Anyone know the real skinny on the dowel pin comming loose and destroying the front gear train?

A friend of mine that has a '96 5.9 handed me this paper from TST. He says that he installed the keeper washer on his as someone he knows had the pin come out and fall into the gears desrtoying them and basically making the engine close to econimically unrepairable. He sad that after about 150000 miles we are all riding on barrowed time. Do I really need to take the weekend and install the keeper soon?

'97 2500 2wd 121000 miles on 5.9 CTD

Thanks folks!
Jim

 

your talking about the Killer Dowel Pin. .. and yes, do it. when the KDP falls out it will land right on the timeing gears between the cam and the injector pump craking the front cover.

 

i would do it realllly soon.

 

What years dose this effect?

 

only the 12 valves.

 

kdp is in the fi pump right?

guess I could look for it in tha manual...........

 

nope. . .it is in the front cover and was only put in for alignment purposes.

go here for some nice pictures http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/Dowel_Pin/tab.htm

 

Heck, while you got the front tin off, you might aswell put an aftermarket cam in it

 

I'm not going to go throught the magazine stack right now but one of the diesel mags had a good write up on how to do this last month.

 

It was Diesel Power mag. I read it too.