help me please

[myers138]

so i just bought this 86 ram 50 royal. it had some trouble running when i first bought it. it had sat for awhile before i bought it so i figured it just needed to burn off some build up. it would die shortly after driving and while driving but after it warmed up it ran fine. trying to solve the issue myself i boughtt carb cleaner to see if that would help and it actualy made it worse... now it is having problems starting altogether and wont stay running.. not gonna lie, i have very little mechanic skills and this is beyond anything i can think of.. especially being unfamiliar with the truck. any ideas??

[lush90]

Bad gas (moisture in the gas)? How long did it sit? Could be clogged fuel filter.

[myers138]

it sat for a few years, thats what i was told so i'm not really sure.. i'll try the fuel filter, hopefully that will work, but with my luck its more complicated than that.. still don't understand why it would get worse immediatly after using carb cleaner.. thanks for the help, i'll post back with the results

[pennyman1]

There is a drain on the gas tank - you could drain out the old gas and put in some fresh gas to eliminate that as an issue.

[Andy 2]

Carb cleaners that you add to the fuel tank also tend to clean any crap off the walls of the tank as well. All that has to pass through the fuel filter. I had this problem with my truck after using fuel system cleaner. My top speed gradually dropped to around 5 mph over a 20 mile distance and I just made it home. I had fresh gas too. I picked up a couple of fuel filters and keep a spare in the truck now just in case.

[myers138]

well it seems i've spoke too soon.. after running her for the past 30 min i took her for a drive, rann better, doesnt hesitate has much when i accelerate, but i noticed oil on my drive way, which is new... so i pop the hood and notice i have a fairly decent amount of oil leeking right under the top left mounting bracket for the larger belt, timing i think, not too sure. like i said i'm unfamiliar with the truck and have very littl mechanics skills... the cat was also smoking a little bit.. these are both new to me and my past experiance with oil leaks especially around the head arent the best..oil seems to be ok, just needs to be changed.. didn't notice any bubbles or crap on the dipstick.. so i don't think anyting serious has happened yet.. but after looking at where i think its coming from, someone decided jbweld was the solution....

[ikeepzitclean]

well it seems i've spoke too soon.. after running her for the past 30 min i took her for a drive, rann better, doesnt hesitate has much when i accelerate, but i noticed oil on my drive way, which is new... so i pop the hood and notice i have a fairly decent amount of oil leeking right under the top left mounting bracket for the larger belt, timing i think, not too sure. like i said i'm unfamiliar with the truck and have very littl mechanics skills... the cat was also smoking a little bit.. these are both new to me and my past experiance with oil leaks especially around the head arent the best..oil seems to be ok, just needs to be changed.. didn't notice any bubbles or crap on the dipstick.. so i don't think anyting serious has happened yet.. but after looking at where i think its coming from, someone decided jbweld was the solution....

its hard to determine where da leak is based on ur description..is it by the valve cover? a pic would help tho.

[myers138]

just put the new fuel filter on, started right up and has been runnin for about 10 min solid now.. the old one had some rusty old gas in it. hopefully this will fix my issues. still gonna do an al around cleaning though, is there any other inexpensive thing i can do to help the performance?? i'm def gonna drain the tank and clean it. plugs and wires are good as well as the air filter, so if there are any other things you guys think i should do please let me know. thanks for the help!! this takes alot of weight off my shoulders!!!

[lush90]

Glad to hear it is running better. I am not sure if your first generation truck has the same gas tank drain petcock as the 2nd generation trucks but I would definitely drain your tank before you end up clogging the new filter. My second truck sat a few years before I got it and it had a fair amount of crud in the tank when I drained it. Oil leaks can be a number of things but sometimes it is as minor as loosened bolts that just need to be re-torqued. One real handy thing about this site are the service manuals. Find yours and maybe just spend a little time correctly tightening some of the fasteners and see if it helps.

[Andy 2]

Perhaps you could post a pic of that oil leak. JB weld doesn't seem like a valid solution. Oil only leaks from bad seals and gaskets or from between mating surfaces if fasteners aren't tight enough. Also through cracked or badly corroded housings and covers. Have you changed the pcv valve?

[myers138]

the valve cover is above the mounting bracket for the belt, i'll try and get a pic on here today.. i messed with it yesterday and noticed it leaking from what i believe to be the oil pressure sensor, it right in front of the oil filter and directly below where i originaly found the leak... so i thin i have two leaks.. unless its spraying. i played with the throttle cable to see and it wasnt, but idk what goes on when i'm driving it. the "leak" up top dosent seem to happen until i've drove it for while..

[ikeepzitclean]

the valve cover is above the mounting bracket for the belt, i'll try and get a pic on here today.. i messed with it yesterday and noticed it leaking from what i believe to be the oil pressure sensor, it right in front of the oil filter and directly below where i originaly found the leak... so i thin i have two leaks.. unless its spraying. i played with the throttle cable to see and it wasnt, but idk what goes on when i'm driving it. the "leak" up top dosent seem to happen until i've drove it for while..

it seems the leak gets more "intense" while motor is under load, hence oil pressure goes up. i'd do what camoit suggested and that way its easier to pin point da leak its da area is clean. had a chance to get a pic of it yet?

[Andy 2]

The valve cover on the 2.6 is a good suspect if you have an oil leak. The seal gets hard as do the two grommets where the bolts go through the top. Sometimes oil just weeps out not really noticeable until it builds up on something below and starts to drip off. This can trick you into thinking you have a leak somewhere else. Mine was dripping off the bell housing and was leaking from the back of the valve cover where you can't see. I took my cover off and took the neoprene gasket seal out of the cover. I cleaned everything really well with brake cleaner and then put the gasket back in the cover with a thin film of silicone gasket maker between. Then I cleaned the surface of the head with brake cleaner and a clean cloth and used a thin film of silicone gasket maker between the head and the cover. After I put it back together I let is sit for a day for the silicone fully cure. I changed my PCV valve as well to make sure the pressure doesn't build up too high in the engine. That was back in September and no leaks yet.

[camoit]

To find the leek, get some Gunk degreaser and clean the engine. Then start it and let it idle or drive it 4 times around the block. Park it on a clean area of the street and have a beer and look around with a flash light.

[recian]

Don't forget if it gets worse when it runs clean or replace the PCV. They can pressurize the crank case and make minor leaks worse than they really are. Most of these engines are bad for V/C and oil pans. Not much else on them can leak but the rotational seals and the 2.6 only has a front and rear crank. If it's getting on the exhaust I suspect valve cover. That's usually the only leakable spot higher than the exhaust and it can run EVERYWHERE like Andy mentioned. I've seen them be misdiagnosed as head gaskets, rear mains, etc. Bad thing is replacement v/c gaskets aren't too great either. Just something youre going to have to replace regularly. The one on my freshly reubilt engine is leaking a little already.

[pennyman1]

Check your valve cover on a flat surface to be sure it is flat - way too often people overtighten the holddown bolts and distort the cover - then it will never seal right without replacing or straightening it.

[ikeepzitclean]

well.. did u figure out da issue?

[pennyman1]

Change the fuel filter at the tank - its behind the metal panel below the fuel filler neck. Then put in some fuel injection cleaner and run the truck. Also check the vacuum hoses for rot and damage from critters eating them.