For years, I counselled anyone who asked about buying an old truck “to haul off the trash and run errands” to buy a small utility trailer if you already have a vehicle with towing capabilities. No taxes, insurance or maintenance on a trailer versus a rarely-driven vehicle sitting in the yard. So when my son-in-law called a few weeks ago inquiring if it made financial sense to put a hitch on their Escape, buy a trailer and sell his old trash/yard/errand truck, I replied “absolutely.”

Well, now I’m not going to practice what I’ve preached. My wife and I have four-door sedans with little towing capability. We need something for Lowe’s/landfill trips/general truck stuff, but she has been against having a third vehicle. After some discussion, she has warmed to the idea of getting a truck. Texted son-in-law last week asking if he sold his truck yet, if not, I’m interested. He called yesterday, said he hasn’t sold it and proceeded to describe its issues. I made an offer and he accepted.

It’s a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Club Cab 2WD with 119k miles. It was purchased three years ago with 116k from local Dodge dealer so it hasn’t racked up many miles in the meantime. He says the power steering pump is bad, and a piece inside the passenger door window mechanism is broken so it doesn’t raise/lower, but is up for now. He has replaced the brake pads/shoes, and I think the tires are good. Clear coat coming off, rear bumper is gone, interior needs cleaning; on the other hand, it has a bedliner and trailer hitch. I haven’t looked at it closely or driven it because I’m at their house for other purposes, so I hope I’m not investing in a money pit.

Besides being 21 years old, any other issues that I need to be aware of? Plan to change fluids/filters, PCV, plugs/wires, drive belt, etc. I can handle most mechanical issues, HVAC or transmission problems go to a shop.

Thank you in advance for your input. Will post pics and more details when I get it home.

Joe Truckster

 

Check out the Be-all, End-all Plenum thread stickied at the top of the Tech forum. That's likely something you will need to address, and it wouldn't hurt to do the timing set while you were in there.

Gonna have to pull the door panel, and have a look around, to see what's up there. Manual, or power windows?

I really haven't had much luck with the parts store power steering pumps..... I went thru three before I got one that actually worked.... and that one still howls. It's annoying, but, I got tired of changing it. (daughters car, not my truck.) Might wanna change out the pressure line as well, it IS 21 years old after all.

Aside from that, just maintenance it to death. If you don't KNOW something has been done, then now is the time to do it. Stick with standard copper spark plugs, these trucks REALLY don't like the rare earth fellers.

Aside from that, drive it, put some miles on it, figger out what its issues are, and if you need some help, post in the tech forum, folks here are happy to help.

Also, you can download the factory service manual for your truck from here. HIGHLY recommend you have it.

 

Thank you for the info, esp pointing out the stickys, I probably would have ignored them otherwise.
I took auto mechanics in high school, things have changed a lot since then: '66 Chevy with points, 2-spd Powerglide automatic, single master cylinder with drums all around, motor mount replacement, etc. These days, changing fluids, filters, belts and brake pads about all i feel qualified to do, so I do them when service monitor says to, and not afraid to use OEM parts if it's better even if it costs more. Replaced a number of plastic "footballs" in '94 Caprice windows, Dodge probably not much different; power windows and carpet so I think it's a SLT.
Wife's daily driver is around-town car for both of us, my DD is road tripper unless we have to be different places at same time. I likely will D-D this Dodge much more than son-in-law did to keep it running properly -- vehicles don't like not being driven.
I'm on a forum for my DD, so I'm comfortable asking for help and likewise giving feedback on my experiences.
Thanks again.

 

Don't forget to check out the brake line running to the back(up around the gas tank), They tend to rust and burst when you go to stop.

 

Upon receiving the VIN, I purchased an AutoCheck report; ownership record reveals it hasn’t strayed far from the selling dealership in a relatively rural part of the state. First owner had it nearly eight years and put 34k miles on it (4300/year), second owner racked up 82k in almost nine years (9300/year), then son-in-law has added a mere 4000 miles over 4-1/2 years.

Picked it up Saturday 3/5. Drove 65 miles thru small town streets, four-lane rural roads, interstate highway then stop and go traffic to home. AC blows full cold or full hot, no in-between. Cruise control didn’t work. Accelerates, shifts, stops and turns as it should, power steering issue not withstanding.

When cleaning son-in-law’s detritus Sunday, the original window sticker was in the (broken) glove compartment and the owner’s manual and various warranty booklets were present. I started checking the various systems; Surprisingly, almost everything worked. All exterior lights: turn signals, four-way flashers, brakes, high/low beams good. Cargo and dome lights work, but reading lamps don’t. Wipers, after I rounded up some new leftovers from Hondas I no longer own, do their variable delay thing and the windshield washer squirts. Power mirrors move as they should but it’s too warm to check heating. Cigarette lighter and 12V outlet charge my phone.

Glove box door broken, section of lower dash that locates the ashtray is broken (tray itself is good), dashboard cover and instrument bezel just hanging on, sunglasses holder latch broken. Headliner cloth must have been sagging as S-I-L ripped all of it off. Driver’s window doesn’t go up, though up now with switch taped over, passenger window fine. Still need to determine what the HVAC issues are.

Battery 2-1/2 years old, son-in-law said he changed the oil and filter and air filter though no clue to when or at what miles. Cheap tires are nearly new. No leaks from engine, transmission or differential. Power steering fluid everywhere, after cleaning the area, the hoses are leaking through the hoses themselves rather than the fittings, so I will replace those first to verify that is the real problem and not the pump. Small plastic line near cruise mechanism broken so that’s likely why it doesn’t function.

First priority will be to replace PS hoses so I can drive it, next will be driver’s window, then tackle the HVAC system. I’m open to suggestions for tips to make the various tasks easier.

Thank you for your assistance.

 

Yeah, the cruise servo hides under the battery, the vacuum line to that is most often a victim of age/heat. The plastic gets brittle, and the line breaks. You can splice it back together with the appropriate sized rubber line.

For the temp issue, your truck uses a little stepper motor under the dash to control the blend (temp) door. There is a plastic coupler between the motor, and the axle for the door, that likes to crack, and you get odd behavior. If you check out HeaterTreater, they have the permanent fix for that issue. (though one of the screws is really fun to get to......)

 

Two questions:

I'm going to remove the old power steering hoses before heading to parts store(s). I generally drive past O'Reilly's, Advance and AutoZone (two miles away) to get to NAPA store (five miles). For hoses, are the aftermarket parts "good enough", or is it worth paying for OEM from Dodge dealer?

Does LMC Truck have reasonably decent quality parts or are they as "good as anyone else"? Looking at dash cover and instrument bezel in particular, maybe headlights, rear bumper if I can't find suitable used one. Question 2b: the lower dash is beat up, glove box door broken along with its attachment points and ashtray holding tabs gone; are lower dash parts available or "good luck with that"?

My wife is hinting at a Maaco paint job.

Thanks for the input.

 

Looked for hose for cruise Monday, Advance had three foot roll packages, NAPA had none. I would rather have a continuous piece than to splice. There are similar size lines under the hood that may need replacing too. I'll check local industrial supply houses before resorting to Amazon.

 

For the P/S hoses, aftermarket is just fine.

 

Lower dash is a junkyard source, they aren't made aftermarket.