Hey, thanks in advance for the patience as i'm new to this forum and a new Dodge owner. I just sold a 07 Ford F150 and bought a 2000 Dodge 1500 4x4 with 100k miles. Engine, transmission, etc. seem solid but I have a few issues. 1) there is a noticeable lack of pickup. this is a 5.9 but it seems like i'm pulling a heavy trailer when i accelerate. maybe cat backing up? 2) just once my "check gauges" light came on and oil pressure went to zero. already noticed coolant gauge was pegged at zero leading me to think it was a short somewhere but maybe oil pressure sending unit/sensor? 3) funny reading about the cracked dashes on this forum; mine is shredded. 4) funny whizzing whining sound coming from the dash.
sorry for the data dump just looking for any help or advice anyone can provide. i'll try to upload pics of the new truck when i can, with 285's she's a beast!

 

Congrats on the new dodge. This forum has been very helpful to me and many others.

Do a search for the plenum gasket. This is a common problem on all 94-01 dodge rams with the 5.2 and 5.9 gas motors. It can also clog your cat so maybe the plenum is leaking.

 

Check on the computer for a sticker saying authorized update or somehting along those lines(death flash) do a search for more info on it

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the truck. As far as the sluggish feel try searching the forum for plenum leak and death flash as there will be plenty of threads to answer your question. But be assured you're not alone there. Another thing is the tires. Stock tires are 31" and your 285's are 33" and I'm gonna assume you've got the 3.55 gears. As far as your gauges go I have had to replace both the temp and oil pressure sensors so it is possible they're gone. Fair warning the oil pressure sending unit isn't a easy task. It's on the top back of the block. Hope you get everything fixed.

 

Thanks for all the help. I'm going to get to work on some of these fixes, luckily I have a little money to put into it. I'll be around the forum and will post any thing that I come across that may seem unique. PS- HAPPY MARD GRAS FROM NEW ORLEANS!

 

Take a moment to fill out your profile info so when you post we'll know what truck you have. Also, thread titles should be more descriptive so they can be found in a search and help others with similar issues. Welcome to DF.

 

Thanks again for all the help guys. To be quite honest I haven't used a forum with so much valuable information archived as this one. I've spent the last three night reading through the FAQ's and older posts. I'll be sure to use the search function next time before I bother I post. Thanks again for your help.

 

Also check your TPS and IAC on the throttle body. TPS is on the driver side, IAC is on the back. Sometimes the IAC gets stuck and it will run like crap or not stay running at all.