>> "Nathan W. Collier" <N...@Way.com> wrote in
>> messagenews:->7SdnXzbAPma52vUnZ2dnUVZ_sqdnZ2d@bresnan.com...
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
>You should post some pics of your Ramcharger (or provide a link if you
>already have); sounds sweet!
I've uploaded all the photos I have here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/RobertPStout/Pictures#
link with some of the story here:
http://hotrodlane.cc/PDFFILES/93%2057%20HEMI%20Ram%20Charger.pdf
My "todo" list is getting pretty short now.
1. Add cruise control
2. Fix vacuum leak, I can hear it, can't find it.
3. Fix speedometer, it reads about 60% now. The Dakoata Digital wasn't
set right to begin with, it was reading about 93%.. Either it's not working
correctly or something else has gone wrong.
4. Recharge A/C with R-12, despite telling them to use the original R-12 I
FURNISHED R-12 for them and they didn't use it so it has R-134A right now.
That won't work in the Texas summer, pretty inadequate.
Other gripes, the original computer is completely unhooked but remaains in
place behind the battery while the new computer hangs out on the inner
fenderwell. Why they didn't pull the original and replace it with the new,
I don't know. The OBD II connector is in the freaking MIDDLE of the
firewall facing UPWARDS to draining rain water. Sloppy and stupid, IMHO. I
doubt I'll be moving either of these, the harness is too expensive (and
short) to be fooling with. I need a protective cover for the OBD II
connector. The Ramcharger hangs out in the garage when rain is expected,
like today.
Speaking of stupid, and there's multiple culprits here, the transmission
failed completely a couple of months ago. In the original installation they
hooked up only the radiator cooler, bypassed the factory auxiliary cooler.
Their new cooler lines weren't well done, one of the fittings failed
blocking cooler flow compltetely. This manifested itself as a stalling
problem when coming to a stop. Eventually, and it didn't take long you
couldn't get it into drive without it stalling. I had a transmiision shop
"fix" the problem but it still didn't shift correctly but they said it
shifts fine, no codes so I drove it. One day it just failed altogether
going down the highway, wouldn't move, couldn't drop it in gear at all
without stalling. Couldn't force it or bully it into gear, just stalled
like you turned it off.
I called a friend of mine whose full time business is transmissions and he
rebuilt it up right and replumbed the cooler lines correctly, bypassed all
the factory coolers and installed a 30,000 GVW cooler. The trans works
flawlessly now. He said the converter clutch failed, converter clutch
material plugged the filter and fried the trans. I guess it could have been
failing for a while and fouling the solenoid pack?
After that I fixed the shift quadrant to read correctly. Drive was just a
bit left of indicated neutral and shift effort was very high. It was hard
to select a gear, they were so close together and applying enough pressure
to the shifter to get it to move you'd overshoot the gear you wanted. It's
difficult to push (or pull) hard for only a quarter of an inch and stop.
Now it reads correctly and shift effort is higher than stock but quite
normal feeling now. The original installer told me it was this way because
we replaced a three speed transmission with a five speed, please...both
transmissions have only three detents. They're just positioned differently.
I fabricated a longer arm for the shift linkage to move the pivot point and
took care of it easily. That's what the original installer should have
done.
Anyway, had I known all the problems I was going to run into I'd never had
done this. Now that I'm near the end of the road it almost seems worth it.
It's a VERY nice truck, the pictures aren't good enough.