The last few months of towing with my 2001 Ram 2500 had been getting progressively more difficult. The operational pattern had fallen into MAKE A RUN, FIX THE TRUCK, MAKE A RUN, FIX THE TRUCK.
It had run reliably through July, but started giving trouble in a big way when the injection pump had to be replaced. The old pump didn't owe me anything, having gone 370k miles since I installed it, but the $2000 replacement still hurt. Then driveshaft vibrations started in, and in quick succession, the MAP sensor started dropping out, the heater fan control lost 3 of its 4 speeds, the heater fan motor started screeching, air control doors in the A/C wouldn't hold position, the cruise control wouldn't hold speed and would randomly disengage, and the Cam Position Sensor started glitching. None of these are difficult or expensive problems to fix, but the increasing number and frequency of them made it clear that age and miles have taken their toll.
I had been thinking about what kind of truck I would get to replace the 2001, and wanted a 3500 single rear wheel, two wheel drive, with an AE-spec G56 6-speed manual transmission. Preferably a crew cab, but standard or extended cab would be OK. I did searches for such a truck on AutoTrader, KBB, and Cars.com. Only about three such trucks came up in nationwide searches. Two-wheel-drive is very rare, and a manual transmission rarer still. The most interesting truck was in Missouri, so I headed out there for a test drive, and it didn't disappoint. The truck seems to have been owned by responsible adults who did not tune the engine or delete the emissions controls, and it has 150k miles on it, which is about par for a 12-year-old. The clutch has been recently replaced, which is a concern on the G56 trans with dual-mass flywheel. The salesman was very accommodating, and let me take an extended test drive. The truck drove straight, was quiet, and everything worked. I decided to take the plunge, and closed the deal. Since I had driven the Camaro out, I put the new truck right to work towing it back on a U-Haul trailer.
Initial impressions are that it is much quieter and smoother riding than my 2001. Fuel mileage doesn't seem to be as good. Towing the Camaro, the 2008 gave me 13-14 mpg at 70 mph on the 700 mile trip back. The 2001 would give 14-16 mpg and 75 mph towing the Camaro on my 2-axle hauler, which is heavier than a U-Haul trailer.
Plans for improvements?
First things first: oil change with a UOA. 2008 is first-gen DPF emissions controls with EGR, so soot loading and fuel dilution are a concern. And the overhead display says it's time for an oil change.
Transmission oil change.
Differential oil change.
Boost and EGT gauges. I have gotten accustomed to driving by the numbers I read on these gauges on my 2001, and felt under-informed driving the 2008 home from Missouri.
And I will NOT tune the engine for more power. The engine can take it. The driveline can't. This I learned expensively on my 2001.
It had run reliably through July, but started giving trouble in a big way when the injection pump had to be replaced. The old pump didn't owe me anything, having gone 370k miles since I installed it, but the $2000 replacement still hurt. Then driveshaft vibrations started in, and in quick succession, the MAP sensor started dropping out, the heater fan control lost 3 of its 4 speeds, the heater fan motor started screeching, air control doors in the A/C wouldn't hold position, the cruise control wouldn't hold speed and would randomly disengage, and the Cam Position Sensor started glitching. None of these are difficult or expensive problems to fix, but the increasing number and frequency of them made it clear that age and miles have taken their toll.
I had been thinking about what kind of truck I would get to replace the 2001, and wanted a 3500 single rear wheel, two wheel drive, with an AE-spec G56 6-speed manual transmission. Preferably a crew cab, but standard or extended cab would be OK. I did searches for such a truck on AutoTrader, KBB, and Cars.com. Only about three such trucks came up in nationwide searches. Two-wheel-drive is very rare, and a manual transmission rarer still. The most interesting truck was in Missouri, so I headed out there for a test drive, and it didn't disappoint. The truck seems to have been owned by responsible adults who did not tune the engine or delete the emissions controls, and it has 150k miles on it, which is about par for a 12-year-old. The clutch has been recently replaced, which is a concern on the G56 trans with dual-mass flywheel. The salesman was very accommodating, and let me take an extended test drive. The truck drove straight, was quiet, and everything worked. I decided to take the plunge, and closed the deal. Since I had driven the Camaro out, I put the new truck right to work towing it back on a U-Haul trailer.
Initial impressions are that it is much quieter and smoother riding than my 2001. Fuel mileage doesn't seem to be as good. Towing the Camaro, the 2008 gave me 13-14 mpg at 70 mph on the 700 mile trip back. The 2001 would give 14-16 mpg and 75 mph towing the Camaro on my 2-axle hauler, which is heavier than a U-Haul trailer.
Plans for improvements?
First things first: oil change with a UOA. 2008 is first-gen DPF emissions controls with EGR, so soot loading and fuel dilution are a concern. And the overhead display says it's time for an oil change.
Transmission oil change.
Differential oil change.
Boost and EGT gauges. I have gotten accustomed to driving by the numbers I read on these gauges on my 2001, and felt under-informed driving the 2008 home from Missouri.
And I will NOT tune the engine for more power. The engine can take it. The driveline can't. This I learned expensively on my 2001.
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