service manual illustrations

[Archive]

Has anyone noticed the illustration ID numbers in the factory service manual?

The majority have the format J (model year first used)(group number for that model year)-(sequence number). Thus you have, for example, J9309-101 as ID for the gas 5.9 main bearing illustration. The illustration appears for the first time in the '93 model year manual, it was prepared primarily for group 9 (engine) and 101 evidently means it was the 101st illustration created new for 1993 group 9 not necessarily the sequence within the group.

A casual glance at any chapter reveals Dodge liberally "cut and pasted" from prior years' service manuals to assemble the '93 service manual. And no doubt this practice was used before the '93 manual and continues after.

Some observations based on the above:

For '93 there is no mention of the W350 4X4 Club Cab 149" wheel base configuration in the INTRODUCTION section of the manual. Reason: the configuration table is coded J90IN-39. That is, it was prepared for the 1990 model year manual INTRODUCTION section. In 1990 that configuration was not offered.

In the '93 group 11 section, EXHAUST AND INTAKE MANIFOLD, the Throttle Body Assembly is depicted and has ID 9209-68.
That would mean that it first appeared in the 1992 model year manual and in that manual it was prepared for group 9.
It was "borrowed" for group 11 in '93.

An interesting case is Group 21, TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFER CASE, for 1993. The overhaul procedure for the Getrag G360 manual transmission is only published in the 1993 service manual.
Since the removal and installation illustrations are coded J91, they appeared first in the '91 manual, but all of the overhaul illustrations are
coded J93 as is the line drawing of the G360 cross section (it shows the transmission with the type of shift lever to recive the 1993 "bent" shifter). The J91 illustrations show the shift lever with threads for the screw on straight shift lever extention. The -xxx numbers of each of the J93 illustrations follow closely, but not exactly, the order of appearance in the section. It seems this number indicates the order in which they were produced.

One final example that has to do with the hand throttle I want to install. My service manual shows the hand throttle in group 23, BODY COMPONENTS, but 1992's and 1993's did not have this option available. The illustration is coded J9123-556. Dodge saved some money by using the '91 (it was available in '91) illustration for the acelerator and not redoing the illustration to reflect no hand throttle for '93.

You can't do that much cut and paste without some problems.

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'93 W350 Club Cab, 5 sp., Factory Options: LE, 4.10, LS, 7600 lb. rear springs, tachometer, front stabilizer bar. Mods: Banks stinger plus, Linex bedliner, 25,000 lb gooseneck, 10,000 lb receiver, Tekonsha brake controller,
PW injectors.