Fix it, Trade it, Sell-It?

[Hardracer]

It is what is ...folks here gave some input as requested on their thoughts.you went with your gut and did what you feel is best for you...nobody can fault you for that....hope it works out for you on the next one.

 

[RodRamCar]

It is what is ...folks here gave some input as requested on their thoughts.you went with your gut and did what you feel is best for you...nobody can fault you for that....hope it works out for you on the next one.

Yeah and honestly, I wasn't swayed one way or the other by anyone's particular inputs either. I enjoy this forum a lot. This seems to have the least number of cry babies, and the most support of any forum I've been a part of. The 14th Gen F-150 wasn't too bad either but many of them are just toxic, dare i say just about as bad as the facebook groups.

 

[fitzdicksn]

Got one of those situations where I am having a hard time deciding do I fix my truck, trade-it while it has no CEL and otherwise drives decent, or Sell it and just wait and be patient?

I have a 2011 Ram 1500 with 165k miles on it. I just bought it recently and never had a CEL and still doesn't but i know for sure something is broken or seized (lifter) at cylinder 1 or 3. Yes, i know i should at least remove the valve covers and inspect it. The noise seriously developed shortly after purchasing. I will probably at least get the intake off to look at the VVT solenoid and check the screen for metal shavings because the oil was new when I got the truck so nothing showed in the oil change that I did when putting fresh PUP oil in. If there are shavings present, I will take a loss to avoid being the one to fork out for a new engine. Also the transmission is smooth when manually shifting and has fresh fluid but when auto shifting it's a bit rough. Assuming line pressure due to clogged filters could be the issue causing solenoids to shift inconsistently.

Anyways, i'm just wondering if I should opt for trading for maybe a newer 15/16/17 Ram or perhaps just being patient and getting a 5th Gen when I can find a really great deal. What would you do? I enjoy reading others opinions. This 2011 is my favorite body style and love the console shifter on these. I do wish i paid more attention to avoid the 5 speed but it does shift damn good in manual mode when I'm in control of shift points.

The main reason I am hesitant on paying to fix it is the truck has the 5 speed and I definitely wish it had the 6 speed. Stupid me. Secondly, i would be pissed if I replace the engine and then something happens adn I have to now address the transmission issue. You can see the 11,500 ive spent on this will quickly turn into a $20k+ truck with lots of miles.

I just had a similar dilemma with my 2011 Ram 1500 Hemi. It has 360,000 kms or about 215,000 miles on it. I had a failed valve seat on cylinder #6 making noises. I priced out getting the cylinder heads rebuilt vs a custom engine rebuild or trading the truck off. The truck is in pretty good shape with many recent repairs like suspension, brakes etc. It soon became apparent that just fixing the cylinder heads, replacing the timing gears and chain, water pump etc. wasn't practical given that a piston ring or bearing could fail after spending thousands on the cylinder heads. I did not like the price of new trucks and with engine problems, I was not going to get much value for mine on a trade.

So I lined up a well respected custom engine builder who will disable the MDS system, reprogram the computer, put in a better cam for towing the RV and a Hellcat oil pump for improved oil flow. My total cost with all new coolant hoses, water pump, long block rebuild, labour in and out, misc parts etc. should be in around $12,000 Cdn or $9,000 US. This is obviously more expensive than just cylinder heads but I think better long term value.

 

[Marshall]

I just read the first few posts, out of 7pages, so may have been covered.
Before you do anything, make sure you don't have a bad exhaust manifold problem,
broken studs.
that seems common with these, Not that I have run into it .
I use to run IHC grain trucks and it was common on them, mainly because of heat and pedal on the floor

 

[RodRamCar]

I just read the first few posts, out of 7pages, so may have been covered.
Before you do anything, make sure you don't have a bad exhaust manifold problem,
broken studs.
that seems common with these, Not that I have run into it .
I use to run IHC grain trucks and it was common on them, mainly because of heat and pedal on the flooring.

I sold it brother but i appreciate the suggestion.

 

[truck2569]

Got one of those situations where I am having a hard time deciding do I fix my truck, trade-it while it has no CEL and otherwise drives decent, or Sell it and just wait and be patient?

I have a 2011 Ram 1500 with 165k miles on it. I just bought it recently and never had a CEL and still doesn't but i know for sure something is broken or seized (lifter) at cylinder 1 or 3. Yes, i know i should at least remove the valve covers and inspect it. The noise seriously developed shortly after purchasing. I will probably at least get the intake off to look at the VVT solenoid and check the screen for metal shavings because the oil was new when I got the truck so nothing showed in the oil change that I did when putting fresh PUP oil in. If there are shavings present, I will take a loss to avoid being the one to fork out for a new engine. Also the transmission is smooth when manually shifting and has fresh fluid but when auto shifting it's a bit rough. Assuming line pressure due to clogged filters could be the issue causing solenoids to shift inconsistently.

Anyways, i'm just wondering if I should opt for trading for maybe a newer 15/16/17 Ram or perhaps just being patient and getting a 5th Gen when I can find a really great deal. What would you do? I enjoy reading others opinions. This 2011 is my favorite body style and love the console shifter on these. I do wish i paid more attention to avoid the 5 speed but it does shift damn good in manual mode when I'm in control of shift points.

The main reason I am hesitant on paying to fix it is the truck has the 5 speed and I definitely wish it had the 6 speed. Stupid me. Secondly, i would be pissed if I replace the engine and then something happens adn I have to now address the transmission issue. You can see the 11,500 ive spent on this will quickly turn into a $20k+ truck with lots of miles.

I have a 1 ton 2013 model and have fixed and re fixed it several times. Here is my reason for this I know what I have in the driveway. Unless you buy new. your buying someone else's problems.2nd insurance is cheaper, taxes are lower, I work part time a Ram dealership, And frankly most new trucks are almost what I paid for my house. I would just fix it or just get a crate motor to put in it. But that is me. I have 595,000 miles on my truck. Everyone likes to drive a new truck but don't look at how much taxes, Insurance, tags will cost with a new truck not counting financing it on todays rates. First I would take it to your ram dealership and have it placed on the computer to figure out what is causing the issue. That cost is about 100.00 bucks.