For an accurate reading you can check in
the morning before you start it or you need to wait about
15-20 minutes after turning off the motor. The dipstick mark
between full and low is 2 quarts so if it is midway, it will
take a quart to bring it to full.
I have X-Monitor digital gauges. All my
gauges are continuous readout. Around town or on the road I
always have a boost reading.
The BD X-Monitor watches transmission oil
temperature, EGTs and even turbo boost levels, making sure you
tackle that mountain or tow that load without overdoing it.
The X-Monitor stores limit levels for each and flashes a clear
warning when your numbers are in the danger zone. And, it even
saves your peak numbers in its memory.
To prevent this, use gloves and keep fuel off
the gloves by cradling the nozzle in a couple of
paper towels. About 200,000 miles on 2 Rams, and never a
diesel smell in the truck.
How to Determine Diesel Fuel Economy?
How are you calculating your mileage?
The only accurate way is to fill the tank, and record how many
miles you have driven at next fill up. Then, divide the number
of miles driven by number of gallons used. Example, starting
with a full tank you drive 400 miles. You fill up and it takes
20 gallons. 400 miles divided by 20 gallons = 20 mpg. If you
already knew this, forgive me but maybe someone else will find
it useful. The computers are good, but require a learning
curve to interpret accurately. The above method is accurate. I
believe you are getting better mileage than you think.
Transmission on Dodge Diesel
I put 170,000 miles on my '96. Close to
100,000 towing a 10,500 lb TT over almost all the big mtn's. I
never had a problem with my Auto Tranny. I had a full set of
gauges which I highly recommend. I always drove my gauges and
never let tranny temp go over 200 degrees. When in the mtn's
and tranny temp started rising, I downshift, increase rpm's
and watch temp start to go down. My opinion of the tranny
problems many people talk about is that many could have been
avoided. I think when someone is towing a heavy rig without
gauges, they are driving blind. There is no way without gauges
to know what tranny temps are. It is only necessary to
overheat the tranny fluid one time to destroy it. Once the
tranny fluid is NOT doing it's job, it is only a matter of
time before a tranny failure. Then you hear "I was driving on
a flat and level road and it just gave out" Well that is the
result of the overheating the last time it was driven in the
mtn's and went up to 240 degrees.
Gear/tranny questions for Dodge CTD owners
We tow close to 14,000 lbs. Been up and
down most of the big mtn's. It is awesome! 11-12 mpg towing at
62mph. 18-20 around town and always over 21 on hwy 65-70 mph
without trailer. On one 2,000 mile roundtrip Dallas TX to
Granby CO I got 23.9 mpg. I carefully hand calculated all fuel
used against miles driven for the whole trip. I think it was
because of cruise control set and untouched for hours at a
time. 4:10 Gears.
Transmission Shudder Problems?
Do a search on TDR (turbodieselregister.com)
for "launch shudder". It is likely the drive shaft and
not the tranny.
Response to an owner of a Dodge w/ Cummins who had a
problem with hard starting?
Check under your truck for ANY evidence of
leaking fuel. There was a problem with a fuel return line
developing pinholes. As a result it will lose it's prime
resulting in hard starting. I had that happen with my '96.
After the fuel line was replaced the problem was gone.
Here is a link to the TDR with some good info
TDR Hard Starting '96 Ram
How do I fix my differential?
One thing you can try to determine. Take a
good bright light under the truck and check up around the
front of the diff where the drive shaft connects. If the
pinion seal is leaking there will probably be evidence of oil
on the sides and top of that area which will have been spun
off by the driveshaft. If you don't see any oil there, wipe
the diff casing clean and check the next day or after a drive.
If there is a fill plug, it could just be leaking from the
fill plug and only require torquing. You will be able to see
if the oil is coming from the fill plug after you wipe it
down. Good luck and let us know how you make out.
If You Love Your Transmission
You might consider adding gauges. A tranny
temp gauge is a far more accurate way to determine
transmission fluid temp. By the time your engine heat gauge
shows hot, you may well have cooked the tranny fluid. A
transmission gauge will also instill confidence for safe
towing in the mountains by keeping the temps in a safe range.
Use Farm Bureau Discount for your Dodge Diesel Purchase
You may also be able to take advantage of
the $500 Farm Bureau Discount if you buy a Diesel.
In response to a new Dodge Ram Diesel 3500 buyer
Congratulations! Here is a link that you
will be interested in.
TDR This site is
dedicated to RAM/CUMMINS. You will find tons of useful info
for your new truck. I have been a member since 1995 and it has
saved me lots of grief and $$$.
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