PLEASE read this i know its a lot but NO 1 can figure this out not even cert mechanics or electrical people!!! Who ever can honestly figure this out i will even set up a paypal payment for your time in pointing me in the right direction itss well worth it to me considering techs here in nj are worthless right now cause there all stumped!!

hello im new to this site but not new to dodge ive been a dodge fanatic since i was 5 on my 4th dodge truck and will continue to buy em' im not ganna explain my whole life story here but im glad to have found a site like this loaded with information!

I am a mechanic not by trade but by growing up with family that has done this by trade ive done my own work on all my dodge trucks from easy oil changes to big things such as pinion gear replacement, engine drops, tranny rebuilds but for the past 3 weeks i have been having and issue that has stumped even the best mechanics around, i own a 2002 ram 1500 4.7l 3rd gen (gorgeous truck all cutomized by my self and pictures to come... i mean totally gutted the inside redid it ect.) but the problem i have is burning to rich and to lean i have replaced my spark plugs 4 times in 3 wks along with my front and rear o2s every time i changed the plugs i kept getting codes like P0171, 0130, 0132 things that have to do with the o2 and emisions now the most recent code was p0551 which i pluged in my obII and the code reads power stearing blah blah yeah i know after changing the o2 the first time truck ran great for 3 days then shot the codes again for o2 sensor b1s1 lean, rich, volts to high not high enough i repalced it for the second time thinking the 1st 1 was bad so ok lets try it again 3 days later same codes truck idles bad loss of power between 45 and 55 mph delay in pickup between 50 and 60 like theres no ***** here, so ok 1 more time changed them again and again 3 days later same codes wtf im thinking take it to go get tested theres no voltage reading on the front o2 matter of fact just last night i bought yet another and had the old 1 tested .999volts or what ever did not move was like it was dead but soon as i disconected the old o2 that say went bad and put the newest one in registrations started working it was reved up to 1600rpm and let go you could see the volts fluctuate so i but the new one in a drove 50miles home but on the way home noticed my gas consumption was horrible at up 1/2 a tank in 15miles (no leaks ect) so i pulled over and put the bad one back in had the hesitation and all but gas consuption was normal 15-20mpg on the highway (what gives?) theres not bad ground or heat wire according to the computer that was plugged in and we could see that by disconnecting the old one and pluging in the brand new 1 what could this problem be i still have the 4th and final new 1 that i bought last night that i will not put in and cause it to go bad i refuse this time... ill run on the old one that doesnt work and causes rough driving but great gas miliage wht can be the trucks issue any 1 ever ran into a problem like this? oh i also replace the map sensor, tps, intake sensor, cts(coolent temps sens) thermostat, new charcol canaster and lines so no evap leaks not even a code for that any more (i mean everything but the EGR and the sensor right on the gas tank can ither 1 of them to be causeing the o2 to foul so much that no1 can get a reading off them im sick of the black smoke and hesitation and lag im getting comon dodges run so much btr then this and were all stumped (oh and a new cat is on its way (2 days ago i gutted the cat and it runs btr cause it was clogged) but even b4 and aftr the gutting she ran bad so no change in the performance and consumption of gas any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!

1 more thing i go by the over head console (yea every1 says thats so inarcerate but when i fist bought the truck 3 yrs ago i could fill her up and it would register on there 365 to the tank of gas ever since this problem i can be lucky to see 180 pertank at 365 miles per tank i was adv 15 city and 21 highway now its 180 miles per tank 8 city 13, 15-20 if im lucky everythings been replaced even the fuel pump tested out great works how its supposed to its just the o2s reading wrong now (with the engine basically being rebuilt minus internally that is running great no leaks ect) i really is mind boggeling seriously

even a email to pinelandconstruction@live.com would be greatly appreciated!

 

Well you say its customized.. How deep into the engine is not stock? Could be the culprit to the problem. List some of your internal mods so we can figure it out

 

Maybe the computer itself is bad???? It's telling all these things to do the wrong thing at the wrong time, therefore burning all this stuff up.

 

I would say all the internal mods wouldn't make all the "electrical" stuff go bad like that IMO. I would look at the PCM.

 

There's not been one internal mod to this truck the only thing was a k&n air filter but I was saying the stuff to the engine was all the sensors on the engine its self ie map, tps, cts, intake sensorn I had codes for the map replaced that n it nvr came back at the same time I replaced that I was like screw it it didn't fix the problem with burning rich/and lean?? But no interanl mods so far not till this issue and the pcm was check all checked out good so that's in working order

 

Also since no mods to the internal part of the engine and just replacing all the sensors all the codes went away with the new sensors but the o2 that keeps going bad map sens went away after replacement intake sens went away like I said the only 2 I haven't replaced was the egr and the one on the tank its self

 

The Problem is your computer. Which is why it is throwing all these random codes. Check the voltage supply to your computer as it may not be the right voltage to allow it to run properly. Also check the grounds. The engine block ground and the ground for the computer. Just sounds like your computer is not getting a steady flow of electricity to function properly.



My PayPal is Rcman0056@Idon'twantmoney.com

 

Also a voltage spike will kill the sensors

 

Ok I was thinking the grounds but honestly how would the engine block ground be bad I mean from where it looks like its connected it doesn't look like it can possiable rot or corrode but ill look into it and get back to you now I know bad grounds do cause weird problems but how would you go about fixing it replace the ground wire or remount it somewhere else and am I looking at the engine block ground right it looks like a braided thick line kinda like a break line as far as the braded part goes but its flat and about 1/2 inch wide? Also the pcm ground I went and looked at that there's so many grounds which is the main one? And I got ur paypal email if this thing can be figured out trust me I'm a man of my word!

 

You say you had it in for service by certified mechanics? Then they must have hooked up a datalogging scanner tool. Either aftermarket Snap-on type or factory Starscan to read everything in real time(vehicle running) This would allow them to see what is going on and if there is voltage problems at the ecu main.
You cannot do that yourself but you can start simple and work your way up.
First thing i would do is pull off your EGR and clean it up. A clogged or really carboned up EGR can cause certain 02 codes and give bad mileage.
2nd thing I would do is pour some Lucas fuel injector cleaner in your tank. Clogged injectors can throw all kinds of funny codes and bad mileage.
Next, i would clean your IAT sensor. it's in the rubber tube between your air filter and your t/b. Use electronics cleaner or alcohol on a cutip.
Do these things ONE BY ONE so you can narrow down the problem. if you do everything at once, you'l never know what the cause was.

I don't think your 02 sensor is actually bad or going bad on it's own. Raw fuel can destroy 02 sensors as well as catalytic converters. This means you have lots of unburned gas going through your exhuast which could be from no-spark conditions(faulty coil pack or wires) or a possible bad fuel pressure regulator (generally mounted on the fuel rail)

Again, i would rule out the mechanicals first, which seems like something you can do on your own. Starting by probing ecu wires and you could end up frying something if you don't know what you are doing. Eliminate the mechanicals and then move to the ecu.