2000Ram2500

Thats so strange... I guess my p1689 code could have been the vp this entire time but it never got this bad. Or the amount of time i spent driving with it acting up could have actually done some harm i suppose. It just came out of nowhere this morning its been running beautifully for weeks now. I'll see if i can get it to throw anything for a code on my way home. I cant say i've wanted a check engine light before now but at this point i guess there isnt a whole lot of other things i can do unless i wanna start throwing money at it. The real bi**h is that i had a spare vp but i sold it because i was in a real bad spot a while back...

I'll be leaving work here in an hour or so and im gonna have the wife follow me home while i limp it back so its not stuck in the work parking lot. I'll get a mechanical gauge on it when i can but i dont have one right now so i need to buy one. Or i can use this as an opportunity to finally get a gauge mounted on the pillar. Not a single code was thrown today. I got nothing in there right now. Honestly at this point im just nervous about the blue smoke. It was distinctly different from any other color smoke that has ever come out of that tailpipe and definitely the dreaded oily blue smoke. In the back of my mind theres that worrisome thought that i messed up some rings or a piston somehow and its causing me to burn oil. But at idle it sounds just like it always did.

So I'm back.. started the 2 stroke oil. P1689 hasn't been giving me any trouble for a while. Today while driving to work someone came to a complete stop in the middle of the road so to keep moving I stepped on it to pass and go around them. As soon as i stepped on it I had nothing. It was acting like the p1689 problems i was having but 10x worse. On my lunch break a minute ago I drive to go pick up cigarettes and it's doing it some more but very minor by comparison. On my way back to work I was barely able to make it up this slight hill and i had little to no power and was blowing blue (oil?) smoke the entire way. Now to fill in some details, I may have done too much oil in the fuel on my last full up by about 2 or 3 ounces. I tried the edge on stock mode with no change so I just disconnected it but haven't driven it that way yet. In park in my parking spot I was revving it to try and get it to act up so I could hear what is going on and it ran/sounded fine with the exception of a very minor hiccup that I could barely tell was there. I'm assuming my next step needs to be getting a mechanical gauge and check fuel pressure. But that's where I'm drawing a blank. Not really sure what direction to go with this. I wish I had the ability to data log I feel like that would give me the extra input I need.

I forgot to mention that I replaced the map sensor as well with no change. That was when i discovered it was the original map sensor that was in there. Has the cummins number stamped in it anyways so it was at least a factory replacement. But like i said i just messed with a bunch of connectors and its been working ever since. Just doesnt make a whole lot of sense that the map sensor would cause a loss of communication code for 2 completely seperate components. I am lucky so far that i havent had to mess with any of the factory wiring yet with the exception of the w-t mod all my original connectors are intact. I have a bad feeling i will have to repair the vp plug at some point though the insulation on the wires right where they go into the plug are looking pretty rough. But its not a problem yet because after running all the tests it checked out in good shape.

I havent updated this so Im just gonna post my results. I got a new plug to replace the edge side of the data link connector. Drove it a few days and problem comes back. I noticed that my edge wasnt giving me a boost reading. I started a thread on that because i thought it was a seperate issue. And as I found out then I needed to replace my map plug on the edge side as well. That didnt fix it so i jiggled some connectors around and it went away. It has been several weeks now I think since then and still running strong. Im posting here updating now because I remember seeing somewhere it was mentioned that a bad map sensor was the culprit of this problem.

@Marcus2000monster we'll see how this weekend goes I might do some running around and gather up some parts.

Just started running 2 stroke oil and its definitely different. Seems to run smoother on the highway and quieter on a cold start in the morning. It's down to the high 30s here now and not that it's that cold but it should have made more racket compared to how it used to sound.

It's not leaking that I know of but I'm sure being it's the factory actuator its weakened over time with heat helping it. Not that a spring from wherever wont do the same over time I just feel like a turn buckle wont necessarily help my case because it's still the same spring inside the actuator which means it's not gonna take a whole lot more to pull it past it's new tighter position. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm sold on the ease of having just a nut to tighten as opposed to having to get in there and tighten a turn buckle.

As far as the load being on the battery yes it is but the pcm is in control of charging so im sure the second it sees a draw like that it ups the output of the alternator to cover the deficit. Otherwise it would run the batteries down pretty fast. And being that the alternator is at its max just about to power the heaters i can see why its getting hot. Could it be a combination of things? Such as a combination of short cuts during manufacturing, the high load, the truck itself is aging. And what about the fact its in a very cold environment also. Going from hot to touch to below freezing over and over again cant be good for longevity's sake.

Im just going off what I've seen listed when I've checked they all say automatics need upgraded exhaust springs and i was only to assume that they put softer exhaust springs in automatics for whatever reason

Im just looking at my situation for what it is right now. Being im always broke lol a few bucks for a spring for now is alot more appealing than a turbo plus some possible fabrication. Not that i cant handle custom parts im in the middle of building a baja bug from scratch with a honda motor and standalone ecu. Just the way things are going this will be the easier route. You've been awesome it helps to get insight from people who've done this before. Modifying diesels is still uncharted territory for me but im learning.

Thats crazy. I've heard of crazy stuff happening but not like that. So you've got it installed on an automatic? You have to do valve springs to put one on an automatic right?

I believe the horn is routed through the cruise switch too if you have the button setup. Not sure how its done on the earlier style without the buttons though. I've seen complaints of horn not working and the part we replaced is the cruise switch (button pack).

The only damage ive personally seen from engine braking was an employee of my dads engaged the brake from high rpm with a huge load and it sucked a valve chewed up the turbo destroyed the cylinders. Needed an in frame after that. I dont believe that was an exhaust brake though im almost positive that one had cylinder deactivation. Ive never heard of any failures resulting from exhaust brakes. Even the mopar accessory exhaust brake kit the only thing that i've ever seen happen was the belts get chewed up once in a while and they are a nightmare to find a replacement for when your dealing over the phone with parts stores sending samples and all that

I've been trying to plan ahead as far as that goes im gonna have to put a ton of maintenance into the truck in the coming months and wanna get this thing set up as a decent tow rig. The quad is in the works with injectors as well. Debating on turbos but the S300G keeps coming to mind. I dont want a huge turbo and tons of power i just want alot of reliable torque to tow this heavy trailer around the country when its needed. This spring gate will be a cheaper option for the time being

So the tag definitely says hx35w but it does not have a 90* elbow. At most its 20* but definitely has a spot to get a wrench on there. Which means I can use a 1/8 pipe plug. So instead of 70+ bucks for an actuator us with an hx turbo can get away with 15 buck at most in parts to increase boost levels and provide a way to adjust it.

Hold that thought because im almost 100% certain i just have a straight fitting coming off and no elbow. Or does it not matter. Im gonna clock out here in the next 15 minutes and pop the hood and find out.

What about capping off the port where the little line came off originally? Im assuming a standard vacuum cap with a hose clamp isnt going to be strong enough to hold back 30+ psi but maybe im wrong

I hear ya.. I've been keeping an eye out for a decent flatbed myself just to have one handy but nobody wants to give them away thats for sure. But you being in a time crunch makes it even more difficult. This is a long shot and by no means cheaper but assuming they both run and drive you could drive one out then rent a car or fly back to drive the other. Thats a long move though...

Short of finding a rental what about searching craigslist to see if someone is selling one for cheap. Never know you might get lucky. Or worst case a car dolly to at least get the front tires up and disconnect the driveshaft to eliminate the possibility of any issues there.

I was going to say.. People waste money on stuff all the time because its better and great and performs miracles when all it is is a gimmick. We have a guy whos pretty regular here in the store whos got a camper in his bed at all times. Hes got these "wind diffusers" (which amount to about 1" by 3" plastic triangles and hes got probably a dozen per side) to help his giant box of a camper not produce as much drag and increase his mpgs. Looks terrible. Oh and a reusable oil filter is on there as well. I'll have to look and see next time he's here. This would actually make the filter work if you had maybe like a remote oil filter mount and electric sump pump to push fluid into the filter. But why? I've seen a manual transmission that never get serviced make it over 200k just by adding fluid the one time we checked it and it wasnt leaking and barely low (brother in laws truck that belonged to his brother originally and never got maintained until my brother in law bought it)

Anyone know of any differences in pans? Probably irrelevant but the dodge transmissions that mercedes pioneered for us dont come with a dipstick and you have to use a special tool. The special tool is a dipstick quite literally but its marked in milimeters and the end is a ball thats designed to sit in a pocket so to speak so that you get the same reading each time. It makes it so you can only push it in so far. But I thought these were all limited by the dipstick tube and just stuck into the oil like most other engines.

I know this doesnt pertain to 2nd gens but my dad had an 06 that he added an EB to and it definitely functioned with the pcm. You switch it on and air pressure kept the butterfly closed not vacuum. If you hit the throttle it deactivated but would come back on if you let off, it would disengage temporarily during shifts too if I remember right (auto trans), it was pretty trick. I cant remember who the manufacturer was anymore. A side note, for manual transmissions you can also use the EB on an incline. Example- Hauling something super heavy and you cant gain much if any speed because you had to come to a stop or slow down for whatever reason so you need to shift as fast as you can to make up for the inablility to increase speed and your limited by having to shift gears. Turn on the EB and let it reduce engine speed faster so that you can shift faster while you have the clutch pressed in. Heavy truck guys already probably know this but its something my dad used to do when hauling stuff around town in his heavy trucks. Hopefully that makes sense its not a complicated process but i think i might have made it sound that way. But you HAVE to have an EB that disengages when you touch the throttle or it wont work.

@ofelas The ones i have links to up there are all .105 or .106 and 2.75 or 2 5/8 in length. Im assuming for adjustment your saying that you adjust it to the point along the springs varying tension weight and just thread the nut to a point where it is at your required level. Drive pressure is definitely the way to adjust it though because your eliminating boost pressure as the limiting factor since you dont have a canister there to accept the boost pressure

Im tempted to give it a whirl honestly. If I can find a spring that would work it would be easy to do. I've got the mount cast into the compressor housing and to me it almost looks easier to mount it that way. But getting to it is another story. He gives a link to a spring that requires 29 lbs to fully extend it and 12.8 lbs to begin to extend it. Rather cheap at 6 bucks and change for a package of 6. This is the link https://www.mcmaster.com/9628k58 I also found this one which begins to extend with 15 lbs and is fully extended with 38 lbs https://www.mcmaster.com/9628k12 Looks like truevalue item# 681270 matches really closely to these specs although bigger in diameter overall https://www.truevalue.com/shop/hardware/hooks-springs-fasteners/extension-springs/extension-springs-3-4-in-od-x-2-5-8-in-2-pack