where to start?

[hades300zdrivesaram]

So I just bought a 99 ram. It has 127k miles on it and only 4k miles put on it in the last 5 years. The woman I bought it from is the second owner and didn't know anything about the truck other then her husband loved it but hardly ever drive it. Now it starts up and runs ok. But compared to my nissan titan it's kind of lethargic. Now some of that could be caused by the 35"tires And some by the lack of up keep.
So this weekend I plan on changing all the fluids, spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor (if it has one), fuel filter, and an air filter
And clean up the throttle body. Now a few questions

How do I know what size motor I have?
Engine oil, should I use synthetic?
Air filter, is it worth buying a k&n drop in filter?
Plugs and wires, any recommendations

Then comes the bolt ons, what do I start with? Other then a super charger.
Thanks for any help and advice you guys might have

 

[kpd12]

If the 8th digit of your VIN is a y then you have the 5.2 and if it is a z then a 5.9.

I'm gonna refrain from telling you whether to run synthetic or dyno, but will say that my 5.9 has ran synthetic since the day it left the factory floor. I also currently have a K&N drop in and have for more than 100,000 miles.

When choosing plugs our engines prefer copper and a good set of 8mm wires would be a good choice. Also when choosing your cap and rotor be sure to get brass terminals.

Prior to a lot of engine work I'd recommend doing a compression test. I'd also recommend reading this http://www.ramforum.com/f61/plenum_gasket_what_where_what_should_i_do_about_*info*-37635/ it isn't if the plenum will blow, it's when. If it hasn't been replaced this should be on your todo list.

There are many on this forum that have extensive knowledge and will chime in with bolt ons and mods, yet knowing what you are wanting to accomplish would help with the recommendations.

Welcome to the forum and to the world of the 2nd Gen Dodge Ram.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Stegs]

here is my suggestions

for spark plugs id go with autolite 3923 (I think that's the #)
wires, 7mm or 8mm wires

cap for sure get a brass cap, rotor etc....


for oil I highly suggest rotella t-5 synthetic blend. I choose not to run full synthetic, but a lot of people do. I know t-5 rotella made a huge difference in my truck. Get a napa gold oil filter too....(do not go cheap here) get good stuff

for a air filter id suggest a napa gold drop in...k&n are good, but in all honesty not worth the 40-60 dollars IMO...napa gold filter will do just fine and they are cheaper (I think around 12 bucks)


the plenum gasket that was mentioned is a good idea if you hear pinging under throttle and notice slight oil loss. If you don't notice either (pinging will be loud at time, very noticeable) I wouldn't worry about it until then


doing a complete fluid change is good, id suggest doing front and rear diffs while your at it.

Make sure your tires are 35-40 psi all the way around.

if you open your hood and look up underneath it there will be a mini build tag there...it will give you the 411 on your truck. it will say axle, gear ratio, body color and trim...id assume the motor size also,. or the vin will say it too


start with these things that I mentioned, drive it for a while and see how the old girl responses........once you get to bolt ons there is a list of things I can suggest, but start with the basics


Just keep in mind, these 2nd gen trucks were never "power house" trucks

5.2 was rated at 230 hp, the 5.9 was rated and 245.....not that impressive, but they are great motors, hardly any issues ever with them.

IMO...if your looking for power and speed, save up and get a 408 stroker. Skip the bold ons

If your looking for a very dependable truck, that wont let you down...do a good tune up, good plugs and wires, good oil and filters etc....

leave it stock...take care of it and it wont let you down ever!

 

[Merc225hp]

Op you want to make a diff in that truck put a set of stock size tires on it or change the diff gear ratio.

What I use for tune up parts

Bosch copper plugs
Liqui Moly 5-40 oil
Mobil 1 oil filter
MSD 8.5 wires
Mopar cap and rotor (must have brass terminals)
Bosch 02 sensors

Kpd12 has some top advice in his post, comp test first before anything else.

Your first mod is to get a tuner of some flavor, SCT is the most popular. Very high chance you have whats called the death-flash done to your pcm. It is a factory software change that detunes your motor, it was done to help with the leaking plenum gasket.

After that the book is open, headers, dual exhaust, intake manifold, heads, cam, roller rockers.

As for the 408 not unless he has lots of cash to waste. Building the 408 is cheap it's all the other parts needed to make it work right that will cost you hard. I know of more than a few FAILED 408 installs, guys never got them to run right because they did not do the full deal.

 

[dodge dude94]

It's hard to compare a 15 year old truck do a Titan, just not nice. lol But, the difference is that these trucks take a beating and come back for more, quite unlike newer trucks.

You mentioned it has 35s, drop down to 31s and you will see a huge increase in felt power. Besides, that, do as the others have suggested and change the spark plugs, cap/rotor and wires and check the plenum.


For oil, I personally, am running Rotella T6 5W40 full synthetic in my 16 year and 163k mi old engine and I've not had any problems. No, extra leaks, or anything. I'm also running an oversize Wix 51515 oil filter off of an old school Ford 302 with no issue.

For the drop-in filter, I personally wouldn't but the K & N because in most cases you're merely buying the name, I have the comparable Spectre drop-in and it's great.

 

[hades300zdrivesaram]

Thank you for the info guys. My main concern is that it runs right. Before I start adding the bolt ons. I'm really happy to see that these engines are made for the long haul cause I plan on keeping this truck for a long time. I don't expect it to be a race car but I do want to be able to climb over a log or spin the tires trying. And smaller tires aren't really an option with the 7"lift that is on it. Ill look into the plenum issue and Address that soon since I'm a huge believer in preventive maintenance.