My "FREE" Dodge Ram 1500

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Sooner than later I'm going to get a "free" truck. I say "free" because it needs a lot of work. Was supposed to be mine yesterday but on the way delivering it to me he backed into his neighbors car with it and now they need to deal with that first.

Anybody that knows me knows that I do not think highly of CJDR products or anything related to them, nor would I ever have seen myself in ownership of one or behind the wheel of one, but I'm not going to turn down a free crew cab truck with a clean title. It's either an 03 or 05, I don't remember. A bit over 200K miles. It's got the 4.7L V8.

Known/suspected issues:

1. It's dirty. First thing I'm going to do even before fixing anything is try to clean it up. Interior is nasty so that's gonna be first, outside looks to be in good condition with no real body damage nor any big dents or scratches - impressive for a 200k mi work truck used for the construction business.

2. Supposedly it has a bad head gasket. That said it's been running and driving like that for months so I'm not sure if that's really true. I'll do a wet/dry compression test and do an oil change and look at the used oil and maybe send it in for analysis. Apparently coolant loss is minimal.

3. Transmission issue, just like every other Dodge. Apparently if you try to drive it first thing when it's cold in the morning it slips but if you wait a few mins it drives fine.

4. Rear differential makes noise at highway speeds. I looked at carcomplaints.com and it seems very common. Couple hundred $ at the junkyard is the easy solution here.

5. Bad heater core. Currently bypassed because the guy bought the heater core and started taking apart the dash then realized he was in over his head and just decided to bypass it for the time being.

Anyway, I know nothing about Dodge Rams, have only owned GM and Ford SUVs, trucks, and cargo vans so this should be interesting. Any thoughts on this thing? I'm going to do most of the work myself over time, which will be an adventure since the most complicated thing I've ever done is valve cover gasket on a GMC Envoy 4.2 (which is not exactly a quick fix, if you're familiar with the job)... a 200k mile Dodge with a bunch of junkyard parts and cheapest possible auto parts store employee discount parts, that will be reliable
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But hey, since it's completely driveable at the moment at the very least I have a back up vehicle because I just sold my ultra-reliable Chevy truck and now my Escape's transmission is acting up, I'll be glad to have a free truck.
 
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Parts should be cheap since your an "auto parts guy" according to your profile. What does your boyfriend think of it?
 
Well, with all that bias it's hard to believe you would take it even for free.

But #2 is commonly that intake manifold gasket thing those engines are famous for. Easily fixed at low cost. Definitely DIY stuff.

#3 is commonly fluid level, as the fluid expands a lot as it heats up. But at 200k miles it could be anything.

#4 is likely meaningless, as we have had trucks make rear end noise from new and run 200-300k miles without incident. Swerve it left to right and listen for changes in tone to identify if you just need bearings. Many times some clean heavier than stock fluid will quiet them down, too.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Well, with all that bias it's hard to believe you would take it even for free.

But #2 is commonly that intake manifold gasket thing those engines are famous for. Easily fixed at low cost. Definitely DIY stuff.

#3 is commonly fluid level, as the fluid expands a lot as it heats up. But at 200k miles it could be anything.

#4 is likely meaningless, as we have had trucks make rear end noise from new and run 200-300k miles without incident. Swerve it left to right and listen for changes in tone to identify if you just need bearings. Many times some clean heavier than stock fluid will quiet them down, too.



Apparently tranny fluid was changed but the filter wasn't. I'm going to drop the pan, change the filter, put in fresh tranny fluid, and some random tranny additive off the aisle at the auto parts store i work at to see if that helps.

And yes, I certainly have bias, but I like to consider myself open-minded, and I'm always down for a project, so why not? Worst case I give up on it, part it out, and sell the four brand new tires that it comes with
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Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Parts should be cheap since your an "auto parts guy" according to your profile. What does your boyfriend think of it?


"crew cab long bed that doesn't seem like something i'd want to drive lol" was his thought. and yes i am definitely going to put the cheapest parts as possible in this thing, since it'll be easy to warranty them if they go bad. if i get it going and it cleans up nice it would be funny to throw a camper shell or tonneu cover on it and try doing uber in it
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Good luck. Seems like a lot of money for a vehicle that tax a POS new and will continue to be a POS even after being fixed up.

Probably be better to scrap it and put the $$ you were going to put into parts into something more reliable.
 
I have had the most fun with vehicles I paid less than a $1000 for. Especially old Cadillacs. Scratches don't bother you, dents- character, clean out the interior once a month. New nice cars are nice but I love have a cheap beater around.
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
I have had the most fun with vehicles I paid less than a $1000 for. Especially old Cadillacs. Scratches don't bother you, dents- character, clean out the interior once a month. New nice cars are nice but I love have a cheap beater around.


For sure! My (pending sold) 240k mile 92 Chevy is the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. My $1000 Escape drives like new (minus weird tranny shifting) at 215K and if I replaced the bashed up door it'll look great too. But oh, a shopping cart rolls into it, no biggie. I don't think I'm ever going to have a brand new vehicle because they simply aren't worth the money and I'd be way to worried about all the little stuff. My BF pays $700/month with payment and insurance for a Ford Fusion... a boring car and the dent in the door is a big problem. My Chevy had a dent in the door, it was personality. I miss my jacked up solid axle 77 Suburban... could drive through over everything and all I had to worry about was putting gas in it... or my 99 Crown Vic where all I ever did with it was put my foot on the floor and leave rubber behind because well it was cheap and had no resale value anyway... cheap vehicles are the best
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: maximus
2005 is too old for uber.
cant be a truck either.


Hehe, for the bay area the requirements are:

Model year 2002 or newer
4-door car or minivan
Good condition with no cosmetic damage
No commercial branding
Pass a vehicle inspection

And I just had a customer at work last week using an early 2000s Tacoma...
But I was more kidding, not worth the gas to do Uber - if anything I should do it in the Escape. Though it would be an interesting experiment.
 
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Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Why not piece it together, and sell it? Around here, even junky pickups seem to be worth $1500 or more as work trucks.


Might just end up doing that and buying something better (Suburban 2500) with the money. We'll see how I like driving it and how much $ I really gotta put into it.
 
For the trany, check the easy thing first. Does it have a full amount of fluid. If it is low top it off and see if it still slips.

If it is not an easy fix like adding fluid, there have been post here on BITOG that Lucas transmission fix is good stuff. You might try it, it probably would not hurt anything and it just might help.
 
Sounds like a money pit with no guarantee it will pass smog inspection in your state when all said and done.
 
My neighbor has a late 90's Ram that won't die. Almost every warning light there is, is lit up, but it starts, runs well, and even pulls a smaller livestock trailer.
 
The fluid drains out of the torque convertor when it sits. This is why it wont go when cold. Put it in neutral for 2-4 seconds before drive or reverse. That pumps fluid into the TC. Supposedly its supposed to pump fluid in park on those trannys but Ive found it works faster in neutral. I have 2 dodge trannys that do this. IIRC there is a check valve that can be replaced to fix this, but 1 truck has 220k on it and ironically I just gave it to my dad for free for a woodhauler. And my other truck doesnt do it unless its sat for 3-4 days. So I have no plans to fix it.


This is assuming the fluid is up to level. BTW there is 2 filters in thoses trannys, 545re.
 
Also, if the person messed around with the heater core, thats the first place Id look for a coolant leak.

There is a recall on the rear pinion nut on those trucks. I dont recall exactly what the deal was, but the pinion loosens slightly and can wreck the pinion bearing, and cause more wear on the pinion gear and ring gear. Dealer replaced mine at 194k. They said the gear teeth looked fine. Which they were incorrect, because it has the classic gear howl. Its been howling for 30-40k miles.

It was my wifes work truck and the howl never bothered her, it wasnt real loud. So I did nothing about it, until I learned of the recall. Was hoping for new gear set, but the dealer probably would have screwed that up anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: Srt20
The fluid drains out of the torque convertor when it sits. This is why it wont go when cold. Put it in neutral for 2-4 seconds before drive or reverse. That pumps fluid into the TC. Supposedly its supposed to pump fluid in park on those trannys but Ive found it works faster in neutral. I have 2 dodge trannys that do this. IIRC there is a check valve that can be replaced to fix this, but 1 truck has 220k on it and ironically I just gave it to my dad for free for a woodhauler. And my other truck doesnt do it unless its sat for 3-4 days. So I have no plans to fix it.


This is assuming the fluid is up to level. BTW there is 2 filters in thoses trannys, 545re.


Good info! Thanks
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I will change both filters first thing! And if I drop the pan to change the filter can I change the check valve, or is it deeper in the tranny?
 
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