Dodge Ram Owner Experiences
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KarenS
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Looking forward to meeting everyone!
KarenS
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Owners Clubs
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And, hey Karen, how about calling this the Mayors Club?
4X4, 1500 SLT SB, 4.7L, Auto, Security pkg, Chrome 17" wheels, sliding rear window, Towing Pkg, 3:55 Limited Slip, Premium Cloth, P265 WOL, Running Boards, Patriot Blue / Navy interior. I have to take it back to the dealer tomorrow, my brake pedal sometimes fades to about 1/2, maybe some air in the line. Other than that I love my truck.
It is Atlantic Blue, has the 5.9L, automatic, towing package, skid plate
package, limited slip differential, 17" alloys with the OWL all terrain tires,
sliding rear window, and fog lights (plus all of the power goodies that come
with the SLT package). I have added remote keyless entry, wheel well liners,
and a 6 disk cd changer. I plan to get the bed LineX'd soon. I have put
about 1000 miles on the truck, am getting about 11.5 city, 16 highway,
and the truck is great!!!
I would like to dress up my truck and have been thinking about chrome or aluminum trim for the wheel wells, I don't know if Mopar has any such accessories for the RAM.
it to the factory radio and make it compatible with the changer controls. The
changer and adapter together cost $281.00 with shipping. I mounted the
changer under the driver's seat, facing the back seat.
The wheel well liners are just the mopar liners for the rear wheel wells. They
are black plastic, and go inside the wheel wells. They provide a more
finished look. You can see them on the mopar site - www.mopar.com
It sounds like what you really want is wheel flares, and you would probably
have to go aftermarket for those, I don't think mopar has any yet...
The power seem adequate but for anyone thinking of 4.7 engine I would suggest shorter gears for the extra oomph! Not a single problem yet. I will soon be adding cold air induction along with headers and free flow cat back. I'll keep you all posted on the improvement.
Purchased my 02 RAM QC 1500 Sport back in May 02. Got a great deal on a demo, heck I was selling them I thought I should get one too. Not in the car business anymore but still loving my RAM. Atlantic Blue Pearl, 17" painted alloys, 3:55 anti spin diff, 4.7L, multispeed auto, slate grey leather, power everything, 7spker infinity sound package. I've got more toys than I've ever had on a vehicle before and absolutely love my Ram. I've experienced and seen alot of what I've read on this website. Fairly low mileage, problems with power door locks, and a whole lot of people who can't say enough about their new Ram. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has made any performance improvements to their Ram and be happy to answer any questions I might be able to answer, I sold a few of them up here in the Dallas area and know a little bit about them.
Regards to all
I like my drop-in, but vehicle vibration is probably rubbing paint off somewhere.
Best of luck,
Dusty
Has anyone used the K&N Performance Air Filters on their Ram 1500? Is it all that it's cracked up to be with increase horsepower and better gas mileage?
Thanks for the reply Chet
I hope you guys and gals with the (even) newer body styles (hydroformed, etc) will have as good results, because that's my NEXT truck purchase! Got my eye on an '04 or '05 quad cam short bed 4x4 w/ the Hemi, of course!
I just have to wait a while... still enjoying my paid-off workhorse (5.9L, SLT Laramie, custom woodgrain interior package, custom tow package). Gonna put a new coat of paint on the old boy and see if I can get another 50K miles or so.
I've never had a vehicle age so gracefully. Very few mechanical problems over the years, and nothing really major nor unexpected (I mean, it DOES have almost 150,000 miles on it!).
Good luck!
Best regards,
Dusty
However, the one issue I have is with the transmission. It's not a problem, per se, but it could indicate one. I noticed a TSB on it, so I'm going to try and check it out at the NHTSA site when I get a chance:
The truck (and my Intrepid, too, BTW) doesn't always want to shift from 2nd to 3rd. If I get the RPMs up to about 4K and let off the accelerator a tiny bit, it'll shift, and then go into OD with no problem.
This doesn't occur under a load (like, towing a boat), nor does it occur if I'm being a lead-foot. The temperature doesn't matter, nor how long I've been running the engine. I figured I'd check through the boards to see if anyone else experienced the same thing, and am doing that now.
But, other than that, I couldn't be happier. I'll be sad when this truck finally bites the dust, but I'll replace it with a newer Ram and keep going...
Todd
An intermittent Throttle Position Sensor will also cause the same symptom.
Beyond that you could have low pump pressure from a clogged filter, a problem with the overdrive solenoid sticking. Beyond that it's a little more serious (overdrive clutches sticking, bleed valve or OD check valve sticking, worn OD clutches).
Best regards,
Dusty
My how times have changed.
Differentials used to go 60,000 without service with no problems.
I figure I can change the differential lube with no problems. I'll leave the transmission to the dealer for service. I figure I can change the 16 spark plugs on the Hemi for closer to $15 to $20.
Has anyone changed the spark plugs on a 1500 series Ram? Are there any pointers you would like to share. Are there any special tools that might make things easier? The back 2 cylinders on the drivers side look like the problem area as the Brake booster seems to intrude into the working space.
I have seen where people have suggested using brake cleaner to clean the inside of the differential housing. Would you just spray clean the housing or everything? I would worry the cleaner might cause problems with the friction material in the limited slip housing. Here again any advice is welcome.
Is the transmission something that a person handy with tools could tackle at home. I know that on the older transmissions the bands were an adjustment item but everything I seem to see on the new transmission suggests no adjustments are made, that the transmission is self adjusting. Does the service just require dropping the pan and replacing a filter?
Thanks, Rick
Todd
Dropping the transmission pan on most auto trannies is more inconvenient than difficult since as soon as the pan is ready to drop you have 4-6 quarts of hot ATF ready to gush out. I usually remove all but one bolt each at three corners. Then lightly pry at the corner without a bolt to relieve the pan away from the transmission case. Once it starts to drip a steady stream I loosen the remaining three bolts to allow the pan to drop more.
Changing the filter on a Chrysler is very easy. There are two Torx screws that hold the filter on. There is a small gasket that must be used with the new filter. On the 545RFE there are two filters.
Once you get the pan off you'll want to clean it up. There is a magnet on the inside of the pan that will have a lot of gray muck (clutch material) and maybe a small quantity of metal bits. I've done this to around 500 transmissions of different types and I've always found metal bits on the magnets or in the pan and they've almost always been healthy transmissions, so don't let the presence of this material excite you. You might find a teaspoon to a tablespoon full depending on the mileage. Much more than that could indicate a problem.
Chryslers do not use a transmission pan gasket from the factory, although most of the non-factory replacement filters come with one. I do not use one since a gasket can eject an opportunity for a leak. I clean the transmission pan and housing flange with carburetor cleaner and apply Mopar black RTV to the pan and allow to set for 6-15 minutes depending on outside temperature.
And of course, your 2003 should only use ATF+4.
Best regards,
Dusty
There seems to be a wide range of owner/driver reports regarding fuel consumption on the Hemi from people I've actually talked to. About half are getting 14-15 MPG fairly steady. I've had several tell me they've broken 17, but a slew of others are in the 10-13 MPG group.
If you drive it like a Hemi I'm not surprised if you see low mileage. The easier you are the better the fuel mileage.
As far as transmission maintenance, your automatic is the 545RFE. On the Dakota the "normal" scheduled service is at 60K for the same transmission. Maybe with the Hemi it's less, but 15K sounds too early.
Good luck,
Dusty
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Does anyone know if DaimlerChrysler has any plans to sell Dodge Ram 1500 with the 2.7 TD engine (and standard transmission, preferrably)? For me, and I suspect many others, who would like a full size truck for light duty around the house and for vacation escapades (and occassional commute), this would be a perfect combination of sufficient power, excellent gas mileage, and comfort of a Dodge Ram truck.
"At present there are no plans to introduce a 2.7 TD engine in the Ram line-up. However, with constantly shifting market trends I would hesitate to discount the possibility of new products on the horizon, specifically designed to suit your needs. Please feel free to check back with us [...]"
Regards, Joe