Category: Geno’s Garage

Buying a Pre-Owned Ram Cummins Truck

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Pre-owner Ram Cummins truck.

Last year, the new vehicle display at our local Costco featured a stunning 2018 Ram Cummins 2500 Longhorn 4×4. Upscale accessories and options lured a stream of curious consumers. The $75,800 MSRP window sticker caught the most attention. In a recent post at the TDR forum, a reader shared his search for a used Ram truck. Citing noteworthy design flaws on models he could afford, his first diesel truck quest was fraught with concerns. New truck prices have soared. The Ram Tradesman trim level, trucks like this well-equipped 2500 4×4,…

Ram Turbo Diesel Out of Fuel? Are You Sure?

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We heard from a Ram Turbo Diesel owner who wrote of a situation where his 2001 truck ran out of fuel while the fuel gauge was showing 1/4 of a tank. He was fifty feet away from the fuel island when it happened, and strangers helped him push his truck up to the fuel pump. He learned to drive the truck by resetting the trip odometer and running a certain number of elapsed miles before refueling. Problem Diagnosis The problem is fairly simple to diagnose. In this case, where the…

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) for Dummies

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MOPAR DEF Jug

If you own a 2013+ Ram diesel you know that you need to use diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) or you run the risk of going in to limp mode. You probably have some questions. What does DEF actually do? Does DEF go bad? Are any brands of DEF better than the others? DEF is made up of two things, Urea and de-ionized water. This mixture (32.5% urea/67.5% water) is sprayed via an injector in to the exhaust to lower the N0x emissions emitted from your diesel truck. If you decide…

When is Dodge Cummins Diesel Fuel Pressure Important?

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Undoubtedly you have heard from friends or internet forums that you need a fuel pressure gauge on your Cummins Turbo Diesel or else you run the risk of damaging your injection pump. This is true, but only if you own a 1998.5 (first year of the 24-valve engine) to 2002 truck. During these four years of production, a Bosch VP44 fuel injection pump was used on these engines. The VP44 is fuel cooled and needs to have more than 5psi to maintain proper cooling. “The VP44 is fuel cooled and…

’94-’02 Dodge Ram HVAC Service

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Dodge Ram dash strapped up and out of the way.

I’ve been putting off replacing the heater core in Red Ryder (a ’98 Dodge Turbo Diesel) for a lot longer than I should have. I’ve been keeping a car blanket in the cab during the winter for a few years now. It generally takes about 30 miles at highway speed to bring the cab to a comfortable temperature when the outside ambient temperature is in the low-40s. I hadn’t observed coolant leaking in the cab…yet. On the return trip from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in January this year there were some…

’98-’02 Dodge Ram Replacement Dashboard

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In Issue 90 of the Turbo Diesel Register magazine, the folks at Geno’s Garage had a press release talking about the development of a ’98-’02 Dodge Ram replacement dashboard. The short version of that story is that they cut the front structure from a wrecked vehicle and had the tooling made to injection-mold a replacement dash. It has been a long process to bring this product to the market, but the replacement dashboards are now in stock for immediate shipment. Call now—operators are standing by. Seriously, this is a full…

’98-’02 Dodge Ram Dash Installation

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Originally published in TDR Issue 82. November 2014 REPLACING YOUR ’98-’02 DODGE RAM CRACKED DASHBOARD by Brent Boxall All you have to do is Google “Dodge Ram cracked dash” and you can get as many pages of results as you want. I’m thinking that unless you leave the truck parked in a cave the Second Generation Ram dash is going to crack and/or break. There are three solutions to solve this problem: First, purchase a fabric mat to cover the unsightly problem. Second, purchase a plastic dash cover which comes…

How Do I Change My Dodge Ram Shock Absorbers?

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SHOCK ABSORBER REPLACEMENT/BILSTEIN SHOCKS by Jim Anderson At a technical seminar hosted by Geno’s Garage and presented by Bilstein sales manager Scott MacDonald, I became aware of certain signs indicating that after 60,000 miles in a 2006 two wheel drive Dodge Ram 3500 dually, the shock absorbers should be replaced. Over the course of the seminar, Scott educated us about the construction and features of the different types of shock absorbers commonly found on the market. We learned that original equipment shocks typically do not last much longer than a…

“No Mess” Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Fuel Filter Change

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Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Fuel Filter Change

“No Mess” Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Fuel Filter Change Avoid a diesel fuel bath when changing the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel fuel filter with this handy fuel filter change tool. In the one year we’ve had our ’15 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel here at Geno’s Garage, we’ve had to change the fuel filter twice. The first time: no drain from the pesky yellow drain valve and a diesel fuel bath and fuel spill on the garage floor when tightly installed filter housing was removed with a strap wrench. The second time: no drain…

RAM Cummins Exhaust Education – We Visit MBRP

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MBRP Exhaust Headquarters

When was the last time you tried to call someone at (choose a business—banks are notoriously bad)? Talk about a run-around. Recently it took me forever to “reach out to my personal relationship manager” at the “Bankopoly.” On the other side of the ledger, have you called one of the many small businesses that make products for your Turbo Diesel truck? Were you surprised at how they had a knowledgeable person answer the phone? Small business is the engine that drives our economy. We’ve found it refreshing to learn about…