94 Ram 2500 Opinions Please

[wildbill_hickup]

Hey folks,

First time in this section, been lurking in the Ford 7.3 (not Powerstroke) for awhile. No need for that anymore, drove in the yard a couple of weeks ago and noticed a little smoke coming out of the hood, before I could get under the hood, see more smoke, run in the house and get the fire extigusher, had a full scale BBQ goin', to much for that little 3 pounder, I didn't want to fix that exhaust leak(to pass inspection) anyway!!!!!

Anyway that being said I'm now looking at a 94 Ram 2500 with what I assume is a 12v Cummins (from what I have read), 5 Speed, 4X4, 105K miles, runs and drives great. I have read all kinds of threads about mods that can be made, I'd like just a little more HP (dosen't seem to have quite the power of the Ford) I pull a medium sized single axle utility trailer quite often probably 3000 - 3500 lbs GVW and have been known to stuff a little to much in the bed on occassion(firewood) , but for the most part pretty normal driving. I will also be using to plow snow, has 8' Diamond plow. Any pointers on what I should look for before I buy(engine wise) and what inexpencive mods can I do after the deed is done(as fart as I know it's stock). Oh ya one other thing I will be using varying amounts of Biodiesel. Say B-20 up to B-50,60? depending on time of year.

Well any help would be appreciated

 

[mikel]

The biggest one to look for is the 'Killer Dowel Pin'. There is an alignment pin on the front of the engine that was put there to align the timing gear case during assembly. This pin can work it's way loose and fall into the camshaft gear. This will break the timing gear case and necessitate having to pull the camshaft to fix.

If the engine is leaking oil from the front under the idler pulley then it is probably the KDP.

As long as the KDP hasn't got the truck then there are several easy ways to fix it. Go to the Turbodiesel Register ( http://www.turbodieselregister.com/) to find more than you want to know about it.

Other than that, the '94 should have the 175hp motor as I recall, and it is *easily* capable of making plenty of power. Once again, take a look at the TDR for info, but to start you off.

Get gauges
Deal with the exhaust or at least the Cat if equipped.
This truck doesn't use a 'chip'. It uses a 'Cam Plate' Go here to see some options. A #10 works *really* well.

Depending on how you install the cam plate (they are adjustable) this will give you more than enough power to slip the stock clutch, so that will be your weak point.


The 12-valve cummins is a great motor for hot-rodding.

Good luck,
Mike

 

[argve]

Well I'll add to what Mike said but also mention that you can grind your own fuel plate for much much cheaper than buying one... If and when you get to that point we can provide you with the profiles of them so you can go grinding your way to more power...

Now with a #10 plate as Mike mentions (I have one in my truck) and a few other simple mods you won't be able to keep a stock clutch in there to save your life if you use the full travel of the skinny pedal on the right - heck truth be told the South Bend Con-O I have installed can't hold her from time to time....

Now as for your bio question... I run a 50-50 to 60-40 mix of used filtered fryer oil to diesel (60 oil and 40 diesel) with no problems - heck the truck loves it - fuel mileage is down a little (1~2 mpg) and power is down slightly - actually you can barely feel it so it's not down much trust me there. The other thing you will notice with the use of WVO (waste veggie oil) is that the clatter of the Cummins is lessoned some - it's actually quite noticable.... I mean it still makes a ton of noise but not so much...

To give you an idea... I pull a 31ft TT (9500lbs loaded) with enough wood to keep most families content for an entire week (I like to burn wood at the campground and trust me I like a big fire) so I end up with about half to three quarters of the bed full of wood and I can cruise down the highway in 5th gear with the A/C on full blast at 75mph and not overheat the pyro (no joke, lie or stretch) I just set the cruise control and don't even pay attention to the pyro because even pulling through the mountains of Tenn, KY or the like I know that she won't overdue it... So pushing some snow and hauling a little wood in the bed won't be a problem...

 

[Freight_Train]

To give you an idea... I pull a 31ft TT (9500lbs loaded) with enough wood to keep most families content for an entire week (I like to burn wood at the campground and trust me I like a big fire) so I end up with about half to three quarters of the bed full of wood and I can cruise down the highway in 5th gear with the A/C on full blast at 75mph and not overheat the pyro (no joke, lie or stretch) I just set the cruise control and don't even pay attention to the pyro because even pulling through the mountains of Tenn, KY or the like I know that she won't overdue it... So pushing some snow and hauling a little wood in the bed won't be a problem...

Well,that would be 4th gear at 55MPH now wouldn't it.....sorry,had to come down here and rag you on a bit!

 

[argve]

Hopefully that gets fixed tomorrow... that is if the UPS man shows up today with the new nut and my nephew shows up to install it... other wise it's gonna be another week of 65mph max speeds...

 

[Freight_Train]

put a little tack weld on the nut when you reinstall.Keep it small enough so it can be ground off if you ever need to remove the gear though.Bet that sucker sounds like nothing on earth right now.Redlined all the way.

 

[rubberfish]

it's gonna be another week of 65mph max speeds...

Sorry,,,,I didn't mean to laugh like that.

 

[argve]

I got a nut :Sly

 

[wildbill_hickup]

Thanks guys, no oil leak from what I can see. I think I'm sold. NOW if only the insurance company would send me that check for the Ford I'd be all set. ]Get this it's in the mail ,RIGHT

 

[holtzer1]

one of the common...easily repairable problems with the 12v cummins, is the fuel line that runs behind the i/p tends to crack and leak fuel. i cant tell you how many of these i have changed. i guess they forgot to tell you about the little nut that backs off in the tranny...another simple fix...nothing to worry about. i have personally seen a 12v cummins come into the dealership i worked at with 999,975 miles! and it ran like a top.

 

[wildbill_hickup]

Is that the nut that Argve is refering to jokingly in this post???

 

[argve]

Yep... what happens is over time in the NV4500HD transmissions is the 5th gear nut will work loose, it backs off the threads then allows the 5th gear to slide back on the splines where it slips down on to the machined portion of the main shaft. The new nut comes with a washer, two set screws and some LOC-TITE (Red) brand thread locker so that you can screw it down tight and lock it into place so that it does not happen again.

I have heard two different reasons for the nut working loose.

1st being there is a harmonic vibration that occures when in 5th gear under 1500 rpms that will vibrate the nut loose.

2nd is that the splines on the shaft where the gear rides are not long enough to support the entire gear so it can wobble some which works the nut loose.

Now after being in there I can see where the 2nd theory holds much more water that the first, but I can see where the first one can do it, but I tend to believe the 2nd thought pattern more.

 

[stacerbob]

Wildbill, did you get the truck? What have you done to it so far?

 

[wildbill_hickup]

Ya I got it, boy did I get it!!!

I did get it and hve been trying to find out from Dodge if any of the problems have been addressed in the past. They're useless.

Today while driving home I smelled diesel fuel, open the hood and fuel is spraying all over from what I think is the return line. Late in the day there's no place to get parts and i have an appointment at 8:00 AM. So needless to say I'm not in a very good mood. Haven't done anything to the motor yet except keep it running. Trying to deal with all the have to's before I think about the want to's!!!!!!

 

[holtzer1]

i did say something about leaky fuel lines eh...lol, thats probably one of the biggest problems youll have with the running part of that truck. be glad it isnt a leaking line on a new 6.o powderstroke