Bulletproofing my Truck

[Clay]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and this is my first diesel. I have a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 quad cab short bed with the 6. 7L and a 6 speed manual transmission.



I'm hoping to toughen up my trucks components so I'm not having to replace them multiple times down the road. I already got a Carli Backcountry 2. 0 with sway bar and full progressive leaf springs. I'm wondering which components people consider pretty weak stock or prone to breaking with mostly on road and moderate off road use. I'm considering the dynatrac free spin front hub kit, but it's definitely pricey. Also, I know most automatics need to be redone when trucks start upping the horsepower, is there anything I should be concerned about with my manual? What suggestions do all of you have?

 

[S.Morris]

Welcome Clay



Fill out your truck specs so it shows up in your signature when you get a chance.



One thing you will need is better ball joints when you do the first change out. Put in Carli joints and it should be the last time needed.

Second thing I might add is that you will eventually need to replace the poor dual mass clutch and should upgrade the flywheel and clutch assembly... . do a search for lots of reading on this subject. I would not plan on upping the stock power too much if you want that aluminum 6sp to last long term.



I'm sure you will get a few more suggestions from some pretty knowledgeable folks

 

[Clay]

Here's my truck in the Canadian Rockies for you visual types out there.

 

[BKWelliver]

did the full Carli treatment on my 07 4X4 dually ball joints and all. bump stops are nice too. I just hit 95K on my truck and had to replace the dual mass clutch. burnt up the first one in 800 miles and the second on in 3k miles. Finally got the dealership to instal the right one on the second go around and got 91K out of it. looked at the parts and I am pretty sure I could have got 100k out of it. I had a south bend heavy duty single disk unit put in this time and all I can say is holy cow. It definitely engages with authority. I am also sure that buy this time next year my left leg will be bigger than my right leg. Definitely requires more pedal pressure for sure but I am good with it. I think the stock DM clutch is fine if you drive it the way it was intended and don't try to bomb the motor with a bunch of high output parts. warming it up a bit is ok but I would not get carried away. It's easy to do I would not recommend it. Unless you want to find yourself feeding it money like an Ex-wife.

 

[Clay]

Did you have any issues with any front end components? That seems to come up a lot bases on what I've read

 

[Motorhead]

Do the Dynatrac hubs. That will help reduce the front end wear and tear. Dump the ATF Fluid in the G56 and install 7 qts of Synchromesh oil. (Heavier wt. oil and they shift better. Mine does) DON'T lug the G56! Keep your rpm between 1800-2300RPM when pulling. Don't pull hard in 6th (O. Drive). Put it in 5th and carry the RPM's. Aluminum case on the trans is not as resilient as the NV5600 cast iron case trans. The G56 case flexes more. The G56 is also maxed out on torque rating with LIGHT mods. If you add a fueling program, control the fueling until the engine RPM is up in its mid range. My $0. 02 AND how and what I have done to MY truck. NO mechanical issues so far.

 

[Clay]

Motorhead, I appreciate the feedback. I plan to replace the transmission fluid when I get home in a few days. Hopefully i can find synchromesh up in Fairbanks, AK. How long do you think I can go before I replace it again? The Dynatrac hubs are expensive and the 09 kit isn't released yet (I e-mailed Dynatrac, it should be out soon). I can afford it, but like I said it's a lot so would be at the expensive of other mods. How long do you think I can last stock before I'm risking things breaking?

 

[goodguys75]

you should just drive it and take good care of it, and it should give you years of service... ... . I wouldn't worry too much about things..... just because you do all these changes, does not mean something else might get ya... .

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I wanna see ya shoot your truck after ya bulletproof it!

 

[Motorhead]

Clay, I think that truck longevity depends a lot on driving habits and road/weather environment. I am sure that driving/living in Alaska would take its toll sooner on ANYTHING... . bullet proof or not. Cold weather start ups have to be tough on engines. Salted roads we all know what effect that has on all parts of the truck.
When I worked at UPS, We had Ford Econoline vans that did country delivery every day. These vans were driven aggressively in hot weather. One driver got 424,000 miles on the original 300-6cyl gasser engine while another would only get 375,000 miles. Same service, different drivers. I drove for them for 30 years and never had an engine let go on me. Other drivers had several engine "casualties" to their name. same trucks, different drivers. I guess what I am saying is do the best by your truck mechanically and know its limitations. I drove many UPS trucks right to their limitations but no further. I drive my Dodge the same way. I take good care of it but I don't baby it either. MY $0. 02

Check with NAPA to get the synchromesh oil. You need to pull the shifter out to easily over-fill it through the top of the trans.

 

[Clay]

One nice thing about Alaska is they don't salt the roads. They just pour down a ton of gravel and expect you to know how to drive.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

One nice thing about Alaska is they don't salt the roads. They just pour down a ton of gravel and expect you to know how to drive.

This is what they should do anyways. People forget how to drive on salted roads too.

 

[Clay]

Yup, never a snow day in Alaska, but we were lucky and got 3 days off work Thanksgiving week (so ended up with basically the week off) because we had super terrible frozen rain. The roads were like ice rinks.

 

[DonFitzwater]

If your going to hang around Fairbanks, an Espar heater would be a good thing. The 6. 7's seem to make a little more heat than the 5. 9's at really low temps but the supplemental heat of the Espar is great, especially if your hauling around brats.

 

[ENafziger]

All suggestions above are good. I'd recommend the Lazarsmith transmission shroud as well as Gorilla Juice. A set of good bumpers and some Light Force HIDs and/or LED lightbar go well in Alaska as well (as you already know).

I wouldn't necessarily replace the BJs or install the Dynatrac manual hubs until you're reaching the end of the expected life of the OEMs.

An oil bypass filter may be a good investment.

If you still have money left over, spend more on Carli stuff.

--Eric

 

[Clay]

A lot of people seem to say that the Espar heater causes check engine lights and such. I even ask the guys at one shop in town when I first got to Fairbanks and he said the same thing. But then I've also read a lot of people with really good results with them. Can anyone confirm if they cause any issues with the computer or if they're totally safe to install?

 

[hsleeper]

Clay,

I have replaced the front end of my truck Three times, twice under warranty. Then when I got the drifting and wobble again I went for the "Bulletproof" solution. I replaced everything except the Steering box. 1) BD Diesel Performance:BD Power - Product: Steering Box Stabilizer (Steering box stabilizer Kit) and 2) BD Power - Product: Adjustable Track Bar Kits (Adjustable Track Bar Kit) 3) Moog parts: Energy Suspension Parts: Ram 2500, Dodge 4WD Ram 2500 2005 (Ball Joints with zerk fittings, These are good and less expensive than Carli) 4) KLM performance

BORGESON | STEERING SHAFT 951 | Dodge Ram | 03 - 09 4WD (BORGESON STEERING SHAFT 951 - Dodge Ram 03 - 09 4WD) 5) Kore Off-Road: Steering system. (Eventually Mopar redesigned this and I got it at the dealer) Mopar Factory Steering System Retrofit 2003-2009 Dodge 2500-3500 4x4

I run Nitto Dura Grapplers Lt 285/70R17 126/123 R (the last set got over 50,000 miles), Firestone Air lift helpers, a Jacobs exhaust brake (just replace the original brake pads at 158,000 miles) and Bilstin yellows from Geno's Garage. It has been driven from Bella Cola British Colombia to Cabo San Lucas BCS with a 2,600 lb camper on the back. I agree with the others in this thread, treat the truck right and you will be fine. It has plenty of torque stock.

 

[Alaskaskiff]

I have an Espar on my 2004. It has been on the truck since March of 2004. I put it in myself. The wiring has nothing to do with any circuit on the truck that would create computer issues. It uses an ignition on (but doesn't have to) and it provides a secondary power source to the fan blower. It has never thrown a code or caused problems on the truck electrical side. Espar even makes a custom kit for dodge truck installs. Mine came from my 96 truck so additional work on my part was required. Best mod I have on the rig. You can look at the entire schematic for the wiring on espar.com. They have good resources on line.

On a side note, though, I have replaced most parts of the Espar over the 12 years I have been running it. Their parts are not cheap.

 

[Clay]

Andy, would you still say it's worth it with the parts you've had to replace? How hard has troubleshooting it been when parts went down or was it pretty easy to figure out? I'd assume it'd be even more worth it up here in Fairbanks vs down in Wasilla so I'll definitely have to look into it.

 

[Alaskaskiff]

I would most definitely do it again. The original unit cost me a thousand. I have put about 700 into the unit over the course of the last twelve years and it is still running strong. I have learned a bunch about the unit, of which the most important is to change the o-rings that go to the water pump every time you open the case. If not... IT WILL LEAK eventually. The o-rings get baked and hardened over time and never seal right again if disturbed. The biggest portion of the cost was changing the water pump last year. It was 300 on its own. The other screw job is paying customs on parts as most come from Canada.

Troubleshooting is real easy. It has trouble codes and the unit is straight-forward. It is easy to take apart and the design is top-notch.

If you get in a bind for parts, call Trailercraft in Anchorage and they can get you anything and fast. Royce at the Commercial St. store is good at dealing with Espar and getting parts.

I use mine twice a day for 5-6 days a week and use it from about 1 October through 15 April. They tend to run better if used more like any machinery. Running it periodically during the summer keeps it happier as well.