Wife and I purchased a 1999 Ram 1500 SLT on impulse for 1600 four days ago.

I LOVE THIS TRUCK.

Long list of small problems, but nothing I feel is insurmountable.
VSS
Brake problem, (ABS and BRAKE lights are on)
A few bad fuses.

Anyone have any advise for second gen specific problems I should keep an eye out for?

 

I def recommend you dig around in the FAQ section, there is some fantastic information over there. Watch out for leaking plenum gaskets, very common among the magnum engines. To check, pull off the air filter housing and look down through the throttle body to see if you have any oil pooling in the intake manifold...sometimes it may be leaking and you won't see it. Symptoms include, but are not limited too: oil pressure gauge in dash dropping to zero, using oil but no leaking oil, lack of power or performance.

Thats really the biggest one, but there are several other small problems that are common as well. I'm sure other will chime in and add on to it...

Welcome to DF!

 

The 2nd gen Ram tends to develop steering wander and death wobble, which can be scary. Usual causes are failed track bars (the stock units are weak at the ball-joint end), excessive sector shaft play in the old-school Saginaw steering boxes, and the usual assortment of worn steering/suspension parts that you'd have seen in any other truck. The factory's alignment specs are too generous, too, and allow for some sloppy alignment work. If you don't have/can't find a meticulous alignment mechanic, you'll have to brow-beat the one you've got to do it right.

There are various ways to upgrade the front end to head off steering wander and death wobble.

The automatic transmissions are not as stout as they could be. The hot ticket is a high-perf build before the original pukes and leaves you pressed for time.

Misfire problems are common; there's a spark plug wire routing TSB that you should be aware of.

There's a condition known here as "wild vents" that can be annoying, though Rams are not anywhere near the first or only vehicles to do it. Just search the forum for "wild vents" if you've got that problem. It's a cheap enough fix, though not always easy because it might mean replacing all of the vacuum lines under the dash.

Another pernicious problem is the "death flash", which is much debated and universally hated. If you've got a sticker on your PCM that reads "Authorized Factory Update" and your truck is incredibly gutless, you've almost certainly got the death flash. The fix is an aftermarket PCM tuner.

Other than those things, I'd suggest a quick read of the relevant Technical Service Bulletins and otherwise, if you've got some automotive repair experience it's just another vehicle with the same old kinds of problems you've seen before.

Welcome to the forum!

 

Fixed so far,
Backup Light (Fuse)
Brake Light (Fuse, Bulb)


TBF (To Be Fixed)
Replace Front Tires
Speed sensor
ABS and Brake light ( No idea whats going on here. )
Remove Window Guard

 

When do we get to see some pics of your new love?

 

I was thinking the same thing earlier today, I'm replacing the front tires tomorrow and will take it through a car wash and show it off then

 

I hit a nail or something this evening and had to park it. Thankfully I have the money to replace the tires in the morning. I also have to hunt down a VSS and haynes repair guide.

 

Hair pullin time!

So after going through all the trucks small issues, I'm at last stuck with a bad part that apparently does not exist. The trip code is calling a bad VSS, which is not a part located on the 1999 1500 4x4 manual. I was told to look at the rear axle, and on the pumpkin there is nothing but a abs sensor.
Would someone kindly please tell me what I'm doing improperly? I've searched, and gone through the Haynes manual a half dozen times. Any assistance would be appreciated.


Autozone sold me this

 

that abs sensor is partially a vss in a way..i think it only reads up to a certain speed if i remember correctly..

 

Its reading from 55 and up. So the abs sensor might be whats throwing the vss code?