thanks kayakman..yes i read your thread last night before posting...was trying to be a good poster by reading first...only problem is i don't understand alot...waiting for hubbys time off (what's that?) to read all this but trying to relate as much as possible ahead of time. thanks and i will have him read that also...had it bookmarked already.

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: TMS Bill
[quote] is this whine? Did it just come on suddenly or has it been building for a while?

bill i forgot to answer the above...he said (men!) it mustve of built up as he seemed to notice the noise getting louder he doesn't think it happened all of a sudden does that make sense?

 

Funny that your pinging started at the time it did. I'm over in Ft. Worth and went from 11.5 to 12.5 mpg at that same time. My truck loves the new gas.

The plenum gasket is inside the engine. The intake manifold has a bottom cover bolted to it (the plenum pan). Between this cover and the intake is a gasket that often develops a leak. The leak allows the intake manifold to suck air (and sometimes oil) from the crankcase. Here is the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that the service departments use to diagnose and fix the problem: http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2000/09-05-00.htm

Before they dig into the engine though, they're supposed to perform this TSB (wire re-routing): http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1998/18-48-98/18-48-98-v8.htm

Y'all can either spend the time messing with this or just replace the original wires with an 8.5mm set. The fatter wires won't crossfire like the thinner stock ones can. If it doesn't fix the pinging ... I'd lay money on the plenum problem. The trucks shouldn't ping on regular gas.

About the whining ... it can't hurt to check the lube level in the axle (you're kinda supposed to anyway ... but I never have on mine).

Again ... relax ... nothing's going to come apart on you. I've had what sounds a bit like a brake drum dragging (axle noise) for over 50,000 miles (probably a bad bearing or two) ... still running strong ... the 9.25" axle is pretty tough. I'm also a lot less picky than some. My wife would be bugging me to fix it if it was her car.

 

Look down the intake manifold (with a flashlight)to see if oil is pooled up in there, if it is the plenumgasket is bad.

Here is what is involved in repairing it
https://dodgeforum.com/m_249261/tm.htm

As for the axle, if itis the problem,check the fluid level first (not that hard, its just a plug)

 

If you're wondering about the plenum gasket problem.....it is caused by Dodge putting a steel pan on the aluminum intake manifold, and due to heat expansion rates the gasket is destroyed.

That is why people like to put a new aluminum pan on the intake mainfold when repairing the gasket.

 

well bill then she and i have something in common...that old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it" just doesn't fly with me. i think it should be changed to " lets see how long i can ignore it until i HAVE to fix it", don't ya think? [sm=bustedsign.gif]


thanks guys for all the help. so glad i found this forum..nice people too. any suggestions are appreciated. he's just got to find time to read it all and apply it. he's pretty handy and it would ease our minds alot if we could at least know what we are getting into if we have to put in the shop. we really love our truck and want her to feel "good"! thanks again for spending the time. i am sure i will be back with more ??'s.

 

We just keep hoping it will hush up and go away ... ... never works out that way though, does it?

As long as Mr. sugahplm is pretty handy ... he can probably attack the plenum problem (if that IS the problem) by himself ... probably a 6 on a 10 scale. Wires should be a sinch ... no more than a 2.

Here's the kit for the plenum repair: http://www.hughesengines.com/partDet...p?partID=11698

Should probably get one of these, too:
http://www.hughesengines.com/partDet...p?partID=11584

Lemme know how it turns out.

 

wow thx bill...wonder how many man (cussing n'fuming [:@]) hours this would take?
i'll let you know! thx again

 

Took dhvaughan a few days but he might not have been ... um ... properly motivated?

Some tips for the job: https://dodgeforum.com/m_741193/tm.htm

 

sugahplm<<<<motivational nagger...i mean speaker[sm=grinangel.gif] ...thx again for the link! man this boy is gonna have to study haaarrddd