great milage

[Sawbones]

great mileage

Took a little road trip this weekend @ 50 mph, trying to get through the break in period. Got 21. 5 mpg by the computer! Factor in a 10% speedometer error with the 315's (confirmed by gps) put's me at almost 24 mpg??



Technically, with the cruise set at 50 mph, I was actually breaking in the truck at 55. However, since the break in is for the differential, I was still only turning 2000 rpm's, which would be the same as 50 mph with the stock tires, right?



Will be heading out for my first tow tomorrow, 80 miles, 4K boat and trailer.



Told the dealer twice before delivery to check the diff fluid levels, says they did. Double checked with the service dept mgr prior to leaving the lot, says he did (but did not have to add fluid??).



Call me paranoid. I ordered a service manual when I ordered the truck, hasn't arrived yet. How do I check the rear level? Is it the bolt on the top front with the bracket for the brake lines attached?

 

[CATCRACKER]

use a 3/8" ratchet to take out plug on the rear chunk then dip your finger down if you can feel fluid within 1/2" your good. if not get a full synthetic 75W90 and fill it up till it flows out of the plug. check when diff's are cool. it took a full quart to get front and back to satisfactory.





when i picked my truck up i did 90mph all the way home truck had 7miles on it. i literally "break" mine in

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

IMO Cruise Controls and proper break-in don't mix. Leave it off for the first few hundred miles at least so you can vary the RPM continually.



Also cruising easy at 50mph isn't going to work the engine very much either, which it needs for proper break-in.



The good thing is it's not too late to start doing it "right" if you didn't to begin with. Don't be afraid to get on it and go 80-90mph once in a while or charge up a hill at full speed like CATCRACKER.



The last thing I worried about with my new truck was getting good mileage. I was too busy crankin' on it



Vaughn

 

[Prairie Dog]

I know they say our engines don't have to be broken in but believe me, They keep getting better for about the first 7K miles or so. Your throttle response will improve dramatically as will the low end torque.

 

[Sawbones]

Vaughn, ditto on your advice to vary engine speed and load. I had left it on cruise briefly to get a more accurate computer reading. I've broken in many a outboard engine, constantly working the throttle. I'm surprised the Dodge manual doesn't go into more detail on this. I'm also surprised they don't recommend changing out the fluids after break in, although I've noticed many on this board do, and I'll likely do the same. (although every time I mention this to the dealership, they kinda look at me like I'm crazy for throwing away $$)

 

[CATCRACKER]

work the dog out of it! if it dont break it will be broken in. if it does break the dealer will have to fix it. its better to find out now.

 

[Ladders]

I'm wondering if the mpg will improve like my y2k's did: 10k, 27k, 70k & just about 100k. Dont know why it did but it took a "jump" of about 2-3 miles at each of these (of course I immediately lost the benefit due to foot pressure ). Will take a while to see if these engs do the same thing.



SOTSU!

\\BF//