Fix It

Park your 1998 Dodge 3500 Diesel on a flat surface and engage the parking brake. Wait one to two hours for the muffler and the exhaust system to cool down.

Slide under the rear of the truck and locate the front of the muffler. The exhaust pipe that travels from the engine is mounted to the front muffler port by a metal clamp with two mounting bolts.

Saturate the two mounting bolts completely with the rust inhibitor spray or the penetrating oil. Position a socket and a breaker bar onto one of the mounting bolts. Slowly turn the bolt counterclockwise to see how tight the bolt is fastened. If the bolt is still tight, spray more of the rust inhibitor or the penetrating oil on the mounting bolts and repeat the process with the breaker bar and socket until the bolt is loose. Follow the same step with the other mounting bolt. Once the bolts are loose, use a ratchet to finish unscrewing the bolts.

Finish loosening and removing the two mounting bolts from the clamp with a ratchet and a socket. Pull the mounting bolts out of the clamp and knock the clamp off of the muffler port with a hammer.

Slide the end of a flathead screwdriver into the end of the muffler. Pry the end of the muffler port upward off the exhaust pipe. Make sure the entire front muffler port is pried up off of the exhaust pipe. Try and pull the muffler loose from the exhaust pipe. If the muffler is still stuck, use the hammer to tap the front of the muffler loose from the exhaust pipe.

Pull the muffler off the rubber hanger that holds the muffler in place. Slide the muffler out from under the truck. Position the new muffler under the truck and into the rubber hanger.

Slide the front port of the muffler over the exhaust pipe. Reconnect the clamp over the exhaust clamp and the muffler with the two mounting bolts. Tighten the bolts down tight with the ratchet and socket. Finish torquing the mounting bolts with the breaker bar and a socket.

Set the emergency brake and shift vehicle into low gear. If you have an automatic transmission, put in park. Tilt the steering column down.

Unscrew the four screws on the lower and upper part of the instrument cluster using a Phillips-head screwdriver. Pry around the edge of the plastic that is above the steering column and around the radio and A/C controls using a flat-head screwdriver.

Pull out the plastic piece, known as a bezel, until it detaches from its clips. Unplug the electrical wiring behind it.

Find the knee bolster and remove the screws with a Phillips-head screwdriver. The knee bolster is a panel on the lower part of the dashboard near the drivers knees. In the event of an accident, it absorbs the forward-motion energy of the drivers body, thus lessening the force of an impact. Pry off their clips along the top with a flat-head screwdriver. Disconnect the link clip for the parking brake. The link clip is a U-shaped piece underneath the parking brake lever.

Open the glove box and unscrew all the screws. Pull the surrounding panel away from the glove box and unplug the electrical wires behind it.

Locate the passengers side of the instrument panel and pry off the end cap with a flat-head screwdriver. An end cap is a little circular plastic piece that covers the head of a screw to protect it and to make it look more aesthetically pleasing. Unscrew the screw behind it. Unscrew the final eight screws along the top and bottom of the dash and pull out the glove box and panel.

Place a gasoline container under the fuel filter separator and turn the drain plug on the bottom of the separator in a counterclockwise direction. Drain the fuel from the fuel filter and tighten the drain plug.

Detach the electrical connector on the fuel lift pump. Disconnect the fuel line for the fuel lift pump from the inner left frame rail.

Remove the mounting bolts for the fuel lift pump from the fuel filter, using a hex wrench.

Discard the O-ring in the housing of the fuel filter.

Mount a new O-ring on the fuel lift pump, then coat the O-ring with a thin layer of new engine oil. Place the fuel lift pump into position so that it is flush with the fuel filter housing. Fasten the mounting bolts for the fuel lift pump, and tighten them to 61 inch-pounds, using a torque wrench.

Connect the fuel line to the connection on the inner left frame rail. Attach the electrical connector for the fuel pump.

Turn the ignition on for two seconds to prime the fuel system, then check for fuel leaks. Start the engine and check again for fuel leaks.