flagmanruss

The truck... as in my signature. I've towed a 16' single axle "landscaper's" trailer and 28' gooseneck horse trailer (heavily loaded with camping gear). The mileage goes down noticeably towing the landscaper's trailer & more with the horse trailer... but nothing like with the new-to-us toy hauler. With the TH, straight highway running, I was down in the 9-10 range. The rig seemed to have a lot of drag. Even down hill, it would not "coast". If I lifted my foot, the speed started dropping at once.Late last year we bought the ToyHauler... "28" foot (only includes the box, +3 with the A frame). It is well used & has a Salvage title. Definately not a virgin, there are signs of body damage on the front wall. The rear beds are gone & we only have my electric mobility scooter in the back... it is seriously nose heavy. It is a tag-a-long with a much needed load leveling hitch... I've gotten that part figured out. The trailer is high & has a FLAT FRONT, with just a small radius at the top. It has the aerodynamics of a brick.I was thinking that it was just the aerodynamics... but I'm wondering if there's something else. I think I need to check out the wheels before it goes over the road again. Electric Brakes Wheel Bearings Something could be dragging.

Thanks for these links. Really great illustrations, helpful to plan a project before starting.

My truck came with the "fog lights"... I used them for a while as DRL to cut the hours on my headlight lamps. The bulbs promptly burned out. I felt the "beam" was pretty much of a joke... I mean 5 feet in front of the truck! Really! No power, crappy optics, expensive bulbs. I don't use them anymore. I hear lots of guys complain about their headlights but really mine are decent. We've talked before... the built in fog lights are slick but in my opinion they ought to be optically as good as real headlights (perhaps a different beam pattern). I'd love to see a kit to drop in some real lights. I'd not hesitate to run H1s again. Back in the old days, I ran off road lights... Hella low beams & fogs & Carrello highs... all had H1 bulbs (all we had back then). I could light a mile and a quarter of straight flat road.

Some of you may see our postings on FB... and not know what is going on. This is what you don't know. Our daughter Sonya married Freddie from the Ivory Coast (Africa). They have a 2 year old daughter Alleah. They have been trying to adopt Freddie's niece & nephew (Freddie's brother was killed in the civil war there & their mother is struggling just to survive). In the African custom, Freddie is expected to care for his brother's children... (and he does send money back). The Ivory Coast had an election recently... which is not being followed & the country is swiftly deteriorating into violence, possibly returning to civil war. Allica (the niece) has been living with Freddie's mother in Cote d'Ivoire... Girls rarely get educated in Africa... in fact a lot of boys do not. Freddie's father was the village elder & Freddie was privledged to be educated in France, Switzerland & the US (2 Masters Degrees). Freddie is smart & tireless worker, with extensive language skills. Currently doing contract work with a NGO dealing with foreign aid projects. Sonya & Freddie have finally received adoption papers giving them the legal right to adopt Allica (9), no small feat with the Ivorian government in turmoil. The last obsticle is a US Visa... still waiting... but it is not safe to go there to get her out if the visa comes through... people are bing murdered in the streets & UN peacekeepers are not able to stop the violence. Meanwhile, Allica's brother (14) had returned to their village to attend the UNICEF run school when the village was pillaged again (not sure by who... people with guns come & take what they want). People were just beginning to return to the village to their farms & rebuild their homes after the Civil War. He & another kid walked through the bush crossing the border into Liberia with no shoes & the clothes on their backs. Sonya & Freddie had intended to get Allica out first but now have a call into the state dept to see if they can get him out ahead of his sister. He's out of the country... maybe they can get him a visa as a Refugee / displaced person. I am not directly involved although we nerviously follow the News out of Africa. Sonya & Freddie are saving days off & a cash fund so if there is an opportunity they can fly to Africa on a moments notice. It's about 24 hours in the air one way with connections through France or Geneva. I'm not sure what Sheila's role would be... Sheila had hoped to go to Cote d'Ivoire but it might be necessary for her to stay here with Alleah. I wish there could be some progress. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12582014 I'll tell you what... It makes me treasure the USA. We may grumble about a lost election. We may say, we'll vote the bum out at the first opportunity. But when the voting is done, we generally have a peaceful transition of power. Those rare aberrations are by sick people and are rejected by both sides as such. As a history buff, this was the founding fathers greatest gift.

The $64,000 Question is whether this Fooler stands up at the fuel pump. All these electronic estimates can not replace the odometer & the fuel pump. I think we're on to something but we'll not know for sure until it is hand calculated over several tankfuls. Can you tell, I'm getting psyched?

I've had cases where the engine with nothing wrong with it... but wouldn't run. Sometimes just sticking new plugs in will work wonders.

This MPG fooler... could be huge benifit. My winter MPG drops so steeply... I'll bet I'm getting 15s compared to summer 18s to 19s. This could pay for itself quickly with the high (and rising) cost of fuel. I could not find that IAT harness on Caspers Electronics looking under Dodge. I entered that number & the harness came right up. I now have my IAT extension harness on order. Thankyou!!I have a DPDT switch, 2.2K resistors & an unused projects box waiting to be used...

What is the Casper part number for the extension harness, please?I am confused about the resistor value desired. I'm looking at the chart: IAT Sensor Resistance Values Am I missing something?(Deleted chart as more up to date information posted below)

I have had my blend door control out. It is in the passengers footwell next to the transmission hump. Dodge recommends removing the dash. To get it out with the dash in, it is close but you must pull back the rug & rip up a bit of rubber padding. Inspect the plastic coupling for cracks. Heater treater.NET sells a SS metal coupling. If the coupling is broke, the door will have run "out of range" so the control needs to be reorientated. It's not a big deal to open the gear case. Do NOT let the motor drop out of the case. There are no orientation marks on the case & the motor will fit in the case backward. (If reinstalled with the motor backward, you'll have to take it out again... like I did.) To reorientate the gear train, remove the top gear, wipe off the grease on the bottom gear. Turn the bottom gear & find a round casting mark in the bottom gear, orientate it at the edge of the second gear... reassemble. When you run the truck, the heater control will relearn it's limits.PM me if you have questions.

I need an IAT fooler.

There IS an "instant" MPG mode for the overhead on my 01.5. I don't find it useful since it swings wildly with the slightest grade. The overhead average MPG has been 100% right on with my stock truck, compared with hand calculated. I'm going to miss it when I get my Christmas presents installed. I shame we can't adjust the overhead... like NOT being able to is going to discourage us from modding the truck.Russ

I could not find a double hook turnbuckle anywhere today. I'm going to open the ring end & see if I can make it work.

This is odd. IMO, seems to be slow to warm up. Thermostat? Though in the temps you must have, the engine might not heat up at all if the thermostat was totally broke. I'm wondering if the heater core is clogged.

Yes, I think the tubing I'm using is a type of PVC.

From what pops up, it looks like the owner did not buy/renew the internet address so has been knocked off line.

I seem to have successfully turned a workable gauge shell. I'm gathering coins so I can purchase my actual 4 gauge set... so I can make any dimensions adjustments for the exact correct gauges I'm going to use. If anyone is unclear... I'm modeling this after derek's slick custom install pictures >>> pg 2 <<<. To do this custom install the dash face bezel must be cut & the pods fitted and f'glassed in place. Definately not plug & play. Still, I think the blank gauge pods are a big step in the construction process. It's not as slick as derek's CNC programed production, but I can turn out blanks one by one. If others are interested, PM me. Otherwise, I'll quit being a post hog...

This thread over on CDF Q asked what causes ring breakage? I'm not sure how true it is but one reply states that engine oil cools pistons but fuel lubes upper cylinder / rings. This is interesting in light of fuel lubricosity of ULSD vs ULSD + TCW3. I just wanted to bring this discussion to everyone's attention.

You need a left handed fan wrench!

I thought this was some mythological beast. Never heard of a fan wrench! I'm glad I was not the only one.

I'm studying Derek's pictures of his custom install, trying to see if the gauge face is surface mounted on the end of the cylinder... it appears to have some recess... His gauges themselves seem to have a slight bezel or shade. I was thinking of recessing to keep gauge reflections off the windshield. More measuring... I've been in the shop experimenting on my lathe with different available materials as a starting point. After a few tries I think I have come up with a tubing that will accept the gauge... at least the old temperature gauge I have on the bench. The gauge I have seems to be standard dimensions in front... not sure about the back depth. There is enough wall thickness & I have turned 1/4" counter bore recess for the gauge... after test fit, I think more recessing is needed. Going to this amount of trouble, I DON'T want reflections on the glass. Of the stock materials I tried, I think this is the best. The others were too bulky and the edge of the dash bezel install is & must be a very close fit. Edit: Deepened the counter bore to 1/2", subtract gauge rim leaves 1/4" of recess. I like it. I need to know the depth (length of cylinder) I need. At this point, I need to get my real gauges to fine tune the dimensions. Since the gauge pod will angle toward the driver... the back of the pod will bevel. I will need to allow for this in the pod length.

I'm very taken with the concept and the super clean install that Derek (thebullet83) did on his truck click here>> for pg 2 << of this thread. He hasn't gotten back to me about the possibility of his offering CNCing gauge pod blanks... which would have to be cut into the dash rim & sculpted. Admittedly the blanks are not a ready to eat item. I have my own manual lathe (WW2 era SouthBend) but making 4 exact duplicates would be time consuming. I'm looking at available parts & materials that might be close in size... using an old gauge I have on the bench to help visualize it. Russ

I had a bad experience with blue RTV. I pulled a repaired engine back out of the boat (I was not a happy camper) because of low oil pressure, dropped the pan expecting to replace the oil pump. I found the oil pickup screen clogged with blue RTV silcone. I guess someone got heavy handed with it. It's been too long, I don't remember any details.I remember liking the rubber neoprene gaskets (BB Chevy) because they could be glued on one side (spray copper sealant) & removed & reinstalled as needed (valve cover gaskets). I don't know if any of this applies to the question at hand.

Ok, Ok, keep the laughter down. The gears are turning slowly. I'd use peanut butter on the roller. My thought of putting it in front of my truck... kind of bailing the ocean... to reduce the local mouse population so there's be fewer under the hoods of my vehicles. Squirrels would not be trapped in a bucket... They could jump back out. So I'd use a cover on it, with only a mouse size hole, hopefully exclude squirrels. I'd do it in warmer weather so I'd not have to deal with antifreeze.Did I cover everything? Sorry for the incomplete thought.Russ

We could not keep cats. We moved 2 barn cats here when we built the house... both gone in the first month. Mother/daughter Mother half Maine Coon cat (ferocious... took a steak of a burning gas grill!). The neighbors kept getting cats... they lasted until the Dad left them out. Surroounded by Wildlife Mgt Area (40,000 acres... a lot for New England). Coyotes. Gut piles gone in the morning. The bucket trap I saw had small pvc pipe on that dowel. Ya know, in warmer weather, I ought to put one under my truck nose. Squirrels would probably dump it. Hmmm.

So glad you got it running. That's really good news. Charge the batteries up fully. Check them to see they're good... after 2 years they're likely junk. There are minute parasitic loads on most modern vehicles... but a vehicle left to sit with the batteries connected will have them drained to nothing & beyond. A bad battery will cause all kinds of problems. Dual batteries should be replaced as pairs. Clean & repair the battery cables. Then start checking the other wiring connections listed. These computerized trucks are very sesitive to electical faults. Wire brushing connections is free.