hey guys. Im looking for some info on some performance upgrades for my 5.9l.

I actually dont have a 2nd gen ram, I have a 2002 ram 1500.

I cant find any info on the 5.9s in the 3rd gen forum, so I thought I would ask you guys.

thanks for you help in advance.

 

Make sure everything is working correctly first. (Check the plenum, do a major tune up.)

Harland Sharp 1.7 roller rockers are a nice upgrade. (makes the engine think the cam has more lift.)

Fastman throttle body.

Headers.

Better exhaust..... high flow cats, larger pipe, etc.

Heads?

TUNER!!!! <-single best upgrade you can get.

 

is there a write up on this plenum thing? what is it? i have heard a lot of people have problems with it. I am looking for more of bolt on stuff. i dont really want to go into the motor just yet. a tuner is on the list already. which would yall recommend?

I am also trying to get better mpg if there is any products that can be had to increase my mpg.

I already have a flowmaster dual exhaust on the truck when i bought it.

is there any cheep mods that can be done?

 

Well, More power, and better gas mileage don't really go together well.

For the tuner, which is probably the best "mod" for you to start out with, PM Hemifever here on these forums. He can set you up with an SCT tuner for 275.00. Comes with three tunes. Take your pick which one you want to use. (and thereby how much you want to pay for gas....)

Plenum: There is a steel plate on the bottom of the intake manifold. There is a gasket between the plate, and the manifold aluminum casting. The gasket tends to develop leaks..... to see if yours is bad, take off the air intake on top of the throttle body, crack the throttles wide open, and point a flashlight down there. See oil? a little bit is 'acceptable', if you see it pooling in the bottom of the intake, your gasket is blown.

There IS a write up for it in the FAQ section somewhere, but, the pics have disappeared... so, it is text only. Basically, to fix it, you have to yank the intake. No way around that.

Best thing you can do for fuel economy, is your driving style.

 

prob a tuner would be best, you prob have the death flash, and the only way to get that taken care of is a tuner to write over it .

then do throttle body,1.7HS,highflow cat,heads,headers,gears for big gain. list goes on man just depends on how much ya want to spend .

make sure you have done a full tune up also. plugs,cap,rotor,wires

 

thanks for all the info. full tune up is on the way. it will definatly be the first thing done

 

Sure they do, as long as the power gains come by way of modifications that make the engine more efficient. If you limit yourself to modifications that accomplish this, you decide power versus economy with your right foot.

 

One could argue that in the case of the internal (infernal?) combustion engine, "More Efficient" equates to "getting more fuel air mixture into the cylinder". Yep, generates more power, and also burns more gas....

Now, if you went for mods that were intended to get the most out of the fuel you were ALREADY burning..... like, a tuner.... THEN, more power and better fuel economy might go hand in hand.

Also, it has been my experience, that if you give someone more power to play with, they WILL play with it... at least, for a while. I always loved the debates with folks starting with "You said this would HELP?" while whining about how their mileage tanked... and then I would ask them: "How often does your gas pedal hit the floor now?" And this look of shock and amazement would come over their face, and the argument would end.

 

thanks guys of all of this information. I still have a few questions

If I did have a plenum leak, (I havent checked yet) what would be the best way to fix this?

What spark plugs work best with this motor? what about wires? I have heard to just use copper plugs, but are there any brands that stand out better than others?

 

I use the Bosch Super SomethingOrOther plugs, (copper, 1.49 each...) and they work great.

Best fix for the plenum is to get the plate, and kit from Hughes, or APS, and replace that steel plate..... for around 140.00, you get everything you need, except the oil change, and coolant. (some RTV would be good to have as well.)