Dodge Ram: Problems & Solutions

gary8

Thank's for the info, I can't tell you how many times i've heard that ford own's cummin's, and late 05 will have it in their truck's, but since you are so informative, tell me how to get the vibration out of my new Dodge, 70-75 I've had to dealer's for week's many times, I bought the truck of my dream's and turned to a nightmare. any help would be great, thank's.

akangl

Sorry, can't help you there. We own a 1999 Ram 3500 4x4 V10 that is fairly problem free for a 6 year old truck. Sorry you are having so many problems.

dennist

Hi: New here. Dodge 1/2 ton pickup, 2WD, 80K miles. Auto trans has acted fine, but yesterday leaving town engine rev ed up and truck did not accelerate. Shut everything down on side of road, started engine, and managed to slowly drive home. Acted, "sort of OK," but I took it very slowly. Fluid up fine and clean from recent change, smells OK too. Something is/was slipping badly. Is this typical of anything common to Dodge pickup transmissions? Tips? Comments? Don't know where to start of this one and would like some ideas before I have to go to trans shop. Thanks, Dennis

dustyk

Gary,

The vibration that you are experiencing is not in all RAMs, only a small population. Unfortunately, if you want to completely escape the possibility of this happening again on the next truck you buy, you might consider one from GM because the newer "F" series and Superduties are having a similar problem.

There have been some reports that replacing the U-joints have resolved this issue on SOME RAMs. Others are reporting that a combination of tire and rim out-of-roundness as resolved others. There was one report here in Edmunds about a drive shaft being out of balance.

Keep the pressure on your dealer. I suspect that there may be a combination of component quality issues that is affecting some RAMs with the problem. Having a component issue in more than one area compounds the problem and makes it more difficult to troubleshoot.

Good luck,
Dusty

emale

cummins is marketing a 5.6l v8 diesel that could show up in the late '05 or '06 f150...but even that's probably not gonna happen...then again?

kawazar1

I am purchasing a 2002 2500 SLT Larime. Can anyone tell me if these came standard with keyless entry? The dealer the other day lost the original key when I looked at the truck. That key probably had the fob with it too.

crackchecker

take the Vin into the parts counter and have them look up the options on the truck for you. If it has keyless than ask for a new fob too.

marsha7

be the owner of a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab with, I believe, the Hemi engine...while I was originally considering a leftover 2004 F150, it seemed to come in a few thousand higher than the Dodge...Dodge rebate was $5,000.00, plus a discount almost to invoice...I say almost, because we were negotiating on Wed night before Thanksgiving, having looked at a lot of trucks, and they found the one with EVERYTHING I wanted in Memphis, Tennessee (I am in Atlanta)...they took invoice and added $1100.00 for the guy to go drive out and pick it up...I started to balk, but they explained that the discounts are better when it is their stock ordered from Dodge, but the discount is less when they must buy the truck from another dealer...it seemed to make sense, plus the discount I received plus the rebate took $7000.00 off the MSRP...I know we are supposed to start from invoice-up, not MSRP-down, but I still felt I received a decent deal...maybe not the absolute cheapest deal, but a fair deal, and I did not want to be a grinder...so, assuming that the computer sheet actually matches up with the truck, and assuming that the driver does not run off the road, I hope to pick it up on Saturday... my car is a 2004 Crown Vic, and with our Intrepid lease ending in January, it was time to start looking and my wife wanted a pickup...never really intended to buy now, but the dealer made a good point, that the leftover 2004 inventory was getting slimmer by the day, the 2005s were no different except that they were more expensive without the rebate...made sense to me...I just hope the truck has the quality to match the new Ford F150...since she drives about 6000 miles per year, I truly expect this truck to last 10 years or more, since it will barely have 75K miles in a decade...if it falls apart at 30K miles while F150s go on for 100K-plus, I will be disappointed...I also looked for a comparison topic here at Edmunds, Ram 1500 vs F150 or Ram 1500 vs F150 vs Sierra 1500/Silverado 1500 but could not find one...I really would like to see other posters, more knowledgeable than me, make honest comparisons between the trucks, both good traits and bad...wish me luck with my new truck, even though it will probably have 600 miles or more when I pick it up...

Bob

jaypa

Dusty, thanks for the info. I've been researching this problem with my transmission here and several other places including TDR. It turns out the throttle position sensor has been responsible for many transmissions "acting up" as a result of noise in the PCM. It seems the PCM "locks out" or shuts down inputs it thinks are problematic. That causes the transmission to revert to a mode of operation that I would call Jekyll and Hyde. You just never know when it may go wacky.

After many hours of studying my service manual, I set up a voltmeter and tested the operation of the PCM as I drove down the road. It showed me that when the PCM sent the commands, the transmission did exactly as it was told. Unfortunately, I tried to clean the TPS and only managed to make it worse.

After replacing the TPS with a new one, I was disheartened to find the problem not only didn't improve, but got worse. Now, I knew the old TPS was bad, so I remembered reading somewhere about disconnecting the battery to reset the PCM. I disconnected the positive lead from my batteries for about 1 hour and then reconnected. Like magic, all seems well again. My transmission is shifting perfectly without a hint of malfunction. I guess you could say I did a hard reboot on my PCM and it reset all that it had shut down.

I'll keep you posted, and you can bet that regular maintenance on this transmission will be done in the future. At 265k miles, I'm happy to say that I've spent more on fuel than than this truck cost me new. Well... Maybe I'm not happy about the cost of the fuel, but I am really happy with how great a truck my '96 Dodge Cummins diesel has been and continues to be.

marsha7

existed in Memphis...I picked up my truck today, and I am now the proud owner of a Ram 1500 with a Hemi...for a guy who worked on cars and sold auto parts in the 1970s and 1980s, where the phrase "Chrysler Junk" was the watchword of the day, here I am 20 years later, turning in my 2000 Intrepid for a 2004 Ram 1500...who'd a thunk???

jcasper

I am going to get rid of my stock michelins on my ram 2500 4X4. The stock tires are great on the highway but I don't like them on wet pavement and a little bit of mud stops them quick. I don't imagine they do very well in the snow either. I am planning on stepping up in size a little, either a 285/70/17 or a 33X12.5X17. Does anyone have any input on that? What about a specific tire? I drive a lot of highway but do need a good all season tire that will work well in the snow and the occasional hunting trip where I will probably encounter some mud. I am thinking about a BFGoodrich all-terrain or maybe a pro-comp all terrain. It will kind of depend on what else my connection at the tire store can find. They are having a hard time getting in 17" tires since they haven't been on many trucks yet. Thanks for your help.

gary8

I'd find out for sure about the tire size,etc. a friend of mine bought a new chev.duramax. went on a trip, his power and fuel mileage went south with new larger diameter tires had to go back with same diameter, I'm considering different tires and wheels because of vibration, it's still under warranty, but I dont want to be out of my truck 3 week's at a time while they scrath there head's anymore.good luck

lwittorf

go to www.1010tires.com and you can find out the sizes of tires that will match what you have now by using the comparison chart then go to the review and see what users are feeling about just about any tire.

jrosasmc

Since you have excellent knowledge about Dodge pickups I hope you don't mind me asking you for some advice. A friend of mine would like to purchase my neighbor's '95 Ram 2500 2WD Club Cab within a month or so. This is a one-owner truck, V-10, automatic, SLT package, every single option, and has only 27k original miles on it. My neighbor never drove this truck in rain or snow. How is the V-10 in terms of reliability and durability? I have been told it's a great performer for highway cruising.

Also, how about safety ratings? Did that generation of Rams get as good a rating as the current generation did? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

dustyk

Jro,

The V-10 is every bit as solid of an engine as the 360 from which it was derived from. I am not aware of any maladies specific to that engine. In fact, the intake manifold gasket problem that affected earlier magnum 3.9s, 318s and 360s does not seem to be present in the V-10.

I'm not sure about the safety ratings, although I don't think Dodge RAMs stood out in this respect.

Bests,
Dusty

dustyk

Most of you know my opinion of Consumers Reports methods of rating cars and trucks. I wonder now since the latest Consumers Report Auto Buying edition now indicates that the only "full-size" truck with a better rating of reliability than the RAM is the Toyota Tundra, if we'll start to hear some whining from the other side of Egoville.

One thing I do agree with is their rating of depreciation, which shows the RAM as better than Ford and GM variants.

Bests,
Dusty

P.S. Host, my apologies for the subject entry but unlike Dakota there is no "General Topic" category for RAM.

akangl

We've owned 2 V10 Rams, both great trucks. The 2002 Ram 2500 we had from new until 14k miles, never had a problem with it. The 1999 Ram 3500 we have now we bought a year ago with 11k on it and its currently at around 26k, it works hard, doesn't complain and will be with us for many more years. I'd say the V10 is the best gas engine Chrysler came out with.

loncray

Everything I've heard says the Ram V10 is a great engine - the only problem is that it drinks gasoline like a jogger drinks gatorade. Sure does sound cool though!

akangl

*****Everything I've heard says the Ram V10 is a great engine - the only problem is that it drinks gasoline like a jogger drinks gatorade. Sure does sound cool though!*****

Actually its not that bad on gas, our 99 Ram 3500 V10 4x4 dually gets 14 mpg hwy empty and 8-10 mpg hauling a 12,000 lb trailer plus having 4000 lbs in the bed of the truck. Not too shabby if you ask me. We had a 2001 Ram 2500 V8 (5.9L 360) that was much worse on gas and couldn't get out of its own way.

Also to put it in perspective, my V8 Nissan Titan only gets about 16-17 mpg on the hwy empty and 10 mpg towing a travel trailer.

marsha7

age-old question...which bedliner to use???...I have three choices, molded plastic, spray-in Rhino, and a flat plastic mat that just covers the floor...each has its pros and cons...the dealer that sells the molded plastic has a display showing the "disadvantages" of the spray-in Rhino (they remove the paint before spraying so the material will bond to the metal, they say the material will fade in the sun, they say if you haul any dirt/topsoil that cleaning the Spray-in is almost impossible, that the resale value of the truck drops because dealers do not want the spray-in, and, if the spray-in cracks in a collision, you have major problems to repair it)...my fear of the molded plastic is that water will get trapped between the floor and the molding, causing premature rust-out of the bed floor, but the dealer says they now install a liner (kinda like the padding under a carpet) between the molding and the floor to allow water to drain (true or just hype?)...then there is just the mat that goes on the bed floor, protecting only the bedfloor, but easy to remove to clean and supposed to allow water to drain...can anybody give me their long-term experience with each one, and cut thru the hype???...I really was sold on the spray-in until the dealer for the molded plastic showed me his display exhibiting everything that was bad about spray-in, and it did seem convincing, showing things I did not know about Rhino spray linings... thoughts from the group???...thanks...

Bob

sebring95

Bedliners: I guess I've had at least one of each so I'll make some comments.

The molded plastic (currently running one in my '03 Silverado and '01 Ram diesel) are ok. The ridges are quite deep compared to a spray-in and tend to get rocks/wood chips/whatever stuck and nearly impossible to remove. The Ram has a hole cut-out for the gooseneck, and whatever you're hauling gets stuck down under the bedliner. They seem to have held-up fine, but I have no idea what it really looks like underneath. Might be a rusted mess. I like the plastic liner because you can slide stuff in/out real easy, however that's also a negative because then everything slides around and has to be tied off.

My '03 Ram diesel has the spray-in (rhino) and I'm completely satisfied with it. It's sprayed right around my gooseneck so there's nowhere for stuff to get stuck. I've used shovels in the bed hauling decorative stone, mulch, topsoil, etc. and it always cleans up just fine. Is it show-quality clean? No, but it's a work-truck. I DID NOT do the over-the-rail spray-on because I was concerned about fading and such. I put chrome caps over the side rails which makes it easier to slide stuff in/out anyway. So if the bedliner does fade I can't say that I really care. It can't look much worse than how a plastic liner looks after it's beat on for a few years. I like the fact that the spray-on is grippy and things don't slide around. But it's not as easy to slide cargo in/out either.

The rubber mat....I had this in a '95 Tacoma and it was just ok. Obviously no protection for anything but the floor. Worst thing was it would move around on you if you were trying to slide something heavy into the bed. I'm not really a fan of this, although it might be a nice addition to a plastic bedliner since it would keep stuff from sliding around. Roll it up if you wanted to slide-in heavy stuff.

As for resale value, I think the plastic dealer was blowing smoke. I've never met a truck dealer that didn't like to see a spray-in liner. I have a friend that runs a used truck dealership (big, over 100 trucks in inventory) and he says the spray-ins make for an easier sale. Lots of people lift-up the plastic liners and don't like what they see. I've personally never seen one with the mat/padding your guy is talking about.

IMHO, price talks. If you like the plastic features and it's cheap, go for it. I didn't spray my Silverado because for what I use that truck for (very light duty) it's more than adequate and I don't want to spend any $$ on it. It came with the bedliner and I don't plan to keep the truck very long anyway. If you have to buy liner and the plastic is even close to the spray-on then I'd go spray-on without a second thought.

mac24

I've never heard of the paint being removed before spraying in a liner. It's usually scuffed to provide a good surface, not removed.

Retail value definitely does not drop with a spray-in liner.

The spray-in liner can fade if it's a color, and the black can turn grey. The seems to affect Rhino more than Line-X. Both are easy to clean. Just hose them out. They are different products with different finishes, you should check them both out.

The only downside for me, is that a spray-in is more expensive than a drop-in.

loncray

I got my Ram Rhino-lined a few weeks after I got it, and put a cap on it shortly thereafter. The only thing I don't like is that it really is hard to get clean - hosing it out just doesn't get all the dirt out. On the plus side, it helps immensely in keeping cargo from shifting around back there.

crackchecker

I sell auto parts and accessories and will always steer customers towards the local spray in dealer.

drop in's are cheeper but do rust the bed and collect dirt. Also cargo slides.

bed rugs are great if you have a shell and are only going to carry small stuff. Used kinda like the trunk of your car.

Spray in's scuff only the paint for adhersion. I would suggest to go with only the under the lip option and get a cap for the edges.

There are so many different brands out there that would make your head swim. Shop around and make them compete for you! Even the lesser known brands have excellent products. Pick one that has the texture you want and a warrantee that will let you bring it back if it gets scratched bad.

As for resale/trade in's.
The local dealers will pull out and throw away drop in's and bed rugs on trade in's.

jcasper

I have been hearing some talk about a TSB on the new 3rd generation trucks. I believe it is to help people that are not getting good mileage, but I am not sure. Does anyone know what it does and why they are doing it? Has anyone gone to a bigger then stock tire? If so what size? I am looking at a 33X12.50X17 Pro Comp All Terrain. I have a cummins 600 with a 6-speed and 3.73 gears, I don't suspect any major notice in power with just a little bigger tire. Thanks

mac24

Overview:
This bulletin involves erasing and reprogramming the Cummins ECM with new software.

Symptom/Condition:
The following enhancements are included with this software:

Improved Fuel Economy - A new ECM calibration has been developed which should provide customers an average fuel economy improvement of approximately 1 M.P.G.
Reduces white exhaust smoke on cold start at temperatures below 50 deg. F (10 deg. C).
Improves accuracy of the fuel economy calculation in the overhead console display.

Does that help?

jcasper

Yes that helps. Have you had it done. I am currently getting about 18.5 MPG on mostly Highway, Hand calculating. Should I have it done. Thanks

stlbluesrams34

Ford will get a Cummins engine, but it will be many years from now. Cummins maybe be good in the long run, but new Powerstrokes are nearly as good since their parts quality has gone up trememndously. Plus with your tranny savings in the Ford, its a good investment. Technically, Ford does now own a small portion of Cummins...and it's quite interesting how they also own a small portion of their own diesel engine provider...Navistar. (So how binding is that so called contract through 2010?) Also something else to note is Ford's affiliation with International. For you Dodge fans the next generation Cummins is a 5.6 liter planned for 2009.

emale

navistar owns international so they are basically the same company.

and the 5.6l v8 cummins diesel is already being marketed to anyone interested. and i mean anyone. if ford wants to buy it for the f150...then i'll bet cummins will sell it to them! might not make Dodge happy but it could certainly happen...

and the 5.6l v8 diesel is not meant to be a replacement for the I6 cummins diesels. a larger 6 something litre I6 cummins is on the way for heavy duty dodge trucks...maybe even as soon as '06.

KCRam

Ford does not own any portion of Cummins, and hasn't owned Cummins stock in 7 years. They held 5% of Cummins common stock (same that anyone can buy) until 1997 because they used the Cummins heavy duty engines as "standard" in their class 8 trucks. That line was sold to Freightliner and became the Sterling brand, and Ford sold back the stock to Cummins at the same time.

kcram
Host - Wagons

KCRam

and the 5.6l v8 diesel is not meant to be a replacement for the I6 cummins diesels. a larger 6 something litre I6 cummins is on the way for heavy duty dodge trucks...maybe even as soon as '06.

This is the 6.7L Cummins ISB, essentially a stroked version of the current 5.9L. The 6.7 has been in use for some time in agricultural apps, so it will have plenty of "mileage" under its belt before it ever gets under the hood of a Ram. In fact, every change to the Cummins has always had a good 2 years of service in another application before Dodge uses it.

kcram
Host - Wagons

hoffie

My Dodge 2500 01 59000miles, recently started missing..Being in a hurry I took it to the dealer, thing it wa a fuel problem. They said it needed a tuneup..$1014.00 later they informed me it was a broken valve spring on #7...Has anyone else had this problem...P.S. I bought this truck new... Bill

dustyk

Bill, what engine does it have?

Regards,
Dusty

madmick

If you change the tire size then make sure you have the dealer re-calibrate the pinion factor for the truck. This has to be done with the DRB3 by accessing the ABS module to calibrate. This will make sure that the ABS, Trans, & Engine calibrations are correct. I saw other posts that say fuel mileage suffers. Butg, if the computers don't know what size tires are on the truck then they cannot function correctly.

jimmcc

Anyone else think the high beams seem a little weak on the Dodge Ram? I have a 2003, and I personally think the high beams are terrible. I usually just leave the low beams on with the fog lights. I've tried differnt bulbs (Sylvania, Euro, etc), but it must just be the way the light projects or something. Just wondering if anyone else notices this. Thanks

premixman

I have an 041/2 diesel 3500crew cab with only 5500miles.I took my truck to dealer and they replaced driveshaft this helped some. Then I took my truck back to dealer and they replaced rear bearings,ring gear and pinion. NOW MY TRUCK IS LEAKING OIL FROM REAR AXLE. DOES ANY ONE ELSE HAVE THESE PROBLEMS? DEALER HAS NOTIFIED DODGE AND WAS TOLD THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DONT KNOW HOW TO CORRECT.DO I QUALIFY FOR LEMON LAW??

mac24

PLEASE DON'T SHOUT!

 

Where is it leaking from, and did it leak before? If not, it sounds like they did a poor job on the axle work.

 

Also, did the axle work help with the vibration, or was it just the driveshaft replacement that improved things?

 

Finally, the 'lemon laws' vary from state to state, so you'll need to investigate further. However, you should have been given a booklet on the lemon law for your state with your other documents at the time of purchase. The best advice until you take it further, is to fully document everything.

mdeford

My 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 4/4 with a 5.9 engine with 83000 miles has a noise that sounds like a vauum leak duing acceleration and a pinging sound.I have replaced the intake manifold gaskets ,spark plugs,wires,Cap and rotor.I also started to use high test gas but i never had to and it is the same?

blackdodge98

I own a 1998 Short Box Regular Cab 4x4 with the 318 V8 I've had it about a year and I have a few problems I could use some advice on.

 

#1. Hesitation when cold. When I first accelerate right after start I get some hesitation. Its especially bad when its really cold or if the old girl sits a few days.

 

#2. A clicking/grinding noise when I turn. I spoke to the dealer and he said what I suspected that it was the U joint that was making the racket. My question is. Is that a lengthy process to replace on your own? Any special tools required?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

marsha7

1002 miles...I am using midgrade (89 octane) instead of regular (87) as the owner's manual states it will run better on 89, but it also says that premium (92+ octane) is not necessary...I get 18.2 mpg highway, but only about 12 mpg in the city...

mac24

............. and the question is?

 

Your fuel mileage sounds great to me, and anyway, higher octane has no relationship to higher mpg.

jcasper

I have a 2004 ram 2500 4X4 with a cummins 600 and a 6-speed

 

I just took my truck in to have the TSB 18-037-04 done for better fuel mileage and to make the overhead mileage calculator more accurate.

 

While I was there I was just under 15k miles and they told me that I should have them change my fuel filter for $110.00. Needless to say I told him I would be able to take care of it on my own, he then proceeded to tell me that he has seen people have their trucks towed in after trying to change it on their own because they could not get the truck started. I told him that I would take my chances.

 

How often has every one else been changing their fuel filter. I just finished doing it and it only took about ten minutes and the truck started just fine.

 

He also told me that I should have them clean my injectors every 30k miles and that cost about $150.00. I run Stanadyne performance formula with every fill up for the lubrication and have never heard of having injectors on a diesel cleaned.

 

Thanks for your input.

jcasper

When I go and fill up it is usually in the mornings, and I was curious if there is any real reason why you can't leave your rig running when you fill up with diesel. It would be nice to let it continue to warm up as I am pumping fuel. I fill up at the cardlock in town and the big rigs always leave their trucks running.

KCRam

When it's cold, I leave my Ram/Cummins running (of course, I'm in NJ and don't have to get out and pump anyway). I also have a completely mechanical 1996. Be careful with newer vehicles that may fire the Check Engine light for the cap being off... it shouldn't happen with a diesel, but one never knows.

 

kcram

Host - Wagons

fireplug1111

OK GUYS:

  This is my first post on here and I just wanted to see if anyone is having the same problems I am. I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 with the towing package it has a 3.7L engine. When I cruise at about 47 to 50 mph the rpms will drop to about 1400 and then when I give it just a little gas ( not enough to kick it up into overdrive) the truck hesitates real bad. Almost like taking a 5 speed manual transmission and go 25 mph and put it in 5th gear and try and accelerate. I heard from my personal mechanic that this is a torque converter problem. I took it to my dealer twice and then a different dealer again and they both told me to bad that is the way the truck is. They said the engine is way too small for that truck. I find this hard to beleive as it has a towing cap. of 5000 lbs.

   Any help on this?

  Thanks Alan

johnjk

I have spent $$ trying to get the front end/Steering of my 99, 1500, V8, 5.9L truck to align. The dealer wants $3000.00 to replace the gear box, the pitman arm, and steering column. This same dealer replaced my stock 16" tires with 17" tires 6 months ago, and I read on the board that the ABS module has to re-calibrated for larger tires. Now I'm pissed! Shouldn't the dealership have told me this when they sold me the larger size tires?

tpintar

Hi, I just found this web site and have been reading back through the history. I'm about to purchase a new Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 Short Bed. However, I have several questions and can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone, including the dealers I've spoken to. It appears that I have learned more on the internet and keep bringing new information to the sales reps I've spoken with.

 

My usage will be primarily commuting with mainly highway miles. Occassional towing of a small 18' boat. Occassional off road.

 

Here are my questions if anyone can help:

 

1. I'm leaning towards the std 4.7L for the lower price and better fuel mileage. Is the cost savings and mileage enough to get the Hemi? I had a 97 dodge with the 318 and it was significantly underpowered compared to the 98 Z71 I owned afterwards. I'm concerned about the cost of the Hemi and potential fuel costs, but if there are valid reasons for considering it, then I'd like to know.

 

2. Is a limited slip differential recommended, and if so, is a 3.55 or 3.92 rear axle recommended? Do the rear axle and limited slip differential go together?

 

3. Is the new full time 4WD worth the investment, and is it proven, or should I stick with the standard part time 4WD. As I understand it, the new full time 4WD provides 48% of the power to the front tires and 52% to the rear tire. You can still lock it in to 4H or 4L via dash switch if needed. My thougths were that with mainly highway miles, a lot of the newer cars come with AWD, which I was told is the same as full time 4WD, so the better traction and handling seem like a benefit. Maybe not worth the cost, or will sacrifice fuel economy?

 

4. Lastly, I've just read about the vibrations people have been having at highway speeds with some of the new trucks. Are the vibrations limited to the 2500 series, or a particular engine (Cummins or Hemi), and should I put a purchase off until this problem is corrected if its across the board on all new Dodge Rams?

 

Sorry for the long email, but hopefully there are others with experience in these areas or who have the same questions.

 

Ted

iowabigguy

Ted, I currently have a 2003 Ram 1500 Quad Cab. It is a Hemi/5-speed auto. It came with 20" wheels, 3.92 limited slip axle and is 2 wheel drive. I drive the truck very gently 98% of the time. I have right at 20,000 miles and it has averaged 14.2mpg overall. It is currently getting like 12.8 on my last tank in cold weather. The truck has seen the mid 17mpg on interstate travel holding a steady 70mph. Go faster than that and the barn door aerodynamics causes a sharp drop in mpg.

 

Do you need a 4 wheel drive? Probably not! If you feel you need 4 wheel drive the part time system is cheaper and has less electronics to worry about.

 

If you buy the truck with anything but the standard size tires it will require the 3.92 ratio rear end. Limited slip is a good investment anytime in my opinion regardless of 2 of 4 wheel drive.

The 4.7 in a 4 wheel truck would probably feel underpowered but would still work. The mileage savings would probably be 1-3mpg better than the Hemi in any type driving. Probably better if you bought the 4.7 with the 6 speed manual. On the occasional times you pulled a boat the 6 speed would be better to hold it in a lower gear but the auto does have an overdrive lockout button.

 

If mileage is a concern have you considered a Dakota Quad Cab? Before my Ram I had a 2wd 2000 Quad Cab with the 4.7, 5-speed manual and the limited slip 3.55 rear end. On steady interstate driving I got 21 - 22mpg and averaged overall mid 17mpg. Rick

wwhite2

Ted, whatever Dodge you decide to buy you must drive it at all speeds especially highway . Notice carefully for a high frequency vibration in wheel ,floor , seats or image in rearview mirror being distorted . Take a 40 mile ride , around the block isnt sufficent ! If there is a vibration dont buy that truck . They cant fix it yet . I believe it is hit or miss .....each truck

jimhoff

I have a 2004 2500 Dodge Cummins quad cab and I drive long distances with it, pulling my tool trailer. I first noticed the vibrations when I had had the truck for a couple of weeks, it caused me to slip all over the road at about a speed of 65 mph. I took it right back to the dealer but "nothing is wrong that we can see". Since then, the vibrations have happened 20-30 times, and it is so violent, that it knocks the drink out of my drink holder and my wife could even hear it on the cell phone. I have just taken it back again and the dealer had it for 2 days, again "there is nothing that we can see". What advice does anyone have for me? The service manager said they couldn't do anything until they could duplicate what had happened before. I actually asked him, sarcastically, if they wanted me to put my video camera in there? I was flabbergasted when he said that would be a good idea. I have 8 guys who have witnessed this thing happen, they were either with me or following me, but the dealer will not do a thing.