Forgive me guys I am a bit slow to comment,

about the muffler topic.

I have a 4 inch pipe to the T-case and 5 inch from there on back to a 6 inch turndown out the corner of the bed, I have a power stroke converter that is 5 in and 5 out with 12- 1 inch holes drilled all the way through the inside.


you can't believe how quiet it is

 

"Power stroke converter that is 5 in and 5 out". I need a pic, as I'm not understanding. Sounds interesting, though

 

What's all the goop around the freeze plugs?

 

When I replaced my flexplate, I had the truck apart, I saw that the freeze plugs (or at least one of them) had a little bit of rust forming on the surface, so (in all my wisdom), I took a bunch of never seize and coated the surfaces with it.

I didn't know that never seize gets rock hard and cracks when left in the open air, or exposed to heat, and open air. That mess is my cleaning off of the neverseize with mineral spirits and brake cleaner. I've since sprayed a coat of galvanizing primer, and high heat paint over the top of them. Hopefully that lasts for a while.

 

Motor has been running rough when I first fire it up now that the temps have been dropping. Thought it was all because of air leaks after pulling the IP and swapping the injectors, so been chasing those for a few weeks now. But still every time I fire the truck up after sitting for 8-12 hours it would stutter to start, 1 to 2 revolutions of the starter, then run like one or more injectors were not firing....and lots of white smoke. Would progressively clear up after 30 sec to a minute then clean smooth running.

Well this morning when I got done work it was just a hair above freezing so i thought I would plug in the grid heater solenoids, and thought for jiggles I would plug the KSB back in.....I have not run the KSB since doing the 4wd conversion because at that time I installed the M/H timing spacer and found it was allowing to much initial timing. But since I no longer have the timing spacer in place thought why not.

So I turn the key and the WTS comes on...light goes out and crank it over expecting more of the same.....half crank and fire...puff of black smoke and running smooth!

So anyone have any thoughts on why the motor seems to run so poorly without grid heater and KSB on initial start.

 

Did your idle raise, with that KSB now plugged in? If so, it's doing its job as a warm up aid. The grid heaters activating are also doing its job, by warming up the incoming air. I've never known that you've disconnected the grid heater feature. So now all is good, with both the grids and KSB connected? Sounds like a good find to me!

 

I've read of a lot of folks who dismantle their grids, for reasons of battery draw and the actual grids removed because of an intake air obstruction. The folks that do that, and don't suffer any consequences, live in areas like I do. Warm temps most of the time, and hardly below freezing temps in the winter.
Folks like you that live in snow areas should always have those items activated.

What about your fuel heater- is that still in place?

 

I have a correction on a coment I made yesterday, the power stroke converter I have as a muffler is not 5 in and 5 out from the factory, I cut out the ends and made it 5 and 5, sorry.


Like Augie said keep the grids in the cold, I have mine gutted but I plug in my truck when temps drop below 35* and when at work I take my truck to lunch so it never sits more than 4 hours in the cold, they will start at 10-15* without grids but they don't like it at all.

 

I was contemplating removing my grids awhile back, and installing a spacer in its place that I got from Cummins, believe it or not. Just wanted more efficient air flow.
Then I went on an elk hunt in Utah, a week before Christmas and the temps got down to -4 degrees F. One of the guys in our group went to start his 2nd gen and had a lot of trouble getting it to start, and that was with the grids in place. Right then and there I decided to just keep it factory, cause although I live in warm and sunny CA most of the time, it may be that one time I'm out in cold mans land that I'd wished I had them in there.

 

I don't have the grid heater hooked up on my white crew cab conversion. On the rare occasion it gets moved outside in the winter for a few days and I need to move it, I just hook a jumper pack up to my grid heater terminals for a few seconds and fire it up.

 

Yes the fuel heater is still in place and functioning....I actually installed a 2nd Gen unit since the 1st Gen ones have been discontinued any moons ago. I only unplug the solenoid when temps start getting in the 10-15*C range in the spring. Hadn't hooked them back up even though the temps were dropping into the 0-10*C range.

Did good again yesterday head to and from work, so guess that was what it needed. Thanks for the thoughts and advice.

 

the grids beeing unhooked was for sure the problem, the symptoms you described are exactly what they run like with a nonfunctioning grid, sounds like a pulling truck for about 30sec to a min, sounds kinda cool but every time the old cummins hits it is cusing me.

 

Got an email today telling me that the cummins coolant tube I ordered is on it's way here, by friday, supposedly...

Cummins #3914823

Ebay # 142183562051

We shall see, eh ?

 

Changed the oil and filter as I hadn't since returning from Yellowstone a few months ago.
Also topped off the Getrag as it leaks like the Valdez.

This Saturday the trucks getting driven to Glen Helen raceway for a Motocross race I'm entered in.

 

got an unexpected thumbs up today....had to pick up couple bags of concrete, and was sitting at a rwed light, when I heard someone in the next lane ask what year the truck was. I told her '91, and then I saw the older gentleman give me a big thumbs up. Poor guy must have bad eyes not to see the cracked like a dry creek bottom primer....