91 Ram 150 Running Lean

[redneck_cadillac01]

First off, howdy to ya'll... I found this site while looking for solutions to my truck problem and thought that this site would be awsome to join and participate in. So anyway, on with my troubles....
I have a '91 Dodge Ram 150 4x4 auto. w/ a 318 throtle-body.Awhile ago i was just driving down the road and it started spitting and sputering and then it would stop and run fine for a few min. and then do it agian. I put some injector cleaner in the tank and then a few days later some gas treatment. I had no more troubles. Few days after that it took a major shit. Every time i would take off from a dead stop, it would bogg down really bad untill 3rd gear and then it would pick up and go. Untill it got into O.D. and then it would loose major power. I mean i will be traveling down an interstae with it held to the floor and be going about 45-50!!! I have zero accleration untill 3rd and when i come to a stop it idles really rough, almost like it will stall (which it has'nt thank god). I took it to a shop and they said that its reading 3 lean codes... its running really lean and has almost no fuel pressure. the guy said hes going to check the fuel pump , but if its not that he said it could be a million things with this year truck. So when i get this thing home and the fuel pump checks out fine...where should i start? I know im going to replace the plugs and plug wires and clean out the injectors but knowing my luck it wont be any of that. So what things should i put on my list to check and replace? Thanks for any input.

[fredjacksonsan]

There's several posts on this forum about plugged catalytic converters, which cause the problems you're talking about. How many miles to you have on?

[fredjacksonsan]

Oh yeah, and welcome to AF. Lots of good folks here, as well as answers to problems.

[redneck_cadillac01]

i have about 138k on it. and the guy at the shop checked out the cat. and said everything is fine...

[BleedDodge]

How did he check out the cat? Did he take it out of the exhaust path and look inside?

[redneck_cadillac01]

hell if i know... the second guy i took it to said that something does sound wrong with it. So i really dont beleive anything from the first dumbass. i guess the cat. would be the first thing to check then huh? what should i be looking for when i go and check the cat.? (never done anything like that before)

[redneck_cadillac01]

plus another guy said something about it might being a vacum leak, since has almost 140k miles on it.

[BleedDodge]

If it has that many miles on the original converter it's probably long overdue for a new one. You could even just leave it out and stick a pipe or pipes in its place.

If it's plugged or plugging it will make your exhaust note sound different, and the pressure from the tailpipe won't be as strong as normal.

[redneck_cadillac01]

you know i have noticed a change in the exhaust tone, it sounds alot better actually. i have a flowmaster on it, and since this problem it has sounded more like a flow is on it. Sadly, in my state, your not allowed to touch anything from the converter up. If the converter is the problem, would it be sounding so good? This problem is confussing me so much. thanks for all the input though.

[fredjacksonsan]

You could still have a restriction in the cat and have a rumble.