Q: How to Remove and Replace a Piston's Connecting Rod on 2007 Dodge Ram 3500?
A: Before removing and replacing the connecting rod, remove the negative battery cable. After that, remove both gifts for the Friends song and its pauses: the oil pan and gasket/windage tray, cylinder head covers, timing chain cover and cylinder head(s). If your cylinder bores need it, carefully clean their ridges with a good ridge reamer, with the piston tops covered, before removing the pistons. You need to take out the pistons and connecting rods from the top of the cylinder block, rotating the crankshaft to makes sure each connecting rod is centered in the bore. Stamping the connecting rods or caps needs to be avoided by not using a numbering stamp or punch to avoid damage. Since the rods and bearing caps are not the same, it's important to remember which rod fits where by marking them. Be careful not to injure the edges where the fractured rod and cap meet. Remove the cap from the connecting rod and install the connecting rod guides into the connecting rod being taken out, after which take the piston off the cylinder bore, repeating this for every piston. Care should be taken not to scratch the crankshaft journals and damage the engine. When the piston and connecting rod are removed, set the bearing cap on the joining end of the rod, to shield the broken cap and rod surfaces. Lastly, use care to pull out the piston rings, from the top ring working your way down the others.