I have a 2002 24V 3/4 ton that I bought with 111,000 miles on it. I have already put 5000 miles on the truck and started experiencing dead pedal, white smoke at startup when the engine is already warm, when I first start driving my temp guage will go to the top end of the normal zone then drop back down to the middle (I think it is around 190), the fuse under the hood for the AC keeps blowing, and my oil pressure guage reads at the top end of the normal zone at start up drops to the middle while driving and drops to the low end of the normal zone at idle. Can all of this be an electrical/wiring problem or do I have several issues going on here which means I made a bad choice buying this truck??

Also, the underside of the front of my truck is covered with oil. The readings on the dipstick are good which has me confused on all of this oil. Will the "puke bottle" overflow and create this big of a mess? When the truck sits in one spot idleing, it leaves a spot about the size of a 50 cent piece.?. but it doesn't seem to be dripping when the engine is not running...

 

1st do the key trick and give us any codes you are getting. The dead pedal may be your injection pump going out. Temp gauge sounds fairly normal to me, if it worries you change out the thermostat, get one from Cummins only. Can't talk about the A/C issues. Oil pressure sounds perfectly normal as well (oil is thicker when cold, thus more pressure). Oil leak is most likely a leaking vacuum pump seal, inexpensive but labor intensive to fix.

Take some time and research the individual issues on this site, and you'll find most of them are normal, and you'll find detailed instructions on how to address them, reduce their risks, or fix them all together.

 

When I first started experiencing the dead pedal I changed the fuel pump. After I did that I found out about the key trick to read the codes and I read 1693, 0216, & 0230. I just did the key trick again and the 0230 is gone but the 0216 is still there which breaks my heart because I can't afford to replace the IP. I am concerned about the A/C issue because I was told that the bearings in the compressor might be going out, but I have not heard of that before. It seems to me that I have too many electrical issues happening at once -- this morning the dim feature on my rearview mirror quit working -- and I really don't know where to begin on this. AND the leaking oil creates another issue for me...
This is my second bad experience with a dodge and am getting real shy about buying another one...

 

I just had my VP replaced at the dealer. I called Dodge cust service and told them the dealer refused warranty and they refunded my money. Look in your warranty book for the cummins engine. It states that the cummins engine is warranted for a period of 5 years or 100k and goes into effect AFTER the dodge basic 3/36 warranty. I know others have won on this also.

 

I took the truck back to the dealer I bought it from and they told me they didn't have a problem fixing it but would have to have authorization from Chrysler first -- they never called Chrysler but called me several times to see if I received approval from Chrysler. I finally decided to call Chrysler and they pretty much told me to kiss their rears. I have contacted the state Attorney General who said Chrysler and the dealer will fix the truck under warranty -- we'll see what happens!!!!!
I am concerned because all of this stuff started happening around the same time and I know the oil pressure guage is not supposed to fluctuate as much as it does -- high end all the way to low end. I also don't like a truck that leaks oil -- that is not right either!

 

You most likely don't have an oil leak. The engines don't have egr systems like a gas engine so the crankcase pressure has to go somewhere. My puke bottle was gone years ago. I've never had issues with oil being that bad. You do need to keep an eye on the radiators. They tend to get oily at the bottom and collect dirt. You can't see it with the fan shroud in place. Once a year, when you flush the cooling system go ahead and take the radiatior out and clean it.

There's someone on here that built a system of hoses to route the puke tube somewhere else and catch the oil. Don't know who that was though.