The TDR Evolution AKA the BOMBING BUG Tribute

[DieselMinded]

Please allow me to enlighten my self with a SEMI-Rant life lesson.



Im in the BOMBING BLEW'S



And While stareing @ my broke down 35,000 + $$ truck Im wondering



Did I Do That



I do know I voided my warentee @ 20,000 and now with 42,000 its going to set me back about $850 before it will even run ... and it could of been $0 Im not complaining I knew what I was doing when I did it.



With my upgrades have I decreased the Longevity of my truck?



That is the reason I bought a CTD so it would last.



I know my TC would be the next week link so I droped $2000 on it and its in the garage ... . too bad my ECM died .



I figger



$850 for the ECm

$2000 for the TC/Vb

$400 to have the TC/Vb put in ,,, including filter and fluid



Now lets say all that goes good



How long before my Input shaft breaks or something else ???



Why do I even have to worry about it ... I could be stock and know its going to last ,,,but NOOOOOO I have to have MORE,,MORE,,MORE to the sacrifice of what ... ... ... EASE OF MIND... ..... truck longevity... ... . Wallet..... ????



There is no end to this bombing Nightmare/Dream for with every Bomb has its days and will it grow old to its owner over time.



So whats YOUR GOAL ???



My Personal goal is to bomb to the Plateau then Stop then to become one of these Ol' timers who always seem to be leaving because of us newer generation of CTD owners . . its sad that you guys leave we need you to help us along the path to the Plateau and to keep us from falling over the edge.



What is this Plateau ??



IMO 450 HP



Im sure everyone has there own opinion thats Cool but I personally think that 450 HP is the point between Longevity and Destruction



I have a 2002 CTD



I Tow hardly anything at all



Sometimes I haul a water tank



I drive 25 miles to work and 25 miles home thats my trucks job. .



In all reallity If I could turn off 3 clynders and run on it for 300,000 miles than swich to the other 3 I would be cool... I dont need 450 Hp its just ... ... ... ... . Fun ... . I guess that sums it up.



I see the TDR ol' timers leaving every day and being replaced by 2 newbies and I see alot of newbies helping newbies on the 3rd gen forums because its all new to everyone ... . Thats why I try to stay off the 3 gen forums they can be a bit touchy what with people helping people who know the same about there truck as the other guy... If i can help the 3 gen guys in anyway 99% of the time I PM the user to keep from being bashed . . the 3 gen'er need an ol' timer ... we all do.



My path so far on the limited bombing I have done has been very bumby TDR'er have saved me alot and there doing it right this second.



Grafic Man gave me a $90 SK for free and mailed it from canada ... . I chose to go with a preformance VB so my friend HOLYSMOKES came and picked it up at my house with the quickness Smokes also was my relay between WORK and TDR when I was in CTD Trouble. Bob Wagner is sending me a loaner ECM ... thank GOD for Bob. Rock-N-Rammer has been my Guide sience I have joined I have contacted him on just about everything I have done to my truck and he is one heck of a guy ... . lucky for me ... not for him... but his ECm died at the same time mine did so we call and cry into each others ear :-laf J Rose towed me with a chain for about 5 miles to the CTD shop , Timbeaux38 gave me tons of valuable info about my trany and some other things ,, LightmanE300 has been schooling me about Fuel Additives ever sence my DTR days ... and tons of help from alot of members



THANKS



Im sure you guys have seen my BOMBER page on my site HERE the whole purpose for that page is if you are in trouble anyway you can bet those guys will do what ever they can to help you out.



Group Hug :-laf



As mentioned 450 Hp is about the Safe/Danger Goal



Now you have to decide how to get there ... ... ... Out of all the possible ways (TONS) you can bet a TDR member will help you along your way and be there to bail you out when things get ugly.



I know I will read this thread next year and it will bring back memories of this tragic event :-laf and I will take many lessons from the Path I have Strolled down and just maybe I can lend a hand to you one Day.



When the Rubber meets the road just about any bombing you do up to 450 HP when something Breaks chances are it was going to break someday anyway IMO. No matter how you got to 450Hp ..... well ... with in reason .



Now cross the Plateau and its down hill WONDERFUL if its not your daily driver not so good if it is ... . take this note if its your only means for transportation dont get caught up in bombing to the point where Longevity has went out the window and has joined your path of smoke .



Truth be known for a 2nd gen to smoke like a 1st gen you will have to be Pushing a BOO-KUU of HP ...



As I was watching my boy play in the dirt the other day he was throwing up bits of dust and watching the wind take it away... the quest for SMOKE starts young I guess @ about 2 yrs old..... the path for smoke can be very twisted and cannot be as simple as just throwing dust into the wind.



You need to make a choise



What do you BOMB FOR ???



A lot of 2nd geners want 1st gen Smoke ... DONT DO IT



For the money you would have in your 2nd gen to make it smoke like that you can buy a 1st gen and just tare the hell out of it.



DONT BOMB FOR SMOKE



BOMB in reason to keep your truck for the purpose you bought it.



I am somewhere between Longevity and Destruction... I just dont know where for sure. As I see many members with 3 times the bombs I wonder is it reliable ??



Who's to say



Maybe An ol' timer



You seen Any ?



DM

 

[jmeehan]

Good topic, I miss the old timers that have left us.



The first thing I added to my truck was the turbo mount E-brake. I think it's saved me more then once, since it limits my turbo options and hence the amount of fuel I can feed the engine in so many different ways.

If course you can still slip the factory clutch with mild bombs that the factory turbo can live with. So I install the appropriate clutch for my power level, thinking I've reached my own plateau. HA!



My wife starts eyeing fifth wheel trailers. I let her know the truck will need some more parts to pull that trailer, she says OK .

Hmm, twins... 4" straight pipe... remote E-brake.

Why stop there, install that dual disk pulling clutch I've been day dreaming about, more fuel since I'm adding twins...





It'll end when they bury me in this truck.

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

I drive my truck to work everyday 60 miles one way, I put a Comp box on it 3 years ago and have lived with that meager power level for this long. Now I've got some extra money so the dual disk is going in as soon as I figure out which one. Then it's fair game as long as I can slip it past the wife. I am looking for another car to drive to work and the truck is going to become a play toy / puller.

 

[JPope]

Nice post DieselMinded, you have to qualify as an oldtimer with the senility

setting in on your post count(S) :-laf



One way I have figured helps on the 'old timers' is that it isn't age, or any other criteria, it is the experience (which varies greatly from person to person) that counts. Many of the members have experience from other areas of expertise which translates well to truck/RV/engine/humor/politics, etc. issues, and THE WAY THEY PRESENT IT



You can learn from from anyone, even if it is only to never read/listen/associate with that particular person again!!!! :{



It is amazing to watch the metamorphus of various people over time, some progress, some regress, and some stay the same but you can learn from all of them.



Again nice post!!!!!

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

See TDR #37, p. 14 for a discussion on 19 steps and the result--a poor old sickly Ram that still needed more power

 

[Coolslice]

Sorry, may have missed it but have you actually been told that your warranty has been axed??? I know alot of the bombers around here have had stuff warrantied if they are nice and honest at the dealership, myself included. If you go in there angry and trying to hide things, your chances for warranty work are greatly reduced. This may not apply to you, but it's something for others to keep in mind. . Don't just assume that because you have some bombs that you have voided your warranty.

 

[DieselMinded]

Local Dealers Reply... ... ... ...



Yeah We'll look @ it if its not Tapped !





SIGH





I heard it used to work but now my local dealers have a person come in and look all over the trucks before warentee work is performed.



DM

 

[SRadke]

Wow. I've seen Bob install one of those ECM's and he can do it in less time than it took me to read that post :-laf



Seriously though, sorry about your luck



-Scott

 

[TORQUE THIS]

Buy It, BOMB It, BREAK IT, FIX IT, Repeat as necessary... :-laf



I wouldn't want to BOMB anything other than the Cummins!



Have you looked under the hood of a Ford or Chevy/GMC lately...

 

[DieselTweaker]

the cummins will last, IT DC that screw's everything up.



Great post DM.

 

[Timbeaux38]

I once was a Newbie here too. I thought that I could spend a couple hundred bucks, smoke like a train, and outrun damn near everything on 4 wheels. I've since learned that the year of research I did before touching the mechanics of my truck has paid off. I am pretty knowledgeable, because I sit and read all of these posts and I look at it like this: Yes you may have had a problem and it could be through no fault of your own, or the dealer's fault, or the guy at the hot rod diesel shop, or the transmission guy, or you buddy who has the same thing. And someone has had a problem with every product known to man. You begin to realize that if you are myopic with these trucks, you will get burnt. I just try to sit, watch, make my own decisions about my truck (cuz it is mine afterall) and speak up if I feel the need, or am asked to. The rest of the time I am content stirring the pot and egging people on... ...



Cheers!

Tim

 

[AKAMAC]

DM, think of all the unlucky that have never been here. "Duh" That was me three years ago. I work on gen-set equipment for a living and I have received invaluable advice here in the Gen. Diesel forum. I certainly hope we don't see an exodus of long term knowledge from this site.

Play, learn, pay! Good post. Mike

 

[DieselMinded]

Truck is back on the road for now. . calling Friday to set an appointment to have my TC/VB put in...



currently runing on my loaner from BOB



Comp is in utah getting the once over still



stock ECM is on its way to Washington State Attn. Bob Wagner



I tryed RNR's bumed Catcher didnt work well with my truck either so its taging along on the trip to washington.



I did put my Fancy Fuel Filter cap on today and cleaned up the engine compartment...



:>



DM

 

[Will24]

LOL at the graphic





-Will

 

[DieselMinded]

yeah... . lol



a bit of spare time on my hands then



but you do have to ask your self where your truck falls in on the graph



dm

 

[Holysmokes]

GREAT POST! It seems to me kind of like walking a tight rope at times. (increasing HP and longevity at the same time) But I still respect the smokers and the non smokers. If we all did the same thing it wouldnt be fun. I know for a fact that if my truck was my daily driver there are some things i would of / or will do different. Its a pretty good feeling that I can wrench and tinker on it all I want yet confortable enough to load the family up and head for Dallas. Ive owned a bunch of trucks that I cant say the same thing about. As far as helping out with your ECM issue... you and TDR have helped me out tons,since day 1.