Rancho 9000 help (shocking)
From : fmb
Q: i had a 93 dakota and looked for a way to lift it also. i think superlift made a kit for this family of trucks. i remember it was expensive and involved a lot of cutting and welding . the front suspension is very unfriendly to the idea of lifting. i ended up putting in a rugged trail 3 body lift. it was a nightmare because when you lift the body the radiator goes up with it then the fan wants to hit the trans lines and lower hose. i ended up removing the stock fan and using an electric fan a major pain in the butt. good luck with your project. .
Replies:
From : mac davis
on tue 07 dec 2004 044021 gmt trey treydog90spam@hotmail.com wrote on the chevy group i follow there is a guy asking about covering the radiator on his diesel for the colder winter season. i am assuming he lives in a colder part of the world. anyways. i would assume this applies to the cummins as well. i dont think many people in the chevy group live any place where it gets that cold so i figured i would ask the question here. here is the original post i am considering putting a grill cover on my truck to restrict the air flow into the duramaxs radiator during the winter months. i would like to know if you consider this a good idea or a bad idea mike simmons said the other day that he used one... of course he also has those sissy seats.. *g* .
From : fmb
from trey i am considering putting a grill cover on my truck to restrict the air flow into the duramaxs radiator during the winter months. i would like to know if you consider this a good idea or a bad idea like gas engines diesels have a thermostat. the thermostat will only let a very small amount of water to pass thru when cold. as the block begins to heat up the thermostat will open letting more water pass thru. if the thermostat is working properly the engine will stay a constant temperature unless it is extremely cold. i am talking below -1 degrees. if a diesel is going to be operated in that kind of temps use block heaters also. a winterfront will not do the job alone. by blocking the airflow you run the risk of the engine overheating. in extreme temperatures blocking the airflow may help with providing you more comfort in the cab. sometimes in extremely low temps blowing air over the heater core is enough to keep the engine at operating temp. a winterfront does not block all airflow . . it covers the grill only in most cases the funny grill cover you see on big rigs in the winter and ive seen 18 wheelers rolling along at 60 with the cover fully zipped and the closest town 30 miles back . . .plenty of time for overheating if it was gonna happen. i had to make an employer get a winterfront for the ih bobtail van he had when the engine didnt warm up right and shut down in 15 degree weather. i had to call a tow truck to get back to the shop and when he complained about that bill it was the old fram commercial time . . pay now or pay later. so only you can decide if you want to risk you engine over heating versus your comfort. ask yourself this question will i remember to remove the cover when it warms up if the answer is yes then go ahead and cover it up. hank in most areas a winterfront will not cause overheating when used properly. .. they just dont work that well. maybe dc should consider a set of thermostatic controlled shutters on cummins trucks. budd i think i saw an add in one of the truck/pickup mags for an after market kit to install controlable shutters for dodge ford and chevy. i just cant remeber where it was i saw it. ken .
From : mac davis
on tue 7 dec 2004 055533 -0600 mike simmons mikesim@yhti.net wrote on tue 07 dec 2004 044021 gmt trey treydog90spam@hotmail.com wrote on the chevy group i follow there is a guy asking about covering the radiator on his diesel for the colder winter season. i am assuming he lives in a colder part of the world. anyways. i would assume this applies to the cummins as well. i dont think many people in the chevy group live any place where it gets that cold so i figured i would ask the question here. here is the original post i am considering putting a grill cover on my truck to restrict the air flow into the duramaxs radiator during the winter months. i would like to know if you consider this a good idea or a bad idea mike simmons said the other day that he used one... of course he also has those sissy seats.. *g* enough already! about the sissy seats ;^! yup a winter front does make a difference in how quick the cummins warms up. if you live in a reasonable cold climate i would recommend one. here in mo its iffy. one day it will be in the low teens or colder the next day in the fifties so my wf comes on/off quite often. i h
From : toxictavrn
i noticed recently that my ac compressor keeps starting for 3 second shuts off for 10 seconds starts for 3 and shuts off for 10. from what ive seen from some groups searching it may be low on r134a. hopefully thats ok. up until just now my truck turns into a deep-freeze when the air is on. now it just blows room temp air. also recently ive noticed a tapping/ticking sound under the hood when idle that seems to go away when the engine is warm 20 min or so. the only real time ive heard of something like this was a leak in the exhaust manifold but im not smelling anything. i had had a problem in the past with a broken bolt and the dodge dealer replaceed the entire exhaust system from manifold to tailpipe do you think the ac clutch could be ticking while disengaged .
From : mac davis
i just got a 97 ram regcab 5.2lv8slt and 108k mile my speedo is working but not the tach meter. got any idea thnx. .
From : fmb
my goodness! you really enjoy pain and punishment! of course it could be done. the first step would be to remove the van body from the 3/4 ton frame. stay home if you want to do this with a 1/2 ton stiffen the entire frame and suspension mounting points. now stiffen the front suspension cross beam and upper and lower a arms to take the much larger coil springs. find space for the huge radiator/ oil cooler/ a/c condenser and intercooler in the front surround read nightmare. remove the original transmission crossmember and manufacture a new one to mate with the new gearbox and relocate on the existing frame stiffening the mounting point once the location is determined etc. you would have to remanufacture virtually everything and then you would be forced to cut away the entire floor of the van and build a new one. you would be lucky to find space for the front seats let alone access for maintenance. consider this a bad dream. steve hello all just picked up a cherry of an 88 dodge ram wagon http//www.befumo.com/newvan.htm which i have every intention of hanging on to for the long haul. while i have no plans to do anything immediately i was thinking i might just keep my eyes open for a good deal on a wreck with the cummins 5.9 turbo diesel from which i could harvest the engine and associated electronics -- transmission if necessary. so my question is will the cummins fit into the van without at lot of hefty mods i have access to a shop with a lift and an expert welder if i have to do some modest fabrication but i probably wouldnt get into it if its not largely a bolt-in process. thanks. joe .
From : mac davis
on mon 06 dec 2004 054416 gmt fmb fmbb@sbcglobal.net wrote on sun 05 dec 2004 211956 gmt fmb fmbb@sbcglobal.net wrote i put a set of rs9000s on the 03 2500 ctd 4wd and after a few thousand miles i have a rattle coming from the back end somewhere. it rattles when i hit small bumps in residential neighborhoods. i crawled under and push/pulled on everything in sight. the rr shock is solid the lr shock seems to be loose at the bottom bracket. its like if the shock hole was a bit larger than the mounting bolt hole and with no tension it can be rocked back and forth. is this normal is this a mounting problem tighten it up or a shock problem warrantee. i have it set to 1 with no load ill try it set to 3 later today and see if there is any difference in the rattle. or maybe sandbags for extra weight .... oh crap nevermind i didnt mention sandbags. sandbags we doan ned no steenken sanbags.. those shocks werent owner installed were they when you crawled under the truck was it on stands or still on the ground hopefully it was up on stands and you could try shaking the bracket as well as the shock mac yeah my son and i did the install. when i crawled under the truck it was not on stands. it wasnt jacked up. there was plenty of room for my belly with the trucks tires firmly on the ground. the bracket that is welded to the axle housing is firm. the bolt that passes through that bracket passes through the loose shock. just wondering as i was taught to check shock & mounting hardware first with the wheels on the ground then with the truck on a lift or jacks with no weight on the shocks.. sometimes a loose or bad fitting mount will only show up when you play with the jack until the shock is sort of at a neutral position where the wheel is still on the ground but not hanging on the shock yet.. it seems the lr shock is in the neutral position with the truck just sitting there and the bottom fitting is not snug. it is allowed to twist back and forth by hand and tic tic tic as it hits the mounting bolt. the rr is tight. -- fmb only one b in fmb .
From : fmb
hello all just picked up a cherry of an 88 dodge ram wagon http//www.befumo.com/newvan.htm which i have every intention of hanging on to for the long haul. while i have no plans to do anything immediately i was thinking i might just keep my eyes open for a good deal on a wreck with the cummins 5.9 turbo diesel from which i could harvest the engine and associated electronics -- transmission if necessary. so my question is will the cummins fit into the van without at lot of hefty mods i have access to a shop with a lift and an expert welder if i have to do some modest fabrication but i probably wouldnt get into it if its not largely a bolt-in process. thanks. joe .