MikeH

Along with the above tips I usually go over all chassis grounds to check for loose/corroded connectors. Nothing more annoying than spending the day running down an intermittent electrical problem only to find a loose ground wire. I also like to pull every sensor & electrical plug I can get my hands on, clean the contacts and apply a some dielectric grease. These 2nd Gen rigs are getting old and need a little TLC to keep them going.

Timbo APPS for sure. Don't even consider the OEM APPS. Over priced and a complete POS.

You might want to check the valve seats for cracks also. Seems to be a common problem especially on the 24 valve engines. Would hate to see you get the thing put back together only to drop a seat later on down the road.

That study I posted was obviously sponsored by Amsoil. Still, the results were interesting in that the 75w-90's seem to out perform the 80w-90's regardless of brand. I'm going to give the 75w-90 synthetic a try this fill. No way to know what's going on inside the differential without a temp probe but it's hard to believe a synthetic would perform worse than a dino oil.

I'm coming up on 200K miles on the rig so the tranny and differential will get flushed. They usually get drained every 50K but since the mileage is going up I might start changing them out every 35K or so. The truck is set up with a fairly heavy Caravan Camper shell (all steel) and other gear that stay in the bed all the time. We're retired now and take off camping at the drop of a hat. Anyway, it's a modest load so I don't see a need for an 85w-140 differential oil. I think the 75w-90 will actually run cooler and using a synthetic it should hold up 'til the next change. That study I posted above has me leaning towards Mobil's 75w-90 syn.

Yeah, I'm looking at the Mobil One 75w-90 LS (limited slip) for the next change. It came in second in this study but is half the price of Amsoil.

Comments on various Dodge/Cummins web-pages were all over the place when the subject of differential oils comes up. Anything from 75w-90 to 80w-140 were suggested for the Dana 80 regardless of Dodge's recommendations. Then I found this study which looks like it was at least sponsored by if not conducted by Amsoil: http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/brochures/g2457_gearlube_study.pdf If you scroll down on the chart to page 19 you'll see who the winner was (spoiler alert...it's Amsoil). I've always stuck to an 80w-90 except when we were full time RV'ing. Looking at that chart I'm wondering if a 75w-90 full synthetic wouldn't work just as well if not better. Anyone?

Well I bled the PS system the right way instead of making a few circles in the parking lot. Jacked the rig up and moved the wheel lock to lock as I added fluid to the correct level. Definitely got more air out. Power steering is working like a champ now. Lesson learned!

You're right (I edited). I was thinking they worked together. Regardless, still don't know if an over fill would do more than puke some out once it got hot. I did do a lock to lock on a test drive several times after the refill so should have been good to go. Not sure what happened but air trapped in the lines seems the likely culprit. All's well right now but I'll keep an eye on the level for a while.

Just switched out my power steering fluid. Nothing wrong with the steering but I had some Walmart crap in there and wanted to flush out most of it. I didn't do a complete flush but drained the reservoir several times and replaced it with O'Reilly PSF which is Dodge MS-5931 compatible. Got in the rig this morning and my power steering and brakes were gone. YIKES...did I just lose my PS pump??? I'm thinking not (wouldn't that be a coincidence) so checked the reservoir and found I had way overfilled it. Drained it down to the "Cold" level, started up and in 30 seconds I had my PS and brakes back. I don't know if this a real issue or I had air in the lines or what but it's right back to normal. Any comments on over-filling or what might have happened here would be appreciated.

Got everything back together today and went out for a test drive. I'd say the new bushing from http://rocksolidramtrucksteering.com/ cleaned up 80% or more of my problem. The OEM column bearing was trashed. I also took up a quarter turn on the sector shaft nut (be careful here... see dodge service bulletins tsb 19-10-97) which tightened up some of the steering slop. Overall the rig drives much better and just has a tighter feel. Well worth the ~$60 bucks from Dave at RockSolid. Next on my bucket list is sway bar end links and bushings front and rear!

Well, got the intermediate steering column out and installed the new column bushing from http://rocksolidramtrucksteering.com/. The OEM bearing that was pulled to install the new bushing was shot so this should help right off the bat. Good news though, I don't need a new intermediate shaft. "U" Joints on both ends were tight and the thing had no play anywhere. It's going back in tomorrow and I'll post the results. BTW, doing this job with the column still in the truck was a PITA. You're constantly working around the brake master cylinder and the rest of the Anti-Lock plumbing and I could only get my left hand down there to work (I'm right handed!). Would have been much easier to pull the whole column out of the cab and do the repair on the bench. Anyway, it's done!

Somewhere in Death Valley.

Mopar1973Man "people miss the fact we have all the part books here" . Missed it completely...thanks for the reminder. Anyone have any tips/tricks to replacing this shaft? Never done one but it looks pretty straightforward. Just purchased the Rock Solid steering column bushing upgrade: http://rocksolidramtrucksteering.com/. Figured while I had the steering shaft off why not fix that issue too. My truck doesn't really "wander" all that much but it annoys the crap out of me. With new tires, shocks, front bearing/hub assembly, tie rod ends and upper/lower ball joints you would think the damn thing would track straight down the road. If the steering shaft and bushing don't fix it we're off to Red Head for a rebuild on the box.

IBMobile....thanks, that's what I was looking for. I'm going to have to call one of these online places as they just don't seem to list a shaft for 2WD rigs. Thanks again.

Was looking to replace the intermediate steering shaft on my '02 Ram 2500. All the adds state that their shafts fit 4WD but my rig is 2WD. Anyone know for sure if they're the same. I'll list a Dorman shaft I found on 1A Auto: DORMAN Lower Intermediate Steering Shaft: 425-264. I'm aware I can go to a Borgeson but am going to stick with a stock shaft.

Not cheap but worth it to me. I believe it was around $1500 bucks for both. You can get a refurbished pair for close to the same but they've had some major invasive surgery done to them. Mine came from a fully functioning rig with 50K fewer miles on it. My wife and I travel a lot and occasionally head down to Mexico. Having both computers tucked under the back seat is just good insurance.

As for used ECM/PCM I went through an online salvage yard (can't remember which one). Searched the page until I found a pickup identical to mine (same year, eng, tranny, everything) and bought both ECM and PCM. I figured if they didn't work I could get them re-flashed. Long story short I hooked both computers up and they worked perfect. I'm now running with those two and keep the OEM units as my backup. I think the trick is to find an absolutely identical match to your rig.

The older I get the more stops I need to make. Good excuse to pull over and fill up. I won't let my tank go under 1/2 and always add a injector cleaner/lubricant to the fuel. My VP44 is coming up on 130K since being replaced back in '07. A full tank will provide cooler fuel to the VP and the lubricant (Opti-Lube Summer) handles any wear issues. Also, keeping your tank full prevents moisture from building up. It cost exactly the same to run on the top half of the tank as it does the bottom half...but it's your choice.

Everyone pull your door lock fuse and see if the truck runs. That's the craziest thing I've heard but chasing sparks around will drive you nuts at times.

OK...thanks guys. Bearings are in. Looks like ball joints & tie rod ends next. My wife's griping about the costs but it's WAAAY cheaper than a new truck and no emission crap to deal with!!!

Most bearings are torqued and backed off a quarter turn or so. Since this is not s castellated nut it doesn't looked like it needs to be backed off from the torque setting correct.

Just bought a set of Timken front bearing assembly for a 2002 Ram (2WD). It's looking like 280 ft lbs of torque for the axle nut but I'm reading other specs anywhere from 180 lbs to over 300. Even the Timken web page says 280 but always to use the manufacture's specs (whatever that is?). So what the hell is it? I know they're damn tight but does anyone know the actual spec. Also, I take it with this type of sealed unit the torque is set and no backing off a quarter turn or something? Again this is a 2WD not 4WD.

I just had the same problem with the 90 deg elbow disintegrating at the vacuum pump. The other 90 deg up by the firewall didn't look so hot either. After looking over the whole system I just bought a few feet of air line from Auto Zone and did away with both elbows and a few blocked off connectors (not sure what they were for). Didn't cost me but a few bucks and twenty minutes of line plumbing time.

No issues at all. Again...perfect match on the donor rig. I did call a local shop today. He's checking to see if he can just rewrite the VIN. If so I'm good to go. Otherwise I'll live with it the way it is.