2013 Ram 5.7 with nearly 300,000 miles

[VernDiesel]

Rpmramfury, Nice looking truck. I replaced the front struts on my 2014 ram 1500 with quality for the money Bilsteins. But to do over I would get again quality for the money American made Eibachs. You don’t need the springs just the struts. Don’t waste money on cheap struts. I’ve learned.

 

[RT98]

Wrong, at around 40mph the torque is FAR lower than at 70mph. It takes a heck of a lot of torque to pull a large vehicle through the wind. And lots of shifts on the highway too if you traverse hills, and strong head wind. And nobody says you have to hammer the gas peddle at each stop light either. You are correct on brakes, but that's an easy maintenance item.

In the end, they are about equal overall.

My father was a highly regarded metal fatigue expert, worked as an engineer for the US Air Force. His expertise was in engine wear and failure. He knows engine wear and fatigue far more than anyone. What matters to an engine wear more than anything is hours, not typical use. Just hours. So, my knowledge is from a real world expert on this subject.

BTW, this is one reason most truck displays have an engine hours counter...

An easy way to tell how much wear your putting on the motor is fuel consumption, I’m pretty sure no one will argue if I say highway miles get better fuel economy....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[VernDiesel]

Rolled 750,000 miles today on my 2014 Ram Ecodiesel. It’s used commercially primarily to transport Airstream travel trailer from factory to dealerships across the country. It generally tows all day everyday like a semi.

To be fair the first motor developed a leaking EGR cooler which the low coolant caused it over time to push a head gasket at 371,000. I swapped in a new crate motor which now has 380,000. With it my only issue has been a failed reluctor ring. This engine benefited from an aftermarket tune from day one and has an EGR cooler delete kit. The Star case & stopped odometer shows where all 4th gen 1500 gauge clusters stop working at 1 million kilometers or 621,369 miles.






This is my friend James 2015 Ecodiesel. 425,000 miles about 8500 hours.

 

[VernDiesel]

Wow hope I didn't kill the conversation. I like to see & hear of any 300k plus examples rolling and their stories. Especially aside from Cummins as they are numerous even have a web page for it. But I've seen and driven several old 318/360s with over 300k when I worked for Veolia years ago. I know of a few 300k Hemis and I'm sure there is plenty of Pentastars as well. To me since the 90s computer controlled engines era I think 300k / 7,000 hours is sort of the bottom rung of exceptional reliability.

On the 5th I picked up a new 27' Airstream travel trailer at the plant near Dayton OH and took it to a dealership in DFW. Dropped down to Austin and picked up a new 24' warranty return boat to take from the dealership back to the plant in Merced CA. Dropped down to Fresno CA and picked up four (stacked) boat trailers and took them down to Perris CA in the LA area. Dropped down to Tucson Arizona and picked up a new 25" Airstream from a dealership and took it to the customer in Bentonville Arkansas. Last night I returned back home to Dayton OH. Next week I will pick another AS up at the plant and head to south FL. With this type of business you can see how I rack up so many miles.

For those wondering I was an OTR semi driver when I bought the 1500 Ecodiesel for my longer commutes and personal use. Shortly after which I stumbled into and got an offer to do this business. Starting from scratch I would have bought a HD with Cummins but as its worked out the companies we are contracted with have plenty of smaller freight that works well for this truck. Fuel being our biggest expense I have stuck with the little 1500 Ecodiesel. Hope others will share their truck stories.

 

[BWL]

Wow hope I didn't kill the conversation. I like to see & hear of any 300k plus examples rolling and their stories. Especially aside from Cummins as they are numerous even have a webpage for it. But I've seen and driven several old 318/360s with over 300k when I worked for Veolia years ago. I know of a few 300k Hemis and I'm sure there is plenty of Pentastars as well. To me since the 90s computer controlled engines era I think 300k / 7,000 hours is sort of the bottom rung of exceptional reliability.

Lol. We just can't compete. I keep my trucks to around the 170,000 mile range if I have a good one. Maybe I should try to go longer.

 

[VernDiesel]

Yea I never saw it as a competition. I have a unique business. Any longevity tale is going to be interesting. Perhaps I should stay out of such threads.

 

[BWL]

Long hauling cross country it makes sense to keep changing parts to keep costs down.These trucks are expensive to replace. Do you just run them until corrosion becomes an issue or when the frame starts to get cracks? Just curious at what point it starts to cost less to replace the truck. I'd think resale is non existent when you're done so keep it and use it as a backup to minimize downtime when the primary truck needs work that can't be done in a day or 2.

 

[BWL]

Yea I never saw it as a competition. I have a unique business. Any longevity tale is going to be interesting. Perhaps I should stay out of such threads.

I don't think so. Demonstrates that these trucks are capable of going a lot of miles. You have a good perspective on how far one can go and what kind of parts you can expect to have to replace.

 

[VernDiesel]

I hope to see a million. Basically I will just fix it until something breaks that is not cost effective to fix. Mechanically that would likely be when the motor fails. Pretty much everything else can be gotten and replaced from readily available salvage yard parts. Like any high mile vehicle maintenance is key. Corrosion, it’s body up close is as good as the pic. Not perfect but good.

Transmission had its first issue at 695k. A simple Solenoid. Unfortunately tied into a board it was not cost effective to repair. A new trans was too costly also. But I paid $1260 out the door for a low mile salvage yard unit. Has worked perfectly for 55k. Because of the constant towing I change the trans & differential fluids regularly. Naturally oil & fuel filter. EGR cooler delete or replacement so as not to kill another motor from low coolant. Inside the bed shows the most wear because I often bring a motorcycle or snowmobile back home when returning from the west coast.

 

[indept]

I hope to see a million. Basically I will just fix it until something breaks that is not cost effective to fix. Mechanically that would likely be when the motor fails. Pretty much everything else can be gotten and replaced from readily available salvage yard parts. Like any high mile vehicle maintenance is key. Corrosion, it’s body up close is as good as the pic. Not perfect but good.

Transmission had its first issue at 695k. A simple Solenoid. Unfortunately tied into a board it was not cost effective to repair. A new trans was too costly also. But I paid $1260 out the door for a low mile salvage yard unit. Has worked perfectly for 55k. Because of the constant towing I change the trans & differential fluids regularly. Naturally oil & fuel filter. EGR cooler delete or replacement so as not to kill another motor from low coolant. Inside the bed shows the most wear because I often bring a motorcycle or snowmobile back home when returning from the west coast.

Vern
How many miles total at this point on engine & trans? What major components ( engine, trans, diffs) have been overhauled or replaced & at what miles?

 

[VernDiesel]

751,000 on truck, 380 on this motor 371 on the first. 695k on the trans. Not sure on the rear differential. I’ve replaced 2 plus one after 30 days under warranty. Now I’ve gotten in the habit of checking the fluid every 30k when I am doing the fuel filter change. It’s easy to check & service. Pop the rubber cap off dip a finger in and look & smell the fluid. Much silver or rust in the fluid she needs to come out immediately. On the bottom is a drain cap. No longer do you have to remove the cover etc as with the older stuff.

I don’t rebuild them. I get a new take out and swap the whole rear. Quicker & easier no question of proper gear mesh etc.

 

[BWL]

I hope to see a million. Basically I will just fix it until something breaks that is not cost effective to fix. Mechanically that would likely be when the motor fails. Pretty much everything else can be gotten and replaced from readily available salvage yard parts. Like any high mile vehicle maintenance is key. Corrosion, it’s body up close is as good as the pic. Not perfect but good.

Transmission had its first issue at 695k. A simple Solenoid. Unfortunately tied into a board it was not cost effective to repair. A new trans was too costly also. But I paid $1260 out the door for a low mile salvage yard unit. Has worked perfectly for 55k. Because of the constant towing I change the trans & differential fluids regularly. Naturally oil & fuel filter. EGR cooler delete or replacement so as not to kill another motor from low coolant. Inside the bed shows the most wear because I often bring a motorcycle or snowmobile back home when returning from the west coast.

695k on the trans I have to ask if it's the 8spd and if so what fluid you use for your changes.

 

[GsRAM]

Verns truck has the 8 speed I'm fairly certain. Fluid choice he'll have to advise.

 

[VernDiesel]

Yea 8 speed. Valvoline Maxlife every 100k.

 

[tbird71]

I just bought an 03 Ram Hemi Sport 4x4 with 211K but has a newer Jasper reman hemi installed in 2017 with only 60K on it. Lots of other work done as well. She runs great. The 545RE trans seems fine, pd $4000 for it not worried at all at THAT price. I sold my 11 and missed the Hemi glad to have one back.

Personally I'd let this market get back to more "normal" prices on the later model stuff before buying one. Trucks are all going 5-10000 more than they should. (Unless you find a decent older one like this in the 4-6K range)

 

[MiB0602]

It's always fascinating to hear everyone's stories and experiences with their trucks. I've got a 2012 Ram 1500 SLT and at present it's only got 61,000 miles on it and I am on a personal challenge to see how long I can make my truck last because I absolutely love it! Nothing fancy, just a stock 5.7L Hemi with a couple of bolt on mods and performance tuned. I also happen to be freakishly dedicated to preventative maintenance, a side effect of farm background as a kid.

 

[jack67]

If you want to know if it's mostly highway miles you check the engine hours and do the math. If it has say 200,000 miles and 5000 hours on the engine then it went 40 miles for every engine hour so likely not a lot of stop and go or sitting and idling. If it has 10,000 for the same miles it was either sitting running a lot or a city commuter. Also seems the cam and lifter problems are more common in vehicles that idle more so engine hours is a bigger factor than mileage IMHO as far as the engine condition in general.

Great info... I learned something new today!

 

[jack67]

Okay, where do I find the "Engine Hours" on my gauge?

 

[PoMansRam]

So there is a single owner 2013 Ram with almost 300,000 miles that is for sale. The guy used it to drive a ton for business obviously so it's almost all highway miles. Its an express model i believe and doesnt have any rust except a ding on the tailgate. What would you expect to fail with these miles and beyond? What do you think its worth? Has gray cloth and 8 speed. Club cab model with 20"wheels.
Anyone with 250k plus miles on the original engine and trans on here?
I sold my 03 Ram 4x4 with the 5.7 at 260k still running great with the only major repair being a rear end rebuild at 211k. Attached was one of the last pictures I took of her.
Tell us about your high mileage ram

View attachment 233315

View attachment 233316

Sorry if I missed it in all the pages, but based on those 2 pics, this isn't a 2013 and it doesn't have the 8spd.
Regardless, in today's truck market it's probably 'worth' $37500. LOL

 

[Jeepwalker]

The Star case & stopped odometer shows where all 4th gen 1500 gauge clusters stop working at 1 million kilometers or 621,369 miles.

At that point, the factory should *give* (at factory cost) a 'special issue' cluster to any owner who makes it to 1 million km!! Like the Toyota 1 million mile club.


What do you do when your truck is laid-up ...like for a new rear end or engine? Does the company have another vehicle you can drive?