Greetings,

Recently I purchased a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad cab/ off road package with
an automatic transmission with a 5.9 liter "Magnum" gas engine.

I love it except for the dismal gas mileage. On the open road holding
steady at 75MPH it's getting 10 MPG. That's the best it does! It's got one
of those headliner mounted information centers that can display the current
MPG. I turned the dang thing off because I don't want to see sometimes
single digits for my current MPG cruising down the open road!!

Plus, with the cruise set and driving over some hilly terrain the
transmission shifts up and down more than expected.

Oh, and when I put it in four wheel drive the front steering seems like it
really binds a lot.

Any opinions?

Thanks!!


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all sounds completly normal, well the auto tranny i have no idea about, but as
for gas mileage your right in the ballpark, and sounds like your new to a 4x4,
when you put a truck in 4wd and you are not on a slippery surface things are
gonna bind, this is normal, you have 4 wheels connected to 4 axles, connected
to 2 driveshafts connected to a transfer case connected to a transmission,
connected to the motor, well you get the idea, something has to give, there
needs to be some sort of slippage, thats what you are feeling in 4wd, normal
binding, thats why as a rule of thumb only use 4wd in areas where traction is
limited, and even then try to avoid tight turns in 4wd, you'll get used to
after a while

79 T/A WS6 455 ,Hurst 4 spd, Blk w/ t-tops, Heavily Fortified, 4mpg

00 Ram 2500HD QC V-10 4x4,Blk,5 spd,4:10 LSD, 10mpg

98 Intruder 1400, Blk, 5 spd, 25mpg

Dodge engine normally get prety lousy mileage, but 10 is a little
low. Start by checking to make sure the overhead console is correct.
Then do the normal tune up things. Then start looking for bad parts,
like o2 sensors.

That's pretty normal, too. It's an attempt to stay in OD as long
as possible to conserve fuel. And the cruise control is a little
sensative, it tries to maintan speed with rapid throttle movements.
When it gets hilly either take it out of OD or turn off the cruise control.


If it's on dry pavement, that is also normal. All 4x4's do that.
That's why they tell you never to use it on dry pavement.

--
..boB
97 H-D FXDWG - Turbocharged!!
01 Dakota Quad Sport, 5.9/Auto/4x4
83 GMC Jimmy (beater)
66 427SC Cobra Replica - Project
66 Mustang coupe - Daily Driver

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are you basing your 10 mpg on the trip computer or actual "drive and
fill up" figures?

I've got a 99 ram QC.. 2wd/5.9/auto/3.55 gears and if the trip
computer is in a good mood, it might tell me that i'm averaging 11 mpg
on the freeway.... i fill up and check mileage and it's usually around
12 to 14 mpg... 4wd should be a bit less...

Mac

No, all PART TIME 4WD's do that, not all 4WD's. But he is correct, using
your truck ( a part time 4WD) in 4WD on dry pavement will damage the truck
and require EXPENSIVE repairs.

--
If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving

My '95, 5.2, auto, 4x4 will get 17 at 55 mph, 15 at 65 mph. If you are
really getting 10 mpg, have a scanner hooked up and check for a lazy oxygen
sensor. As it is still switching from rich to lean, it won't set a code but
gas milage suffers and power is usually down.


It will do that. When I first got mine, it had 3.55 gears and the trans
would downshift on overpasses on the interstate. I've since put in 3.92
gears and the trans doesn't downshift near as easy. What you are feeling is
the cruise servo opening the throttle plate to stay at the set speed, if the
throttle opens too far, the trans will downshift.


If you are on relativly dry/wet pavement, this is a normal condition. When
you turn, the front tires swing in a wider arc than the rear tires and you
will feel this as a 'binding' type sensation. You should only put it into
4x4 on surfaces that will allow a tire to slip a little bit.

Denny

The 3.92's sure didn't help your mileage any. What's your RPM at highway
speed? Just curious.
O.

My everyday stop and go/ country road type mileage went up about a mile per
gallon and my highway dropped a couple. I'll post back with the rpms, I
guess I don't pay that much attention to the tach. It only made about
200-250 rpms difference with the gears, but I went from 31 inch to 33 inch
tires about the same time.

Denny

With my 99 Dakota 5.2 4x4, auto trans, 3.55 gears, I average 11.6 MPG. On
longer road trips with a lot of cruising at 60-70, I can get it up to 14. I
talked to a guy at the gas station when he was filling his cuda, He said
that "Dodges get 10mpg, doesn't matter what it is, they always get 10."
I put about 200 miles a month on my truck now, so the mileage is not that
much of an issue any more. (the motorcycle gets 45-50 mpg, so I commute on
that instead)

The 4wd is nice to have, but have found that the limited slip is useless
once a wheel leaves the ground while "crawling". need to get lockers for
it.(any recommendations?)

Hey, thanks to everyone for the input. Glad to hear I'm not the only one
with a gas guzzler.

This truck has a K&N air filter on it, too. I was reading on the box it came
in some of it's benefits. One of them is "increases gas mileage". I was
like, gee..... what was it before this filter was on? 5MPG? I'm certain
this filter didn't do much for the gas mileage.

I was thinking of putting on one of those after market air filter systems
that has a tube leading to the front of the engine compartment with the
filter on the end of that tube. Not sure what it's called but I think K&N
makes it. Possibly a cold air intake system. Plus, I was thinking of
putting in a after market power module. Heard they not only increase HP but
also mileage. Any opinions on that?

Thanks again!!

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