Not sure if I’m sane anymore….

[DodgeDrummer]

2019 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi Big Horn

This is my first post…and it’s a doozy

I’m 36 years old….I’ve lost both my parents and 2 really good friends since June 2020.

Through it all, my truck has taken me everywhere I need to go! (Her name is Black Velvet)

Between work(175miles both ways), play, (? miles), and unforeseen circumstances(same as above) I have racked up 115,000 miles on my baby.

I’ve made sure to “maintain” the maintenance on it. Regular oil changes, coolant flushes, air filters, etc…

But just recently I have had a problem with POWER! Black Velvet seems to be limping lately…

2 weeks ago I was coming from a 80 mile trip from cleaning out my parents house for sell when my truck started acting weird. She was only acting weird while going into an overpass… I thought it was just me being worn out and tired of all the stuff that has been going on.

But the next day(Saturday), I was going to go back down to finish the house and she seemed really tired too (WAKE UP!!) So I decided to stay home and look her over.

Sufficient coolant - Check
Sufficient oil - check
Air filter clean - check
Any sign of wear on any hoses - none

I am not an expert at vehicles (ESPECIALLY nowadays) in no way. But I can do the essentials and can somewhat figure out what is the problem.

The next day (Sunday) I decided to get my truck towed to the dealership after a couple test runs up and down the road.

They picked it up Monday morning and called me that afternoon saying that the cause of the problem was that I was missing a fuse(F60: ECM/PCM/Act Short Running Valve).

…..okay, cool.

I made it 5 miles down the road and “limped” into an O’Rileys parking lot. After spending some time with a mechanic that was there fixing his tail light, he said it was
1: air/fuel mixture
2: throttle body control (same as 1)
3: gas pedal control
We worked on it until 9-930 then I went home…

Once again, I made it 5 miles down the road and “limped” into a Loves truck stop.

Next day the dealership towed her from the truck stop and began getting down to the cause of the matter! They were set on figuring it out (even paid for my rental car thanks to my wife’s annoyance of the situation).

Days the dealership had my truck = 9 days
Phone calls from the dealership =. 3

Question 1: When did I replace my radiator? (I haven’t)
Question 2: Why did you pull the throttle body sensor? That makes us have to reprogram it… (I pulled it to check for 5 volts)
Question 3: Are you sure you didn’t replace your radiator? (……..)

I picked it up today and ran around town to make sure I could make it home. Everything seemed legit. After all was said and done, they reprogrammed the throttle sensor, the pedal sensor, did a coolant flush(ON A BRAND NEW RADIATOR?!? Lol), and couldn’t re create what I had told them (they said they took it on a 35 mile drive)

I got ALMOST to my house and it began….she lost her power. I like to think she was just happy to see me again after all this time and gave everything she had, but it was probably just the uphill before I get to my house.

I say “uphill”….it is probably only a 15’ elevation difference over MAYBE 1/8 mile. (I’m not doing the math for the grade).

So I “limped” home and here I am….my wife thinks I’m crazy, I’m starting to think I may be crazy, but Black Velvet (the truck, not the alcohol) makes me think otherwise.

Am I missing anything here?

Catalytic Converter? (Knocked on it with a mallet, no noise)
Transmission? (I REFUSE to check fluid)
Spark Plugs? (That’s my next step, I think)

Sorry it’s so long, just needed to get it off my chest

Thanks in advance

 

[Jako]

Wife had a 1984 Toyota Celica that failed on us. Mechanic checked a batch of things including the fuel pump which he tested and appeared to be working. Further examination indicated it was working but not up to full capacity. He was a shop teacher and kept the failing pump for his class lessons.

The fuel pump should be kept immersed to keep it cool. The most I have filled my 26 gallon tank is 23 gallons and I believe that was with "zero" miles remaining on my "range".

Also I had a 1985 Toyota Corolla SR 5 that would lose power when the fuel filter needed to be changed. That was an easy fix as the fuel filter was on the fire wall. The Corolla was given to a mechanic who is doing a restore. The motor started up for him with no problem even though it had been sitting in my back yard for more than 10 years. Great car. Talked to a junk yard owner who said he had those motors stacked up in his warehouse as there was not much of a demand and the 4 door models were bought and shipped over seas. Love my Ram and amenities but miss the KISS of the 1985 Corolla.

 

[Andymax]

This might be a stretch, but are you sure its the engine and not something else? Are you getting codes, CEL's, cluster warnings, etc?
Honestly my first thought was rear end...some were found to be low on fluid from the factory. And why do you refuse to check the tranny fluid...it's time to change it anyway, and while a bit messy it's a relatively easy thing to do.

 

[DodgeDrummer]

Wife had a 1984 Toyota Celica that failed on us. Mechanic checked a batch of things including the fuel pump which he tested and appeared to be working. Further examination indicated it was working but not up to full capacity. He was a shop teacher and kept the failing pump for his class lessons.

The fuel pump should be kept immersed to keep it cool. The most I have filled my 26 gallon tank is 23 gallons and I believe that was with "zero" miles remaining on my "range".

Also I had a 1985 Toyota Corolla SR 5 that would lose power when the fuel filter needed to be changed. That was an easy fix as the fuel filter was on the fire wall. The Corolla was given to a mechanic who is doing a restore. The motor started up for him with no problem even though it had been sitting in my back yard for more than 10 years. Great car. Talked to a junk yard owner who said he had those motors stacked up in his warehouse as there was not much of a demand and the 4 door models were bought and shipped over seas. Love my Ram and amenities but miss the KISS of the 1985 Corolla.

I called the dealership this morning and talked to the tech that was working on my truck. He said he was having trouble pumping gas when he took it in a test drive. Like it was already full…. He said he went to a different station and it pumped perfectly fine…

Is there something to this?

 

[DodgeDrummer]

This might be a stretch, but are you sure its the engine and not something else? Are you getting codes, CEL's, cluster warnings, etc?
Honestly my first thought was rear end...some were found to be low on fluid from the factory. And why do you refuse to check the tranny fluid...it's time to change it anyway, and while a bit messy it's a relatively easy thing to do.

No, I’m not sure it is the engine. And I am getting NO kind of warnings on the dash, but this last week I have received 2 of these (see picture)

As far as the fluid, I am under the understanding that it is lifetime and I would hate to be the one that messes my truck up for a silly reason like messing with it (maybe I am crazy lol)

 

[Jako]

I called the dealership this morning and talked to the tech that was working on my truck. He said he was having trouble pumping gas when he took it in a test drive. Like it was already full…. He said he went to a different station and it pumped perfectly fine…

Is there something to this?

There is a thread on this topic. Some have had parts replaced. I am not knowledgeable with this topic as I have not had the issue.

I know on BMW motorcycles if the charcoal filter used to recapture fumes becomes clogged (from over filling) the fuel tank can be deformed by the suction created.

 

[teamroper60]

This might be a stretch, but are you sure its the engine and not something else? Are you getting codes, CEL's, cluster warnings, etc?
Honestly my first thought was rear end...some were found to be low on fluid from the factory. And why do you refuse to check the tranny fluid...it's time to change it anyway, and while a bit messy it's a relatively easy thing to do.

I'm new to the Ram (just got my 2021 last month) but there is no dipstick for the trans. How would one check the fluid level in it?

 

[Reverse]

I'm new to the Ram (just got my 2021 last month) but there is no dipstick for the trans. How would one check the fluid level in it?

I believe you open the fill opening and fluid should be at the point of leaking out, i.e. at the same level as fill opening (which is near bottom of transmission).

 

[GKIII]

No, I’m not sure it is the engine. And I am getting NO kind of warnings on the dash, but this last week I have received 2 of these (see picture)

As far as the fluid, I am under the understanding that it is lifetime and I would hate to be the one that messes my truck up for a silly reason like messing with it (maybe I am crazy lol)

No matter what FCA/Stellantis says, the trans fluid is NOT lifetime. ZF actually recommends a change at 150k KM (90k-ish miles, round to 100k for simplicity sake) regardless of any "lifetime" status an OEM places on it. If you want to keep that transmission going, it's best to change the fluid now regardless of whatever else is going on.

 

[GKIII]

No, I’m not sure it is the engine. And I am getting NO kind of warnings on the dash, but this last week I have received 2 of these (see picture)

As far as the fluid, I am under the understanding that it is lifetime and I would hate to be the one that messes my truck up for a silly reason like messing with it (maybe I am crazy lol)

Your truck should have those codes stored on it unless the dealer cleared them.

 

[HemiDude]

Have you had the battery checked? What is the voltage reading on the dash? I realize it isn't old in age, but those miles are high. These trucks can get pretty finicky if the battery gets weak.

 

[Hydroblueguy]

2019 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi Big Horn

This is my first post…and it’s a doozy

I’m 36 years old….I’ve lost both my parents and 2 really good friends since June 2020.

Through it all, my truck has taken me everywhere I need to go! (Her name is Black Velvet)

Between work(175miles both ways), play, (? miles), and unforeseen circumstances(same as above) I have racked up 115,000 miles on my baby.

I’ve made sure to “maintain” the maintenance on it. Regular oil changes, coolant flushes, air filters, etc…

But just recently I have had a problem with POWER! Black Velvet seems to be limping lately…

2 weeks ago I was coming from a 80 mile trip from cleaning out my parents house for sell when my truck started acting weird. She was only acting weird while going into an overpass… I thought it was just me being worn out and tired of all the stuff that has been going on.

But the next day(Saturday), I was going to go back down to finish the house and she seemed really tired too (WAKE UP!!) So I decided to stay home and look her over.

Sufficient coolant - Check
Sufficient oil - check
Air filter clean - check
Any sign of wear on any hoses - none

I am not an expert at vehicles (ESPECIALLY nowadays) in no way. But I can do the essentials and can somewhat figure out what is the problem.

The next day (Sunday) I decided to get my truck towed to the dealership after a couple test runs up and down the road.

They picked it up Monday morning and called me that afternoon saying that the cause of the problem was that I was missing a fuse(F60: ECM/PCM/Act Short Running Valve).

…..okay, cool.

I made it 5 miles down the road and “limped” into an O’Rileys parking lot. After spending some time with a mechanic that was there fixing his tail light, he said it was
1: air/fuel mixture
2: throttle body control (same as 1)
3: gas pedal control
We worked on it until 9-930 then I went home…

Once again, I made it 5 miles down the road and “limped” into a Loves truck stop.

Next day the dealership towed her from the truck stop and began getting down to the cause of the matter! They were set on figuring it out (even paid for my rental car thanks to my wife’s annoyance of the situation).

Days the dealership had my truck = 9 days
Phone calls from the dealership =. 3

Question 1: When did I replace my radiator? (I haven’t)
Question 2: Why did you pull the throttle body sensor? That makes us have to reprogram it… (I pulled it to check for 5 volts)
Question 3: Are you sure you didn’t replace your radiator? (……..)

I picked it up today and ran around town to make sure I could make it home. Everything seemed legit. After all was said and done, they reprogrammed the throttle sensor, the pedal sensor, did a coolant flush(ON A BRAND NEW RADIATOR?!? Lol), and couldn’t re create what I had told them (they said they took it on a 35 mile drive)

I got ALMOST to my house and it began….she lost her power. I like to think she was just happy to see me again after all this time and gave everything she had, but it was probably just the uphill before I get to my house.

I say “uphill”….it is probably only a 15’ elevation difference over MAYBE 1/8 mile. (I’m not doing the math for the grade).

So I “limped” home and here I am….my wife thinks I’m crazy, I’m starting to think I may be crazy, but Black Velvet (the truck, not the alcohol) makes me think otherwise.

Am I missing anything here?

Catalytic Converter? (Knocked on it with a mallet, no noise)
Transmission? (I REFUSE to check fluid)
Spark Plugs? (That’s my next step, I think)

Sorry it’s so long, just needed to get it off my chest

Thanks in advance

Be lucky you made it to 115,000 miles, I thought I was loosing my mind with my 19 Laramie from day one. After dealers telling me just drive it, there’s nothing wrong, what a bunch of crap. I was so happy and relieved when a specialist from ram was sent out and agreed there was something wrong after 7 dealer visits in under 10 months and 7600 miles! I forced them to buy it back , I had enough of the games! I’d trade /sell yours the first change I get and maybe look at another brand! I love the new rams and the 5.7 is awesome! But all the issues that exist form the first 19 builds. Btw, I’ve been accused of being negative on here! I bet if the people telling me I’m negative had a new $62,000 truck with a major issue with no fix, they would have a bad taste in their mouth and be negative too, just saying. Good luck with your repairs!

 

[DodgeDrummer]

Be lucky you made it to 115,000 miles, I thought I was loosing my mind with my 19 Laramie from day one. After dealers telling me just drive it, there’s nothing wrong, what a bunch of crap. I was so happy and relieved when a specialist from ram was sent out and agreed there was something wrong after 7 dealer visits in under 10 months and 7600 miles! I forced them to buy it back , I had enough of the games! I’d trade /sell yours the first change I get and maybe look at another brand! I love the new rams and the 5.7 is awesome! But all the issues that exist form the first 19 builds. Btw, I’ve been accused of being negative on here! I bet if the people telling me I’m negative had a new $62,000 truck with a major issue with no fix, they would have a bad taste in their mouth and be negative too, just saying. Good luck with your repairs!

Thank you! I have definitely gotten most of my money out of this truck, so sorry about your situation….

it just sucks that she has been purring like a kitten, and at the drop of a dime she decides to calm down (while I was driving at that)!
Hope you’re in a dependable vehicle now

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Sparkplugs and ignition coils?

 

[c3k]

Sparkplugs and ignition coils?

I like that idea...and, possibly, the battery. Something electric, not mechanical, is my guess.

 

[DodgeDrummer]

I checked all the spark plugs yesterday afternoon (with multimeter and screwdriver) and they all have 5400ohms (plus/minus 60) and all have a nice blue spark.

Battery is 12.5 not running and 14.6 running.

My truck starts perfectly fine, it is when Im an incline when she starts to lose a lot of power.

What is the best way to check if the fuel pump is good? Could that be a possibility? Even though the tech said it was a “faulty gas pump”…..

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Ok... so spark is fine. I'm assuming air and O2 sensors are fine (almost certainly will get a check engine light)... air filter is ok? Compression I'll also assume is fine since a loss of compression would be very noticeable. That would leave fuel... maybe the throttle sensor is flat out BAD and needs to be replaced, not recalibrated. Or it's something like the fuel pump or elsewhere in fuel delivery.

You're not getting any error codes? Did whoever serviced your truck tell you about engine codes? How about on your repair invoice? It's very odd.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

I think you need to get an OBD2 reader, and hook it up right after you experience your issue. I have to believe there's a code for what's happening.

 

[c3k]

Is there air getting into the gas tank? Meaning, if there was a problem filling it, maybe the evap canister is full and, with a locked cap, is that creating a vacuum lock??? (Total wild-*** guess...) Try driving without the gas cap?

(Or, better yet, ignore wild-*** guesses from random strangers on the internet and get it diagnosed. )

 

[Fatherof3]

Spark plugs are supposed to be changed at 100k . Have you tried cleaning the throttle body ?