Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Hello all, new to the site and wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions.
I build and wheel Jeeps, so a couple of months ago I bought a ’98 ½ 3500 4x4 to tow my trailer/Jeeps. Then I started lurking around here for info. Should have done the research ahead of time, but it seems I need to learn that lesson a few more times.
The truck I bought has 230,000 miles on it and cranks with one revolution. 
It has the dreaded “53” block
and an auto transmission. I don’t know if the KDP has been fixed or not. 
If it develops a block leak, I will just stitch it up. Since buying the truck I have replaced one unit bearing, and all the steering links, and the lower control arm bushings. It also had the transmission gear hunt problem between 40 and 50 mph, but I fixed it, by bypassing the ECM with the APPS and taking it to the PCM. (Info I found here I believe, and it has worked nicely)
Here is a picture of my rig.
#ad
And on to my questions;
1. When I got the truck, at around 70 mph it had a bad (tire speed) vibration. I have replaced all the tires (two of them had flat spots) with what it had on it, Yokahama 235/85 16. The vibration is less, but still there, I can’t go over 68 mph. should I trade the tires in for lighter ones, like the OEM size? Or should I be looking elsewhere? I read a thread that someone had a similar problem that was fixed by replacing the rear bearings. Dose that sound right? I changed the fluid and inspected the inside of the housing, looked good. Should I change the shocks? It seems firm, but it is a one ton, so the springs don’t give, so it’s hard to tell.
2. When I replaced the unit bearing, all the ones I looked at buying had an ABS sensor and wires coming out. But the one I was replacing did not. It is an ‘89 ½ 24v 4x4, so where is the ABS sensor if not in the hub bearing? Only rear? In the dif housing?
3. just recently, and only occasionally, the speedometer needle will move around a little bit at highway speeds (up and down, within 4 or 5 mph), and then my ABS light, and my brake light will come on until the next time I cycle the key (kill the engine and restart it).
I know this is a lot, and I appreciate any help/advice I can get.
Thanks,
Ben
I build and wheel Jeeps, so a couple of months ago I bought a ’98 ½ 3500 4x4 to tow my trailer/Jeeps. Then I started lurking around here for info. Should have done the research ahead of time, but it seems I need to learn that lesson a few more times.
The truck I bought has 230,000 miles on it and cranks with one revolution. It has the dreaded “53” block and an auto transmission. I don’t know if the KDP has been fixed or not. If it develops a block leak, I will just stitch it up. Since buying the truck I have replaced one unit bearing, and all the steering links, and the lower control arm bushings. It also had the transmission gear hunt problem between 40 and 50 mph, but I fixed it, by bypassing the ECM with the APPS and taking it to the PCM. (Info I found here I believe, and it has worked nicely)Here is a picture of my rig.
#adAnd on to my questions;
1. When I got the truck, at around 70 mph it had a bad (tire speed) vibration. I have replaced all the tires (two of them had flat spots) with what it had on it, Yokahama 235/85 16. The vibration is less, but still there, I can’t go over 68 mph.
should I trade the tires in for lighter ones, like the OEM size? Or should I be looking elsewhere? I read a thread that someone had a similar problem that was fixed by replacing the rear bearings. Dose that sound right? I changed the fluid and inspected the inside of the housing, looked good. Should I change the shocks? It seems firm, but it is a one ton, so the springs don’t give, so it’s hard to tell. 2. When I replaced the unit bearing, all the ones I looked at buying had an ABS sensor and wires coming out. But the one I was replacing did not. It is an ‘89 ½ 24v 4x4, so where is the ABS sensor if not in the hub bearing? Only rear? In the dif housing?
3. just recently, and only occasionally, the speedometer needle will move around a little bit at highway speeds (up and down, within 4 or 5 mph), and then my ABS light, and my brake light will come on until the next time I cycle the key (kill the engine and restart it).
I know this is a lot, and I appreciate any help/advice I can get.
Thanks,
Ben
