Preparing for a pretty big trip.

[BERT E SHETLER]

Hey y'all.
I've got a 04.5 2500 4x4 with the 6 speed manual trans that I've had for a couple years now. I've been doing what I know in preparation for some fairly heavy towing. We have a 32 foot fifth wheel that we're going to pull from Southern AZ up to Alaska and back this summer.
The truck is mostly stock with about 175,000 miles on the clock. No noticeable blowby. I sent an oil sample to Blackstone for analysis, and the truck passed with flying colors. It has a pretty nice looking exhaust system, including an aftermarket 2 piece manifold that says ATS.

It seems that mostly everybody here agrees the stock gauges are inaccurate, to be polite.
My idea is to put on one of those 3 gauge pillar pod things, so which gauges are the most important?
I keep it under 2000 rpm almost religiously, never much over 70 mph.
I'm thinking:
1. Fuel pressure
2. Exhaust gas temp
3. Oil pressure

Any input is welcome.
Any other potential problems I should look for?

Cheers
Bert

 

[AH64ID]

If the tuning is stock you don’t need any gauges. Put the money into a valve adjustment and spare fuel filters for the trip. Or an exhaust brake if you don’t have one, that’s better than any added gauge on a stock truck.


The only factory gauge that’s fake is oil pressure.

If you do insist on gauges the EGT, boost, and fuel pressure would make the top 3. While the stock oil psi gauge is fake you don’t need one as these motors don’t have oil psi problems.

Don’t be afraid of rpms, as low rpms is harder than high rpms. If you hit a hill you need more power on then grab a lower gear, everything will thank you.

 

[bcbender]

^^^ X2 on what John just said, ^^^

On my 04 I would often run a lower gear, especially if pulling grades, I found there was no mileage penalty for running 2500~2600 vs running 2000~2100 and normally the EGTs were much lower and the engine would sing happily pulling 16K 44' 5er. My preference was to keep it in 5th (DIRECT) as much as posisible but on interstates I would have to run 6th due to the 4:10 gearing... Good luck in Alaska, I want to make the trip some day

 

[SnoKing]

I would spend my money on an exhaust brake, period case closed. The Cummins on it's own provides very little load back on a descent. You are going to do lots of ups and downs on that trip and you will be somewhere North of 20,000 pounds rolling down the mountain passes relying on only your service brakes and trailer brakes. I have towed fairly heavy on the West Coast of many years and an exhaust brake is the only way to go.

 

[Ozymandias]

Same recommendation for the rpms here - 2500+ keep the engine happy and all it's systems from cooling to exhaust.
Below 2000 is lugging it.

 

[AEdelheit]

I would suggest also looking at a gauge pod that puts the gauges over the rear view mirror, I found the pillar ones add to the already bad blind spot and were a bit annoying at night as the lighting can be distracting, just my preference.

 

[Diesel Gunner]

I would suggest also looking at a gauge pod that puts the gauges over the rear view mirror, I found the pillar ones add to the already bad blind spot and were a bit annoying at night as the lighting can be distracting, just my preference.

I just put red lights in the gauges on the 3-gauge pillar. I have never noticed an increase in the blind spot. But it has been in place for 20 years or so and I may just be accustomed to it.

As for gauges I have Fuel Pressure, EGT/Boost (pre and post), and a dual temp gauge that monitors trans temp and rear axle temp. But, if your truck is stock, install an exhaust brake. I made only one trip to the mountains without one and use it every time that I drive the truck weather I am towing or just running around empty. And I got 156K out of the first set of front brake pads.

 

[SnoKing]

And the win goes to exhaust brake!

 

[AH64ID]

I had the 3 gauge pod over the mirror and hated it. Also hated the dual pod on the steering column.

My favorite setup was the OEM single pod on the pillar, triple dash pod, the two more in universal mounts on the right side of the dash (one by the cluster and one by the knee bolster).

 

[bcbender]

And the win goes to exhaust brake!

I have to agree completely with Sno... If you don't have an EB. spend you money there... The PacBrake PRXB I put on my 04 "after my first towing trip" was probably the best money I EVER SPENT, and definitely gave me back enjoyment, confidence, safety and I still feel it was the best MOD i ever did... I did mine before tuners, gauges, air bags, clutch... the list goes on, notice the one thing absent?? Brakes...

Anywho... just sayin, if you don't have one... you don't know what you are missing...

 

[BERT E SHETLER]

Wow what a nice response. Thank you all for the good suggestions.
The truck is pretty stock. It has the exhaust I mentioned earlier, and the guy had put a tune on it with a thing called Hypertech. He said he tuned it for economy, but the tuner gadget is long gone. I'm super satisfied with it's reasonable power level, and the fact that it doesn't smoke much unless I really get into the throttle. Since this is my first Dodge, and the first diesel I've owned, I honestly can't say how "stock" the tune is.
I have, however retired from my lifetime profession, I drove big trucks for a living, so yep youall talked me into needing an exhaust brake. I'm looking at Pacbrake since I've already installed onboard air.

The gauges I'm now thinking about are the EGT and lift pump pressure on a pillar double pod. Probably go with Auto Meter.

To clarify-
I need a low pressure gauge for the lift pump(what range of pressure do I need?), and the EGT sender screws into the manifold BEFORE the turbo. Right?

Thanks again.
Bert

 

[Ozymandias]

The EGT probe screws into the PRXB Housing..

And like it was mentioned you don't need it on a stock truck and it doesn't help you any to have it.
I've thrown mine into the trash after 7 years plugging up an otherwise needed hole in the dashboard. Useless Gauge I call that.

For the fuel pressure I run a simple pressure LED that lits up bright at 3PSI - which is fine as the CP3 does not need pressure, it need flow - other then it's predecessor VP44 that called explicitly for pressure.

So you might just want to use your Truck like it is with the added Exhaust brake which is a really great add on.


What you really want to put on, and I'm wondering that it wasn't mentioned yet, is added fuel filtration as the OEM filter really sucks. This stock filter was the main reason why so many injectors failed on these 3rd Gen Trucks. It just has a 7 Micron rating and even Bosch demanded 3 Micron for its CRD System back then. The bean counters won that game.

 

[BERT E SHETLER]

Hmm.
So I must be misinformed.
I was under the impression that if fuel pressure falls, or injectors plug up, that it would create a lean condition, leading to elevated EGTs and eventually valve failure, even engine failure.
None of those things ever happened to the big trucks I drove, over several million miles, but I figured this might be something reserved for the smaller trucks.
Guess I'm thinking wrong.
I've probably unwittingly been reading about trucks that have been heavily modified, running on the ragged edge.

Pac Brake for sure.
I obviously need to keep reading up on the rest.

 

[AH64ID]

If an injector fails closed you likely won’t notice that on the pyro, but it would run rough.

If an injector fails open you should see white smoke and hear that first, a pyro won’t help you too much there either. This type of failure can lead to a melted piston pretty fast, but you should feel, hear, and see a difference.

A post-turbo pyro, such as using the port in the exhaust brake, is provably what you would have had on a big rig and would look similar for you but again it won’t tell you too much on a stock truck. They are good for cooldown temps thou.

Low pressure fuel, 0-15 psi, will tell you the health of the lift pump but the in tank pump is very reliable. When they fail it’s quick and won’t cause any engine damage. A gauge can’t hurt, but it’s also not much benefit for the most part. I had one on my 05, but don’t have one or feel the need for one on my current truck. No different than not running a fuel psi gauge on any vehicle. Lift pumps/fuel pumps either work or they don’t.

These little trucks aren’t that much different than the big trucks. Differences in rpm bands and other small things, but basic operation is the same.

 

[Ozymandias]

I have mine for ten years now, and spent quite an amount of money for stuff that I was told is needed. And it wasn't.
Like said these trucks work pretty decent right from factory.

As yours is a manual, the Trans needs no upgrades.

Fuel filtration IS a needed upgrade!

And if your lift pump is retrofitted to the tank (factory was behind the fuel filter) you are good to go. If it is still in the factory location- carry a spare, they are cheap and do not last long, so you want to have it on hand.

Aside from that? Not a lot to do, you might want to check all your oils and replace them if you are unsure about the age of them.

Air filter is also a part that is often overlooked, it is pretty small compared to the engine displacement and therefor clogs up quite fast.

 

[bcbender]

Air filter is also a part that is often overlooked, it is pretty small compared to the engine displacement and therefor clogs up quite fast.

I've had good luck with the extra deep (4") Mopar filter that Geno's sells, but I dont drive dusty roads alot either.

 

[AH64ID]

As Ozy mentioned you need to determine what fuel
pump you have, and what filtration is on the truck.

Baldwin PF7977 is the best filter for the OEM canister.

I've had good luck with the extra deep (4") Mopar filter that Geno's sells, but I dont drive dusty roads alot either.

I’m always surprised when I see people still running the 2” filter. The 4” filter superseded the 2” one nearly 14 years ago.

I ran the 4” on my 05 with 415/850 to the ground and lots of dirt road miles. I would get 30K miles out of them without any change to restriction. Great filters.

 

[Cumminsboy77]

2X to an auxiliary fuel filter!
Good info guys

 

[Mark31]

Bert,I pulled a 37-3800 lb. Woodmizer sawmill to up near Wasilla in 2007. That plus another 1000 lbs in the truck was enough to heat up brakes. Moose and buffalo on/beside the road, caribou that just don't give a rip, frost heaves demand that one be able to slow/stop quickly. You will be at least 6k heavier than I was. I wouldn't leave home without a Pacbrake. Oh yeah, and a Chopper John approved auxiliary Fleetguard fuel filter!

 

[BERT E SHETLER]

Again! lots of great info.
I'm already running the Baldwin PF7977. I buy them in quantity and always keep a spare in the truck.
I swap in a new one every oil change, at 5000 miles. Blackstone said I could run the oil longer, but I won't.
Also use the 4" air filter. When I saw the choice, it was a no-brainer. More filter= more filtration.
Now as far as the lift pump goes, there isn't anything behind the filter housing that I can see but 2 fuel lines going back to the tank. So, I guess my lift pump is inside the tank.
Previous experience with my old 89 F350 gasser says that pump is a *****-kitty to access, especially if the tank is full........?

When I buy fuel, I normally pump it into my 75 gal. transfer tank, then put it into the truck as needed. The transfer pump has a Goldenrod 596-5 filter that supposedly goes down to 10 micron and absorbs water, so that with the Baldwin PF7977 being at 5 micron, I hope that'll be good enough.

I am a maintenance guy.
All Fluids are fresh. All premium synthetic.
And a BIG thing to me is that none of the old oils looked particularly dirty or in need of a change. Fingers crossed, I'm hoping the previous owners were fairly kind to the beast.
New water pump, idlers, and belt. Flushed it forever with about 30 gallons of distilled water, then filled it with the right mixture of whatever the right zerex antifreeze is.... HOAT? I forget. It's all written down. haha
I swapped out my front unit bearings for a set of Warn free-spin hubs, partly so I have access to low range 2wd for super slow backing up on dry pavement.
Also partly so I can service my front wheel bearings periodically.

The front end feels great. It may have had work done in it's previous life, because it tracks really well. I hesitate to do anything to the front end before I start having some issues. It DID come to me with great big tires. They were slightly taller than stock, but REALLY wide. First thing I did was find a set of stock rims, and threw on a set of 285 70R17 BFG tires. love them. They're still taller than stock, but they fit under the fenders.

Lets see... What else....
Oh yes. Bilstein shocks. They ride pretty good compared to the worn out oem shocks it had.
Also, the front seats were pretty clapped out so I put in a set of National seats with air ride and all the bells and whistles. Man they made a huge difference.

I guess I never have seen all the stuff I've done to it in one place before!
Whew!
lol