2017 6.4 Low Power ?

[Bigseff23]

Did it do this since the day you got it? Or has it been getting worse as time went on? I would definitely yank the battery out for a while and reset the computers. Probably wouldn't hurt to check the spark plugs and clean the throttle body and run some fuel injector cleaner through it

 

[jethro998]

It has been the same since I got it. How long does the battery need to be disconnected to reset the computers? Anyone know?

The shop will inspect plugs, fuel, and emissions. Anything else you can think of worth checking since it will be in the shop?

Thanks

 

[Bigseff23]

I would leave it disconnected for a few minutes to be safe,

Have you checked or replaced the air filter?

If it turns out to be a bad catalytic converter, don't let them try and charge you, federal law forces manufacturers to covers replacement of emissions stuff for 8 years and 80k. Even if the regular warranty on the truck is over,

 

[star_deceiver]

Brakes! Have them check, make sure they’re not continually dragging. Parking brake, too.

 

[Cham]

As mentioned above, pull the battery cable (15 minutes should be enough), re-connect and find an open highway and make liberal use of the gas pedal. Might even want to pull off the highway to do the battery disconnect so there is minimum distance to travel from initial start-up to where you can open the throttle.
My '19 6.4 2500 crew/LB 4X4 pulls heavy farm equipment like combine headers, I have to check myself when pulling them and not go too fast. Oodles of power from this truck.

 

[Pttrader]

I have owned both versions of the 2500 4 x 4's with the 6.4 engine Both had the 18" tires. The first was a 3.73 unit and my current truck has the 4.10 gears.

With my current truck driving (empty) it shifts down into 5th more than I like. My gas mileage on the highway at 70 mph is 14.5 to 14.7. It wasn't always that way, prior to the tire change I had 16.5 average at 70 mph on the highway.

What happened? I put on oversized tires (34.25" vs 33.1") with better grip essentially lowering my gear ratio and increasing my rolling resistance.

My current truck (When towing) runs in a gear lower with the bigger tires on any road that is not flat when compared to the original stock Firestone HTs. My truck reminds me of my older 3.73 truck as far as running in a gear lower while towing. My plan is to do a gear change (4.56 or 4.88) in the future when I will be towing more often. The truck has 27,000 miles and I intend to keep it for awhile without payments.

I hope the disconnecting the battery cable and getting the computer optimize you current setup helps your situation.

 

[GsRAM]

As mentioned above, pull the battery cable (15 minutes should be enough), re-connect and find an open highway and make liberal use of the gas pedal. Might even want to pull off the highway to do the battery disconnect so there is minimum distance to travel from initial start-up to where you can open the throttle.
My '19 6.4 2500 crew/LB 4X4 pulls heavy farm equipment like combine headers, I have to check myself when pulling them and not go too fast. Oodles of power from this truck.

While a major improvement over my 6 speed truck, this is exactly my experience pulling my 6k tt, fully loaded for a weeks camping trip (heavy) with me, my wife and two grown sons in the cab. With the bed loaded with camping supplies, 4 large totes full of fire wood,, etc. On grades I have to back out of it so I don't wind up going over 60mph. My truck always has pulled very strong.

I know the ops trailer is much heavier, but I still can't help thinking something is not right with his truck.

 

[JS4024]

You have a problem. I have a 2019 6.4 8 speed, I can put 11,000 behind it and it hauls ass. Hills, interstate, even steep grades. I might go down to 4th but it does not run out of power and will never drop below the posted speed limit.

 

[crash68]

My truck now, is a 2017 RAM 2500 CC LB 4x4 with the 6.4 Hemi and 3.73 gears. I bought this truck with 45k miles, it now has 55k miles. I tow a 2,700 lb 8x16 enclosed trailer with about 1,000 lbs of cargo. At 3,000 feet above sea level the truck is running in 3rd gear at 70 mph on the flat, it will run in 4th sometimes. No check engine lights. Truck engine feels like its running smooth and trans shifts smooth as well. I just moved 500 miles and used said trailer. I know this is a gas truck and it doesn't have loads of power, BUT, I am thinking there is possibly something wrong. Another scenario, pulling a hill with said trailer (3700 lbs) on a 5% grade at 5,000 ft above sea level, truck shifts into 2nd gear at ~65 mph and still cant hold speed. Is this normal? I had a tailwind wind pushing most of the way and still managed to get 5.5 mpg ( I cant imagine if a head a headwind, LOL). Empty I get around 11 MPG. Max towing is 12,500 and I feel strongly that if I had a even an 8,000 lb trailer, it would not pull it.

There is definitely something wrong, whether it's the engine or something in the drive-line your truck shouldn't struggle to pull even an 8K lbs trailer.
I've pulled 8K behind my EcoD which has just slightly less torque and 60% of the HP of the 6.4 Hemi and it doesn't struggle to pull the trailer.
I'll be pulling a 3K lbs enclosed car hauler tomorrow, I don't notice the trailer back there unless the winds kick up.

 

[jaflowers]

Any resolution to this??

 

[jethro998]

Any resolution to this??

On my way to the shop 3 weeks ago and I hit an elk. So, once it gets fixed I will take it back to the shop and dyno for diagnostics.

 

[GsRAM]

Ouch! Oh man, I'm sorry to see that. What terrible luck. Hope they get it all fixed 100% and then you can get to the bottom of what is going on.

 

[jaflowers]

Damn man, sorry to hear and see that. Hit a deer once in a 240z, didn't fare well for my car either. Hope you're OK.

 

[Nickx86]

On my way to the shop 3 weeks ago and I hit an elk. So, once it gets fixed I will take it back to the shop and dyno for diagnostics.

View attachment 230460

Ouch, did the elk mess anything up under the hood too serious?

 

[olyelr]

Jeezuz. Even crinkled the fender. He pushed some **** back!

 

[jethro998]

Update: Got the truck back after the elk hit. Truck was using coolant slowly, 1/2 gal over 5,000 miles. Took back into the shop that did the repairs for said hit with elk. Shop found that the water pump was leaking coolant. Before I got to the shop, I did overheat as the thermostat was running all over the place. Drove with the truck overheating for about 2-3 miles; had to get to a safe place to stop. Stopped for 5 minutes, shut the truck off and started back up immediately. No more overheating, temps were sporadic but stayed within appropriate operating temps. 10 miles further down the road I added coolant. Drove 300 miles with no overheating and temps stayed below 220. Next day I got the new water pump installed at the shop. Hasn't overheated since.
After the initial repairs from elk hit, I did take the truck to a shop to have them do a once over to see if anything was wrong and why my fuel mileage is poor as well as low power; they said all checked out fine.
Earlier this week, I got a feeling that something has to be wrong here with the truck. So, I called my local RAM dealer and took it in. They called me back after doing a coolant pressure test and told me that there is coolant leaking, likely into the combustion chamber; bad head gasket is likely. No coolant found in oil. They are thinking that the coolant getting into the combustion chamber and then into the exhaust is what is throwing off the sensors/computer and causing poor mileage, poor power, and a non operable "Eco mode".
Does the head gasket issue make sense? Could this cause low power, poor MPG, and the ECO to be non operable?

Thanks everyone

 

[Toddz]

Sorry to hear that, but at least you may finally have an answer. I don't know about the eco mode, but it makes sense on the power and fuel economy if the coolant is affecting the sensors causing a retarding situation. I am hoping you have found your issue.

 

[olyelr]

Pertaining to the ECO mode...I am pretty sure anytime the truck is having a check engine fault, it disables ECO mode automatically. I believe this because My half ton work truck had the fuel sensor wires chewed up by a red squirrel which in return has the check engine light and other lights lit up on the dash. Even though this should have nothing to do with ECO mode, I have noticed it has never came on since (and it used to always come on in the past).

 

[GsRAM]

Update: Got the truck back after the elk hit. Truck was using coolant slowly, 1/2 gal over 5,000 miles. Took back into the shop that did the repairs for said hit with elk. Shop found that the water pump was leaking coolant. Before I got to the shop, I did overheat as the thermostat was running all over the place. Drove with the truck overheating for about 2-3 miles; had to get to a safe place to stop. Stopped for 5 minutes, shut the truck off and started back up immediately. No more overheating, temps were sporadic but stayed within appropriate operating temps. 10 miles further down the road I added coolant. Drove 300 miles with no overheating and temps stayed below 220. Next day I got the new water pump installed at the shop. Hasn't overheated since.
After the initial repairs from elk hit, I did take the truck to a shop to have them do a once over to see if anything was wrong and why my fuel mileage is poor as well as low power; they said all checked out fine.
Earlier this week, I got a feeling that something has to be wrong here with the truck. So, I called my local RAM dealer and took it in. They called me back after doing a coolant pressure test and told me that there is coolant leaking, likely into the combustion chamber; bad head gasket is likely. No coolant found in oil. They are thinking that the coolant getting into the combustion chamber and then into the exhaust is what is throwing off the sensors/computer and causing poor mileage, poor power, and a non operable "Eco mode".
Does the head gasket issue make sense? Could this cause low power, poor MPG, and the ECO to be non operable?

Thanks everyone

Could be, but that shop better do a compression test and cylinder leak down test before they start pulling heads, unless your still covered by powertrain warranty because that will be a very costly job out of pocket.

Yes, in general terms, if the engine is down on compression in a few cylinders and coolant is being burnt or is in areas it shouldn't be, it could absolutely cause power issues. Good luck sir.

 

[jethro998]

Looks like the EGR is what was leaking coolant. Not in warranty. I did have them pull the heads as they recommended it. They are going to replace the lifters, cam, crank seal, head gaskets, head bolts, egr cooler, egr valve as well as related gaskets and seals. What stumps me is why there was no codes being thrown out. Anyway, looking forward to getting it back. Sounds like it will be a couple of weeks yet.
Thanks everyone for the input!