dhillis

Howdy everyone, I just sold my 04' Chevy Duramax/Allison to free up some money for a house. I still needed a heavy duty and wanted a diesel, so my next choice was the Dodge Cummins. It's a dark green Sport pkg 2500 quadcab/short bed 4x4 47re with 130,000 miles on it. Unfortunately it has the 53 block that I was aware of before purchase, but apparently there are 53 blocks with "good casting" and some with "bad" casting. This 53 appears to have the good casting. I got it for a good price also, so I'm not too concerned.

Anyway, on to the issues...

1) the previous owner built the trans with an ATS triplelok torque converter, ATS clutches and transgo valve body kit. It shifts firm and the trans fluid looks very clean and clear. The issues are second and fourth (OD) gears seem to shift very early under light throttle. When I'm giving it some fuel, it seems to shift perfectly.

2) I believe I have what may be the "death wobble". It's not too bad actually, but it seems like the driver's side has a bit of a buck to it... it's very rhythmic, almost like a boat going over waves, except a lot faster. If I have anything in the door pockets they will rattle and drive me nuts. It also rattles the cup holder and nearly spilled my coffee. I checked both driveshafts and they look good, as I thought it may be a u-joint. Then I started researching this and found all the front end steering issues.

3) The steering loves to wander. I feel myself correcting, straightening it out, correcting again and again and again. It does not track straight at all. It should be noted that I have 285/75/16 tires. It also seems like the power steering has a bit of a whine to it and found the PS pump a little low. I do not know how long is has been low, as I just bought it and the whine just started two days ago. The steering seems good, except when I was towing the tractor the other day, it seemed to labor, especially during low speed maneuvering.

4) The FM radio seems to hunt for different stations. I have several excellent radio stations in my area. The radio just can't decide which station to pick, it seems like it's picking up "skip" traffic.

Thanks in advance and let me know if you need anymore info.

Dan

kawi600

Id adjust your TPS.. I think .87 volts was a good spot. Also make sure you dont have dead spots in the travel. Might need a new one. Other culprits are noise in the electrical system from a poor ground on the alternator. Some folks shield some of the wiring and it works better. DTT sells some kind of gizmo for this I think.
Sounds like you have something else going on other than DW. DW is really violent and scary. It gets worse as you go and forces you to come to a near stop to get it to go away. You might want to check your wheel balance, look for bad wheel unit hubs (rock the wheel back and forth) as well as ball joints and the like. Youll need to pry against the ball joints to see play.
Wandering steering is helped a lot by installing a DSS from solidsteel.biz. Also do a search in the forums for the recommended alignment numbers. If you have a 4 turn steering box it will require more attention to drive than a 3 turn one. Less travel to make a correction. I went with a PSC box.

PaulDaisy

Welcome to the site! I think you will find the CTD nice to drive. I personally found it more "trucky" than a Duramax.
Now, on your issues.
1. Mine is manual but from my other autos, I think yours is working correctly if it is sifting early under low throttle.
2. I believe you have an unbalanced tire in the front.
3. I think your track bar is worn out on the frame end. Look at it while a helper rocks the steering left and right, engine running. See if the frame side joint is loose. Mine is.
4. Loose antenna?
Good luck!
-P