I've got a 92 Ram 150 that I drove from out west. Runs great and is super clean and rust free, but when you just feather the gas at high speed (60+) it bucks and skip really hard. It sputters a bit too if you gently pull out at a stop sign, but on the highway it bucks so hard it feels like the engine is going to drop. accelerating quickly at slow and fast speeds is pretty smooth though.

3 mechanics have told me its too "old" for them to be sure whats wrong with it. Thats insane! One guy said fuel injector cleaner would solve the issue. Nope. I put new cables on as well, but thats it.

 

Wow!! ive got a blue '92 D150 with that EXACT same problem. ive also been told that injector cleaner would help, but it didnt. i took the distributor cap off and saw that the timing was hitting before it should (it would spark before it was supposed to).... when i did some research, i learned that the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) and/or the O2 sensor are to blame. im not really sure if this is true or not, because i havent actually tried it myself. wish we could get an answer to why the trucks do that. i hate havin to either drive like a grandpa to keep from makin the motor do that, or gas it hard and waste money in gas. hopefully somebody can help us with it soon

 

Most mechanics today are not mechanics, they are parts replacers that need a computer to tell them what to do. Both of you need to run some voltage checks on the TPS, MAP, camshaft position sensor, and crankshaft position sensor to start with.

 

ust went through all of that on 92 318 it was dirty connection at map sensor spray both ends of connector also do code check with key on off but i have arunning truck that i can swap parts on also could be computer i swapped that as well.

 

I have an '88 D100 w/ a 318, and have what sounds like the exact same problem. A mechanic that I respect said the camshafts on these engines were known to be "soft" and the lobes would get worn out or deformed...he actually said that he would bet me $5 that was the problem....SEAL, any truth to this??? thx, Mike

 

I have never heard that before. There are a lot of 318s out there that have run great for hundreds of thousands of miles. If our camshafts were soft this would be widely known with the number of them that were sold. Where is the recall from Chrysler if this is true? Could they have worn cam lobes? Yes if the engine was not maintained properly. I do not see the symptoms that they are experiencing coming from worn cam lobes. They are not complaining about problems at idle and worn cam lobes would show themselves throughout the performance curve. This still sounds like an electronics problem to me but only they can do, or have done, the trouble shooting necessary to solve this problem. The lack of actual qualified mechanics is a big reason more people go for newer cars instead of staying with an older vehicle. IMHO