Brake Controller and Diablo Sport Predator programmer
The 285 tires on my new truck were causing the speedo to be off by around 7% (reading slower than really going), which also screwed the mileage and mpg computer. I had been planning to get a power programmer to mod some of the rev/speed limiter on it as well as try out some more aggressive timings, but was going to wait a little while. Well, I finally just decided...to go ahead and buy a Diablo Sport Predator programmer (it can clear/read error codes, unlock the rev/speed limiter, and compensate the computer/speedo for different sized tires, plus has 5 custom tunes to download for more HP as well as a full real time electronic diagnostic monitor (like boost pressure, ambiant barametric pressure, fuel temp, engine temp, speed, rpms, idle rpm set points, injector flow/pcm, mass air flow, emmissions, etc.). I got it for $350 off Ebay, NIB. Worked like a charm and got the speedo working just right. I'm still getting use to some of the more aggressive tune settings and it is really making the adaptive learning Allison transmission shift points seem flat/harsh and just plain bad (at least on the +65Hp setting). I'm not going to get too crazy until I get a pyrometer for the EGT so I don't melt my turbo.

Also, needed to wire up the electronic brake controller. You have to pay for the "Z82" wiring option (or have it as an option on your truck) to get the trailer brake controller pigtail, the 40A fuse, and a 7-to-4 plug adapter. I got it with mine.

I spent all day trying to figure out what was wrong with my wiring job on my Voyager brake controller in my new truck with that factory supplied pig tail. Triple checked everything and the wiring diagrams. Well, finally, just started volt metering everything out. Turns out, my pig tail had the red power wire in the wrong slot in the factory supplied connector/jumper. It was in the middle left (looking at it plugged in), and it should have been in the middle right (per voltmeter). Every other pin was correct and accounted for (checked brake feed pin and dome light pin). Son-of-a-!#$@!#. Are you kidding me? Working fine now that I swapped it over (the one it was suppose to be in was not filled).

Wow...never would have thought to double check that the pigtail from the factory was correctly wired. Thank god it wasn't wired backwards or it would have fried my brake controller.

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- posted by Jeff @ 10:41 PM | 1 comments

 
More on the truck
I really need to get some mud flaps for my truck (both front and back). The 285/75/R16 Dualer A/T tires are wider and kick up lots of crap on the side. Unfortunately, the clearance to the rear fender well on the front tires is too tight to fit much in there (already rubbing on the fender well when you crank...it all the way to the left). I'm thinking that some custom stainless steel Putco Mudskins on that seems to be my best hope.

Also, I was driving home last night, and listening to the XM radio, diesel noise, road/tire noise, traffic, etc., and still noticed an annoying buzzing in my ear. It was sort of like static, or the RF noise that comes over your AM radio when you rev your engine. Well, there was what looked like a little speaker or mic pick up right near my head on the ceiling. Turned off the radio and everything, and it stayed on. Thought maybe it was something for OnStar, but powered through everything. Headed straight over to the dealership. They said it was NOT a speaker, but an air intake for the auto-climate control, and that there was a mini fan in there for the aspirator to pull in the cab air. Well, it was pissing me off, and noisy. They said they could fix it (they knew what it was right away...so must be a LOT of bad ones)...but not right then. Son-of-a...

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- posted by Jeff @ 11:27 PM | 3 comments

 
New Truck
After speculating about a truck for almost 3 months (thinking seriously about it for about 4 weeks), I finally went down and bought the bank a new truck. Been sick about it ever since.

Funny how much better tires/wheels make a truck look (especially these new Chevy crew cabs). The one on the left is my 1995 Chevy K1500 4x4 Z71 Extended Cab with 90k miles on it. The one in the middle is the dealer stock photo for my new 2005 Chevy 2500HD 4x4 Duramax Diesel Crew Cab (yes, it is the actual truck, but with stock aluminum 16" wheels and 245/75/R16 tires). The one on the right is after they put new Ultra Stargazer 16"x8" wheels, 285/75/R16 Bridgestone Dualer A/T tires, nerf bars, diamond plate bed rails, and a bed mat in for me.

Old...	...new...	...and improved

Here are some more pictures...



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- posted by Jeff @ 9:22 PM | 0 comments

 
Thinking about getting a new truck
I've been thinking about replacing my 10 year old truck with something a bit more appropriate to towing this heavy travel trailer we bought. I've driven the Ford F250 powerstrokes and the GMC/Chevrolet Duramax 2500HD's. I like the Chevy's. Found one (Stock #150793) I really like at Edmark Chevrolet, but it is MSRP of $48,000. Anyway...

...they have a below invoice price of $39,152, but after adding endcaps, nerf bars, tires, wheels, and bed mat, it is $40,983. I'm thinking of selling my truck. It will be hard to let it go. It has been a GREAT truck and I still think of it as being "new".

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- posted by Jeff @ 8:34 PM | 0 comments

 
Camper pictures
Well, we went to Given's Hotsprings to test out the new camper a couple weekends ago. We wanted to go somewhere close and with water and A/C hook ups, and that had swimming.

It went pretty well, but...

...we had a couple minor hic-ups. The water pump was broken and leaking, but Bodily RV fixed it that morning for us. Then the filter wasn't working and it took a long time to figure out why nothing would come out of the faucets (it had worked fine while de-winterizing it). Then, the A/C hookups were WAAAAY under powered (they were using the normal 15A household plugs, but had 30A breakers on them...and looked like they had been on fire a couple times...grin), and so, they wouldn't run the microwave or air condition. The microwave would turn, and the light would come on but no fan or heat. Weird. The air-conditioner would kill power to everything.

The furnace fan is pretty noisy at night, and the short queen is...short. Dropped Brady on his head in his portable child seat from the slide out dinning seat. He was not too pleased about that. The grill is pretty weak, but should do the job. I wish we had more exterior accessible storage area.

It was easy/quick to pack up and leave though...

We also got right at 7 mpg and were passed on a windy 2-lane road by a fully loaded semi-truck...grin. Poor truck doesn't quite have enough to pull this beast.

Here are some pictures:



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- posted by Jeff @ 8:20 PM | 0 comments