I'm about the same. Best around mid 17's long distance running around 65. 9 if I'm hauling equipment. According to the MPG computer I'm averaging around 12.5, which is up a bit from before I added the vac reservoir and redneck tonneau cover. I'll be glad when the rain quits so I can take that ugly blue tarp off. Toying with the idea of building a lift up plywood top, that I can remove easily. Two sheets of ply would do it, a couple of hinges and some bungee locks to keep it down. I don't need waterproof, just keep some water out of the bed. Thought about a shell, but the thought of taking it off when I didn't need it makes me shudder. I could have my local vinyl place make me one, but dang...$$$$$$$$ Still looking for a used service body for the 4 door extended cab, they are like hens teeth.

 

When I changed out my stock catalytic converter, I went with a Magnaflow Converter 99047HM (dual 2" inlets, 3" outlet, front O2 sensor port), so I could get a bit more flow with 3" exhaust from the back of the converter to the rear. I also added some 3" pipe into a Dynomax UltraFlo Welded Muffler #17233 and a custom 3" tailpipe. The setup flows and sounds nice and may help your mileage a bit.

 

Well first off you should make sure the engine is in decent shape. Do a compression test! Put it on a scanner that reads live data to see what the pcm is seeing. If the temp sensor is not accurate (or 02's/cat) that could be another reason for bad economy. One thing that will get you better economy is a MSD6A box but don't expect much.

 

I bet your whistle is an aftermarket PCV. I was experiencing a similar funny noise in the dash and it turned out to be the pcv valve. I put in a Mopar PVC and all is well in the universe

 

 

Thank you so much for all of your responses. I have a list at the end of things I would like to replace and some things I don't know what to do with.

I still have the suction noise. I have tried to line up the gasket for the throttle body. (to the aftermarket Spectre intake) It only does this when you really get on it and it doesn't want to downshift. I haven't done a compression test. I hope it isn't something major. I bought a new clamp a while back since mine had seen better days. I may put the stock intake back on and see if that makes a difference.

The PCV grommet was pretty loose. I may consider changing that and possibly a Mopar PCV valve. (as suggested) The engine runs well but when it is idling in gear it shakes the truck a little. It runs much better than when I bought it. The idle is smoother since I installed a Walker IAC from Amazon. (not sure if that is a good brand or not) The tune up made a difference and all of the things I have done have helped a little bit.

I have a little bit of wobble on the crank pulley. I was considering buying a new harmonic balancer and using the instructions found elsewhere on this forum to install it. I can't tell if it is connected to the pulley or not. (it seems to be connected to the pulley) I don't have the metal fan or clutch or fan shroud so I assume it will be easier than if I had all of that stuff.

I found some rust free parts for $150 a piece from a local guy who gets them from Texas. I don't have rust on the passenger doors yet but I think it might be coming soon.

I would like to find a way to get in there and remove and rust and prevent further damage to the cab corners and rocker panels. My cab corners and rockers are super nice. (no rust through at least)

The idea of this truck is to have a project to do with my kid and something cool and old to drive around. I had one a long time ago and had a lot of fun getting it to run as smooth as possible. It serves a good purpose as well being a truck. (I haul a lot of stuff with it) When my kid turns 16 he will be on a short leash with the MPG.

These trucks are all over Minnesota but most have rust holes all over the place. When I see a nice one it is normally a Cummins diesel. I do see some nice gassers like ours but they are few and far between. For that reason it is nice to have a shiny and good looking one around here.

We may eventually do the full exhaust. I like the part numbers and specs. (thanks Atomic Dog) Once my kid gets a job we may have a lot more money to throw at it. Ultimately, a completely rust free and straight truck with nice sounding exhaust running extremely smooth is the goal. The AC kicks hard, it came with keyless entry and remote start that the previous owner installed 20 years ago and we upgraded to a bluetooth radio. I put in a backup cam with the screen on the rearview mirror and tinted the side windows. We upgraded to aftermarket headlight and recently I painted and clear coated a rust free drivers side front fender and we installed it.

The AC Compressor has a date code of 2014, the alternator has a manufacture date of 2012 and the idler and pensioner pulleys were replaced by me recently. The water pump is pretty new. (no date code) It looks brand new. I changed out all 4 shocks and the steering dampener. Cap/rotor,plugs and wires. PCV valve was replaced for no reason other than it was super cheap. IAC replaced and throttle body cleaned. Hughes intake installed. Precat O2 sensor replaced with Bosch. Electric fan conversion .(FFDynamics) Cup holder fixed with a metal wire. New blower motor and resister. New vacuum check valve. (great advice on this forum on that for wacky vents)

I am considering the following:
1) Steering support kit. I find these on Amazon for $60 or so. I don't know how much they help
2) Mopar brand PCV valve to possibly fix suction noise and grommet (Dorman)
3) eBay short headers. (about $60 but I think I need a better gasket and bolts)
4) High flow cat
5) MAP sensor. (maybe this will help mileage)
6) Positive battery distribution kit. (I have a lot hooked to the positive terminal)
7) Blend door fix (once it breaks or maybe preventative even)
8) Rear stabilizer bar if I can find one. I have seen them on trucks but I cannot find them
9) Better rear shocks. (I put in low price Monroe) The front our high end Monroe.
10) Throttle position sensor. I changed this on my old truck and it helped it.
11) Windshield mount radio antenna and delete stock antenna completely from the fender.
12) Catback single or dual exhaust if I can keep the stock spare tire location.
13) Front Floor mats
14) New stock temp thermostat. (or a different temp if I can figure which is best)
15) Blue Driver OBDII reader with temp and other features. I want this to monitor the sensors etc. I need to tune the e-fan kit.
16) Bed Mat. (stop the harbor freight roll in liner from digging into my knees)
17) Rust free drivers side doors. (I can paint them with rattle cans just like the fender and tailgate)
18) Maybe a leveling kit. (if they aren't too difficult to install)
19) Timing Chain (double roller Comp Cams for $40 on Amazon)
20) Hall effect sensor in the distributor (this made a big difference on my old truck I think)
21) Harmonic Balancer (my crank pulley moves around a little
22) bushings for the steering column. It click occasionally when turning
23) Rear Main seal (leaks a tiny bit)
24) crush seal on the rear end. (Need to get my terminology straight) It leaks a tiny bit where the drive shaft meets the rear end.
25) fix small leak on transmission link that goes into the radiator. (not sure if I just need to remove it and use teflon tape or what needs to be done here)
26) Change front diff fluid and transfer case fluid. Flush brake fluid.
27) Paint rear diff. (chrome diff cover with rusty diff looks bad)
28) Fix wipers since they go slow after a while or when windshield is dry. Sometimes they stop. Maybe motor or lubrication needed
29) Paint class 5 hitch mount and side tube mounting brackets. (it is an aluminum Mopar step bar with metal rusty brackets. I would love to get new brackets but I can't find them so far) I may paint he anodized aluminum black as well to match the truck.
30) Paint the door handles, taillight bezel and tailgate handle black to match the paint. (can I paint the rear view mirrors to match as well?) would the paint stick if I prep it properly?
31) Paint the wiper arms
32) Fix the persistent ABS and Brake light issue. (I replaced the sensor and it stayed off most of the winter) I used a Dorman part that came with the extension cable. Possibly a connection issue. (the electrical fasteners are a pain at times)
33) Replace all brake lines. (they are rusting and corroding all over but not terrible yet)
34) Dash cover. I like the hard one that you glue on from Amazon for $129 or so. We only have one crack but it may get worst.

If you have any ideas or answers for my issues, I would greatly appreciate it.
35) 3rd gen steering conversion. (possibly if it isn't too hard) Maybe just replacing the existing parts with Moog problem solver parts. (slop in wheel but not too bad)
36) Determine the cause of a suspension squeak. (not a high priority though)
37) Determine the cause of a fuel tank level issue. I put a spectra premium fuel sending unit in and I will start sputtering and almost run out of gas at 1/8 of a tank.
38) upgrade to roller rockers. (not anytime soon)
39) Consider having my fuel injectors tested and rebuilt or buying the cheap Chinese injectors from eBay. (it is a similar cost to go either way)
40) Find the small leak in the fuel pressure. (it can take a minute to get going after sitting but nothing like before I changed the fuel sending unit/fuel pressure regulator)
41) Watch the AC compressor clutch. It made noise for a day and popped then kicked out some dust. It didn't work for about 10 minutes. Now it seems fine. (stamped 2014 manufacture date, not sunden but possibly Denso)
42) Optima battery. (when this one dies)
43) Possibly a bigger alternator (due to e-fan conversion) This was more of a concern before changing the blower motor. Prior to that, the blower would slow down when the e-fans would kick in. The new blower seems to have almost completely resolved that. (the blower slows a little every once in a while still but not like before)
44) LED fog light bulbs and new fog light housings. (to match the new LED headlights) They look very yellow compared to the LED headlights.
45) Post cat O2 sensor. It is really stuck and may wait until we do the exhaust.

 

Them floor mats some will give you 2+ mpgs but with your steering it's the track bar that is a crappy design. I would just upgrade to a 3rd gen track bar. Assuming your engine is in tip top shape let's see what will give you better fuel economy, and for that you need to know the basics of an engine. The more air (colder air the better as it is more dense) and the easier the engine can get rid of the exhaust gases the better fuel economy. Now this could be a while exhaust system including headers plus polishing the heads.

 

The Bosch O2 sensor may be causing your rough running. Try an NTK. We got a set of Manzo stainless shorty headers for my daughter's Chevy. They have a nice thick flange and fit well. Try Remflex header gaskets. The rear brake line typically busts behind the fuel tank. Sounds like fun. Lots of pictures please.

 

Here are some pics.


New headlights. SPPC headlights from Amazon. One leaked and I put silicon on both to seal them.


I bought this tailgate from Amazon. It had strange holes and a dent from FedEx. Some fiberglass, bondo and sandable primer later I paint it with Duplicolor and SprayMax 2K Glamour. The used new badge was $20 from eBay and the 4x4 was new from Amazon.

Spectre Intake



Driver's side fender after I painted it with rattle cans! Duplicolor PX8 black and Spray Max 2K clear.

We still had the topper and I put on the chrome rims. They looked terrible when I got them. Rusty and dirty. A little chrome polish later they look like this.



Picture of the good side before I bought it. (passenger side is almost perfect) You can't tell but the aluminum rims had corrosion and bubbled paint.

 

Interior LED lights. (white)


Custom wrapped leather wheel. (it was worn out) I had this kit for 20 years and never found a wheel that it fit.


Yes that is a flux capacitor that doubles as a USB charger. (my kid put that in there, it is his truck) The single metal rope hanger is how I fixed the cupholder. (trying to get 2 the same length proved to be difficult and not necessary)


FF Dynamics fan kit. I found this brand on the forum.


This craigslist sub cost me $30 plus the wiring harness from eBay for about $6. It is self powered and 10". Just right for the Ram.