Hi everyone. This past winter I picked up a 95 dodge ram 1500 4x4, knowing I would need to do some work to get it running good again.
The first problem, I believe, is the injector. I replaced the plug on the number one cylinder, and after 200km it was running rough again. I pulled the plug and it was covered with soot. A local wreckers wants $35 for an injector... no problem.

The second problem is the check engine light. It will come on once the engine is up to operating temperature. I checked, and its codes 31 and 32... purge valve and egr/ evap canister? I replaced the purge valve, both CEL's still come on. I'm thinking my next step is replace the charcoal canister and check for a vacuum leak somewhere... not exactly sure where to start.

The oil pressure gauge is all over the place. When being driven, it tends to stay in place, but at idle it drops low, sometimes zero, sometimes it doesn't do this at all...

The 4WD light won't shut off. Faulty/corroded switch somewhere?

I am (depending on price) looking for some rust repair parts... lower front fenders, and box fenders. the box is just rusted on the top parts... the rest of the wheel well isn't too bad.

Catalytic converter- Anypreferred brands? The truck failed emissions testing... so in combinationwith the other things I would imagine its done.

I look forward to any feedback you can offer. Also, if anybody has a PDF service manual or knows where I can locate one, let me know.

 

welcome to df

elec switch is on the left end of the cad. cad is on passenger side of front axle. it has a little elec connector to it. remove plug and spray out w/wd40, if that doesn't work troubleshoot the cad, as it slides over a fork which pushes the plunger on the switch. switch is common item, about $20
http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/repair/..._engagment.htm
http://www.4x4wire.com/dodge/tech/solid_axle_cad/

https://dodgeforum.com/m_340929/tm.htm
this 2001 covers most things. the 94-95 have some differences in OBD.

 

thanks for those links, very useful!

 

Welcome Keegan

Hope this forum does you some good

Jeff

 

+1 above
Those codes may be a result of that one cylinder running bad and not necessarily the canister.
There's a oil pressure sending unit on the back of the motor. It could be faulty and causing your pressure reading to be squirly like that.
Most converters today should do fine. I've heard the 'performance' ones aren't worth the extra money unless you're trying to squeeze every last drop of power out but, you'd need to have up'd it with other mods to get any real gains.

 

welcome to the forum. the guys pretty much covered it, to reset that cel light after repairs, disconnect your battery and hold the key in start postion for 5 secs. i have a 95 as well and that cel light loves to come on, even for stupid stuff.

 

thanks for all the replies guys.

I changed the injector so we'll see what happens. It is still making this knocking noise that increases on WOT, or when you rev the engine... after reading up some threads on here, I think it could be this plenum plate. I did remove the air filter and look down, and it looked sorta oily and gummed up. Its hard to judge if there is a leak though bc the holes you're looking through are small compared to the size of that plate!!!

I had the truck in at a mechanic back in Feb. and he said the knock didn't sound good. Later that same day I brought it to my dads old chrysler mechanic, and let him take the truck for a drive. He heard everything I did, and told me to start small, with things such as the spark wires, plugs, timing etc. He did also mention that plenum plate thing... about shining the light and having a look. I was worried something like a head gasket was gone, but he assured me it was nothing that extreme.


The 4wd light also came off once I unplugged that switch on the front axle... when I have more time I will remove it and investigate further.

 

Well. after a summer with bits of time here and there, I did some work on the truck. I totally cleaned the interior top to bottom and removed as many panels as possible to scrub, and cleaned the bench seat with upholstery cleaner. For the outside, I borrowed a friends variable speed polisher and took some compounds to the paint... its no longer oxidized and black... you can tell its a green truck once again! Used some OEM look silver paint on the wheels ( used a deck of cards stuck individually between the tire and wheel to prevent overspray on the tires). I resprayed the front bumper, removed the rear, as it was rusted out.

Also removed the intake, and replaced the gasket/ plenum plate. There was about 1/4in of thick black sludge on the plate, and the rest of the intake was pretty soiled too. After a lot of scraping and degreasing, I managed to get it all cleaned up and reassembled. Put in a 180 Thermostat and gasket while it was apart. The truck fired up no problem once it was all put back together, but I still have that stupid tick/knock from day one.

I had a friend borrow a scan tool from his work and hook it up to the truck. Still came up with an O2 sensor code and purge solenoid code. I called Canadian Tire for a price on the O2 sensor and was asked if it was the right or left sensor??? I only have one before the cat that I'm aware of anyway...

As for that knock- The #1 cylinder plug was fouled up, which I assumed was from the rotten condition of the intake/plenum leak. I replaced the plug again last week, and fired up the truck... STILL had the random knock. I did the one-at-a-time plug wire disconnect procedure to check for any change in engine operation: every one I pulled off made a difference EXCEPT the #1 cylinder. Talked to a chrysler mechanic yesterday, and he suggested to also unhook the injector on the #1 cylinder and see what happens.

Well, I went out tonight and did just that. With both the injector and plug wire unhooked, I started the truck and the knock was non existant!

Said mechanic is coming over sometime later this week to have a look and see what the problem is. At least this narrows it down a bit, I hope haha. Bear in mind there is a new injector on the #1 cylinder, and all plug wires are brand new as well as the cap and rotor. I guess we will see what happens.

 

I ended up removing that whole cad assembly. The shaft that the fork sits on was seized in place, so I used a bunch of PB blaster and let it soak overnight. Went out today with some vise grips and a hammer... once freed up I tested it numerous times with the air gun... works great now the 4WD light turns off! Thanks for the help!

 

Big bump here!

UPDATE:

-Pushrod went through a rocker on cyl 1. That's why it knocked and ran like crap. Fixed and it's perfect!

-New cat, O2 sensor, welded up exhaust

- Oil pressure switch was UNPLUGGED! Once I did the body lift I could access the back of the motor easily!

-New purge solenoid, and the CEL turned off!!

As for the rest of the truck:

I scrapped the old box and picked up a rust free one with a small ding in it. I also got 2 front fenders in much better shape than the ones I had. Picked up a new passenger door as well.

Underneath the truck I stripped the scaly rust off, got it fairly smooth, vacuumed up all the dirt sitting in the frame rails, and painted it all up with "Zero rust". $30CDN/quart. Apparently it's way better than tremclad, so we'll find out after this winter.

I picked up a gallon of silver auto paint, and 2 gallons of DIY truck bed coating, along with a schutz gun to spray it on. I also sprayed the underside of the new box with rubberized undercoating, and sprayed the back of the cab where the box sits.

I've completely sanded the truck. I've done a fair bit of bodywork as well. Did a 2 inch body lift and picked up some of the 16inch chrome wheels. It's ready for prime and paint, I just need to go do it!

I found a Laramie SLT at the wreckers, so I took the headliner, console, and seats out of it. The driver's seat is motorized :P.

I hope to have it done within the next month, then I'll post up some pics of the work!