rotohead

There's a steering column bushing available if you have a mysterious 'clunk' in the steering linkage. It's very inexpensive but does require some work to get it installed. Do a search on 'steering column fix' or similar to find the product. Great guy to deal with and will answer all your questions.

All my posts above I've done myself and am happy with those mods and recommend them as reliable and within the ability of the average mechanical ability of the average guy with good tools. PM me if you have any more questions.

rotohead

Vacumm pump oil leaks are commonplace with early 2nd gen models and Pete Gould has a great kit to replace seals. Geno's Garage is carrying the same kit and comes with all necessary items to diy and an extra set of seals in case the first set doesn't do the trick. Good time to overhaul the power steering system and add a filter to the power steering return line to make the system last longer.

JoeCanuck

https://www.atsdiesel.com/PDF/120505...%2047%20RE.pdf

http://www.suncoastconverters.com/im...d%20rewire.pdf

http://www.kentsoil.com/dodgebug1.htm

http://www.dieseltrans.com/dodge/price_list.htm (It's listed as 'Noise Filter' in the first section of the price list)

http://www.dieselperformance.com/index.php/aboutus/ (BD doesn't seem to list their noise filter. You'll have to call them about it)

JoeCanuck

I couldn't edit the previous post so I just made a new post. The suncoast and ATS links are fixed.

ATS Diesel Solution

Suncoast Converters Solution

http://www.kentsoil.com/dodgebug1.htm

http://www.dieseltrans.com/dodge/price_list.htm (It's listed as 'Noise Filter' in the first section of the price list)

http://www.dieselperformance.com/index.php/aboutus/ (BD doesn't seem to list their noise filter. You'll have to call them about it)[/QUOTE]

SEABEEDALE

JoeCanuck. Thanks for the tranny tips! My 1999 3500 just started malfunctioning, and I was afarid I was going to have to get trans/convertor worked on. Thanks again! SEABEEDALE

fireram

Many posts on here about hard starts.

If your truck turns over quickly, but cranks alot after sitting for a while, hot or cold, you could have an air leak in the fuel system.

The longer it sits the longer you have to crank to get it to fire...

First: The overflow valve at the VP44 return fuel line, can NOT be responsible for maintaining prime, It has a small hole in it prevent it from maintaing pressure in the line.

An aftermarket inline check valve, usually installed inline after the Lift Pump, has been known to solve some owners issues.

Failing o rings at the injector crossover tubes has been know to cause some owners issues.

Loose injectors, or fuel line connections has caused some owners these symptoms.

Small pin holes in the return fuel line let air in, but are too small to let fuel out. Mine failed right at the banjo fitting at the VP44..

Failing lift pump.

Failing VP44 has been the cause of some owners hard start, without throwing codes right away..

Hope this helps to compile all the Hard start posts relating to Fuel Prime.

travelingman

monty I think this is a great ideal I have found lots of answers to specific questions I had . About transmissions .

hawkdiesel1

Yes, the VP44 is absolutely terrible over time. An Edge Juice box will compound the problem by making the low fuel pressure problem that you have or are going to have much worse. Dead Throttle is what i and many others call when you are stable moving and the piston inside the VP stalls and gets stuck, then you have to back off the throttle and accelerate to see if it will work, this problem is more annoying than just about anything, and it only happens at certain rpm and usually while cruising or slowly accelerating. If you can get to it early enough a FASS 150 will help, this will ensure good pressure all the time , and it will help the fuel return back to the tank because i have seen that the stock return leaks and thus you lose fuel to the asphalt. The best mpg will be when at WOT you are at 10 PSI, and at idle somewhere in the neighborhood of 17-18 psi at idle. The other brand name lift pumps i can't speak for because i have only had a FASS. And Freddy is right the VP44 is way more expensive to replace then just putting a lift pump on it, and then you get more MPG and better performance. The VP44 is limited to what it will actually produce as far as pressure to the engine but it isn't nearly enough to keep me happy.

hawkdiesel1

In regards to any of the transmission parts, valve body and TQ conv. They are able to withstand nearly 60 hp over and about 80 over tq without any issue. With the 01 ,I kept the juice on 1 or 2 depending on what i was doing and it ran fine. There is much to be said about the stock tq converter. The way it is set up is that it will have variable lockup depending on driver response it will obviously lock up faster with hard acceleration but with gradual every day driving it seems like the best speed is about 35 around town. There is a relatively inexpensive part you can buy from BD that will enable you to lock the TQ conv in high gear once you hit like 35 then your turning like 1200 at 35 and getting way better fuel economy. The short is that the stock tq by itself will rob you of mileage and also cause the Tranny to be skittish about making a shift in gradual acceleration. The stock tranny is in need of a deep pan from the get go, especcially if you are towing. This will help prolong its life because the 24v non CR is a decent enough engine. If you have a choice always choose the 5 or 6 spd in this model. The early morning cold starts cause the tranny to be sluggish with the auto. With the auto in particular, i have had many friends of mine report that it fails to shift sometimes in normal driving until a much higher rpm than it should. I attribute it to the valve body, and if there is no other damage to any of the other parts i highly recommend a SEAFOAM treatment to remedy that problem.

thumper549

Am I the only person in the world that had the plastic piston cooling jets leave their homes in the Main Bearing Webb ??
This is a very expensive fix..wish I could get my 7000.00 bucks back plus my labor !!
I think not...as Cummings had a lot of early failures most all B4 warranty ran out.
Doge pulls the eng. Sends it back to Cummings W.O. ever knowing what the problem is/ was.
One of the top teck Dudes told me this from the Renton plant. He also said that is why Cummings moved the Crank counter to the front or omitted them because the counter ring on the crank sat up a hamonic vibration which blows those little "high Quality plastic jets" out of there.
YIPES !!

DieselGurl

Everyone knows that the Dodge’s steer really poorly. My 99 was all over the road for quite a while, even after I replaced all the ball joints and tie rod ends. I had a lot of play in the steering wheel. Constantly going from left to right, I looked like a drunk driver! Bad shake sometimes, and oh man, don’t even get me started about hitting pot holes.

I was doing some searching around on the internet one day and came across Solid Steel’s Dodge Steering Stabilizer (DSS). So I called up a company off their distributors’ page, Source Auto, right here in Oregon where I live, and talked to them about my problem. They said the DSS would eliminate A LOT, if not all, of the play I had going on in my steering. It bolts to the frame and has an extended nut with a self centering bearing that keeps the steering box from flexing so much.

They also told me about the Track Bar Conversion kit and track bar they had. I had replaced my track bar 3 times already! Man, I wish I would have heard of this thing sooner. The track bar has the rubber bushings like the newer Dodge’s, and it’s replaceable so that you only have to replace the bushings and not the whole track bar itself. The conversion kit just allows you to put on the newer style track bar.

I bought the whole setup from Source. They told me that they have a warranty on them, so that if it didn’t solve my problem, they would take it back no questions asked.

It took me about 2 hours to get it all on there. Piece of cake. Just straight bolt on install. That was the best money I’ve ever spent! My truck drives like it’s right off the showroom floor. I would definitely recommend anyone with the same problem put these on!

bigsmith72

I put a new hydro boost on my 2000 cummins and the power steering is a little tight to the left and brakes don't feel right and it takes about 5 seconds for the pedal to return to shut off my brake lights. When i start the truck with my foot on the brake pedal the pedal should release toward the floor and it doesn't, it stays put. I was stupid and removed the brake lines from the master cylinder, but i bled the hell out of my brakes. My instruction manual says that a return line my be restricted. i fixed one problem, which was my frozen brakes and steering and now my brake pedal takes forever to return. So if i have a trailer on my trailer brakes dont release until my truck lights shutoff. please help.

bigsmith72

www.bigsmith72@live.com

bigsmith72

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME

www.bigsmith72@live.com

rotohead

I don't know anything about your truck problem but your link is not correct. If you're trying to type a email address for replies you need to edit your post and leave off the www. part of the link. Good luck