Well Off Topic But...

What Is The Plug Gaps For A 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Running A 5.7 Hemi?
We Have One In Our Workshop With The MIL Light On And A Misfire When Starting Up Or Putting Your Foot Down.
Codes Were For Poor Flow From The Evap System And Throttle Valve.
All Breather Hoses Look Good,No Signs Of Any Air Leaks,So I Pulled Half The Plugs Out And Found Very Old Plugs In There,The Gaps Were 1.4-1.5mm On The 8 That I Had Out.
This Doesnt Look Right To Me,But Since I'm In The UK We Dont Have Any Data For These.
And By The Way,Do You Really Service Your Cars/Trucks Every 3000 Miles? 8O

kez said:

What Is The Plug Gaps For A 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Running A 5.7 Hemi?
We Have One In Our Workshop With The MIL Light On And A Misfire When Starting Up Or Putting Your Foot Down.
Codes Were For Poor Flow From The Evap System And Throttle Valve.
All Breather Hoses Look Good,No Signs Of Any Air Leaks,So I Pulled Half The Plugs Out And Found Very Old Plugs In There,The Gaps Were 1.4-1.5mm On The 8 That I Had Out.
This Doesnt Look Right To Me,But Since I'm In The UK We Dont Have Any Data For These.
And By The Way,Do You Really Service Your Cars/Trucks Every 3000 Miles? 8O

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Hey Kez.The plug gap for the 5.7 is .045 in(1.14mm)What scanner are you using?The Genesis should give you misfire data if you go into Chrysler specific and not generic obd II-on most models anyway.The Snap On normally won't show this.For more info what was the"P" number of the codes?(generic obd)Misfires on these are common and usually taken care of with the standard plugs,wires,cap,rotor-which the dealer over here sells excessively cheap as a "tune up kit"but yours sounds more like a vac leak.These will also sometimes set vac related codes with a plugged convertor(also common)If you drill a small(1/8 or so) hole upstream of the first convertor you should have no more than 2psi max.Anyway,post the code numbers and I'll try to narrow it down a little.BTW,over here we never service our vehicles at 3000 mi.We generally wait until 5000km :wink:

PS,these are famous for misfire related convertor failure so if you run across such make sure to repair the misfire before changing the convertor.

RE: Re: Well Off Topic But...

Thanks For The Reply.
Thought 1.5mm Was Far Too Large. Cant Remember The Codes Off Hand But I Think I Wrote Them Down On The Back Of The Job Card. Foreman Told Me To Just Clear Them.
My Garage Is........Well Very Useless,All We Have Is FDS2000 And WDS Up And Running,Have Got IDS Plugged In And Powered Up But The Company Wont Connect To The Internet Because It Costs Too Much.
We Borrowed A Sykes Pickavant Code Reader,It Can Only Read And Clear Codes.
I've Checked The Evap Solinoid Wiring And Vac Pipes They Seem Ok,Followed The Pipes To The Charcoal Cannister(I Think) And They To Seem Fine,Servo(Booster) Hose Looks Intact,Had The Engine Running And Sprayed WD40 Over The Inlet Manifold And Didnt Notice A Change In The Idle.
If The Plugs Dont Do Anything To Help,Which I Think They'll Make An Improvement,I'll Begine To Panic.
I Did Have A Misfire/Poor Idle That Was Caused By A Leaking Brake Servo.

If you can't find the code numbers they should reset anyway.Some codes are "two trip"as in the computer has to see the malfunction twice in order to set the code.That being said,it doesn't neccesarily mean two test drives as certain parameters have to be met(speed,load,humidity,pressure,etc,etc)in order for the computer to run the monitor so you may have to test drive it a few times.Given your description I'd check the throttle plate(backside)and bore as well as the IAC for soft carbon buildup which it no doubt has and clean these well with air intake or carburetor cleaner and a small brush and rag.If you can get the numbers I'll try to send you some diagnostic and repair info.The gear,internet,repair programs etc certainly are expensive but I feel your pain-It's incredibly hard to work on this stuff without it.Tell your boss to come out of it :evil: :wink:

Cheers,I'll No Doubt Be Back On It Sometime Today. I'll Let You Know How I Get On.

All Sorted Now,Thanks New Set Of Plugs,Cleaned Out The Throttle Body And Intake Temp Sensor. 8 Hard Miles Later And EML Is Still Off.
Only Downside Is How Much The Plugs Cost........£132+17.5% Tax!!!

It certainly makes one appreciate a single cylinder machine eh?

Yep And Our Crappy 4 Cylinder Cars

kez said:

Yep And Our Crappy 4 Cylinder Cars

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That's most of what you see nowadays on the roads in the States.

You even see Renault Clios. They're called Nissan Versa over here. Ask Berger :twisted:

kez said:

And By The Way,Do You Really Service Your Cars/Trucks Every 3000 Miles? 8O

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Kez,

Yes, we do. Since I have been living in Europe for the past year, I have found out many interesting things about European cars. One of the most astonishing things I have found is exactly what you ask. I have driven rental cars since September 2005 (yes, 1 year 2 months!).

When I first arrived in Holland, I would go get a new rental whenever the old one got dirty. This allowed me to "test" a variety of cars in the class my company allowed me to have. When I got back from vacation in England in April, I got the best one yet, an Opel (Vauxhal? to you) Astra, 1.8 petrol, naturally aspirated. The lady at Avis told me that I didn't have to return the car until 2007. I thought that was rediculous! But, hey, it's thier policy, not mine. Or, better said, they dug the grave, and have asked me to simply drive the car into it!

Since then, I'm now up to 18,000 km (the modern computers keep track of EVERYTHING!) And, mind you, those have been the most fun and abusing 18,000km I have ever driven my entire life, ever. It has been so much fun that I worry that my driving style has permanently changed for the worse (worse from the cars perspective). Back in September, I spent 2 days on a "spirited" car drive in Eastern France (where the Storks are, for those in the know). Those 2 days probably took off about 50,000km from the life of the car. My guess is that the oil looks like a piice of chicken that has been on the grill all day long.

Anyway, my point. I have been told by colleagues that they change oil every 10-20k kilometers. I guess this is common here. It also makes a bit of sense from the standpoint that engines are being made under tighter and tighter manufacturing specifications, and really can last that long on the oil.

The people here MUST think I'm a loon to drive around on the rev-limiter everywhere (gas is free for me too!!!!). I try to live with the mantra that the car only has two gears, 1st and 5th. You should be able to tell how that works out. The car had <3000km on it when I got it.

Anyone angry at their wife? Lend me her car!!!

-Parsko

PS - my commute to work is <75 km per week total. I've had the car roughly 28 weeks, so that's 2100km I should only have driven, but have put 18,000 on the car!!!

Parsko said:

kez said:

And By The Way,Do You Really Service Your Cars/Trucks Every 3000 Miles? 8O

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Anyway, my point. I have been told by colleagues that they change oil every 10-20k kilometers. I guess this is common here. It also makes a bit of sense from the standpoint that engines are being made under tighter and tighter manufacturing specifications, and really can last that long on the oil.

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Most manufacturers reccomend 5000-6000 km and this tends to be about right around here.Some use synthetic and change it at a longer interval.We have customers that change their oil when they should,some that skip a few,and others who do it when they feel the need and the difference in these is obvious.When,for instance,taking off a valve cover;the regular changes look like the day it was new-regardless of mileage.The others have a thin layer of glossy sludge over every piece in the rocker area and the truly slack have thick,chunky like deposits the consistency of mud while some have the same only consistency of dry cement.Oil supposedly never actually breaks down but loses it's properties due to contamination.Modern day vehicles may be tighter but they also run consistently hotter and are made of dissimilar materials and alloys.Around here,especially in the winter,condensation is a big contributing factor as well as short trips where the engine doesn't get hot enough for a long enough period of time to get rid of the moisture.The type of oil doesn't really seem to matter as long as it is changed regularly.
BTW,I'll gladly send the wife's car over you to trash Parsko on the condition that you let me ship her over with it :twisted: