New guy! need advice on a 99

[rabidhorseracing]

Hi guys. New member here. Possible new dodge owner.
I'll explain my current situation and then maybe some one can point me down the right road.
iv found a 99 1500 ram with the 5.9 4x4
truth be told I'm a Ford guy - love the powerstroke! Had a 97 f350! 4 door dually 7.3. She was a bad girl but soild her like a dumb dumb. any way I now have a 03 Ford Mustang with the 3.8 v6. Manuel. It's a base model but it's mean! It doesn't even have cruise control but it has so much more.

I love the car but I need a truck - I got kids and the Mustang is a pita to get the kids in. IV been told the Dodge club cabs are a lot more roomyer. Then the mustang. IV always loved the 90s model body style.
4x4 is a plus
v8 is a plus
4 doors is a plus.
Clean body is a plus.
The truck iv found is pretty clean looking - owner says it is all the above and more. It also has leather seats - shotgun murder tires? - suspension up grades - and a few other things.... The transmission is new.
I love the truck but I need to make sure it's right.
What are somethings to look for when purchasing one of these trucks? It has the 5.9 magnum. 150k.
I can do just about any repairs it may need.
are they dependable? Do they have any warning signs about certain things going out. Like the transmission - do they just die?
the owner claims it has codes for a 02 sensor and the crank position sensor.
He says the crank sensor cause the truck to require more throttle when taking off? Sounds like a trans issue to me but that is what he said - caused by the crank sensor.
says other then that runs awesome.
I'm going to look at it tomorrow so let me know what I would look for guys! Thanks!
http://rs1288.pbsrc.com/albums/b488...D_fgIvUq7d3bq_600x450_zps23d77b84.jpg~320x480

http://rs1288.pbsrc.com/albums/b488...D_fgIvUq7d3bq_600x450_zps23d77b84.jpg~320x480

http://rs1288.pbsrc.com/albums/b488...3_3kcUXueL7rb_600x450_zps7f72b613.jpg~320x480

 

[rabidhorseracing]

Sorry for the misspelling - stupid smart phone and auto correct!

 

[ADudeOnSkis]

Welcome!

I love mine, it's a 318 5spd. I think with s family you might be better off looking for a 3rd gen, they are a little roomier in a quad cab. My skinny 5'8" better half hates sitting in the back of my 2nd gen (99) qc.
That being said, I, like yourself, like the 2nd gen look over the other three generations. They are great trucks if you can find one that's been well taken care of. Look for one that hasn't had much if anything done to it mod wise. If you get an auto, remember that dodge trannys are the weak link. Get that sucker built, or do it yourself, before it decides it will be fun to fall out on the road. Don't know about the cps but the o2 sensor is an easy fix, just did mine. It did need some coaxing with the outside of a crescent wrench...

Check out some of the resources on here, there is an endless wealth of info!
Good luck!

 

[rabidhorseracing]

Welcome!

I love mine, it's a 318 5spd. I think with s family you might be better off looking for a 3rd gen, they are a little roomier in a quad cab. My skinny 5'8" better half hates sitting in the back of my 2nd gen (99) qc.
That being said, I, like yourself, like the 2nd gen look over the other three generations. They are great trucks if you can find one that's been well taken care of. Look for one that hasn't had much if anything done to it mod wise. If you get an auto, remember that dodge trannys are the weak link. Get that sucker built, or do it yourself, before it decides it will be fun to fall out on the road. Don't know about the cps but the o2 sensor is an easy fix, just did mine. It did need some coaxing with the outside of a crescent wrench...

Check out some of the resources on here, there is an endless wealth of info!
Good luck!

Thanks for the info. As far as using the back seating. It will mainly be used for my 2 and 1 year old. Car seats. That's about it. If the Mustang had maybe a foot more room in the back I would stress it so much.
My idle vehicle is a 4 door dually 4x4. But they seem to be around 9k. Kinda hard to get someone to do trading as well.
I'm kinda stuff doing a straight across trade because all my money is in the Mustang. Lol. If this truck has anymore room then the Mustang I'll be more then happy.
I'll look into a 3rd gen tho. Thank you.

 

[dodge dude94]

Having kids, a 3g is going to be your best bet because I've had my truck full of me, my mother, my sister and my niece (whom was in a rear-facing car seat at the time), along with all our stuff for an outing, and it was tight to say the least. lol




Welcome to RF!

 

[KenBerry]

the owner claims it has codes for a 02 sensor and the crank position sensor.
He says the crank sensor cause the truck to require more throttle when taking off? Sounds like a trans issue to me but that is what he said - caused by the crank sensor.
says other then that runs awesome.

A bad crank sensor can cause all sorts of problems including failure to start at all, but I'm not sure that being slow off the line is one of those issues. The good news is that it's not all that difficult to replace. Annoying to reach back there, but not very difficult.

The O2 sensor is an O2 sensor. If it goes bad it can hurt fuel economy and getting the old one out of the pipe usually requires a good bit of brute force.

A very common issue on these trucks is a bad plenum gasket on the underside of the intake manifold. It basically results in a bad vacuum leak along with a lot of oil being pulled into the intake which can reduce performance, mess up the O2 sensor, clog the cat, etc. If you take off the air cleaner and peak through the throttle body into the keg you shouldn't see too much oil in there. If the entire interior is covered in thick oily black gunk then you know it's leaking. Fixing this is just removing the manifold and replacing the gasket. There's a steel plate on the bottom of the keg and replacing that with an aluminum unit (same expansion rate as the rest of the keg) will help keep the gasket from failing so easily.

 

[rammanriley20]

The Crappy trannys are what you have to look out for. but if it has a new trans you should be good to go for the most part. rust is another issue on these trucks but as long as its not on your frame too bad you should be fine. best of luck

 

[rabidhorseracing]

Having kids, a 3g is going to be your best bet because I've had my truck full of me, my mother, my sister and my niece (whom was in a rear-facing car seat at the time), along with all our stuff for an outing, and it was tight to say the least. lol



Welcome to RF!

- Thank you sir

Will your seats go all the way back with the rear facing car seats?
with my Mustang the rear facing car seats wouldn't allow for the seats to slide all the way back. If can pick up just a foot I will be happy. This car is a pain to drive if the seats are not all the way back. I'm 6-1 and the Mustang is small in the first place. Thanks for the info friend.

 

[rabidhorseracing]

A bad crank sensor can cause all sorts of problems including failure to start at all, but I'm not sure that being slow off the line is one of those issues. The good news is that it's not all that difficult to replace. Annoying to reach back there, but not very difficult.

The O2 sensor is an O2 sensor. If it goes bad it can hurt fuel economy and getting the old one out of the pipe usually requires a good bit of brute force.

A very common issue on these trucks is a bad plenum gasket on the underside of the intake manifold. It basically results in a bad vacuum leak along with a lot of oil being pulled into the intake which can reduce performance, mess up the O2 sensor, clog the cat, etc. If you take off the air cleaner and peak through the throttle body into the keg you shouldn't see too much oil in there. If the entire interior is covered in thick oily black gunk then you know it's leaking. Fixing this is just removing the manifold and replacing the gasket. There's a steel plate on the bottom of the keg and replacing that with an aluminum unit (same expansion rate as the rest of the keg) will help keep the gasket from failing so easily.

How peepy are these trucks?
are there any upgrades that can pick up any power cheaply and easily? Like a cai?
What kinda fuel mileage can you get out of these?
not worried no much about fuel mileage - just wanna know in advance.

How much blow by do they put off normally?
Is this any known ticking or engine noise that is common for these engines. Thank for you knowledge sir.

 

[rabidhorseracing]

The Crappy trannys are what you have to look out for. but if it has a new trans you should be good to go for the most part. rust is another issue on these trucks but as long as its not on your frame too bad you should be fine. best of luck

IV Heard That The transmissions suck. Is there any sign that they are dying? Or do they just stop pulling?

 

[ADudeOnSkis]

IV Heard That The transmissions suck. Is there any sign that they are dying? Or do they just stop pulling?

They do suck. At least, the autos do. I've been told the 5 speeds used in the 2nd gen were much better, which worked out great for me because I wanted a stick (I hope this is true, because $$$...) 3rd gen is probably the same, but I think regardless of what generation/year you get, the best way to save yourself some major headache is to either rebuild it when you get it, or get it built/upgraded/bulletproofed/whateveryouwanttocallit before it takes a .

Again, as far as room goes, you will be pretty cramped with a childs seat in the back in a 2nd gen. I was just trying to load some film equipment in my truck (tripod, a few pelican cases and some other odds and ends) and it was like playing tetris. And that was with the seat folded back. I'd say if you need space, go with the 3rd gen.

As far as performance upgrades, the 318 and 360 seem to be pretty buildable. Aside from the standard CAI, exhaust and tuner, a lot of people seem to like cam upgrades, headers and the cheap (free?) throttle body mod. Search on the forum for TB mod and you'll find some good info. I would suggest you make sure that your tranny, plenum gasket and other basics are good before you start building the motor up though.

I'll add this; I LOVE my 99, and she will be our play and work vehicle for as long as she lives, but when the family starts to grow, I will probably be forced into either a late 3rd gen or 4th gen with a bigger cab (my better half keeps saying how much she likes the C***y Avalanche, so who knows...). You may want to look at all cab options for the 2nd and 3rd gens.

 

[leadrofthepak]

First off, Welcome to RF!
Second the 46re is NOT a crap tranny, it just requires more routine maintenance than other transmissions. If it is a new tranny, get the paperwork and warranty info or call ******** on it being a new tranny. The hesitation you experience could be many things, including the tranny. It could also be some of the issues listed by the seller. A bad CPS does NOT typically require more throttle to take off, it usually results is a jumpy throttle through the entire throttle range because it has developed a flat spot. A crapped out O2 sensor CAN cause this problem although it is rare, usually a failed O2 will cause poor fuel air/fuel mixtures which lead to a general junky running condition all around.
As far as dependability goes, keep in mind the 5.2 (318) and 5.9 (360) have been in the Dodge arsenal for decades and are relatively unchanged and bulletproof. Yes if you beat on any motor long enough and hard enough it will fail, but normal mileage, these motors are good for tons ( I have a 98 ram 5.2 with 167K and a 99 Ram 5.9 with 292K, both are 4x4 with original transmissions ).
On to warning signs and common failures on the 2g rams...
If you have the true trac posi, they have a common c-clip explosion = a rebuild. Our dash boards are made of tissue paper. The only fuel filter from factory is a sock on the bottom of the fuel pump INSIDE the tank... pita to change but not a huge deal. If you go with large tires/suspension lift expect to change out from hubs on the 4x4 axles annually. If the truck came from an environment where corrosion is a factor, look for bad grounds, rotten doors - rockers - rear bumper, and weak brake lines. The infinity sound system (factory) can be problematic when the amps on the speakers begin to fail. The intake manifold gasket issue that Ken wrote about is common, causes poor fuel economy and oil consumption.
In my humble opinion the 2nd gen Rams are the best truck buy for the buck in mid 90's - early 2k's trucks. When maintained, they are tough as nails, cheap to buy parts for, and easy to work on.
I will say this, DRIVE anything you plan on purchasing, don't be afraid to put some throttle to it (not saying go wot the whole test drive but...) a slipping tranny gives itself away every time on a good test drive. If your rpms jump up on any upshift, its slipping.
My kids were comfortable getting in and out of the back on my 98 quad cab until they were teenagers.
Upgrades are basic as most of the performance is controlled by the pcm. You can do cold air intake, kegger mod, headers, and exhaust without a tune, if you get into a cam/lifters, heads, etc, expect to put the SCT tuner on it too.
Good luck bro! Keep is in the loop

 

[ADudeOnSkis]

First off, Welcome to RF!
Second the 46re is NOT a crap tranny, it just requires more routine maintenance than other transmissions. If it is a new tranny, get the paperwork and warranty info or call ******** on it being a new tranny.

Very true, they are not crap. Its sucky that they so often fail.
Very good point about the paperwork, too.

 

[Mr.Mopar3182001]

I have owned all the big three when it comes to trucks. Multiple fords actually and I can say this much, I will never own anything other than a dodge. When it comes to power and reliability I say dodge hands down. That being said I have noticed if your buying a second gen ram that has fairly high miles 150,*** or more expect to do front end work. If you don't have to great, but I know I always keep that front end work in mind when looking at a ram. But that's just my opinion.

 

[dodge dude94]

- Thank you sir

Will your seats go all the way back with the rear facing car seats?
with my Mustang the rear facing car seats wouldn't allow for the seats to slide all the way back. If can pick up just a foot I will be happy. This car is a pain to drive if the seats are not all the way back. I'm 6-1 and the Mustang is small in the first place. Thanks for the info friend.

NO, they will not. lol You're just a smidge taller than me and you could be uncomfortable if the baby seat was behind you. lol

First off, Welcome to RF!
Second the 46re is NOT a crap tranny, it just requires more routine maintenance than other transmissions. If it is a new tranny, get the paperwork and warranty info or call ******** on it being a new tranny. The hesitation you experience could be many things, including the tranny. It could also be some of the issues listed by the seller. A bad CPS does NOT typically require more throttle to take off, it usually results is a jumpy throttle through the entire throttle range because it has developed a flat spot. A crapped out O2 sensor CAN cause this problem although it is rare, usually a failed O2 will cause poor fuel air/fuel mixtures which lead to a general junky running condition all around.
As far as dependability goes, keep in mind the 5.2 (318) and 5.9 (360) have been in the Dodge arsenal for decades and are relatively unchanged and bulletproof. Yes if you beat on any motor long enough and hard enough it will fail, but normal mileage, these motors are good for tons ( I have a 98 ram 5.2 with 167K and a 99 Ram 5.9 with 292K, both are 4x4 with original transmissions ).
On to warning signs and common failures on the 2g rams...
If you have the true trac posi, they have a common c-clip explosion = a rebuild. Our dash boards are made of tissue paper. The only fuel filter from factory is a sock on the bottom of the fuel pump INSIDE the tank... pita to change but not a huge deal. If you go with large tires/suspension lift expect to change out from hubs on the 4x4 axles annually. If the truck came from an environment where corrosion is a factor, look for bad grounds, rotten doors - rockers - rear bumper, and weak brake lines. The infinity sound system (factory) can be problematic when the amps on the speakers begin to fail. The intake manifold gasket issue that Ken wrote about is common, causes poor fuel economy and oil consumption.
In my humble opinion the 2nd gen Rams are the best truck buy for the buck in mid 90's - early 2k's trucks. When maintained, they are tough as nails, cheap to buy parts for, and easy to work on.
I will say this, DRIVE anything you plan on purchasing, don't be afraid to put some throttle to it (not saying go wot the whole test drive but...) a slipping tranny gives itself away every time on a good test drive. If your rpms jump up on any upshift, its slipping.
My kids were comfortable getting in and out of the back on my 98 quad cab until they were teenagers.
Upgrades are basic as most of the performance is controlled by the pcm. You can do cold air intake, kegger mod, headers, and exhaust without a tune, if you get into a cam/lifters, heads, etc, expect to put the SCT tuner on it too.
Good luck bro! Keep is in the loop

+1 to this.

 

[rabidhorseracing]

Is this thing really smaller then a 93 Ford F150 quad cab? I had one and had no problem with cat seats.... iv owned Ford my whole life but secretly had a love for dodges bodys. So maybe they had a motor to match.


What the heck is up with these transmission issues. I do every bit of my auto repair and I do a lot for friends and such.. iv had like 7 trans jobs in the last mth.

Idk. I got someone trying to trade me author car as well - it's a 95 Pontiac trans am ls1 that is modded. IV been driving it a few days it a really cool car - new paint - roller rockers - cam - long tube headers. Dyno tuned. Lights the tires doing 50 -60. But of course the trans is dying.
If the truck doesn't work out I think I'll take a run at the trans am. Here is a video of my Mustang I just built03 mustang for sale: 03 mustang for sale - YouTube

Thanks guys. Going to look at the truck today!

 

[ADudeOnSkis]

If you pull the trigger, a lot of people seem to have good luck building up the transmission.

That pony sounds mean man, I bet she screams...

 

[rabidhorseracing]

If you pull the trigger, a lot of people seem to have good luck building up the transmission.

That pony sounds mean man, I bet she screams...

Yea she is not joke. That Lil v6 hasn't been beat yet. I know there are quite a few that can rip me to bits bit for a 6er. She bad plus she gets almost 38mpg. Went on a 200 mile road trip doing 80 and had fuel left over.
I know there's a 98 fire bird formula that runs around here that IV out ran some many times it's not even funny anymore. There is also a 96 mustang vs that I take apart every time we get together....
The mustang just needs paint.
There is just not end room in it for me! Love the car tho.

 

[Mr.Mopar3182001]

I'm confused. You say the mustang doesn't have enough room but the last trans am I was in didn't seem any bigger. Lol. And after own 7 f150's I can say that unfortunately I know quite a bit about them. Lol. And in my opinion I think the 96 and older ext. cab fords had more room in the back seat area. If you're looking fur room do you really need a truck? Why not a durango or even ( hold my fingers in the shape of a cross) bronco. Lol

 

[rabidhorseracing]

I'm confused. You say the mustang doesn't have enough room but the last trans am I was in didn't seem any bigger. Lol. And after own 7 f150's I can say that unfortunately I know quite a bit about them. Lol. And in my opinion I think the 96 and older ext. cab fords had more room in the back seat area. If you're looking fur room do you really need a truck? Why not a durango or even ( hold my fingers in the shape of a cross) bronco. Lol

The trans am kinda takes away from both worlds but gives back as well.
With the seats all the way back in the trans am there is enough room for the car seats. But even with the seats all the way back - I feel there is not as much leg room up front as there is with the mustang.

With the Mustang - seats all the way back there is plenty of room for me to drive but if I add the kids in - I have to slide the seats forward and it's hard to work the shifter and clutch.... maybe that is why the ta feels better - the ta is a auto and the Mustang is a manual!

I need a truck at the end of it all. I do a lot of scraping and hauling - not having a truck has really set me back! 4x4 is a huge plus. I some how always end up in places I should not be with rwd. Lol.
The love the t/a.... breaking lose at 60 does something for the sole! But it does need some work. IV been driving it for a few weeks bc my friend wants my Mustang so bad and he thinks I will talk myself into it If I drive it! I know I can fix up this T/a 95 Ws6 t top and get a truck out of it when it's all done - but I need a truck now! Lol.
I feel necked if I'm in anything but a truck!