Greetings and Salutations. I performed a lot of research on trucks and narrowed down the Dodge as a better and more reliable truck than Ford or Chevy. I just purchased a 1997 Ram SLT with the 5.2L engine. It has 111K miles on it with some minor nits - tie rod ends are shot, A/C needs topping off, sliding rear window latch is broken, and the coolant system needs to be flushed. I have read the posts about pulled and cleaning the transmission ball valve(?) and I can perform that. The fluid looks clean and bright, while the transmission shifts fine. I am amazed that while driving around town, with overdrive off, that this truck barely pulls 1,000 RPM. Here are some pictures of my truck:
http://www.icnet.net/users/partsbin/Dodge/Dodge1.jpg
http://www.icnet.net/users/partsbin/Dodge/Dodge2.jpg
http://www.icnet.net/users/partsbin/Dodge/Dodge3.jpg
http://www.icnet.net/users/partsbin/Dodge/Dodge4.jpg
http://www.icnet.net/users/partsbin/Dodge/Dodge5.jpg
http://www.icnet.net/users/partsbin/Dodge/Dodge6.jpg

Anyway, one item that irks me is the hood. It flops ever so slightly when closed. I take it that the stops needs to be adjusted outward to make a nice, tight fit? Are there any other items I should be aware of other than what I pointed out?

 

OK, I am bumping this up because I didn't see where the problem was with the pictures I posted.

Now, who knows what is required to remove the upper and lower ball joints? Are they pressed in, or is a special tool required to remove the uppers? My dad, who lives 800 miles away, made the tool to remove the uppers from his Diplomat. He'll let me use his tool if the ones on the Ram are installed in the same fashion.

 

I had the same problem with the hood my 2000. I just raised the bump stops (they were too tight for a screwdriver so I took the rubbers off and used vise-grips), and the lower latch that attaches in front of the radiator had come loose. I lowered it as far as it would go and tightened it up, and no more floppy hood.

 

I certainly do not wish to pop your bubble, but I would certainly disagree with the 94-01 dodges being more reliable than a ford of chevy of similar model year. To date I have been very disappointed with all the issues and reoccuring problems I have found on these and other forums with the 1500 series trucks. It appears that they can function pretty well, but will always have quirks and problems that seem to not be an issue with other makes/models. If you have your heart set on a dodge I'd go for the 02' and later models. Dodge seems to have worked out the bugs much better with these models.

 

I have had them all and the problems with all were big and small,(hey that rhymes) but as of this date, I am happier with this Ram than I was with my Chevy or Ford. I had my F150 that lost steering because the gear box sheared away from frame, and my Chevy leaked so much oil through the valve seals that it was like a misquito fogger going down the road, and these vehicles were near new condition, all vehicles have problems, regardless of what make, model, year, just here u have a place to bring all these issues to light....visit a Ford, Chevy, GMC, toyota,etc etc forum and you will see similar complaints....my biggest complaint with my Dodge is its desire for large amounts of fuel........other than that its just something regardless of what u buy you have to deal with

My Ford was a NEW 2000 5.4 4x4 Off Road XCab 4 door with 17" tires etc etc... had 14000 when the steering gear box let go, I would take a chance for blown tranny over no steering anyday. current vehicle is a 99 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport Off road 4x4 no major issues to date knock on wood, and it has 160,000 miles on it......sweet

 

Well, I already bought the truck, which is why I came to this forum. I had already researched reliablity and towing, because IT'S A TRUCK. I don't use it as a party wagon, daily driver, etc. When I was married, I had a 1997 Ford extended cab with the worthless POS V6. Ford should have never abandoned the straight-6, but that aside, the Ford could not handle bumps and ruts. It was very soft, whereas this Dodge eats up nasty bumps and I hardly feel them. Right now, since I bought it used, I have to perform some minor maintenance, because that's what makes a vehicle last. You can't just gas up a vehicle and drive like hell. I also own a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier that I bought brand new. According to the feedback on MSN, the Cavalier doesn't rate well, until you put 2 and 2 together and figure out that the whiners are those people who change their oil once a year whether it needs it or not. To date, I have 86K miles on that Cavalier, all highway, and the only problem was with the PCM, which the dealer updated the programming under warranty. Other than that, just normal items such as oil and filter changes, the serpentine belt, and wiper fluid. It's been a damn good car, just like I expect this Dodge to be a damn good truck. I want to use it for hauling cars on a flatbed, and any other uses for a truck.

 

could someone please help this noob out?

 

HUH? I think he got it figured out after 6 years. LOL If your talking about yourself, the FAQ/DIY section can be rather helpful.

 

LOL, funny bump.
hey VW, maybe this will explain why your truck won't run....

 

Zman, Maybe I took a liberty to post on that thread I shouldn't have, but I found it while searching and thought some of us might enjoy seeing VW's first post. I respect him and you quite a bit, and thought it might be cool.