zachv

I have been on the forum for a while when I owned my much-loved '02, but had to let her go with 210K to get this new '05 with 41K. I have been reading up on the 3rd Gen forums and have a few holes in the information that I have not been able to answer.

1. I see references to the '04.5 "changes" to the engine--what were they? What makes my '05 different than an '03-'04" and are they bad changes?

2. I bought an auto this time. I drove my buddy's G56 and did not care for it much and my wife is willing to drive an auto. Why are they so frowned upon for typical driving/medium towing? What can I do, for say $1K, to beef it up, or should I just save for the day when I need a built unit?

3. I thought I had gotten away from the lift pump issues with the Gen2 truck. Apparently not. Are they as bad with the Gen3 rigs? I had an Airdog on my '02 that fixed everything. Should I just put another one on this truck?

4. I do not see the scream for the BHAF that the Gen2 trucks had--why? Do they not fit or is the heat issue different on the Gen3? It seems a bunch tighter under the hood on the '05.

5. Smarty Jr.? I want a little more power (who doesn't...), but I do not want reliability issues. Can I run a Smarty Jr. without gauges until I figure out what gauges I want?

6. I plan to Amsoil everything and do the by-pass filters with oil sampling. I regretted not doing that early on with my '02. Any comments/information to consider doing that?

So far my plans are to un-old man the rig by taking off the big cap, removing the grille guard and steps. I will get a lower shell for the bed and build some stronger steps. For tires I like the 285/75R17 Dura Grapplers on the stock wheels. I need this rig to work every day and do decent on mileage. She will not be a "puller", just a standard commuter/work rig that tows the beast below.

Thanks for any help that can be provided!

2005 CTD as on 10/26/10--fresh off the dealer's lot:


Play Toy:

HMX-1

1. The change in the '04.5 is the electronically controlled wastegate. The '03's also had several engine models: the 235hp California tune, the standard output 250hp, and the high output 305hp. In '04 they dropped the 235 California motor and introduced the catalytic converter for California trucks. They weren't bad, its just part of the evolution.

2. For stop and go traffic some folks complain about the constant shifting and the need to operate the clutch. I have no sympathy for them, honestly.

3. There are still some issues, but if you feel the need to dump the stock LP then go ahead and do it.

4. They moved the batteries around in the 3rd gen, so you don't have the room for the old Napa BHAF.

5. Personally, I'd get the gauges first then the Smarty. You could run the Smarty without gauges but IMHO its just not worth turning a $16,000 engine into an Easy Bake Oven.

6. I'm running Valvoline Blue in both my trucks with no issues. I do plan on getting bypass filters and doing oil sampling in the future but both my trucks have less than 50k miles on them and I'm not too concerned about that right now.



Kris

zachv

Thanks for the feedback. I took the cap off today and it may the truck look waaay better.

So for the auto trans, what would be the first mods someone would do to it, and what company is most recommended? What typically goes first on the 48?

What is the best drop-in air filter and is it worth it? Do Cold Air Intakes really do anything? I did not see too many regrets on the "regrets" thread.

crackcorn

I have an '05 with the below mods. Currently 114K and no lift pump issues. How ever I was bit with the HP bug so I will upgrade so I can supply fuel to future 90Hp nozzles.

I upgraded my 48R with a TQ converter and valve body from BD after about 40K. It was well worth it. However now that I want more I will end up ditching the stock tran and going with hopefully a Georend. So far after 74K I have not had any worrysome issues with the trans and I run my smarty Jr on level three full time.

I would follow the above advice and go with a pyro first thing. I put mine in when the truck was still fully stock and was amazed that pulling 8K up a 6% grade that the temps would hit 1450 fairly easy. If I just ran easy up the hill 58 to 60 mph it would stay about 1300 but if I went to pass at 65 or 70 the temp was close to 1500 in a heart beat. With the Jr hooked up I still take it easy going up the hill but temps run 100 degrees cooler. Exhaust mods I'm sure helped with that too. I would make that Pyro the first thing you spend money on.

Other then the common front end bearing and ball joint issues I haven't had any expensive issues and love my truck. Wouldn't trade it for anything at this point. Have fun with that nice new rig.

zachv

So for gauges do the trans temp and EGTs as the primaries and maybe a fuel pressure. I checked and did not see one, but do any of the gauge manufacturers do a trans temp/EGT dual gauge? I have seen the EGT/boost, but really do not think I need the boost gauge with just a Jr.

On the transmission, is the TC the first problem, or is that just with increased power?

Thanks for all of the help!!!

crackcorn

You could try WESTACH combo gauges, but it looks like they all combine with boost.... I agree a EGT and Trans combo would be nice.

As far as your air intake question. If I had to do it over I would have saved my $300 for some other mods. I like my AEM but I don't think I really got the performance bang for the buck. I've seen a few threads on here where guys just modified the stock air box for a nice improvement. Use a quality air filter but from what I hear only use dry filters. Diesels don't like oiled filters since if not oiled properly it can foul injectors and may cause other issues. Do a search on this one.

I changed out my TC due to it starting to slip. I added to much power and a heavy foot and slipped it once. It was down hill from there. I nursed it for quite some time at stock power but it only got worse. I changed it before it became a bigger problem. As far as I've read and seen with my friends dodges the autos hold together fine with STOCK power.

Dieseljunkie

Zach.. Nice lookin truck.. you gonna keep the shell on it?

For those that don't know, this man makes some NICE offroad fab parts...

Scott ( aka Po' Riggity on PBB)

05HDRAM

My '05 has been good to me. I have been running a Quad Std and now an X2 and I am very happy with the performance. I added it more for mileage than power. Lot's of people like the Smarty, there are many posts on Sr & Jr.

Check out Geno's Garage or Diesel Manor for a set of gauges. With the Auto, I went with ISSPRO EGT, Boost, & Tranny Temp. I have seen good reviews on Westach and Autometer if you have a preference.

On the '05, check to see if your intercooler has the plastic ends, could give you problems in the future. Mine is plastic, and knock on wood, it is still holding.

For the tranny, I would suggest saving and doing everything at once. Keep the fluid clean and easy on the power adders it will hold for a while (as long as the previous owner didn't abuse it).

Save your money on an air intake system. I cut a 4" hole in the bottom of my airbox and added a PVC elbow. I have used an Amsoil Eaa 189 air filter, and I am now using the larger NAPA filter. Both appear to filter and flow very well.

Dynocon

I have about 120K on mine. I have had a Quad Race on it since about 30K, always on level 5, except when I tow, no gages. Common sense goes a long ways, gages are a nice option but I was never comfortable with the accuracy.
Are they calibrated?
What is the temp at the manifold vs the top of the piston? Delta of 50, 100 or more F?

The only thing I have done to the trans is change the fluid.

The home made cold air intake is the best way to go, as for filters I continue to use the factor fleet guard.

Have fun with your truck!

450r

hey zach 450rbronco on rausch. i have an 05 and i run the smarty jr on mine too . i have the mods listed below on mine. first def do the egt gauge and i like my fuel press to then i can keep eye on the factory lift pump.
i run day to day on stock auto on the 70 hp setting but when i tow i either turn it off or down to the 40 setting. the jr is a great programer vs the old chip i had(quadzilla) .
as for intake i got the afe stage one intake which is just basically an airbox delete CAI. then i gutted the factory tube between the two intake elbows for better flow. you can find that writeup on here.
in the future soon i want to do a valve body for my trans so that i have more line pressure to hold factory clutches and TC. eventually i wanna do TC too .

Blueboy

The biggest change was to the pistons, started
4.5 threw 05. In 06 they went back to the smaller
bowl that was used in 03 and 04. the larger bowl
pistons were having problems.

zachv

So I ordered a Smarty Jr. ...and they sent me a S-06 POD instead. I was so confused reading the instructions. I was thinking, "I thought this was going to be waaaay more basic". Anyway, I just installed SW#3 with the pre-programed settings. She does feel quite a bit snappier in the mid and upper RPM range.

I guess I will have to do the tranny sooner than later to take full advantage of the programmer.

no_6_oh_no

1. I see references to the '04.5 "changes" to the engine--what were they? What makes my '05 different than an '03-'04" and are they bad changes?

Many changes really, mostly around the pistons injectors and fuel system though so its not real obvious. Cam profile is considerably different and the addition of a 3rd injection event for emissions. Thats just the engine. Transmission is now using a TTVA motor to control TVA pressure and shifting and will get into shuttle shift and hang shifting a lot easier because there is no internla fix for it. Aftermarket has some good solutions and there are twaks to the TTVA motor to help.

Early 05 had plastic IC tanks, when you cranked the boost up they like to blow. First thing to check.

2. I bought an auto this time. I drove my buddy's G56 and did not care for it much and my wife is willing to drive an auto. Why are they so frowned upon for typical driving/medium towing? What can I do, for say $1K, to beef it up, or should I just save for the day when I need a built unit?

The G56 are a nice trans but they have some glaring drawbacks, the low OD ratio and the DMF are 2 that are annoying. There a lot of us tow long and heavy with autos and they are just fine. Get better fuel mileage also. I have no sympathy for gear jammers that cannot finesse a transmission. The auto works great in all situations and is much easier to drive than a manual in traffic. For $1000 you can beef it up to handle a lot, for about $2500 and a little work you can get it to handle a lot more. The manuals are meant for heavy towing and gear jammers that cannot finesse a transmission. Once yu see how the trans works you can adjust driving to suit it and the Cummins will do the job.

3. I thought I had gotten away from the lift pump issues with the Gen2 truck. Apparently not. Are they as bad with the Gen3 rigs? I had an Airdog on my '02 that fixed everything. Should I just put another one on this truck?

I have almost 170k on the in-tank pump with no issues. They are pretty reliable as long as you buy clean fuel. A good share of the failures are due to bad fuel or contamination. A FASS\AD is a good investment if you want to go the best route for fuel quality and added filtration which is a good idea.
4. I do not see the scream for the BHAF that the Gen2 trucks had--why? Do they not fit or is the heat issue different on the Gen3? It seems a bunch tighter under the hood on the '05.

5. Smarty Jr.? I want a little more power (who doesn't...), but I do not want reliability issues. Can I run a Smarty Jr. without gauges until I figure out what gauges I want?

Get the Smarty SR (SO-6) and call it good. You have much more tunability and options. Get a full set of analog gauges and do it right. You need those to monitor the goings on anyway. The electronics are not as accurate and the analogs give a quick visual gauge to whats going on once you get used to them. Get boost, pyro, fuel pressure, rail pressure and trans temp as the base. Add a drive pressure gauge for economy if you want another.

6. I plan to Amsoil everything and do the by-pass filters with oil sampling. I regretted not doing that early on with my '02. Any comments/information to consider doing that?

Your choice but it is not really cost effective, just makes you feel better. The current fluids are fine if you follow the maintenance recs and won't cost as much. You still have to change out the Amsoil at least once a year to avoid moisture contamination so its not as effective unless you are rlling down the hiway all day.


Nice looking truck, enjoy.