195 degee thermostat
From : tomfreeman
Q: charles wrote i have a 2001 dodge ctd 2500 and a friend and his son also have similar vehicles different years but 24 valve. i have been adding about 5% biodiesel to my low sulfur fuel for lubricity. my friends son said he adds atf for lubricity. seems like atf is much more expensive but how much do you need also is there a value in adding a small amount of gasoline during winter to prevent gelling i saw a post where a fellow put in about 1.5 gal of gas before realizing his mistake then filled up with diesel. responders said not a big deal they do that all the time. comments welcome! thanks charles dont use gasoline. gasoline removes the lubrication quality of the fuel faster than it lowers the cloud-point. its dangerous and damaging to your injection pump. too much gasoline blended in your fuel could cause catastrophic engine failure. biodiesel is great for boosting the lubrication quality but it does cloud and jell at a warmer temperature than #2 diesel fuel. that temperature is dependent on the base stock that the biodiesel is made from. if the biodiesel is made from canola rapeseed oil the cloud-point /could/ be as low as 14f -10c. if tallow animal fat or palm oil is the base stock the cloud point /could/ be as high as 45f 7c. thats a very large variance in temperature but thats for 100% biodiesel. you are only using 5% biodiesel. when mixed with #2 diesel fuel at 5% the cloud point wont be nearly that high. i wouldnt be surprised if you could go down to 0f at that concentration without clouding but the only way to know for sure is to test your fuel. if you are buying it commercially get a sample in a clean gas or diesel can. if its already in your truck the easiest way to get a sample of your fuel is by using the water drain on the fuel filter. to determine the cloud point of your fuel put a sample in a jar and stick it in the freezer. when the fuel turns cloudy check the temperature. if you expect the ambient temperature to drop below the cloud point of your fuel you have to do something about it. i recommend blending kerosene or #1 diesel fuel. it is very good at lowering the cloud point of diesel type fuels without hindering the lubrication quality too much. -- ken .
Replies:
From : tomfreeman
thanks for the suggestion will give it a try. john if this were my truck id buy two or three quarts of dexron ii atf. which works nicely in ps pumps. fill the reservoir up to the top and start the motor. run the steering wheels left and right all the way to the stops. fill reservoir again this time about two inches from the top. this will fill the system with fluid. look for leaks along the metal lines between the ps pump and the gear box. on my van earlier this year i had to replace the metal lines from the ps pump to the steering gear box. it was a miserable oily job. but it did get done and now the fluid doesnt leak. probably not damaged. but it sure is miserable trying to steer a ps system with no fluid. please suggest that he carry a quart of dexron ii transmission fluid in the truck from now forward. -- christopher a. young you cant shout down a troll. you have to starve them. . my son has a 98 dodge dakota a base model. last night the power steering failed due to lost fluid. today we were unable to see a leak maybe due to the fact that there was very little fluid left in the reservior. he had to drive about 60 miles after experiencing the loss of fluid. will this extended operation cause irreparable damage to the ps pump we plan to fill it up tomorrow and find and repair the leak tomorrow. any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks john .
From : chris thompson
check out www.devilbrad.com where youll find a number of guys who have a great deal of experience in this conversion. -- max join www.devilbrad.com and find out what free exchange of info is all about. there are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty soap ballot jury and ammo. please use in that order. -ed howdershelt author what are my options for upgrading the ignition on this vehicle the engine is a v6 3.9l with a two-barrel holley carburetor. the existing distributor uses a hall effect magnetic pickup. the vacuum transducer on the spark control computer sprang a leak and i have to replace the spark control computer along with it. i can get a used one for under $50 but i thought i would look into the possibility of getting better performance and/or mileage from an after market ignition upgrade. i would specifically be looking to bypass the stock spark control computer altogether. any help greatly appreciated. thanks jack .
From : tomfreeman
it is not possible to tell you how to think. as much as we may wish to help we are not there you are. you know there is an intermittent connection but you dont know where. it could be at either end of the cable. it may be a bad wire crimp on one of the pins in either of the two plugs. you may have to take an ohm meter and wring out the cable wire by wire wriggling the harness in all directions or other steps. these are very basic trouble shooting skills. if you dont have them in your tool bag i seriously suggest you bring the vhicle to a dealer before you either hurt yourself or the vehicle getting up to speed. steve um; i asked - *if* i do what was suggested and im still seeing the same problem can anyone guide me further you replied of course not. by of course not - are you saying that if cleaning up the plugs doesnt fix the problem and if i can still consistently get the pcm to come back online by pushing on the plug toward the pcm which is how i fix it now - are you saying that if thats the case no-one can give any advice to further guide my repair efforts seems a little extreme; i bet theres more knowledge on this board then that reply implies. elijah steve lusardi wrote of course not. the computer is telling you that it is losing communication with the pcm. it isnt telling you the plugs you are messing with are the fault. it doesnt know that. it could be the cable itself or even the connector on the other end of the cable. you have to determine the rest. if you are at a loss bring it to a dealer. steve ok let me follow this up a little. *if* i lube the hell out of it with grease and silicon it and im still seeing the same problem - can anyone say thats probably the pcm then or you should replace the harness or anything to guide me further thanks elijah elijahs@gmail.com wrote tom lawrence wrote intermittent engine + guage failure; odometer reads no bus. the fix is i go and press on each of the three pcm connectors and at some point the whole thing comes back to life. there was a recall on 03 rams to add o-rings to the pcm connectors - you may want to check and see if anything similar was released for the durangos. even if not id put a bit of dielectric grease across all the pins and might even go so far as to run a tiny bead of silicone around the outside of the plugs where they meet with the receptacles to try and seal out any moisture. ooooh - dielectric grease! i like that idea. we live in an *extremely* humid climate - the wet side of the big island of hawaii. 180+ inches a year of rain in places and continual heat and moisture. like i said the connectors *looked* good - but anything to keep the connections good in there. the connections are *right* under the place where the lid comes over the fenders a prime place for water to splash in. thanks for the ideas! .
From : nosey
does anyone know the check engine codes for a 2002 dodge ram 1500 2dr. slt truck my check engine light came on after a recent fuel fill up i check the code p1491 emission control at auto zone. i would hate to take it to the dealer and pay them to tell me i need a new gas cap or air filter...i also guess i cant reset the code by disconnecting the positive battery cable. i did a system check inside the truck by pushing down the trip/odometer button and turning the ignition to the on position and i received a code that was c code 23 97.... any input would be great thanks...mars.. according to my 94 - 01 haynes manual says this code applies to 94 - 97 23 - intake air temp sensor input is out of range either high or low p1491 - a quick google search on this code returned the page below. as i didnt see that particular code in my haynes manual. the guy asking the question also has a 02. http//autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl138h.htm -- ---------------------------- -chris 05 ctd 06 liberty crd real trucks dont need spark plugs. .
From : tomfreeman
does anyone know the check engine codes for a 2002 dodge ram 1500 2dr. slt truck my check engine light came on after a recent fuel fill up i check the code p1491 emission control at auto zone. i would hate to take it to the dealer and pay them to tell me i need a new gas cap or air filter...i also guess i cant reset the code by disconnecting the positive battery cable. i did a system check inside the truck by pushing down the trip/odometer button and turning the ignition to the on position and i received a code that was c code 23 97.... any input would be great thanks...mars.. .
From : nosey
what are my options for upgrading the ignition on this vehicle the engine is a v6 3.9l with a two-barrel holley carburetor. the existing distributor uses a hall effect magnetic pickup. the vacuum transducer on the spark control computer sprang a leak and i have to replace the spark control computer along with it. i can get a used one for under $50 but i thought i would look into the possibility of getting better performance and/or mileage from an after market ignition upgrade. i would specifically be looking to bypass the stock spark control computer altogether. any help greatly appreciated. thanks jack .
From : tomfreeman
wanted to take a second and wish you folks a happy thanksgiving. enjoy and please be safe. oh before ya eat or when you say grace or whatever please say a prayer for our troops. roy .
From : nosey
nosey wrote 5% biodiesel. when mixed with #2 diesel fuel at 5% the cloud point wont= be nearly that high. i wouldnt be surprised if you could go down to 0=b0f at that concentration without clouding but the only way to know for sure is= to test your fuel. if you are buying it commercially get a sample in a clean gas or diesel can. if its already in your truck the easiest way to ge= t a sample of your fuel is by using the water drain on the fuel filter. to determine the cloud point of your fuel put a sample in a jar and stick it in the freezer. when the fuel turns cloudy check the temperature. if you expect the ambient temperature to drop below the cloud point of your fuel you have to do something about it. i recommend blending kerosene or #1 diesel fuel. it is very good at lowering the cloud point of diesel type fuels without hindering the lubrication quality too much. op charles these are all very good ideas. b20 20% bio 80% #2 diesel is becoming very common in the south. you may check in your area for it. soybean bio seems to be the most common around where i live. the gel point is 7f and offers *great* lubricity. as ken indicated blending kerosene is a great solution for preventing gelling. here are some facts about bio-diesel from the top of my head b100. a 5050 mixture of #1 diesel kerosene will put your gel point at 0f. b20 mixed with #2 diesel will put your gel point at 7f. b20 mixed with #1 diesel kerosene will put your gel point at a bit below 0f as low as -15f depending on what kind of bio. if b20 blended with #2 diesel is what you have in your area and you are worried about gelling fill up 50-70% of your tank and blend the rest 30-50% with kerosene. that should keep you safe to a bit below 0f and still give you great lubricity. heres link or two for your viewing pleasure http//www.wnbiodiesel.com/products.html http//www.biodieselnow.com/ i recommend that you avoid gasoline and atf. youre asking for trouble. on top of being a great lubricating agent it also reduces dependence on foreign oil is much better for the environment air and water pollution is a renewable energy source and keeps the money in the u=2es. many times directly benefitting farmers. fill-er-up. craig c. .
From : tom lawrence
um; i asked - *if* i do what was suggested and im still seeing the same problem can anyone guide me further you replied of course not. by of course not - are you saying that if cleaning up the plugs doesnt fix the problem and if i can still consistently get the pcm to come back online by pushing on the plug toward the pcm which is how i fix it now - are you saying that if thats the case no-one can give any advice to further guide my repair efforts seems a little extreme; i bet theres more knowledge on this board then that reply implies. elijah steve lusardi wrote of course not. the computer is telling you that it is losing communication with the pcm. it isnt telling you the plugs you are messing with are the fault. it doesnt know that. it could be the cable itself or even the connector on the other end of the cable. you have to determine the rest. if you are at a loss bring it to a dealer. steve ok let me follow this up a little. *if* i lube the hell out of it with grease and silicon it and im still seeing the same problem - can anyone say thats probably the pcm then or you should replace the harness or anything to guide me further thanks elijah elijahs@gmail.com wrote tom lawrence wrote intermittent engine + guage failure; odometer reads no bus. the fix is i go and press on each of the three pcm connectors and at some point the whole thing comes back to life. there was a recall on 03 rams to add o-rings to the pcm connectors - you may want to check and see if anything similar was released for the durangos. even if not id put a bit of dielectric grease across all the pins and might even go so far as to run a tiny bead of silicone around the outside of the plugs where they meet with the receptacles to try and seal out any moisture. ooooh - dielectric grease! i like that idea. we live in an *extremely* humid climate - the wet side of the big island of hawaii. 180+ inches a year of rain in places and continual heat and moisture. like i said the connectors *looked* good - but anything to keep the connections good in there. the connections are *right* under the place where the lid comes over the fenders a prime place for water to splash in. thanks for the ideas! .