Hi everyone, i'm new here. I bought an 05 Dodge QC 5.7L 4x4 on Friday with 97,000 KM on it (Canada). Truck seems to run great, I am third owner the guy I bought it off of said he ran Premium in it all the time. I didn't know there was an issue with running 87 Octane fuels until I came online here and started doing some more research in these forums. I am unaware what the first owner ran in it however. I have 10 months and 3,000 KM of warranty left on the powertrain and have a question.

1.) Think it would be worth the $250 to have the dealership do a what they call "peace of mind" inspection on the truck to do a full check over and they will also do a compression test. If they find anything wrong with the drivetrain at least I am under warranty still. At least with a compression test they might see any problems with the cylinders? Thoughts?



Two other questions:

2.) I thought on the hi-way I would be able to get 18-19 MPG, I guess I was hoping to much on that one I seem to be hitting 15-16 without a load for the most part does that seem on par? Anyway a guy can bump that up to 18-20 range? I was thinking a Cold Air Intake may be worth the investment would that bump it up a slight bit? How about a chip? I was driving it nicely around 100-110 KM/hr.

3.) Husky Gas stations up here sell the Ethanol blended gas which boost the Octact slightly. Regular is 90 Octane here. Would that be alright to run as an equivalent to Mid Grade from Shell which is 89? I did some reading on this and can't find to many people syaing they run it or what their thoughts are on it. I love the truck and just don't want a blown piston. Husky's gas is 90,92 & 94, but I have read the mileage isn't as good because of the ethanol?

Thanks everyone.

 

Any thoughts guys?

 

Dont run the husky 90. I got 10.6 mpg when I used it. The ethanol junk will kill your fuel economy. You don't need to run mid grade but it does not hurt. Most guys run mid grade when towing for a long period of time. If at all possible run chevron gas. It seems to be the best around here.

 

Personally, unless the "peace of mind" thing does something for extending/keeping your warranty I would pass on it. For the mileage increase you are looking for, your best bet would probably be an e-fan for your truck. That is the mod that has given me the biggest increase in MPG's.

 

Ethanol blends usually hurt mileage, but I have also read that the ethanol raises the octane slightly. How much ethanol do they put in the gas at those Husky stations? A lot of people on here say to run the 89 b/c dodge will not warranty your hemi engine if you don't, but that doesn't matter as much since your warranty is up. If I was you I would run 89 in it w/ as little ethanol as possible. Like Teach said the e-fan is the best bet for mpg increases, but some regular maintenance may also boost it. Do you know when the last times the spark plugs were changed, transmission fluid may need to be changed, differential could also need a fluid change, or maybe it needs a new air filter. Lots of things can hurt mpg and it's always a good idea to do some preventative maintenance on a used vehicle.

 

Dif fluides were all done 10K ago as per the previous seller. I have to call him back on the plugs, but i have booked an appointment for the dealership for thursday anyway for the compression test etc. Id rather spend the 200 bucks to see how things are looking right now, oh well. If the plugs weren't done I'll probably jus thave the dealer do them for me unless its a ton cheaper to do it myself?

I do most mechanical work myself but if its in at the dealer I might just get them to do it.

I asked the dealer under the VIN number if any warranty work had been done and other than an EGR valve replaced at 55K there was a cup holder fix and thats it.


How much does an E-Fan conversion typically cost, I could probably handle it myself I would think based on what I believe would be the work required.

Also as far as a CAI, do they help much?

 

I'll probably do the Plugs myself, whats the recommened plug just what the dealer says? Also as I mentioned what all involved in the E-Fan setup?

And, if I throw on a CAI would a Throttle Body Spacer make much a difference for a little more MPG on the highway?

 

Either Champion or NGK for the plugs.As far as the E-fan, ORT has the low down on the Taurus e-fan install if that's the way you want to go. Your other option is the Flex-a-Lite 180 extreme,that's what I run, you can get the entire kit from Moe's for a couple hundred and the TB spacer is an expensive paper weight.

 

Regular Champion Coppers seem to work as well as anything, cheaper and with 30k recommended plug changes and needing 16 of 'em are your best bet.

CAI would be good, although if you are not planning a lot of mods, I'm thinking put the money into a good aftermarket, higher flow drop-in filter and the e-fan. The e-fan I have found to be about the only mod that you can make your money back in fuel savings. Anything else, the cost of would outweigh the gains.

As far as the gas, personally I'd stay away from anything with over 10% ethanol. IMO you should stick with an 89 octane name-brand gas.

With that little bit of warranty left and with it being new to you, the $250 would be a worthwhile investment if it's a trusted dealership. I have a feeling they are gonna "find" a lot that "needs" to be done that won't be part of the powertrain warranty...

 

Yeah heh, well most dealer's find a lot that has to be done out of warranty. I usually sift through it and do most of what they say needs done myself if it needs doing. im going to have to look into this E Fan thing I think.

Are there any negatives to running the E-Fan?