engine and gauge performance HELP!

[bprosky4840]

Hi guys, this is my first post. Please Help!
I have a 2000 ram 1500 5.9L. I've had it for four years now and has 152,000 miles. I've only put 26,000 on it in that time because of all the issues it's had. I will try to be short if I can.
First, it has never had a lot of power, even though it seemed to run fine(no misses, smooth running, etc.)
Second, the factory radio started going off, then on, then off.
Third, the check gauges light started coming on. A little at first, the more often. The volt gauge would go to zero and the oil pressure would peg to the top. The gas gauge is also off sometimes.
When the gauges started acting up, the truck would run like crap, wouldn't idle most times. It even quit running for a while( got a bad coil, new one got it running again). This all has gotten more and more frequent in the last year.

Okay, now for what I've done to try and fix.
Cleaned catalytic converter out. No help with power.
Replaced TPS sensor. No help
Aftermarket radio. Still goes on and off.
New intake gaskets, Distributor cap and rotor, plugs, plug wires, and coil.
2 months later quit running. New coil got it running again.
New ignition switch.
New alternator. Old one checked okay. No help there.

Almost out of ideas. Haven't done the crank sensor or the CPU yet. Not sure these are all related, but when the gauges go crazy, the truck will not run correctly.

Please help.

 

[gofishn]

When you got something, like this, and cannot fix it , yourself, ti is time to let it go.
Dump it.

If you want to continue your pain.
Run a new wire to the radio, directly from the battery.
Run a compression test on all cylinders.
Check oil for froth or discoloration. High oil pressure is usually compression getting in there. All cylinders should be close to each other, they have the same wear, if not, one is bad.
Hen, you get to figure out why that cylinder is bad? Bad Valve, Rings, etc.

DOes that thing have an ECM or some such thing?


My ADvice, let someone else enjoy the experience of ownership and send it down the road.

 

[bprosky4840]

Compression is good on all cylinders. I don't believe that the oil pressure is high. I believe the gauges are messing up when this happens. But, I don't get any codes. When the gauges aren't acting up, it runs fine. I don't have the whole history on this truck, but I believe it to be all stock except for the radio. I'm ready to dump it, I just didn't want to "give" it away.

 

[Yeret]

Wonky gauges combined with poor running, especially if both occur at the same time, is almost certainly a computer issue. In our trucks, not only does the computer control the engine but it also sends signals to the gauge cluster to make the respective gauges move depending on the received signal. A fault in the computer often causes issues with the gauge cluster.

I would recommend replacing the computer but make sure that you get the appropriate one for your engine (5.2 vs 5.9). The closer you can get to your year, the better. Your ECU should have a sticker with part numbers on it so try to get a replacement with matching numbers.

 

[bprosky4840]

I was thinking the computer, but I didn't know what all it actually controlled. I will try it.
Thank you.