Traveling with TDR Writer, Sam Memmolo, last week, we discussed a whole lot of stuff. One topic we tossed around was ways to have a some fun on the TDR website. We both agreed that the best way to generate some fun would be to give something away. So, let’s give a $100 diesel fuel card away. Consider your response to the following:
“If I knew then, what I know now . . . .” And no, we do not want to hear about your sex life or marital woes. We do want to hear about your turbo diesel exploits.
To be included in this drawing, you simply need to post your response to this question. We will put the name of all TDR Members who respond to our challenge into a hat on Sunday, March 16, and we will draw one lucky TDR Member to receive a $100 diesel fuel card.
Gentlemen (and ladies), start your posts.
Robert Patton Editor, TDR
* * *
Updated: March 17, 2008. And the winner of the $100 fuel card (to be mailed on Monday morning) is . . . (drum roll please) . . .
With the ever increasing cost of diesel fuel, we're all looking for ways to put a few extra dollars into our pockets. TDR Member Danny Stewart has done just that. Danny is our Issue 59 winner of the $100 drawing from TDR members who referred other TDR Members to us. No kidding, check's in the mail, Danny.
And thanks too all of you who continue to help increase the TDR membership. Your efforts via conversations, sharing copies of the magazine, and handing out brochures to other Turbo Diesel owners are appreciated and recorded when new owners join us. Those of you who have given a gift subscription or gift renewal, you're included in this group too.
Each issue, we list all TDR Members who referred a new member to us. Just before going to print, we pick a name (from that list) out of the proverbial hat. That lucky TDR Member gets a check for $100.
TDR Issue 59 was mailed from our printer's facility this week (January 28 - February 1, 2008). Please allow 10 - 14 days for delivery to your doorstep.
Issue 59's theme is, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
Realize that that the assignment was made to TDR Writers back in October, so their comments did not take into account the newly unveiled 2009 Dodge Ram. We'll have them share their views on this truck in the next Issue of the Turbo Diesel Register.
I didn't know how the writers would respond to this theme. Yet again, they managed to address this topic while providing insightful information on a number of technical issues relating to our trucks:
- Clutches. Leno, Holmes and Anderson discuss clutch repair.
- 6.7-Liter Engine. Writers Patton, Holmes, Anderson and Mikonis share their experiences working on the 6.7-liter engine and driving '07.5 trucks with the new engine.
- Batteries. Writers Holmes and Anderson discuss problems that often occur with batteries in the winter months.
- NV4500 Fifth Gear Nut. Anderson and Nelson give updates on the problem that continues to plague this gearbox.
- Steep Learning Curves. Patton, Holmes, Memmolo and Cameron talk about their 6.7-liter engine and the steep learning curve that Dodge and Cummins are experiencing with this engine. Note that Kevin Cameron's "Getting It Right" article is particularly insightful.
- SEMA Show. Several writers attended the show and have written about their impressions. After attending for the past eleven years, I can assure you that there were not any earth-shattering new products released at 2007's show.
In addition to these articles, what else can you expect in Issue 59? Well, in the past five issues we've been talking about lube oil. I'm thinking that this issue's correspondence by John Martin will be the conclusion to our technical discussion. Martin shares with us comments from others in the lube oil business about the CJ and CI lube oil products.
You'll also see a follow-up article on my personal Mega Cab long-bed conversion. I am very impressed with the truck. I hope you enjoy my insights. The only problem? Where to park when in crowded urban areas.
And in an attempt to address the ever popular question of air intake systems, we've included a five-page update that discusses air density and its impact on your engine.
Don't forget, we've included the 2008 Travel Companion in this mailing. I'd like to express my personal appreciation for all of you who offer assistance to other TDR Members. It is this kind of community alliance that makes us what we are. We get telephone calls regularly from stranded TDR Members seeking help while traveling. And in almost every case we get a follow up call passing on praise for the TDR Member who rendered help.
I'm hopeful you will enjoy this 144-page issue of the Turbo Diesel Register.
Issue 58 was mailed week ending November 9, 2007 from our printer's facility in Anderson, SC. Please allow 10 - 14 days for delivery to your doorstep. International subscribers, you're in luck. Your magazines were mailed week ending November 2, 2007 from our offices in Atlanta, GA. Your magazines should also arrive over the next 10 - 14 days.
What is in Issue 58? As the Chrysler Group drafts its key personnel, we take a look at those personalities in our BITW Column.
Yet, the real highlight for most Turbo Diesel owners may well be the continuing saga of the CJ Spec lube oil.
Here at the TDR offices, we've purchased a new '07.5 Mega cab, long bed with the 6.7-liter engine. In Issue 58 we asked our writers to revisit the topic of "best truck accessories" to help us dial in the new '07.5. You'll enjoy reading about their favorite things.
Writers Doug Leno and Scott Dalgleish talk about a common goal of 500hp from a HPCR 5.9-liter engine. It is interesting to watch them in their quest for horsepower through their informative "How To" articles.
Andy Mikonis follows up with the "Ask the Engineer" questions covering the Chrysler 68RFE automatic transmission that web readers submitted. Editor's Note: In my 7,500 miles with the new transmission, it is a great gearbox.
As is a yearly occurrence, we've summarized Dodge's Technical Service Bulletins for the year '06 - '07.
Last - but certainly not least - another yearly occurrence, the TDR 2008 calendar will be shipped with Issue 58. This year we had over 250 entries, and the photo quality was excellent. Did you make the final 12? Congratulations to everyone who had a truck published in this calendar, and thank you to all who participated. It is time now to start working on your entries for 2009.
As always, I sincerely hope you will enjoy this issue of the TDR.
TDR Issue 57 was mailed from the printer during the week of July 30 - August 3, 2007. Your copy should arrive shortly. What's in Issue 57? Let's start with the following directive that was sent to the TDR Writers:
For Issue 57, the theme will be coffee table/internet engineering. You know the kind: You get the Jegs/Summit/JC Whitney catalog and spread ‘em out on the table. You chose the biggest and the best cam, intake manifold, headers, carb, pistons and cylinder heads. The orders for parts arrive, and on the way back from the mailbox you sing a little Frank Sinatra, ‘I did it my way.’
The next stop is assembly. You work through some minor problems and the components are forced together. The moment of truth: It cranks and runs! Congratulations.
Yes, it runs, but it runs like a dog. Would it have been better to consult someone with experience? Do you really believe all the stuff you read on the internet?
Coffee table/internet engineering. Do you have any stories to tell? This should be fun.
Now you know the directive. As usual some of the writers used the theme, some did it. You’ll find their articles on this subject scattered throughout the magazine.
In addition to the staff's assignment, you will find these articles of interest in Issue 57:
- 2008 TDR Calendar Contest (UPDATE: the calendar will be printed as we have found advertiser sponsors to offset the cost of printing)
- Timbren Suspension System installation by Bill Stockard.
- Wheels, tires and suspension upgrades by Doug Leno.
- 5.9 HPCR engine performance upgrades, Part 5, by Doug Leno.
- 6.7 engine overview by Joe Donnelly.
- A revisit of the best repair techniques for fixing the dowel pin on 12-valve engines.
- Analysis of lube oil (we added 13 more oils to our previous comparison of 8) and conclusions about the CJ specification of oil by John Martin.
- An article on a Mega Cab Long Bed Conversion.
With the TDR at 172 pages, you should be busy reading and not sweating the hot August sun.
TDR - Magazine
Traveling with TDR Writer, Sam Memmolo, last week, we discussed a whole lot of stuff. One topic we tossed around was ways to have a some fun on the TDR website. We both agreed that the best way to generate some fun would be to give something away. So, let’s give a $100 diesel fuel card away. Consider your response to the following:
visit site
printer version
With the ever increasing cost of diesel fuel, we're all looking for ways to put a few extra dollars into our pockets. TDR Member Danny Stewart has done just that. Danny is our Issue 59 winner of the $100 drawing from TDR members who referred other TDR Members to us. No kidding, check's in the mail, Danny. 
TDR Issue 59 was mailed from our printer's facility this week (January 28 - February 1, 2008). Please allow 10 - 14 days for delivery to your doorstep. 
Issue 58 was mailed week ending November 9, 2007 from our printer's facility in Anderson, SC. Please allow 10 - 14 days for delivery to your doorstep. International subscribers, you're in luck. Your magazines were mailed week ending November 2, 2007 from our offices in Atlanta, GA. Your magazines should also arrive over the next 10 - 14 days. 
TDR Issue 57 was mailed from the printer during the week of July 30 - August 3, 2007. Your copy should arrive shortly. What's in Issue 57? Let's start with the following directive that was sent to the TDR Writers: