So I was towing a toy hauler to go camping a few days ago, it was towing fine, stopped at a gas station and noticed a weird noise from the motor. I can't even really describe it other than like something was loose and rattling my dash. It only happened when it was in gear and i had the brake on. So i put it in neutral and the rpm's shot up to about 2000 like i had my foot on the gas when i was in gear, but i didn't. So i played with it back and forth for a little bit, into gear then into neutral, kept doing the same thing, rpms shot up then back down to idle in neutral. Then when i was ready to leave, i put it in gear, stepped on the gas, and it didn't rev up. Turbo didn't spool, it just slowly started picking up speed from idle, and my foot on the pedal did nothing till i start going about 5-10 mph, then the turbo started to make some power and i was on my way. I got to Glamis, found the camping spot, went to turn around and got stuck because the truck was making no power after i stopped. At first I thought it was a dirty fuel filter, checked it, even tried without it in, didn't help. The only way i was able to move the trailer in the sand is putting the truck in 4 wheel drive, LOW, and it pulled it. The odd thing is that when i put it in gear, it would surge forward in 4 Low, like my foot was on the gas but it wasn't. I had to ride the brake just to keep it from going too fast when i was parking it. It was very hard to keep it from moving because of the torque in 4 low and it felt i was stepping on the gas pedal but wasn't. And when i put it in park, the rpms shot up like i had been giving it gas, but wasn't. I unhooked the trailer and tried to find out what was going on. Basically did the same stuff. When i put it in gear, and step on the pedal, nothing happens. RPMs don't go up, turbo doesn't spool, nothing. It will move slowly and pick up some speed, and when i hit 5 or 10mph the turbo starts to build some boost and i get some power the faster I go. Long story short, on the way home pulling the trailer I could only build about 26 lbs of boost at the most when on the highway after i was already going. I know if i'm getting low boost it could be something leaking, but the fact that off the line i get no power is puzzling me, even when i step all the way down on the pedal, nothing happens. Any ideas out there?????????? The truck is an 05 dodge ram 2500 diesel 4x4, only has 13k miles. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Happy New Year!

 

UPDATE:

This morning I started it, it was doing the same thing, no real power when i step on the gas on take off until it gets going 5-10mph. Can't power brake it and spool up the turbo, won't go. But it's giving the truck gas when it's in gear and i'm holding the brake still. But i drove it about a mile away and parked it while i was inside for about 10 minutes, letting it idle. I got back in the truck, and put it in gear and it was normal again, instant power, i even held the brake and gassed it, turbo spooled up like it should. Well i drove it down the road a few miles, testing the turbo, still wouldn't spool up past about 23lbs of boost, sounds like it's got a leak maybe... Then i get on the highway, takes off good, cruise at about 65 for a couple miles, and when i get to the light, it's doing the same thing again, power loss at start up, and giving itself fuel by itself when i put it in gear, and when i put it in neutral and it revs up as if i had my foot on the pedal. Sooooo....any ideas yet??? haha... i guess it could have a leak somewhere since it won't spool past 23lbs of boost, but why is it not powering up on take off and not spooling?

 

sounds like a leak. in either the hoses or intercooler, what year is truck? if 05 and older could be you have the intercooler with the plastic caps which were prone to seperate from the intercooler core?

 

It's an 05..... is there any way to test to see if the intercooler is leaking? I can almost hear the truck leaking air when it boosts up, i'm just not sure if it's my imagination or not

 

sometime in the 05 assembly they switched from plastic end caps to metal on the intercoolers, check the end caps see if they are plastic or metal. if plastic dodge should replace it on a TSB I believe.
as for testing for leaks simple way is with truck running use a spray bottle with dishsoap and water mix spray all tubing/hose ends and the whole lenght of tubng/hose, next spray the ends of each side of the intercooler ... where the ends caps connect. a better way to check for leaks is if you have access to a aircompressor ad make up a pvc fitting and connect to the intercooler hose between the turbo and intercooler inlet and add air to system, of course the engine has to be off ...helps on hearing where leak is.

hope this helps

 

Well as for the end caps I went out and checked, and they seem to be metal.... where the tubes go into the intercooler right? I will still have to check for a leak when i have time... by the way the truck is acting, and the sound i hear when i get the boost up, should be easy to find i would think. I will post what i find. Thanks for your help so far!

 

i have a 2002 ctd 4x4 auto and it was doing close to the same thing when i would start it up i awould have no real power it turned out to be the lift pump and shortly after it was the injector pump

 

I still haven't figured out the problem. When yours was doing that, was it dumping fuel without you stepping on the pedal? Because if i'm in gear and stop, the truck is fueling itself, rpm's don't go up, but it's pulling against the brake, and if i release the brake, the truck will take off and pick up speed for about 3 seconds or so without me stepping on the pedal at all. I have looked for a turbo leak at all the couplings without any luck. Now i'm lucky to get 15lbs of boost when i'm driving, and it sounds like it's leaking when get on the pedal. It's very frustrating, i just don'g understand why it's fueling itself like that. I still can't get any power tho by stepping on the pedal from a dead stop, can't power brake it, won't rev or give any boost, the only time it boosts is when i get going to about 10mph, or it hits 2nd gear.

 

do u have a programer in it if yes it might be bad and have u brought it to a shop to run a test on the stock computer if still there because if it is dumping fuel without stepping on the gas somthing is telling it to mine dident do that when my parts went bad mine was just the oppisite i wasent getting any fuel

 

Have you done the key trick and looked for any codes yet?