Poor gas milage (96 Ram)
From : jbarts
Q: on wed 29 dec 2004 221717 gmt roy roy@home.net wrote on wed 29 dec 2004 035006 gmt denny wddodge@woh.rr.com wrote roy wrote denny!! get a large cup of shut the f--k up!!!bfg roy one of you has blond hair jerry mines grey. i dont want to say what color roys few remaining hairs are...... denny i thought that you said that roys hair was the color after gray... gee thanks for your support bro. ya gray haired old hippyvbg bunch of friggin jackals!! roy silver bro... silver... *snort* mac please remove splinters before emailing .
Replies:
From : miles
do you have a wood stove all that wood could be free heat. roy nope. when the family room gets remodeled hopefully next year there will be a gas fireplace installed. you may want to rethink the gas fireplace unless it is for asthetics only. as i understand it they are super inefficient for heat. try a pellet stove ive had them in both houses and the are fantastic. roy yeah! betcha hes got lots of rabbit pellets! ;^ keepin the ol tush warm in mo mike just couldnt leave that one alone could ya......... now go sit in your truck. bg denny .
From : jbarts
jbarts wrote whats funny is the tailgate thing is a very an old debate and people advocating leaving the tail up were thought to be right. but some guy with access to aero test equipment did a bunch of test and he found that lowering the tailgate does help just not that much. if i find the link i will post it. ive seen the test results over and over for decades. the results are always the same. tailgate down increases drag and thus will reduce mpg. however the amount of decrease in mpg maybe negligable on most trucks. never have i seen any wind tunnel tests that showed a decrease in drag by lowering the tailgate. there are decades worth of tests that show otherwise. web links are easy to find. .
From : jerry
.
From : tbone
ive changed the ignition coil and pickup coil no change. to add some detail it does this hot or cold and the odd backfire can occur at any time usually lugging in o/d at low speed greatest load. i still have no codes i should mention it has refused to idle stalls unless given a little gas a couple times in the last year if that means anything. please help! todd ========================================================== i had a similar problem in an 84 celica gt-s. it was the pick-up coil in the distributor. hth carl as the subject says truck has 230000kms new plugs wires cap and rotor. if i let it get into overdrive at say 70-80 km/h 45-50 mph it will stumble/studder really bad a couple of times when cold/damp it backfired through the throttle body. if i accelerate so it drops a gear and revs higher it smooths out as the rpm increases. im thinking the coil is the next thing to try any other ideas todd .
From : tbone
grow up gary. you did come in here acting like an ass and were completely wrong and with your posts in the trans thread you were acting like a troll and what he said was completely valid. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving please dont feed the troll. oh look a new net-nanny the personality type attracted to the post/function/role of net nanny is extremely well described in the professional literature. the description is so good that even the untrained observer after only a first reading is able to make a positive identification. it is better described than any other aberrant personality type. according to the literature they tend to be emotionally and sexually immature. personal relations are a nightmare for them more so for the object of their attention. they just cannot cope with other people especially tho se of their preferred sex. they are described as being highly authoritarian and very seriously pedantic. taking the highly authoritarian aspect first they defer to and are weak with the strong others who have some sort of control or hold on them. they tend to identify with an individual more disturbed than themselves agreeing to the point of grovelling with every thing the leaderhas to say. there is usually a strong component of homo-eroticism in this sort of relationship. they make and generally are excellent arse lickers. on the other hand they kick the shit ot of those they regard as weaker or inferior to them. they are the sort of people who when asked to kill people only ask how many and how often. pedantry in this type of personality is a consuming and all pervading passion. in groups they tend to examine messages for spelling punctuation grammar query syntax whether the message is on topic and general netetiquet before getting down to the message contained in the posting. if they do get down to the message they have nothing to contribute and bizarrely may even congratulate you for being on topic etc. there are many examples around in this group. a word to the wise. they are very easily offended because of their basic underlying pathology. being rigid and unable to make concessions or to admit they may be mistaken every disagreement is taken as a personal sligh t. coupled with their inability to correct misinformed notions and their lack of adaptability they tend to have ill balanced aims way out of proportion to any perceived slight. responses to perceived slights are always ov er the top. war can break out over the miss-spelling of a word a miss-placed punctuation mark or minor difference of opinion. cause indeed to have you banned from the net. they fall out at the drop of comma! the paradox is that they are so full up with shit themselves that they do their best to put everyone down so as to cover up their own inadaquacies. groups are ideal for them partly because face to face relationships are not just a nightmare for them but anyone within a 50 mile radius and partly because each group has a charter which they can refer to. a weapon with which to keep us all in line. a number of groups are so badly infested that they either become deserted or the domain of one small clique ruined for everyone else. it is best to remember that inter-personal relations of any kind always become a veritable nightmare for them. .
From : tbone
nospam.clare.nce@sny.der.on.ca wrote have you got a good dvm connect it to the battery with the engine running and the meter set to ac volts. step down to the lowest range - any reading over about 0.2 volts indicates a possible diode or stator problem ac ripple. this would show up as a bad waveform if that is ok connect an analog meter and with the engine idling tap the alternator. any fluctuation indicates worn brushes - which can also cause a bad waveform thanks. i dont know if i have a *good* dvm. i have a relatively new one that cost about 25 bucks. ill try it. probably will go ahead and take it to a shop i respect tho for a second opinion. everyone - i appreciate the responses. jim hall 520 exc 950 lc8 adventure turning money into noise... .
From : jbarts
i forgot to address the tire situation. first normally a stock vehicle does not come with off road tires. check to make sure they are the proper size. so long as you are not going to do off roading i think i would go to a tire that will suite your intended driving and hauling or towing. you did not mention about the transmission. check to insure it is shifting into od if so equipped. compare your rpm and mph with some one with a comparable vehicle. provide a little more data as to what you have and do the test drive to get the rpm/mph figures bring them back here some one will compare it for you. now i at one time was a well known shade tree mechanic in the state of oklahoma with several ohp vehicles under my care for tuning. but technology has stripped all the leaves off my tree hope what i have provided will help if not wwtfo. bill p. opps i forgot to check that. the truck came with 285x75x16 tires i think they are at but could be mud type tires. my speedo was off 7.8%. i re-did my calculations and i got closer to 12mpg going 70-80 mpg ! maybe my mpg wasnt that bad after all. im putting stock tires on shorter i dont know how this will effect my highway mpg but we will see. im also going to change the plugs and o2 sensor. i guess on my next ski trip i will test the mpg its an expensive test but its my only real highway driving. i will also lower my tailgate. ideally id like to test the truck after each fix but that would be too expensive and take too much time. so if my mpg goes to 14 i really wont know what helped the most. thanks for your reply youve really helped. lowering the tailgate will not help you. in many cases it has been found to actually reduce your mileage. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving .
From : Annonymous
jbob wrote jerryjeff wrote bo roll wrote if you have a dodge dakota lemon then you should call 1-800-lemonlaw they got money for me! jam thanks for the tip.........ill be calling that # today. guess i didnt buy the only lemon dodge made after all. if you read this group for any length of time you will find that there are a lot of dodge dakota lemons out there. some people just live with it. i cant afford to. jam .
From : Annonymous
finally got the electric back after being off since wednesday. we got about 3/4 of ice that brought down every piece of wood more that 7 ft off the ground followed by about 6 in of snow two days later. talk about a friggen mess. denny .
From : dj
william boyd wrote earthman wrote i finally got the p/u i wanted! 4 wd and a crew cab to boot. its a blast to drive handles great off road good power with a load...and it looks good. i did get a 5-speed manual transmission the only way to go off-road. the only glitch as far as i know is on the highway at speeds 70 mph plus. it just feels like there should be another gear in there somewhere. fortunately most of my driving is on 55mph roads and that works fine at 2000rpms. is there other trannys available that are better suited for 70+ mph or other than fuel mileage are they ok runnintg at higher rpms hello earthman looks like we are going down the same road. i just got my new ram also but not the crew cab got the quad cab. also auto trans as opposed to your 5-speed. i had never owned a diesel before although have driven large trucks just not the same. the 5.9 ho has the torque that you can feel immediately. if you have not had experience with a diesel read over my up and personal episode over christmas on this group. i have had standard trans in the past but i have given over to automatics as a better positive power provider. i realize there are advantages and disadvantages on every thing. but i get my ho out on the open road and turn it loose i can watch the computer calculating the mpg with different roads and conditions and she does it all by her self. no gear shift to be yanking around or clutch to pump just set the cc and lean back and hang on. the only thing that pisses me off is for as long as i can remember diesel fuel has been cheaper than gas until i bought the ram. take care and enjoy. just a couple more thoughts look in your glove box there should be a data sticker with your gear ratio on it. also if you change to larger tires your speedometer will be in error unless you change the gear at the rear of the trans i dont know where it is located bill p. .
From : jbarts
steve@carolinabreezehvac steve@removethis.carolinabreezehvac.com writes no schraders on a 134a system. okay ill bite. what are they then sure look like schraders to me.. you got me wondering if i made a mistake so i went out and looked under the hoods of all the dodge vans the town and country the fords and even a honda that was sitting here... none of the 134a systems had a schrader....they did have the spring loaded bb that is used on all the quick connect 134a units. the r12 units had schraders.. yours had something done to it like..a set of r12 can taps added to it so a set of standard hoses would fit .
From : ld
i think that these are set up to not allow a lock if a key is even in the ignition. therefore with the engine running it should not lock even if you hit the button. pj .
From : jerry
i have a 2003 dodge ram 1500 reg cab 2wd truck. i have owned it for about 2 years now and i am coming up on 33000 miles. i change the oil every 3000 miles. its coming up on some stuff listed in the manual that isnt in a normal service of every 3000 miles. i believe the manual stated changing the plugs and servicing the transmission. the plugs i notice dont use regular plug wires but something called ignition coils. i am guessing that these are not supposed to be changed every time a plug change is due. i can do the plugs easily. how hard is it to do a transmission service i have all the correct tools. i have never done a service on a transmission before but iam not afraid of doing it. also the shocks are starting to get a shitty ride to them so i am thinking of switching them out for aftermarket ones. i was wondering if someone could list some good 2wd shocks that will last a little bit longer then 2 years and give me a better ride. someone listed monroe reflex but i have not read any reviews on these. next i have a 2003 model and there is a tsb for brake shudder which i have in my truck. being with as many miles as i have on my truck i dont think they will replace the rotors but turn them and slap on new pads but will the charge me to do this if they charge me can i not just get the rotors turned myself and put the pads on myself if i go this route can someone give me a list of pads that are of as good quality as the mopar pads i have never had a squeek out of the stock pads and nothing to complain about except for the shudder. last question. i have read recently on here something about flashing the computer what are they flashing it for or maybe someone could point me to the tsb for it also would it be worth it to pick up the service manual for the truck i can get a copy on cd off of ebay for less then $5 and then just print it out at home. thanks for all the help and advice in advance. john .
From : william boyd
william boyd wrote jbarts wrote hello i own a 1996 ram 2500 v8. this is my first truck and i think its awesome! i want to make sure its running great so i dont mind putting some money into it to make it run better! i just drove the truck 200 miles ski trip i averaged between 70 miles an hour with some stop and go driving in one small town and some mountain driving small mountain. from what ive read i thought my truck would get 14-16 on the highway. the problem is that i only averaged 10 mpg. i know im not driving a compact car but i thought my highway mileage might be a little higher. does 10 mpg seem a little low i think there might be a problem already checked the tire pressure it was good im going to 1 check/change the fan clutch 2 change the spark plugs and wires 3 check the u-joints i do hear something 4 check the calipers anything else to check 1. have front end alignment checked. 2. check each pulley and driven item associated with the fan belt. 3. replace oil with synthetic i used mobil 1 and castrol but stay with the viscosity called for. 4. have a diagnostic test run to include exhaust emission test. 5. if you are not going to tow any thing heavy consider changing the rear end gears to a higher ratio. what you have read about the mileage might not coincided with the gearing of your vehicle. check in the glove box and see if there is a data plate telling you the gear ratio in your vehicle. cheers bill p. the truck does have wide mud type lets just say they arent street tires on it could that also effect highway mileage also is there an electric fan modification for this engine thanks! i forgot to address the tire situation. first normally a stock vehicle does not come with off road tires. check to make sure they are the proper size. so long as you are not going to do off roading i think i would go to a tire that will suite your intended driving and hauling or towing. you did not mention about the transmission. check to insure it is shifting into od if so equipped. compare your rpm and mph with some one with a comparable vehicle. provide a little more data as to what you have and do the test drive to get the rpm/mph figures bring them back here some one will compare it for you. now i at one time was a well known shade tree mechanic in the state of oklahoma with several ohp vehicles under my care for tuning. but technology has stripped all the leaves off my tree hope what i have provided will help if not wwtfo. bill p. .
From : william boyd
you wont see any increase and technically not supposed to be added to the oil chrysler came out with a tsb stating not to add it to the engine oil including moa i asked the moa rep why this bulletin was out.......he couldnt answer my question tsb 09-003-01 jeff mayner wrote i found it a little weird that dodge would without consulting me first pour this product into my gas tank at the aforementioned 30k service. the only reason i know about it is that there was a little yellow card included with my receipt telling me so after the fact. the card indicates i am to see increased performance and gas mileage after about 400 miles driven. personally i never buy and use additives mystery oil etc. does anyone have any experience using this product its made by bg. is it a fe cleaner of some sort thanks for any input. jeff ok. did a little research and found out exactly what this stuff is. well see what the effect is i guess. http//www.bgprod.com/bgprofessional/bgproducts/autofuel.html jeff .
From : tbone
my friend has a new brand x chevy 4x4 he said it gets 11 mpg . i think they all do bad . ford does bad too . but dodge is the best looking truck ........ .
From : jigger
i just picked up a new company provided caravan and cannot figure out how to unlock the side doors from the outside. there are no keyholes that i can find. anyone familiar with this tia most new vehicles now only have a key hole for the drivers door... everything else is done via the remote keyless entry. did they not give you the key fob along with the ignition key .
From : jbarts
why do you need to keep the xm antenna close to the radio antenna doesnt your fm modulator plug into the coax between the factory radio and its fm antenna on the roady2 which im assuming he has it has a built-in wireless fm modulator that transmits very-low-power fm from the satellite antenna. youre thinking of the traditional wired fm modulator that connects in-line with the vehicle antenna wire. this type of modulator is available as a separate part and provides better sound quality than the wireless modulator since its putting its fm signal directly on the wire and blocking any reception from the antenna while its on. really!! i would have thought that they would have used the in line type to begin with since i consider a satalite receiver as a high end component. oh well ya learn something new every day. i will have to look into that when i get mine next year. thanks tom. once while travelling down a highway i came across another vehicle that also had a wireless fm modulator apparently on the same frequency as mine. as i would approach the vehicle my reception would go out. slow down... it got better. i knew what was happening but apparently he didnt because he kept trying to fiddle with his receiver lol how long did you tease him -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving .
From : tbone
http//outdoors.net/site/features/feature.aspx+forum+firearms+articlecode+1117 http//mywebpages.comcast.net/petej/45gap.defend.htm http//www.trmagonline.com/winter03/winter200345glockmodel37.htm jerry . 222 295830 %mvad.359$lo1.8269@eagle.america.net my 2000 ram 1500 has the 5.2 v8 fi. last time i checked i was getting 13 mpg. i have not checked this tank but it is going to be dismal with just over 300 miles and the get gas light is on! i am a more conservative driver and expected to get more like 18 to 20 mpg. i am going to add some sea foam tomorrow when i fill up but i do not think i should have to do that. this is my first fi engine. it seems to run great no missing hesitation or anything like that. any suggestions on why the mileage is so bad what can i do phyloe -- there is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of preparation george w. bush well...hell...you are average...this isnt a car its not gonna get 20 to the gallon and it wasnt designed to. .