Ok....with the exception of the intake plenum leak and one water pump making noise....I have experienced my first outright failure of a component. This just happened to be my fan clutch. I had been reading about the Flex-A-Lite fan setup and it states an increase in economy and power. Well, I experienced what happens first....
The clutch locked up on Friday night and it felt like I was pulling a loaded twin axle dump trailer. 2500 4x4 QC gasser btw. Anyway, it seemed as though I could almost see the fuel needle moving as I drove to my destination and then back home. Ok...it's about11:30 on a Friday night...what are my options? Drive it as it is until I get a replacement...let it sit til I get a replacement....or remove the damn thing and drive it til I get a replacement. I opted for the last since it's failry here now. So...one bolt and out it came. First thing I noticed was how much more quiet the motor seemed. Then I noticed the obvious increase in power to the wheels. Then I noticed I got zero detonation as I did before (running the Superchip reprogram)...then I realized that slight vibration I had before was gone too. Then the best...my average miles per gallon increased from 10.5 in town...up to 12 in town. Can this be true? Still checking each tank to verify but if it is indeed an increase, I'd like you all to know about it and to ask why in the heck isn't Dodge doing this from the factory? We all know they have the worst MPG rating in the known universe for trucks so why not do a little good with one little change?
I'll post more results as they hopefully continue.