Dodge Ram, help?!!!!

hey all, i have a question or two, hopin for some feedback...

i have a 98 dodge ram 1500 quad 4x4, 318 v-8. when i first purchased the truck, everything was great. i took it in and put dual pipes on it. (dual inut cat, single out - single inut muffler, dual out)

after a month or so, (not even) i noticed the check engine light was on. the truck seemed to run just fine. accelerated fine, idled fine, had power and acceleration.

i took it into the dealer (warranty) and they scoped it, to come back with saying that the check light was due to an "engine misfire"

At this point, they did a tune-up, plugs wires cap rotor, and they even dumped a bottle of inj cleaner in the tank, they also tested one of the injectors that was supposed to be the problem, came back fine...i guess...after all this, the code was cleared and i was on my way.

i noticed a little increase in performance, but nothing to brag about. 3 weeks passed, and the light came on again, truck was still running fine. i didnt even bother to bring it back in because i was pissed about my purchase and my first time bringing it in to be fixed..both werent very good experiences.

After a while, the light just shut off...and it came on again when it wanted to.....each time with no performance interuption..so i ignored it...

it is a year and a half later now, and maybe this story has nothing to do with what im gonna post now...who knows...anyways...

a friend of mine has his own "backyard" shop. i brought my truck down to him because i was complaining that my truck had a really noticable power loss, acceleration loss, fuel milage loss...it just wasnt running right, it was really "weak" of a 318, in my opinion.

So i went to napa and bought plugs wires cap and a rotor, thinking it needed a tune up...i showed up at the shop ready to put the truck on the hoist, and my friend gets down and bangs on the catalytic. after doing that, he said "theres your problem" "your catalytic is junk"

At this time i had no money to go and buy a new one and i wanted the problem fixed..So i got this creative idea to cut my exhaust after the cat, and unbolt the manifold, remove that section and chisel all of the "honeycomb" out of the cat...so i did...it was hollow so then we welded it back up where we cut it and bolted it back up.

(there are 2 sensors, one on the cat, and one on the pipe just after it. O2 maybe??)

started the truck up, and it ran nice!! sounded nice, i had a shitload of power!! it was like a new truck..i havent had that kinda power since i bought it!

Took it for a test drive, check engine light came on 3 miles down the road. brought it back to him, he scanned it, and came up with a "high volt" code?

he didnt have his chiltons or mitchell on demand, and he really didnt know what it meant. so i left and didnt think nothing of it because it was running so nice. that night i went to work (40 miles) and the truck started to run like shit, like nothing i ever seen before...it started spittin and sputterin, misfiring, and everything else... it was almsot like the timing was way off.. backfiring, popping, etc...65 miles an hour it would be like if you turned your key off and coasted, then it would backfire and catch itself..i would have to step heavily on the gas pedal and "kick it down" to get back to speed, then the same thing would happen all over again...but at any given point, the truck would start and idle just fine...its just when i gave it gas..

Then, 5 miles later, it would straighten out, and be fine, and then screw up again....

What the hell is going on??? any ideas??? any input is greatly appreciated

Reply to
Aaron W
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did you damage these in any way?

what was the code number?

p.s.did you put the wires on properly?

Reply to
Punch

Yes.

Well... if it has an O2 sensor *after* the cat, and you gutted the cat, it will definitely throw a code as the cat won't be cleaning up the exhaust anymore. The second O2 sensor is there to monitor cat function.

Dunno what your specific problem is, sorry...

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

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