Hey all, I am considering buying a Ram since Jeep Grand Cherokees seem to have all sorts of issues and things that can go wrong. I would get a 94-98, with hopefully not much more than 125k but since I have a daily and it will be a while before I *need* the Ram to be reliable, I want it to be reliable off the bat. So on to my questions

Do the Ram 5.2 or 5.9s, 4x4, have many rear or front differential issues if the truck hasn't been worked hard nor off-roaded

Do the transfer cases need replacement very often

Thanks alot!

Sean

 

t-cases are fine as long as the fluid gets changed once in a while. Do Dodges have diff issues-hmmmm....well the politicaly correct answer is the service dept will be able to give you a phone qoute off the top of their head and will be accurate with part, labor and tax all included. Yeah, we see a few diffs from time to time, I wouldn't consider that a deal breaker though.

 

Your name is confidence inspiring Do you have experience with Jeep Grand Cherokees and if so are the diffs substantially better with the Ram than the Jeep? The way I understand it is alot of Jeep diffs fail often. Is that true?

Are you also saying the Ram diff breakage is few and far between with models?
thanks!
EDIT: Figured out that YOU ARE a Dodge mechanic! lol Is it the rear diffs that break or is it the fronts or a mix of both with both the Ram and the Jeep. Sorry to jack my own thread with Jeep but I figure you would know. Thanks.

 

The Jeeps usually only fail when abused, just like everything else. Jeeps are much lighter than Rams, and have a much lower cargo and trailer rating, so they can get away with lighter axles. For a daily driver, I prefer the Grand Cherokee (have a '98 at the farm, looking at an '04 right now). Great ride, decent mileage, and very capable. For hauling and working, I like my Ram.

The weak point in the Rams is the auto trans. I've got one friend that has 130K on his '97, and it's still fine. Have another friend that puts one in his '99 every 40K (he's on the 3rd one now). Mine died at 78K with immaculate service records. It's a crapshoot if you get an auto.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

Truth is, if it uses oil, or fluid of any type in an 94-00 Dodge Ram it has an issue! Diff., Trans, and the engine is gutless and drinks gas. Other than that they're fine uses of steel.

 

We actually have more problems with the GC diff than the trucks. Don't see many front diff problems at all, Jeep or Truck. The rear pinion bearings and carrier bearings usually wear. Jeeps also like to wear axles. The bearing wear has nothing to do with use, abuse, or service interval. I did my dads at 60K on his Durango, gets abused heavily. He tows 12-15K lbs boats regularly. I built a Jeep last week with 20K on it, never towed a thing, never even been off road.