Something Every Ram Owner Should Check

[GBCR Hemi]

Hey Guys,
This is one of the reasons I joined the forum...to tell you guys to check something that I learned the hard way. Check the wing nut that holds down your jack under your passenger seat. I don't know if its for every year but in my 2011 the jack has a wing nut that runs through the hole on the part of the jack that's used to jack it up. Long story but I got trapped in small town NE at 10:30 on Thanksgiving night with a flat and the threaded insert that the wing nut is ran into is exposed on the underside of the body and it got rusted shut. Couldn't get the wing nut loose so the jack couldn't come out or the poles used to drop the spare couldn't come out either. I know it's probably a safety thing to have the jack tied down so it doesn't move in a crash but wow that was a pain in the ass to get out. Another example of engineers not designing something practical to use in real life. Eventually my threaded insert broke off the body and I was able to get the poles out and drop my spare and use a jack from a passerby. Just a heads up guys.

 

[audio1der]

That is a great point. I coated mine with grease which I know will attract dust and crap, but it won't rust. What a stupid design- $0.50 worth of metal could have enclosed the bottom of the nut on the underside.

 

[reek]

Thank you! Stinks to be the one that learns these things but thank you for letting the rest of us avoid this problem.

 

[Burla]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[arod412]

Thanks for the heads up man...I will check when the weather gets warmer.


2012 Dodge ram 1500 Quad Cab Big Horn 4x4

*Bilstein 2.8" front
*Bilstein shocks on rear with 1" spacer
*Pioneer AVH 4300DVD head unit
*Polk Audio Dxi350 dash speakers
*Kicker 40CSS654 6 1/2" door speakers (x4)
*fox box 2-12" speakers holder for rear seats
*2-12" alpine subs (swe -1243l
*500 watt alpine mono sub
*LED 3rd tail light smoked
*Spyder LED smokes tail lights

havent even started on the engine..lol

 

[Inside Man]

That is a great point. I coated mine with grease which I know will attract dust and crap, but it won't rust. What a stupid design- $0.50 worth of metal could have enclosed the bottom of the nut on the underside.

I agree, however the dodge sees it as .50 cents per how many Rams are made. That's huge!

 

[bravada94]

ggod to know. thanks.

 

[saintsreturn]

Something to add the PM list. Thank you

 

[Turbo Brian]

i was under my seat last night to pull out the poles for the spare to tighten it up. i got them out but my jack wouldnt come out because the wingnut wouldnt budge. grr. how far down is the wingnut supposed to go down? should it go down all the way to where it makes contact with the jack? mine sticks up and there is a couple inches of gap between the wingnut itself and the jack. felt around under the truck and i think i found the threads sticking out. going to have to crawl under there and spray that down with some pb blaster it looks like.

 

[timmypstyle]

Also in states where you usually see rust, lower your spare tire once a year to keep it moving. Probably do the jack too. Grease it if you would like but moving everything once a year to keep it moving freely.

 

[Copperhead7310]

Good to know!

 

[insanitize]

Had to use my jack last week, luckily I had a pair of channel locks. No way I could have removed the bolt by hand, and damn that thing is long. Used some marine grade grease on it when I put it back, I also didn't tighten it all the way. Next time it should be easier.

 

[GoatRider]

I bought my 13 last February and the jack hasn't been used once.
On the other hand, I carry a four way lug wrench and a 3 ton (iirc) floor jack in my tool box.
So the one under the seat can freeze, run away, turn into a rubber duck, whatever and I'm still equipped to handle a tire change whether on my truck or someone elses.

 

[mrfyram1500]

3rd gen is the same design...I had an '04 and now on my second '08.

 

[HemiPower36]

While we are on the topic of our factory jacks, mine blows. I swear it should have gone with a Fiat 500. It was so small, it cannot effectively jack up my truck. It was fully maxed out and I still needed a few inches. I tried multiple jack points, even ones I knew were bad. I used my owners manual for guidance ( I felt like a little school boy) with no luck. I had to call a tow truck!!!! I was pissed. He looked at the jack and says "wow, these are getting smaller and smaller. This is impossible with your jack."

Anywho, I now have a few blocks of wood I have to lug around under my seat to place under the jack in the event off. Wtf. Truck is great however. Just a really small Prius jack. Wtf.

 

[crazy_luck]

Ran into this issue with a coworker on Monday. His 2008 Explorer had a flat tire. We could not get the wheel off (it was corroded to the brake rotor hub BADLY). We used his jack to lift and lower twice in a couple different attempts to get the wheel freed and on the third lift attempt, the jack broke, in the UP position... Had to use mine to get his out and we still didn't get the wheel off - put the lugs back on and we lowered it again and just before the weight was off the jack, it folded up like a cardboard chair at food critics convention...


Now I have an old, reliable bottle jack mounted under the rear seat, along with a couple of short 4x4 boards.

 

[TxCowboy]

I bought my 13 last February and the jack hasn't been used once.
On the other hand, I carry a four way lug wrench and a 3 ton (iirc) floor jack in my tool box.
So the one under the seat can freeze, run away, turn into a rubber duck, whatever and I'm still equipped to handle a tire change whether on my truck or someone elses.

GoatRider, what are you using to lower the spare tire? I don't think your 4 way lug wrench will do that.

 

[GoatRider]

I just apply firm pressure and rip it from the chassis.
No, I still use the factory extending tool in the vinyl pouch next to the jack for that.

 

[Gardenfan]

Both my 12 and 14 rams were stupid hard to get that wingnut bolt out. After a bit of grease and using it a time or two got it usable.

 

[Loaded]

My 08 broke right off. The 13 got a good dose of grease. I cant believe this is the best Dodge could do.