1999 ram 2500 possible purchase

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Lpere797

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2017
Posts
1
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
1999
Engine
5.9
Hey guys,

I came across a 1999 Ram 2500 Diesel today at the shop... Fires right up, doesn't miss a beat, 133k On the clock, 2WD (not too big of a deal down here in NC) It was love at first sight.. I asked the salesman if he could possibly get the guy to trade out of it (like they do here...) and he said he already did! I asked him what it would cost to take it off their hands.. They quoted me around $7500!!! I thought it was a damn good deal. Until I inspected further...

You see, when you see a truck you just love and MUST have you become blind (anyone relate?) But I let it settle in and racked it up. Took a look under, and what do I see? Everyone's worst nightmare. Rust. The frame is not rusted through. The leaf springs are rusted, shocks, all suspension components. As well as parts of the bed and front fenders are rusted. Rear main is leaking as well (can have that fixed easily considering it's a 2WD)

I just want to know what you guys think.. While I am a Dodge technician.. I'm not a rust technician.. So... any opinions??
 

dudeman2009

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
1,562
Reaction score
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Location
Arizona
Ram Year
2001 1500 Sport with enough electrical modifications to make my brain hurt
Engine
Magnum 360
You're a tech at a Chrysler shop? How many second gens do you work on?

I'm not trying to be rude, i'm just asking because there are some things you need to know about the second gens if you're worried about getting into one.

Firstly, you'll never find one without rust, if you are concerned by it, just walk away. Save yourself the worry in the long run.

However, if you are ok with owning a 18-19 year old vehicle, Keep reading.

Frame rust is only a concern if its more than flakes. An easy way to check is to take a knife and cut into it then try to peel it like an onion. If you only get small little flakes, the frame is just fine. If you're getting large flakes or multiple levels of flaking, then you might start to think about moving on. It just depends how deep you think the rust there is.

Rust on suspension components is expected. Leaf springs will start to rust after the first two years. I put brand new leafs on my 01 when the eye broke, a year later, they were starting to rust again. I live in Michigan so we get tons of salt in the winter, but its just a fact of life on suspension components. The coatings just can't last what with all the flexing.

The Cummins injection pumps do go bad, given its low miles it's safe to say it has the original VP44 in there. I'd expect that somewhere between 170K and 300K that pump will need to be replaced. Before you go about replacing it, make sure you get the factory service manual or the Cummins specific manual for the procedure. I've checked ALLDATA at work, and it just don't cut it, there are a couple key details that it leaves out. None of the manuals have the little tips and tricks some of us on here have.

Being a 99, its gonna need some work. But both the 12v and 24v Cummins are beasts, they'll easily go a half million miles without any major work if you care for them properly.
 
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