1995 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.2 auto with about 280K on it issue is as follows:
thanksgiving i started to drive to my folks house got part of the way there truck started acting up running bad backfiring and just carrying on so i turned around limped it home though ok maybe it's low on fuel got gas in it this morning and if you put the pedal to the floor it comes to life and takes right off and if you keep rpm high it does ok but normal driving it coughs, backfires and just runs like crap this summer i did complete tune up to it (plugs,wires,cap and rotor) as well as it has a new crank sensor and new distributor pick up module but i am at a loss. I don't have money to replace truck and just need to kinda figure this out. it will start and idle just fine but soon as you start to go it does this

 

Does it run like crap right away, or does it need to warm up some before it starts screwing up?

 

more or less right off as soon as you try to go i have to let it warm up a bit before i go so the trans doesn't tank on me as i'm in NH and it's rather cold out now. but it just started doing it out of the blue it was going great then all of a sudden it wasn't.

 

Is the check engine light on? If so, it would be helpful to know the codes instead of guessing, if possible...

Also, has the plenum gasket at the bottom of the intake ever been fixed and has the timing chain ever been replaced?

 

i have no idea if any of that had been done it has not been in the 7yrs i have had it. and this truck is pre - obd2 and check engine light bulb was taken out like 5yrs ago. so i have no way to get codes i know it has had egr and o2 code since i bought it as the o2 was taken out and hole plugged soon after i replaced the cat as the manifold flanges were bad and cat is hollow anyway truck does not have to go through emissions here. but it was running great then out of the blue it just started running like crap

 

Then there likely are some codes, that have been there for quite some time. Put the bulb back in. Local parts store will have 'em. Pull the codes, see what ya got.

Might try just resetting the PCM, and see if anything changes.

 

i know when i got it had an egr code and i'm sure an o2 sensor code as it only had one sensor but it hasn't been in it for close to 5yrs now without issue. and i know only way to get what limited codes this will have is the key on/off cycle and count the flashes. but in this cold i really don't feel like pulling the dash all apart to put a bulb back in that was taken out due to the light being on all the time and it's bright and messes with my vision at night and was distracting it's an old truck but can't afford to replace it right now so i keep patching her back together

 

The stored PCM codes will really help you/us to narrow down what your real issue(s) is that's causing the rough running engine. Otherwise, you're walking into the realm of throwing parts at the truck in hopes of tripping over what the real issue might be. With 280K on the engine and a darn near 30 year old truck, it could literally be most anything that's causing your issue(s). As was mentioned, you can try resetting the PCM by disconnecting the battery cables, touching them together, then reconnecting to see if anything changes..

 

i just know it only has very basic/generic codes being pre obd2 i guess tomorrow ill see if i can rob the bulb out of one of the other lights in the dash and try to figure out the basic codes depending on how cold it is. Idk why this seems to not happen during decent weather when my body can recover from working on it. the truck has done good by me for the most part for what i gave for it but lately similar age trucks with bigger issues that are completely rotted out people want $1200 and up for and i'm not giving that for something in worse shape than what i got now lol

 

Sometimes, vehicles break down at the worst possible time and in the worst climate conditions. I feel the same as you do regarding my old truck. Unless I can find a 4 door 4WD truck with an 8 foot bed in as good or better shape than my existing truck, I see no reason in getting rid of it given the cost of newer trucks on the road now. Besides, I run antique plates on it and cost of ownership is extremely low, especially since I perform 95%+ of the repairs on my truck, as needed. Periodic assistance from the great folks on this forum has also been very helpful.