What would you do with your Ram?

[djc86]

Hey everybody,

It's been a while since I've been active on the forum but I thought I would bring my question to this trusted community. I'll try to keep it short and hopefully I'm following the rules....

About six months ago I started having some issues with my 2012 Ram 1500 Sport Quad Cab. 165,000 miles. Constant overheating. Changed thermostat twice, carburetor, fan clutch. Ran great for a couple of months. Then I started getting "Cylinder misfire" codes and took it to my mechanic and thought that was fixed. About a week ago, my truck was running horribly at start and at idle and I decided to bypass my regular mechanic and take it to a local dealership. I got the bad news a couple days after....cam and lifter failed, metal everywhere in my motor. $15k to put in a new engine. I am devastated to say the least.

My question is...what would you do with your beloved ram? It's been paid off for a while, has been a great truck. It's still beautiful inside and out. But I'm obviously not paying $15k at the dealership to put a new engine in. Do I try to find an engine myself and someone to replace it for me? In the past six months, I've already put about $2500-3000 into it so should I walk away from it and try to get something out of it? I know it really comes down to my choice, but curious what other people would do in my situation? And yes, my mechanic has been fired

 

[BOWERSFJ]

I just got rid of my 2012 with 137k on the meter ….. There are 2 choices …. You get rid of it before 150k while it still looks good and retains plenty of value …. Or you keep it, and fix as needed, and run it into the ground, all while having no truck payment


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[BOWERSFJ]

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[Treburkulosis]

That would be a tough one for me. I think with the current market, I would get a lower mile used motor or a rebuild the current motor. I love my ram about as much as you do.

 

[GTyankee]

Right now is a bad time to buy a new or used vehicle

There is a microchip shortage & dealerships have really raised the prices on the vehicles that they have in stock & they really have no clue when they will be getting in new stock.

The used car places know all about what is going on & they raised their prices a hefty amount.

So, either buy a used vehicle from a Private Party

If you can do without a truck for a couple of months, you may wait & see what develops

Or you could buy another used or rebuilt engine from someplace that will give some kind of warranty & find an independent shop that will make the engine swap for you

As mentioned above, having your engine rebuilt is a very good option

glance at this

https://www.carscoops.com/2021/05/chip-shortage-101-why-car-makers-cant-keep-up-with-demand/

If you are fairly close to Tacoma, there is a engine rebuilder called Evergreen, they are the company that supplies rebuilt engines to Auto Parts Stores like O'riellys auto parts & others.
I would check their customer reviews
https://www.evergreenautoandrv.com/rebuilt-engines-federal-way-wa

 

[OC455]

$15k is still cheaper than a new truck, but you pretty much have to rely on the dealer to do it to get any type of warranty.....or you could replace the motor and then trade it in.....

 

[Milspec]

Well I have not performed full end-to-end research on a final OTD cost or a trusted speed shop, but if it were me, I’d find a 392 Hemi and a shop to install. Just a quick glance at the Bay to get a barometer on cost, they look to run between 8k-12k.

Not exactly cheap but I’d you’re gonna shell out new engine money, might as well get something more powerful.

 

[kurek]

Everyone's budget is different, I'm not in the sort of position where I could pay 15k cash but I am in a position where that credit's available to me at a single digit interest rate. Ten years ago though I was in a sort of place where I'd have to dump the truck at a loss then go take out a loan on a new one and cost myself a TON more money in the long run, being broke is expensive in America!

Cars and trucks are hard to get right now and that fact has probably been putting increased amounts of work into the shop bays of professional mechanics as owners of aging vehicles are probably doing the math and deciding to get another year or three out of ol' Rusty.


Since you're asking what I would personally do? I work from home and have groceries in walking distance.. So if it was me I'd probably buy a remanufactured engine and whatever tools I don't already have for doing the swap, maybe a better bluetooth speaker for the garage and get to work. Upgrading to a 392 would be tempting but I have - and I suspect you have - the RFE transmission and that thing's really at its limits behind a 5.7 hemi and I'm not in the mood to swap the whole drivetrain out.

If you don't have secondary transportation and need it, well it's the beginning of summer you could probably buy yourself a little used sports car & go have fun with that before winter comes, AND a reman engine, AND all the tools you'd need for the swap & still be way under $15k

 

[Princeton_Man]

It would be a tough call for me. New motor? rebuild? Maybe a performance boost as well, but then what about the tranny? If you drop $12k-$15k on a motor and the tranny flies apart a few months down the road, are you prepared to spend another $3k or so on a transmission? No insurance company will pay what it's really worth if it's totaled. In fact they total it for a lot less than $15k.

Places like Carmax are paying premium prices for sharp clean trucks. I'd have to consider selling it and finding a new lower mileage Ram.

 

[djc86]

I appreciate everyone’s response. Gave me some things to think about. Hopefully I can make a decision here in the next couple of days

 

[MADDOG]

$15K is ridiculous and I don't expect that you'd have to pay that much to a non-dealer shop in your area. I'd seek some quotes from those other shops.

It's not worth much with the engine issue so you will get more for it if that problem is taken care of.

I'd re-engine it with a reman and then see what the market will say it's worth as a trade or private party sale.

Your other alternative is to re-engine it and keep driving it.

 

[JJEH]

I've been in your shoes and luckily there's several options, unfortunately in the end it always cost money.
The question is just how much.

Have the dealer inquire with Stellantis if they cover some of the cost. I know, it's out of warranty but ask anyway.
I know when I worked for MB we could always ask and sometimes they would cover some of the parts or labor or both.

Think about signing up for a used car warranty after researching them. I don't know if your truck is eligible and the questions they ask but it's worth a shot.

If you need it as daily then perhaps letting the dealer have it and taking a loaner would be the quickest and least worrisome option. But also the most expensive.
At least you'll have some sort of warranty on the engine. But $15K.... come on, what kind of "I don't wanna do it" quote is that?!

Another option is to find a rebuilt engine.... there's plenty of websites to look around. Then find a local shop to swap it.
Should be less expensive than factory dealer but might take longer. You can rent a car in the meantime for you to get around if you need to.

If you have another vehicle I'd park the Ram and take my time thinking about options.

One thing is for sure, if you sell it like this you won't get good money for it.

Perhaps buying a new one and trading this one in is an option for you?!

Again, very frustrating after only 9yrs on the road and 165K miles.... if there's no human error there (maintenance?) then I'd pick up the phone and talk to the dealer. I'd also ask Stellantis myself. There's gotta be something they can do.

 

[co-pilot]

I would check around on the price to have a private shop do exchange for you ....... oh and don't forget the trans has 165,000 mi on it too , so........??

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

I appreciate everyone’s response. Gave me some things to think about. Hopefully I can make a decision here in the next couple of days

Hi, I read this post, there is a member on here that put in a Jasper Engine with great results, click on this link.

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/rule-8-big-daddys-house.149846/

 

[bcbouy]

i got an estimate a month ago for 5k to rebuild the front end on my 2012 slt. so i bought a 2021 power wagon.i'll do the front end soon,it carries my camper and pulls my boat.if i were in your shoes i'd get the reman/rebuilt engine.

 

[Bandit517]

If I were in your shoes with my current Ram, I'd find a local(ish) reputable (more important than local in my opinion) machine shop to rebuild the current engine. Depending on how (if at all) scored the crank and rod bearing journals are, you could get away with a polish and bearing set, new cam and valve train and still be WAAAY ahead of the $15K you were quoted. Especially if you're mechanically inclined and capable of removing and reinstalling the engine yourself.

I had (technically still have but that's another story) an Envoy XUV. That did everything I needed it to do. But it was a jack of all trades, master of none. It got 15 MPG on a good day, it was a 4.2L inline 6 so it was underpowered to tow. But I loved it. After 200K miles it was finally burning some oil. Well it got run pretty ragged for a while without checking the oil, finally ran low enough to score cylinder 1 rod bearing. After doing the same consideration you're in now I ordered a reman long block from rock auto. All said and done with all the fluids and "preventative" items replaced I think I was into it for about $5K.

So in your position I would ask around for a quality machine shop and price rebuilding your current engine, then price a reman long block, and honestly, call local salvage yards. They may have a low mile used motor available.

 

[EdGs]

Ditto on finding a good local shop to replace the engine/trans.

I believe you could do both for a good bit less than the dealer quoted for you. Finding a good, trustworthy shop might take a bit.

Your truck still looks in good shape in your pics.

Hell you could prob do the swap, then sell it for a profit with the way stuff is now. Then you would catch it on the other end finding something else.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[mtwofeathers]

Hey everybody,

It's been a while since I've been active on the forum but I thought I would bring my question to this trusted community. I'll try to keep it short and hopefully I'm following the rules....

About six months ago I started having some issues with my 2012 Ram 1500 Sport Quad Cab. 165,000 miles. Constant overheating. Changed thermostat twice, carburetor, fan clutch. Ran great for a couple of months. Then I started getting "Cylinder misfire" codes and took it to my mechanic and thought that was fixed. About a week ago, my truck was running horribly at start and at idle and I decided to bypass my regular mechanic and take it to a local dealership. I got the bad news a couple days after....cam and lifter failed, metal everywhere in my motor. $15k to put in a new engine. I am devastated to say the least.

My question is...what would you do with your beloved ram? It's been paid off for a while, has been a great truck. It's still beautiful inside and out. But I'm obviously not paying $15k at the dealership to put a new engine in. Do I try to find an engine myself and someone to replace it for me? In the past six months, I've already put about $2500-3000 into it so should I walk away from it and try to get something out of it? I know it really comes down to my choice, but curious what other people would do in my situation? And yes, my mechanic has been fired

View attachment 247582

Yep that happens. I would be more worried about your regular mechanic putting a new carburetor on. I think he owes some money.

But yep time for a new engine for sure.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Changed thermostat twice, carburetor, fan clutch. ]

If they charged you for a carburetor, you've already been screwed at least once.


Now's not the time to be shopping for a new vehicle if you can wait. Putting money into an older vehicle makes more sense then normal at the moment. $18k? I'd kinda be tempted to go for a Mopar Performance crate motor for less money and more oomph. Maybe a 392?

 

[farout75]

You can get a Mopar engine for about 6K, have your local guy install it. That's less that 15K at the dealer. So all in all you might have 8K in it. That is for better than a new one, and it's still below what your truck is worth. Or go looking and looking for a new or used one you want but paying more than its worth.