Former KDP disbeliever!

[1lawnman]

STRICKER-9 AND SMOKER



WHEN YOU DO THE KDP FIX MAKE SURE YOU CHECK ALL THE BOLTS ON THE IN SIDE OF THE TIMMING COVER

I HAVE FOUND BOLTS I COULD TAKE OUT WITH FINGERS

ITS A EASY FIX LOCK TIGHT THEM ALL

ALMOST FORGOT TWO BOLTS WERE LOSE BEHIND CAM GEAR

I TOOK THREE MOTORS APART AND FOUND LOSE BOLTS IN THEM ALL



IN CASE YOUR WONDERING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE FALL OUT... ... . YOU CAN START AT ABOUT 3000 DOLLARS

 

[radixr]

Hint!

For anyone about to use CPFF's jig to fix your dowel pin, DON'T plug up your crankcase breather tube. Leave it open to prevent overpressure in the crankcase!

 

[Howard Durand]

No matter what method of repairing the crack is used it will need to be cleaned.

I would think that if you want to clean it while on the engine, a liberal application of lacquer thinner would work. It is a good degreaser.

Just brush liberal amounts of it into the crack several times and let it work it's way through. Then apply any of the several materials that have been suggested.

As far as oil contamination is concerned, the lacquer thinner will mix with the oil and can be flushed out with an oil change.

After draining out the old oil, pour some of it back through to flush the gear case.

 

[DSiemens]

I J-B welded my about 30000 miles ago and it's holding up fine. To get the area clean, I suggets that you take you time with rags. It's a job to do. You will need to remove the timing gear case cover, so be prepared for fun with the front crank seal. The repair will take you about 6hours if you are dedicated, but not overly dedicated.

 

[Dan Markeson]

The right fix?

I've had three engines on the floor in the last couple of months, mine and two '96's. In addition to the reason the engines were on the floor in the first place, we pulled the cover and performed our own little KDP fix. My '97 has about 130K, the first '96 had 130K, and this weekends '96 had 140k. Both mine and the second '96's pins were out about 1/8". I've been "Bombed" for just 30k, the other loose pin for 80k, and the one that hadn't moved was stock. I don't know why you want to put a Band-Aid on an $8,000 engine or what ever it is. The cam gear does come off, right? Everything else does. Am I wrong? Does the shaft come with the gear? I had Dodge in Billings repair an oil leak between the case and the block and they had to pull the gears to do it, or so I thought, it was still under warrantee at the time. If I had my book handy I guess I could answer my own stupid question. I'll do that tonight.



Anyway, with an air tool, your bumper is on the ground in about 90 seconds. If you milk it you can have the AC, inter-cooler, and radiator out of the way in less than an hour. The pulley's zip right off. I'd bet if you found TDC and pushed the pin in, pulled the plug on the pump and turned the little do-dad around and re-installed it you'd keep the timing position of the pump. Then pull the gears and replace the casing.



I'm not familiar with the '94 pump, and I haven't timed my engine myself yet, but will do so in the next week or so. Maintaining the pump timing may be the only challenge, but there's a number of people who look at this site who can guide you through that.



I'd use this as an excuse to yank the engine, pull the pan, replace rod bearings ($56) and inspect the mains (replace for about $66), pull the head and get the valves ground, deck the head if needed. A good $60/hr machinist can do the head work for about $300. Time to port and polish? another $2-300. Total parts cost? Under $400 (if you buy all new head bolts) not including your case. Check into some local truck shops, private ones, like a small dump truck operation, a ten truck long hauler operation. Find a mechanic who's intrigued with your "Bombed" Dodge and does his own overhauls. Get references. Offer him $400 cash for a weekend's work, case or two of beer, and dinner for him and the Mrs. Buy, beg, borrow, or steel a service manual. Then help him. You'll both get an education. You'll come away knowing more than most people. The engine weighs around 1,000 lbs so you need a good lift. If he doesn't have one you're in the wrong shop. For under $1,500 you've got a new engine for all practical purposes. Given you almost spent $3 to 4k and avoided that bullet, you're WAY ahead.

 

[Sled Puller]

Dan,

Your killin me!!! My back and skinned knuckles are hurting just reading that!

Stop eating all those Wheaties!!





Fix the pin whatever way you want, but why on earth would you change bearings on a 500,000 mile engine at 130,000??

No faith in your oil, or Cummins?



It is good reading though!









Gene

 

[Sled Puller]

How is that Sach's holding up?

 

[CRWilliams]

Just a quick question. Is this problem unique to the '94 ups or is this something I need to watch on my '93. Thanks

 

[Dan Markeson]

Mr. MGM

Gene,



When I put the Sacks in, I had the flywheel turned at NAPA. Oooops! Should only have that done at a real machine shop. This isn't Dad's Chevy. Anyway it was beating me pretty badly and I was going to pull the transmission again to get it done right. Then I spun the Sacks at a BD Dyno-Day (on the street) so Donnelly told me to take a couple pucks out. Two days before we were going to pull it I blew the head gasket, badly. My truck shop mechanic friend Chris Chambers in Kingston, WA said he'd rather pull an engine than a transmission any day and wouldn't consider doing the head in place. Besides, with the engine out you can look at everything. And so you know, we've had my transmission out three times (replaced stock clutch, replaced a shredded third gear, fixed a little oops from the third gear job) so we know all about that too.



I'm real glad I listened to him because I didn't have a 500,000-mile engine. Mine was bone stock for 100,000 miles. I changed the oil and filter every 5k using Chevron Delo 400 15W40 and filters from Cummins. When my head gasket blew I had in the neighbor hood of 450 HP (best guess of people smarter than I based on seat of the pants feel and dyno runs that didn't work). My head bolts were pitted badly. A senior Cummins shop foreman said my head had likely never been torqued right. My rod bearings were into the copper in the impact zone. Having never seen another, I wondered how anyone would last 350k without a change and recommended to my friends that if they had opportunity to pull the engine it would be cheap insurance. The rod bearings in the next two engines didn't look nearly as bad. One had been "Bombed for 80k and the other stock. Now I'm wondering if maybe my rod bolts weren't torqued right either. They were both assembled in the U. S. and mine was from Mexico. Coincidence? We'll find out. The next one is a '96 from Mexico.



The Sacks? It doesn't slip. You have to learn to drive it. It was unmanageable for the week I didn't have first gear (I have 3. 54's and 35" rubber). Using first gear is not a problem and leaving a stop light is every bit as easy as it is in a stock rig. Just don't use second. I grossed about 18,000 pounds for a few days a week or so ago hauling hay out of fields and backing into barns and it did just fine. And…at 18,000 pounds I left a 350-powered Suburban with three passengers and no trailer in the dust from a stop light without even breathing hard. No clutch slip. He said he lost about 200 car lengths in about 3/8 of a mile. I don't know whether he did or didn't, but my passenger and every one in his rig were picking their jaws up for the rest of the afternoon. I can break my 35x12. 50's loose on dry pavement in a shift from second to third and do it again from third to fourth if I do it right. No slip. I like my clutch. I love my truck.

 

[Sled Puller]

Great reading!



Let me get this straight,



So you have only 4 pucks left per side now? Instead of 6?



You don't mind the driveability loss from 6?



Are you planning on sled pulling?





I am at a crossroads right now, the 6 puck DRE will not hold at the pulling track, and I am considering taking a few off. I am afraid it will be a nightmare to drive and still not hold.



BTW, my truck is mexican, yer scarin me.



I did have a rod bearing changed due to human error at about 90,000 miles, BOMBed to 300hp for about 50 of those.

It looked great, but we changed it any way.



Amsoil 5W-30 since 30,000, changed every 30,000 or once a year, filter at 7500. I'm changing at 6 months now that I have the gov. kit and more fuel.



The Delo is not to blame for those bearings, definately another problem. Even if the truck is built in Mexico, are not the engines assembled in US??

Thanks,

Gene

 

[Dan Markeson]

Yes, I'm running four pucks on each side. Donnelly told me if I ever planned on coming off the porch I should pull three per side. Said his is holding 625 HP and 1,400 ftlbs torque. As far as driveability goes, I can't give a qualified statement about the before and after (6 to 4). I had such a bad flywheel before I pulled the two pucks that my driveability was much improved with the new grind in spite of the four pucks. My little woman pretty much quit driving it as soon as the Sacks went in the first time. I don't know what she hates worse, the clutch or the throttle. I'm working on that one (the throttle). First gear starts are easy, but when you breath on the throttle wrong it puts you in the back seat in first and second. It's a bit of a handful. Wet roads are ridiculous.



When I started this, pulling a sled was exactly what I wanted to do. But I'm guessing that would get a little expensive. If I can run the next six months without breaking anything I'll start thinking about it again. It will give me time to get another transmission together. Probably need a spare T-case too. Not to mention ARB's and torque bars. Maybe I'll start thinking about it in a year.



I don't know where the engine was assembled. The rest of my truck had an issue or two as well, like a backwards load sensing arm for the rear brakes. The only route they'd left themselves for the brake line was over the arm and down to the axle. At about 66,000 miles going down hill at 65 MPH to a busy intersection in the Black Hills, the line broke. I used up a couple of lives but didn't bend metal or people. In spite of pictures and documentation from the Rapid City Dodge dealer, Chrysler's official position was "It didn't happen".