First Vehicle - '93 Ram250 4x4 Getrag

[JGrefenstette]

well i bought my first vehicle this past friday (may 4th). Its a 93 power ram 250. 4x4 getrag 5spd. we got it for $5,500 I asume the following are standard?

-4500lb front axle

-np205 tc



we bought it from the original owner. he is a photographer, and drove the truck to colorado, arizona, etc. the truck has 260,000 plus miles on it. he didnt get it with the tow package though. and has never towed anything. he simple wanted a truck to haul his camera junk. he had an impressive write up. i found the truck through ebay, but would only consider it if we could go look at it and get him to sell it to us locally. my dad and i got intouch with him, and he would, so we did. i have a number of questions as this is my first vehicle, and the first Cummins/ diesel 4x4 truck in the family. any help would be more than appreciated! thanks



-the grill dosnt have dodge embossed in it (all the ones ive seen have it)



-the steering wheel is turned too far to the right when the tire are dead center (he claims this is how it was when he got it from the dealer, and that they told him it was how it came from the factory and couldnt be adjusted... is this total bs?)



-the brakes are hellacious. my dad and i assume/hope its just the pads a rotors (when braking at any speed... worse when going faster... . they make shake real bad. the pedal kicks back, and you can feel it in the steering wheel. not left to right shimmy, but more of a bucking up and down... whole truck bucks when the brakes are applied... vacume is fine by the way, there is good pressure on the pedal)



-he also had the turbo replaiced 80,000 miles ago, he claims it was a factory recall? what is this about?



-in 4x4 the turning radius was 6-8 times what it should have been... as far as we could tell. there was also loud and rough clacking and thumping (u-joints?) would this be the joints in the front drive shaft?



-in turning in 2wd, the front end feels rough and thumps some too. (axle u-joints?)



-ah yes... and the dash lights... when i turn the key to on position, everything lights up, then everyone goes out. the "wait to start" doesnt stay on for even a second longer. however imedialty after staring it, it comes on. it stays on for bout 2-4 minutes, then its flickers slightly and the "water in fuel" begins to faintly iluminate while flickering along with the "check engine" light. all three flicker brightly for few seconds then all go off. this has happend with this exact pattern almost everytime ive started it (maybe half a dozen times). what is the deal here????? oh and, the voltage gauge jumps up a little bit when the three lights go out, and the idle changes slightly????????



- ... . smoke... . upon starting in 50 degree weather after sitting all night, it will put out a good puff of white smoke, then just barely puff it out for a good couple minutes. then it will put out some light white smoke for the first mile er so till it fully warms up. and tonight, i notice in the headlights of the car behind me, it was smoking not a lot, but it was prettty light blue smoke, not real thick at all. what is normal? and what is not? remember it does have over 260,000 miles on it



-there is a buzzer that goes off constantly after the key is in the ignition for the seatbelt. its stays on untill the belt its conected. and there is one for the door too, and if the belt if off and the door is open, the go at the same time and its rediculous. is there a fuse i can pull or someway to get ride of this irritation?



-since there is no tow package, how do i go about getting light wiring to the rear?



-the passenger door dosnt open with the key, the lock comes up, but not enough to open it?



-sense i dont have an egt gauge yet, how long should i wait before shut down?



- what is a healthy warm up time depending on outside temp?



-where specifically is the tach hook up? i found a wire harness to the right of the hood release, is this it? if not, what is it?



well sorry for the exhausting list. . i think thats all for now. i would be gratefull for any advice. thanks

jimmy

 

[Niki]

Welcome to the club! The grill is probably an aftermarket replacement if it doesn't say Dodge, could have been in an accident or just broken. Almost everyone I've seen is broken.



As far as turning radius in 4x4, I hope you weren't trying this on a dry paved surface. These are "part time" 4x4, you really can't turn in 4x4 if you're on a dry surface unless you do it very gradually, there is no diff in the transfercase, you could break things. Turning in 2wd should be fine, remember to unlock your hubs... Is your brake pedal low or just jumpy? Almost every truck I get to has the back brakes very far out of adjustment.



Those information center lights can cause goofy things. In the service manual, there is a wiring diagram of that thing, there are 4 diodes in that thing. If one or more goes out, you get backfeeds and weird stuff. Grid heaters(wait to start light) came on then at goofy times also. Thats what is making your volt guage swing is the grid heaters, they draw a lot of power.



The steering wheel could be off if the PO changed the draglink and didn't get it aligned. Some draglinks are slightly different lengths, throwing the wheel off but not the alignment. Could be anything in the frontend though. I recommend jacking it up and checking for play in every piece of the frontend.

A little smoke will be noticeable at night in other cars headlights behind you. Many trucks smoke when cold also. Keep an eye on oil and coolant consumption, maybe even get an oil analysis done if concerned. I let mine idle for a minute or so, then accelerate under light load until the temp guage starts to move. Too much idle time is bad, the truck will never fully warm up anyway.

A lot of these questions can also be answered in the FAQ. Look in there, and search this section. A service manual won't hurt either

 

[JGrefenstette]

thanks for the help.

about the wait to start light. if it is on, does this mean the grid heater is too. or is it just shorting out. i hope it doesnt mean that the grid heater is on every time the light comes on, because i drive with that light on.

 

[Niki]

Usually it means they're on, but who knows? These trucks are wired as nicely as a third graders science fair project. A fusebox that dangles by wires when you take the access panel off? Good idea Dodge. Go under your hood w/ a test light and test the load side of the heater relays or the heaters themselves. If they're staying on, disable them until you can fix them. I think there is a plug in relay on the fenderwell or you could take the trigger wires off the big relays. As far as your passenger door lock, lube it good. You can see through that vent in the doorjamb the lock linkage, and there is a thing that slides up and down in the door latch mechanism. Most of these trucks get like yours before someone who cares buys it. Enough little things break and the owner gets fed up and sells it. Once you get these problems ironed out it'll seem like a much better truck and you'll have some sense of satisfaction also.

 

[sdstriper]

Factory Service Manual. Get you one. You will not regret it.

 

[DBohl]

I bought a truck that made a lot of noise up front too. It had not seen a grease gun in a long time. Two of the u joints were shot. Grease your truck and lubricate all linkage and pivot points, check the u joints in the axle and drive shafts . Your rotors could be warped, that can cause a jumping sensation when braking , do yourself a favor and pick up factory service manual, tell your dad to spring for it and call it a birthday present! good luck, Doug

 

[JGrefenstette]

yea its perfect timing to, cause my birthday is the 26th of this month. good idea. thanks for all the info and help guys. this has given me a lot to work with. thanks

 

[JGrefenstette]

oh and also, whats the biggist size tire i can fit under the truck with it stock. without rubbing bad in turns. my buddy has a set of bfg allterains on m/t's that are almost new, there just smaller than 35's. would they work. were probly gonna bolt em on and give it a try. and whats the biggist size i can get on the stock wheel?





about getting a service manual... . on the cummins website, they have "operation and maintenace manuals" and "touble shooting and repair manuals" for the operations and maintenace one i couldnt find one that applied to the 93 dodge cummins. i did with the repair one though. which one of these do i need, or booth, and is there a maintenace one on there that will work and im just missing it???

 

[sdstriper]

You will want the Chrysler Factory Service manual (FSM) or manuals, not sure about the 93' but the earlier Cummins trucks had the"Rear Wheel Drive Truck D&W 150-350, Ramcharger" manual that covers everything but the Cummins engine stuff, then they had the "Rear Wheel Drive Truck Diesel Supplement" for the diesel related info.



Geno's Garage has these new. And there are several sellers on Ebay that have them new and used, or you could shop ebay for a deal on a used one, they are not cheap but you are getting waaay more value for what they do cost compared to a Chilton etc. I have the FSM's and Cummins books and subscription. As far as the Cummins literature is concerned I would pay the subscription to QuickServe instead, you'll have access to all the literature and then some, plus parts availability and pricing.

 

[Niki]

There is a sticky about service manuals in the discontinued parts section I think. Someone reproduces the manuals, the 93 is the one to get, has all the diesel and Getrag stuff in it. I think mine was $100? Can't remember.

 

[JGrefenstette]

perfect. . thanks again for all the help niki, and the same to the rest of yall... thanks

 

[BWJensen]

Factory Service Manual. Get you one. You will not regret it.

X2, I consider mine " the Bible"





MADDOG

 

[ZedMikey]

oh and also, whats the biggist size tire i can fit under the truck with it stock. without rubbing bad in turns. my buddy has a set of bfg allterains on m/t's that are almost new, there just smaller than 35's. would they work. were probly gonna bolt em on and give it a try. and whats the biggist size i can get on the stock wheel?

I'm running 295/75R16s on my stock 1st gen, and I get no rubbing. They are a little over 33" high. Just speculating here, but I'd imagine 35s would rub without trimming or lifting. Easiest way to check is to bolt 'em on!

As for biggest tires on the stock wheel... wheel width isn't a factor in tire height, but it is in tire width. I'm not sure what width the stock wheels are, though... 7"? I've heard of people running 12. 5" wide tires on 7" wide wheels, but I wouldn't. You can pick up inexpensive steel wheels at a number of places that are wider than stock.

 

[JGrefenstette]

i looked at my buddies tires tonight up agianst the truck, and they are real close. they are 315's, so i assume that is close to bout 34's?

 

[dpuckett]

Welcome to the looney bin, glad to have you join us. You will like the Cummins Ram once you get 'er back up to snuff.



The turbo recall is BS- esp if it is only 80K old. That means it went out at about 180K- well beyond any factory warranty.



Check all the steering and front suspension components listed, along with your steering box mounting bolts. ALso, if there is slack in the steering, dont get a parts store reman, as you will be buying aother in 2 years- BTDT TWICE!!! I got a box from Performance Steering Products for my now-sold 91, and loved it. Had it not been 20deg the week I sold it, the box would be on my 92.



Drain and refill ALL fluids. Overfill the Getrag by at least a quart. Engine oil is what is recommended and preferred by most, and any recommendations on which brand or weight to use is akin to starting a religious debate.



The rear brake adjustment will make the fronts work harder, thus building up heat and warping the rotors. You will likely have to replace them, as they dont give you much meat to cut on in the aftermarket. Get new pads and calipers, and hoses while you have it apart. The parts will add up, but you will also know what you have.



ADjust rear brakes. Tighten them up all the way, so the wheel cant turn. Back them off about 6-8 strokes with your screwdriver, and feel for a defined drag. Check them at every oil change. Self adjusting means crawl under there yourSELF and ADJUST them.



for trailer lights, there are kits that you can plug into the existing wiring harnesses (you'll see what I mean when you get under there). Most of them are the 4-flat plug-ins, but I like to run a ground off the frame or battery (DO NOT depend on your ball hitch for a ground), and add trailer brakes. That makes for 5 wires, so I have just cut the wires from the kit, and added my own 6-round plug at the bumper.



Keep tuned in here for more info on the folies and foibles of the TDR world.



Daniel

 

[JGrefenstette]

thanks a lot daniel. thats real helpfull. how necessary do you think it is to replace the callipers and hoses? we got rotors and pads, but at this point im just trying to get it on the road comfortably, due to my lack of money, since the summer paychecks havent cranked up yet and the fact that i just made the biggest purchase of my young life (so far).





one more thing, i was wondering specifically..... how much smoke should be considered normal. i assume that as it gets hotter out that i will be seeing more black smoke from the loss of density in the air, causing more fuel in the ratio. is this accurate? and on start up i get a initial puff of white smoke, then it just slightly puffs for a few minutes. is this normal?



thanks again!

 

[Moab4x4]

My 92 FSM had the diesel engine in it but not the Gegrag supplement. Dittos to getting a 93 dodge truck service manual. I think I have been living in mine.



The plug you found by the hood release is the factory ABS test port. The tach plug is about 4" straight up. It is a 4 pin inline plug a little over an inch wide with male terminals that you can fit small female spade connectors over. I was just there today, BOMBING my electrical.



Search on TDR about the ABS. There are two camps, I decided to remove mine.

That left me an empty harness to use for trailer wiring. I am sending the LT, RT, tail, and brake down the 4 conductor RWAL harness.



Pass door not unlocking sounds like the plastic retainer may have broken or worn a bit too much. Getting the door panel off is harder than replacing that plastic bushing if that is it.



Have fun with it. They are a great education because you can still work on them!

Ken

 

[JGrefenstette]

thanks for all the info guys, this is exactly what i need.

 

[dpuckett]

The white smoke at start up isnt what I'd cal normal, but it isnt unusual for the age of the engine, esp since it never towed anything. Good excuse for injectors. It could also be timing, which needs advanced anyway .



No, it isnt a HAVE TO to replace the calipers nad hoses, but last ones I had to buy were like $20 apiece. If the pads are wearing evenly from side to side (on the same caliper), you should be ok. If one is noticably thicker than the other, repalce them now, to minimize damage to the new rotors. I replace the hoses when I dont know how old they are, just to know what I have. They are $12 apiece for the 2wds, shouldnt be that much more for the 4x4.



I can totally empathize with a lack of funds- you should see some of the cheap engineering I have done in the past that worked amazingly well. Other times you just gotta bite the bullet.



DP

 

[JGrefenstette]

Moab, thanks... i found the tach plug. Now i am just wondering, i have seen guys have a 4K tach, but havent found them for sale? where might i get one? also, is all i have to do is buy the tach? does it come with the wireing? and last, when i get the tach, is all i have to do just plug it in and its good to go???



daniel, thanks for the good advice about the brakes. and about the smoke, you think that its puffs the white smoke because its never towed and the injectors could be gummed up? i assume from it never getting worked hard/hot enough to clean em out?