Buying another 2nd gen questions

[IrocRam]

I hope this is the right section for this. I realize I am new and if I somehow posted in the wrong forum, let me know and I will try my hardest to avoid doing so again in the future.

That being said, I am looking for a truck again. I have had 2 2nd gen dodge rams before, one was a 1997 that I had in highschool with the 5.9 V8 and 3" lift 4x4. It was owned by a firefighter and in amazing condition as he washed it every week. I abused that truck in the 2 years I owned it, as I romped the **** out of it. My next 2nd gen I bought after my first deployment, a 2001 2500 3" lift 4x4 with a cummins. This was without a doubt the best vehicle I ever owned. Had 327K miles on the original motor when I sold it last year. I got rid of it to fund my 1988 camaro build and buy another vehicle to just get around. I have since bought an 87 Iroc camaro that I am building. I have learned a lot in the last year restoring my 88 camaro, but I am now selling it so I can make room for a truck. I am keeping the iroc and I am in the middle of restoring it.
Sorry for thr boring background. Now, I am looking to get another 2nd gen dodge ram. I have been trying to find one for about 2 weeks, and my price range I am keeping low right now, unless I sell my camaro before I buy a truck, then my price range will go up. So far, I have only looked at 2, a 97 and a 2001, both reg cabs, both 4wd, both 5.9, one longbed, one shortbed. 97 didn't have a straight panel on it, and a lot of other issues. The 2001 had no reverse in the transmission but only 120K miles and was completely stock. I didn't buy it because with the transmission work it will need, I don't want to offer much and I doubt he would take my offer. I am potentially finally looking at a 1999 quad cab shortbed with a 6" lift 5.9 V8 black that the guy is asking less than $2500 for, with 181k miles. I have been trying to see it all week but the guy is flaky. So we will see.

Some questions I have is, does the 5.2 and 5.9 4x4 have the same auto transmission? From what I read, anything post 98 should be the 46RE. If any of the trucks I look at have transmission issues, I wouldn't mind buying them if that was the only real issue, as I am confident in my capabilities to remove and replace the transmission, and either having it rebuilt or swapping in another transmission. It's a lot bigger than the 5 speed manual on my camaros though, so it will be not quite as fun, but I'm sure still very doable.
Is there any specific issues to 2nd gens, or later 2nd gens that I should check for? The idea is to use this truck basically as a weekend up north vehicle/whenever i need to take trash to the dump/parts truck when I need to haul engines and equipment and what not (had to put the motor for my camaro in the back of my hyundai, as well as my engine hoist, neither fun to put in there or take out).

I will hopefully find something soon, and will keep posted on when I acquire one. I never really took the time to learn much about vehicles before I had my dodge with the cummins, and even then, I still didn't try too hard. It's only been since I have had this 88 camaro i bought over a year ago, that I have gotten serious about mechanical stuff. I have tore my iroc down, motor, transmission, rear end, gas tank, everything. Painted my 88 camaro, and have painted the engine bay of my iroc so far. I like to learn as much as I can, because I do not like paying another person to fix my vehicles.

Anyways, hopefully this is the right place, and I look forward to a future of help on these forums, and I will try my best to return the favor.

Located in Phoenix, Az

 

[dapepper9]

Well the 5.2s and 5.9s are great. Both have the 46rh in 94/95 and 46re in anything 96+. Re means it has a bit of electrical control, rh is almost entirely hydraulic.

Issues include transmission problems as 90% weren't taken care of with regular fluid/filter changed and band adjustments and the line going to the cooler has a check valve that clogs and cooks the fluid.
Also the plenum gasket inside intake kegger. Pretty easy to fix. What happens is the junk factory gasket breaks and pulls oil from the lifter valley and burns it slowly. Fouls number 8 plug (quick way to check for bad gasket if a seller will let you) clogs cat and just makes it run ******.
Other than that steering likes to wear out if not maintained and interior plastics are garbage. That's all the major things.

I would stay away from lifted trucks because:
A. They've been beat to **** guaranteed (I'm sure you can attest to that )
B. 90% haven't been regeared and that's a lot of extra strain on the already not do well taken care of trans


Off hand, what branch are you in? I'm an engine mechanic myself with 185th in Sioux City, Iowa

 

[IrocRam]

Well the 5.2s and 5.9s are great. Both have the 46rh in 94/95 and 46re in anything 96+. Re means it has a bit of electrical control, rh is almost entirely hydraulic.

Issues include transmission problems as 90% weren't taken care of with regular fluid/filter changed and band adjustments and the line going to the cooler has a check valve that clogs and cooks the fluid.
Also the plenum gasket in time intake kegger. Pretty easy to fix. What happens is the junk factory gasket breaks and pulls oil from the lifter valley and burns it slowly. Fouls number 8 plug (quick way to check for bad gasket if a seller will let you) clogs cat and just makes it run ******.
Other than that steering likes to wear out if not maintained and interior plastics are garbage. That's all the major things.

I would stay away from lifted trucks because:
A. They've been beat to **** guaranteed (I'm sure you can attest to that )
B. 90% haven't been regeared and that's a lot of extra strain on the already not do well taken care of trans


Off hand, what branch are you in? I'm an engine mechanic myself with 185th in Sioux City, Iowa

I have always been partial to lifted trucks but the truck I looked at yesterday was not lifted, but reverse was out in the transmission. 120K miles on it too which is pretty low for this era.
I'm sort of just looking at whatever is available. Every truck or SUV I have ever owned was lifted before I got it and I never had any suspension issues. My 2001 with the Cummins had bad ball joints which I needed to have a shop do because I broke several gear pullers trying to get the hub off. Otherwise never any steering or suspension issues, surprisingly. None of them were ever 're geared either. My intention isn't to drive whatever I get every day of the week so fuel economy isn't a super big deal. I will be daily driving my iroc or Hyundai.

Yeah both rams I had the dashes were completely trashed. My 01 barely was intact when I sold it. Bypassed the heater core and never got around to doing both at once. I have always liked this body style the best, and have always heard that the engines in these trucks are bullet proof but everything around them are ticking time bombs. That has never been my experience, especially with that Cummins.

I am actually no longer active duty. I got out November 2013. But I was in the Navy. I was an AM which stands for aviation structural mechanic. I was on MH-60S helicopters and did 2 deployments and part of a third one in 4 years, which is why I got out. I was basically gone the entire time. I mainly did hydraulic and structural work as there is a separate rate for engine and gearbox mechanics.

 

[SportRam00]

Many people complain about problems with the 9.25 axle, especially ones with the Trac-Lok LSD.

Take it for a drive with the rear window open and listen for bad bearings in the rear diff (howling/whining at highway speed under acceleration/deceleration)... I'm currently living with a noisy diff and contemplating a rebuild...

This only happens in the 1500's. If you buy a 2500, you shouldn't have to worry too much about it since the D60/D70s seem to be solid.

 

[IrocRam]

Many people complain about problems with the 9.25 axle, especially ones with the Trac-Lok LSD.

Take it for a drive with the rear window open and listen for bad bearings in the rear diff (howling/whining at highway speed under acceleration/deceleration)... I'm currently living with a noisy diff and contemplating a rebuild...

This only happens in the 1500's. If you buy a 2500, you shouldn't have to worry too much about it since the D60/D70s seem to be solid.

Rear end work probably intimidates me more than anything else. I was looking into it for my iroc because it's been sitting for years but the work required seems intricate. Most shops want close to $1000 to rebuild a rear end too. Hopefully whatever I find has a solid rear end. I don't think I'll find a 3/4 ton truck because most that are for sale in my area have a Cummins if it isn't a half ton.

My biggest problem right now is people wanting to sell. They make ads, leave contact info. Most prefer text so I do that. Almost every single person I have texted about their truck I have received a response immediately saying they still had their truck. So my next message was to ask when and where I could come see it. Never heard from them again. I saw a pile of crap 97 shortbed reg cab and then 2 days ago a 2001 long bed reg cab in pretty good shape except the dash and transmission. I haven't been able to look at anything because all the people who I contact don't seem to want to sell their trucks, despite having them listed for sale. This is the most bizarre situation I have come across.

The one I have been trying to see that's close by me is a 1999 half ton quad cab shortbed with a lift and Gibson headers and exhaust. Paint and clear cost are failing. The guy said it's missing the front drive shaft as the previous owner told him he removed it for "better fuel mileage" ( That was exactly how he put it.I got the sense the guy selling the truck didn't buy that). In a part time 4wd system removing the front drive shaft wouldn't do anything except prevent 4wd. In an AWD setup it could in theory get better fuel mileage I think, so it's possible the previous owner just didn't distinguish between the 2. Most likely if you know what you're doing underneath then you probably understand the difference between awd and 4wd, but who knows. So at this point I'm expecting the worst, needs a new front end, transfer case, and obviously front drive shaft and u joints. It has 181k miles. He is asking under $2500 which is why I'm considering it. I'm thinking if he will go as low as $2,000 then it might be worth it. Paint doesn't phase me because me and my buddy both can paint, he's better at it as he has painted his, mine, his buddies third gen camaros, his Bronco, his brothers Tahoe and truck, and some other persons truck. I have just painted the engine bay of my iroc. If all this truck needs is a new front drive shaft and I can get it for $2000 I will be excited. There are a few 4x4 half tons in the junkyards here I'm sure I can swipe the drive shaft from and have it rebuilt.

 

[dapepper9]

A 1500 with an open diff its rare to have axle problems. Yes they are a c-clip but the only horror stories are from drag racers and rock crawlers. Otherwise they're pretty reliable. The limited slip diffs like to burn up the clutches and grenade it.

 

[BBartow]

A 1500 with an open diff its rare to have axle problems. Yes they are a c-clip but the only horror stories are from drag racers and rock crawlers. Otherwise they're pretty reliable. The limited slip diffs like to burn up the clutches and grenade it.

Lsd is only one problem. The major issue with the 9.25 is the crush sleeve. Doesn't keep pinion preload which creates pinion bearing wear and lots of slop in the diff.

 

[IrocRam]

A 1500 with an open diff its rare to have axle problems. Yes they are a c-clip but the only horror stories are from drag racers and rock crawlers. Otherwise they're pretty reliable. The limited slip diffs like to burn up the clutches and grenade it.

Which one is more common on these, open or limited slip? I think both 2nd gens I have owned had limited slip, I know for sure the one with the Cummins did because I had the original window sticker that listed every option it came with. Where is the identifier on the rear ends? I have never bothered to look on either I owned before. I'm assuming there is either a tag bolted to the rear end somewhere or a stamping of some kind, but not sure.

 

[SportRam00]

There should be a tag on the axle diff cover that will tell you the gear ratio and if it is limited-slip. I believe open is more common.

 

[IrocRam]

So that 2001 reg cab that I looked at earlier this week sold. The person who bought it is already reselling it.the reverse is out on the transmission however. but she is a green to let me buy it for $2,000. It's got just under a hundred and thirty thousand miles on the truck and cosmetically it's in pretty good shape. The dash is cracked and the power window switch on the passenger side doesn't seem to be working, those are the only problems that I know of when I look at that truck on Tuesday earlier this week.this seems kind of like an OK deal because I'm pretty handy and I don't think it will be very hard to remove that transmission and replace it with another one temporarily while I have the one that is currently in it rebuilt so I can put it back in. So I have two questions one being what are the potential things that would cause refers only to stop working on a transmission and 2 is this an OK deal was a bad deal? I feel that it's pretty decent because like I said I'm not super scared of removing replacing the transmission and it's only $2,000 for a truck that seems to be in pretty good shape otherwise.

 

[IrocRam]

Another truck I just found that I'm going to go look at tomorrow. It's a 1997 1500 4x4 shortbed club cab. it is lifted I'm guessing 6" roughly. I can tell that it's a long arm kit, which is nice. It also has new looking mud or all terrains which are 36x12.50 according to the ad. Which I remember over the years looking at tires, 36" tires are pretty uncommon and are frequently purchased, and often times more expensive. It is that nice like electric blue color with silver along the bottom. It's not good paint however, as it has chipped off on one side pretty bad, I would say 25% of the paint is gone, and the primer looks to be showing. Doesn't bother me, but i figured I would mention it here. 168k miles. there is one basketball size dent on the bottom of the bed too. pictures of the interior look to be very clean, and dash doesn't even seem to be cracked yet, which is rare around here. It has the 5.2 though, which I would prefer the 5.9, but it's not the end of the world. Not like i am going to get massive power differences or fuel mileage stock vs stock. Then, the biggest part, it's a repo. They are asking $2200 for it, which is pretty damn low, and I wouldn't be daily driving this truck really ever, or at least that isn't the plan. So history is unknown. It's probably going to go quick at this price and comes with a repo affidavit form which i was told is what I would use to get the title in my name. Says it is a clean title, but I am not sure how you determine that on a repo vehicle. At this price, I don't think I really have room to be picky, and I know playing around in this price range is asking for issues, but are repo's a bad idea, even at this price?

I would add pictures, but I have no idea how to do it on this forum. On thirdgen (camaro forum) you click on the same link that looks like a mountain and then you can add pictures, but this one asks to enter a weblink for it.

 

[bassslayer25]

Another truck I just found that I'm going to go look at tomorrow. It's a 1997 1500 4x4 shortbed club cab. it is lifted I'm guessing 6" roughly. I can tell that it's a long arm kit, which is nice. It also has new looking mud or all terrains which are 36x12.50 according to the ad. Which I remember over the years looking at tires, 36" tires are pretty uncommon and are frequently purchased, and often times more expensive. It is that nice like electric blue color with silver along the bottom. It's not good paint however, as it has chipped off on one side pretty bad, I would say 25% of the paint is gone, and the primer looks to be showing. Doesn't bother me, but i figured I would mention it here. 168k miles. there is one basketball size dent on the bottom of the bed too. pictures of the interior look to be very clean, and dash doesn't even seem to be cracked yet, which is rare around here. It has the 5.2 though, which I would prefer the 5.9, but it's not the end of the world. Not like i am going to get massive power differences or fuel mileage stock vs stock. Then, the biggest part, it's a repo. They are asking $2200 for it, which is pretty damn low, and I wouldn't be daily driving this truck really ever, or at least that isn't the plan. So history is unknown. It's probably going to go quick at this price and comes with a repo affidavit form which i was told is what I would use to get the title in my name. Says it is a clean title, but I am not sure how you determine that on a repo vehicle. At this price, I don't think I really have room to be picky, and I know playing around in this price range is asking for issues, but are repo's a bad idea, even at this price?

I would add pictures, but I have no idea how to do it on this forum. On thirdgen (camaro forum) you click on the same link that looks like a mountain and then you can add pictures, but this one asks to enter a weblink for it.

If the ad is on craigslist you can just copy and paste the link in the thread. If you are trying to add pictures from your computer, scroll down from where you are typing and click manage attachments.

 

[IrocRam]

If the ad is on craigslist you can just copy and paste the link in the thread. If you are trying to add pictures from your computer, scroll down from where you are typing and click manage attachments.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/5528820674.html

 

[bassslayer25]

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/5528820674.html

Not bad for the price.

 

[IrocRam]

Not bad for the price.

That was my first thought. That is, for somebody who has a slew of tools and knowledge. I can easily pull a grill from the junkyard, already have a transmission lined up because I'm assuming the worst case about any dodge I see, and I painted my camaro and it wasn't too bad so I'm not too worried about this. I know nothing about the repo buying process but Tue guy selling it explained it to me. He did say he is opening the yard to the public tomorrow at 11 am my time, so I'm not sure if this is going to be a bidding war or what. I'm trying to look at another one in the area before this though too. But if this blue one checks out I may just go for it, depending on how that repo situation goes.

I was kind of hoping for a quad cab, but I figured I can't afford to be picky in the price range I'm snooping around in. A little worried dude who had it repoed is going to see me crusing around in his truck and decide he wants it back.haha. not really, but it's an interesting notion to think about. This truck stands out like a sore thumb.

 

[IrocRam]

So I went and looked at the repoed 97 that's blue with a huge lift. The paint is the worst part. It will need to be completely repainted which doesn't bother me. Oil leak and transmission leak. Power Windows switches don't work on passenger side and door locks don't work. Interior is actually kind of clean. Only one crack on dash the rest is completely fine. 168k miles. I'm guessing a 6" or 8" fabtech longarm lift kit. Brand new Mickey Thompson 36" tires. Runs pretty good. He told me that if I bid $2100 I can have it. Have to come back on Monday with cashiers check and sign bill of sale but it's mine for $2100 and I don't have a commitment to it. If when he calls on Monday I change my mind, I don't have to buy it as I signed nothing. So I bid $2100 because worst case scenario I wasted half an hour looking at the truck.

The issue: the shifter doesn't work. It did at first when I got there and it started perfectly and ran great, shifted just fine. Gears didn't kick too much. But when I went to start it again later, the shifter just went up and down through the gears not engaging any of them. It won't start because it thinks it's in gear. So is this a cable or bolt issue or something else? Is this a big issue? I mean if I pay $2100 I feel like I can complain much. The other issue is the vacuum settings for the vents is off. It doesn't come out the right spots when in the selected position so for instance it's on head setting, it blows out the feet or dash. I had this issue with my 2001 and never figured it out.

I'm looking at a couple more today or tomorrow so I may end up with something before this. I may also decide I don't want it without getting something else.

Edit: also, and this may be a dumb question, but is there a way to lower a truck that's been lifted with a long arm kit? I can't find any lift higher than a 5.5" long arm from fabtech and that's what's on the blue one. But it has 36" micky thompson tires on it and there is easily room for a few inches more tires under that wheel well. I would like to close that gap. I wouldn't even mind going down to 35" tires and selling these ones, because they are brand new and I'm sure somebody would buy them. The things I'm thinking of would be shorter coils, but I am wondering if I do that, do I have to changed the struts also, and will that affect the welded on longer arms? It has dual struts on the front, and they look ok, and this lift overall still looks pretty clean, so I imagine it's probably either brand new, or it's been on for only a few years.

 

[IrocRam]

well I ended up finding a different truck and bought that today. So I finally have another 2nd gen. It's a 1997 club cab 4x4 with a fabtech long arm kit (I think it's 5.5") with bfg mud terrains. Rebuilt engine, transmission, and transfer case about 30k miles ago. Runs pretty good. The steering is shot though but that a fine. Paid $2800 for it.

 

[dudeman2009]

I know it's late, but I gotta give a +1 to hating the clutch packs in the 1500 LSD rear end. I might just be buying ****, but i'm on the second pack since i've owned it and this one's nearly burned out again after this winter, and I just replaced it last year.

 

[IrocRam]

I know it's late, but I gotta give a +1 to hating the clutch packs in the 1500 LSD rear end. I might just be buying ****, but i'm on the second pack since i've owned it and this one's nearly burned out again after this winter, and I just replaced it last year.

I didn't even think to check for the tag on the rear end when I was looking my truck over before I bought it. If I remember tomorrow when I get home from work I will check. It has the 5.2 and most likely stock 3.55 gear ratio with a lift and bigger tires, so It's basically like the town drunk- it's not getting anywhere fast and it drinks a lot along the way, but eventually it will get there.

 

[dudeman2009]

I didn't even think to check for the tag on the rear end when I was looking my truck over before I bought it. If I remember tomorrow when I get home from work I will check. It has the 5.2 and most likely stock 3.55 gear ratio with a lift and bigger tires, so It's basically like the town drunk- it's not getting anywhere fast and it drinks a lot along the way, but eventually it will get there.

Thats harsh, but not killer. Personally i'd swap it out with a 4.10.
It depends on how much you want to put in this truck, and really what you want it for. Its not bad looking, and its got potential and as long as its running sound, getting it "beefed up?" shouldn't be very expensive. I love mine and i've still got a long was to go, no lift though, I dont like them myself.