suntiet

We have a 2004.5 Dodge 2500 4 door long bed 4X4, with the new Turbo Diesel engine. We are getting 8.5-9 mpg in the city and have never seen it say 14 on the highway. Have a small pop up camper in the back and tow a 18 foot inflatable cataraft on a 3 place snow machine trailer some times. We traded in the same truck with a Hemi for it. We were trying to get better milage. The friggin hemi got 8 around town and 14 on the highway with out the camper. Any way took it back to the dealer and they said that the new diesels are quieter but get worse MPG, and there was nothing wrong with the truck that it must be the way she drives it. So I've been driving it for a week now, and I drive like a grandma, same MPG. From what I've read on this forum we are getting way less milage than we should. Anyone got any ideas as to what to do? I think I'm gonna take it back to the dealer one more time then call Chrysler direct. Any thoughts???

Oh yeah it's got about 4750 miles on it.

HighTen

There have been a few stories about bad injectors in the 2004.5's. I think the clue is some kind of strange knocking sound and rough idling right when you start it up. If you're experiencing these things, I think there could be one or more bad injectors. Someone who has actually been through this (not me) will probably offer some advice.

Also, a new TSB has been released recently that's supposed to help fuel economy. There was a thread about it recently on this forum, and one on a different forum: http://www.turbodieselregister.com/f...d.php?t=112371

Lastly, check your fuel filter just to make sure fuel isn't leaking out somehow.

03 ant a hemi

first of all fill your fuel tank till its at the top of the fuel filler neck and you can see the fuel (this takes some time around 10-15min). next drive your truck for a few hundred miles, the further you drive the more accurate it will be. then fill your fuel tank back up to the top of the filler neck. then do your calculations by hand. do not rely on your computer to tell you how good your fuel milage is. ensure you do this with both the truck empty and the truck full. this will tell you if you have a problem or not. if it then fails the 20mpg or so empty and around 10mpg or so loaded then you might have a problem. Remember that were you get your fuel from may effect your milage in a very large way. Good luck and give this a try. keep us posted. i think you will be more happy with this truck then with the Hemi.

SBishop

I see that you are in Alaska. If you are running #1 fuel, your mileage will not be as good as when you run #2 fuel.

Planetcat

I have the same number of miles on mine and get similar unloaded city mpg. however, I've gotten around 15-16 highway unloaded. I put 285/70's on it w/3.73's and attributed the bad city mpg to having to stomp on it more at take off due to larger tires. Still unacceptable though.

rob5182

I got my 2004.5 325/600 about a month and half ago and i"ve been getting better milage with every fill up. The first day I bought my truck I also bought a 24' enclosed trailer 4K empty and towed it 1800 miles from Tulsa Ok home to Los Angeles CA. I got 10 mpg towing and when I drove the truck unloaded about 300 miles in city and got 14.5 mpg. About two weeks after I got home to LA I loaded the trailer with 12K for a gross wieght of roughly 24000 pounds and towed it 2600 mile to orlando florida and got 9 to 11 mpg. A week later I towed the trailer empty back to LA and got 12-14 mpg. When I untooked the trailer I got 19-20mpg highway and 14-16 city. The truck has approx. 8000 miles on it now. 98% of the miles have been pulling the trailer and the truck has performed great. I forgot to say it has 3.73 gears and I defintly drive it like I stole it. 75-80 mph towing the trailer and I never drive like a grandma in the city. I don't know if the hard break in helps the mileage but it's done wonders for my truck. Try putting some wieght on the truck and going some distance.

Equalizer 2

Don't live by the computer. I reset mine frequently to just play with it. Today I had numbers in town reading in the mid 12s and on the highway into the low 20s. The overhead computer is only a rough estimate and the numbers drop much faster than they go up. My average for the last two fillups was a hair over 20 mpg and the overhead spent most of the time below 17.

Follow 03 ant a hemi's instructions and hand calculate to get a true picture of your mileage.

AKram

I share your pain. I am getting about 11.5 in town and 14 on the highway. Of course there is really no where to run flat and straight around Fairbanks to get a good idea of highway mileage. If I tow my huge jetboat from here to Talkeetna over the mountains I average about 10.5. Tried calculating every way there is to calculate and it just does not get any better than that. Oh by the way on #1 diesel it drops about 2MPG and the colder it gets the worse the mileage is. I drop down to around 7 to 8 when it gets below -20F. I am going to check on the new TSB but it says it only improves mileage by 1MPG.

Crimedog

The TSB says it only improves 1 mpg, but from what I've read, many people are getting around 3 or so. Gonna call the dealer today and see what they've heard about it.

brandon507

I ran my truck till my computer read 2 miles till empty and then went to fill her up...I only got 30 gallons in it, and that was filling it up till i could see diesel in the neck of the fill hose....when i calculated the 5 gallons that the comp did not know was there my mileage looked alot better...Almost 16 mixed city/highway driving with a 4x4 qc DRW 6spd....I think these comp's can be real close on some and real off on others....my .02...

_______________
04.5 Black 600 6spd 4x4 DRW...

osci

i had the tsb done last friday and hand caculated 2 mpg more. I have 12k on mine now and logged since new. Averaged 11.5 city stop and go seattle and now 13.3+. I have 4.10s and the fuel goes south above 62, at that i usually get 18. Towing my 12k dump and 5 th averaged 11mpg. I'm going camping over the pass this weekend, so i will see if that changed also.

deviousracing

what is the tsb? how do you know you need it?

suntiet

Got the tsb done today So far we are getting 12.5mpg YEAH!!!