I am new to the forum and joined due to Mopar1973man presence in many other forums. With that being said I hope I am posting this in the right place.

 

I have a 2001 4x4 quad cab short bed auto that I purchased about 2 years ago with 86k on the clock and appeared completely stock with 3.54 gearing. It now has 114k on the clock with an Airdog 100 with .5" fuel lines running 16 psi idle and I have not seen it drop below 14 psi with throttle and also has a K&N CAI. The VP looks to have been replaced sometime before  I purchased as it has a reman sticker on it. The issue I am having is low performance. The truck idles great with no smoke. When driving it seems the engine pulls strong until about 2000 rpm then seems to slow in rpm climb and pulling. Max RPM is about 2600 RPM right now. Turbo seems to be spooling great and I don't feel any misses. There are no codes present in the ECM (stored or active). I have cleaned the IAT. I can not find any boost leaks. The stock exhaust seems to have adequate flow. Two local Dodge dealers say ECM and PCM are up to date. I have not been able to get better than 13.2 MPG (hand calculated) cruising I-25 at 65 mph from Denver to Albuquerque. Also I have had the truck emissioned at 2 separate shops and they both stated opacity was far less than most trucks my year which in my mind means the truck is running too clean. I have sought advice from these 2 shops and they say everything checks out good mechanically.

 

I am out of ideas on improving performance and fuel economy. I have thought about going the tuner route but until I feel the truck is running as it should in stock form stay away from tuners fearing I may cause more damage. I'll also add that I am comparing performance to my 1997 4x4 quad cab long bed auto with 3.54 gearing completely stock with 220k on the clock. I thought the 24V was supposed to be more powerful than the 12V.

 

Any ideas where I can look?

Some got lucky by removing the turbo and removing the wastegate motor. Then carefully using penetrating oil and lightly tapping the arm open to free it. While the wastegate motor is off you can test it will compressed air too. Just set it for 20 PSI and the motor should push out and not leak.

I just borrowed a buddies Snap-on scanner that seen the codes and I cleared them. I'll check out the wastegate and monitor for codes. Thanks for the help. Truck seems a little better since I cleared the codes.

Still doesn't resolve the mechanical issue. Boost is really easy to build on these truck so when the boost rises above 20 PSI the fueling map starts to defuel. So not having a proper module with boost fooler your going to see P0234 codes. But its still wise to have working wastegate. You don't want to over rev the turbo charger and do damage. For HX35W 35 PSI is about as far as you can go with it and then your drive pressure starts rising or in other words you hit your choke point.

Yeah. I'm gonna get the turbo gasket kit from Cummins Rocky Mountain or Napa depending on availability asap and repair or replace turbo. I might check with ATS to see if they have any used HY35 or HX35 turbos if replacement has to be done. I know the HX is a little slower to spool since my 12v has the HX.

With a bit more fuel a HX35W spools up quite rapidly.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261679786111

I just bought the turbo on eBay. If I'm able to fix the wastegate on my current turbo I will have a spare since a quick google search revealed this is a very common problem with our turbo.

The only reason it common is because people baby the truck too much and never actually open the wastegate. So the wastegate rust into position. Where I live in the rust belt I never had a issue being I keep the engine bay washed out and tend to tickle the wastegate now and then as I watch the boost gauge hit 35 PSI and bounce then settle back at 35-36 PSI.

When you get the turbo pull the waste gate apart and put some hi temp never seize on the pivot points.

Just a thought.  This won't fix the waste gate problem but it may make it pretty much irrelevant.  Rather than remove or replace the turbo, see if you can find a used Edge EZ or a boost fooler.  This will prevent the overboost codes from being set and the defueling taking place as a result.  You should see a noticeable improvement in performance, drivability, and fuel mileage with a few minutes worth of work on your part installing one or the other. 

I have never even looked at the wastegate setup on mine.

Is it possible to move it by hand to see if its stuck/sticky without dissassembly.

Mine is a bit lazy at low speed and shows 0 or low boost when coasting along.

Sorry for hijacking thread.

Chris.

I would just leave the turbo as is but it is the wife's daily driver. That being said I want it to stay very stock. My daily drivers are my 2004 Mach 1 and my old '78 F150 4x4. The 12v is in New Mexico with my father at this time.

I have never even looked at the wastegate setup on mine.

Is it possible to move it by hand to see if its stuck/sticky without dissassembly.

Mine is a bit lazy at low speed and shows 0 or low boost when coasting along.

Sorry for hijacking thread.

Chris.

X2 here..  (not the hijacking part)    Something  a guy needs to  check  periodically!

Just an update... Since clearing codes there hasn't been any codes return. I replaced the fan clutch, wow truck is quieter now. My butt dyno feels says the truck is running better. Next on the list is to either free the waste gate or swap turbos. Oh and fuel mileage last tank was 15.8 mpg, best I've seen so far from this truck.

I would pull the turbo from the truck. Then pull the wastegate motor off and then heat the casting around the wastegate shaft with a propane torch. Then using penetrating oil and small hammer tapping the arm in opening directing. Work a little at a time both directions using heat, oil, and impact.

Can I salvage or is a new turbo in order?

I've had my truck for 4 years now and my waste gate been stuck shut forever, I drive by my boost gauge.

I think the over boost code was a fluke. I have been driving the truck hard and the code hasn't come back.I haven't messed with the waste gate yet. My next investment for this truck is a pyro and boost gauges to match my fp gauge, Autometer Cobalt.

Your fuel leak (in this thread: http://forum.mopar1973man.com/index.php?/topic/9344-maintenance/)may have something to do with your performance........