how to make it LAST

[genna]

Hello!

I am very close to pulling the trigger on a 1998 1500 5.2 automatic with 100k miles on it, very clean especially for its age with three owners and a clean title. About 6 months ago it had some basics like an oil change and the brakes done - most obvious flaw is the headliner (i want to put in a custom American flag headliner anyway) so this does not bother me at all and I can use it to talk down the price. It should be noted that the dealer said they had to replace the cat converters, which has me worried that the plenum (spelling?) gasket might be bad and need repairing - but I have no idea if that is the case.

through my research it sounds like the biggest potential issues with these trucks is the rear and most worrisome the transmission. I did test drive it and it seems to run great but we all know within a couple days everything can change.

I think i can get this truck from the dealer for about 4K out the door, I wont be doing any heavy hauling and i would like to make this truck last 150-200k without throwing a ton of money into it, but would actually look forward to some preventive wrenching to make it bullet-proof and get some experience.

Any suggestions or recommendations as to things I should start doing preemptively on the truck to keep it running strong? I'll look around the forums and appreciate any advice, thanks!

 

[McBroom]

1st off would be changing every fluid in the truck. Inc the oil n filter. No matter the age of the oil you truly dont know if it was a quality product or not.
2nd would be checking out the steering and suspension parts and grease everything that has a grease zert especially the u joints on the driveshaft,tie rods ball joints...
3rd lighting I'd update all the lights in the truck to a high quality bulb
The list goes on and on....

Blue Mule

 

[BenWH]

For 4 grand I’d buy from a private dealer. They easily bought that truck for less than $2000 Which is what you could buy it for on Craigslist. The tranny on my 5.2 lasted over 180k when I sold it still working. Control arms and ball joints go bad prematurely so don’t take corners fast. Don’t bother with CAI since they won’t make it any faster. I had a tuner for mine, didn’t make a difference in fuel economy. Make sure the 100k maintenance got done because it’s extensive. A lot of things on that truck are at the end of their life and will start to break so be prepared to spend $1000 a year replacing starters, alternators, brake master cylinders, etc.

 

[SportRam00]

4K is a little high. You should probably be looking at 2500-3500 on the high end for that truck. On the test drive lay into the throttle and watch for any RPM flaring or weird transmission shifting. Also, open the rear window in the cab and listen for any roaring or whining coming from the rear. A new trans and/or a rear end rebuild is very expensive!

If you bought the truck already, I would start with checking/change the fluids.

Coolant
Oil
Power Steering
Brake
Transmission
Transfer case if its a 4x4
Axle oil Front (if 4x4) and Rear

A good way to see if there is a potential front end problem is to check for uneven tire wear. These trucks are notorious for that. If that is the case, jack the front end up and check for play in the wheels. Up and down movement is ball joints. Left and right is tie rod ends. Make sure you don't see any grease splattered anywhere. That's an early sign of failure. Get the joints greased up if they are still tight. Same with U-joints. Get them greased if they are serviceable. If is a 4x4 make sure you pay close attention to the front axle track bar. They are known to wear and fail.

Take a look at the bushings for the control arms, sway bar, and shocks. Make sure they are not cracked and replace if necessary.

If they had to replace the cat, 9/10 times it means there is a plenum leak. To confirm, take a look down inside the throttle body and try to peak toward the back of the intake plenum. If you see a large amount of oil pooling at the bottom, that's a good sign of a plenum leak. Keep in mind there may be a slight amount of oil in the intake because of the PCV system. Its a pretty big job to replace it, but it's not too difficult if you are a confident home mechanic. Just make sure you allot a day or so to finish the job. Along with the plenum, make sure to check the ignition components, electrical grounds (know problem area) and the battery to make sure they are good and fairly new.

That should get you off to a good start. These are good reliable trucks when properly cared for and maintained.

 

[Mirameiah]

New member and first time ram owner. One other area is the seatbelts. The truck has a seatbelt control module under the center cushion. That gets stuck or stops sending signals to the solenoid in the seats the front belts lock. I have that issue on my new to me 98 ram 318.

 

[dexter]

Surpentine belt.

Possibly timing chain.

All fluids

Look at all rubber parts.

Price too high.