2000 Dodge Ram - II

nrd525

What size are the tires?If you are running something like 265x75x16's/31x10.5x15,you will notice a big performance difference if you go to 3.55.
My friend had a 78 D250 with 4.11's and he had some fairly big tires on it,not huge ones like 33" or 34",and he broke a bunch of teeth off the pinion gear,and it ruined the rear.So he went boneyard hunting,and found a Dana 60,3.54,an exact fit for his truck.It only had 12000 on it,and we put it in the next Saturday.On Sunday,he calls me whining about how slow his truck was now.Duhhh.
A few weeks later,I did the only gear install I've ever done.What a mess!We did it right,those 4.11 gears were on it almost 150,000 miles later,when the truck was retired.
Don't do it unless you REALLY need to save 20 whatever bucks a month,you will lose a lot of performance.Personally,I wouldn't do it.even if the rear was FREE.It's not worth the performance hit.

bushnell

Thanks, pretty much confirms some other things I've picked up on these message boards. I'm sorry I didn't get involved with TownHall a long time ago. A lot of experience out there.

comptime

Danzig89 what exhaust did u put on your truck and how does it sound? I would be interested in the info on the chip also.....

danzig89

comptime, I consulted with an exhaust expert in San Diego who told me that any of the free-flowing mufflers, like the Borla or Gibson, would not provide enough back pressure for optimum engine performance. He recommended I go with a Flowmaster. I went with the 50 series which gave me a little better tone as well as improved flow. And for the sound...like I was told by a Flowmaster tech the first time I called the company, he said it's never going to sound like a V8 more like an old straight 8, and he was right. The sound improved a little, but not anything substantial. As far as the chip, when I put bigger tires on there was a noticeable change in the operation of the vehicle. I think it messes with the transmission, most of all the shift points. I was told by Jet that by installing their performance chip it would help offset the power loss from the change in tire size. Since I tow a 25 1/2 ft travel trailer I wanted optimum towing power. It's hard to say if it's made a huge difference or not, but we'll see as time goes by. I will tell you one thing, I wish Dodge would offer a 3.92 rear end option. That, I feel, would be the ideal ratio for all applications, absent those people who want to put tires in excess of 33" on their trucks. I hope this helped.

klm1962

I do not know of a BD compression brake, however I currently work at a large Western Star dealership as a mechanic. I would believe that the Jacobs compression brake would be your best bet. I have rarely seen any problems with them and if there is a problem it is usually the external wiring becoming chaffed and exposing the wire thereby blowing the fuse. On the other side of the coin I have seen the engine brake completely broken in two thus resulting in pieces damaging other items in the head. But when speaking to the driver, he stated that he had just had the overhead ran at another dealership after having an injector replaced. The mechanic probably overtorqued the nuts/bolts thus causing the failure. So I would definitely recommend the Jacobs as I believe they would suit your needs fine. Jacobs makes compression brakes for Detroit Diesel, Cummins Diesel, and Caterpillar diesel heavy duty truck market. Good luck.

djevans

I have a new 2000 2500quad cab s/b 4x4 diesel with auto trans and 3:54 gears and the 265/16 tires. I now have 15,000 miles on this truck and average at least 17mpg every tankfull when running empty. Most all of my driving is a combined city/ highway. Average between 10-13 towing my 26ft travel trailer. Just went to Lake Tahoe over Memorial weekend running empty and 65-75mph average mpg for whole trip was 21mpg.

trambitis

Kevin - thanx for the input. I like the Jacobs reputation. They've been around for some time on the big stuff and do their job quite well. On the other hand, BD was the first to offer an exhaust brake for the smaller trucks,also enjoys a good reputation, and is $200 less than the Jake. So...the coin is still in the air.
Thanx again Trambitis

klm1962

Hehe.....I believe that Detroit, Caterpillar, and Cummins diesel have a good thing going for them when they use the Jacobs (Jake Brake). Any vehicle which tows 80,000 lbs plus of product heavily relies on its exhaust brake to perform well. Like I stated, I do not know of BDs reputation. You state that BD is $200 less ? I always say you get what you pay for. I will stand behind Jacobs any day of the week. Thanks for your reply.

Kevin

richram123

I have a Ram 1500 4x4 club cab with auto tranny and 360 v8 (5.9l) I have the 3.55 gears and avg 13-15 mpg combined city and highway

I would keep the 4:10. I do not think it makes a big difference.

If I had to do it again I would order the 3:92 for more pick up from the get go


Relax and enjoy yhr 4:10's.

Rich

warfish

I have an '01 2500 with 3.54 gears and it looks like I'm going to have to try to find someone who wants to swap rear end with me. The 3.54 and the Cummins don't seem to be a very good match, especially with the 265 tires. Not enough rpms at highway speeds.

ginsu1

I'm buying a new(2000) 1500 Ram, 4x4, quad cab.
But today I figured out that the engine is a 5.2 and not a 5.9.
Is the difference between them really big?
Is it noticeable while driving?
I don't intend to tow anything, I'll use the car to carry my motorcycle only.
What you guys suggest to me?

Thanx, I will pick up the truck this week!

cdean

you will definitely notice the difference, the 5.9 has a lot more low end grunt than the 5.2. You will get 'slightly' better mileage with the 5.2. Highway speeds, you shouldn't see too much difference.

If you are never towing anything, then you probably won't need the 5.9 that much. As long as you've never driven one...

ginsu1

Thank you, I understand what you're saying...
I'm going to the 5.9 !

davids1

Just got my 99 quad 1500 4x4 back from the body shop. Yeah, the body shop. Had to have the hood painted because a rock chipped the paint and it started to rust.

Has anyone out there put a bug/rock deflector on their truck and do you like it. If so, or if not, what brand? I heard rumor that the side deflectors (on the fenders) cause the mirrors to vibrate. My mirrors currently vibrate slightly, which is tolerable, but I don't want it to get worse. I do want to put a deflector on my truck, but I don't want to install a whole new set of aggravations. Thanks for any info.

David

warfish

If you install a bug shield, get a good one. I tried one from Kmart that didn't fit worth a darn. It had a gap on both sides of center that just collected bugs, so I took it back for a refund. I haven't tried any others since I started using rainex to keep the bugs from sticking to the windshield.

davids1

I'm using Rain-x too. I want the deflector more for rocks than bugs. I hear of some that are installed between the grill and hood. I wonder how these work?

warfish

That's how mine was, It didn't fit.

cdubee

My 2000 Ram 2500 Cummins diesel has been leaking oil from almost day 1. The dealer told me it is an overflowing road draft tube. He has drained it several times, which stops the leak for about 2000 miles. Then I start noticing spots again in my driveway and an oil film on the undercarrage. I now have 14,000 miles on the truck and have had absolutely no other problems other that the leak. Anyone have any ideas on what may be causing the leak. Thanks

firemandave

Carl: Have you checked your breather bottle? Moving it may help (the fan might be blowing the oil around). You didn't say how much you're losing - is it a lot? The fan can blow around the breather bottle oil and and leave a film on everything under the hood. I have a little, but not very much. I don't get any spotting on the ground. Is the tube in the bottle?

barbarajo

I bought the Mopar bug shield 3-piece set, and I'm glad I did. You have to drill a few holes in the underside of the plastic grill for the center piece, but they give you a template to use that makes it easy to line up. I was worried about additional vibration and noise, but the fender/side pieces haven't caused my mirrors to vibrate any more than normal. The whole set has definitely reduced the number of chips in my fenders and hood, caused by road debris.

The only thing I haven't been too impressed with is how the side pieces attach. They're screwed in on one end, but only held in on the outer edge by the pressure between the light housing and the side/turn lights, with the help of foam inserts. Each time I wash my truck, I find myself pushing them back into place.

Of course, it does cover up the Ram Emblem on your truck's nose. For some people, that may be enough to avoid it.

meredith

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