2016 Ram 1500, some questions before i buy

[Mercniac63]

Hello, I need to upgrade my work truck and found a 2016 Ram 1500 Tradesman crew cab 5.7 Hemi with 190,000 miles for 6,000.
It seems to run and drive fine but I've always had older Ford/Chevy trucks and have never owned a Dodge truck. It was used as a survey truck and supposedly professionally maintained, the fluids and oil look fresh and no leaks except some steering fluid around the passenger side boot on the steering rack. Someone told me that will eventually be a major(expensive) repair.
Kind of scary, I won't have the money for expensive repairs.
Im going back next week to drive it again and any advice about what to look for and listen to would be great.
Thanks

 

[Ken226]

except some steering fluid around the passenger side boot on the steering rack.

That truck has electric power steering.

the only thing like a fluid inside it is a little thick grease on the ball screw, nut and the rack/pinion gear.

Anything leaking into the steering rack is probably coming from the area above it, like the oil filter or transmission coolant lines.

It's pretty common to spill oil all over the passenger side of the steering rack when doing an oil change.

 

[Burla]

Listen to warm idle for any ticking, which is really a knock, not easy ticking but raspey sewing machine sound. Check coolant overflow tank for any burn. If you buy it check around this is a great site for Rams. You might invest in a mechanic transfer of sale inspection, unless this thing is cheap? Under 10k?

That is an entry level ram a lil upgrade with a hemi, but I wouldn't spend much more then 10 on that.

 

[aszumilo]

At that many miles and being a survey truck, I bet it has a lot of idle time. I'd check that.

 

[Burla]

Man I'm getting old, yeah 6k your good.


You are buying a 200k mile truck buddy, you should have something set aside for repairs.

 

[EdGs]

My lifters and cam took a dump a 201k, some last longer, others do not. I am in the middle of the repair, and am about $4300 deep in parts and shipping (went OE for critical stuff).

But, any part can fail at any time, even in the most well-built vehicles.

As has been said, check your idle time, but FYI, mine was <9%. Budget for repairs just in case. 6k seems to be a decent price, IMO, especially if it's in great shape.

It would be worth spending a couple hundred having it checked over by an independent mechanic.

Wish you the best.

 

[Mercniac63]

Thanks for all of the replies, sorry I haven't answered, been really sick, I checked it out again this morning after reading your replies. When I started it cold I heard a ticking noise that I would consider quite loud, coming from the front driverside. I drove it really hard for about twenty minutes and when I opened the hood the ticking noise was completely- 100% quiet. Otherwise it's in great shape outside and in. I didn't notice any transmission problems. 191,000 thousand. Steering and front end feels solid.
No rust anywhere.
What do you guys think about the noise etc. At 6,000$ i would have about 1,500 or so for repairs. I know it's hard to say without hearing it for yourselves but what would be your best guess about the noise? Will it hurt to run it that way till i can get time to fix it or is that a bad idea. Can I repair that myself? any idea what it would cost to have it done if it's an exhaust manifold bolt?
Or should I move on? Sorry, lots of questions. Thanks for all of the advice.

 

[Ken226]

Thanks for all of the replies, sorry I haven't answered, been really sick, I checked it out again this morning after reading your replies. When I started it cold I heard a ticking noise that I would consider quite loud, coming from the front driverside. I drove it really hard for about twenty minutes and when I opened the hood the ticking noise was completely- 100% quiet. Otherwise it's in great shape outside and in. I didn't notice any transmission problems. 191,000 thousand. Steering and front end feels solid.
No rust anywhere.
What do you guys think about the noise etc. At 6,000$ i would have about 1,500 or so for repairs. I know it's hard to say without hearing it for yourselves but what would be your best guess about the noise? Will it hurt to run it that way till i can get time to fix it or is that a bad idea. Can I repair that myself? any idea what it would cost to have it done if it's an exhaust manifold bolt?
Or should I move on? Sorry, lots of questions. Thanks for all of the advice.

The ticking noise is almost certainly a broken exhaust manifold bolt.

Yea, you can run it that way for awhile. Alot of people run it that way for the life of the vehicle, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.


Yes, you can absolutely fix it yourself. If you have access to a belt sander you can even fix it permanently and cheap.
There are a million youtube videos that will walk you through the process. This is the kit I used last time I did the job on my ram, June of last year:

Amazon.com

To have a shop do it for you, anticipate about 4 hours of labor, a set of bolts and gaskets, at the shop rate of $150.00 ish per hour. Probably about 650-750 dollars. Perhaps someone who's had it done recently can weigh in with more recent and relevant experience.

 

[Mercniac63]

Hi guys, sorry I havnt replied for so long, in and out of the hospital but better now, they had an issue with the title and it took for ever for them to get, so the truck has been sitting for the last 3-4 weeks since my last test drive, I checked the mileage and it has not been driven, so I go pick it up today, it starts and drives great for about 3-4 miles, and i notice CEL is on, drove another 5 miles to the store and noticed a slight misfire, it was parked for about 30 minutes, I started it and noticed a serious misfire, started driving and every time I gave it gas it would miss so bad I couldn't speed up, went to O'Reilly and got these codes and print out..
Primary DTC random/multiple cylinder misfire detected.
P0300 "indicates too many random cylinder misfire within a predetermined period of time"
Suggest changing plugs and coils.
Additional codes:
P0300
P0304 cylinder 4 misfire (three times)
P0456 evap-small leak
P0457 evap- gas cap
P0440 evap system
P219B Bank 2 air-fuel ratio imbalance
The guy at O'Reilly said it's probably just the plugs and coils(560.00)
I dont understand how it happened so suddenly! But I know nothing about these trucks/engines.
I'm literally, physically sick to my stomach.
But that's always my luck.
Just wanted to see what you all think 1st before buying parts.
Thanks for any advice

 

[Mercniac63]

I panicked, changed plugs/coils and it runs great. No CEL..

 

[EdGs]

I panicked, changed plugs/coils and it runs great. No CEL..

Which ones? Just cylinder 4?