Project Sno Ball....85 RamCharger

depends on what you call "involved"..lol

but ill speak from the 203...you pretty well have to dissasemble the whole unit to get the chain and sprockets out...is it dificult..no...but in the 203 there are a TON of needle bearings uncaged at that..so its a bit tedious.... all said the hardest part is benchpressing that 203 on and off the trans..thats where i found a cherry picker thru the trans tunnel made it simple...if your tunnel comes off..all said tho the unit comes apart very simple..think of it as a 4sp thats actualy a 2spd
 
Your 208d should be just as easy to rebuild as any other transfer case.. Dodge started using them in trucks around '80-'82.. can't remember which. The unit only weighs about 75 pounds, it's not terrible. The FSM calls for ATF in it. They're pretty stout units. I've hammered the hell out of mine with half a million miles on it, and I doubt it's been rebuilt. The chain slop check is a good call, tho.. I hadn't thought of that. I'm 90% sure you've got the welded trans tunnel like my '86. I think the bolt on job went the way of the dodo with the exterior refresh in '82. While the T-case hasn't given me any problems, the vacuum operated shift fork for the front axle has. They make a cable conversion for it which is operated from the cab, next to the hood pull. I highly recommend it. Another advantage of the cable conversion is that it lets you run in 2 low. Mostly, it just keeps your 4 wheel drive working reliably. I also swapped out my front hubs to Warns, as my stock units were toast when I got the truck. Fun fact, if you can find a set of '72-'73 metal door panels, they'll screw right in to your '82-'92 door.. You'll have to drill some holes on the inner door, but the mounting tabs are all still there.
 
and those metal panels are sooooo much nicer..there is a reason i had a stack of them...funny someone walked off with a bunch of my spares

hey iron ..on the 208..will it bolt into where a 203 is?...ie front/rear lines the same and same in/out on the trans/tcase?...a 75lb unit would be nice compared to that ungodly iron monster of a 203
 
I don't think it's a direct swap. I think the output shafts are different lengths, and it might have different splines going into it, but that was just two minutes on Google.. I haven't actually done that swap, because 4x4 components are heavy pieces of shit that were only designed to separate you from your fingernails through the act of pinching or crushing.
 
TheIronSausage said:
...the vacuum operated shift fork for the front axle has. They make a cable conversion for it which is operated from the cab, next to the hood pull. I highly recommend it. Another advantage of the cable conversion is that it lets you run in 2 low...
Click to expand...
Unless you have a good, common use for 2WD low, just engage the fork and leave it that way with a "blocker" bolt. There's literally no disadvantage to that, which is what Dodge figured out later by eliminating the disconnect entirely while making no other changes. Think about it: Unless you have manual lockout hubs, everything's going to be spinning whether the center disconnect is engaged or not. The axle shaft without the disconnect is turned by the wheel all the time. That shaft turns the differential, which in turn spins the driveshaft. If you do have manual lockouts, exactly what does the CAD accomplish? It's completely pointless with lockouts.

If you can get one to bolt up to your transmission, the later transfer cases are lighter yet, soak up less power, and in a lot of cases have a better low-range ratio. You might think you're gonna break one, but they're much stouter than you think. The T-case in my former boss' 1,500HP blown-alky mud rail with 58" implement tires is an unmodified NP231C out of an S10. It's never broken nor even needed attention, nor has the one in my friend Mary's '91 Toyota mud truck. She's running a serious 12:1 Chevy 402 with nitrous and rolling on cut 44" Boggers. Both compete in a 200' red-clay mud pit, which is about as nasty as it gets. Steve's out the back in under 3 seconds from a standing start on mud-slicked concrete.
 
I didn't get the CAD conversion and the lockouts at the same time. CAD was first, because my vacuum system had 400,000 miles on it, and all of the accessories are driven off of vacuum in '86 Dodges. I've since rebuilt the truck, so the things that were driven off of vacuum have either been converted, or repaired. At any rate, let's agree that using vacuum to engage a front axle is stoopid. Something was going to replace it. I worked for the Sportscar shop at the time, and we got deep discounts on the company account. I got the Posi-lok conversion pretty much at half price because of the company discount, and the parts counter chica who wanted to jump my bones. A year or two later, I swapped the pucks out of the front hubs for the Warn premiums in search of better mileage. The truck was my only car at the time, and I lived in downtown Richmond.. I was pulling 9 mpg city when gas was $4.30 a gallon.. I also used the truck to haul, and tow. Every little bit would help here, and I figured that driving another differential that wasn't driving the truck seemed like a luxury I couldn't afford. I spent $20 on the Warns. I got another mpg highway, getting me to 14. Figure that's another twenty miles per tank or so, which is another 2 gallons, or $8.60 per fillup. They paid for themselves. Since the cable was already installed, I let it be. I'll admit, that I do like my "4wd" light working as it should. I've also used 2 low, but that's pretty rare.

I just crawled under my '84 Cherokee, and it's got the same bullshit actuator in it's Dana 30.. I'll just lock it in place and get the locking hubs for it.

Edit.. Locking hubs for a Dana 35 is a $1400 conversion.. So, I'll just lock it in place.. All newer TJs ran like that just like the Dodges, as Jass mentioned.
 
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Ironically, none of this matters, because I think cows has the automatic hubs in his '84, not the doo doo CAD system..
 
Sno Ball has the CAD system I believe...vacuum operated 4wd shift /lock-in system on the front diff.
 
Need some advice....I have had the 360 just stop running in Sno-Ball now a couple times. It loose the ability to create spark. I have tried spare coil, ignition module, ballast and nothing seems to make a difference. I think it must be a wiring issue somewhere. First time it just started back up and ran fine after a cool down of a couple hours, today it stopped and it will not re-fire. It did fire for about 10-30 sec, then died again....I was messing with the ballast at the time and thought that might be my issue....but won't get any spark.

Only thing that doesn't seem right to me is that I'm only getting about 6.5V in the wiring to the ballast....should be full battery voltage before going through the ballast correct? I'm thinking one of the fusible links might be bad, or in questionable state of function...there has been some "work" done to a couple of them from previous enlightened souls....:(

I have been using wiring diagram for an 89...some stuff didn't change much...but it was fuel injection by then and the ignition system changed by then. Anyone have wiring diagrams for a 85 ram?
 
This is why I love my 1st Gen cummins....one 12V wire, two wires to the starter, crank it once and it is running. ;)
 
Your low voltage to the resistor tells me that you have a weak connection. I would start at the bulkhead. Being a plow truck I would suspect a lot of moisture made its' way to the firewall. :hmmm:
 
do a me favor..mid crank let go of the key..try it a few times......these trucks had a very weird issue that i never could track down and that was while cranking they wont start but that instant the key clicks off of crank while engine is still turning they will sometimes fire....and its an intermitent problem

i eventualy re-wired my whole truck with a 72-74 TRUCK harness as its the most simple of all the harnesses and has none of the extra BS yet will slip into the first gen rc's without issue

potential ignition switch issue?>..also run a jumper ground directly off the battery to the volt reg and ignition box...i never figured out why but ive had many a truck that wouldnt run unless that was done
 
Stretch had a similar problem with a '73 Charger (not his) not too long ago. He was losing his mind. Check and double-check your alternator wiring, particularly the field wires and especially the blue one. In the case of Stretch's problem-child Charger, I told him to check the alternator. He said everything looked kosher, but on his first look he missed it: Someone had installed a roundback alternator rather than a squareback. The 12V+ at the ballast resistor was being affected by the voltage regulator. Turns out you can't just hook that extra field wire up to the "unused" brush on a roundback. :doh: Before you even ask: No, it was not enough to full-field the alternator. He'd definitely have noticed that.

Another potential for starting/stalling problems: If it's a dual-pickup distributor, look for a relay that bears a striking resemblance to the starter relay, but with only 5 terminals, all blades. It'll have two plugs; one has two terminals and the other has three. Try unplugging the two-terminal plug and see if there's any change. If not, disconnect the three-terminal plug and try a jumper between the center terminal and either of the two others. The center pin provides signal to the module, the other two wires are from the distributor pickups. The wire from the primary pickup should match the wiring color of the center pin. The other should be different. In 1981, the module's signal wire was grey as was the primary pickup's wire. The secondary pickup used a black wire. Disconnecting the two-terminal plug has the same effect as putting a jumper across the two matching wires in the three-terminal plug. Most guys aren't even aware of that relay's existence, and it can be a real bastard to diagnose.

OE number for the relay is 4145370, Standard Motor Products number is SR115. You're gonna want that information for the parts guy; it can be a devilishly-tough part to find in cataloguing. Some places have it erroneously listed as a starter relay.

Your other option, of course, is to just bypass the relay entirely and connect the two same-colored wires together. There is no real downside to doing so, as you'll just be using the primary coil like any single-pickup distributor would. The second pickup retards timing a few degrees during starting and at other times when the system's rudimentary controls call for it. Six of one, half-dozen of the other. If you like to have stuff work as designed, it should be easy enough to repair. If you honestly don't care, bypass it. If you decide to bypass it, though, it might not be a bad idea to change the plug on the secondary pickup. VR sensor failures are pretty rare, but it would get you home in the event you had one on the primary side... you'd just be a little retarded. :hmmm:
 
Doc I think you might be onto something....there is a relay right next to the actual starter relay that I think is what you describe. I have been looking at it and trying to figure out what it is for....figured it was part of the plow wiring system since I have never seen the likes before. I will pop the Dizzy cap and look for dual pick ups....if there is, then that might be my culprit? I truly do not care about all the goodies working as they are supposed to, prefer it to start every time and stay running.

69.../the wagon does exactly as you describe...cranks and fires off just as the key is half way to the off position. It started doing this after I wired it for electronic ignition, but only does it with certain electronic ignition modules. I have tried 4 and 5 pin modules, new coil, ballast resistor, ignition switch etc. It will only run perfectly on two different ignition modules, one a 4 pin, one a 5 pin and both old and crusty. I have checked and re-checked the wiring a dozen times, plus checked to make sure the dizzy is wired up properly etc.

I was thinking about the excess of wiring on the RC and going with a more simple set-up....good to know that the early stuff plugs right in. I was thinking about pulling the engine bay ignition wiring and redoing it as a simple stand alone set-up and weeding out all the unnecessary components.
 
hell you could dumb it down to just about any year truck harness..im not certain the pinout at the wall is the same..but the pins are..so you should be able to dumb the bay down to 74-76 with little issue..stay away from 1979/80 as everything started changing everything pre 76 is certain to be "simple" with as minimal wiring as possible...and outside of how the firewall plug aranngement is should be plug n play..i belive even the turn signal and marker plugs remained the same...i once took an 82? slanty PU..whos owner wanted it SIMPLE always get me home...swapped it to single pickup and a holley 1bl..used a 74 pu harness..but that was easily close to 20 years ago..so the details are foggy at best
 
Well Doc I tried your suggestions and I still have no spark. In fact I today I now have no voltage to the ballast resistor.

I pulled the bulk head connector and checked for cooked/burnt wires...surprisingly in great shape!
 
Well I got figured out. It was extremely poor grounds, battery negative cable was junk, so new HD cables and cleaned all the grounds, engine, body etc. Then the lack of power to the ballast was another bad connection at the starter relay....pink wire that supplies 12V was dirty and stretched, so fixed that and cleaned it up and now have the 12V to the ballast. Then it still wouldn't fire, so pulled the ign module from the wagon and tossed it on...Fired right up! So thought maybe it was bad grounds on the ignition module...so I cleaned those up and re-installed...would not fire. So Had to buy a new module...which really hurt since I have 4 spare ones in all my parts up in PG...:(

Regardless it fires right up now and seems to run smoother then before. Thanks everyone for your help, thoughts and opinions!
 
thrashingcows said:
It was extremely poor grounds,........
Then the lack of power to the ballast was another bad connection at the starter relay...
Click to expand...

Bad connections....:hmmm:......hmmmmm.....I wish I had thought of that.




Oh wait, I DID. :doh:


:toot:
 
and ppl wonder why i still love POINTS....no modules, no pickups..just a set of contacts and nothing else
 
I was wishing I had access to my parts inventory...I have an old small block points dizzy, or an actual GM HEI dizzy I had converted to run small block dodge, had that made up years ago....ran it on the 70 Sport fury for a couple years with the 360 with no issues.
 
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