Hey Cowboy Bob can you explain the 3 click method. Is that something involving the key and clicking the ignition.

Thanks

 

If you wish to improve your knowledge about how
air speed, tire rolling resistance, hill climbing, and weight
affect MPG
this article written for 18 wheel truckers
is a great place to start:

http://www.etrucker.com/content/downloads/ccj0302.pdf

Danger: if you read an article like this several times and begin to understand it you will immediately notice that the majority of posters on truck forums don't understand this stuff...and mostly post myths and mistakes

 

hum. . ..I drive the fark out of my truck and still get high 17's to low 18's. on long stretches of road I can hit 19's. this is an 04.56spd with 4.10's.

Just ask Nickbeek. . .I'm not afraid to blow massive clouds of black death

I mostly shift at 2K, will run 5th up to redline to **** the mustang, camaro, corvette, hemi crowd off[8D]

what hank posted does work. . .but these engines need to be pushed hard from time to time.

 

Hello fellow CTDers,

I was reviewing the the suggestions, I did not see (or missed) anyone mention the fuel filter. Fill up at a place regularly with a goodsytem that pumps a lot of diesel. I dissagree on the babying aspect. I couldn't get the kind of mpg running empty if I tried. Now pulling a my 30' boat into a headwind I'll get 10. I'm on my second Dodge CTD. I also wouldn't hesitate to get a reflash. Another thing I've noticed is finding your sweet spot. I believe altitude, fuel quality and terain really vary the sweet spot. I'm running a 4x4 dually with 3:73 with a full ranchhand replacement and a headache rack. My sweet spot is 2150 rpm empty and 2000 loaded. this is through the Texas Hill Country. To fast and the black smoke flows, to slow and she's blowing black up the hills. The only mod I've done is drill out the air box on the bottom and drop in a K& N. I'm getting 17-18 in town and about the same setting cruise on 2150 rpms. Personally I'd have a reflash done the tie onto about 10,000 lbs and drive 1000 miles.

I'd bet something else is going on besides not being broken in if your only getting 10 mpg hand calculated.

My 2 cents.

Garry

 

what exacly will this reflash do?

 

HeyI have a friend that says his buddy has a Power Stroke that run an Automatic Tranny fluid only. Is this possible? He work at ford inNevada and get the fluid free. At least that what the story is. So what do you think?

 

I never said to run it till it over heats or run it too hot. The Cummins tech was saying that these engines have more cooling capacity than they need for a daily driver, and the only way to properly break one in is to work the engine like it was meant to- i.e. put a load on it and run it. The sustained boost creates heat and eventually turns the spacers a bronze color.
A daily driver that never tows a heavy load, will never be worked hard enough to put enough load on the engine to 1) heat cycle the engine mechanicals; 2)put enough presssure on the rings to seat them properly; 3) to flow enough fuel through the injectors to keep them clean resulting in better mileage.
Unless you regularly run these enginesat sustained boost levels, I don't think they will ever achieve their full potential. That is why I run an additive to help keep the injectors clean beacuse I don't tow much.

 

1000 miles at 15 to 18 psi should do the trick right? That was the beginning of June, I was moving from CO to ND with a 2 month stop in MN and my roommate scheduled a flight from MN to close to a wedding, so I we had to do 80 from CO to MN, that was my worst mileage at 12.5. You can't see in the picture but at the bottom of the heap of stuff in the box is 2 engines and a transmission. The car was full of stuff and my roommate even tied stuff to the hood, rediculus I know. I didn't know how much crap he had when I said I'd help him move. He was driving his other car. I can't find the other pictures, but here is one, the car is a 1982 280zx.

 

Nick,

A reflace updates or resets programs. As an example, when they 04.5s came out some were getting poor fuel mileage. DC had a reflash for certain models. I had mine reflashed and picked up 1-2 mpg. There may or may not be a tsb for your truck. I would start at the dealer and take it from there. Don't talk to the salesman talk to the service manager or their diesel guy. If they blow you off time to find another dealership. I get the best mileage on my dually after pulling heavy loads. These Cummins love to work. I've pulled 9k loads 2k miles this month and now get 19 mpg around town empty( it will decrease slightly until i pull again). My wife drives the truck 90 % of the time and she doesn't baby anything. 70k on the truck currently.I don't run any additive except power srvice when pulling the fifth wheel ( to keep diesel soot off thegelcoat).You can aslo hold your mileage reset button down (key off)and turn your key to the on position while holding the button down and it'll run through a series of checks and show and codes you mighthave. Also good reading on dieseltruckresource.com and turbodieselregistry.

I am by know means an expert, I've just done a lot of research and driven the CTDs the last four years.

Garry

 

thanks texas, i am going to have to go to the dealer and have a talk w/ the service manager.... i am getting TERRIBLE mileage compared to others. i cant complain because 12.5-12 is still good in the city for a 3/4 ton truck but hearing every one elses deal makes me a little unhappy! 1-2 mpg's would be a sweet improvement but out of curiousity what does the reflash cost? it came be more than 100$ right?