Last night, one of my mechanics and I did the 48.00 KDP repair kit at the shop after work hours and it was a pain, although the fact that my Dodge is my only vehicle contributed to it-- no leisure time to do it, and I was tired. What also contributed was a wild goose chase looking for a new upper radiator hose, the replacement of which was deemed prudent since the old one, like the fan belt, needed to come out to do the job. After an hour delay getting a hose, because the first parts house who said they had one, didn't when I got there, I commenced on the project at 4:15 PM. We finished at 11:00 PM, thanking God that my mechanic figured out how to get the crank shaft seal on.

Some things I learned:

1. Remove the upper radiator hose and the crossover positive battery cable before attempting to remove the fan and shroud. I also had to pop loose a wiring harness that was connected to the bottom of the fan shroud

2. Definately grind down a 10 mm box end wrench so it can fit on the center bolt for the fan support block-- using an open end can round it off.

3. If you have a universal belt tensioner breaker bar which greatly facilitates the removal of the fan belt, it works well for removing the harmonic balancer bolts.

4. The instructions for putting the front seal on the crankshaft are a little vague concerning the plastic seal guide. I think you're supposed ito insert it from the front end instead of the back end like the instructions tell you. We wound up having to remove the gear housing cover again (and reclean and scrape the mating services) because the plastic seal guide would not come out after putting the cover on the first time around.

3. It's hard keeping track of where all the short and long bolts for the gear housing go even when you're paying attention, because there's so many of them and they're in an odd pattern. However, the short ones tend not to start in the holes for the long bolts, so the process of elimination helps.

4. Use a small socket to tap the dowel pin in if it isn't flush-- the blunt roundness of a small socket is not as likely to cause damage if it slips. We used one with an extension which was held with visegrips while tapping with a hammer.

By the way the the dowel pin was sticking out perhaps a 16th of an inch and it was not loose-- it took some sharp taps to get it inside the hole.


In Conclusion
So before you start the job, do these things well ahead of time: obtain a new upper radiator hose (and clamps), and fan belt if they have not been recently replaced, and grind down a 10 mm box end wrench.

All in all I would say that getting the crankshaft seal to slide on properly was what set us back the most timewise.

Though I'm thankful that through this website I found out about the KDP issue, Cummins should done a recall on this-- any factory defect that can result in catastrophic failure during the reasonable lifetime of such a high dollar engine should warrant that.

 

the best way to keep track of the long and short cover bolts is just make a cardboard jig and push the bolts through it for re-installation ease. The only part I had a struggle with was getting the fan and shroud out the first time by myself (would have been easy with a friend). THe clear seal guide confused me at first, I was like why would I put it on the inside of the cover, but then just tried it and the clear seal came sliding out as I put the cover back on, lol..

 

Great tips, thanks guys. I'll be putting them to use!

 

Has anyone done the KDP job, and then put on electric fans at the same time? How much time would you say that adds to the job? In a recent Diesel magazine (I think diesel power) they showed you how to do the KDP job, but also later in the magazine, showed how to do the electric fans.

 

I have had an electric fan laying around for a while, but I can't make it fit (yet). It gets in the way of the fan mount.

 

Thanks for the tips, i'll be doing mine here pretty soon.

 

I only had trouble pullin the window wash tank, everything else was a snap. i didnt have to grind any tools to get the fan off. as far as the seal indeed the instrucs didnt clearly explain the front seal after lookin at the old one i fig'd it out. and when installed the clear plastic came right threwthe seal. cake. as for bolts i just laid them in order i pulled them off. took two hrs to do and didnt replace anything.

 

..if you look close at the plastic seal..one end is smaller than the other..I did mine about a month ago, and I "Think" the wide end face's the engine..it worked slick..mine just slid in nicely...I did it over about a 3 night job..take your time..and good radio station..and go..it's not that hard..

 

thanks for the tips...I too will be planning this soon,Chuck

 

coastal_diesel, you must have just had a bad experience with that KDP fix. Mine was super easy and I didnt replace any parts. If I had to do it again I bet I could get it done in an hour (aside from cleaning parts). Unless ofcourse, I run into trouble like you did.