97 Ram 3500 w/Cummins and 5 speed manual.

From : hobart duncan

Q: my first diesel !!! and i love it. thanks to those in the group for enlightening me on the whats and what-evers and helping me look for the right vehicle. of course it came with a few flaws....cruise not working - broken vac. line lh & rh electric mirrors way too sloppy crack in windshield washer reservoir etc. but those are taken care of now. its time to take on the bigger chores. it seems this truck has been struck by the infamous fuel level sensor problem. i took a look under the truck this morning and i can see a problem dropping the tank. there seems to be tighter than normal spaces to allow the tank to drop without any problems. i have read in other areas that most people raise the bed to access the tank. as i look at the problem now it seems if i remove the 4 bolts to the front and just leave the 2 rear bolts loose i should be able to put my hydraulic jack toward the front of the bed and lift it until i can get enough space to place some timber between the bed and frame rails to support the bed while i work on the tank. how much space between the bed and the tank will i need to remove the components is there a repair for the sunk in/saturated float or will i have to opt for a complete new sensor. ive been told that the plastic parts either wear or become out of alignment as to work properly. one person had a great idea in replacing the existing pivot pin with either a piece of aluminum or brass welding rod. i was going to tackle the job starting this morning but decided to wait until monday when most dodge/mopar shops will be open. i hate it when i have to wait for a dealership to open.... and i dont know if the local autozones krager etc. will carry such parts. i guess what im asking for is someone with experience having done this before for advice. if i have to rig a toilet float.... ill do that too.... wait a minute.... i was trying to be funny but that may be a solution.... the project starts monday morning.... any help before then would be appreciated... ive read about lifting the bed but i dropped the tank. which ever way you do it you might want to pick up the large o ring at the dealer along with the module. also some fuel line to replace the line from the tank to the hard line at the frame. it always seems to leak a week after you have finished the job. roy .

Replies:

From : hobart duncan

tbone wrote it depends on the time of day that you look at it. thats why you look at the average for say a week or so. its down around $48 not $50 and the trend is falling. yea the trend is falling because the supplies are going up. now why do you think that is the fact is that even in the short time of a few months of conservation the price of gas has fallen by up to 20 cents in my area which shows that conservation is the real answer not drilling in pristine wilderness for 6 months to a years supply of contaminated garbage that we dont have the capacity to refine anyway. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving .

From : roy

need some help diagnosing a problem on my 98 3500 with cummins 24 valve/auto/3.54 rears. i just made a three day trip from virginia to massachusetts and back. the trip up was outstanding - 20 mpg at 65 mph. the trip back was somewhat less fun. during all of the following all dash indications oil temp etc were normal. the water in fuel light never came on. oil and water levels are good no discoloration in either of them after 550 miles. i fueled up at a pilot truck stop at exit 1 on i-84 in massachusetts for the trip back. about 30 miles later the truck was missing if i tried to accelerate above about 70 mph and while cruising on some of the hills in north central connecticut. the transmission couldnt figure out where it need to be when this happened. if it were a v-8 gasser id guess it was not firing on about three cylinders but this is a cummins. after 150 miles i stopped to eat and when i pulled back on the freeway i had heavy white smoke under acceleration until i got up to speed missing above 2000 rpm and the same confused transmission. cruise at 65 mph 1800 rpm was normal. after about 350 miles the problems with the smoke disappeared but i still have the missing at above 2500 rpm. and if i drop down out of overdrive and punch it it is worse. right now the truck appears to be running normal with good power and acceleration until it hits 2500 rpm in any gear. no codes on the dash - does the cummins use the check engine light im hoping i just got a load of bad fuel and ill change the fuel filter tomorrow and see if the problems go away. that would explain the missing at high rpm - fuel starvation. but what would have caused the white smoke id appreciate any comments before i take it to the dealer. greg 98 3500 qc 4x2 cummins isb auto 3.541 driftwood with leather and all the heavy duty options. 89 nu-wa champagne edition 34 foot fifth wheel. .