cummins2k

I do this on my Dakota. Can't say the engine warms up any faster. However the transmission is a bear to shift when first started cold on a 0-20 degree day (5-speed) and it certainly seems to shift much better after running for about 5-10mins like this. :smart:I have been told that idling a 24-valve in below freezing weather is a recipe for disaster. Something about the heads running too cool in this weather. So I just start my Ram and wait for the oil pressure to stabilize then head off. After being on the highway for about 5mins I have 180*f.

I didn't have the option of using smilies originally then I went into the user control panel under and enabled the bullet for Enhanced Interface - Full WYSIWYG Editing.

This is my Desktop, have many other older computers and laptops lying around too.

When I got to get filters I either get the Wix from Napa, Mopar, or Fleetguard when I can find them. I am planning on buying mine online so I can get them in bulk and save some dough. I would imagine the Mopar filter would be leaps and bounds over those crappy Fram filters.

I agree that is pure abuse. That is also the kind of person that complains about all the factory sealed parts being junk, well of course when they are sealed and greased from the factory and you contaminate them with water they will eventually fail. Premature failure and wear can be caused by operator error not just manufacturing flaws. Even on parts that are still grease able you have done a lot of damage by the time you replace the grease. Why anyone would destroy their diff by submerging it is beyond me, but to each their own I suppose.

The fuel pressures actually sound fine for a Magnum V8. I have a Dakota with a Magnum V6 (basically the same engine as the 5.2 missing two cylinders) and it exhibits a similar problem. I have two separate things happening and just haven't got around to fixing it because it never gets driven. Here is what is going on with mine and the causes, maybe this will help :thumbup2:Around 1800-2000 rpms it will buck / surge and if I shift (manual trans) it will exhibit a minor back fire. There is a hall effect sensor under the distributor rotor that controls the sync of the injectors, this was out of wack on my truck. Ultimately this should be set using a diagnostics scanner while turning the distributor much like setting the ignition timing on an older vehicle. The dealership has the proper scanner for this. It can be "set" by piercing or back probing the wires and using a multimeter however this is inaccurate and can be off a few degrees so there is a lot of trial and error involved. It is recommended to use the scanner and set it while running around 1000 rpm because there is less slack in the timing chain at this speed.Also my timing chain is bad, hence the reason I have never bothered fixing the first problem. It is bad because the chains are actually a bit to big for the Magnum engines as they moved the cam bore down slightly vs the pre-magnum engines and kept the same length chain. Chrysler sells a kit to tension the chain and prevent this. If this is compounding your problem then you would hear it my truck sounds like a diesel at idle but give it a bit of throttle and the sound goes away.

You do not need a scan tool on these trucks to bleed them. As a matter of fact I do not know if you can even use a scan tool to bleed them. As far as I know the official way to bleed these trucks if air was allowed to get past the ABS module is to use Miller 6670 to depress the valves in the anti-lock unit. http://www.amazon.com/OTC-OTC7853-Proportioning-Depressor-Systems/dp/B000K1FVLW

The 98 and 99 trucks do need a scan tool. Depending on how much you want to spend you have a few options. The most expensive ones allow for data logging capabilities, the mid-range will give you the real time data, and the least expensive ones will just read and clear codes. You also have the choice to purchase an OBDII cable and use either open source software, free, or paid software to turn your laptop into a scan tool. Using a laptop seems to be the most feature packed given you use free software. For about $50-$80 you can get a pretty feature packed scan tool. :smart:There is also the Inline 5 and Pro Link tools that you can use with Cummins Insite but this will cost some money.

I would imagine you would need to fabricate another bracket, get another belt tensioner, and a longer belt. Since these trucks use the computer for voltage regulation you could either run an external regulator or junction the wire harness for both alternators.

I guess you learn something new everyday. I am sure it will come in handy in the future.

Just making an assumption here so feel free to shoot me down but carbed cars use similar pressures (actually a bit lower) as does throttle body injection and they typically have a mesh sock pre-filter before the pump and the fuel filter after the pump. It would seem that these pumps are better at pushing fuel than pulling it so it works best and has the least amount of pressure drop when ran in this configuration. I can see the point of vacuum filtration but I would think as long as the filter is of good quality it wouldn't matter.

I am somewhat leary about setting exhaust valves on the tight side. Certainly though within specification I wouldn't think anything bad would happen.I know I need to run through my valves. Especially when cold my engine has a characteristic tick that has seemed to get louder over the last few months.I still haven't decided if I want to drop the coin for a barring tool or attempt to use the alternator. I have heard methods of turning engines over with the alternator in the past and it always seems the belt slips when I try it. :banghead:

Believe it or not sulfur is actually a major factor in lubricating potential. Remember that the system used in diesels engines operates under HIGH pressure and sulfur is used just for that. A high pressure lubricant. Pay attention the next time you buy grease and you will notice Molybdenum disulfide. It also shows up in many other lubricants. Also as far as sulfur and fuel mileage you are right. There is no noticeable effect due to the sulfur not being there, if the friction made that big of a difference in mileage the engine would practically eat itself alive...it is the process in which sulfur is removed that effects fuel economy. The current distillation methods used to remove the sulfur from diesel fuel also causes a massive drop in energy content over previous types of diesel.

Depending on how deep the dents are heating the affected area with a hair dryer and rubbing dry ice on it can get some of them. However this would be a long tedious process and you run the risk of burning yourself with the dry ice.I feel your pain though we just had our roof replaced last year due to hail damage.

I should have took pictures of mine. The filter sock was black and the filter was plugged. The filter minder was maxed out. I noticed when removing the filter sock the filter looked like it partially collapsed. I am not sure if it some how got damaged or actually did collapse. I certainly did notice the truck accelerated a lot smoother afterwards though.

Wow I could take this so far, but I really don't have to lol

I have a 94 Dakota that has no rust around the fenders and what not, but when working on it I find many issues down underneath. It's not bad enough to cause concern but definitely needs tended too. If a truck is exhibiting a lot of rust around fenders and other bends I would worry that structure wise it is falling apart.Your right in your assumption that it would deserve further inspection though. My father has a Dakota similar to mine that completely rusted out around the cab corners, etc. However the frame was fine it was just a bad paint job that caused it. A few patch panels and a paint job later and it looks better than it did when he bought the thing.You need to see vehicles in person to really understand there level of disrepair. Hence why I hate online sales of motor vehicles.

Yep. Looking at an enlarged pic you can see it bad around the fenders. My truck is cleaner than that rust wise at 200k+ miles (but a 24-valve). Even at that though when they get up in miles you really have to debate whether it is worth it. My truck is starting to fail seals and small parts left and right. The engine may run great and the major stuff still works but the little things can kill if not maintained and that costs moolah.

Wow that is quite the trip. I have to say I envy you. I used to live in Iowa where it was quite the trip to the nearest town. Sure it made life a little more difficult since everything in the closest town closed at 7pm. I miss not being bothered and not having to worry about the neighbors because they were 20 miles away. Even though I live in a smaller town here in Colorado I am a mere 10 miles from a much larger town and 30 miles from Denver. I can't stand the traffic, smog, and politics. We used to go out in the backyard and practice shoot because we couldn't hit a neighbor not with anything in our arsenal at least. Seems here in Colorado you can't even scratch your own arse without a permit.

Well I don't know if you have a Home Depot nearby way out there but I have heard through the grapevine that Napa sells the individual parts to do basically the same thing. There are also 1/4" HVLP fittings meant for paint guns but they work equally well with other air tools, though I don't believe they flow as much as a 3/8" fitting.

So I thought I would share for those of use who use an impact wrench to make life a little easier. My hands are shot so when I wrench on my cars I tend to use power tools where possible to lessen the strain on my hands. I was using a Kobalt 350 ft/lbs wrench but the thing is fairly heavy and doesn't make that much power. Don't get me wrong it works well for it's intended purpose and actually is quite a bit better than any Campbell Hausfeld or Harbor Freight cheapies (i.e. $40 or less.) So I purchased a composite NitroCat 1200k after reading some reviews on them. Ultimately I was shocked at how much power it had using an older 120v 20-gallon compressor. However there was still much to be desired on stubborn fasteners that I felt the 200-900 working torque would have no problem handing. I didn't feel the issue was with the compressor because it still would go some time without cycling. The hose is a 3/8" air hose with minimal coupling and the regulator is also 3/8" I.D. Pressure was maxed at 125psi. Well on a trip to Homedepot to get some things for the house I went by the air tool section and found a 3/8 coupler kit. They were made to screw directly into the air tools 1/4 NPT threads, and best of all it cost $10. Part number is #HDA20700AV. I figured for 10 bucks it couldn't be a huge loss and installed them the next day. The difference was night and day. It seems the wrench impacts a lot less and it takes fasteners off now that it would have struggled with before. I really should have the gun on a leader hose but haven't got around to it yet. That is my next project lol. So a heads up for anyone that is having issues getting power out of an air tool, it may very well be those cheap 1/4 couplers.

While there is a significant savings when it comes time to service bearings I still would not be able to justify the costs. I have not had a major problem with the factory units, in fact I would say they are quite reliable. Then again the only off roading my truck rarely ever sees anything deep enough to submerge them. My truck is well into the 200k range and the drivers side bearing is factory. Everytime I check it I cannot find anything wrong, it is still tight and doesn't make noise. I don't notice any binding or roughness when turning it. My passenger side has been replaced though. I also have a Dakota that has a similar design. The hubs have about 140k on them and have been abused with blizzards, road salt, mud, etc. They are about ready to be replaced and will be when I replace the CV shafts. Ultimately I cannot say that I am dissatisfied with 140k miles out of a bearing. Also the CAD system has been pretty good to me on the Ram, the Dakota has been finicky once but since being cleaned it seems to be working fine now. Unless there was a 3-4mpg savings I think it would be hard to swallow the cost of conversion. However I did find an interesting site detailing how to make the factory ones grease-able. http://www.mark74.com/ram_modifications.htm#Bearings

The prices seem nice, but like most online places I am sure it is the freight that kills. I would juggle the cost of doing it yourself, you might beat them in price.

It can certainly be a scary site when a charging dog comes after you, more so when it is a breed such as a pit or a rot. However the number of attacks when compared to a dog such as a Chihuahua is actually quite low, it is just injury almost always occurs with the larger breeds.I had a Pit mutt (couldn't tell what the rest was, just knew she was mixed) from the time I was three years old to the time I was 20. The only person the dog ever attacked was my uncle and he sat there and tormented her till she caught him right in the butt cheek. In fact the kids would sit on her and pull her ears and the dog never once gave them grief.Now on the other hand my wife has a dog that was to the best of my knowledge a Sharpe mix. One day we came home from work and notice bloody stools all over the place, mind you this dog was completely trained by this time. We took her to the vet and they said probably just a virus and that we should add rice to her food till she got over it. Next her eyes started to bleed at the corners and she began to lose weight. This took a grand total of about three days. So off to the vet again, they ran some tests but didn't find anything conclusive. Soon she started vomiting blood and by this time she rarely got any family time. Then her attitude changed, she would walk around like she couldn't even see us. Off to the Till one day I came home from work and tried to put her leash on and she turned, biting into my wrist and shaking her head violently. Once I got her free it took about all I had to get her into a bathroom down the hall where I could shut her in. Later I explained everything to my wife, cautiously removed her from the bathroom, tied her leash to the gooseneck hitch in the bed, and off to the humane society we went. After $1200 in vet bills I couldn't afford anymore dead end veterinary work. The humane society later put her down. Still don't know why she turned.

If you were to rewind it you would want to use magnet wire. You can find it at Radio Shack. Basically its copper wire (sometimes aluminum). It has a very thin layer of enamel insulation on it. Copper clad steel wire would have a significantly higher resistance than you want. Remember that electricity doesn't follow the path of least resistance per say rather it follows in proportion to the resistances it encounters.