Remanufactured Engines

[CVR222NV]

Or...you could just get out the Saws-all and be done in a few minutes.

That's exactly what the shop did that removed my motor after I specifically told them not to cut it. When I searched the Online Mopar dealers for a new cross member they all showed it as discontinued. Fortunately I found a Mopar OEM cross member on Rockauto. I plan to follow @jghfly's recommendation above in reverse to put the new cross member back in as opposed to welding the old cross member back together. I know it does not support a lot of weight but I don't want to worry about broken welds from regular use on rough roads.

 

[Dysfunctional Vet]

That's exactly what the shop did that removed my motor after I specifically told them not to cut it. When I searched the Online Mopar dealers for a new cross member they all showed it as discontinued. Fortunately I found a Mopar OEM cross member on Rockauto. I plan to follow @jghfly's recommendation above in reverse to put the new cross member back in as opposed to welding the old cross member back together. I know it does not support a lot of weight but I don't want to worry about broken welds from regular use on rough roads.

I took Ozymandias' advice and spread the front fenders. But instead of a hydraulic jack I used two 2" X 6" boards about 5' long each (didn't have a port-a-power).
I took the four bolts out of the cross bar, then the bolt on the front underside of the front of each fender (the one w/ the large round rubber bushing). I think its an 18mm head bolt. Then I took the boards and used the frame as a fulcrum. My son pried one fender while I pried the other and slid the cross member out. Worked like a charm and didn't ruin and parts.

 

[giarc1234]

Just had an engine built be a shop in Tacoma Wa. Their name is Outside Machine. He builds all kinds of heavy duty semi truck engines. He works on the small cummins, 5.9 and 6.7 engines. Mine got main and head studs, new head that was ported, he resized the rods after they were shot peened, bored and torque plate honed the block, fire ringed the head, installed a colt stage 3 cam, balanced the rotating assembly. He also can ceramic coat the pistons. There are a few other things that was done to the engine also. The engine been in the truck over a year now and I have pulled my fifth wheel and nothing to complain about.

I might have to give them a call. I just fell into a 2004 M/T that the clutch exploded on. Not sure of the motor state, cause I cant start it till I get some parts replaced.

 

[Darkbloodmon]

I might have to give them a call. I just fell into a 2004 M/T that the clutch exploded on. Not sure of the motor state, cause I cant start it till I get some parts replaced.

I've read your other thread on it. I'd be wary of putting fire to the engine after getting a new flywheel. I'd turn it over using the barring hole access on the adapter plate by hand a few times to feel for anything out of round or binding. It goes without saying to proceed with caution given the only information you have about the truck is what you can see before taking it apart. I'm interested to find out what happened and why, keep the updates coming.

 

[giarc1234]

I am going to take it easy for sure and rotate the motor, this is incase I need to have the motor rebuilt, from talking to other neighbors that were there when it happened, he was spraying starting fluid and it revved up until it exploded. hoping nothing in the motor is messed up, but planning if I have to. always good to have a shop in mind and do research prior.

I've read your other thread on it. I'd be wary of putting fire to the engine after getting a new flywheel. I'd turn it over using the barring hole access on the adapter plate by hand a few times to feel for anything out of round or binding. It goes without saying to proceed with caution given the only information you have about the truck is what you can see before taking it apart. I'm interested to find out what happened and why, keep the updates coming.

 

[CVR222NV]

I spread the front fenders. Remove the bolts at each end of the cross member. Open both doors and loosen the bolts at the rear of the fender. Leave the doors open. Remove the bolts from the from both front fender supports. Move the cross member as far as possible into the left (from the front of the truck) cross member socket. pry the fenders apart while sliding the cross member out of the right side (from the front of the truck) until the cross member clears the end of the right front socket and pull the cross member towards you. You can then slide the cross member from the left socket. Slide the front of both fenders into the original position and snug the bolts on the front and back of both fenders. You can then close the doors without damaging the door or fender lips.

Got the motor back in the truck and am now ready to spread the fenders to install the new cross member. In you instructions you state to "loosen the bolts at the rear of the fender." What bolts are you referring to? Any photos would be great. TIA

 

[jghflys]

What bolts are you referring to? Any photos would be great.

I will get a picture for you first thing in the morning. The bolts I mentioned are visible when the doors are open and are at the rear of the fender.

 

[CVR222NV]

I will get a picture for you first thing in the morning. The bolts I mentioned are visible when the doors are open and are at the rear of the fender.

Let me know if these are the bolts you are referring to? These bolts appear to be holding the bracket for the hood and are accessible from the wheel well. It seems I would need to remove the hood to losen these bolts. Photo 1:

There is a bolt at the bottom of the actual fender below the hinge you can access when the door is open (as you indicated in your post). All the remaining bolts are associated with the hinges. Photo 2:

Each fender actually bolts to a structural frame for the engine compartment (with the exception of the bolt in Photo 2 above) which consists of upper and lower frame rails. As the parts schematic below shows there are two bolts for the upper frame rail which appear to be in the location of the bolts in photo 1 above. The lower frame rail disappears into a sleeve that is part of the cab at the edge of the firewall. Photo 3:

The lower frame rail bolts to the frame where the cross member is inserted. Photo 4:

Since the fender will move with the engine compartment frame rail structure are you just concerned the bolt at the bottom of the fender will bind during the spreading process but there is no need to losen the other bolts for the upper engine compartment structure at the cab?

 

[jghflys]

Since the fender will move with the engine compartment frame rail structure are you just concerned the bolt at the bottom of the fender will bind during the spreading process but there is no need to loosen the other bolts for the upper engine compartment structure at the cab?

You are correct. The fender bolts near the door are loosened/removed, the doors are left open so the fenders will not rub on the doors, and the body mount bolts in your picture are removed so the supports will spread. Use a combination of slightly spreading the supports and use a hammer or prybar to move the cross member into one side support until it stops. Once you get one end free, drive or pry the cross member out of the support. You only need about three inches of spread in the supports if you drive the cross member into one of the supports. The fender attach points near the door hardly move at all but need to be loose and the doors open slightly to prevent damage at the door/fender line.

 

[CVR222NV]

You are correct. The fender bolts near the door are loosened/removed, the doors are left open so the fenders will not rub on the doors, and the body mount bolts in your picture are removed so the supports will spread. Use a combination of slightly spreading the supports and use a hammer or prybar to move the cross member into one side support until it stops. Once you get one end free, drive or pry the cross member out of the support. You only need about three inches of spread in the supports if you drive the cross member into one of the supports. The fender attach points near the door hardly move at all but need to be loose and the doors open slightly to prevent damage at the door/fender line.

Got it! Thank you so much! Seems very simple. The shop that pulled my motor cut my original crossmember with a sawsall to get the motor out so I will be installing a new crossmember. I will probably just remove the lower fender bolts (Photo 2) and the big bolts at the frame (Photo 4) and then spread the fenders about 3" and then drive the crossmember into one side until it stops and then push it in line with the other side and increasing the spread as necessary to get it in to the structural support on the other side. I will then readjust the crossmember and get it all bolted back up. I'll take photos of the process and post them here so others can see how easy this really is to do. I'll even take some video and maybe do a You Tube video. Everything else I've seen on You Tube involves cutting and rewelding. So unnecessary!

 

[MGreer]

When I did mine I used a 48" farm jack to spread the supports. The jack lays on top of the upper supports but had to use wire to hold jack in place on foot of jack. When reinstalling I used a ratchet strap and pulled one side in at a time. I didn't loosen the fender bolts as it didn't seem necessary, no issues.

 

[CVR222NV]

I installed the radiator crossmember this morning without a problem. Super easy! I started by removing the two bolts at the lower fender on the driver's side and found out the L bracket is snapped into the door and fender and could not be removed without prying but it was loose. No need to remove the bolts so I just loosened the bolts on the passenger side.

As suggested I used my Hi-Lift jack to spread the fenders. I started by removing the large bolt and washer from each side that attaches the structural support to the frame. Since I already had my headlights removed I slid the end of the jack through the opening between the light pod and the structural frame on the driver's side. Note that you need a 2x4 or 4x4 for the jack to push against the structural frame. I did not have any lumber but used the hacked up original crossmember which worked fine.

I placed the base of the jack against the structural support on the passenger side. It was a little unstable at first but firmed up when I started spreading the fenders.

I think I went three clicks on the jack which may have been one too many. I inserted the new cross member into the driver's side structural bracket and drove it in until it stopped.

I then lined up the other end of the crossmember with the bracket on the passenger side. As you can see I actually had around 5" of spread.

I started to let the jack back down while guiding the cross member into the bracket until I could remove the jack. I attached a tie down strap to the structural frame members and ratcheted the structural frame back together until I had the bolt holes in the crossmember lined up. I then reinstalled the large bolts to the frame but did not tighten them.

There are two brackets that attach to the structural frame using the bolt holes in the crossmember. Note they are slightly different in that one has a round hole (passenger side) for the radiator support with the other having a more oval hole (driver's side). I reinstalled all the crossmember bolts finger tight. I then tightened all the cross member bolts in a rotational pattern. I finally tightened the large bolts at the frame. Done! The process to remove the crossmember would be the reverse.

 

[sag2]

FYI the factory procedure used to be cut at a diagonal. You used the old one for the weld backing insert. I doubt any dealer still has this body procedure CD lying around.

 

[CVR222NV]

FYI the factory procedure used to be cut at a diagonal. You used the old one for the weld backing insert. I doubt any dealer still has this body procedure CD lying around.

Thanks Sag2! I had heard that the service manual called for cutting the crossmember. The shop that cut mine was going to weld it back together but the more I thought about it the more I did not like that option. I was concerned with the weight of the radiator, intercooler, condenser, and power steering cooler would eventually weaken the welds unless it was fully sleeved. I run around on some pretty rough roads on a regular basis and figured it would just be a matter of time before it failed. When I heard of the procedure to spread the fenders I choose to purchase a new one and just eliminate the possible failure point. After using the procedure to spread the fenders and seeing how easy it was I'm at a loss to understand why Dodge would recommend cutting the crossmember.

 

[Shelby Griggs]

How is the DFC reman doing? Kind of starting to look for options for my 2001 24V. Oil consumption is going up and it is getting noisy or at least that is my perception (how does one even hear a knock on those noisy 2nd gen 24V?). Probably time to pull and go through it BEFORE something catastrophic happens, 332K with one head gasket and the rest is stock. Turbo, VP44, injectors are probably all on borrowed time too.

DFC has good advertising at least and a lot of cool machine shop equipment, a couple of guys on their FB page apparently had failures that according to them DFC hasn't made good on, but who knows what real story is. I also don't know what brand or engine size failed. From what I have seen their machine work looks top notch so thinking of sending in my long block, have them go through it and then bolt on as much new external stuff as I can afford. I just need a reliable work truck, never gross much more than 13K so don't need a monster and from where I sit a recon engine is the least painful way to get more miles out of what is still a pretty solid vehicle.

 

[CVR222NV]

Happy so far. Motor runs very smooth and very responsive. I started towing my trailer for the first time so learning the ropes there but it pulls great and I'm around the weight you are towing. DFC's service was great and that was during COVID when I couldn't get anyone local to even give me an estimate. My motor was basically their tow/haul motor with some upgrades such as pistons and Gen 2 rods so they could balance the rotating assembly. I'm not familiar with DFC's Gen 2 tow/haul motor but if it does not include balancing I would recommend paying extra to get it balanced.

 

[Shelby Griggs]

Thanks for feedback! What was turnaround time from shipping out to receiving the engine back? You had indicated about 10 days in the shop, did that hold true?

 

[CVR222NV]

The following was my timeline but the total timeline probably won't be of much use to you because it was due to logistics in locating the pistons here in the U.S. and then shipping them to DFC where DFC had to perform their ceramic coating before installing as well as motor balancing:

March 5, 2021 - motor loaded on truck in Las Vegas
March 15, 2021 - motor delivered to DFC
June 4th - motor shipped from DFC to Las Vegas
June 14th - motor received in Las Vegas

Because I wanted to use Marine Pistons with the 2003-2004 bowl design DFC required that I purchase them and ship them to DFC. I could not get the pistons through the Cummins dealer in Edmonton so had to work through my local Las Vegas Cummins dealer who had to get the pistons from two other Cummins dealers in the U.S. Once I received the pistons from Cummins I shipped them to DFC. Once DFC got the pistons they had to put them through their ceramic coating process before balancing and install. The other delay was the balancing process of the Gen 2 rods and the rest of the rotating assembly. As you can see the delays were due to my custom build requests. I can say that I was in regular contact with DFC the entire time and did not feel that there were any substantial delays on their part.

I further note that if you just purchased a remanufactured motor from DFC off the shelf you would have only the time of the sale processing and shipping one way before you had a motor. However, because you want your motor remanufactured you will be responsible for shipping your motor to them like I did so my time line as to shipping is still relevant and since you live in Oregon the shipping would likely be shorter. If I were you I would get on the phone with a DFC representative (mine was Kyle Bailey) and discuss your build and the logistics. DFC is great to work with.

 

[Shelby Griggs]

The following was my timeline but the total timeline probably won't be of much use to you because it was due to logistics in locating the pistons here in the U.S. and then shipping them to DFC where DFC had to perform their ceramic coating before installing as well as motor balancing:

March 5, 2021 - motor loaded on truck in Las Vegas
March 15, 2021 - motor delivered to DFC
June 4th - motor shipped from DFC to Las Vegas
June 14th - motor received in Las Vegas

Because I wanted to use Marine Pistons with the 2003-2004 bowl design DFC required that I purchase them and ship them to DFC. I could not get the pistons through the Cummins dealer in Edmonton so had to work through my local Las Vegas Cummins dealer who had to get the pistons from two other Cummins dealers in the U.S. Once I received the pistons from Cummins I shipped them to DFC. Once DFC got the pistons they had to put them through their ceramic coating process before balancing and install. The other delay was the balancing process of the Gen 2 rods and the rest of the rotating assembly. As you can see the delays were due to my custom build requests. I can say that I was in regular contact with DFC the entire time and did not feel that there were any substantial delays on their part.

I further note that if you just purchased a remanufactured motor from DFC off the shelf you would have only the time of the sale processing and shipping one way before you had a motor. However, because you want your motor remanufactured you will be responsible for shipping your motor to them like I did so my time line as to shipping is still relevant and since you live in Oregon the shipping would likely be shorter. If I were you I would get on the phone with a DFC representative (mine was Kyle Bailey) and discuss your build and the logistics. DFC is great to work with.

Thanks very much for the detailed timeline. It looks like 10 days each way shipping, probably another 10 days in the shop there, so best case it seems maybe six weeks with local shop time. I have no space nor the tools to pull a motor, so a local shop would be involved. It is a shop that has installed DFC engines before (at least in a Ford) so they are probably familiar with the process. I think I will contact local shop and get a diagnosis and recommendation as next step. I have another shop option too about an hour away, and maybe a local shop could freshen up my engine too as another alternative, although I prefer to have a shop such as DFC do the actual machine shop work since it appears they have all the correct equipment.

Now thinking this is going to be closer to $15K even though only about 1/2 that would be the DFC build. R&R labor, new turbo, new injectors, new VP44 as other major costs. I usually go all in on a project so all the small parts can add up too like water pump, oil cooler, engine mounts, hoses, etc. Maybe a new clutch while it is exposed too.

Do it once, cry once!

 

[610Drew]

I'll share my experience with DFC Diesel. I purchased my long block and had it professionally installed. After just 15K miles, it developed a knock in the lower part of the engine. Unfortunately, I was on a trip towing my 5th wheel and 300 miles from home. I needed a new engine now. The only offer short of “send us the engine and we’ll get back to you” which would surely take months, was that I could buy a new engine from DFC, send them the old, and then they'd determine if it’s a warranty failure or not. Considering the numerous negative Google reviews from others in a similar situation as I, I was not confident they would find in my favor, and I’d effectively be stuck with two undependable engines and be out nearly $20K after buying two engines and paying labor charges. Thus, I decided to buy an engine from Jasper who is in the USA where I will have some legal recourse if I have further issues. I’m not even willing to risk losing another $2500 by paying Jasper's core charge and sending DFC the bad engine because at most, they'd simply send me a replacement for which I’d have no use. So, congratulations DFC Diesel. You win!