Parker's '91 D350

[peobryant]

Hey guys, after seeing a few build threads myself I figured I'd make one too. This won't exactly be a "build" thread as I plan on fixing the little niggles my truck has before I start doing anything fuel or air wise. Progress will more than likely be very slow as I have a full time job, a son who turns 3 on April 28th and a woman who won't be too happy if I spend our funds on my old girl.



Anyways, the truck is an intercooled 1991 Dodge Ram D350, dually, LE with (unfortunately) an automatic transmission. I've had the truck some years now and have done a few things. A DennyT Stage II fuel cone, ASA intake and 4" straight pipe exhaust are about it. The odometer was broken at 182K when I bought it but the previous (he was also the original) owner had paperwork for all the mileage he put on it since the odo broke and it was right at 186K. She was bone stock when I bought her too. The truck has been my daily driver since I bought it for $5K cash and it was also my first vehicle. I took my driving test in this truck which surprised quite a few people at the courthouse, apparently not many 16 year old kids can parallel park a little sedan, let alone a dually truck. Heres a few pictures of when I got the truck. These were taken on my grandfathers farm and the truck was a little dirty too. I've kept a log as well and she's getting real close to 300K miles now.



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The truck was always garaged and never driven in the winter by the previous owner so it is completely rust free (kinda rare in Kentucky) and I've done my best to take care of it as well as the previous owner did. I don't have any really recent pictures of it but I recently got an OEM grille with the Dodge letters and a Leer topper. Looks pretty much the same other than that.



I did buy a nice custom A-Pillar gauge pod set up from a guy on 1stgen.org and I think it looks great. From my driving position...



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And the ASA installed on my truck...



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I'll try to get some more recent pictures of the truck soon. I plan on getting an '05 WRX as a daily driver (or a new Dodge Dart) so I can really focus on my truck without having to worry about driving it everyday. It'll give me more of a chance to really tear into some things I've been needing to do. I have to say though, she's been as reliable as can be for the 6 or so years I've been daily driving it. A water pump is the only "big" job I've had to do on it, and I'm sure we're all aware how easy of a job that is. The truck drives me to the edge sometimes with it's little electrical gremlins, but like I said, without it being my daily driver soon I can dig into that and be completely happy with the truck again.





The Plan:



So, I have a plan for my truck and hopefully I can get started in the next few months with it. First things first, electrical. There are a few electrical problems the truck has (that I will go into detail later) and I'm going to attack that first. Do what I can and ask for help with the rest. Second on the list, suspension. The truck needs a little front end work (pulls to the left a little) and the suspension could use some freshening up after all the miles and age. After that, I plan on installing a set of Coolertubz, a low pressure piston lift pump (or a 2nd Gen pump regulated) and swapping an NV4500 transmission in. Then for fuel and turbo I think a set of 6X. 012 injectors and a Super HX40 turbocharger would make a pretty decent set up, with pump mods of course.



I'll be posting some more later with electrical issues I'm having, and hopefully some progress as well. I hope to have the truck looking and running as good as some other forum members here.



Thanks for looking.

 

[NJTman]

Hey guys, as I plan on fixing the little niggles my truck has
The truck was always garaged and never driven in the winter by the previous owner so it is completely rust free (kinda rare in Kentucky) and I've done my best to take care of it as well as the previous owner did. I don't have any really recent pictures of it but I recently got an OEM grille with the Dodge letters and a Leer topper. Looks pretty much the same other than that.






I'll try to get some more recent pictures of the truck soon.
I'll be posting some more later with electrical issues I'm having, and hopefully some progress as well. I hope to have the truck looking and running as good as some other forum members here.

Thanks for looking.

Sweet ride, man... ... . What's a NIGGLES ???? I've never heard that term before ...

Electrical problems ? Can you describe ?

 

[peobryant]

Sweet ride, man... ... . What's a NIGGLES ???? I've never heard that term before ...

Electrical problems ? Can you describe ?

It's just little annoying problems. Always heard them called niggles when I was growing up (has nothing to do with any race, if that was in question,) maybe it's a Kentucky thing...

Anywho, the electrical problems I'm having currently...

Windows won't roll up or down.
Overdrive kicks in and out.
Blower motor won't kick on
When I try to turn the blower motor on all lights on the message center light up, which occasionally happens when I hit the window button too.
Sometimes when I open the drivers side door the dome light comes on, other times it doesn't. It always comes on when I open the passenger side door.

Some of these problems I know the issue and shouldbe able to fix, like the VSS for overdrive and I'm assuming it's a connection needing cleaned for the door-dome light issue. The others I've been told it is more than likely a fuseable link but that is completely foreign to me.

I'm fairly sure that's all the electrical issues I'm having but if I remember more I'll post them up.

 

[Shadrach]

" Overdrive kicks in and out. " Check your TPS, the square black box on top of the fuel pump. Also check the plug going to it. Nice Truck. Shad

 

[NJTman]

It's just little annoying problems. Always heard them called niggles when I was growing up (has nothing to do with any race, if that was in question,) maybe it's a Kentucky thing...

Anywho, the electrical problems I'm having currently...

Windows won't roll up or down.
Overdrive kicks in and out.
Blower motor won't kick on
When I try to turn the blower motor on all lights on the message center light up, which occasionally happens when I hit the window button too.
Sometimes when I open the drivers side door the dome light comes on, other times it doesn't. It always comes on when I open the passenger side door.

Some of these problems I know the issue and shouldbe able to fix, like the VSS for overdrive and I'm assuming it's a connection needing cleaned for the door-dome light issue. The others I've been told it is more than likely a fuseable link but that is completely foreign to me.

I'm fairly sure that's all the electrical issues I'm having but if I remember more I'll post them up.

Fair enough... . I've just never heard that before... ... Can I use it here ??

Ok.

I can't stress this enough..... YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR GROUNDS, clean them and keep them clean... . for as long as you own this truck. .

First thing I want you to do is to open up your fuse panel. Look inside. You will be looking on the rear and forwards side of the panel. The panel most likely has some corrosion inside both front and rear, and it's essential that you remove that corrosion. The fuse panels become an issue after 10-15 years of use, and their location is a primary source of the problem. Use an electrical cleaner, then an electrical sealant of sorts to clean each terminal. The truck's battery would be disconnected, and all the fuses pulled while doing so. I used 2 products by De-Oxit. Their cleaner and protect-ants are excellent at completing the job (amazon and radio shack have them) You need to use a pick to clean the connections, or at a minimum tighten them so that each fuse, when reinstalled, makes solid contact. Each fuse should be clean, and if not, use a wire brush or sandpaper to ensure they are... . or just replace them. This process is an excellent way of eliminating a lot of niggles (I call them gremlins). The fuse panel needs to be functioning and have clean connections, otherwise nothing in the truck will work correctly.

Replace both of your flashers with the HD electronic kind. They work more effectively in these trucks, and tend to fail less.

Clean and inspect all ground wires that ground the engine/ electrical system to body & frame. I installed new grounds as well from the engine block to the alternator, and the engine block to the negative battery terminal, and then back to the body / frame. Grounds in these trucks get funky and rattled loose. The one by the radiator is one of the easiest and most essential ones to have. There are grounds under the dash as well, but I haven't found a need to mess with them as mine were in good shape.

Pull the switch for the windows and clean the connections behind. If you have a wiring schematic you can jump the connector and see if the windows work

Overdrive is easy, and $9 in parts from radio shack will get you back in business, and you can forget about the $400 the dealer wants for the OD sensor on the FI unit under the hood. You will install a new potentiometer to replace that TPS junk under the hood. This will permanently allow you to fix the problem, and for next to nothing cost wise. I'll post a link later to get you where you need to be, as their site is down for some reason.

If the blower motor is original, replace it. Old worn out motors don't work in these sub standard electrical systems, as everything in these trucks runs through the ignition switch, causing excessive resistance in the thin wiring that leads to the fuse panel. Two of my CTD dodges were victims of this phenomenon, and the fuse panels were burned up in both. Luckily I was able to correct the 92's panel before it got too bad.

Put your headlights on separate relays to prevent burned up fuse panels and ignition switches. Again, I'll post a link later.

Interior light. . sometimes on, sometimes not..... Pull the switch out of the door jamb, clean it, and put it back in after lube. Stuck switch ?

Once you get most of these things done, let us know what still doesn't work.

 

[NJTman]

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/electrical-info-lights-turn-signals-t284142.html

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/alternator-ground-t297761.html

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?t=176263

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?p=1407509#post1407509

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?t=158400

 

[HHhuntitall]

Nice looking oven... err, I mean truck!! If those windows won't roll down, and the blower won't work, that's a bad combination here in Texas!! You'd be well done by 10am!! My ranch foreman had one identical to it, with a little less paint... . He drove it 530k before the speedo quit, and then his son drove it to college after that... . Finally sold it and wished he hadn't!! :-laf



On the speedo, you might PM MysteryMan, he repairs them, if you don't want to fix it yourself.



Nice ride, especially for a first truck. They were still new whenever I started driving, so there weren't very many available for $5k... . I guess there still aren't!! :-laf I had to drive an old '74 or '84... . both without A/C. Finally got my hands on a used '89 5spd CabChassis for $6900, and drove it 550k before I traded it in... . They gave me $6400 for trade in, so I basically paid $100 per 100k miles... . nothing holds it's value like these old Dodges!!



And lucky for you, the Dodge won't be jealous if you spend your money on your wife!! They're faithful like that. But like I told my wife, (and you may not be dumb enough to actually say this) "This truck was here before you were... ... "