Ground Reference VP44,ECM,PCM,PDC plus TC lock/unlock

[W-T]

After 18 years of interesting CTD enthusiasts and transmission specialty outlets all contributing their method, or fix, to the well known TC lock unlock syndrome, I can no longer remain silent.

 

Extensive review of many posts regarding TC lock unlock, the rerouting methodes, the add on filters for APPS and last, but not least,...the "tin-foil hat" brigade. I do realize that each individual or company that contributed to the vast amount of information on the web had good intentions and I must acknowledge that some of the procedures caused me to closely examine what these people were trying to do. I believe it is well known that even a blind mouse occasionally finds a morsel of cheese.

 

Again, as it is well known @Mopar1973Man  was the only entity who positively identified the instigating source of this key issue. My entry today is not about alternators...it is about what Daimler/Chrysler did in regard to production of these Cummins powered platforms and the complete disregard of common sense Electronic Engineering.  Please note, this applies to automatic and manual transmissions as each platform is plagued in the same manor with different quirks. 

 

This Blk/Tan #8 gage wire is quite critical in the scheme of things. It is contained within a 1" plastic conduit passing along the front of the engine. It contains water temp sensor leads, air conditioning leads, alternator/PCM leads and the #6 gage alternator charge line to the PDC. This #8 gage Blk/Tan passes over the top/backend of the alternator and is "eventually" connected to the Auxiliary Battery (passenger side) negative terminal.

  

This snapshot of the Factory Service manual documents "four critical ground leads" that are "spliced" in an unconventional method.

 

This photo depicts the three #18 gage wires and the single #14 gage wire entering the shrink-tubing where the "crush-splice" occurs. This bundle exits the large plastic conduit below the VP44

 

This again is a most disturbing depiction of the Daimler/Chrysler method of splicing critical ground leads and then routing this across the top of the alternator and "eventually" bringing this to ground reference. 

 

This photo depicts where this #8 gage Blk/Tan first connects on the way to "eventual" ground...yes this is the Auxiliary Battery tray connector. Please note: it is spliced again and joins the PCM circuit board grounds...which are critical in their own nature...and "eventually" terminate at the negative post of the Auxiliary Battery's negative terminal.  

 

This photo is very interesting, it is the Factory Service manual and the assembly line documentation follows this as a road map in the matrix during production. Please NOTE the title "NAME" to each battery...I looked at this for a considerable amount of time before I realized the assembly line coordinators tried to work with the documentation from the Engineering Staff to "make it as it looks"...Could this single oversight be the reason of a four foot ten inch critical ground wire combination traveling the distance to "EVENTUALLY" terminate at ground? From a basic engineering standpoint regarding ground...you "NEVER CHOOSE THE PATH OF EVENTUAL GROUND" !!! 

 

It is to be the shortest and most concise connection in reference to ground...this is biblical in ALL ELECTRONICS...including pickup trucks.  !

 

Here is the Factory Service manual documenting the PCM circuit board reference ground starting as a pair of #14 gage wires being spliced into a #10 gage bundle and arriving at the Auxiliary Battery through another connector that joins a #8 gage wire that is "splice-joined" under plastic conduit in a Y configuration joining the rouge #8 gage "after passing over the alternator" traversing the entire engine compartment from the driver side of the vehicle. Seriously 

 

I have been drinking excessively, most recently, due to the nature of this blatant discovery.   

 

This is the hidden Y splice at the Auxiliary Battery where the "mess" EVENTUALLY terminates for ground reference.

 

This photo shows the correct "HOLE" of where to apply ground for the VP44, ECM and the PDC...note the logical location

 

It took a little research to find the size and proper thread-pitch.

 

Metric M5 with a 5/16" hex head is perfect

 

This is where you apply a fresh "quality" #6 gage ground and terminate this at the Main Battery negative post on the drivers side for absolute ground reference for the VP44 and ECM 

 

This is a very short and concise reference to ground.

 

This is the corrected procedure for a rather critical ground.

 

The two largest wires originally contained within the 1 inch conduit are no longer present and located well away from the alternator.

 

My alternator B+ "charge" line is now a #4 gage line directly connected to the Auxiliary Battery and when my new battery terminals arrive and they are secured, I'll provide photos of a completed Master Power Supply System within this engine bay. 

 

With these corrections, I would hypothesize that a poor ripple specification on a given alternator would be overcome by the immense capacitance of the parallel batteries and would become less prone to causing the dreaded TC lock/unlock for automatics and cruise-control abnormalities for the manual transmission platforms. 

 

The #8 gage Blk/Tan passing over the alternator as an "EVENTUAL" ground is gone...the PCM, ECM, VP44 and the PDC are now grounded in accordance of standard Electronic Engineering practices.

 

Respectfully

W-T  

Edited September 3, 2019 by IBMobile
spelling

[Mopar1973Man]

Article already created. 

 

Again "Thank You" @W-T

[GSP7]

W-T are those your photos of your work and your truck in the post ?

 

What year trucks does this include with that kind of wiring and wiring harness ground wire mess issues?

 

Im not exactly sure what all you did. But it sounds like you pulled the ground wires out of the harness below the vp44. Cut them short , and screwed them to the front engine housing and also ran a wire from that screw to the driver side neg battery terminal.

Then removed the remainder of the cut off ground wires going to the pass bat. neg terminal that were passing over the alternator

 

Sound right?

 

 

.

 

,

Edited March 16, 2018 by GSP7

[82dodge331]

Wow, thank you for doing this research, and contributing to a solution to this plague affecting these trucks.

If I may make a suggestion, once you have your final wiring done, maybe you post a step-by-step procedure of everything you did. Because as it is now, its a bit confusing to read with your research and fix are written together. Again just a suggestion, and thank you for your work. Yours and Mike's work may actually lead to a permanent solution to this problem.

As a side note, have you looked into the fix some people do, by running a new ground from the alternator to the battery or body? Could that be coupled with your re-grounding?

[W-T]

9 hours ago, GSP7 said:

W-T are those your photos of your work and your truck in the post ?

 

What year trucks does this include with that kind of wiring and wiring harness ground wire mess issues?

 

Im not exactly sure what all you did. But it sounds like you pulled the ground wires out of the harness below the vp44. Cut them short , and screwed them to the front engine housing and also ran a wire from that screw to the driver side neg battery terminal.

Then removed the remainder of the cut off ground wires going to the pass bat. neg terminal that were passing over the alternator

 

Sound right?

 

 

.

 

,

 

@GSP7yes...the photos are of my truck and it is a 2001 auto. The "mess" of the "grounding" is strictly what Daimler/Chrysler produced during production. I was merely bringing this to attention because it doesn't follow protocol of standards in regard to DC ground. 

 

The examples depicted are what should be done to correct the oversight. I apologize for any confusion but, this thread ties in with the "High Amp alternator" thread which does add to the continuity of the electronic aspects. 

 

You're correct, the #8 gage Blk/Tan is a critical ground and the routing Daimler/Chrysler selected is contrary to any standards in Electronic Engineering basics. 

 

The result of correcting this will lead to the integrity of DC ground reference for the VP and all associated electronic management devices.

 

The benefits eliminate the proclivity of AC ripple causing error within several related electronic devices which results in unwanted operation. It also enhances the appearance of the engine bay.  

 

 

   

[Mopar1973Man]

10 hours ago, GSP7 said:

What year trucks does this include with that kind of wiring and wiring harness ground wire mess issues?

 

Should be all 1998.5 to 2002...

[W-T]

2 hours ago, 82dodge331 said:

Wow, thank you for doing this research, and contributing to a solution to this plague affecting these trucks.

If I may make a suggestion, once you have your final wiring done, maybe you post a step-by-step procedure of everything you did. Because as it is now, its a bit confusing to read with your research and fix are written together. Again just a suggestion, and thank you for your work. Yours and Mike's work may actually lead to a permanent solution to this problem.

As a side note, have you looked into the fix some people do, by running a new ground from the alternator to the battery or body? Could that be coupled with your re-grounding?

 

This aspect has been fully documented in the "High Amp alternator" thread along with "what" to do for correction. 

 

It was Mike's @Mopar1973Man work that called my attention to this long running saga and I only wish to contribute to his outstanding achievement. @Timbo endorses Mike's conclusion and the discussions on countless websites reveal an over-all acknowledgement that the "fix" is fully understandable. 

 

A big thanks to Mike Nelson for his accurate diligence in finding the answer!  

[GSP7]

Can you guys post a link to the step by step rewire....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alexio Auditore]

Is it easy enough to do if one doesn't have electrical experience?( anything electric is a weakness for me, but if it is easy, I may be able to tackle it)

[Mopar1973Man]

8 hours ago, GSP7 said:

Can you guys post a link to the step by step rewire....

 

1

 

24 minutes ago, Alexio Auditore said:

Is it easy enough to do if one doesn't have electrical experience?( anything electric is a weakness for me, but if it is easy, I may be able to tackle it)

 

@W-T You've got a following... You might edit your article with the steps on how to do this...

[SilverMoose]

@W-T another awesome post.

 

Do you ever use your truck?  The engine bay looks like it's on the showroom floor. 

 

I am going to inspect my wiring this weekend.

 

L8tr

D

[Marcus2000monster]

On 3/15/2018 at 9:09 PM, W-T said:

After 18 years of interesting CTD enthusiasts and transmission specialty outlets all contributing their method, or fix, to the well known TC lock unlock syndrome, I can no longer remain silent.

 

Extensive review of many posts regarding TC lock unlock, the rerouting methodes, the add on filters for APPS and last, but not least,...the "tin-foil hat" brigade. I do realize that each individual or company that contributed to the vast amount of information on the web had good intentions and I must acknowledge that some of the procedures caused me to closely examine what these people were trying to do. I believe it is well known that even a blind mouse occasionally finds a morsel of cheese.

 

Again, as it is well known @Mopar1973Man  was the only entity who positively identified the instigating source of this key issue. My entry today is not about alternators...it is about what Daimler/Chrysler did in regard to production of these Cummins powered platforms and the complete disregard of common sense Electronic Engineering.  Please note, this applies to automatic and manual transmissions as each platform is plagued in the same manor with different quirks. 

 

 

This Blk/Tan #8 gage wire is quite critical in the scheme of things. It is contained within a 1" plastic conduit passing along the front of the engine. It contains water temp sensor leads, air conditioning leads, alternator/PCM leads and the #6 gage alternator charge line to the PDC. This #8 gage Blk/Tan passes over the top/backend of the alternator and is "eventually" connected to the Auxiliary Battery (passenger side) negative terminal.

  

 

 

This snapshot of the Factory Service manual documents "four critical ground leads" that are "spliced" in an unconventional method.

 

 

This photo depicts the three #18 gage wires and the single #14 gage wire entering the shrink-tubing where the "crush-splice" occurs. This bundle exits the large plastic conduit below the VP44

 

 

This again is a most disturbing depiction of the Daimler/Chrysler method of splicing critical ground leads and then routing this across the top of the alternator and "eventually" bringing this to ground reference. 

 

 

This photo depicts where this #8 gage Blk/Tan first connects on the way to "eventual" ground...yes this is the Auxiliary Battery tray connector. Please note: it is spliced again and joins the PCM circuit board grounds...which are critical in their own nature...and "eventually" terminate at the negative post of the Auxiliary Battery's negative terminal.  

 

 

This photo is very interesting, it is the Factory Service manual and the assembly line documentation follows this as a road map in the matrix during production. Please NOTE the title "NAME" to each battery...I looked at this for a considerable amount of time before I realized the assembly line coordinators tried to work with the documentation from the Engineering Staff to "make it as it looks"...Could this single oversight be the reason of a four foot ten inch critical ground wire combination traveling the distance to "EVENTUALLY" terminate at ground? From a basic engineering standpoint regarding ground...you "NEVER CHOOSE THE PATH OF EVENTUAL GROUND" !!! 

 

It is to be the shortest and most concise connection in reference to ground...this is biblical in ALL ELECTRONICS...including pickup trucks.  !

 

 

Here is the Factory Service manual documenting the PCM circuit board reference ground starting as a pair of #14 gage wires being spliced into a #10 gage bundle and arriving at the Auxiliary Battery through another connector that joins a #8 gage wire that is "splice-joined" under plastic conduit in a Y configuration joining the rouge #8 gage "after passing over the alternator" traversing the entire engine compartment from the driver side of the vehicle. Seriously 

 

I have been drinking excessively, most recently, due to the nature of this blatant discovery.   

 

 

This is the hidden Y splice at the Auxiliary Battery where the "mess" EVENTUALLY terminates for ground reference.

 

 

This photo shows the correct "HOLE" of where to apply ground for the VP44, ECM and the PDC...note the logical location

 

 

It took a little research to find the size and proper thread-pitch.

 

 

Metric M5 with a 5/16" hex head is perfect

 

 

This is where you apply a fresh "quality" #6 gage ground and terminate this at the Main Battery negative post on the drivers side for absolute ground reference for the VP44 and ECM 

 

 

This is a very short and concise reference to ground.

 

 

This is the corrected procedure for a rather critical ground.

 

 

The two largest wires originally contained within the 1 inch conduit are no longer present and located well away from the alternator.

 

 

My alternator B+ "charge" line is now a #4 gage line directly connected to the Auxiliary Battery and when my new battery terminals arrive and they are secured, I'll provide photos of a completed Master Power Supply System within this engine bay. 

 

With these corrections, I would hypothesize that a poor ripple specification on a given alternator would be overcome by the immense capacitance of the parallel batteries and would become less prone to causing the dreaded TC lock/unlock for automatics and cruise-control abnormalities for the manual transmission platforms. 

 

The #8 gage Blk/Tan passing over the alternator as an "EVENTUAL" ground is gone...the PCM, ECM, VP44 and the PDC are now grounded in accordance of standard Electronic Engineering practices.

 

Respectfully

W-T  

Well guys looks like we got what we wanted!! Thanks @W-T this is awesome info! Also what brand alternator is that? 

[W-T]

@Marcus2000monsterThanks, and the alternator is a DC Power Engineering XP 270. You'll be able to find them on the web and they are located in Riverside, California. It is a 6 phase large frame unit that produces 200 Amps at idle and NO serpentine belt change is required. I referred to this device in the High Amp alternator thread. 

 

It is basically, a drop in platform however; to utilize the potential of this massive component you must consider a "new B+ charge line". This thread address that issue specifically because, the original #6 gage that is encapsulated in the factory 1 inch plastic conduit located in front of the engine would never survive a charge command from the PCM. The original #6 that directly feeds the PDC and passes through the 140 Amp fuse (which is entirely unnecessary) is fully removed. This is done specifically for three reasons.

 

#1:   A #6 gage B+ line is not adequate to pass 200+ Amps (the XP 270 will produce 305 Amps peak), furthermore, a high-current line in close proximity to sensitive 5 volt logic sensor lines should never have been produced in this manor. Daimler/Chrysler made this error in production of these vehicles  over twenty years ago. Poor performing alternators that developed AC ripple, due to several factors, would permeate the surrounding conductive wires within the harness and render undesired electronic phophas throughout the entire vehicle.

 

#2   The "strange" #6 gage Blk/Tan ground, that is "supposed to provide" critical "reference ground" for the VP and the ECM is directly parallel with this B+ line and in an unfortunate happenstance became a "balanced" pair of "wires" that created a "tuned inductive/capacitive" transmission line to efficiently transport this minor AC ripple with deadly efficiency. This #6 gage Blk/Tan (reference ground) is brought to ground directly as documented in this thread.

 

#3   It definitely cleans up the engine bay with a touch of technical excellence...it is a win-win endeavor for the 2nd Gen Cummins enthusiast 

 

May I add...the Factory original #6 gage B+ line providing as much as 135 Amps during cyclic periods of the "grid heater" event, was NEVER ADEQUATE to conduct that level of current ! Take a moment to examine the factory #6 gage B+ line???.. It's stiff...it's cheap... it's cooked...it is a complete act of buffoonery on behalf of Chryslers Engineering Staff to have produced this level of electronic mediocrity .

 

WARNING: for those of you who have elected to upgrade your system with any platform (alternator) that produce 180 Amps...you too must consider an alternative to this woefully inadequate #6 gage B+ charge line. If it melts down within the Factory conduit...you will lose your ECM..your VP44 and your PCM.

 

With great respect to the Cummins Fraternity...I humbly share this information for the betterment of our rigs.

 

Cheers,

W-T 

 

 

 

  

                     

[GSP7]

 

Quote

 

The original #6 that directly feeds the PDC and passes through the 140 Amp fuse (which is entirely unnecessary) is fully removed. This is done specifically for three reasons.

 

#1:   A #6 gage B+ line is not adequate to pass 200+ Amps (the XP 270 will produce 305 Amps peak), furthermore, a high-current line in close proximity to sensitive 5 volt logic sensor lines should never have been produced in this manor. Daimler/Chrysler made this error in production of these vehicles  over twenty years ago. Poor performing alternators that developed AC ripple, due to several factors, would permeate the surrounding conductive wires within the harness and render undesired electronic phophas throughout the entire vehicle.

 

 

I didnt know about this B+ to PDC removal that was left out in the earlier write-up part??

Where is the B+ routed to if removed from the PDC

 

@W-T is there a complete Step By Step of everything that should be re-wired and re routed posted somewhere.?

 

With all due respect,,,The incomplete sparse info,,,  someone is going to try and re-wire and damage some of the truck's expensive electronic components,  unless its is posted in a complete step by step

Rick

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2018 by Mopar1973Man
Tagged W-T properly to get his attention.

[GSP7]

Crickets

 

 

,

[Me78569]

Busy people are busy.  

[syndicateshop]

On 3/18/2018 at 1:13 AM, GSP7 said:

 

 

I didnt know about this B+ to PDC removal that was left out in the earlier write-up part??

Where is the B+ routed to if removed from the PDC

 

@W-T is there a complete Step By Step of everything that should be re-wired and re routed posted somewhere.?

 

With all due respect,,,The incomplete sparse info,,,  someone is going to try and re-wire and damage some of the truck's expensive electronic components,  unless its is posted in a complete step by step

Rick

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well it clearly states yhat the wire now goes from alt to passenger battery.

[IBMobile]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 8:09 PM, W-T said:

My alternator B+ "charge" line is now a #4 gage line directly connected to the Auxiliary Battery and when my new battery terminals arrive and they are secured, I'll provide photos of a completed Master Power Supply System within this engine bay. 

 

This is where it went.

[RipnRam99]

This is one of the single greatest Cummins threads I have ever seen!! Thank you!!! I have been battling this for 15 years!! I have tried everything, including the tin foil wrap (LOL!)... The only thing that ever really helped, for a while, was cleaning all the battery posts and connectors.... It sucks to have a $7000 transmission, built with love by the best, that can't decide if it's going to be in overdrive or 3rd gear @ 45 mph.... 

Not all heros wear capes!!! 

[Mopar1973Man]

2 hours ago, RipnRam99 said:

This is one of the single greatest Cummins threads I have ever seen!! Thank you!!! I have been battling this for 15 years!! I have tried everything, including the tin foil wrap (LOL!)... The only thing that ever really helped, for a while, was cleaning all the battery posts and connectors.... It sucks to have a $7000 transmission, built with love by the best, that can't decide if it's going to be in overdrive or 3rd gear @ 45 mph.... 

Not all heros wear capes!!! 

 

Still, remember to test the alternator for AC noise.  If the diode are already bad the ground mod will not fix bad diodes in the alternator.