Totallyrad

Good evening all. This will run a little long but you might like it anyway, I hope. I was preparing to leave for my yearly trip to Ohio for Christmas when I found a trip to the local dealer was going to occur first. By chance one morning I tried the key trick to check for codes and found one, P0514, battery temp sensor rational. I took the truck by the dealer on 12/16 to get the code checked. About an hour and a half later the truck is ready, so is the bill, $84.00. After some discussion about extended warranty and a couple of inter-office phone calls by the service writer I was given another receipt, $0.00 due, flash covered by emissions warranty. I'm much happier now. I backed back under my trailer and I'm off to work. Now, as I was leaving the dealer it felt like my truck was pulling better. As the day rolled on I knew it was better. I had the trailer hooked until I got ready to leave on the 18th. I filled up in Birmingham and headed north. The weather was nice, 68* and sunny but the temperature dropped steadily into the thirties. I traveled up I65 through Tennessee to Kentucky and I71 and on to Columbus. A quick stop there for new tires and wheels, thanks DWiggs. With an additional 700 - 800 lbs. in the truck I'm headed onto I70 east. I think it's about 75 miles from Columbus to I77 where I turned north. I exited at Gnaddenhutten and stopped for fuel, 38.3 gallons to go 708.4 miles! WOOHOO!!! I made the 700 club with no mods other than an AFE torque tube! I recommend getting the flash done if you get the P0514 code. Prior to this, the best I could due was about 604 miles on a tank.

I know some of you are going to find this hard to believe, but, when I left Birmingham I set the cruise on 72, that's 2100 rpm with my 6 speed. All but maybe thirty miles driven on this tank were interstate miles and most on cruise at 72. Tires were set just like I drive it everyday, 30 psi in the rear and 75 psi in the front. My rears were wore out, stock everything but the torque tube, no fuel additives, transfer tank was full, 95 gallons, and the truck does weigh 8500 lbs. The fuel I got in Gnaddenhutten was supposed to be winter fuel. That tank lasted 711.7 miles. About 150 miles of interstate driving, 1.5 hours of idling and the rest was rural/country driving at 55 or less with allot of shifting. The only thing I did to conserve fuel was to use the cruise control where I could and not stand on the skinny peddle. On the way back I got my third tank of fuel about 25 miles south of Columbus. The mileage with this tank wasn't as good as I stayed above 2100 rpm on the return. That's all I'll say about that.

Now for some bad news, after being in Ohio a couple of days I was sitting in the truck at the mall and did a code check again. Now I have a P0630 code, VIN not entered in the ECM. Well ain't that just great! Now I'm wondering, if I tell the dealer and they enter the VIN will I lose this new found mileage? I sure don't want that! And another question, what if the dealers are leaving the VIN out on purpose? Could this be to trick fueling boxes and down-loaders? Has anyone who has had trouble with their trucks remembered to check for codes before using their bombs? Is this why a few guys have had trouble with the Smarty giving out of country VIN issues? No attack or slam at Smarty, just thinking out loud.

A couple other observations, after the P0514 flash my engine temperature is up a little. It would usually stay at 190 cycling to 200 on small grades. Now it stays at 195 and cycles up to 200-205. Also, once the grid heaters quit, the amp meter sits solidly on 15. Before the flash it was more like 14.5.

Anyway, thanks for the listen. I thought some of you might like the info. Rick

BEARHUNTER

I had a flash done today, they did TSB's 18-022-06 battery temp sensor and 18-003-06 improved automatic trans shifting, Truck seemed to run through gears alot better and seemed to have more power. Before my flash my tranny (since new) seemed sluggish. But now shifts alot better. Got back and checked for codes and found the P0630. Took it back to the dealer and they said it would clear itself in a few days and nothing to worry about. So I was wondering the same thing about the 630 code. I dont have any mods and not planning on getting any soon. I didnt think the codes could clear themselves?

Totallyrad

The 0630 should go away on it's own in a few days like they said, no worries.