Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Loss of power

[BSander]

My '95 had lost a bit of power, and I can't figure out why. It is a 4wd 2500 with a five speed, all stock. It only has 55K on it. It runs smoothly, but does not have much power. It is gettng about 18 MPG pulling a smallish car trailor.

I just went throught lift pump/injector pump issues with my 99, and am wondering if maybe the lift pump on the 95 went south. Any ideas?

 

[Signal73]

I highly doubt it at 55K. They usually go 4 times that before they start to crap out.

Is it smoking more then usual?

Where in the RPM band does the power seem to be missing?

Do you have any modifications?

 

[BSander]

It does not really miss, it is smooth, just with much less power. There is some blue/white smoke, especially when cold, but nothing out of the ordinary. It seems to lose power in the higher rpm range, it just falls flat. It is all stock, no mods. I've only replaced the filters, belt front brake pads, and tires since new. It has been hard to start a couple of times.

 

[DavidGardner]

Check all of your clamps on the big air hoses going from the turbo to the intercooler and the intercooler to the intake manifold. Mine have blown off twice and both times there was an emediate loss of power and the egt guage went way up. Mine got to be hard starting once and had to replace the fuel return line from the fuel pump. PITA but cured the problem. The line was defective even tho it looked good.

 

[Signal73]

as mentioned check your fuel lines all the way to the pump and back for signs of cracks. They let air into the system and will hamper performance.
Also see if someone around you can set your pump timing to 16. 5 degrees.
Lastly, make sure your fuel shutoff solenoid is pulling up all the way. Bump the starter, then try to manually lift the solenoid up into the run position further. could indicate a bad solenoid or relay not allowing full fueling to the pump.
If none of this works come on back and well keep throwing things out there.
where abouts are you located?

 

[BSander]

I'm in Northern Vermont. I will try these things. The front fuel supply line did crack and leak, Boy what a PITA to replace. I will check the others, I think there could be the same problem on the line to the tank, causing it to suck air. Thanks for the info.

 

[charlessmith]

Nobody mentioned this yet - Change your fuel filter! A dirty fuel filter will act just like what you are describing.

Check the air filter too

 

[BSander]

tried the filters, no change

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

BSander did you service your prefilter also? Also not mentioned. . . overflow valve (at the front of the injection pump, motor side, where fuel line exits). If this gets weak fuel pressure drops causing power decrease.

Prefilter service (also while doing this make sure your fuel heater isn't leaking at the electrical connector) Fuel Pre-Filter Cleaning on Ram/Cummins

 

[hsmith]

My vote would be the overflow.

 

[dieselram96]

My 96 lost power also and found that the wastegate acuator was broken and the wastegate was staying open a little. Noticed that the truck did not respond well and smoked while accelerating and also EGTs went up 400 degrees more on hills... Check it

 

[surfbeetle]

On my 95, the blue hose on the wastegate got a hole, I had to change it. Also, do a valve adjustment, get a boost guage and EGT guage if you don't have one yet.

 

[95REDRAM]

Also check the throttle linkage for full travel. The procedure is in the factory manual or perhaps someone here can chime in.

 

[MAleshire]

Contact Joe George: -- email address removed -- Ask him for his writeup on the fuel system on 2nd generation trucks and share with him the symptoms you are experiencing. Some hard starts, smooth running but power problems at higher rpms, etc. I can regurgitate info for your symptoms, but Joe will be more accurate than I could ever be. IMO he's a guru on these 2nd gen trucks. Other things to check after taking a look at the fuel system (hard starting often indicates air in the fuel supply) would be to check for boost leaks in the boost hose or boots (lack of power at higher rpms may indicate a boost problem), slipped timing, valve clearance, or injector problems. At 55k I wouldn't think it could be anything major. Given the truck is 13 yrs old it's more likely that a hose is loose somewhere, or has deteriorated. Hope this helps!



Skip

 

[Missouri Mule]

How is your air filter?

 

[Forrest Nearing]

bumping the timing will help overall, but that's probably not your issue.



I'm guessing it's AFC and/or wastegate related.