 11.8 volts.This morning I started the truck - voltage was down to 10.2 but I believe that was due to the grid heaters being activated. I didn't let it run long enough for the heaters to turn off before shutting it down. Way I see it the problem could be one of three things - A bad alternator, a bad PCM (voltage regulator), or a bad connection at the alternator or PCM. Another contributing factor could be the batteries are getting a little weak - I think they are about 5 years old. I plan to pull the batteries & get them charged/tested first. In the mean time I plan to check connections at the field wire plug & BAT connection on the alternator, and check for a decent ground of the alt (they are case grounded aren't they?). I am suspicous of the alternator since it was making a wierd noise a few weeks ago, but would have expected it to stay bad & not miraculously fix itself for the duration of our vacation. Hopefully it is not a bad VR because I hate the thought of replacing a PCM. Any testing and troubleshooting advice would be welcomed. Thanks for your time! Joe in St Louis

Got it all back together yesterday. The BJs pressed in without any problems, steering knuckles installed just fine, rotors & calipers went back on easily, etc. Still, it took me about 3 hrs, but I was dealing with high 90's & clear with about 85% humidity. I had a fan (old furnace blower) but I still soaked my coveralls. Front end alignment is scheduled for tomorrow. All should be squared away for our trip to the UP next month - hauling a 34/29ft Titanium 5th wheel (~10k). The tool kit from Advance had a very substantial C-clamp press & 20+ adapters. The screw on the press was 1" diameter & the frame of the C-clamp did not distort at all - it worked really well. I used my 3/4" socket set & ratchet to operate the press - would have been tough with 1/2" drive. Thanks for the support, Joe in St Louis

Thanks for the sanity check Tom with regard to the hub nut. Appreciate your time, Joe in St Louis

Another question... The FSM states that the hub bearing nut (Ram 3500 IFS) is to be torqued to 280 ft lbs! I just can't fathom that. I doubt if the hub would even rotate with the nut that tight. Does that sound right to you? Is that what you would do?

Got the old ball joints out without too much drama using the ball joint removal tool from Advance. Had a slight problem with the R/H lower; it started to press out of the lower control arm crooked. Readjusted the tool so it was bearing on the "stuck" side & it came out without too much difficulty. I also removed the sway bar links & took a wire wheel to all the rusted surfaces, then followed up with a nice heavy coat of Rustoleum. New Moog ball joint were delivered this morning from RockAuto, so tomorrow I plan to put it all back together again. One question I have concerning the lower ball joints. Before removal I noticed the big snap ring around the ball joint housing was about 1/8" above the surface of the lower control arm - is this normal? It looked to me like there may have been a spacer or something missing. Appreciate any insight. Thanks, Joe in St Louis

Thanks Cajflynn/Tom, Yesterday I spent a couple hours disassembling the front end on my truck to get access to the ball joints - really wasn't very hard. I spent a good part of that time chasing down my tools. I pulled the calipers & rotors off the steering knuckles prior to removing them from the control arms/ball joints. I was happy at how easily the ball joints came loose from the knuckles. I first took the upper BJ loose, followed by the lowers. The uppers came loose by putting a little spring tension on the assembly by using a 2x4 and my floor jack pushing upward on the upper control arm. I loostened the castellated nut but left it on a few threads to catch the knuckle when the BJ stud broke free. And with a couple of deliberate smacks from a 2 lb sledge on the side of the knuckle adjacent to the BJ stud it was apart. On the lowers I used the same procedure except a 2-legged gear puller was used to supply the tension. Today I'll be going by the parts store to pick up a ball joint press & ordering 4 new ball joints; I think I'll be ordering the Moog Problem Solvers. Joe in St Louis

I recently inspected my ball joints & they are toast. All the boots are torn/missing, the lowers have about 1/4" play, and the uppers aren't far behind. Not sure if they are OEM, but all the aftermarket ball joints I have seen come with a zerk fitting & these are sealed units (190K on the truck). I can't afford to pay a shop to do the job so I plan to do it myself. I have a fair ammount of experience in auto repair, replaced ball joints on smaller vehicles, and have some front end experience with this truck; had to replace the front rotors/hubs when I bought the truck - yea, those 100lb cast iron lumps! I'm pretty well tooled-up (jacks & stands, air tools, 3/4" drive socket set, etc) but what concerns me is getting the old ball joints out. My truck came from up-state NY so there is no shortage of rust on the suspension. I'm planning to borrow a removal tool set from Advance or Auto-Zone, hoping it will have enough oats to do the job. I've always had a tussle trying to unseat the tapered shanks of tie rod ends & ball joints out of steering knuckles using a pickle fork. Guess what I'm looking for is any tips, lessons learned, been there-done that-got the knuckles to prove it type of advice before I dive in. I was looking on RockAuto and it seems that Moog (Problem Solver) & Raybestos are the two premium replacements, but their design varies significantly. The Moog use what they call a "gusher bushing" which is a metal insert to support the ball with slots to allow uniform flow of grease. The Raybestos use a graphite-impregnated polimer insert to support the ball. Each say their design is better than the others' - open to opinions. I realize that most folks here talk about their 4WD ball joint battles. If there is interest, I can take pics & do a write-up. Thanks in advance for your interest & help! Joe in St Louis

Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner to close the gap. I found some green globs of stuff representing a crimp connector of some sorts inside the corrigated loom on top of the rearmost crossmember back by the bumper - all the connections came apart in my hands. Interesting to find that two wires (hot & ground) from each of the four marker lights, plus the two wires from the R/H licence plate light were all fed by the one quick disconnect plug in the harness. I ended up splicing the L/H & R/H markers together (8 wires into 4, 2 hots & 2 grounds) then spliced the four each hots & grounds together. All sealed up with heat shrink & covered with electrical tape. Look good, last long time! And yes, the test light & I became good friends! Appreciate the help, Joe in St Louis

Thanks Mike, Update: Seems that I was too quick to condem the cab lights. My first ispection was done in full daylight; when it got darker I checked again and the cab lights were illuminating, but the marker lights on the bed & tailgate are still out. I checked the fuse you mentioned. The cover on the distribution box indicates that fuse F also supplies power to the fog lights *which my truck has) and they work fine. I will dig in further on the wiring under the bed - had problems there before. Thanks again for the help!

I have a '99 3500 dually, and I just noticed that all of my marker lights are out. This includes the ones on top of the cab, the ones on the rear fenders, and the ones on the tailgate. All of the regular parking lights work (fronts inside the blinker assemblies & tail lights) and the dash lights too. I suspect that a fuse has blown but I can't decipher the legends on the fuse box covers. Is there a seperate fuse for the marker lights, & if so, where would it be located? Thanks for the help, Joe in St Louis

Did you anneal them first? My Norton (and other bikes) use copper sealing washers on drain plugs and hydraulic brake lines. I always reuse them after heating up to when they are cherry red & quenching in a cup of cold water. I just hang them on a piece of bailing wire over the flame on the kitchen stove - takes about 30 seconds. Afterwards they are soft enough to bend with your fingers.

Rick, After reading about all the problems people been having over the past year with the big dollar electric systems, I'd say try your luck on a mechanical system. There is an "Assasin" mechanical pump kit available that has a good reputation that might be a few bucks cheaper and most use it without an electric back-up. I think someone on this list wrote about his experiences with an Assasin pump. I went the cheap route 2 years ago with an Airtex; mounted it on the frame rail then added a Draw Straw & big line kit (3/8"). I had the Airtex replaced twice under warrantee. With the third pump I installed an in-line filter/strainer from Geno's Garage on the pump suction side ( http://www.genosgarage.com/FLEETGUARD-UNIVERSAL-IN-LINE-FUEL-FILTER-SCREEN/productinfo/FF5079/) & it has hung in there for 18 months now; still delivering 19 psi at idle, 17 at highway speed & never going below 15. My truck is pretty much stock & I drive with an egg under my foot. Good Luck Joe in St Louis