Haggar

I thought I had a solution for you, but alas I don't. This one is 98 up. (I guess the newer only has one connector. You might be able to merge your pins into the newer connector cut from the harness of a newer truck?)Dodge 56038366ABSearching that number on amazon brings up a dealer with them for $16. Getting ready to order one myself.Hag

I agree 100%!!!!!!I cannot fathom why they did that! I am not so into HVAC design, that I really understand the implication of moving an orifice 12" one way or another, but I really find it hard to believe that the move would have made a huge percentage difference in the overall efficiency of the system. (I can see the discussion now... "...But boss, this system is the most efficient with the orifice EXACTLY 17.34765821 inches from the accumulator. No other position will be that efficient!!! (small break down, nervous twitching in the head/neck area, maybe even some tears...) (the real answer is probably true, but moving it 12" either way is only 0.005% less efficient..... Think about it. A fly landing on a bridge causes it to deflect.)Instead of a $2 orifice, you have to change a $30 line, move the battery and air box. I like to always look at an orifice when I am in an AC system. It can give you an idea of level of wear, contamination, etc...Hag

Russ,Michael and I brought up the proverbial "turd in the punch bowl" topic. How much oil is there and where....Only way to KNOW, is to weigh it (hard , or completely clean the system and put the right amount back in in the right places. But as soon as you start the system it moves. It moves freely with the freon.Don't lose sleep over the oil in the system, but you should think about it when it is worked on. If you put a new component on, add the amount of oil that should have had. if you add a lot of freon, occasionally add some oil. (you know you lost "some" oil when the freon left....) DON"T add oil everytime you add freon. DON"T add oil just because you think it is time to add some. (I would prefer a bit more oil, than less oil, but too much is bad. Every spec of oil that is not needed reduces the efficiency of the AC system some percentage...) too much oil is bad for the compressor. the oils don't go through the phase change like the freon does.As for the restriction in your system, the orifice in the dodge is between the passenger battery and air box. If you look closely (with the aluminum insulation/tape removed) you can see the crimped area that it is trapped in.you can cut that line and replace just the orifice (not suggested.... you now have two new potential leak areas) or replace that line. Ask for the old line and use a tubing cutter to cut the line and pull the orifice tube out. Post up a picture.GL HTHHag

Oh, I wish I remembered the reason..... Grrrr. I am OCD and it made sense.I think it was something like " since the track bar is NOT adjustable, near the final inspection, Dodge found too much variance in front axle location (relative to the body). (both the axle end of the track bar is welded and there fore has a tolerance, and the frame location being welded another tolerance, most body locations welded and toleranced...) they kept adding up to too much. It shouldn't have anything really to do with steering stops (the knuckle does that) but tires touching inner wheel well housing (or frame?)or something..... Sorry I didn't mark the explanation. While most trucks were the passenger side I think, there are some that were driver side. I think there were 2 or 3 thicknesses of spacer.HTHHag

Mike,That is not a bad idea on the compressed air. We do a quick pull down with the vacuum, to see if we have a huge leak, if not then we pressure test it to "normal max" system pressure. We use Nitrogen for pressure testing for two reasons. The Nitrogen is DRY. Nearly 100%. That helps hammer a bit more of the water out. Also since a Nitrogen tank is over 1000psi, it is not hard to test the system at 150 psi. Plus we are not adding air compressor oil or mud daubers to the AC system. A couple hours at pressure and no leak, we are pretty certain it will hold. Pull it down again and weigh in the freon.On a side note.... We have tried unsuccessfully to pull a deep vacuum on an automotive system. Getting below 500 microns and holding it seems impossible. It could be that the compressor seal is just not perfect. (we have yet to try a deep vacuum with a "new" compressor. just our old junk.)

lmao,It was the 4 compressor bolts that was gettin' me. Didn't picture leaving them in the compressor as it dropped off. I was going "how do you get those out? Jack the motor off the mounts?". Didn't think of it until I was 'splainin' it to you!! you are sneaky.Hag

Wow,I way over estimated it then... You take out the 4 bolts that are perpendicular to the block that hold the compressor to the bracket? It doesn't look like there is room for the bolts to come out between the frame. Or do you just loosen it and leave the bolts in the compressor?Thanks,Hag

I want to write a book here....But it boils down to, we could remove the "system relief" banjo screw. Use a light check valve to prevent back flow (though the original design with the small hole bypassing the relief function does not operate as a reverse check valve). The VP44 was designed around the Carter LP which does not use on lift pump downstream pressure regulation. So according to good hydraulic design, there has to be a system relief. (otherwise in many cases the pump will just sit "dead heading" which is Hades on a pump due to the uncontrolled internal recirculation, and then the designer worried that the relief might not work and put a small "leak" around it...) Most of us that would like this do have pressure regulation at the pump, and do NOT need two (2) items in the system trying to regulate pressure. (I think this is why at the end of the video you only get the flow through the small hole..... something else in the system is letting your flow "go back to tank" (the adjustable regulator on your pump)) The reason I say this, why would your killer LPs slip down the flow head curve? You don't get a corresponding pressure spike to the sudden reduction in flow. The two relief systems play games with each other. They will not be consistent games either. There is also the problem with non-absolute regulators....you can get a masters thesis out of regulators, but non-absolutes can and do easily slide their regulation window based on upstream pressure.... (both of "our" regulators are non-absolute...)I hope to test this. I can't right now, too many projects require the truck to run... but i really want to. I have a donor stock lift pump, I am looking for a dead VP44 if anyone has one. Need to cut some of the internals apart to see.The bottom line though is lets say what we saw is the real truth. (I have provided no evidence that what we saw is not true. This "shouldn't happen", but cannot at the moment provide a real reason other than a hunch.) The small flow of fluid from the VP44 would still carry heat away with it, (and due to the low flow, would have a much higher specific heat efficiency than full flow) If some one can tell me either the flow of fluid through the hole, or the diameter of the hole, I can calculate the energy that could be removed. (I need a dead VP44 to calculate the theoretical load.... I have to figure mass and surface area.)I have a bottle of asprin or Ibuprofen (or single malt, my favorite) if you read through this. Drop by the house and we can discuss it and draw pictures on the deck with the boys chalk. Hag

This might sound crazy, But why don't we just leave the LP on for 15 minutes after shutdown? (or longer or shorter, or in 1 second bursts every 5 seconds for 30 minutes etc...) It seems like you could use the "cooler" fuel in the tank to at least mitigate some of the heat soak to the electronics. (you obviously wouldn't want to turn on the fuel heater or anything.) I don't see why this wouldn't work. I had thought I would test it, before I proposed it, but I cannot find an "easy" way to trigger the LP since the ECM does the relay internally. So doing it externally it would be a parallel relay and diodes etc etc.Any thoughts?Hag

Wow, that's scary!!!! How hard was it to remove the compressor? With all the other stuff going on, I looked at it, and passed. Does it come out ok, or is it the bear it looks like?Thanks,Hag

In the 2001 FSM page 24-57 plumbing section, has a chart with the amount of oil (theoretically) in each component. If I replace any of those components, I use a hypodermic needle to squirt that amount of oil in the component when I replace it. The oil moves freely so where it is after it is operated is really a guess. Again "theoretically" the AC guys say that the amount of oil changes differently, based on whether it was a "slow" leak or Sudden decompression. (I understand it as, a slow overtime leak carries very little oil with it. A sudden decompression (accident etc) carries much more of the oil with it.)HTHHag

The OCD in me hates all the connections to the battery!!!! I have trouble keeping the terminals clean and tight without 46 little POS wires added to it......I like to go straight to the fuse block and either add terminals on the factory side to unused fuse locations, or do a solder of both the factory wire and my new circuit to a new terminal in the fuse block. (yes it takes a LOT longer... but lasts forever...) On the Dodge, I was unable to get the fuse block out easily. (On the GM vehicles I can usually, in a few minutes get the fuse block out far enough to do most of my work.) This seemed impossible on the RAM. So I used these: FHA200BP by littlefuse. (little fuse does not have a picture on their website, so I didn't link it. They are on amazon with pictures) They add right into the fuse block. They keep the original circuit protected and uninterrupted. They add a circuit branched off. For my gauges I provided a keyed hot, and one of the fuses is "dimmed" by the headlight switch, so my gauge illumination follows the dash dimming. For my heavier stuff I have used the Underhood Power distribution Center. I added the components to the Alternator terminal AFTER the fuse there. (One wire, usually toward the front of the vehicle, is connected directly to the battery. The other terminal is where the alternator attaches. I add the high load components (amp etc) to the Alternator side. So at worst they are protected by the ALT fuse. I will try and grab some pictures if someone would like them.HTH Hag

Payback,For boost reading: While a boost bolt is nice, there are 2 NPT plugs in the intake manifold already. They are above the lift pump. Towards the firewall from the fuel filter. One is 3/4"NPT and the other is 1/2"NPT. They are located very near the MAP sensor. These plugs can be seen on page 8w-90-15 of the 2001 service manual. They are the plugs just to the left and right of the Manifold Air Pressure (MAP) sender. The Intake Air Temperature sensor is there also.HTH Hag

Watie, I would get my kit from Cummins 4089742 or http://www.fixinrams.com/. While my local cummins guys were able to get the part for me, they couldn't tell me much else. The guys at Gould were super helpful answering questions and such!!!! Well worth a call! Do take a minute to check out the Gould site. He has a lot of helpful pictures. Remove the tube from the Intercooler to the intake. (yes it can be a pain...) Take the hoses loose from the PS pump, (the return lines will fight you.), loosen the one bracket bolt from the block to the PS pump (you will see it ok from underneath), take the oil pressure line loose from the bottom, and take the 2 bolts out that hold the vacuum pump to the timing housing. Pull the whole assembly as one piece! so much easier that way. GL HTH Hag

mohok,I agree! Micheal has definitely helped broaden my understanding.Sorry I never got your message!!!! (I will send you one to see if you get it.)I was not sure if you had seen the other post. Glad all is good right now!!Hag

Thanks for the updates!!!!I had not found that data sheet. Hmmmm. Seems plausible.Too many options. I wonder if I can use the newer pac, but fire it like the original jacobs. I am not a fan of splicing factory harnesses. Too easy for corrosion to crawl in and cause problems. I will be removing my right front fender for this install. (It is severely damaged and I have a replacement) I need to replace my exhaust manifold, have turbo rebuilt, and replace the exhaust. So I am going to be in there awhile. I too hate welding exhaust pipe. I would like a total bolt in solution. Keep us updated!Hag

Watie,Nothing special really. Like you said clean it up. There are MANY places for it to leak. I would be surprised if it is really a hose, but more than likely the O-ring at the interfaces. (it can be other things too, post up if the leak seems to be in a weird spot) If it is a hose, you may have trouble at the Zone type places getting the right parts.... 1/2 ton gasser, they got it:), need a pink Christmas tree air freshener, got it:hyper:, 8800gvw Dodge, they never made one:banghead:.Hag

Mohok, Did you read the thread I linked you to between Micheal and I? Here it is again. http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/6040-Key-trick-VS-scanner-code-reader-and-laptop-do-not-agree Micheal had me actually give it a code (remove the ECT sensor, located between the valve cover and the top radiator hose/fill neck). I was then able to delete ALL the codes. I wrote down the exact procedure I used to do it. Somehow it appears that codes will Ghost in the PCM, but somehow the scanner won't clear them, UNTIL it really has something to clear. GL HTH Hag

Still thinking on this..... Might call the cummins shop guys and look for their input. (did some quick searches and found no "established interval" of inspection. "Infinite life" is usually expressed in design as a component that doesn't fail at less than 106 to 108cycles. We frequently use 107 cycles. (it is used for fatigue life calculations)(there are a whole SLEW of other design considerations too...)(springs can be very finicky mechanical components...) If our engines run at 2000rpm, (that is crank shaft revolutions.... the intake event only happens once every two crankshaft revolutions) a single injector operates at 1000cycles per minute, or 60,000 cycles per hour. So depending on design criteria, the "infinite life" mile stone was passed at 16.7 hours of operation (106 cycles) 166.7 hours (107 cycles) or 1666.7 hours (108 cycles). If we figured 55 mph at 2,000 rpm (I have no clue if that is reasonable, have not owned mine long enough) at 1666.7 hours of operation, that is about 91 to 92,000 miles. Back to the infinite life..... Notice it says "does not fail". Fail in engineering terms usually means break. What happens to the actual spring pressure? The spring has had to have had some plastic deformation, so its holding ability has changed. Thermal cycling has changed its hardness. If you go back in time to our old gassers, do you remember floating the valves? As the engine got older, the ability of the valve spring to keep the lifter following the cam degraded. The spring got weaker over time. (thermal cycling and use). We used to shim the springs to get the closure pressure back in specification, which kept the valves from "floating" during normal operational frequencies. I have not gotten into the wear aspect of the nozzle. These injectors (and IP) were designed in the time before LSD and ULSD. In the act of removing the sulfur, lubricity was changed (lowered). Wear extent and patterns are different that during the design process. So, sorry for the book, but I think I am going to have my injectors at least looked at every 100k or so, until I can find more information. Hag

Interesting.The GM 6.5 respond well to new injectors, and seem to last only about 100k. Those injectors are no where near as heavy as the Cummins appear to be though. So its interesting. I would think that you would have these injectors tested at some mileage point. (but replacement cost does not seem to warrant testing, just replace them. I was surprised how inexpensive they seem compared to the GM ones.) Not sure who is testing them, but I am certain someone does. Pop pressure and pattern are important. Could time of year have anything to do with your mileage? (like one year all your driving was in the summer, with the better blends and one year more driving with the poor winter blends.) IMHO it would be 1)injectors 2) timing issues (which could be injector related or VP) 3) driving "styles" (actual style, drag, tires, change in scenery etc) 4) fuel blend 5) actual compression (whether from timing overlap of valves, or rings) (just saw the video) With your smoke, I would test the injectors. That one burst of smoke was more than my truck smoked total pulling the tractor Saturday between farms.Hag

The pac brake instructions do the sort of the same thing, they tap into the IVS signals in the app. Boy, the manuals for the Jacobs are well hidden. I did find an old file name, but bloople is not finding it... may have to pull out an old web crawler..... I found it 028536C.pdf!!!!! Still reading and digesting. It is pin 20 that is attached (which IS empty in the factory harness.)I found the parts manual P/N 028538 Rev B (Bulletin number3401831) and found it online.Mopar P/N 82205577, Cummins P/N 3800792 is/are the exhaust brake kit numbers for the older system. almost everything easy points to ISB after 2003.... grrrr.Hag

Micheal,Thanks. So theoretically there is a pin on the 50 way, that is for the ECM to fire the brake. I should be able to find it online. If not, I bet a if I take a 6 pack to the local cummins guys, they could let me peek at the drawings and figure it out. I will go back and search the pinout on the 50 way in the FSM. I might accidentally find it there.Do you happen to know what the current carrying capacity of that terminal was, or was it designed mainly for logic, and you therefore run a relay between the ECM and the solenoid?Also do you happen to know if the terminals were Delphi or Packard? The only one on the dodge I tried to get apart wouldn't come apart. ( I it was in the illumination circuit for the instrument cluster to add the gauges. I ended up using a piggyback fuse on the illumination fuse) It looked like a standard Delphi, but I gave up trying to disassemble it, and went another route.ThanksHag

Bmac,Have someone drive it for you, and hop in the bed. (or you drive with a buddy listening) I see your camper shell, so that may help or hurt. My brother and I have had really good success with this procedure to narrow down noises. We just find an empty parking lot and speed up, slow down, turn, brake, etc. We can usually get so much closer to the real location of the noise.Definitely try different transfer case positions. You use whine and clicking as descriptors. Do you have both? Clicking to me is usually a once per revolution or multiple there of. Bearing balls passing a bad spot in a race, tight spots in a spicer joint, limited slip grabbing. A whine to me is more constant, no definite on off (could still be a pulse, but at a frequency I can't distinguish.) Depending on which pinion bearing is failing, the whine could be during power application, or coast.HTH HagGL HTHHag

I like simple!!! (never seems to work out that way for me but hey)If I may pick your brains some more. Where /how does it interface with the ECM? The FSM does not show the exhaust brake (probably in a supplement to the standard FSM). So I am having trouble mentally imaging the pickup interface. Part of the reason I ask this is there is a 2 wire connector near the 50 pin ECM connector that has nothing plugged into it. (actually it does have the mating connector plugged in, but the wires are snipped just outside of the connector) I forgot to snap a picture of it when it was much easier to see.This also means buying a used one could be more problematic, if the person has not gotten all the parts.Thanks for the information,Hag

hex, I too am looking at EBs. I see the advertising from Pac. I wish they explained more and showed more details on the "new improved" version. I am in the same boat about the Pressure vs Vac operated. It would be nice to have the compressor, but it certainly is a bunch more stuff to put on. Please post up your thoughts. I would appreciate hearing them. I started a different post on EB and exhausts, exploring the less expensive sides of vacuum operated and exhausts. Have a good one, Hag - - - Updated - - - Hex, Look on ebay. The Pac kit is running less than 1200 there. (but trying to figure out what you need to "add" to the kit to get everything....lolz) Hag