1998 Dodge Ram Shaking and exhaust

I tmay have a trans issue. if any of the codes are 0700 to 0795 have a trans guy look at it.

Ok thanks. he is going to pull up codes when he gets off work. Will the code reader at Autozone throw out Tranny codes?
Oh and also I notice in the morning that a little white smoke comes out of the tail pipe. Not sure if it does it at other times of day, if it is a part of the problem, or if it is a sign of a problem.

autozone can pull tranny codes up and if white smoke when warm then have coolant system pressure checked for head gasket leak.

Yes it is warm when it does it. It is just a little bit of white smoke for right now. For that we would (hopefully) only have to change the head gaskets as long as there is no cracked head or block?
That is 1 issue down.

ya head gaskets go first but have it checked. first as it may be something else. heads and blocks normally don't crack unless it's been severely overheated.

When I drive the moment i see the temp rise I find a place to pull over.(The husband is slightly braver) The truck has overheated twice and we can not find a leak but we check the coolant level every 2 days and it seems to loosing it. We checked freeze plugs, hoses, radiator and no leaks or cracks. Would the water be traveling into the oil? Would it make the oil milky or something to that effect?

get it tested first. head gaskets do funy things. if no internal leaks then check radiator for cold spots if there are the radiator is no good.after it's tested then recontact.

Ok Thank you.
Will let you know what the code reader throws.

He got a Cylinder 8 misfire P0308.

do yourself a favor and have a pro diagnose what is wrong these are very hard to find the problem as it can be a sensor as well as plug, wires and or injector or basic engine stuff. it is to hard for a diy to dump money into parts only to have the same problem.

Yea we want to have a pro look at it but they charge a minimum of $100 and I don't have it right now. So frustrating!
My husband is a diesel mechanic helper, wish it were the same as Auto mechanic, would make it sooooo much easier!

We found a mechanic that we could semi afford and the truck is being checked out now.
Not gonna lie, feeling kind of sick.

it may be something minor thing happen

The mechanic said it is the Valves. The eighth cylinder is dead! We are so screwed! The mechanic estimates $1200 IF he doesn't have to replace one of the heads. I don't know what we will do. Thanks for the help!

if hubby is a diesel mechanic he can surely take ahead off and have autoparts or an auto rebuilder fix the valve. torque is done in 3 steps 50-105-105 ft.lbs. lot easier than a diesel head lighter too lol. see pic for sequence.

The torque was was he didn't know for an auto engine. I will show him this.
I imagine it is a hell of a lot lighter. He talks about work a lot. He lift stuff he shouldn't all the time so these should be easy peasy to lift lol. Thank you!

i used to lift stuff that was heavy but now h ave a bad back and a broken bone in it so I can 't do that stuff any longer. if he stays with it he'll be the same when he's old like me lol.

He Lifts a lot less than he used too. He worked on a Dredge for 7 years and did a lot he shouldn't have. I am always on him to not do that kind of stuff. He does like to shock and awe the guys he works with lol. He was lifting stuff last night he should not have because he didn't want to wait for a crane. It has to be a male thing. lol

He said he doesn't know how to "set" the Valves when installing the rebuild head.

21 ft lbs for rocker shaft then wait 5 minutes before starting engine so lifters can bleed down. 95 inch pounds for valve cover. intake manifold 72 inch lbs 3 times then 144 inch lbs twice. work form center out intake plenum 24inch lbs 48 inch lbs then84 inch lbs twice.

So we changed motors. We got one from a Salvage yard because it was cheaper than doing the head. Hubby is gonna rebuild the motor that was in there when we have the extra money. (It was just him and I doing this work and it took us 3 days with everything that can go wrong doing so. NEVER do I want to do this crap again. Just not my cup of tea!)
Now with that said we have to change the O2 sensors. They are throwing codes.
The transmission is loosing fluid, we are not sure from where. We suspect the transmission fill tube since the piece that is supposed to be there to bolt it to the engine broke off. We don't know if it jolts it when it is driving and causes it to spill out. With all the rain we are having he can't get under there to see if he can spot the leak. We refilled it yesterday and now the tranny will not shift into 4th gear. On his way to work he focused on the tranny shifting this morning. It shifts into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd just fine but won't shift into 4th.
It was fine before and it worked after we changed the engine. We are adding ATF+4 which is called for, for our Dodge tranny.
So could it be a sensor in the tranny or even the O2 sensors causing it. The code reader did not detect any tranny codes when he had it read just both O2 sensor codes. I have read that it could be the linkage or even the governor sensor & solenoid.

more than likely the torque converter slipped a bit when you pulled the engine and either cut the pump seal and damaged the converter it really sounds like an internal problem. have a trans guy look at it. It could also be the oring around the dipstick tub e has been cut but that shouldn't effect it going into 4th unless it's low on fluid maybe.i f no ocdes then it's something else internally

Changed the O2 sensors, now it is throwing 2 TPS codes. p0123 and p0121. We changed the TPS when we put in the new engine (7 days old today!) and changed the IAC yesterday.
Hoping to scrape up the money to have to put back on the machine since it is still throwing the codes. The truck won't shift into 4th, the cruise control will not engage, and the truck is seriously burning fuel. I called a shop and they said if the IAC is not bad it is something with the computer. I am beginning to hate this truck!

Oh and we found the leak. It is the dipstick tube. he has to get it bolted. since the piece that you bolt to the engine broke it is moving too much, allowing fluid to escape where it goes it. he discovered this while putting in the new O2 sensors.

the one code will set if you are low on fuel like less than 1/4 tank especially if you ran out of fuel. the 123 codes may be the clockspering in steering wheel which only apro should mess with due to air bag problems. that may be causeing the code. I fi were you even if you are trying to save money is have a pro fix this as you are dropping money into this all the time trying to fix it right. Unfortunately , these are not like vehicles of even 5 yrs ago. so even if a pro fixes it an dit cost you a little more you are better off.