I haven't looked at Town Hall in a while but since I'm in the market for a truck I was looking again. I noticed when my computer came up on this topic it did so on a question from July someone asked concerning the title above. I imagine you have already bought, but with the towing you are planning you may want to consider going to a 3/4 ton truck. The Ford crew cab F-150 outfitted with the 5.4 liter engine and transmission it requires from what I can see is just about as expensive as the F-250, in which the 5.4 liter comes standard. I don't know about the Dodge gas 1500's and how they stack up pricewise.
I am currently looking at the possibility of buying a 1 ton truck with a diesel engine. I have considered all three manufacturers, Dodge, Ford, and Chevy.
The Ford 6.0 liter diesel seems to be giving problems--not the engine itself from what I've seen so far, but the electronic controls.
The Chevy Duramax may be fine, but it has aluminum heads, and that concerns me as it seems to me aluminum will expand and contract at a different rate and possibly amount than the cast block, which could cause head gasket problems. I haven't heard of anything definite on them, but I want an engine that will go for the long haul.
The Cummins HO is relatively new, but all I've heard so far is good.
One thing I heard someone say about a Dodge diesel truck a friend owned is the fuel filter stopped him, apparently in the middle of nowhere, he had to call for someone to come get him going, consisting of changing it, and it cost him $800.00. Now I'm sure the majority of that was getting the someone to and from where he was at the hourly mechanic's rate, but that also concerns me.
I also have a friend who has one that is several years old, and when he bought it, having owned diesels before and using them on the farm, I told him to get the manuals on the engine, put a couple of extra fuel filters under his seat, along with the tools he would need to change it in the dark, and learn to do it himself. He got the manual and said it was so confusing even his brother, who works on his own vehicles, told him to take it to the shop to have it done and not try to do it himself.
My question to the HO owners out there is, how hard is the fuel filter to reach and change on them in the 3500 series?
Your question about the fuel filter, bmaige, brought a smile to me face because I just had a similar problem with my 2500 Ram. Rather than just stopping, the truck began loosing power and reached the point where RPMs wouldn't exceed 1400. I suspected a fuel filter problem because the filter hadn't been replaced in over 24,000 miles. Sure enough, after replacing the filter the truck is again running normally.
Also, the horror stories about replacing the filter are bunk in my opinion. It's a simple procedure (in an '01 Ram) of removing the canister cap, pulling out the old filter, dropping in a new one, replacing the O ring, and screwing the cap back on. Priming the fuel system consists of loosening the banjo fitting on the injector pump, momentarily activating the engine starter until a small amount of fuel sprays from the loosened fitting, and then tightening the fitting. That's it!
Incidentally, rather than pay the exorbitant dealer charges for Cummins filters, try Geno's Garage in Cummin, Georgia (800-775-1715). The last time I bought fuel filters from Geno's, they charged $12.95 for the Fleetguard FS19579 fuel filters. Compare that to your friendly dealer's prices and you'll be pleasantly surprised (and probably a little PO'd at your dealer). They will also fax you info. regarding filter replacement.
I apologize if this sounds trite -- it's not intended to be -- but, isn't clogged fuel filters on a diesel like getting sun tanned on a sunny day? Without reservation everyone I've ever known with a diesel truck (or car for that matter) has experienced a shutdown for this at least once, regardless of make or model.
Fuel filters on a diesel are pretty intolerant to protect the injector pump from particles and at least some, probably most, from water in fuel, which can wreck an injector pump. If you always use a busy truck stop to get your fuel you are pretty much assured of fresh diesel, and a lot of their pumps have filters in the lines, which helps, but there is still the need to change the engine fuel filter regularly to avoid an unnecessary shutdown requiring an emergency change. Even with all these precautions it will sometimes happen, though not as frequently as sunburn on a sunny day, and when it does it behooves one to be able to change it oneself--timewise and financially. I know one fellow whose Dodge did that to him and he had to call someone to come change it. Cost him $800.00. I don't know where he was, but if he was in Hades I wouldn't thik it would have cost that much, nor, I suspect, did he.
The thing is, if it was easy enough to change and he had known how to change it himself, had the necessary tools and a spare filter or two under the seat he could have saved himself considerable cash.
Hence, the question of how hard they are to change is insurance. While I change them regularly on my farm tractors and have no problem with that, they are easy to reach, as are the injectors, which have to have the lines to each cracked to pump the air out of them after a change or the engine won't run. If the filter is hard to get to or cracking injector lines was necessary I would probably not buy a particular diesel.
I have a '99 Cummins. The only thing you need to make sure and do is to prime the system after in stalling the fuel filter. Other wise it's pretty easy to do. I didn't prime mine once and took forever to start. Rest of the time I followed the priming instructions and no problem. The problems I've had in the 60K miles is - new fuel gauge (located in fuel tank), engine gaskets ( one was apparently missing from the factory and spewing oil out on the way home from buying the truck), Check engine light twice, once the dealer couldn't find problem and light went out on its own and the second time it was caused by a sensor in the rear end caused the ABS light to come on also and just recently on a trip, the tranny started shifting back and forth on it's own. Dealer re programmed the chip in the electronics and seems ok now. Of all the above, the only charge to me was the sensor in the rear end that cost $225 to replace. The rest was under warranty. The tranny shift problem was at 62K miles but the dealer didn't charge. Must have been a factory recall or I'd been charged. Just thought you all may want to know.
Hey Loncray, do you have any insight on what Dodge did to beef up their tranny's for the new HO models. With all that added Torque I'm sure they did something. do they have the same type of tow/haul trannys as Chevy and Ford? Appreciate your inputs. Jack SC
I assume you are asking about the Diesel HO, has two transmissioons for 2003: An all-new New Venture 6-speed manual and a new 48RE automatic. The 6-speed manual, so I've been told, is basically the same one that GM uses.
The 48RE is based on the long family line of TorqueFlite automatics. I know very little about this transmission, except that the input, primary, and output shafts are much larger in diameter. There are more clutches and the pump is sized for the engine demand of the HO. The torque converter is Chrysler's 40+ year-old full flow design, but contains more stator vanes to handle the torque.
Someone said that they thought the clutch diameters were larger also, but I haven't seen that written anywhere. The through-put torque rating of the 48RE is 870 lbs. ft.
Well, I got mine early, before the 48re auto was ready, so I ended up with the 6-speed (the 5-speed, and the older 47re came with the Standard Output engine - I wanted the High Output machine). I can't speak to the quality of the 6-speed except to say that I've never heard of any problems, and mine's been flawless so far (knocking on...er.... wood laminate). My understanding of the new auto is that it's a beefy tranny, able to handle the big Cummins and then some - but I have no personal experience with it. If anything happens to my current ride, I'd get the automatic with the next one.
Thanks to all who responded. I hope Dodge had the foresight to beef up that tranny. From what I hear, the competitors have a pretty good tranny out now but I have not heard one thing on the Dodge. Hope someone does a three way test on the new trucks sometime soon. Would be nice. Will be hard to get me out of a Dodge since I've had good luck with my '99. Thanks
Read the review Edmunds did on the '03 2500/3500. They have good things to say about it, and they compared it to the Ford and Chevy. I also wish they'd do a full article on it. As to hearing things about the tranny, I look at it this way - people love to complain, and will much more readily tell you all the bad stuff than any of the good stuff. Not hearing anything about the 48re auto tranny is a good thing!
You're right - I don't know what they were comparing the Dodge to, just that they liked the Dodge. Surf the net for the big Dodge, Ford and Chevy sites. As I understand it (being a regular visitor to the Dodge sites and occasional visitor to some of the Ford ones), there's a lot of problems with the Ford 6.0 engine right now - they rolled it out too quick. I've seen nothing to make me think the Cummins in the Dodge isn't bulletproof.
Yes, I'm aware of the Ford 6.0 problems. Lots of law suits over their problems. In fact my buddy has one and is having all kinds of problems with it. He keeps taking it in and they improve it but still having problems. However, It does sound like Ford has developed a heck of an engine and tranny if they can get their problems fixed. I've yet to hear of a Dodge problem on their 2003 and up trucks.
I understand Dodge no longer puts fuel filters on their gas trucks; at least that is what my dealer told me when I inquired as to the replacement intervial on my 03 hemi. My question is why and how are the injectors protected form trash. Anyone have clue?
There are two (2) fuel filters used in the fuel delivery systems on Dodge gasoline models. Both are in the fuel pump module in the fuel tank and are not considered routine maintenance items.
There is a strainer screen that is part of the fuel pump module. This is called the "inlet filter."
A second micron or final filter is an integral part of the fuel pressure regulator, also mounted to the fuel pump module.
Dusty is correct, your dealer is not!! It is not a routine service item, nor is it necessary until you have driveability problems--stemming from fuel pressure or volume. Steve
I got over my lifelong Chrysler-phobia just long enough to buy a new '03 2500 quad cab hemi and immediately, I'm having problems! I have rolled it into the dealer service twice this week, due to a stalling problem. It happens both when idling and accelerating. Initially, I thought I could make it happen when I added additional load, such as turning on the A/C, but it has happened enough without adding any added load that I don't think it matters. I may be stretching, but it seems like driving around town with O/D locked out makes it happen. Fortunately, all stalls have happened when I wasn't doing something critical--- like turning left in front of oncoming traffic! The dealer mechanics can't replicate the problem and it doesn't throw an error code, so they're faxing the factory for a solution. Anyone heard of this problem? Despite feeling a little stung, I really like driving this Hemi. BTW, I have less than 800 miles driven.
Chrysler vehicles are very different from the others. They know when their owner has had a life-long bias against them.
(Just kidding)
I've been lucky enough to get very well connected to a local Dodge technician and my dealer. Since the latest RAM platform has been introduced they have been telling me that the RAM has been the most problem free new vehicle they have seen in a while. Like anything else, there are bound to be a few problems pop up, like the early side mirrors breaking, but all-in-all the RAM has been extremely well put together and reliable.
As to your problem specifiically, the answer I received this morning is "no" that has not been a problem that has been seen here. I don't recall anyone in any of the Dodge forums remarking about this symptom, either.
The problem in this case is it hasn't thrown a code, so this one may not be as easy to find. My first reaction is this could be a loose connection at a electrical connector somewhere. Out last Chevy did exactly the same thing and after 6 months of stalling it was finally traced to a bad Idle Speed Motor.
Remain calm with the service department and let them try to resolve the issue. These are not the easiest types of problems to diagnois.
From day 1 my 2001 4x4 Quad cab turbodiesel has never gotten over 10 MPG. After a couple of thousand miles I complained to the dealer, they said the diesel takes a while to break in, wait for about 6-7 thousand miles. Seven thousand miles passed and I'm at 8-10 MPG. I complained again to the dealer, this time they said that it must be my rear end gear ratio. I now have 19000 miles on the truck and just took it into for problems with the transmission. I again asked the dealer to check the MPG but first asked them to determine what my rear end ratio was ... it's a 3.55. I said if I have a 3.55 rear and the last time they thought that might be my problem I don't think it is now that I know what the ratio is. The only excuse left for the dealer was, "maybe its the way the person drives it"!!
I've read some of the posts regarding mileage and the worst I've seen is 14-16. Any suggestions?? I do have an aluminum cap on the truck which is higher than the cab so I wouldn't doubt if that would affect my MPG. Don't you think the dealer would have suggested that as a potential issue before blaming it on my driving habits.
The transmission problem required changing a govenor, they blamed my mileage on that. Let's see!! Any comments!!
I am looking for any info/fix for '03 air conditioning problems where the driver side vents blow cold air and the passenger side blow warm air!! the dealer is trying to tell me that this is normal!! if there is anyone with info please contact me via email thanks Jerry
Jerry, I know this may sound argumentative, but the terms "cold" and "warm" are subjective.
Manufacturers almost always test the efficiency of the heater and air conditioner by measuring the outlet temperature at the middle outlets. However, the side or lower outlets should be within 5 or 6 degrees of the middle ones. If the deviation is greater, there is something wrong in my opinion.
Assuming a common understanding of "cold" and "warm," the problem could be a partial blockage in the system, or either the blend and/or mode doors are not coming to their correct positions.
If your service manager thinks this is normal, have your him demonstrate this to you on a few other vehicles. I', betting that it's not as "normal" as he thinks.
I'm getting serious about buying a new Ram with the 5.7L Hemi but I've got to admit I'm a little spooked by some of the gas mileage reports. I'd really like to get the 2500 (costs about the same as the 1500 once you add the Hemi), and it's a bunch more truck, so why not? Well, it's also about 800 lbs heavier, which probably means that if 1500 mileage is iffy, it can only be worse in the 2500. Then again, the 2500 with a 3.73 axil should have a mileage advantage over a 1500 with a 3.92. Confused yet? I am! So, let me toss this out--EPA range for the 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 5.7L is 13 city/17 highway (no published ratings on the comparable 2500 series trucks). It would be great to hear from anyone running these rigs post break-in period as to the kind of mileage you are experiencing. City is always gonna be awful. What about sustained highway driving? What are these trucks capable of? Bring it on...and thanks for the help!
I have a Ram 1500 with the Hemi that has about 5,000 miles on it. It is a 2 wheel drive Quad Cab with the 20" wheels and the 3.92 rear end. Given my choice I would have taken the 17" wheels but my choices were limited. All the local dealers stock mostly 4x4s. I do not drive with a heavy foot on the throttle. I experimented with 89 octane (gasahol here in the Mid west) but did not see any performance gain but did see a DECREASE in gas mileage. I have been using only Texaco 87 Octane. I have seen an indicated average MPG right at 19.5 to 20.3 doing a constant 50MPH stuck behind some older gentleman who was in no hurry on a narrow 2 lane country road. Traveling on an interstate with the cruise control set at 67MPG I averaged 17.3 over a 105 mile trip. Driving back an forth to work, about 19 miles, 16 of them on the interstate I see about 15.2MPG. The current tank of gas I am on now has has no interstate miles and is averaging 12.5MPG. Jump on the throttle a few times and you will be getting down into the 11MPG range. A friend of a friend who works construction got a Ram 2500 4x4 with the Hemi and is a heavy footed driver. He reported 5 to 8 MPG, That didn't last long! He traded for a Ford F250 with a Diesel. The Hemi as well as the 4.7l V8 are very sensitive to throttle input. But then I drive a 1999 Chevy Suburban at work with a 350 V8 and it has never seen over 13.5MPG and has gotten into the 9MPG range in the winter. I do drive it a little harder than my personal truck.
I have a 02 quad cab with a 4.7 and automatic. It’s been a good truck very comfortable; cab makes a great mobile office. The problems started a few months ago. Every now and then when the fuel tank is below half, with out any warning the truck just looses power and leaves me putting along the side of the road barely running. The engine is missing and sputtering and if I try to accelerate it dies but, will restart. After a while it starts running normally again. I have had it checked twice by different dealers. The first could not duplicate the problem. They even drained the tank down to near empty. The second looked at it right after one of the episodes. The engine light was still on but they said the computer only said “miss fires on three pistons”. The service rep said the tech could not determine what was causing the problem and I would have to bring it in when it was doing it or start replacing parts till they got the right one. I have keep the tank above half for the last two weeks and the problem has not surfaced. I have looked through the previous posts but, didn’t see anything like this. I would appreciate any information anyone could offer. Thanks!
There's no way you should be getting 8 - 10 mpg with a Cummins diesel Ram. You sure your parking brakes aren't on? I've got an '03 with the HO engine - I've got 4x4, a tall cap, and a lead foot - all of which should drop my mileage a lot - and I'm still getting 16 or so in pure city driving, and 18 - 20 on the highway. Take that sucker back to the dealer and make them fix it!
I just wanted to write in and touch back on this issue. My '96 Ram was stalling as well. It would idle, but give it a quick shot of gas and it would die. I checked every hose and connection I could find and found nothing, but I noticed my battery sounding a little weak upon start up. I went down and picked up a new battery and the problem has disapeared. I also ran some carb cleaner on the fly's of my throttle body, but think that the battery may have been the culprit. Don't know if it affected the electronic ignition having such low voltage or not. Just my two cents worth. Jason
Jason's problem may indeed have been related to the battery.
A while back I heard a similar story from a person who had an intermittent rough idle and an occasional "Check Engine" lamp illumination. No stalling, though. The dealer could not seem to find the problem, even after changing a fair number of parts.
About five months later he went out one day, started the truck, drove about 100 feet and the engine died. He hit the key switch and nothing. The battery was dead. They replaced the battery and since has had no reoccurences of the aforementioned symptoms! He also said that his gas mileage went up slightly.
A good friend of mine bought a '97 RAM (360, 46RE)used about a year ago. It started to randomly not shift into fourth gear and sometimes not shift out of fourth when coming to a stop. It was recording a "shift indicator" fault code. Well, he later replaced the battery after it died, and the transmission since has performed flawlessly.
I am not sure how the battery condition affects the computer systems, but I think there might be a link to some of these one-off weird symptoms.
My apologies for not putting the fix on the board.
It turned out to be a leaking Evaporator. The freon was low due to the leak and was causing "hot spots" on the passenger side vents. It sounded Hookie to me, but after the replacement of the evaporator and a re-charge it has been blowing cold air out of all vents.
Just something of interest to note. There are a few people having this same problem (a temperature difference) on 03/04 Jeep Grand Cherokees. Haven't heard of any fixes yet on their side, but I did post mine over there. Maybe it will help. Steve
I will be pulling a 32 foot camper with a 99, 2500 Dodge cummins with a auto. tran. Someone told me to change the brake fluid from Dot 3 to Dot 5.Is this the right thing to do for this truck. The truck came out with Dot 3. Thanks for any input. I will be pulling it to CO. for Elk hunting in the mountains.
Has anyone had any experience with a 3500, quad cab, 4x4, manual transmission and AC? I am curious as to the mileage this combo will get.
A dealer was queried as to the max recommended towing weight of this vehicle with the hemi and the HO diesel. He said with the hemi it is 10,000 pounds and the diesel 17,000. Anyone have any input on that?
Dusty, The two drivers vents were putting out 55 degree air and the others were 75-80 if I remember correctly. So no, none of them were putting out the air that was in specs. The dealer at first thought it had the dual zone temp (which it doesn't) and then maybe a blend door issue (which I thought) but it turned out to be a leaking evap. Steve
Each vehicle is different, but at 90 degrees F outside temperature the MAXIMUM temperature of the center panel air vents should be 55 F. At 80 ambient the max should be 45 F. At 110 F ambient, the max is 64 F.
My Dakota manual doesn't give specs for the side panel vent temperatures, but my Dodge tech said that up to a 20 degree difference is not unusual. I guess the longer runs and being further away from the evaporator cause enough heating of the air flow to make such a difference. On real hot days the side panel vents on my wife's Avalon are not as cool either.
OK, after taking my truck into the same dealer 3 times for the vent/air temp problems and being told that this is "normal...." I deceided to take it to another dealer and have it looked at... which, within a few hours I received a call and they said they fixed it .. replace mode door and evaporator ect...(which I was told that the first dealer installed improperly, and did fail all system checks when the second dealer ran the test) Now the temp is constanst 42 degress out of all vents!! so if there is anyone with this same problem.... don't let the dealer's tell you there is no fix!! as a conclusion I have reported this dealer to to chrysler with hopes that we will get better service in the future!!!!
Questions for those in the know. 1]How long should the brakes be expected to last? Dealer had me change mine already. 3 weeks ago and now their begining to scream again!!
2] The Serpintine belt. How long should this thing last. Dealer is telling me it needs to be replaced, some cracks in it. They didn't have one so its on order.
I am asking because 1) I know very little about vehicles. 2) Everytime I go into dealer for a oil change it seems to end up cost 600-700 dollars. With all the stuff they want to do. Seems a bit much on a truck thats only a little over a year old.
Brakes lasting has a lot to do with driving habits. I have seen my front brakes go in as little as 13,000 miles and with ceramic pads last as long as 25,000 to 30,000 miles. I just changed the serpentine belt for the first time on my '98 with 85,000 miles. There were no cracks. If your belt is shot in a year it is surely a defective part (warranty).
2003 DODGE RAM REG CAB HEMI 4X4 I am having the same problem.You could not have described it better.I thought at first it might be a valve lifter. It sounds like it's comming from the upper part of the exuast system.Have you taken your truck back to the dealer? If you have what did they say? I would appreciate any one's input about this problem.
I've got an '01 2500 Quad 4X4 with automatic and cummins with 3.55 gears. Currently has over 120k miles and does better than 10mpg even with a trailer on. It's mainly used for towing so I can't say too much about empty mileage, but would guess it's around 16mpg based on the computer. With 8,000# behind it, the mpg is usually around 12mpg.
My '03 3500 HO six-speed with 4.10's gets 10mpg with 12,000#-16,000# behind it. Somethings wrong with your rig.
My Ram 1500 has stalled on me while driving three times. All steering is lost and I am afraid I am going to kill my family or someone else. Dealer has not been helpful. Any suggestions?
Some seem to be pleased with installing a dual exhaust system and a less restrictive air filter. I've heard conflicting reports about actual performance, though.
There is also a diagnostic tool that is commercially advertised that allows one to tailor the spark advance curve and fuel mixtures for increased performance. Sorry, but I cannot tell you the name of it off hand nor the price. They advertise on the Spike channel here in Western New York State.
There are a number of companies that make larger throttlebody assemblies for the 4.7. An acquaintance of mine did his and he was quite pleased with the outcome.
I have read that several people have had the same problem I have been having. Truck has 7000 mile at about 2500 miles or so problem started. Truck stalls occasionally and seems some what under powered. Stalls mainly when making transition from park to drive or rev, to drive. Seems like it is running to rich. I have only been getting about 9.5 mpg wether towing or commuting. Any input would be helpful went to 2 dealers with no help. Love the truck but have to figure out problem it drives me crazy never know when it will stall.
First, Dodge makes all the Ram engines aside from the Cummins Turbodiesel. The 4.7 is not a Mitsubishi product. Second, I don't own a gasser, but if it were a diesel that stalled, I'd be checking the fuel filter first, and making sure I got good fuel. As to the 9.5 mpg, if you're towing with a Hemi you're probably doing about normal. The Hemi pays the price for all that power with awful gas mileage - part of the reason I bought a Cummins diesel - I get 16 mpg even in slow stop-and-go traffic and 20 - 21 on the highway. I did think the Hemi was supposed to do a little better while not towing though - but not much.
I have a 1997 2500 360 with the oil leak intake gasket problem. I am on the second intake gasket and the truck is once again knocking and using a quart of oil every 800 miles after the gasket was replaced aprox. 18K miles ago. The original gasket was replaced at about 68K miles. Is there an after market kit or fix made to eliminate the constant changing of this gasket or is it a hit or miss deal with this gasket?
Comments
Just an observation.
The Ford 6.0 liter diesel seems to be giving problems--not the engine itself from what I've seen so far, but the electronic controls.
The Chevy Duramax may be fine, but it has aluminum heads, and that concerns me as it seems to me aluminum will expand and contract at a different rate and possibly amount than the cast block, which could cause head gasket problems. I haven't heard of anything definite on them, but I want an engine that will go for the long haul.
The Cummins HO is relatively new, but all I've heard so far is good.
One thing I heard someone say about a Dodge diesel truck a friend owned is the fuel filter stopped him, apparently in the middle of nowhere, he had to call for someone to come get him going, consisting of changing it, and it cost him $800.00. Now I'm sure the majority of that was getting the someone to and from where he was at the hourly mechanic's rate, but that also concerns me.
I also have a friend who has one that is several years old, and when he bought it, having owned diesels before and using them on the farm, I told him to get the manuals on the engine, put a couple of extra fuel filters under his seat, along with the tools he would need to change it in the dark, and learn to do it himself. He got the manual and said it was so confusing even his brother, who works on his own vehicles, told him to take it to the shop to have it done and not try to do it himself.
My question to the HO owners out there is, how hard is the fuel filter to reach and change on them in the 3500 series?
Also, the horror stories about replacing the filter are bunk in my opinion. It's a simple procedure (in an '01 Ram) of removing the canister cap, pulling out the old filter, dropping in a new one, replacing the O ring, and screwing the cap back on. Priming the fuel system consists of loosening the banjo fitting on the injector pump, momentarily activating the engine starter until a small amount of fuel sprays from the loosened fitting, and then tightening the fitting. That's it!
Incidentally, rather than pay the exorbitant dealer charges for Cummins filters, try Geno's Garage in Cummin, Georgia (800-775-1715). The last time I bought fuel filters from Geno's, they charged $12.95 for the Fleetguard FS19579 fuel filters. Compare that to your friendly dealer's prices and you'll be pleasantly surprised (and probably a little PO'd at your dealer). They will also fax you info. regarding filter replacement.
Regards,
Dusty
The thing is, if it was easy enough to change and he had known how to change it himself, had the necessary tools and a spare filter or two under the seat he could have saved himself considerable cash.
Hence, the question of how hard they are to change is insurance. While I change them regularly on my farm tractors and have no problem with that, they are easy to reach, as are the injectors, which have to have the lines to each cracked to pump the air out of them after a change or the engine won't run. If the filter is hard to get to or cracking injector lines was necessary I would probably not buy a particular diesel.
Just thought you all may want to know.
Appreciate your inputs.
Jack
SC
The 48RE is based on the long family line of TorqueFlite automatics. I know very little about this transmission, except that the input, primary, and output shafts are much larger in diameter. There are more clutches and the pump is sized for the engine demand of the HO. The torque converter is Chrysler's 40+ year-old full flow design, but contains more stator vanes to handle the torque.
Someone said that they thought the clutch diameters were larger also, but I haven't seen that written anywhere. The through-put torque rating of the 48RE is 870 lbs. ft.
Regards,
Dusty
for '04 it appears that the 48RE will be the standard automatic behind all cummins powered dodge trucks. perhaps a good thing??
Thanks
As to hearing things about the tranny, I look at it this way - people love to complain, and will much more readily tell you all the bad stuff than any of the good stuff. Not hearing anything about the 48re auto tranny is a good thing!
There are two (2) fuel filters used in the fuel delivery systems on Dodge gasoline models. Both are in the fuel pump module in the fuel tank and are not considered routine maintenance items.
There is a strainer screen that is part of the fuel pump module. This is called the "inlet filter."
A second micron or final filter is an integral part of the fuel pressure regulator, also mounted to the fuel pump module.
Best regards,
Dusty
Steve
Bests,
Dusty
(Just kidding)
I've been lucky enough to get very well connected to a local Dodge technician and my dealer. Since the latest RAM platform has been introduced they have been telling me that the RAM has been the most problem free new vehicle they have seen in a while. Like anything else, there are bound to be a few problems pop up, like the early side mirrors breaking, but all-in-all the RAM has been extremely well put together and reliable.
As to your problem specifiically, the answer I received this morning is "no" that has not been a problem that has been seen here. I don't recall anyone in any of the Dodge forums remarking about this symptom, either.
The problem in this case is it hasn't thrown a code, so this one may not be as easy to find. My first reaction is this could be a loose connection at a electrical connector somewhere. Out last Chevy did exactly the same thing and after 6 months of stalling it was finally traced to a bad Idle Speed Motor.
Remain calm with the service department and let them try to resolve the issue. These are not the easiest types of problems to diagnois.
Good luck and keep us posted on the results.
Regards,
Dusty
I've read some of the posts regarding mileage and the worst I've seen is 14-16. Any suggestions?? I do have an aluminum cap on the truck which is higher than the cab so I wouldn't doubt if that would affect my MPG. Don't you think the dealer would have suggested that as a potential issue before blaming it on my driving habits.
The transmission problem required changing a govenor, they blamed my mileage on that. Let's see!! Any comments!!
I am looking for any info/fix for '03 air conditioning problems where the driver side vents blow cold air and the passenger side blow warm air!! the dealer is trying to tell me that this is normal!! if there is anyone with info please contact me via email
thanks
Jerry
Manufacturers almost always test the efficiency of the heater and air conditioner by measuring the outlet temperature at the middle outlets. However, the side or lower outlets should be within 5 or 6 degrees of the middle ones. If the deviation is greater, there is something wrong in my opinion.
Assuming a common understanding of "cold" and "warm," the problem could be a partial blockage in the system, or either the blend and/or mode doors are not coming to their correct positions.
If your service manager thinks this is normal, have your him demonstrate this to you on a few other vehicles. I', betting that it's not as "normal" as he thinks.
Best regards,
Dusty
Rick
The problems started a few months ago. Every now and then when the fuel tank is below half, with out any warning the truck just looses power and leaves me putting along the side of the road barely running. The engine is missing and sputtering and if I try to accelerate it dies but, will restart. After a while it starts running normally again. I have had it checked twice by different dealers. The first could not duplicate the problem. They even drained the tank down to near empty. The second looked at it right after one of the episodes. The engine light was still on but they said the computer only said “miss fires on three pistons”. The service rep said the tech could not determine what was causing the problem and I would have to bring it in when it was doing it or start replacing parts till they got the right one. I have keep the tank above half for the last two weeks and the problem has not surfaced.
I have looked through the previous posts but, didn’t see anything like this. I would appreciate any information anyone could offer. Thanks!
Just my two cents worth.
Jason
A while back I heard a similar story from a person who had an intermittent rough idle and an occasional "Check Engine" lamp illumination. No stalling, though. The dealer could not seem to find the problem, even after changing a fair number of parts.
About five months later he went out one day, started the truck, drove about 100 feet and the engine died. He hit the key switch and nothing. The battery was dead. They replaced the battery and since has had no reoccurences of the aforementioned symptoms! He also said that his gas mileage went up slightly.
A good friend of mine bought a '97 RAM (360, 46RE)used about a year ago. It started to randomly not shift into fourth gear and sometimes not shift out of fourth when coming to a stop. It was recording a "shift indicator" fault code. Well, he later replaced the battery after it died, and the transmission since has performed flawlessly.
I am not sure how the battery condition affects the computer systems, but I think there might be a link to some of these one-off weird symptoms.
Regards,
Dusty
It turned out to be a leaking Evaporator. The freon was low due to the leak and was causing "hot spots" on the passenger side vents. It sounded Hookie to me, but after the replacement of the evaporator and a re-charge it has been blowing cold air out of all vents.
Just something of interest to note. There are a few people having this same problem (a temperature difference) on 03/04 Jeep Grand Cherokees. Haven't heard of any fixes yet on their side, but I did post mine over there. Maybe it will help.
Steve
Bests,
Dusty
A dealer was queried as to the max recommended towing weight of this vehicle with the hemi and the HO diesel. He said with the hemi it is 10,000 pounds and the diesel 17,000. Anyone have any input on that?
The two drivers vents were putting out 55 degree air and the others were 75-80 if I remember correctly. So no, none of them were putting out the air that was in specs.
The dealer at first thought it had the dual zone temp (which it doesn't) and then maybe a blend door issue (which I thought) but it turned out to be a leaking evap.
Steve
My Dakota manual doesn't give specs for the side panel vent temperatures, but my Dodge tech said that up to a 20 degree difference is not unusual. I guess the longer runs and being further away from the evaporator cause enough heating of the air flow to make such a difference. On real hot days the side panel vents on my wife's Avalon are not as cool either.
Glad to hear they found the problem.
Bests,
Dusty
which, within a few hours I received a call and they said they fixed it .. replace mode door and
evaporator ect...(which I was told that the first dealer installed improperly, and did fail all system checks when the second dealer ran the test) Now the temp is constanst 42 degress out of all vents!! so if there is anyone with this same problem.... don't let the dealer's tell you there is no fix!! as a conclusion I have reported this dealer to to chrysler with hopes that we will get better service in the future!!!!
Jerry
Questions for those in the know.
1]How long should the brakes be expected to last?
Dealer had me change mine already. 3 weeks ago and now their begining to scream again!!
2] The Serpintine belt. How long should this thing last. Dealer is telling me it needs to be replaced, some cracks in it. They didn't have one so its on order.
I am asking because
1) I know very little about vehicles.
2) Everytime I go into dealer for a oil change it seems to end up cost 600-700 dollars. With all the stuff they want to do. Seems a bit much on a truck thats only a little over a year old.
Your comments would be much welcomed.
Thanks
Deasun
Thanks John
My '03 3500 HO six-speed with 4.10's gets 10mpg with 12,000#-16,000# behind it. Somethings wrong with your rig.
Do a search, or try looking at back messages in this forum.
Regards,
Dusty
There is also a diagnostic tool that is commercially advertised that allows one to tailor the spark advance curve and fuel mixtures for increased performance. Sorry, but I cannot tell you the name of it off hand nor the price. They advertise on the Spike channel here in Western New York State.
There are a number of companies that make larger throttlebody assemblies for the 4.7. An acquaintance of mine did his and he was quite pleased with the outcome.
Good luck,
Dusty
Second, I don't own a gasser, but if it were a diesel that stalled, I'd be checking the fuel filter first, and making sure I got good fuel. As to the 9.5 mpg, if you're towing with a Hemi you're probably doing about normal. The Hemi pays the price for all that power with awful gas mileage - part of the reason I bought a Cummins diesel - I get 16 mpg even in slow stop-and-go traffic and 20 - 21 on the highway. I did think the Hemi was supposed to do a little better while not towing though - but not much.