diesel4life

Interesting you brought this up, I had to pull mine apart again today. The spring was a little short to begin with so I had a few washers in there so I just changed it out with a brand new one I ordered as a spare a while back. It isn't very fun taking a bath in fuel while laying under the truck in the middle of a snowstorm

Yes it does but it's a negligable difference. My former 00 had a levelling kit on it when I bought it and put around 100k miles on it, and never had any tire wear issues or handling issues. I put +2" coils on the front of my 98 not long after I bought it and have never experienced any problems with it either. I rotate tires every 7500 miles.

iI'm not trying to be argumentative here but I dont see how a small levelling kit (1-2") could ever induce a death wobble? Now anything going up from there and yes you would need to change up CA's to compensate. I know of lots of guys running around with lifted trucks, some have problems and some don't. Ultimately it comes down to maintaining proper geometry and equally as importantly maintaining your front end properly. I've been in bone stock trucks that had so much play in the wheel going down the road they were down right scary to drive...Again, this is where proper maintenance comes into play...

If that doesn't fix it, you will have to get under the truck and give everything a good look. Have someone turn the wheel back and forth while you inspect each component. Turning lock to lock helps sometimes, but generally when you initially change directions from one direction to the other is when you are most likely to find a worn component. I know lots of people with lifts, level kits, and big tires that have no problems, you just have to keep up with the front end and keep everything tight. You can expect to wear components faster than normal running oversized tires. The front axle is running close to its max gvw all the time, so adding bigger tires generally will accellerate the wear of many of the front end components. Shocks will not cause death wobble but make sure the ones you have are in good condition and are rated for the amount of lift you put on the front. Its usually best to change them out to a +2" shock. BTW, I also have a levelling kit on the front of my truck and it tracks very well.

You can get into a lower end Tradesman or ST equipped Ram with just the basics and stay in the mid 40s with all the rebates they have right now. Regardless of what I can afford I still have to be able to justify the cost, and no matter how stripped down of a model I get I can't do that. If I used it for a living it would be different. As far as all the bells and whistles they offer, they really have no choice. If you look around at all the new vehicles they are doing the same thing. On board computers, TVs/DVDs, back up cameras, heated/vented premium leather seats, navigation, the list is endless and mind boggling. We bought a Mountaineer with the premier package last spring. It is synced with a microsoft program and you can control all vehicle functions through the in dash monitor. I am rarely in any new vehicles so it was a bit of a culture shock figuring out all the new options. My 10 year old who is very computer savvy got in the day we brought it home and set it up for us.

Tom, you should migrate to (not so) sunny and warm north east Ohio for the winters! We only have about 6" of snow, and highs forecasted in the single digits to low teens next week, with the weather youve been getting you could run around in shorts and t shirts down here!

Like Mike said, no PCM is needed, but I would try to get him down on the price. At a minimum you will need to add the price of a new clutch and hydros, not to mention I don't believe the driveshafts are the same. Assuming a 175,000 mile transmission was in perfect condition your still looking at closer to 3k invested. That could go up substantially if it needs any repairs.

Are those some old engines? I thought the bigger displacement 2 cycle engines were phased out a long time ago? I haven't had alot of experience with them but the few I've been around ran good when they ran but were high maintenance engines. And if you were going to be around them all day, you better have some ear plugs handy!

We had that same engine in an old neck breaker peanut crane. It had a knife gate built into the air intake system in case of a run away. as much oil as it leaked, we had to use it a few times.

Any chance you can get your hands on some of those test results? I have actually studied their oils quite a bit and reviewed alot of UOA and your the first person I've come across that has had any negative comments about Schaeffers. They have been using their moly additives since the 80s. The first real test of their moly oils and greases was Desert Storm, which they received awards for. They also have a general services contract through the government. Most people aren't familiar with the name because they don't dabble in the consumer market, they are primarily focused on bulk and commercial buisiness. The fact that they are a 100 million dollar a year company tells me they have a product that has to work quite well.

I don't know, I have yet to see anything that proved moly in an engine has any negatives. It is simply what Schaeffers uses as a friction modifier being they are a synthetic blend. All oil analysis results that I have seen have all produced very similar results compared to the AME, and has been tested and approved by Cummins, Cat, Detroit, and Mack. It is pretty popular around here and can be bought in several local stores and I know of 2 large dairy farms that use Schaeffers exclusivly on all their farm equipment and service their equipment according to oil anaylisis, and have never heard of any complaints.

Your truck (which appears to be about double the torque as in factory form) may handle the load fine, but it would handle it better with a lower gear set. The engine would be more efficient running the higher rpms. (That is what I was referring to by engine load, but didnt explain myself very well). The 3.54s are ok with light to moderate loads but IMO they are just too high when coupled with a relatively stock engine and a 4 speed transmission. I think Dodge came to the same conclusion because they replaced the 3.54s with the 3.73s in the 3rd gens.

00-02 calipers mount different than 94-99 calipers. The entire spindle assembly is different (pressed on rotors vs slip ons) On the Ram van calipers, what year van? Are the rotors pressed onto the bearings? I have my doubts that it will work, the van will be a 2 wheel drive and your truck is a 4x4. The van probably does not have the unit bearings, they are probably similar to the 2 wheel drive pick ups.

Very nice! I will be stepping into a crewcab in the near future as well, little ones are outgrowing the back seat. My plans have been to find a low mileage pre emission truck but the more I look at the 13 and up trucks and the changes theyve made the more I like them. I'm not in a big hurry at the moment, and Im contemplating holding out another 12 to 18 months and getting into a used 13. Its alot of money, but finding a well cared for low mileage 03-07 truck will cost an arm and a leg. They are going for a premium right now.

Did he buy a Ram? They have made some drastic improvements starting with the 13 models. Probably the most capable truck built to date. I saw an article where the 14s will have an option for factory airbagged suspension. I know if I hit the lottery, I would be all over one. Of course, I would still keep the 98 for whenever I felt like tinkering!

Can you elaborate on the oil a little more??

Which gears do you have Tom? In the case of an automatic with 3.54s, I notice any little inclines, head winds, or moderate loads in the bed can effect cruising egts. Especially below 55mph. If I get down to 50 alot of times I will kick it out of OD. It lowers the egts and the engine load. I have always disliked the 3.54 gears, I had 4.10s in my former 00, they were alot more suitable for towing but were a little low when empty. I would love to get my hands on a set of 3.73s.

You could install a manual valvebody which would hold a gear until you shifted it manually but I think that would get old real fast. If I'm pulling anything heavy I will generally keep it out of OD if Im running anything under 55 to 58mph, and maybe a tad higher speed if the load is real heavy or I'm in some hills. These engines will run at 2400+rpm all day long and make a ton of power, while locked in 3rd.

Schaeffers makes a soy based winter fuel additive, 139A SoyShield. Reduces gel point 15 to 25 degrees below the fuels gellling point. I have a bottle of it in case I get into some cold weather, but it seldom gets below 0 degrees here. All of Schaeffers additives are tested using the Cummins L-10 injector deposit test and N-14 Corrosion test

That is how my OEM lift pump on both my former 00 and my 98 were, all you could hear is just a short blip of the motor.

So to clarify this, you ordered 3 gallons (12 quarts) and had 2 left over....so you only put 10 quarts in the initial fill? If I'm understanding you correctly you were a quart low to begin with. I switched to synthetics with extended drains a while back and have not experienced any new oil leaks. I put 11 quarts in which puts it just shy of the fill mark, and thats where she stays until I pull the drain plug again. I would imagine if you were leaking 2 quarts in 4k miles, it would be noticeable.

I caution anyone renting a Smarty that does not have 600 bucks laying around, they can be quite contagious once you start playing with the upper level tunes. Use at your own risk! LOL

Gotcha, then like Mike says get rid of the isolater and get a needle valve. Should be able to get one at an auto parts store for a few bucks. That's most likely the issue.

I can't see that having anything to do with cruise control, which is vacuum controlled.

It definitely is not temperature related, that is nowhere near cold enough to cause any problems. Since it is free, take the 10 Minutes to pop the ball and spring out and make sure it isn't wedged. It won't cost a thing. If there is nothing wrong there then your going to have to get your hands on another gauge to check fuel pressure to eliminate a gauge/sender problem. This is exactly why I prefer a mechanical gauge, there is no second guessing. Another thought is the overflow valve on the VP. Do you know how old it is? It could be possible it is failing and allowing fuel to dump back through the return line.