Freshen up 2010 1500 4x4 5.7 Hemi, 135K miles?

[Hefty2000]

All,
I have owned this truck since new. I would love a new truck, but not at the wild prices they get today. I want to keep this truck alive and reliable. I have replaced transmission fluid, filter at 110K, Rear Diff oil at 120K. Front brakes and rotors at ~ 100K. Other than that, oil chgs regularly. I did have new exhaust manifolds installed after having studs broken and cracked manifold (could hear exhaust leaks). That happened at about 130K. Serpentine belt changed at 130K.

So, the question is, what mechanical items should i replace to ensure reliability?
1. Radiator hoses (any other hoses?)
2. Change transfer case fluid
3. Front half shafts with cv's (one side the boot cracked, alot of grease on the hub now)
4. Wheel bearings ? (comes in hubs?... no noise yet... but surprised these have lasted this long). front and rear?
5. Rear brakes/rotors (original)
6. Brake fluid flush?
7. New coolant? Flush radiator?
8. AC just stopped blowing cold... try refrigerant recharge?
9. .... what else ????

Thanks in advance for any advice !
Steve

 

[kurek]

1. Radiator hoses (any other hoses?)
If the coolant has never been flushed, get on that and do the hoses while you're at it. There are upper and lower radiator hoses and also two heater hoses... Do that at the same time you do the coolant. Use only coolant and distilled water (no garden hose..)

2. Change transfer case fluid
Yep if it's never been done it's time.

3. Front half shafts with cv's (one side the boot cracked, alot of grease on the hub now)
Definitely if the boot's cracked. I think the Cardone CV's are better quality than the OE ones.

4. Wheel bearings ? (comes in hubs?... no noise yet... but surprised these have lasted this long). front and rear?
I doubt they've failed yet unless you really abuse the thing or submerge it frequently.

5. Rear brakes/rotors (original)
Check 'em, they'll visually indicate their condition. No need to replace them if they're good.

6. Brake fluid flush?
Absolutely. I haven't done my Ram yet so I don't know if there are any special precautions on these trucks but on every other vehicle I own/owned over 10 yrs I do a full gravity flush... little bit of clear vinyl hose, correct sized bleeder wrench, comfortable chair, couple cold beverages, fresh bottle of brake juice.. it's not fast that way but it's hard to mess up just don't let the master cylinder go empty.

7. New coolant? Flush radiator?
Yeah if there's no contamination suspected you can pretty much drain it, fill with distilled, get it warm (to circulate), let it cool off (so you don't burn yourself), drain, refill with distilled + coolant.

8. AC just stopped blowing cold... try refrigerant recharge?
There's likely a leak. Fix-in-a-can is not going to fix it. The most frequent leak is on the valves themselves and they're cheap to replace if you have the correct tools and equipment but doing a good job of it does take some know-how and several specialized tools (manifold gauge set, vacuum pump, digital scale, etc) so just take it to a shop if you aren't ready to take on the challenge. Don't bother with a can of magic from the auto parts store it's not going to fix it, best case scenario you get an extra summer out of it that way.

9. .... what else ????
Your axles have oil in them. Over time oil oxidizes by being exposed to air (axles are not air tight, they need to expand and contract as they heat and cool) and oxidized oil eats away at seals, leading to leaks. Also if you have the rear anti-spin differential that's going to be contaminated with clutch particles so fresh lubricant will help your clutches and bearings last longer.

If you haven't taken great care of your paint, a good thorough wash, a light clay bar and a good thorough paste wax will help it last and look beautiful for a long time to come. You can do all that by hand if you don't have any power tools, don't waste a nickel on a power buffer unless you're going to commit to a $200 one... the little $30 ones are worse than nothing at all. People who are hardcore into detailing will tell you that you have to do whatever is trendy at the moment like ceramic... that's also a "do it really really right or don't do it" sort of thing. Seriously just a six dollar tub of Turtle paste wax and some terrycloth rags will go a very long way.

 

[NJMOPAR]

I'll add new serpentine belt & idler pulley.

 

[Jeepwalker]

If you really wanted to take things to the next level, disassemble your starter and alternator and replace the worn parts (which you can buy off the internet or ebay), which is a great (and inexpensive) way to keep OEM quality parts operating ...and cheaper than waiting for a failure.

Replacing the starter relay (or swap out with another relay on your TIPM board) would be a good idea. Normally I would tell guys to 'rustproof' their trucks, but being in AZ, not a problem for you.

Inspect any hoses, like vacuum hoses and EGR/PVC hoses and replace any which are hard and likely to crack or split soon. Did anyone mention replacing your power steering fluid?

The other advice you received above was really good. Do as many of these as you can and you'll be caught up on maintenance.

 

[Hefty2000]

Kurek, NJMopar... thanks for you input, I really appreciate it !!!

 

[Hefty2000]

Jeepwalker... thanks for your ideas.... Man i feel stupid not thinking about Power Steering fluid !!!

 

[Socalramfan]

I’m impressed…….. Original rear rotors with 135k miles