1997 Ram 1500 5.2L! 11mpg?????
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
1997 Ram 1500 5.2L! 11mpg?????
Hello,
Like I say in the subject, I have a '97 Ram 1500 5.2l. Today I towed a very small pop-up camper for 200 miles. The tongue weight of the camper is like 125lbs. (not heavy at all). The Overdrive was downshifting allot on the Highway so I turned off OD for the remainder of the trip. It ran great but when I figured the MPG I came up with 11. OUCH! Does that sound bad? This is my first full-size pickup so I don't really know what to expect.
Also, when I got home ther was a "silver-dollar" splash of oil under the truck. It was coming from a spot maybe 12 inches in front of the oil pan, again I am a rookie so I don't even know what to call it.
Any suggestions or help? Should I upgrade the air filter and exhaust to try and get better MPG or just shutup and accept it?
Thanks in advance!
Like I say in the subject, I have a '97 Ram 1500 5.2l. Today I towed a very small pop-up camper for 200 miles. The tongue weight of the camper is like 125lbs. (not heavy at all). The Overdrive was downshifting allot on the Highway so I turned off OD for the remainder of the trip. It ran great but when I figured the MPG I came up with 11. OUCH! Does that sound bad? This is my first full-size pickup so I don't really know what to expect.
Also, when I got home ther was a "silver-dollar" splash of oil under the truck. It was coming from a spot maybe 12 inches in front of the oil pan, again I am a rookie so I don't even know what to call it.
Any suggestions or help? Should I upgrade the air filter and exhaust to try and get better MPG or just shutup and accept it?
Thanks in advance!
Champion
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,710
Likes: 2
From: Skagit County, WA
RE: 1997 Ram 1500 5.2L! 11mpg?????
My combined average fuel economy according the the overhead computer on my 02 Dakota with a 5.9 is 11.8mpg, that's since I bought it. I admit I've got a heavy foot and it's mostly in-town.
You really shouldn't tow in OD. I don't run OD unless I'm on the highway. Fuel economy hurts that much more but it'll make the tranny last longer and Dodge has a reputation of trannies dying early.
When you're towing the only time OD is a good idea is if you're going down hill or you've got a good tail wind.
You really shouldn't tow in OD. I don't run OD unless I'm on the highway. Fuel economy hurts that much more but it'll make the tranny last longer and Dodge has a reputation of trannies dying early.
When you're towing the only time OD is a good idea is if you're going down hill or you've got a good tail wind.