Ruff Running

[97GeoGirl]

Ok my husbands truck started acting up this morning on the way to work. It starts ok but you get a slight tick from the drivers side of the engine. It is also very sluggish when driving and is ruff when idle. We are having to give it more gas then usual and it doesn't have the balls like it did the day before. You can also hear a slight noise from under the cab (near the cats) that is like a real slight rattle noise. Now we tried hitting the cats with a rubber mallet but we didn't hear anything strange or loose. We just did a tune up on Monday. Replaced the plugs and wires, thought it might have been a loose wire but we took them off one by one and snapped them back on and it still is acting up. The check engine light isn't coming on. Any help would be very helpful.

2000 Dodge Ram 2500 extend cab
V10 8.0L
107,000 miles
4x4 Sport package

[sharter]

What about O2 sensors? Have you checked them?

Sounds as if one of them could be bad.

[97GeoGirl]

also, the truck is giving off a smell of gas. another thing too....is that it has true dual exhaust, and the exhaust coming out of the drivers side is normal....but the passenger side pulsates really hard. both pipes have a catalytic converter

[sharter]

Sounds as if it may be the cat on the passenger side. It cold be stopped up. That is what I would check. I've read on this forum that you can check it by taking the O2 sensor out and start the engine. If it sounds normal then the cat is bad. This way the exhuast has a way to escape.

[dirt420ba]

Get a Backpressure Gauge and check to see if there is a clogged cat. They screw into the o2 sensor port. Check both and compare.