first a little info on the truck. 96 2500 12v automatic, only mods are bhaf and i think the previous owner clamped down a little on the wastegate line, it gets about 22psi boost.
now the problems. first, it won't start without me pushing down on the throttle. it just takes me to crack it open while cranking and it fires right up, otherwise it seems like it will just keep cranking and not start. then once it starts, it runs like crap for a while until i take off and get on the throttle. then it will buck a little and run rough, let out a puff of smoke usually (much like you would get in cold temperatures after starting it up, although it can be 90 outside and still do it) and after that it runs ok. it still seems sluggish.
second, a couple weeks ago i was towing my car (93 daytona turbo) in my 18' enclosed trailer, from northern ohio down to kentucky. during this trip the truck was really sluggish. there were small grades where the truck wouldnt go above 55mph. even on flat surfaces it really didnt want to go above about 70, and didnt have the throttle response i had expected when trying to pass in the passing lane. the trailer weighs about 3200lbs, and the car about 3000.

Any help would be appreciated

 

what RPM is your idle set at? and check your intercooler hoses.

 

i believe it idles right around 800. the intercooler hoses hold 20ish psi, so i am assuming they are ok. is this a wrong assumption to make? i know in my daytona when i blow an intercooler line it wont hold any kind of boost

 

Fuel filter/pre-filter changed? Next you need to know what fuel pressure you have to the IP.

Probably related to one of those things.

BTW, the manual says to feed it a bit of throttle to start, so that is perfectly normal.

 

fuel filter was changed recently to try to remedy the problem, but it didnt change anything.
the prefilter i could never find or figure out how to clean. i know there is a good article on here about it, i just have to find it again.
i thought the manual only said to give it throttle in colder temps. it used to start just fine without giving it any throttle
as far as the fuel pressure, i dont have any idea of that. i do know there are no codes, as i have had it on the DRB-III on many occasions and checked for codes and checked values that i thought may have had something to do with the problem, but all looked fine to me

 

First off, the 12Valve essentially has no codes, unless you have a Cali truck with EGR, so DRB is pretty much useless.

Prefilter is super simple, 8 bucks from Genos, it is right in front of the filter, right under the fuel heater. Basically just unscrew and change.

http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/filter/pre-filt_clean.htm

Pressure is important to the P7100, a fuel pressure gauge is one of the first things to add.....

 

well thanks for all the help so far, it is greatly appreciated. i am going to try to do the prefilter soon.
another thing i forgot it does, if i am at very low speeds (under 10mph) and i quickly let off the throttle or momentarily spike it, it will die.
i will look into installing a fuel pressure gauge. i am sure these things dont have a schrader valve so there will probably be some engineering involved for that task

 

Try this 12 Valve Fuel Pressure