cpuwhiz22
Junior Member
Hello everyone,
I just purchased my first truck. I am very excited as I have had SUVs in the past, but due to me towing a lot more these days I decided I needed something that was built for it instead of driving my Jeep into an early grave.
Anyhow, the truck is a 2003 Ram 1500 Laramie with the 5.9L V8. It has 79K miles. Everything seemed fine when I test drove and purchased the truck, but I am new to trucks so I may not have really paid as close of attention as I should have. Anyhow, the one thing I noticed immediately after I took ownership was that when I first start it up and am backing out of the driveway, it seems the first turn of the wheel is very stiff, as if there is no power steering. However this only last seconds and as I turn the wheel the other way it seems smooth and is fine thereafter. It is Michigan, so cold, but I wanted to check and see if this is typical, or something that I should worry about or could be fixed.
The next thing, which has me a little more concerned, is that after driving it for two days with no alerts or anything, the brake and ABS lights came on yesterday, and then eventually went off. They came on randomly a second time after that, and then went off after a while too. A quick google seems to indicate that this could be metal in the differential housing messing with a magnetic sensor, but I wanted to post here and see what others thought.
Also, after the brake and ABS lights went out, a little later the check engine light came on. I have not yet read the code, but this was also something I read of experiencing with the metal in the differential housing issue, so maybe that is all it is.
Any input is greatly appreciated. I am really excited about this truck, however having these sort of things pop up 48 hours after transfer of ownership has me feeling nervous.
Thanks!
Pat
I just purchased my first truck. I am very excited as I have had SUVs in the past, but due to me towing a lot more these days I decided I needed something that was built for it instead of driving my Jeep into an early grave.
Anyhow, the truck is a 2003 Ram 1500 Laramie with the 5.9L V8. It has 79K miles. Everything seemed fine when I test drove and purchased the truck, but I am new to trucks so I may not have really paid as close of attention as I should have. Anyhow, the one thing I noticed immediately after I took ownership was that when I first start it up and am backing out of the driveway, it seems the first turn of the wheel is very stiff, as if there is no power steering. However this only last seconds and as I turn the wheel the other way it seems smooth and is fine thereafter. It is Michigan, so cold, but I wanted to check and see if this is typical, or something that I should worry about or could be fixed.
The next thing, which has me a little more concerned, is that after driving it for two days with no alerts or anything, the brake and ABS lights came on yesterday, and then eventually went off. They came on randomly a second time after that, and then went off after a while too. A quick google seems to indicate that this could be metal in the differential housing messing with a magnetic sensor, but I wanted to post here and see what others thought.
Also, after the brake and ABS lights went out, a little later the check engine light came on. I have not yet read the code, but this was also something I read of experiencing with the metal in the differential housing issue, so maybe that is all it is.
Any input is greatly appreciated. I am really excited about this truck, however having these sort of things pop up 48 hours after transfer of ownership has me feeling nervous.
Thanks!
Pat
