Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) do the kdp thing! before it's too late!

[k.vickers]

well, i'm the latest victim. call me what you want ... lazy, an optimist, rationalizer, dummy, i'll let you fill in the blank.



i've read over and over about the kdp and its kill ratio, but i chose to put off taking care of the potential problem with the idea that it would not happen to me. well, as this is being written my poor truck is in the shop getting fixed, with estimates ranging from $1700 to $2800. i actually heard the pin come out and crack the case, and when i saw the puddle of oil forming under the front of the engine i knew what had happened.



guys, if you're smart you'll take care of this situation before you become the latest victim. if you've already fixed your kdp then good for you. you've probably saved yourself a lot of money. my main gripe, other than banging my head against the wall for being any of the above listed people, is that dodge won't recognized this problem for what it is and recall the dang things.



good luck, and get that jig!

 

[Futures1]

That's impossible !!

I spoke with a couple of dealers and they have never heard of such a thing. I was in a Diesel Repair shop today, when mentioning it to the parts man, he was baffled ?? I am next in line for the "Jig" just in case those dealers are trying to pull the wool over my eyes ;o)

 

[k.vickers]

believe me, Dick, it's the real deal.



my trusted diesel mechanic played it down, too, saying that he didn't think my truck was set up in a way that the kdp would strike. this morning he admitted his mistake. it would not take you very much searching through this forum to find many, many instances of kdp problems.



please take my word for it ... the problem is real and it can happen to anyone with a 12 valve. go ahead and get that jig and fix this thing. don't duplicate my mistake.



take care and drive safe!

 

[sbartholomew]

Vickers,sorry to hear of your loss.

Dick, when youget the jig... one hour is all it takes. I did mine and a few others all in one shot. I am thrilled that I can invest the $1800 to $2800 in the trans rather than the gear case.



Good luck to you, STEVE

 

[Futures1]

Just poking a little fun;

Hey Sarge. . Thanks for you reponse, I was just poking a little fun at the dealers. . I went through the same thing with one of my VW TDI's, they had a major carbon problem in the intake manifolds which could only be corrected by removing the manifold and scraping all the carbon out of it. I went to several dealers trying to find a manifold gasket before I did the job, not only didn't any of them have the gasket, they had "no idea that there was a problem with the manifolds plugging up with carbon" !! In fact, several owners were charged plenty by the service shops for fixing everything other than the real problem )



Thank goodness for sites like this one and the tdiclub.com !!



BTW, I am a former MP and State certified weapons training officer. Was an officer for 10 years here in NH but couldn't take the politics of the job. Dick S.

 

[DBCooper]

Ron, listen to the man and do your pin before I have to come and tow you home! You know I won't let you live it down if that happens!

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Futures1: I'll warn you now about posting or asking any information on the tdiclub.com site that is not sanctioned by their collective body of 'knowledge'.



It's a good site with a lot of good info, but some of the guys are too set in their ways and are downright narrow minded when it comes to innovative thinking - or anything that is NOT in the owner's manual.



Matt

 

[Futures1]

I have noticed that;

Hey Matt. . you seem to understand ;o)



There is certainly a wealth of information available on this site !!



I sort of feel bad for the guys who are just testing the waters !! An expression: "having been involved with and treated by several doctors doesn't make one a doctor" !!



Have you had any carbon problems with your Beetle ?? They do go right along don't they ;o)

Dick S.

 

[gcorron]

S. vickers,

Just out of curiousity, how many miles did you have on your ride? I just did mine at 104k, but a friend of mine with a 98 12v, has 40k on his, and I'm trying to impress upon him the importance of having this done before :{ :{

 

[k.vickers]

my truck has 55k on it. as you can tell from my signature, it is not stock. however, it has been well taken care of, not abused or overused in any way. i keep going back to the thought that this is a manufacturer's defect for which they should be accountable.



i'm going to do some calling around and see if i can't get some help with it, but i'm really not counting on it. i am expecting a call from my mechanic at any time to tell me exactly how bad the damage is. sigh

 

[Dennis Garrett]

Fixed mine last fall, just one less thing to worry about. I'd imagine it would be selling point too, if you traded or sold your Ram. The new owner might or might not know about the KDP, but once it's explained to him, he will feel more comfortable buying a used one if it's been tabbed.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Dick:



I had a pretty nasty little clog going on inside my intake manifold - I imagine it was about 75% blocked.



Right then and there I took out a big huge screwdriver and a shop vac and went to town for about an hour. This isn't the recommended method, but it seemed to work well for me. At the same time I did that, I also blocked off my EGR/anti-shudder valve so that it wouldn't introduce any more exhaust soot into the intake.



The CCV dump tube has also been in place for a long time - so there isn't anything that will clog up my intake now.



For BOMBs I put in a Dieselgeek 'Race Pipe', gutted my cat, installed Bosio Power Plus "502" injectors, Auto Meter gauges and so forth... .



It runs quite well and still gets consistant 46+mpg. I have been regularly getting 48-49mpg, but in the winter time it drops a little bit.



Matt