I hope I don't regret this

[Dodge trucker]

I just bought a 2012 SLT reg cab long bed. I can't pick it up yet, got to be too late in the day to get my wife's pay stubs from her work to the bank, so I have to do that tomorrow. I'm off, she ain't, car lot and bank both only open til noon.
We've already been told all is good though.
Haven't bought from a stealer in a very long time. Damn the sales tax at $8 hundred and some alone is more than I have paid on for whole vehicles in the past. Vehicles that wound up lasting me for years apiece. They wouldn't come down at all, the guy thought he was doing me a favor discounting me $300 to make the "doc" fee a wash (whatever that is)
The thing I am leery of is the engine. I am so used to 318 and 360 this one is a 4.7. I haven't as much lately but I used to hear so many horror stories about the 4.7 in particular.
I know alot about older dodges but next to nothing about the newer ones.
I used to be like tasmanian devil and rip/tear things apart but parts are so much more expensive I walk on eggshells with these newer vehicles. Not saying it needs anything now but I am quite sure it will down the road as I keep my vehicles til there's nothing left for them to give.
Case in point our Durango is still going, I replaced the original engine at 260k, and overhauled the trans at same time, still going at 290k.
That one's a 360.
It ain't the hemi that I'd have liked but it has a claimed 310 hp, which should be more than plenty
for my needs.
I'm 98% sure this was originally a Fastenal truck.
That part doesn't bother me.
Other than that it has a 4.7 and not the hemi, and it's the 1 color I wanted to avoid (white) /everything else about it is what I wanted. Reg cab 8' bed, and has more buttons inside than I need. This is replacing a 99 Dakota that has been a decent truck for me but if I do anything but drive it (mostly empty) back n forth to work it's 3.9 is underpowered.
Now my 96 Dakota looks like hell but they will be prying that one from my cold dead hands, 318 4x4. I love the old 318.

 

[2012RAM1500RT]

The 4.7 is my least favorite of the V8's but the biggest thing to worry about in what I hear is the timing chains. I've seen a few go 200,000 plus miles but my 360 in my '98 went 450,000 miles untouched so that's what I'm basing it on. I hope it works out for you and percentage wise it probably will. I wish you luck!

 

[Dodge trucker]

I bought it local, I had called on a couple of others that I had seen on auto trader and cars.com, one wouldn't call me back, and the other one flat out lied to me one of those was blue and one black. Otherwise same year and rest pretty much the same as this one.
On e black one it had mileage in the 70s instead of the 90s (first time around.... Low for me!) And the 1st person told me it was a local trade then transferred me to some manager who had someone more familiar with this truck call me back, who told me it was bought at auction. If they can't even get that straight I don't want to deal with them.
This one looks by the Carfax like it was maintained pretty well, though while the 1st Fastenal (I assume as it does say 1st and 2nd owner was "fleet") seemed to wait for the "CHANGE OIL"light to get that done. The 2nd owner (1st and 2nd owner were grouped together on the Carfax as 1 owner) did much better on oil changes. And I saw a few oil changes between 2nd and 3rd owner at like 1000 miles apart.
We're supposed to have snomageddon (a big snow storm) on Saturday, so I'll put it in the garage up on my 2 post lift (yes I have my own) and drive my Dakota til the road is clean.

One question I have/ has anyone here ever used that NHOU undercoatings ? I've seen it on Saturday morning TV. They don't have any close to me (Chicagoish) but I was thinking about ordering a 5 gallon bucket of it and applying it myself.

 

[Dodge trucker]

The 4.7 is my least favorite of the V8's but the biggest thing to worry about in what I hear is the timing chains. I've seen a few go 200,000 plus miles but my 360 in my '98 went 450,000 miles untouched so that's what I'm basing it on. I hope it works out for you and percentage wise it probably will. I wish you luck!

Yeah. The timing chains scare me. A chain (steel) running on plastic guides. Doesn't sound like the best idea for longevity

 

[kurek]

Yeah. The timing chains scare me. A chain (steel) running on plastic guides. Doesn't sound like the best idea for longevity

I've seen timing chain guides go either way, chewed through at less than 200k or flawless at more than 300k.

Eventually the chain itself stretches regardless and should be replaced. The guides help a bit with that and ignition timing is pulled off the crank sensor not the cam so it's not like small block fords where a sloppy chain would show up in obvious rough running.

People get real religious about the topic of lubrication so I'm not talking about any brands or products or viscosities - but the best thing you can do for the timing chain is keep the oil clean. Pretty obvious that any particles floating around in your oil are going to be harder than the plastic they're getting dragged across by the chain so clean oil means no opportunity for wear.

At least it's not like those 4.0L Ford V6's with three timing chains, one of which is in the back of the motor so you have to pull the whole thing to service it

 

[Mike Flea]

I have a 2010 RCSB with the 4.7, and before that a 2003 QC with the 4.7. I purchased the 2003 used, from a Chevy dealer, with 70k miles, traded it in 5 yrs, & 180k later, for a new 2014 Patriot for my wife, got $2000 on the trade in, the bed fenders had rusted away. In retrospect, I should have kept it. That 4.7, from the time of purchase to the date of trade-in, would have a cold start tick for about 5 min, until the engine started getting warm, and then fade away, and it wasn't heard again until the next time the truck sat for a long time before being started again, like sitting in the parking lot at work for 8 hours.

I purchased the 2010 used, with 79k, from a Ford dealer, 3 years ago. It also has a tick upon startup. However, this tick doesn't go away in 5 min, it takes 15-20 min, usually when the temp gauge gets to about 190. Sometimes, if I'm in a hurry, and take off right after startup, it sounds like it's going to rattle right out of the truck. Even after it gets to operating temp, you can hear the tick, but it's a lot fainter than upon startup. I've switched to a high mileage, full synthetic, in hopes that it would help quiet the tick down, and it has helped a little, but adding STP oil treatment has helped more. A buddy of mine has offered to adjust the lifters, but I've repeatedly turned down his offer, for fear that the adjustment might create another problem.

Other than the tick, the truck runs good. Gets good road mileage, 60-70mph, 12.5 - 18.1 respectively, depending on terrain, around town, 10.6 - 11.3.

Oh, and about the timing chains, most engines have a composite nylon adjustment guide.

 

[Dodge trucker]

but adding STP oil treatment has helped more. A buddy of mine has offered to adjust the lifters, but I've repeatedly turned down his offer,

Oh, and about the timing chains, most engines have a composite nylon adjustment guide.

STP has the heavy consistency for as long as it takes to warm up the engine for the 1st time is all then it is as thin as the rest of the oil.

Valves have not been adjustable on an automotive gas engine since 1980, in 1981 even the slant 6 went to hydraulic lifters.
I take that back, Chevys were til either the vortec or the LT engines of the 90s came out but I don't need with Chevys any more than I absolutely have to.

And the older OHV engines with cam in block didn't have any sort of plastic tensioner.
I'm wondering if an idler spur gear with e needle bearing might have been a better setup than steel rubbing on plastic?

 

[Mike Flea]

Come to think of it, the last engine that I adjusted valves on was my '80 GMC 350 with the Mexican camshaft. When it got to the point that I was tightening the lifter nuts weekly, it was time to cave and get the mexican camshaft replaced. After that, no more issues.

When we pulled the old cam out, all the lobes were almost round.

 

[jws123]

I have worked on a ton of 4.7 engines I know them inside out by now lol the 4.7 engine in these newer trucks are often more reliable then 5.7s hemis. That's If they are taken care of and you change the oil every 4-5k they do not wipe out cams or lifters like the hemis do and are a lot cheaper and easier to work on so that's a plus. The only issue is Yes you need to change the plastic tensioners at about 150kish miles easy and cheap job a lot of other vehicles have this issue I currently have 200k+ on a 08 jeep with a 4.7.

 

[Dodge trucker]

Well the Carfax I got shows oil changes about every 7-8k til about 55-60k then more often with a couple of them only 1000-2000 apart from each other at ownership changes. Like the PO did one and the car lot did another upon trade in shortly later. There were 4 owners before me, 2 we're different Fastenal locations.
#3 had it about 15,000 miles, while #4 only had it about 5k miles, and I got the name when I bought it, I think I know the last guy.
Story goes, he traded 2 trucks towards 1 brand new one. And now me.

Not starting out good with this truck. They did their "Hundred and some point" inspection, and I can see new pads and rotors plain as day thru the wheel spokes but I didn't even make it home and the front calipers locked up on me. When I drove it on12/14 they weren't that way.
I put it up on my lift (yes I have my own here at home) and the front wheels were smoking and I couldn't spin them.
I called the parts store, peeled them off for the cores and went to buy new ones, went by where I bought it (within 3 hours of leaving with the truck) with reciept for new calipers in hand and they said they'd cut me a check Monday (can't today because their check cutter is off today for the holiday)

 

[xcaliber]

I have a parts jeep with a 4.7 and a dropped valve seat. Also have my daily an 04 grand cherokee overland with a 4.7 H.O. I replaced it because the timing chain guides broke off and made their way into the oil pan and sump then I had a rod knock. Tbh I drove it that way for who knows how lomg the oil pressure would drop at idle I littery drove the snot out of it with low oil pressure sometimes up to 130 miles per hr. People hate on the 4.7 but imo it's a pretty decent engine.

My used 4.7 H.O I replaced all the seals except the rear main which is not a common seal to fail. The engine has 175000 kms on it now and it doesn't use a drop of oil.

I have the better 02 H.O intake that has the most hp of all the H.O's and recently just found the 08 intake that has even more hp

 

[67440dodge]

Ahh... for the good ole days when the nylon teeth on a timing gear would tear itself apart at 60K and throw the cam out of time... IF you were lucky it was just a chain replacement/pan drop to clean out the oil pump pickup tube... Not so lucky if it was bent valves/pushrods from being a interference motor..

 

[xcaliber]

I shrugged off the low oil pressure cause I thought "its gotta be the opsu" lol nope it sure wasn't. In the wj it's a horrible job to drop the oil pan. Oh well the 02 replacment engine is in way better shape and I potentially have a good bottom end and if the heads are saleable maybe those too. The H.O crank is forged so it's probably still good.

 

[Dodge trucker]

Ahh... for the good ole days when the nylon teeth on a timing gear would tear itself apart at 60K and throw the cam out of time... IF you were lucky it was just a chain replacement/pan drop to clean out the oil pump pickup tube... Not so lucky if it was bent valves/pushrods from being a interference motor..

Ya know I never had one do that (any of my own vehicles anyways) I've had to go thru that on a few 302s and a 460; for others though.

 

[Dodge trucker]

Well I got the caliper's on and gravity bled, when my wife got home I had her get in and we foot bled it, )and we came to town to eat, that issue is fixed.
At least the place I bought it from already told me they'd cut me a check Monday since it happened on my maiden voyage home/off the lot.
In between getting the calipers mounted and my wife getting home I put it all the way up in the air for a better look than I could get underneath laying on the asphalt at the stealership, and it's not bad body wise. A '13 4x4 popped up on a used car lot across town and I crawled under that one last weekend when they were closed, so I was safe from the vulture salesmen haha.... A year newer and lots more rust underneath.
I am also discovered that someone has added Firestone or timbren style airbags next to the springs over the years, something I missed while looking at this one while still on the lot.

I wish they still had regular gearbox steering vs a rack,. But one reason I discovered that I'm glad I got a 12 is that all the 13s I've seen have electric power steering. This one still has hydraulic, the conventional pump and hoses.
We recently had some flooding in the area this past summer, an HR southwest of he4 really got hammered, and at work we had a few F150s with electric power steering short out. Now that isn't a cheap repair.

Speaking of cheap, I was scouting rock Auto for tuneup parts, belts hoses and such/ and normal common part s like those seem very reasonable at least at RA prices compared to some vehicles I've had to work on.

 

[xcaliber]

You'll need 16 spark plugs lol

 

[fulltimerart]

For years Pontiac v8 (326, 389, 400 etc) put a nylon coating about 1/8 inch thick on the aluminum top -cam-timing gear. T he coating would last about 70,000 to 90,000 miles and then pieces would break off and jump time------I replaced many in the 60s thru 80s using steel gears that would last forever. Bad choice of material at the factory.

 

[Jim113]

I've never owned a truck with the 4.7 but a mechanic friend of mine, who worked at a Chrysler dealership, did, and the main complaint he had was it was thirsty on gas ...

 

[Dodge trucker]

well it's SUPPOSED TO be the same on gas as both the v6 and the Hemi. I'll be finding out.

 

[Dodge trucker]

well I just dropped $350 at RockAuto. Plugs (all 16), wires, boots, belt, tensioner, air and cabin filters a few oil filters.
Trans pan is seeping a bit, it showed a trans service on the carfax right around 50K, so its at almost 100K, Id say time to do again.
What do these 6 speeds use for a gasket? I'm not fond of RTV by itself especially on a trans.
also with the light (graystone? its ugly whatever it is) interior, I'm gonna murder those seats if I don't get some kind of covers. Looking at something like the Carhartt material or Saddlemen " southwestern blanket" ones that can come out and drop in the washer. Any suggestions there?