Bought the Cummins =)... general maintenance

[Hit.It.]

Hello everyone!

I bought the truck mentioned in this thread.
Happy as heck!!!

My review so far of a Cummins Ram is:
Torque... it's whats for dinner.

This engine is kickAss!!
Can't beat the mechanical clacking sound.

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I have a couple of random, first-buyer questions.
If you could provide some feedback, I would be very grateful!

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The rearview mirror inside the cab.
It has a small button underneath it... should that be for dimming it?
It doesn't do anything at the moment.

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The radiator filler neck has a small hose attached.
That hose, in my truck, is capped of.
Should it go to a "remote reservoir" / water-bottle?

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The engine has leaks around the exhaust gaskets of cylinders 1 and 2.
Small bubbles are actively "bubbling".
Going to change all the gaskets... anything special?
Still have to buy them.

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Changing the transmission filter and fluid.
Correct fluid is ATF+4?

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During initial morning driving, the rear passenger side tire locks up with feather-pedal pressure.
I would like to get in there, and take a look at all the components.
Anything special to watch out for? Simple removal?

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Does somebody have an idea where I could obtain the FSM for the vehicle? ('95 2500) I have have the Cummins engine manual, yet missing the Dodge Ram's.

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I am going to order the KDP Kit (Killer Dowel Pin), and perform that maintenance on the engine.

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I thought of obtaining at the same time an AFC Spring Kit, and removing the fuel plate.

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Oh yes... the "Death Wobble".
Jesus wow.
I don't know if this is what everybody refers to, yet there's a nice "sweep of the steering wheel" where it is dead in the water.
It is like connected to nothing.

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As of now, I'm going to go change the Diesel fuel filter on it, and the oil.
Bought Valvoline oil... I always use Valvoline.
Plus it was good to see the Cummins "C" on the bottle.

Other random stuff:::
Have to work on the a/c system.
The compressor is cycling on/off, leading me to believe I have low refrigerant (thus, a leak).
Tomorrow I'll see if a shop detects where it is coming from.
To be honest, I wouldn't mind pulling the evaporator on it.
It would give me a chance to clean-up the fan's blades and some assorted ducts.

Would then like to re-install the hard-lines for the heater (the ones that run atop the exhaust manifold).
Somebody took them out.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks and have a superb day everyone!

Cummins FTFW!

[Aaron26]

-I use Rotella T 15w-40 in my cummins, and so does every other diesel around here.
-The DW is where your camber isnt set right, say, a bad track bar or a leveling kit w/o an alignment, its when the steering wheel and front end shakes erratically, and the tires want to go in opposing directions.
-That button should dim your mirror, at night u should see a dim green/yellow light from under the button, idk if its a bad switch for u, it could be battery powered, or a bad sensor in the mirror.
-Yes, that capped hose is for a resovior, not a big deal if its capped, but keep checking your level every so often, i capped mine to make room for an under hood water/meth resovoir

[bjorkmae]

On my ford light pressure locking up the rear wheels ended up being bad wheel cylinders that weren't retracting when you released the pedal. Take the drums off and see what everything looks like.

[illflem]

Dodge says use ATF +3 for the tranny but I've been using Dexron III for 250k miles on advice of my tranny builder.
Dex is way cheaper especially if you change out the entire 16-18 quarts.

[bjorkmae]

Originally Posted by illflem

Dodge says use ATF +3 for the tranny but I've been using Dexron III for 250k miles on advice of my tranny builder.
Dex is way cheaper especially if you change out the entire 16-18 quarts.

Ditto, my tranny builder says dexron 3 is the way to go and that is what the dipstick says too.

[Hit.It.]

Hey everyone! Thanks forthe help.
I changed the oil and filter yesterday.
Some brute tightened the oil filter... had to cross it with a screwdriver three times.

The Diesel fuel filter went in fine.
I cleaned the terminals on the water sensor, cleaned everything there with a dry rag.

A couple of miles ago, it lit up the dash's "Water in Fuel" light.

I went over to the filter, and depressed the push-valve. Diesel fuel came out... yet the light is still lit.
Ideas?

Where is the primer button?? I searched and felt all over, yet did not find it.

Thanks for your help!! =)

[illflem]