chevy3500 Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Well after looking and contemplating and dreaming for about 3 years, wife and I picked up a big truck! 2000, T2000 Kenworth Old buddy and I drove down to south Texas from central Wi. last week and picked it up. Bought it off the for sale section here on the forum from member "rverdlm" truck was named "Bertha" but the wife says that has to go! Drove her 1600 miles back to Wi, with no problems, but after driving around the next day showing her off to family and friends did notice batteries weren't charging appropriately, pulled batteries and alternator to have them checked out. Couple questions to other T2000 owners: Do your switches ie: headlight switch, bunk light switch, etc above the "B" panel illuminate when you have your headlight on? also the cab controls ie: heater. Do the controls on the steering wheel illuminate? Is there a way to test the gauges, pretty sure the pyro gauge is not working appropriately (how important is the pyro gauge? and not sure about the air cleaner resistance gauge either. That's enough for now. Thanks for any help. this forum has been a great assistance in the past 3 years! I'll also need to change my forum name as chevy3500 just don't seem appropriate any more http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/rverdlm123/library/truck?sort=3&page=1 Photos here^^^^^^ These are from the for sale ad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkoenig24 Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 CONGRATULATIONS! May you enjoy many happy miles and trouble free years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan0043 Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Glad to hear that another person has come over to the Dark Side. Congratulation ! And enjoy. Al 2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger " Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood " 2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hone eagle Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Another T2000 ! congrats It will give a more 'balanced' look to the rally. 2005 volvo 670 freedomline singledNewmar Torrey Pine 34rskswoot woot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Welcome to the dark side. Can't help much on the T2000 questions, sorry. Where about in Central WI are you as we pass through there quite a bit and maybe might have a chance to say hi? Dave 2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch 2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you! Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/ for much more info on HDT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevy3500 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Welcome to the dark side. Can't help much on the T2000 questions, sorry. Where about in Central WI are you as we pass through there quite a bit and maybe might have a chance to say hi? Dave Why is it called the "dark side"? I thought it was the "smart side"! were about 15 miles south of Black River Falls if you run I-94 or 15 south of Sparta if your on I-90. Thanks for all the other replies too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil D Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Do your switches ie: headlight switch, bunk light switch, etc above the "B" panel illuminate when you have your headlight on? also the cab controls ie: heater. Do the controls on the steering wheel illuminate? Is there a way to test the gauges, pretty sure the pyro gauge is not working appropriately (how important is the pyro gauge? and not sure about the air cleaner resistance gauge either. Yes, everything that you see on the instrument panel -- the A Panel, B Panel, both switch banks, the climate controls, wiper and lighting switches - is illuminated. They're really not difficult to re-lamp (which makes it hard to figure out why nobody ever does it), but you're going to need a boatload of those little bulbs. I'll be able to get you the bulb number -- I have some left in a drawer in the truck -- that you'll need in a couple of days, when my truck is back "home" (my fiver is in the shop, but the T2000 is still attached). Or, if you need to know sooner than that, the number should be found on the bulbs themselves. Just take a Phillips screwdriver, remove two screws from either the electrical or air switch banks, pull it out and turn it over. You'll see the bulbs on the back. Twist them out of the light tube and take a look. If you find the number on one, pick up a couple of boxes of them -- you'll need 'em! No, to my knowledge, the SmartWheel switches aren't lit. I, too, also have some non-functional gauges on the B Panel, including the two gauges that you mentioned aren't working on yours. Scrap told me years ago that some of the gauges stop working because of problems in what Kenworth calls the A-D (analog to digital) Box, and the fix involves the testing and replacement of some rather expensive circuit boards in the A-D Box. Since the gauges aren't critical and the fix is known to be expensive, I'm still deferring those repairs. It's a shame that you didn't mention having bought the truck prior to coming down to pick it up. I only live about five or six miles from the previous owner. I'd have been happy to get together with you to "talk T2000s" while you were in town. Phil 2002 Teton Royal Aspen 2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore. ET Air Hitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblr Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Welcome from another T2000 owner, congrats. Sorry can not answer your questions but want to wish you luck with your new toy. I am looking at a new 5th wheel located in Wi. at a place called Goodrich trailer sales, it's 16 hours from where we live so waiting for warmer weather before we get serious about it. 2017 River Stone Legacy 38MB 2001 T2000 Kenworth 2009 Smart Passion ET Junior hitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dascom Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Welcome C3. Nice looking truck, you won't be hiding that large yellow thing even in the snow. Maybe get rid of that bulky old TV and use that space for cookies, we mounted a flat screen in the bunk area and got rid of the top bunk. Now we can have dancing back there. Yamaha V-Star2007 Kenworth T2000 tandem aircutterThermoKing TriPack2003 Holiday Rambler 36' Presidentialshort trips-88 Allegro on Astro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Congrats! You're going to luv it! Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 The pyro gauge isn't too important considering I dont even have one. We dont haul enough to drive the temp that high. what controls do you have on the steering wheel? Ron C. 2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3 2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil D Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 what controls do you have on the steering wheel? The cruise control buttons and the button to flash the headlights are at the left thumb, the Jake brake controls and the button to flash the clearance lights are at the right. Phil 2002 Teton Royal Aspen 2003 Kenworth T2000 - Cat C12 380/430 1450/1650, FreedomLine, 3.36 - TOTO . . . he's not in Kansas anymore. ET Air Hitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Congratulations on the new to you HDT. It's good to have another T2000 owner. As Phil says, pretty much everything on the dash lights up. There are a bunch of small light bulbs installed behind the various dash panels. I replaced a bunch of them when I got my T2000. The bulbs are pretty cheap. I think I bought two boxes of bulbs (10 bulbs per box) and used most of them to get everything lit back up. I have a few left over as spares. If I remember in the morning, I will go out and see if I still have the box with the part number. Any Kenworth shop will have the bulbs available and as I remember, they were relatively inexpensive. As for the gauges in the B-Panel, you have quite a few more than I do. I only have three: Oil Temp, Turbo Boost and Air Suspension Pressure. Two of the three of them work. The Air Suspension Pressure is no longer functional because of the way the truck was singled. Like Ronbo, I don't have a pyro gauge so I think you can survive without it. I have an aftermarket steering wheel with no switches in it, so I can't say whether the stock steering wheel switches are supposed to light up or not. 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzg Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Kinda looks like a Bertha...esp in yellow....reminds me of that old song.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevy3500 Posted February 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Yes, everything that you see on the instrument panel -- the A Panel, B Panel, both switch banks, the climate controls, wiper and lighting switches - is illuminated. They're really not difficult to re-lamp (which makes it hard to figure out why nobody ever does it), but you're going to need a boatload of those little bulbs. I'll be able to get you the bulb number -- I have some left in a drawer in the truck -- that you'll need in a couple of days, when my truck is back "home" (my fiver is in the shop, but the T2000 is still attached). Or, if you need to know sooner than that, the number should be found on the bulbs themselves. Just take a Phillips screwdriver, remove two screws from either the electrical or air switch banks, pull it out and turn it over. You'll see the bulbs on the back. Twist them out of the light tube and take a look. If you find the number on one, pick up a couple of boxes of them -- you'll need 'em! No, to my knowledge, the SmartWheel switches aren't lit. I, too, also have some non-functional gauges on the B Panel, including the two gauges that you mentioned aren't working on yours. Scrap told me years ago that some of the gauges stop working because of problems in what Kenworth calls the A-D (analog to digital) Box, and the fix involves the testing and replacement of some rather expensive circuit boards in the A-D Box. Since the gauges aren't critical and the fix is known to be expensive, I'm still deferring those repairs. It's a shame that you didn't mention having bought the truck prior to coming down to pick it up. I only live about five or six miles from the previous owner. I'd have been happy to get together with you to "talk T2000s" while you were in town. Phil, Thanks for all that info, kinda wish the wheel was lit up kept hitting the coast button instead of the resume button but will probably get used to it after awhile. Also good to hear about the gauges, guess they wont be a priority. Would have been nice to get a chance to meet you seeing we were that close! Are you familiar with the truck? Welcome from another T2000 owner, congrats. Sorry can not answer your questions but want to wish you luck with your new toy. I am looking at a new 5th wheel located in Wi. at a place called Goodrich trailer sales, it's 16 hours from where we live so waiting for warmer weather before we get serious about it.dblr Thanks, believe that place is in Elk Mound? about 80 miles north of us. The pyro gauge isn't too important considering I dont even have one. We dont haul enough to drive the temp that high. what controls do you have on the steering wheel?Ronbo Phil already answered but ya the cruise control and engine brake function are on the wheel KW called it the "smart wheel" Kinda looks like a Bertha...esp in yellow....reminds me of that old song..yzg That's exactly why my wife don't like it! Thanks every one! Definitely wont lose it in the snow!! or a Walmart parking lot. I will have many more questions I'm sure, and I know this is the place to get most of the answers. Any improvements for the headlight? high beams aren't bad, but low beams leave a little to be desired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dascom Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Not to be judgmental but, the T2000 headlights suck, are expensive, and need an upgrade. Come on Nuke, what can we do? Yamaha V-Star2007 Kenworth T2000 tandem aircutterThermoKing TriPack2003 Holiday Rambler 36' Presidentialshort trips-88 Allegro on Astro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 The T2 uses normal 7" round headlights, probably the most common size, and easiest to upgrade. Look at the Truck-Lite LED's. Welcome aboard. I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Why is it called the "dark side"? I thought it was the "smart side"! were about 15 miles south of Black River Falls if you run I-94 or 15 south of Sparta if your on I-90. Thanks for all the other replies too The "Smart" side is the area on the back large enough for your smart car! I guess it is called the dark side since we dare to be different and like to look down on all those Little Girly Trucks! Maybe other longer term members of the group might have a better explanation. We run I-90 usually as we are only a couple miles North of I-90 just across the border from Lacrosse in MN. Probably go past you quite often and will be when we head down to the TN rally here in April, care to join us? Dave 2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch 2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you! Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/ for much more info on HDT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix2013 Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 I guess it is called the dark side since we dare to be different and like to look down on all those Little Girly Trucks! Maybe other longer term members of the group might have a better explanation. It goes all the way to the MDT HDT split years ago. We have gotten lot more polite and politic since then. There was a lot of "exuberance" among the original small group of HDTers and they needed the whole world to know what a great deal it was and what it could do. And the guys who just plopped $120 grands on a brand new FL-60 did not appreciate being told (in front of their wives) that they made a "mistake" and could have had 4 times the truck for half or quarter of the price. One of the MDTers uttered the sentence, "Oh, these are the guys from the Dark Side", which was immediately embraced and stuck. These days the "knowledge" that plopping $140 grands on an MDT is of "questionable value" is kept to ourselves, we have grown "gentler" as our numbers increased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindrift Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 It goes all the way to the MDT HDT split years ago. We have gotten lot more polite and politic since then. There was a lot of "exuberance" among the original small group of HDTers and they needed the whole world to know what a great deal it was and what it could do. And the guys who just plopped $120 grands on a brand new FL-60 did not appreciate being told (in front of their wives) that they made a "mistake" and could have had 4 times the truck for half or quarter of the price. One of the MDTers uttered the sentence, "Oh, these are the guys from the Dark Side", which was immediately embraced and stuck. These days the "knowledge" that plopping $140 grands on an MDT is of "questionable value" is kept to ourselves, we have grown "gentler" as our numbers increased. And I was just crucified last night on my "other" forum for having the gall to suggest my next truck would be an HDT. Didn't I realize that the new 2015 light duty diesels were getting HP makeovers and the torque and GVWR would be more than enough for any fifth wheel I wanted to purchase. Oh yeah, and parts for an HDT were too expensive for any sane man/woman to bear. 2012 F350 KR CC DRW w/ some stuff 2019 Arctic Fox 32-5MCindy and Tom, Kasey and Maggie (our Newfie and Berner) Oh...I forgot the five kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 And I was just crucified last night on my "other" forum for having the gall to suggest my next truck would be an HDT. Didn't I realize that the new 2015 light duty diesels were getting HP makeovers and the torque and GVWR would be more than enough for any fifth wheel I wanted to purchase. Oh yeah, and parts for an HDT were too expensive for any sane man/woman to bear. There is quite a bit of merit in that argument. MANY people that previously could not tow legally, or reasonably, with a "pickup" now have very good choices in what I call the "super pickup" class of trucks. The Dodge 5500, in particular, is a very capable vehicle. Would I use it at its limits? No, I personally think that is a little crazy, given the numbers. But I'd for use use it in the under 23K trailer area if it otherwise met my needs. (It does not for me - because I want a car). It does boil down to a personal choice. In many cases the super pickups do a fine job - especially in the under 20K class. Of course, there is the cost to consider as well - a Dodge 5500 fully outfitted with air suspension, etc is in the $90K+ range. Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimalberta Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 One of my friends has one of these super pickups and it is a rough ride. No thanks....I like the set up I have now. <p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well. IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzg Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 And I was just crucified last night on my "other" forum for having the gall to suggest my next truck would be an HDT. Didn't I realize that the new 2015 light duty diesels were getting HP makeovers and the torque and GVWR would be more than enough for any fifth wheel I wanted to purchase. Oh yeah, and parts for an HDT were too expensive for any sane man/woman to bear. It sounds like it is an active mdt site....what is it called ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big5er Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Oh yeah, and parts for an HDT were too expensive for any sane man/woman to bear. I've been called a lot of names, some even right here on this very forum "Sane" hasn't even been on the list. MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~ 2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 2014 smart Fortwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindrift Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 "Sane" hasn't even been on the list. No...from what I've read, you're definitely "in"sane. 2012 F350 KR CC DRW w/ some stuff 2019 Arctic Fox 32-5MCindy and Tom, Kasey and Maggie (our Newfie and Berner) Oh...I forgot the five kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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