hi i have a 2004 dodge ram 1500 5.7 hemi. heres whats going on when i am at a dead stop and i punch it i will take off fine through 1st gear but then when it shifts into second gear automatically it hesitates for about half a second the rpms drop and then it kicks into second gear and it cycles through the rest of the gears no problem. but that is only when i get on it from a dead stop. if i am driving normaly and take off like a normal person then you wouldnt notice a thing wrong with it. If this helps at all it all started about two weeks ago when i got back from a long road trip,and on that road trip from california to idaho and back i was pushing the hemi pretty hard at some points of the trip i was doing 115 to 120 mph through some of those long straight aways. But i dont see how it would effect 1st through 2nd though even if i was pushing the hemi to the limit. would a egr valve have anything to do with it or does anyone thing the tranny might be slipping or something thats the only thing i can think of if anyone has any suggestions please let me know thanks. and my truck has 83,000 miles on it and i flush the tranny and change the filter every 30,000 and i use top of the line products i never got the cheap route. any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

I don't see a mention of plugs. How many miles on them? A Sea Foam treatment might improve the response a bit. The PCV valve may need some attention.

 

thank you sir for the advice i had no idea where to beging looking. after you wrote that post i started thinking and about the symptoms i have and it makes alot of sense because i have never changed my spark plugs they have 83000 on them and im guessing the pcv valve has never been touched. after i get all the plugs in and change out that valve ill give you an update. thanks again

 

It wouldn't hurt to check/replace air filter and clean your throttle body while you're at it.

 

Yeah, you're WAY overdue for plugs. "By the book", you should be on the third set, approaching the fourth one. Remember, there are sixteen of 'em. Don't let someone sell you platinum/iridium/diamond/uranium plugs. Good ol' copper plugs will do just fine. I used NGK 5306s in both my Hemis.

The PCV valve may not need to be changed (they're kinda 'spensive). I've cleaned mine several times with brake cleaner (the same stuff you should use when you clean the throttle body). As long as the check ball moves freely, it's good.

What octane gas are you using?

 

Wow 83,000 miles on the original plugs?!?!? Ur suppost to change them every 40,000 miles. ya i would do that but do the trottle service first. theres a tsb too for a new software update for the pcm. i just did mine today and it seems to idle better. im gonna do a throttle service 2morrow and plugs this weekend. i have an 03 with 39k miles so i figure i do the plugs now.

 

The change interval is 30,000 miles "by the book". My truck had 86K when its plugs were changed. When I changed the plugs on my C at 49K, the gaps weren't too bad.

 

You might also want to recalibrate your TPS Throttle Position Sensor.
Very easy to do.
With the truck off and the ignition in the on position very slowly press the pedal to the floor and depress the same way over a 1 minute span or so.
Aside from the much needed plug change this might help as well.

 

so i got all the plugs in today it took a while was difficult at some points with those tight spaces but i did it. i took the throttle body off cleaned it with brake cleaner, put everything back together, and by the way the gap on some of them were at like .65 so ya they were shot. so anyways i got on the road and from a dead stop i punched it to the floor and it hesitated a little bit after first gear kinda like a pause before it decided to shift up and then it shifted fine through the rest of the gears. so i get to the stop light i punch it again but this time it revs all the way up hesitates barks 2nd gear hesitates(and when i say hesitates the rmp drop down) again real quick and then pops back into the correct gear. so i drove it home like the average driver and it shifts smooth as butter through the gears. Oh and i am pretty sure i cleaned the pvc valve it was behind the throttle body and on the passenger side it was something that i just turned with my hand pulled it out and it had like a little 2 inch nub kinda looked like a dip stick of some sort and there was a little ball or something inside that moved up and down freely so i am guessing that was the pcv valve, i put brake cleaner to it wiped it up and twisted it back on. so at this point im not sure what to tackle next. and by the way i noticed the engine was running alot better and sounded like it had alot more umph after i changed the plugs so thats a plus. so if you have any ideas shoot me back thanks alot for your help so far. oh ya and i just run regular gas and i do have a bully dog programer but its not in it right now because i thought that might be causing this issue but obviously not.

 

A dose of Sea Foam may provide some more improvement. Also, a computer reset may (over time) help. Pull the "PCM" fuse, get in the truck, close the door, buckle the belt and turn the key to "on". Wait for all the chimes to stop and lights to settle. Turn the key off, re-install the fuse. It can take a bit of time for the computer to learn over again.