Truck

Asked by Guru1NRZH Sep 14, 2019 at 09:26 PM about the 1999 Dodge RAM 1500 Laramie SLT 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I went on a short drive and noticed I was loosing
power, not battery power but acceleration power. I
slowed down and lost all power completely and it
seems like oil spit out all over the underhood from
the dipstick tube, and white smoke(I think it was
the oil burning off the engine.) Let it sit for awhile
and it roughly started back up, drove it back with
more smoke than usual coming from
exhaust(open pipes no cat.) My buddy thinks I was
just running it too hard with too little oil, which was
a little low. Added a few quarts which decreased
the smoke some but it still seems to be lacking
some power. Idk if its the piston rings which he
suggested or if I should just top off the oil and see
if it's good to go. It seems to run fine under low
rpms. Bringing it into the shop is not an option at
this point, and rebuilding/swapping the engine is
really not an option. If anyone could help out I'd
really appreciate it, I can give more details if
requested. I drive a 99 dodge ram 1500 5.9 liter v8.

1 Answer

101,615

I'd check the crankcase was breathing properly, make sure breather wasn't fouled up, same for PCV. If crankcase is over pressurized it can blow oil out dipstick and cause loss of power. Among the things that can cause that are 1) overfilled oil, 2) excessive blow by in piston rings, 3) It may also be due to the head gasket or a cracked block. If breather & PCV are ok, may want to run a leak down test and compression test.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Dan Connell
    Reputation
    19,880
  • #2
    dandyoun
    Reputation
    15,170
  • #3
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    11,710
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford F-150
295 Great Deals out of 13,390 listings starting at $3,888
Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
169 Great Deals out of 7,405 listings starting at $6,995
Used GMC Sierra 1500
124 Great Deals out of 7,846 listings starting at $5,500
Used Dodge RAM 2500
27 listings starting at $7,900
Used Toyota Tundra
26 Great Deals out of 946 listings starting at $10,698
Used Toyota Tacoma
34 Great Deals out of 781 listings starting at $9,975
Used Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
25 Great Deals out of 1,585 listings starting at $5,990
Used Ford F-250 Super Duty
22 Great Deals out of 733 listings starting at $3,990
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
130 Great Deals out of 3,647 listings starting at $5,555
Used Dodge Durango
59 Great Deals out of 1,829 listings starting at $6,987
Used Jeep Wrangler
137 Great Deals out of 5,905 listings starting at $6,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.