Okay, so I've had the new headers installed for about two or three weeks now. Now the truck is starting to act up. Every now and then when you hit the gas the motor boggs down and it won't accelerate. It seems like if I really get on the pedal it's like the motor clears it's throat and runs perfectly. Sometimes it gets really bad and it won't clear out. I have to turn the truck off and then it drives perfectly. Some of the issues I had when I was installing was that I had to install universal O2 sensors. I really didn't want to put beacause it's a california emissions truck it uses the O2 sensors from a 2002 truck and they are like 130$ each. Besides they wouldn't be long enough anyways. I'm thinking it might be the TPS I replaces it about 5 months ago so I'm going to check it first. Any suggestions would be great.

 

check the sparkpug reroute and and your o2 sensor connectors

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1998/18-48-98.htm

 

that was very informative...i kinda had the same problem, but it has since kinda faded away. only does it once in a blue moon now. but still informative all the same. thanks DR!

 

my guess would be the front o2 sensor. I replaced my front o2 with one by NGK and didn't use a universal when I did my headers. Plug'd it up and no problems. I would see if you could return the universal for a plug and play.

 

yeah, when i put my headers on....i had just pushed my wires up on the valvecover to get them out of the way and it ran really bad afterwards and had some random CELs, so i looked for everything and while checking to make sure the wires were on the right plugs i thought about the reroute and separated em a bit and VOILA!

 

i didnt follow the instructions exactly, but i still rerouted the coil wire and then i put some red heat shielding stuff around my wires and now it looks sick

 

I can't use the plug and play O2 sensors anymore because I need longer wires on them now.

I pulled the IAC and put a new one in just in case that was the problem.

I borrowed a scan tool and drove the truck around for awhile and a couple things look suspicious. First the tps is smooth. It increses as expected when pushing the gas pedal. The O2 sensors look weird but I think that they are working as expected. One O2 will read low while the other one is high and then they switch and then measure the same. They do this a couple of times but, while they are doing this the truck is running fine. I'm leaning towards the MAP sensor. sitting with the truck of it readd 99 kPA I think it should be 101 since I'm at sea level but, I'm sure it varies. When the truck idles like it is supposes to the map sits at 22 kPa. When I give it wide open throttle the MAP reads 80 kPA. Normal driving is 30-40 kPa. Now what notcied is when it starts to runn bad the map reads higher then what I would have expectede based on what the reading were when it was running correctly. I got the truck to drive really bad for just a minute at 1/4 throttle and the map read 80. My biggest problem is that I've never used a scan tool. I have no idea if these readings are normal. The other problem is what if the map reading is just a symptom and not the problem. If anyone knows what the reading are supposed to look like it would be a huge help.

 

Ok I just did some reading
http://www.aa1car.com/library/map_sensors.htm

It seems impossible for the MAP sensor to read a false high. They typically read a false low. I think that I'm going to poke around the MAP sensor and see if anything looks out of place. Another thing to I guess I need to look at is the timing as I drive and the calc load. I think if I remeber the timing seemed normal most of the time. The load only went from 16% to 30%.

 

Ok so it's not just me. I installed the Pace Setter shorties and my truck boggs down on acceleration. Not bad but noticeable then smoothes out. Both of my O2 sensors are relatively new with the front one being brand new and O.E. not universal. I'm installing new 8.5mm wires today and I know the rule about seperating the # 5 and 7 is there anything else I should know when routing them?

 

Thing is this isn't a light bog down. 90% of the time it is a slight bog down but the other 10 it enough to cut the motor off. The other day I drove it to work no problems. Parked and then brought my buddies out to look at. We started it up imedietly it wouldn't idle. it just set there wanting to die. I put it in to gear and pushed the pedel 1/2 way and it just rolled forwared sputter back fired and then rev up then started over. I know it's getting to much gas but, I can't figure out why. I havn't been able to replicate the exact problem with the scan tool connected but, driving it home the other night geve me the results from above. It seems like when you push the gas down slightly it bogs down almost not enough to notice usually pushing it a little more clears it up. Every now then when you push it bogs down more noticably this along with it ideling rough I beleive are related and thats what I'm trying to dignose. I know everyone is probably thinking it's got to be the tps but, it's not. The scan tool show a smooth increase in the throttle opening.

I also don't think the problem is related to the headers. The truck has always had an ever so slight bog down when you lightly push the gas pedal. I beleive that we bumped something or broke something while we were bumbling around in there.