Hello from Colorado!

[BluePine]

Hello ALL! I have been exploring this forum for a few days now and I couldn't be happier that I found it! We own a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 2nd Generation 5.9L Cummins 24V, it is a 4x4 with an automatic transmission (we couldn't find a manual when we were shopping)... We purchased our truck about 6 years ago already, but we haven't had the time or money to do many of the upgrades we would like. Now we have so many on the list we are having trouble deciding which ones to do first. There are a few things we are past due in installing/ upgrading such as the high idle mod & crankcase vent mod... we also have a few issues that we have tried to address by taking our truck into our local mechanic and after reading several posts on this forum I realize that we have wasted an obscene amount of money by choosing this option. We are experiencing a few of the "typical" but hard to diagnose and repair problems, including our 4 wheel drive & what seems like a transmission issue when driving around 40-50 mph... which is actually most likely an underlying alternator problem. We just rolled over 200 K this past summer, and after realizing that our mechanic was less helpful in actually completing the work that he said that he completed we are going over the truck with a fine tooth comb to make sure that all "regular maintenance & servicing" is complete so that we can get at least another 200k out of our trusty truck. Any and all suggestions are welcome! Some of our "TO DO LIST" is...

[*]Install gauges- any suggestions? I was looking at fuel pressure, transmission temp, pyro (EGT)... I was planning on going the mechanical gauge route rather than digital...

[*]Replace electronic trailer brake system... ours gave out awhile ago

[*]ScanGaugeII

[*]AirDog 150 Fuel Pump w 1/2" big line kit

[*]Big Honkin Air Filter

[*]Exhaust Air Brake- any suggestions? the prior owner of our truck straight piped the exhaust so we may need to replace the exhaust system as well...

We also have a few general repairs that are on the list...

[*]Windshield Wipers- only have two speeds, off or full speed

[*]cup holders on instrument panel, the fold out tray just falls down if there is any weight on the tray... I have looked up the replacement part and it looks to be almost $200 which seems like a lot for cup holders... any suggestions?

[*]Interior lights, dome lights do not come on when drivers side door opens but they do come on if passenger door opens or you push the light wheel all the way up... Map light buttons are burnt out and do not seem to push on or off... so we may have to replace the switch function as well?

[*]Driver's Side rear suicide door is stuck closed, will probably take a day in the garage unscrewing the door panels and dislodging... UGH.

That's just the get started list... Our overall goal is to complete all of recommended service bulletins and look at how we can increase the potential lifespan & mpg of our truck.

Thank you in advance for all of the help & advice!

Sarah

[Mopar1973Man]

Sounds like you got a laundry list of thing to take care of.Personally I would get the gauges install first thing. ISSpro and mechanical gauges are my preference.As for the trailer brake controller most like Prodigy III bit spendy but a very good controller. I've got a Prodigy II and it just as good as the Prodigy III.ScanGauge II is a wonderful tool for getting the most from the MPG bracket once you get it all setup and calibrated.As for the drive door it might be a bad pin switch? Map light there is a rebuild proces over on CumminsForum.com on how to do it will RadioShack parts. I see if I can find it for you.Rear quad door is most likely a pull rod are damaged and need new clips. If one if failing you might consider doing the other as well.

[BluePine]

In the past I have borrowed my brother's code reader, which is just a basic and doesn't not read ABS codes... which has been fine for the majority of our needs, however my GMC Yukon has had finicky ABS issues and since we have decided to return to the "do it yourself" method with many of our truck repairs & upgrades I think we are past due in investing in a good code reader. The two that I was debating between were the [h=1]INNOVA 3150 ABS / SRS + Professional CanOBD2 which is $149 or the INNOVA 3160B ABS/SRS+ Professional CanOBDII for $197both are on Amazon... Any preferences?[/h]

Since I have already ordered the ScangaugeII do I even need a separate scanner? I couldn't find anywhere that said whether or not the sg read ABS codes as well and I also got the impression that once you configured the sg for one vehicle that it would not be overly convenient to move it to another vehicle for diagnostic purposes. But then I considered getting a second sg for our other vehicle (the yukon) rather than purchasing either one of the Innova's ... HELP, I have over "thunk" it again, I just need someone to straighten me out, THANKS!

[dripley]

That is a rather large list. Get the gauges first. You wont be sorry. Welcome to the family.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

oh boy, im not the only one in colorado here anymore!!! wooohooo!!!welcome!

[diesel4life]

Welcome to the family, it seems like you have a busy schedule planned out for your truck!I have virtually the same truck 98.5). I would first recomend gauges (primarily a fuel pressure gauge) and a quality lift pump first. As far as the rear door, take the panel off from the inside and check to make sure the cable is not broken for the top and bottom latches. If its ok, its probably the bottom latch frozen from lack of use. Spray some penetrant once or twice a day for a few days maybe youll get lucky and get it to free up. My former 2000 both rear doors were frozen solid i ended up taking a small pneumatic right angle grinder to the inside of the door and grinding the bolts out of the latch then opened the door and worked the latch off the hook. I had planned on replacing the lower latches but never got around to it and actually they were fine with out them. The rear doors are held in by a top latch as well plus the front door. Good luck and have fun and keep us posted :thumbup2:Check out Genos.com for an add on cup holder that mounts to the center console of your truck. A cheaper alternative than buying a new replacement for 200 bucks!

[98whitelightnin]

Welcome to the fam! I have the Geno's cup holder too and it's great! http://www.genosgarage.com/searchprods.asp

[BluePine]

I am truly impressed by all of your welcoming messages! It is the first website/ forum that I have ever been on that people actually respond to questions that are posted... not only respond but have an intelligent/ informative answer... Thank you all for the warm family welcome. Unfortunately, ,I have had horrible experiences with mechanics and today the dodge dealership in denver where I sent my husband to drop off the truck so that they could do the update for the EMC per the TSB with the new software to allow for the high idol mod to work... however, when my husband went to drop the truck off the technician that I spoke with and supposedly understood what I was asking told my husband that since the vacuum tubes for the 4 wheel drive had dislodged that until that was repaired we were "JUST WASTING MONEY"... Since I wasn't there (we live about an hour and a half away) and my husband is not mechanically inclined he had me on the phone and was trying to get the mechanic to talk to me... I hear him in the background say... "Sir I don't need to discuss this with your wife, it's not my job to explain myself to her, you are more than capable of talking to her... obviously she is not interested in fixing your truck, she apparently just wants to throw money at something that we haven't even confirmed is the problem. You may not even need to reprogram the EMC.." WHAT?!? REALLY?!?! So my husband is embarrassed & confused and turns around and blames me for asking him to drop the truck off in the first place. UGH! I really dislike it when men talk down to you because you are a woman and you may know more about a particular problem than them... I am not claiming to be an expert by any sense of the word. But I do have a general mechanical sense and am more than capable of educating myself on a problem... I am especially motivated to do so when we have spent a ridiculous amount of time/ money trying to have the problem addressed by "professionals"... I could really use some suggestions on how to approach this situation again. When the truck gets back up here, I plan on fixing the vacuum lines and the torque lock/ unlock issue by troubleshooting the alternator etc. But I still need to take it in to have the EMC reprogramed. I just feel like the dealership was WAY OUT OF LINE or maybe I am missing something? UGH

[diesel4life]

Ok.... first off I would scrap the stealership your frequenting... seems like they dont want or need your buisiness. Not sure how many people are on here from your area, maybe someone can point you towards a good repair shop. They are around, they can be tough to find though. As far as updating your ecm for the high idle, if your truck has been in to the dealership anytime in the last several years it most likely has the updated software already. Do you know anybody with a similar truck(98.5 to 02) that has a smarty? If so you can get the update through them. If you must go back to the dealership I would seriously think about finding a different one to visit! Vaccum lines have nothing to do with what you were there requesting!

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

2 hours away from me.

[Mopar1973Man]

Hang around Bluepine we'll help you over the hurdles of life and you truck. But I will highly suggest you stay after the truck and get your own kind of maintenace program going. This way you can at least cover the basics and not have to rely on dealers and mechanics as much. But when something fails or starting to fail get back here and we'll do what we can to talk you through it. Heck if you find some local guys and gals there in Colorado I'm sure they be more than willing to come out and help you through your issues. Even if you have give me a call I'd be more than willing to talk you through or get you to someone that can!Once again welcome to the family and like a family we try and cover each other the best we can.