CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

'89 R3500 Crew Cab 2wd to 4wd conversion & beyond

Started out with 2wd TBI350 with SM465 to current 4wd with 454, 700r4, NP241
I learned something new…..I had never heard of it so I googled 215 and Volkswagen 80w90 came up…..I was thinking well it ain’t no wonder it does t make any noise…..the pump can’t turn
 
I've run Amsoil tractor transmission oil since I first started the build.

ATH-New.jpg

It was something that came from discussions on Pirate4x4 when people were having trouble with PSC pumps. This was before the Swepco recommendations were being pushed.

I haven't flushed it but I did drain at least half of the system this past year during the engine swap and front clip work. It was all by accidental spilling. :doah: I did go thru the entire bleeding process (hydroboost and steering), but I'm wondering if I might have some air trapped in the ram.

The pump is probably 13 years old now. It's a PSC pump I had on the K5 before the crew cab.

It started making the start up noise the morning we ran Eagle Rock/Saran Wrap. It was pretty cold that morning. It worked fine all day on the trail. I've started it to up a couple mornings since then and it's growled at me for a bit and then quieted down.

Sounds like I should think about flushing out the fluid and switch over to Swepco.
 
When you were up here you were at 9000' and it was probably 10 degrees outside overnight. That was a cold week. If that's the only time then don't worry about it. The 715 doesn't list viscosity below 40c so who knows if it would help. There are however PS oils with good cold weather temperature viscosity if you want to try those. Ac delco has one with a pour point lower than 715.

I don't winter wheel. Too much raw aluminum on my truck. Teller county would be fine as its just sand, but anywhere north and your hosed.
 
It's definitely temperature related. Took the crew cab down to Circle K Thursday afternoon for their National Fuel Day. It was about 50° and no complaints from the steering pump.

Maybe the answer is a block heater and I'll never hear it again.
 
I have used ATF for decades because of being around semi trucks that use it. KW uses it still. Other brands do, except for Mack, which uses engine oil. So I just started using it in my pickups.
I just wonder if the 5W-30 rating on the oil that you are using is just barely too thick below a certain temperature.

My suggestion is to change the oil, don't even need to worry about draining lines, just empty the reservoir. The Lucas should mix fine with whatever oil you add.
 
I have used ATF for decades because of being around semi trucks that use it. KW uses it still. Other brands do, except for Mack, which uses engine oil. So I just started using it in my pickups.
I just wonder if the 5W-30 rating on the oil that you are using is just barely too thick below a certain temperature.

My suggestion is to change the oil, don't even need to worry about draining lines, just empty the reservoir. The Lucas should mix fine with whatever oil you add.
My freightliner uses engine oil.
I have used different fluids in different applications, sometimes because it's what I had, other times to bandaid a problem like this.
They are all lubricants but each has different properties to optimize their use but in a pinch they all work
 
My freightliner uses engine oil.
I have used different fluids in different applications, sometimes because it's what I had, other times to bandaid a problem like this.
They are all lubricants but each has different properties to optimize their use but in a pinch they all work
We had a Freightliner and a Sterling that used ATF.
We put engine oil in an International (dual steering boxes) that was low on pressure and leaking once and it was noisy as heck and jumpy until they could let us take the truck out of service and fix it.
 
I have used ATF for decades because of being around semi trucks that use it. KW uses it still. Other brands do, except for Mack, which uses engine oil. So I just started using it in my pickups.
I just wonder if the 5W-30 rating on the oil that you are using is just barely too thick below a certain temperature.

My suggestion is to change the oil, don't even need to worry about draining lines, just empty the reservoir. The Lucas should mix fine with whatever oil you add.
I don't remember the old bottles saying 5w-30 which makes me wonder if they have changed it up.

It was 15° when I started it up to drive to work yesterday; it did not like that!

I'm other news, Saturday I drove down to the squarebody food drive and tracked the fuel mileage. It was about 2.5hrs highway and 1 hour stop and go city driving, and I mean we hit EVERY staging light, err I mean traffic light, red. I got almost 9.5mpg. That's at least 1mpg better than the old setup. On the highway miles to the Rubicon it averaged out to about 8.5mpg. I remember because we thought it would do better on straight highway mileage keeping it 65mph and we ended up blowing our fuel budget.

So it looks like the new setup is better. Heck 1mpg improvement on a 2-1/2 day road trip would have been significant.
 
On an unrelated topic, I picked up a DJI Air 3 on the Black Friday sale. Gonna use it for capturing Circus adventures. We shot some footage Saturday after the for drive.

We still have a lot to figure out with the active tracking. Even though it has obstacle avoidance, the aspens with no leaves were also making us nervous. The sensors don't pick up tiny branches well.

Had my oldest son pilot the drone this time. He did a lot of filming manually following the truck. We decided one issue was the white truck surrounded by snow. You could tell from the controller screen, the hood was what the active tracking seemed to pick up on.

 
On an unrelated topic, I picked up a DJI Air 3 on the Black Friday sale. Gonna use it for capturing Circus adventures. We shot some footage Saturday after the for drive.

We still have a lot to figure out with the active tracking. Even though it has obstacle avoidance, the aspens with no leaves were also making us nervous. The sensors don't pick up tiny branches well.

Had my oldest son pilot the drone this time. He did a lot of filming manually following the truck. We decided one issue was the white truck surrounded by snow. You could tell from the controller screen, the hood was what the active tracking seemed to pick up on.

Wait a second, what is that truck?
Is that a GMT400?
Looks like a Tahoe converted to a crewcab?
 

Latest Posts

Top Bottom