New owner of a 2020 RAM with 212k…Best preventative maintenance tips?

[sticknrudder]

I am a first time Ram owner. I bought a 2020 Ram 1500 with 212k miles that is nearly perfect. By looking and driving it I would say less than 50k. When I bought it I had a theory that it was towed by an RV because the engine hours said 622 idle and 1008 drive. I have since researched and it sounds like these can randomly reset. Also I don’t know whether these trucks will rack up miles if they are being towed in neutral. If someone has any knowledge in this area I would appreciate any info.

Since I don’t know the actual miles, I guess I will have to assume it really has 212k. I really want to make this truck last a long time. I tend to baby my trucks, keep them in a garage and undercoat them with lanolin to prevent rust. Drive probably 5k-10k a year, occasionally tow. My goal is make this truck last me another 10-20 years if possible. That being said, I do my own maintenance and want to get a jump start on anything preventative to avoid common issues. From my research, I have questions regarding two main issues I see in the forums, lifter tick and exhaust manifold tick. Thankfully I have neither. Is there anything I can do to prevent these two issues??

I’ve heard different theory’s around lifter tick such as replacing the oil pump with a hellcat pump or using expensive oils. Is there any advantage to changing internal engine components before a problem develops? Also what kind of oil should I use in this truck considering it may be very high miles but tick? I wish I knew what previous owner used but it was owned by Emkay fleet management so who knows who was doing the oil changes.

As far as exhaust manifold tick, should I replace bolts with stronger ones before they get rusty and break? Right now my truck is super clean and no rust…but I am in Michigan.

Thanks for any help! Chris

 

[sticknrudder]

Some photos to show how clean this 212k mile rig is. Last 2 photos are after undercoating with lanolin based “Woolwax” a couple weeks ago. Hope to keep this truck rust-free, even up in Michigan!

 

[Wild one]

Some photos to show how clean this 212k mile rig is. Last 2 photos are after undercoating with lanolin based “Woolwax” a couple weeks ago. Hope to keep this truck rust-free, even up in Michigan!

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Nice truck,sure doesn't look like it has 212,000 on it,that's for sure.Get in the habit of washing underneath it at you're local coin-op carwash fairly often in the winter,if you want to keep it looking as good as it does now. Don't let it idle all that much,use a good quality synthetic oil and filter,try not to exceed much more then 5,000 miles between oil changes,when it gets down below about 15f plug it in,as it'll warm up faster,and get the oil flowing all that much quicker,and don't baby it.Wouldn't hurt to look into installing a 100/125 watt oil pan heater on it,they're cheaper to run then a block heater,and keep the oil warm in the winter. Driving a hemi like Grandpa does,is not doing the engine any favours,you don't have to abuse it,but don't be scared to run it up above 3500/4,000 rpm fairly often.

 

[markabby]

damn...that truck is in MINT shape. I can't believe the underbody is that clean! Did they ever drive it?

looks like an excellent buy, i hope you have the best of luck with it.

It would be a sin to drive that in the salt.

 

[EdGs]

That truck looks amazingly clean!

Enjoy her!

 

[Burla]

Research oil since you asked about prevention, in your neck of the woods I might be inclined to find a good 0w30 oil for year round, wanna make at least one interval right when the worst part of winter is expected. Use a large filter too rp 20-820, fram endurance fe2 or fram ultra xg2, all good choices. These filters do not degrade like paper filters, high flow plus filters as good day 365 as they do day 1. If you went with a shelf oil 0w30 you might want to add the correct molybdenum additive, IE lubegard biotech oil soluble moly with esters. Consider dexos as a good standard for oil. The hemi oil the engineers built was a 0w40 with high moly, with that as a guide plus experiences here this is the path I'd take.

There is only one proven with boroscopes fuel treatment, redline si-1 and you want to use the entire bottle with a tankful, the reason why it is the only proven one is because it has a high % PEA and the lower % PEA additives simple don't work, so concentration % pf PEA very important. If you want to keep those rings clean this is a must. Once in a while use Valvoline restore oil. The best time to use fuel treatment is a tank before an oil change.

INSIDE Valvoline's SECRET R&D Laboratory to UNCOVER the TRUTH

Every engine begins building up deposits the moment it starts up for the first time. Deposits in the piston ring grooves can negatively affect the performanc...

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[Burla]

Valvoline Full Synthetic vs. Conventional | 500K Miles Engine Teardown

Our engine lab recently conducted a test comparing #Valvoline Full Synthetic vs. Conventional oils. Can you guess which engine used Valvoline Full Synthetic?...

youtu.be

 

[sticknrudder]

Thanks everyone for the reply’s. Has anyone on this forum used Woolwax? This is my second truck I’ve undercoated with it and if you live in the rust belt Woolwax or Fluid Film is worth its weight in gold.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the oil threads. I plan to use a RP20-820. I’m a little undecided as far as oil. Burla, I read your thread when not to use Redline and I’m wondering whether you think I fall into that category or not? I still don’t know if I believe this truck has 212k or not but that’s what the odometer says and because it’s new to me I have no idea what they were using. I just know it runs perfect now and I want to keep it that way! RL is definitely more than I want to spend but if its going to keep me from expensive repairs I’ll pay for it.

 

[Burla]

Thanks everyone for the reply’s. Has anyone on this forum used Woolwax? This is my second truck I’ve undercoated with it and if you live in the rust belt Woolwax or Fluid Film is worth its weight in gold.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the oil threads. I plan to use a RP20-820. I’m a little undecided as far as oil. Burla, I read your thread when not to use Redline and I’m wondering whether you think I fall into that category or not? I still don’t know if I believe this truck has 212k or not but that’s what the odometer says and because it’s new to me I have no idea what they were using. I just know it runs perfect now and I want to keep it that way! RL is definitely more than I want to spend but if its going to keep me from expensive repairs I’ll pay for it.

yeah there is reason for those who use it as in it will protect that cam, but in your case with no tick and high miles I would pass on redline and keep it in the bank if you ever get lifter tick, then you might take the risk. Easy no take a pass on expensive redline.

 

[markabby]

Thanks everyone for the reply’s. Has anyone on this forum used Woolwax? This is my second truck I’ve undercoated with it and if you live in the rust belt Woolwax or Fluid Film is worth its weight in gold.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the oil threads. I plan to use a RP20-820. I’m a little undecided as far as oil. Burla, I read your thread when not to use Redline and I’m wondering whether you think I fall into that category or not? I still don’t know if I believe this truck has 212k or not but that’s what the odometer says and because it’s new to me I have no idea what they were using. I just know it runs perfect now and I want to keep it that way! RL is definitely more than I want to spend but if its going to keep me from expensive repairs I’ll pay for it.

i believe there are some easy ways to find a previous owner of the truck using the VIN. If possible, i'd call and ask about the mileage...but, start off by saying how much you love/like the truck

 

[Jas34]

Looks like a nice truck. Did you run a Carfax on it before you bought it? That would answer any questions on actual mileage as it would have entries with mileage at each registration renewal. With a little luck, it might have a maintenance history, if that was reported.

On the rust treatment, I used Fluid Film on our vehicles for years with good results, when we lived up north.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

If the mileage is correct, I would absolutely want to know service history, if it could be determined

 

[Docwagon1776]

I think I'd do an oil analysis along with compression / leak down test on this one. 212k miles, who knows if it's the original motor, original instrument cluster, etc. Those would give you a pretty good idea of wear levels before you start putting more money into stretching lifespan vs saving for replacement.

 

[Wild one]

Alot of times you can judge how accurate the shown milege is,by the wear and tear on things like the drivers seat / pedals / steering wheel / carpet etc,and by the looks of what i see on his interior pictures,the truck sure doesn't look like it has 212,000 on it.

 

[Marshall]

A good scan tool would show the mileage would it not?
If that mileage is correct, I would think a commercial hiway truck that spent all its life on good interstates . That is a lot of mileage for that year.

 

[Black1500Ram]

1000 running hours… what was it doing 212mph for those 1000 hours?

Something doesn’t add up here.

It sure does look in great condition

Flat towing behind an RV with an electric odometer doesn’t add mileage to it. (Wil add wear to the vehicle of course).

A good scan tool would show the mileage would it not?
If that mileage is correct, I would think a commercial hiway truck that spent all its life on good interstates . That is a lot of mileage for that year.

 

[Barr2255]

Thanks everyone for the reply’s. Has anyone on this forum used Woolwax? This is my second truck I’ve undercoated with it and if you live in the rust belt Woolwax or Fluid Film is worth its weight in gold.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the oil threads. I plan to use a RP20-820. I’m a little undecided as far as oil. Burla, I read your thread when not to use Redline and I’m wondering whether you think I fall into that category or not? I still don’t know if I believe this truck has 212k or not but that’s what the odometer says and because it’s new to me I have no idea what they were using. I just know it runs perfect now and I want to keep it that way! RL is definitely more than I want to spend but if its going to keep me from expensive repairs I’ll pay for it.

Use what you can afford. Redline isn’t a miracle oil. I just replaced cam and lifters after using redline as “preventative”, only 115k miles, oil changes less than 5k miles, got it with about half that on the clock as a certified pre owned. 2015 ram 1500 laramie with a 5.7 hemi.

If it truly has 212k miles I would just stick to a premium oil and filter. You said it was a fleet vehicle. They don’t do anything special regarding oil and filters.

Basic maintenance I would check plugs, air filter, PCV valve, clean throttle body, air filter ect... Check bushings on sway bars and endlinks. Look for any torn boots on axles ect… I would consider changing trans fluid but would collect a sample first to see how dark it is. If it’s never been changed at that mileage I wouldn’t touch it. Check for any leaks once you put some miles on it since you can tell by the engine bay photo they washed it.

I know the mileage is still in question. One way to tell if it truly has that many miles is to take off a valve cover. Passenger side is very easy. If there’s a decent varnish build up it probably does have that many miles, doesn't matter what oil or OCI’s it’s had, it will have a “tarnish/varnish” with that many miles. ECU’s these days are not easy to trick and most people would run them the other way to show less miles. My bet is it has as many miles as the clock says. I put 2700+ miles on a rental car in a week just last month.

I can’t speak to the idle hours ect.. I agree that’s weird.

Mathematically if you put 2700+ miles on a vehicle per week it would only take 15 weeks a year to rack up the 212k miles on a 2020.

I think you found yourself a great truck that’s proven to be reliable. Congrats and enjoy it! Keep up on maintenance and it might give those 10 years your looking for.

 

[Silver21Ram]

Nice photos.
Surprised that you didn't include one of the odometer. No matter.

1000 running hours… what was it doing 212mph for those 1000 hours?

Something doesn’t add up here.

It sure does look in great condition

Flat towing behind an RV with an electric odometer doesn’t add mileage to it. (Wil add wear to the vehicle of course).

Something definitely doesn't add up here.

Just the fact of 212,000 miles would have pushed me to a much lower mileage vehicle. Just the worry of what can go wrong at this mileage, would prevent my purchase at any price.

 

[ppine]

Looks fine. The question is what is worn out. I would start with examining the suspension, brakes and steering, then the drive train. Change all fluids and filters. Good candidate for additives in the fuel, trans and oil. Flush radiator. Look at the bushings and rubber. Check for leaks.

It would be worth investing some money in maintenance and repairs if you really like the truck. You realize that you signed up for a crap shoot. You might get lucky, but be prepared to replace/rebuild some major items at any time.

I bought a nice Volvo once when I was young. It was in great shape and had been repainted. I fell in love with it and ignored the high mileage. That car cost a lot of money to stay on the road. I would gamble with a diesel before a gas engine.

 

[Dusty]

Judging from the pictures, nothing looks like a 212K vehicle.

If the ignition switch is in the OFF position and the wheels are on the ground, I don't think the PCM can receive a pulse signal from the tone wheels.

It's possible that the cluster has been replaced with a used unit. Reading the PCM should detect any difference in mileage.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 120617 miles.