It feels like I have a brake dragging. It is much worse while towing my big trailer. I normally get 15 mpg with the trailer empty. Now I'm getting 7-8. It definatly feels like some is in a bind. I thought it was my calipers. Took it to a brake shop and they seem to think they're fine.

If it wasn't for the fact I can feel it with out the trailer, I would think trailer brakes. Maybe I just think I'm feeling it. The truck will move freely when you let off the brake at a stop light. But when you get going, it feels like something is holding it back. Could there be something in the trani. Torque converter maybe. I'm lost on this one. Thank's for any suggestions.

 

The transmission will overheat rather quickly if it cracks a band bracket and attempts to lock two planetaries. Same thing with the lock-up clutch in the converter. If your transmission temperatures are normal, I would look to the cat to be sure it is not plugged.

What happens if they plug the cat is your engine will not breathe and you will not make any power but the injection will continue to dump fuel as if it were running like normal.

 

How would I tell if the cat is plugged up.

What make's me depressed is, I had a cat test pipe laying around. But I did a major clean up around the house awhile back, and it didn't make it to the save pile.

I ran the truck the first half of the day and could tell it was doing it to some degree. I hooked the trailer up, and it was much worse. I jacked the trailer up and checked the brake's. They were fine. My trani has alway's ran hotter than other's, but it was with in it's normal temp's. Then the truck sat all day, got in it and everything was cooled down. It wasn's doing it. The trani was running 130,,cooler than usual. I was wondering if the cooler temp was the reason it was normal.

I guess I'll hook the trailer back up to heat up the trani and see what happen's. Thank's for the tip's. Any other idea's what to to now. Thank's

 

What does your tranny fluid look like? If you put enough energy for losing 5mpg into the tranny because something either slips or binds you should see some results on the fluid IMO.

HTH

AlpineRAM

 

Maybe your parking brake cable has an issue. Have you jacked the rear wheels up to see if a brake is really dragging?

 

if you think it may be the cat, cut that sucker off along with the muffler! youll lone the "big rig" sound

I think anything but a straightpipe or close to straight pipe on a cummins should be illegal lol

 

The trani fluid is clean. The trani was rebuilt 30k ago.

I jacked up the front, but not the back. I'll try that too.

When I let off the brake at a stop light, it rolls free. That's why I'm thinking it may be in the trani, or elsewhere.