update: changed the filter and it made a world of difference... however, i still sensed an almost imperceptible miss at times (I don't think anybody but me would have noticed it on my truck). So, I went ahead and went to the dealer... lift pump was dying. Had about 10 lbs at idle but sounded bad (I mentioned that it had noticibly quieted down. Tech just changed it, no problem. . says he does about 6 a month (just love this dealer-no hassle, just results!). Now have 14 idle, 11 wot.
ps, i'll work up another post, but the tech showed me a collection of stuff he's pulled from mistreated rams, man what a collection.