2001 Ram 4x4 Sport Restoration

[Spike95]

I took it out for a nice test drive yesterday. Mostly highway. Drove 90 miles and also let it sit idling for about 20-30 mins. Averaged 14.5 mpg even with the idling! So I’ve gained probably about 1-2 mpg. I’ll have to see how it averages out after I go through more of a tank.

Part throttle pinging while going up hills has totally gone away, and it feels a touch stronger. I am still experiencing some pinging at WOT once I go over 3,000rpm. From doing a little research, I think it is likely being caused by carbon deposits caked onto my rear cylinders from the oil that has been leaking into them for so long. I’m going to clean them out and then put in a fresh set of plugs. Hopefully that corrects it. Also going to put in a new set of O2 sensors just to be sure.

 

[Spike95]

here’s some more pics from during the project. First one shows the spot that I think the plenum was leaking. Then the new Accel cap/rotor. The Hughes plenum plate, and finally the whole thing buttoned up. My engine sure could use a detailing.

 

[Spike95]

I also recently had a new Magnaflow muffler installed along with re-routing the exhaust back to the rear end again. I had a Flowmaster 40 series exiting in front of the passenger side rear tire for years. I loved the way it looked and sounded, but I started to get tired of the constant drone at highway speeds. This setup still has some drone to it, but not as bad as before. I honestly still might even go with another Magnaflow that is one step quieter in the future.

 

[jessyj]

I need to fix the plenum on my truck too, just wondering if any of the intake bolts broke when you took it apart.Trucks looking good. Thanks.

 

[Spike95]

I need to fix the plenum on my truck too, just wondering if any of the intake bolts broke when you took it apart.Trucks looking good. Thanks.

No, none of them broke for me. If you are concerned about that, I would spray some penetrating lube on them a couple times starting at least a few days before you start the project. The heating and cooling of the engine could help to suck the lube down into the threads. I pulled them out with a small cordless 3/8 impact... strong enough to break them loose, but not to snap the bolts.

 

[Spike95]

I took the Ram out for a fairly long drive yesterday (over 100 miles) and on the way back the check engine light came on. P1740 code for torque converter not locking up. Transmission has also been leaking from the front of the trans lately (that’s how you know the fluid is always fresh!). I took it to a recommended hole in the wall transmission shop in my area of town. Probably just going to get a full rebuild as long as they have it pulled off for the leaking input shaft seal. Also adding a shift kit and an auxiliary trans cooler.

I talked to him about my intentions to regear/rebuild my axles, and it turns out that they do that there as well. He quoted me a much better price than the other shops I had contacted, so I’m pulling the trigger on all of it this week. He said it should probably be done by Friday. Between the shift kit and the new gears, I can’t wait to see how it’s going to drive!

 

[Spike95]

I got it back from the shop earlier this week, but haven’t had any time to post. The gears definitely feel better driving in town. There’s a part of me that wishes they felt more aggressive than they do, but they are definitely a nice balance. 4.56 would’ve been fun until I had to make a long drive and it drank gas. I’m doing 2000rpm at 70mph, so it’s right in the sweet spot. I’m in the process of breaking in the gears, so I haven’t really gotten to romp on it yet. Only given it about 3/4 throttle a few times. Hopefully this weekend I’ll get a chance to take it for a longer drive and see what my gas mileage is like now.

 

[Joe w.]

Did you go 3.92 gears or 4.10s. I'm thinking about 3.92s but considering 4.10s.

 

[Spike95]

Did you go 3.92 gears or 4.10s. I'm thinking about 3.92s but considering 4.10s.

I went with 4.10. I currently have 285/75r16 tires (32.8” tall). I’m planning to get 295/75r16 next (33.4” tall). I think anything in the 32”-34” range would be perfect with 4.10. Unless you found a special deal on some 3.92 axles or know that you’ll never go larger than 32”, I would go to 4.10. It would suck to spend the big money on a regear and then change tires and wish you had gone that extra little bit further.

 

[Joe w.]

I bought new tires last summer so it will be awhile before I buy new ones again. I'm still running factory sized tires 245/75r16 not sure how tall but I will measure them. I'm thinking 4.10s will give me a little more boost of speed when going up steep hills.

 

[Spike95]

I bought new tires last summer so it will be awhile before I buy new ones again. I'm still running factory sized tires 245/75r16 not sure how tall but I will measure them. I'm thinking 4.10s will give me a little more boost of speed when going up steep hills.

If you feel certain you’re never going much larger, then 3.92 may be great for you. I’ll find a calculator for you to look at when I get a chance.

 

[gfrench]

Great passionate ram work
Keep it coming

 

[Spike95]

I bought new tires last summer so it will be awhile before I buy new ones again. I'm still running factory sized tires 245/75r16 not sure how tall but I will measure them. I'm thinking 4.10s will give me a little more boost of speed when going up steep hills.

http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

This is an excellent calculator that allows you to easily compare the effects of different ratios and tire sizes. I looked at it a lot while choosing my gear ratio.

 

[Spike95]

I got my new wheels and tires in today, but only three came! Tracking shows one of them won’t be here until Friday. Talk about a tease from hell. I’m chomping at the bit to put these on! They’re 295/75r16 on American Racing Baja 16x8. I just set one next to the truck to get a rough idea how they’ll look. There should be a little more clearance inside the wheel well than the pic looks like.

 

[Fatbob Frank]

They look good!
I can remember when 16" wheels were considered big.
Now everyone wants 20"+ wheels, but I've always been a fan of more rubber and less metal...

 

[Spike95]

They look good!
I can remember when 16" wheels were considered big.
Now everyone wants 20"+ wheels, but I've always been a fan of more rubber and less metal...

Yeah, I could never imagine having anything bigger than 17-18” rims at the very most. I really prefer 15-16”. I think big meaty tires look way better, and are far more functional anyway.

 

[TC]

Can't wait to see the final pic's. You have motivated me to drive mine until it dies, then do the same thing you have done. Hopefully it will be as old as yours when this happens.

Great work!

 

[Spike95]

They surprised me and delivered the fourth tire today! Here’s a shot of the old and new tires side by side. I went from 285/75r16 up to 295/75r16. Just a little bigger, but definitely way more beefy looking with the tread pattern and slightly wider rims. I shot some quick pics once I got them on. I’ll post some better ones once I can take some in daylight.

 

[Spike95]

More pics in the daylight.

 

[Spike95]

Another positive step forward. I no longer have any pinging at all under heavy acceleration. The plenum fix had helped the worst of it. It used to start at 3000rpm. After the fix, it wouldn’t start until close to 4000rpm. Now I’ve used the Mopar carbon cleaning spray and soaked it in the cylinders overnight a couple times. No more ping!