Potential ram owner!!

[Jayedeegordon]

I currently drive a 2001 ford f150 supercrew 2wd 5.4. And looking to buy a 4x4 I really like the look of the 2nd gen rams if they are done right and have the towing mirrors. Towing mirrors is one of the reasons I want a dodge I have always loved the look of those mirrors flipped out. Anyway was wandering what I need to look for in a 2nd gen such as common problems etc?

 

[dodge dude94]

I don't mean to run you off, but towing mirrors are the reason to want a 2nd gen?

Seriously? Jesus....



Lots of common problems:
Blown plenums
cracked heads
clogging cat (google number one of this list)
notoriously weak transmissions
poor trans cooling
t-cases that like to blow up/cut themselves in half
LSD clutch packs that have little clips that slip out and grenade half the rearend
notoriously crap brakes (half ton)
notoriously crap steering components
death wobble
crap hubs (half ton)

Hmmm what else?
Oh yeah
cracked dashes
multifunction switches that like to attempt to burn trucks down
crappy headlights (honestly a result of the one above)
seemingly random electrical gremlins that show up and disappear
preference for one brand of sensors over another that changes from truck to truck.



I'm sure I'm missing something.

 

[Amunique]

Your making me not want a Dodge Ram right now...

 

[Merc225hp]

DD has the list right.

 

[dodge dude94]

Yep. Seems like quite a list, but when you actually start doing your research it's pretty easy to spend a little bit more money on the replacement parts, and get BETTER than factory parts. Everything on that list is mostly easily fixable or has an alternative.

 

[Amunique]

What is the towing abilities on the 1500 5.9L V8 vs 2500 8.0L V10? I would be looking to pull a car trailer with a Ramcharger 4x4 on it. The truck will also be loaded down with maybe 500 pounds.

How much money would it take to modify a stock Ram with the mentioned engines to make it reliable? I am prepared to drop around $10,000 including the cost of the truck (3-5k).

Most likely stupid question...
Is it possible to put Fox 2.5 coil overs on all four corners with four link suspension conversion front and rear? I know this will reduce towing capacity but I don't know by how much. I may have to add air bags to the truck bed to assist the coil overs? Yup, my Jeep is a Rock Crawler (will be forced to sell) and I would like a beastly truck. However, I will be building a Ramcharger for severe off road use. I don't want to hi-jack this guys thread to much so a simple yes it would work or a hell no your a stupid idiot will suffice for now.

 

[dodge dude94]

A properly tuned V10 should have no problems towing that. A 360 might, but it probably tow it, just a lot slower. The gas mileage difference on the two isn't that different, however, the aftermarket and OEM replacement parts availability of the V10 is MUCH MUCH smaller than that of the 318/360.

As far as the cost of fixing stuff, minus the transmission, the rear axle, and maybe the t-case, most everything is fairly inexpensive if you do it yourself. It's when you have a shop do it is when it gets outrageous. You also can't let stuff go when you know it's going south, you need to fix it as soon as possible. Otherwise that can come back to bite you in the ass.

 

[Amunique]

If I go the route of the 5.9L V8 Magnum the stock form will tow everything okay but a little bit slower. Well let's say I were drop in a cold air intake, exhaust, programmer, and other simple bolt ons. What should I expect as a max towing rate? The truck will also feature 33 - 35" all terrains with 4" lift.

What parts should I just replace? I know you mentioned the plenum, rear axle, and t-case. Example part numbers? Like I said before I don't mind dropping a couple thousand dollars into the truck on day one. When I get back from BMT / AIT I will have a total of $16,000 in hand to cover the truck, relocation anywhere in the US, and first time home owner stuff (furniture, pots and pans, etc...).

 

[dodge dude94]

Ookay....


Don't bother with a CAI, they're useless on these trucks. Get a Spectre drop-in panel filter to replace the stock paper.

As far as exhaust, everything from the cat back isn't bad. For improvement you'd need an offroad y-pipe and highflow cat to make any gains. And don't use a Flowmaster, use something with more REAL flow. SCT tuner will help too, Harland Sharp 1.7 roller rockers will definitely help as well as replacing the plenum.
For towing at 33-35 in tires you're going to need 4.56-4.88 gears.

Now, none if this will really allow you to safely tow large loads, however it will make it easier to pull it.

 

[Merc225hp]

If I go the route of the 5.9L V8 Magnum the stock form will tow everything okay but a little bit slower. Well let's say I were drop in a cold air intake, exhaust, programmer, and other simple bolt ons. What should I expect as a max towing rate? The truck will also feature 33 - 35" all terrains with 4" lift.

What parts should I just replace? I know you mentioned the plenum, rear axle, and t-case. Example part numbers? Like I said before I don't mind dropping a couple thousand dollars into the truck on day one. When I get back from BMT / AIT I will have a total of $16,000 in hand to cover the truck, relocation anywhere in the US, and first time home owner stuff (furniture, pots and pans, etc...).

Getting off topic, need to start your own thread.

 

[Amunique]

Will do Merc225hp!

Back on subject here...

What causes the transmission to fail prematurely? What can the end user do to prevent this failure, if anything?

 

[dodge dude94]

Maintenance and a larger oil cooler.