94 Dodge Ram 5.9

JONATHAN.GIBSON

MEMBER
1994 DODGE RAM

My truck is the 1500 model with a 5.9L V8 engine, two wheel drive with 201,000 miles. I had to take my left head off due to a broken bolt while putting on headers, after putting my engine back together it idles fine, but when I start driving it starts making a crackling noise on that side. It has a big power loss, and transmission does not shift right. I have changed distributor and button, spark plugs, and necessary gaskets while assembling the engine. It ran great before. What could be wrong and how can I check it?

3 Replies

LOSONE

MECHANIC
1,616 POSTS

The head was not put back on correctly. Perhaps the gasket slipped and you have a huge internal leak between cylinders. Did you use an OEM gasket set?

Also, the intake manifold might be leaking causing the same problem.

Carefully take it back apart and check the intake set up very carefully. I bet you have a gasket that is out of line. Hopefully, it is not the head.

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Tuesday, December 15th, 2020 AT 2:52 PM

JONATHAN.GIBSON

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I tore my engine back apart and replaced all my gaskets again and checked my vacuum lines and it still has the same problems, so I checked my codes and it gave me a code 37 twice. The book says code 37 is torque converter clutch solenoid CKT or transmission temperature sensor too high or low. Is there any way to check these things and could this be making my truck run that bad?

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Tuesday, December 15th, 2020 AT 2:52 PM

LOSONE

MECHANIC
1,616 POSTS

Code 37 is usually the temperature circuit that will not let the transmission go into overdrive until the transmission is warm. I have by passed that circuit a lot of time.

The 5.9 is usually a bullet prove old proven engine and I do not understand what could be happening. I wish I was there looking at the engine.

Let's try one more thing Take out number one plug and hand bring the cylinder to TDC. (Number one is the cylinder head that sticks out the farthest). I put a long screw driver in the plug hole and feel the piston at the top. Check your front pulley timing mark and make sure it is exactly on TDC.

Make sure the rotor points to number one cyl in the distributer cap.

I want to eliminate all timing issues. Let me know!

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Tuesday, December 15th, 2020 AT 2:52 PM