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Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!
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Author:  Snd21012 [ Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

[quote="Charrlie_S"]by removing the o2 sensor from the pipe (not just disconnecting the wire) is a good test for a clogged cat. It allows the exhaust to escape before the cat.

So there's no danger in disconnecting the 02 sensor from the truck and driving it up a really steep hill? This sounds like it would be the easiest and fastest way for me to figure out if it's the cat or if it's something else so I don't waste my money, I'm gonna give it a go tomorrow and see if it works,

If my truck seems to have considerably more power climbing the hill than the cat should be the problem right? Like I said in previous posts it drives fine around town but struggles to keep a 35 40 mph pace up a hill

Author:  SlantSixDan [ Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

Again: Disconnecting the O2 sensor will not tell you anything about the state of the cat.

Removing the O2 sensor provides a convenient port to install an appropriate pressure gauge which can be used to directly read exhaust backpressure, which can be caused by clogged/melted cats and clogged/internally-failed mufflers.

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 1:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

I'm going to see about buying a gauge tomarrow if that's the safer more accurate result,

I think I forgot to mention the smoke from the exhaust when I start the truck, it doesn't happen everytime bit when it does I have the bluish tint smoke that smells like oil come out of the exhaust, sometimes it's just a little bit and sometimes like earlier tonight it was a straight cloud thicker than any other time, the smoke always calms down after I start driving and is barely noticeable in my mirror, very distinct oil smell, I was told there was an oil leak somewhere when I bought the truck which must be true with all the oil caked down low under the hood but I can't find out exactly where and it must not be bad because I check my fluids everytime I drive and it's not losing alot if it is leaking, no oil burning smell under the hood, only the exhaust,

Mechanic said it could just be seals and if he was me he'd just keep a good eye on my oil level and leave her alone, he also said the catalytic converter could do this to

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 1:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

Could I have a blown head gasket? There's no power up the hills, I'm burning oil from somewhere, I don't have water in the oil though and it runs and drives great except for hills, doesn't get hot either as far as I know, I don't have a heat gauge on my dash which is new to me but I've ran her and let yet idle , I'm not swallowing water a gallon a mile, but I've heard blown headgaskets can be tricky sometimes with their symptoms,

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 2:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

I'm also thinking feul pump, mainly because it's hard to start sometimes, I usually pump it 3 or four times before I start it, maybe it's getting enough feul to run around town but not when it needs to really pull it's weight?

Also maybe the throttle linkage assembly, or maybe that's just the reason it jumps sometimes when I switch gears, I've learned that the right amount of pressure on the brake and it will shift smoothly but you have to feather it just right anything more or less results in the truck budging real hard, but like I said it shifts smoothly while driving

I've been trying to learn a lil bit these past couple days, do these sound like they could be the issue possibly, I'm buying the air pressure gauge and a feul pressure gauge when I get a chance to check those two things, I'm far from a mechanic as we all know but i think I can figure out how to check em, I will get back with the results as soon as I do ,

Author:  emsvitil [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

If the cat is bolted in, just unbolt it and take a look.

Author:  Rick Covalt [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

After 35 years the cat or cats are probably junk anyway. Did you say if you have to pass smog? If not would make them disappear if you can. Or install one new one. With the lean burn they have been subjected to poor fuel management and with the blue smoke on start up (probably your valve seals) the cats are not doing anything to help the power and more likely are a restriction. I removed the front cat altogether and left the second cat on but drove the insides out of it so it just looks like a Catalytic convertor. It is really just straight through.

The other thing that will affect your "How fast it feels" is the rear axle ratio. If it has a 2.76/2.94 rear end ratio it will feel a lot slower that if it has a 3.21/3.55. It is possible that there is a small metal tag on the rear end cover. You can take a look there and see what it says.

When you hit the hills and you smash it to the floor, does it drop down into 2nd gear?

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 10:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

Quote:
After 35 years the cat or cats are probably junk anyway. Did you say if you have to pass smog? If not would make them disappear if you can. Or install one new one. With the lean burn they have been subjected to poor fuel management and with the blue smoke on start up (probably your valve seals) the cats are not doing anything to help the power and more likely are a restriction. I removed the front cat altogether and left the second cat on but drove the insides out of it so it just looks like a Catalytic convertor. It is really just straight through.

The other thing that will affect your "How fast it feels" is the rear axle ratio. If it has a 2.76/2.94 rear end ratio it will feel a lot slower that if it has a 3.21/3.55. It is possible that there is a small metal tag on the rear end cover. You can take a look there and see what it says.

When you hit the hills and you smash it to the floor, does it drop down into 2nd gear?
It doesn't drop down gears I don't think, it runs smoothly it just doesn't have any acceleration or power, I had to literally stomp the gas to get it up a steep driveway the driveway was steep but there's no reason I should have had to smash it down, I got up it, bit barely

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

Quote:
If the cat is bolted in, just unbolt it and take a look.
I'm gonna get under there today and see, been strapped on time lately between working and both my babies but I will find out today is supposed to be a free day

Author:  Rick Covalt [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

If you are driving along and smash it to the floor it should kick down into second gear, especially going up a hill. The kick down may need adjusted.

Rick

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

Quote:
If you are driving along and smash it to the floor it should kick down into second gear, especially going up a hill. The kick down may need adjusted.

Rick
When I drive flatgroumd and smash it down, it goes, doesn't seem to be lagging in anyway, until I hit about 50 once I got 50 it stops climbing at the pace it was, what's it feel like when you go into second? Is that when I feel it try to kick in some power? It tries but is pretty much useless, I also noticed that since I got the tuneup and filters changed and what not that it has a lol more go to the gas, still won't climb a hill right though, I climbed under the truck, does the catalytic converter look like a muffler? I followed the exhaust down and the converter should be somewhere under the passenger seat, all I seen was what looks like the muffler, welded in

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 12:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

Quote:
Quote:
If you are driving along and smash it to the floor it should kick down into second gear, especially going up a hill. The kick down may need adjusted.

Rick
When I drive flatgroumd and smash it down, it goes, doesn't seem to be lagging in anyway, until I hit about 50 once I got 50 it stops climbing at the pace it was, what's it feel like when you go into second? Is that when I feel it try to kick in some power? It tries but is pretty much useless, I also noticed that since I got the tuneup and filters changed and what not that it has a lol more go to the gas, still won't climb a hill right though, I climbed under the truck, does the catalytic converter look like a muffler? I followed the exhaust down and the converter should be somewhere under the passenger seat, all I seen was what looks like the muffler, welded in

And when I'm driving up a hill and smash it it tries to kick in power but does very little and doesn't last long

Author:  Rick Covalt [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

If it is in 3rd gear and you push it to the floor when running say 40 MPH on flat ground, you should feel the transmission automatically shift down into 2nd gear and the RPM should go up quite a bit. The lower gear and higher RPM should make the truck accelerate faster.

Rick

Author:  Snd21012 [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

Quote:
If it is in 3rd gear and you push it to the floor when running say 40 MPH on flat ground, you should feel the transmission automatically shift down into 2nd gear and the RPM should go up quite a bit. The lower gear and higher RPM should make the truck accelerate faster.

Rick
Yes it does sometimes but not always, and when it does you can tell its trying to give some power but is basically doing nothing, I also just noticed this noise like vibrating metal like a spring or something maybe, it happens when I gas and when it shifts, it sounds like metal on metal contact, but I can't feel it only hear it

Author:  SlantSixDan [ Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dodge d150 no power going uphill! Help!

No, the catalytic converter cannot cause smoking on startup. Valve stem seals are a prime suspect for clouds of oilsmoke on startup after sitting, together with no major oil loss visible on the dipstick. They're not very hard to replace; procedure is here.

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