Starter system troubleshooting, possible culprit found

This morning, I used the start system troubleshooting procedures in the service manual (that thing is essential!). The first test requires jumping the contacts in the starter relay. I had disconnected the ground terminal on the battery before jumping the relay, and as I was reconnecting it, the starter began cranking! This was confusing to me, as I hadn't put the key in the ignition yet. Before the battery could die, I tapped the jumper, and the starter stopped. Hopping in the cab, I attempted to start it properly. It started without issue. Not wanting to die of CO poisoning (I was in a closed garage). I pensively shut the engine back off, and completely removed the jumper, checked the ground terminal again, opened the garage door, and attempted to start the engine again. No cranking this time. My hypothesis is that the relay contacts are shot, and they still intermittently conduct, but they are finally working less of the time rather than more. I'm heading to Autozone to pick up a new relay, hopefully it works.

Starter failure, new one on the way

Today Santa broke down the in work parking lot on my first day (sucks)! Talk about embarrassing. Anyways, the engine wouldn't crank, just a loud click would emanate from the engine bay when I would turn the key. I attempted a jump, but that didn't work. The battery seemed to be fully charged, the lights and horn worked without issue. Assuming the click was from the starter relay or solenoid, I ordered a new high-torque starter from Summit Racing. I've decided that whenever a system fails on the truck, I'll upgrade rather than just replace OEM. This way every weak link on the truck will gradually be addressed. The starter should arrive in a few days.

Power Steering Fluid Fill-Up

Today I noticed some serious whirring coming from the engine bay when I turned the wheel. Hoping the power steering fluid was low, I swung by Advanced Auto in Colchester and picked up some fluid, and some Bosch platinum +4 spark plugs. After filling the pump (over-filling it, actually), the noise went away immediately. I waited on the plugs, and after doing some research on the net today, I've decided on returning the plugs, and doing a little more homework before altering the ignition system.

First Oil Change, K&N Filter Install

Even though I had just bought a new paper filter, I just couldn't ignore the cheap performance of a K&N air filter. Last night I called the Advanced Auto in Colchester. They didn't have the OEM replacement in stock, but they could have it in the next day. Talk about service! I figured since I was driving out there to pick up the filter, that I would change the oil, since I really had no idea of the service history of the vehicle. After doing some research, I decided on Royal Purple synthetic 10W-30, and a WIX oil filter. Mark's United Auto Parts, also in Colchester, carries WIX filters and Royal Purple oil (Advanced Auto also carries Royal Purple). According to the Owner's Manual, the 318 takes 5 quarts. All told, just the oil and filter was over $60! I hoped it was worth the steep price, considering most dealerships charge less than $20 for an oil change.

Arriving home, I got down to it. First, I replaced the paper air filter with the K&N. I did this before backing the truck into the garage, to see if I could tell a difference in performance with the old oil still in the truck. I didn't notice any difference, but I wasn't really driving around, either. With the truck in position, I put the oil pan into place, grabbed my ratchet with 1/2" socket, crawled onto the creeper, found the drain plug on the back of the oil pan, and opened 'er up. After seeing what came out, I sure was glad I decided to change the oil when I did! Opaque, charcoal grey, viscous goop slowly drained out. Taking a look at the drain plug, I noticed a small rubber gasket. It was totally destroyed, and fell apart from some gentle testing with my finger. Being a Sunday night, all the auto parts stores were either closed, or so far away that they would be by the time I got to them. I had to use the truck tomorrow morning, so I needed to improvise. The Home Depot in town had O-rings, but no flat rubber gaskets of the appropriate size. Desperate, I set out to the Walmart in Rocky Hill. No gaskets, but at least some blue RTV. I returned home, cleaned off the drain plug and area around the drain with some mineral spirits, put a bead of RTV on the drain plug, and re-installed it tight, but not too tight, with the socket. I had to wait an hour for the RTV to set, so in the time being I figured I'd remove the old FRAM oil filter. Some jerk had previously over-tightened the damn thing (like every oil filter I've run across in my limited experience working on cars), so it took a strap wrench, a fair bit of cursing, and bending the hell out of the old filter to eventually coax it off. A quick 15 minute break to round out the hour, and I was ready to install the new filter and refill the sump. Filling the filter with about a pint of oil and pre-moistening the seal, I crawled back under the truck and did some more cursing as I attempted to install the filter without cross-threading while oil dripped down my sleeve. It seems all my vehicles have their oil filters in the most awkward places! After that goofiness, I finally reached the easy part. I opened the cap on the valve cover, stuck in the funnel, and poured in the other 4.5 quarts. Now was the real test. This was only the second oil change I've done on one of my vehicles, the first being on my 1995 Lincoln Town Car. Believe me, that is not a vehicle you want to try to change the oil on! It was a 3 hour fiasco, and I had help! This time I gave myself 50/50 odds. Either I would have no oil pressure, and $8.99 a quart oil spraying out from either an improperly sealed filter or the RTV'd drain plug, or it would be a complete success. Time for start-up. The oil light came on for a second, then shut off. A few more seconds... Whew! Running like a champ, and sounding much stronger, less like a farm tractor. No leaks on the ground. Time to take it around the block to see what the effects of the new oil and air filter would be on drivability. What a world of difference! Just from a non-scientific seat of the pants interpretation, torque really stayed the same, but now the amount of effort (butterfly position, engine RPM) required to accelerate up to a decent speed was drastically reduced, giving the driver more pedal to work with, and reducing stress on the engine. Also the engine actually responds when I floor the pedal. Before, it would just start to gradually accelerate.

In conclusion, the $115 I spent was well worth the increase in performance and drivability. Santa is finally becoming less of a pig, and actually enjoyable to drive. I fell good things down the road...

Some Pictures of the truck

Here is Santa the truck. We had a snow storm here yesterday, so the is a bunch of snow, ice, sand, and salt all over the truck, so it is hard to tell what is rust and damage, or just crud.










This is a photo really just meant to illustrate the general condition of the frame overall. There is definite surface rust all over the frame, but I haven't noticed any real problem areas. It's hard to tell what the condition really is in this photo, due to build-up of salt residue.










Here is Santa's heart, a throttle body injection, roller cam, Chrysler LA 318ci V-8. 94,xxx miles, and still running strong. I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the engine bay when I first opened it up. I really like the idea of those rubber baffles to the left and right of the engine in these trucks.










Here is some mystery item on the left-hand side of the engine bay. I photographed it because one of the rubber hoses connected to it has torn, and become disconnected from wherever it had been before. I don't know what this thing is, as I only have a rudimentary knowledge of engine components, and cannot visually recognize most of the more esoteric accoutrement under the hood. The torn hose looks to me like a vacuum line, but I'm not sure. I will find out when I get the factory service manual.










Here is a partial photo of the interior. There is a lot of junk in the cab, but the carpet, seats, and dashboard are actually in pretty good shape. Someone stole the radio and the transfer case knob while the truck was on Airport road in Hartford, waiting to be sold. A buddy of mine has a car stereo he said he would sell me cheap, but I'm not sure where I can get a new transfer case shifter knob. The four wheel drive indicator panel doesn't currently work, but I'm hoping that's just because the radio was cut out.

That's it for pics today, my hands got painfully cold in a matter of minutes this morning, it was freakin' cold outside! Maybe I'll take some more tomorrow.

First Post - Intro

Hello, my name is Jackson LaRose, and this blog is about the truck I purchased yesterday, a 1988 Dodge W-100. I named it Santa, because it is big, red, and loves the snow. This will be a working record of my modifications to the truck as well as a general info site to hopefully inform and educate. I will post some photos tomorrow. I haven't done much so far, here's a list:

1. Ordered a factory service manual yesterday
2. New stock replacement air filter (because the Advanced Auto parts in Hartford didn't have the appropriate K&N)

I've been posting my questions on www.ramchargercentral.com a great website with helpful folks willing to answer any of my questions regarding the truck (even though I don't have a Ramcharger, the two vehicles are very similar, much like a Ford F-Series truck and a full-size Bronco). I will link any relevant threads to this blog. I guess that's it for the introduction.