Help! Need better gas mileage

Hello all:
I have a 2001 Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT 4WD w/5.9L, 4 spd. automatic, 46RE transmission, & anti spin axle. The window sticker doesn't say what ratio. The sticker says the truck should get from 12 to 17 MPG. I average 11.77 MPG. The truck has just over 27K miles and I use regular unleaded. I have a cap on the bike that is cab high so I can't try the tailgate down method.

Thanks in advance.

Bob

So what are you complaining about?

I still get below 12 on the highway. That is my complaint.

Is your check engine light on?

Hey. No, it isn't on, but knowing my luck it is burnt out. There aren't any modifications to the truck. Thinking back to my most recent 3,000 mile trip across the U.S. I seem to remember the truck getting 14 or 15 MPG maybe. I have read all the threads here concerning mods to improve gas mileage. I check my tire pressure at least once per week. I did get an alignment about 3K miles ago and it did help me get out of the single digit range. Just looking for other ideas.

Tx,
Bob

There must be something wrong with your truck. I think you should have it diagnosed, as it could be possible that the check engine light is burnt out. Something must be making it get bad mileage like that. I assume you drive the truck fairly decent right? You don't have it to the rugs all the time do you?

Keep your foot off the gas so hard.

I have an appointment next week for the differential service. I will ask them then to check it out. I don't drive that hard. My wife says I drive like an old man. There are times when I have to give it some gas to get around someone.

Let you all know how it turns out.

Thanks,
Bob

3.55 is most common axle ratio. Look in your manual and check what fuel is required. You should be using 87-88 octane if I remember right. Try that and see what happens. Common complaint for the 5.9and 5.2

That is pretty Bad, I have a V-10 4x4 and I get 12-13 hwy.

I do have the 3.55 axle. I found that on a sticker in the glove box. I changed the spark plugs yesterday along with the oil and some other things that needed to be done.

I am going out of town all of next week so I will post results when I get back.

Thanks,
Bob

What shape is the air filter in? Is it clean?

Do you have a different size of tires than the truck came with? There must be a reason as to why your mileage is that bad, although it could be attributed to some defect in the motor itself.

Anything is possible. Let us know how things go...

Worn cam lobes?
Seen it cause poor MPG after awhile....

Just a thought, I doubt you'll tear it down to find out.

If you haven't tried it yet put a few bottles of injector cleaner through it. I have used this several times on different outfits, put several in at one time and run it as nomal usually makes a difference first tank. I'm getting 17 to 18 mpg (thats using real math) on my 2001 with a 5.9, with over 100,000 miles, only mod was the stock 3" exhaust from my dads Cummins Diesel. (he went to 4")
We did remove the Cat also, found a simple way to get around the 2nd O2 sensor put most a 1000 miles on it with no codes...

Dodgeintheblood, what is the somple way around the rear O2? Thanks

replace the fluid in your tranny with a really good synthetic fluid...change to synthetic oill.....thats good for a mpg or so...
whats your air intake look like...?Stock....? say it aint so.....

i have the same truck...lets talk shop...make your own high flow intake...its easy...ask me how...the way the air hose runs into the sidewall is got to be the worst...look how ineffective that is....Crazy design....anyway...the airintake fix will give ya some more power and some mpg increase 1 or 2.....

add a magnaflow or flowmater muffler for about 120.oo and get some more hp and mpg...

do the pcm mod ..FREE !!!!!.....more power....

DEFINATLY GET THE TRANNY FLASH FROM THE DEALER...80.00 bucks...
those things will add about 3-4 mpg and quite alot of horses....


oh and by the way...Youve Got the DEATH FLASH !!!

What is all this about the death flash?

Look on your pcm...if there is a barcode type sticker on it that says something like....factory software update blah blah blah...then you got it man....its like some crazy asian VD>......cant get rid of it....

dodge trucks had some pinging problems so instead of fixing it on god knows how many trucks they just "Flashed", reprogramed your pcm to back down about six points worth of timing......Cured the pinging but guess what....Lost a shit load of HP...and MPG's......there is a pcm mod that you can do real simply to help ......and of course the basics...air flow....exhaust.....synthetic fluids but its uncurable....a programmer will get back your timing since you can manually override and reprogram your pcm.....

the flash happend in the factory before you got your truck or when you took it for service...they dont even ask ya...just zap

My truck has always pinged, and always gotten horrible mileage. I got it new, and it's never been reprogrammed, although the mechanic told me there were computer updates available, I didn't let him do them since he wanted too much money for it.

I'm inclined to believe that mine was not "death flashed" since it pings like crazy, but it gets real bad mileage anyways. It doesn't really bother me that much since I'm just gonna eventually replace the motor with an older one once this one takes a crap...

Its not just your truck it is the 5.9 that is causing your bad gas mileage I have a 2001 4x4 ram 1500 with the same problem

GEEZ,
The "death flash" has caught on.....again!
Guess we'll all be looking for that pcm with the "update" on it....
Yawn----- this is old news guys...

GEEZ,
The "death flash" has caught on.....again!
Guess we'll all be looking for that pcm with the "update" on it....
Yawn----- this is old news guys...

You act like its just a rumor or something....Well folks i can only say if you got it you can "fix" it.......at least comansate for it......im sure your yawning alot sitting in that 6 cyl.....i know i would be..... :lol:

As far as old news it seems quite a few folks dont know......I mean just cause your slowwwwwww doesnt mean we should all be....

So you guys can look for your sticker, verify that ya got it and come away with some understanding of why your truck is driving like a pig.......

Mine used to......doesnt now.....!

After installing a K&N air filter, new plugs, coil and wires, msd ignition box and new fuel filter, I'm up to 10.2 mpg on my 95 ram 360. Hydrocarbons are still way too high, so maybe the injectors are shot. At 200,000 miles, you think?

To Seniorbigs,
The second o2 sensor only reads heat and a higher o2 concentration then the first sensor. We just weilded an enclosed bracket houseing to the outside of the exhaust pipe for the o2 sensor to screw into. I just got back from a 600 mile road trip and have yet to see a code, and my gas milage was 18.6 mpg. After finding out how to get around the o2 sensor i just got a section of three inch exhaust pipe and made bridged the gap where my cat used to be.

You act like its just a rumor or something....Well folks i can only say if you got it you can "fix" it.......at least comansate for it......im sure your yawning alot sitting in that 6 cyl.....i know i would be..... :lol:

As far as old news it seems quite a few folks dont know......I mean just cause your slowwwwwww doesnt mean we should all be....

So you guys can look for your sticker, verify that ya got it and come away with some understanding of why your truck is driving like a pig.......

Mine used to......doesnt now.....!

Dude, get off your high horse.
Death flash has been around 5 years, and most of the time, It's been fixed already.

You don't know what trucks and cars I have or had, or what I know.
I have preferences maybe that you might not like, but don't slam me because I like a slant six...(only two of several vehicles...) You could learn a little about the leaning tower of power, and put your foot right back in your mouth, and off my back.

Lastly,
Walton's Mountain isn't in Alabama anyway, so what gives with the name?
Do you even know where Walton's Mountain is?

It's ok to have fun at my expense, just remember, I'll have more fun at your's.

Slantsixness
(somewhere a lot closer to walton's Mountain than you are.)

I used a quart of the lucas head decarbonizer and ran 80-90 for 400 miles. It made a big improvement. Car like yours you would need 2 qts I think to have the same percentage.
New O2 sensor does always seem to help the gas milage. Wider tires definately lower the milage. Tune it up really good. You knew that though.
I was down to 22 mpg for a bit cause of the O2 sensor. With the above and included are my wide tires and I dont have the spoiler on, I went back up to 39. It's epa rated 32.
If you have an aftermarket O2 sensor make sure you solder the wires not just twisty them. It can make a huge difference and not throw a code.
Good luck.

Hello guys,

I am back but haven't had a chance to drive much. I replaced the spark plugs, air filter (looked good), etc. The tires are the original size that came on the truck (265/75R16). In fact they are still the original tires. I also bought some fuel injection cleaner and put into the tank. It might take some time for it to run through considering I have a 35 gallon tank.

Thanks,
Bob

I must be getting better gas mileage now. I am not even at a half of tank and I am already around 275 miles. I usually don't get 200 miles before the halfway point. Will let you all know once the tank is empty.

Thanks,
Bob

Hey Bob, No One Has Mentioned At All About Getting Rid Of The Automatic And Putting A Manual In, Big Boost In Milage, Pulling And Ponies, Besides The Engine Wont Work As Hard Because It Has More Gears To Choose From..........now, The Other Thing Isyou Have A 360 Right....well Unless You Let That Thing Run It Will Suck The Fuel......i Have A 79 Plymouth Trailduster 4x4 W/ 33" Tires On It And A Edelbrock 4 Brrl With Headers And 2" Exhaust.....32 Gallon Tank At Speed Limit I Average 300 Miles.... Put My Foot To About 90 And I Get 500 Out Of It...dodges Like To Open Up And Run, Just Watch Out For The Cops

Thanks for the reply. I probably do need to open it up some just my my harley I used to have. I am looking into an exhaust system and intake. I will probably get something in the near future.

Thanks,
Bob

You might also check the speedometer/odometer. My 98 has tires that are quite a bit bigger than stock (285-16), so I checked my speedometer and it is more than 8% off. That throws off the mileage calculation quite a bit.

Bad news is that my corrected mileage is still only about 12, which is horrible.

Does anyone have experience with the "power programmer" devices? The websites talk about nothing but horsepower but surely someone is dinking around with fuel, ignition, and shift points with an eye toward improving mileage.

Bizarre as it sounds, I'm actually considering lowering my 4x4. This thing is too tall. Anyone got an idea how much that will help the mileage?

"Bizarre as it sounds, I'm actually considering lowering my 4x4. This thing is too tall. Anyone got an idea how much that will help the mileage?" -- mxeng

8% !

LOL

(you really won't see much difference, 8% is probably real close, maybe 15MPG if you're lucky. 17 on the highway with no tailgate or load, in overdrive on a flat surface. (I'm not going to say down hill with the engine off, I am fairly serious...)

Everybody knows that Dodges have never been famous for good gas mileage, same with Ford. It seems like Chevy knows how to make a fuel efficient V8, but it has no power, and those trucks rust so fast...

I also have to add this, The real only way to get better gas milage out of a Dodge truck is to do some major work to the entire system in order to do it right. There is so much that can be done, the only draw back is $$$$$$. BUT, You can spend the same amount of money on a ford, chevy, and a Dodge and you will always get more for your money out of the Dodge. Simple but proven fact. The larger the tires, the more wear on your brakes, engine, drive-line, fuel and suspenssion. Dodge designs the trucks with a 4" lift and they think this is plenty for everyday uses. Now if you are doing some major off-roading, then some other things will be done, but it is a give and take situation.

If you are doing all the mods to your truck for looks, then you are eating your own money. Build your truck to be functional. If you will only use it once a year, more than likely you don't need it because you can find another way of doing whatever it is without the part.

Be smart in what you need and want and look at the total factors involved before you begin. It may look as if the mod you want may only cost you $600 right now, but how much will it cost you in the long run in repairs and fuel and general upkeep?

OOOOOOOOOOO something to think about!!!!

Just back from Iraq; got 13.87 mpg on a trip to SD doing 70 mph. I guess that isn't too bad. I was re-reading the posts here and noticed the "death flash" talk. Is that fixed yet? Also, has anyone used a power programmer? With a price tag of $399 I would have to do a lot of driving to make back my money. I am also thinking of adding a drop in K&N air filter and some sort of exhaust change.

thanks

you are driving a four wheel drive truck with a 5.9 and a cap on it and you are wondering why your mileage is bad is this correct?Your cap could be creating some drag.I have read some studies on leaving the tailgate up or down and I have found that there is numerous debates on this,but some studies have shown that leaving the tailgate up actually creates a "bubble"of air in the bed of the truck letting air flow over the gate with less drag.Here is a link to the subject on another site.
http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000488;p=1

The only thing that I can think of to improve your mileage is remove the cap when your bike is not in the truck if that is possible.

I have an 03 quad cab with a hemi, no 4wd, added a drop in K & N with a magnaflow big block muffler (not noisey). Go on trips to see the family which means going over some small foothills and mountains and still get 19.5 mpg average. Go with the quality parts. Use cruise control and common sense, that goes along way. Good luck.

Just back from Iraq; got 13.87 mpg on a trip to SD doing 70 mph. I guess that isn't too bad. I was re-reading the posts here and noticed the "death flash" talk. Is that fixed yet? Also, has anyone used a power programmer? With a price tag of $399 I would have to do a lot of driving to make back my money. I am also thinking of adding a drop in K&N air filter and some sort of exhaust change.

thanks


First of all, welcome back and a big salute for your service.


From many posts here, the "Death Flash" may very well be real, and is worth investigating.

Another cause of lowered mpg could be a bad O2 sensor. There have been quite a few posts in the Dodge truck and other forums where low mpg was caused by a bad oxygen sensor, so that should be worth a check also. My brother has a V10, he was getting only 6-7 mpg, bad O2 sensor disconnected mpg jumped to over 11.

Thanks for the welcome home!

I will check those out in the next few days.

I know the dodge won't ever get the 17 mpg that is on its window sticker but every little bit will help. I plan on keeping this truck for a few more years.

Hey 17 is a hell of a lot better than 11!!

I changed to a flowmaster 50-series cat back exhaust, K&N drop in air filter, new tires & shocks. I gained just over .5 mpg on the trip back from SD doing 68-70 mph. That brings my MPG up to 14.5 mpg. Not too bad with a fully loaded truck and using 10% ethanol fuel.

Thanks

Seems like every little bit helps. What tire size are you running, and any luck checking the O2 sensor?

Hello:

I am running LT265/75/16 at around 40 psi. I used my scanner to check for trouble codes and none showed up. I haven't had a chance to check each individual O2 sensor yet. I may do that in the next few days when it warms up.

Thanks

Cool; good luck with it....