Your Dodge Ram’s A/C System

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HVAC Charging Gauges

Are the summer months in your truck spent with the old-school “2-60” air conditioning (two windows down at 60mph)? A properly operating HVAC system provides comfort and safety. The pages of many prior issues of the Turbo Diesel Register magazines have been devoted to the removal of the instrument panel to replace a leaky air conditioning evaporator core (‘98-‘02), leaking heater core, flimsy blend air doors (‘03-current), etc. And you’ll find some of the A/C parts for the DIY-er at Geno’s Garage. Instead of covering “how to change a part,”…

The Case of the $942 Fuel Filter

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Digital multimeter

(or How to Change a #5 Injector) Solving the mystery of a vehicle’s mechanical problem can require some lengthy detective work—as demonstrated in this repair that I call “The Case of the $942 Fuel Filter.” The initial complaint by the Ram Turbo Diesel’s owner provided me with scant evidence for solving the problem: “It runs good,” he said, “for a while after I change the fuel filter, but it has low power.” I doubted that the fuel filter was the culprit. But I had little to go on. This would…

The Many Steps to Diesel Success

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When I was a small boy I was live baggage on family trips from the Northeast to visit the grandparents a thousand miles away in Indiana. There were no Interstate highways – just the promise of the Pennsylvania Turnpike with its four smooth concrete lanes and many child-pleasing tunnels. The rest of the way was two lanes, small towns, and diners with steamed-up windows. Constantly in the way were highway trucks, only lately powered by weak-but-economical six-cylinder Diesel engines making 160 horsepower. Drivers knew what was next on their routes,…

’94-’97 & ’06-’09 Dodge Ram Driver’s Side Seat Cushion

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Geno's Garage '94-'97 & "06-'09 Dodge RamSeat Cushion

Several months ago we introduced a driver’s side seat cushion for the ’98-’02 Dodge Ram trucks. Because of the Quad Cab/suicide rear door design of the truck,this cushion was infamous for its “left side lean.” Mopar had discontinued their expensive cushion ($200) and the only option we had to help our customers was to develop a seat mould and sell seats. We are pleased that our ’98-’02 cushion is priced at $125, a big savings to you over the Mopar part. With the availability of the ’98-’02 cushion, we had…

Ram 2019 Introduction

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2019 Ram Heavy Duty Truck

Looking back at Issue 104 in the “TDReview” write-up on the 2019 Ram I see that I made the comment, “I expected more industry ‘buzz’ about the Ram/Cummins 400/1000 power rating.” Perhaps my comment was just a little too early in the cycle of press stories. Because, yes, the press did react to the new 2019 Ram Turbo Diesel. What did the writers have to say? First: The Truth About Cars First, on February 28 there was the website, The Truth About Cars and their story “2019 Ram HD First…

Brake Fluid Expose

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DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Brake Fluid (And are probably still afraid to ask) by James Walker Without a doubt, changing brake fluid is at the absolute bottom of most owners’ lists of “fun things to do with their trucks.” Unfortunately, this mystery fluid is also one of the most vital components of all of your truck’s safety systems, yet it can be neglected for years and years at a time. Heck, there are some people who would not change their fluid for the life of their truck…

Dodge Ram Spring Cleaning

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Dodge Ram exterior cleaning products.

Whether you want to believe it or not, your RV/trailer/camper/tow vehicle has feelings and a personality. When it’s covered with pitch, bug guts, bird doo, mud or just road grime, and the tires look like they’re about to be recycled at the local flea market, you can see the frown on its face. It’s a scientifically unproven fact that a clean truck runs and pulls better. Got it, unproven, but a clean ride does wonders for the self-esteem. Our personal truck and camper may be different from yours, but it…

Buying a Pre-Owned Ram Cummins Truck

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Pre-owned 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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Carter-P76473M fuel pump.

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…