I will look that procedure up and follow it. I am not suspecting a blown plenum for any reason other than I just bought the truck and im trying to get to know it and its problems, if any.

 

There ya go.

I just went through the same thing -- bought my green '98 4x4 club cab three and a half months ago and picked over it carefully. Lucky me, other than a cracked air hat that I replaced with a K&N FIPK there's not a darn thing wrong with it except some cosmetics. It's getting its 100k tune-up soon, a bit early, along with a fresh new exhaust behind the manifolds (headers later) and a tuner.

Be sure to thoroughly check for worn front suspension and steering components, and unless you've got a receipt that proves it's been recently done, get your tranny serviced (fluid, filter, and band adjustment). These trucks are hell on their automatic transmissions.

 

a 98 under 100k nice find! I feel mine is at average milage at 170,000. i am just not sure how well the PO actually took care of his truck. Like you said no receipts to me is like it never happened.

Now when you say service would you rec a flush? I have read many of debate about flushing a tranny with high miles. Some say yay some say nay.

 

Man, you got to get some pics of your truck on here. Mine has a moon roof, on my 96 1500 Laramie SLT 4x2 haha it is a nice little piece of luxury to have i suppose

 

Thanks! It took months to find it, but when it turned up on a Dodge dealer's lot with 96k on the odometer and an AutoCheck score of 93 I jumped it the same day. I could have been looking for a lot longer than I was; I wanted club or quad cab, 4x4, 5.9l, <100k, and unmodified. I'd have accepted aftermarket wheels, but I wanted to see no lift and no drivetrain or exhaust mods at all, and no signs that any monkeys had played with wrenches near it. I'm kinda surprised I found it as quickly as I did.

Yeah, that's about average among all of those I saw advertised. Most were 140k-180k, some were over 200k, one I remember was at something like 280k. The lowest I saw before mine was 118k.

Personally, I say NEVER solvent flush or backflush, ever. MonteC is the guy to talk to about automatics around here, but my lowly self I like the Wynn's machine that does a full replacement using just transmission fluid -- the shop wants to use a "cleaner" but they'll leave it out if you insist.

I live in an apartment just now or I'd do that part myself, without the cool machine. All it takes is to calibrate a five gallon bucket in quarts with a marker, then with all of your ATF bottles uncapped, open a trans cooler line, hook a hose to the outlet side so it'll drain into the bucket, and hook a hose from the inlet side to the transmission funnel. Run the engine, trans in neutral, and pour a quart in for every quart out. When the outbound fluid is the nice clean new stuff, shut 'er down, reconnect everything, and adjust the fill level as needed.

A good place to tap if you want to do it yourself is the check valve in the cooler line. If you want to do a check valve delete you're there anyway, and if you want to keep the check valve you should install a new one afterward. It's a relatively cheap part that take your transmission with it when it goes south.

I like to replace the fluid, then sacrifice some of it to the filter change afterward. I kinda hate doing it, but I figure it's cheaper than a transmission rebuild. If I'd had the truck at 60,000 I would have done fluid and filter then without a full fluid replacement, and would do the same now -- but since no receipt means it wasn't done, I want all of that factory original fluid out now. I plan to replace the transmission within 20,000 anyway with a Mega Viper, but just in case my plans don't work out I'll ride a lot more peacefully knowing I did the service.

Good luck with your truck and I hope it's damn good to you.

 

There's not a lot to it, just a stock '98 base model (the one with the big gas gauge and no overhead console, no power windows or seats) with a BackRack and a black Delta crossover toolbox that I've added.

And no moonroof.

Ah, here's one I took for the picture game. Older trucks, like older women, usually look better in the dark:



I've been thinking about snapping some photos to make a signature picture, just haven't got around to it yet.

 

I know what you mean there. I looked at ten trucks before I bought mine. I was happy when I found mine. It was the cleanest ram for under 3000 and under 200,000 miles. Only thing aftermarket on mine was the exhuast. It has a glasspack that needs replaced. I believe it has a small crack in it. I got a flowmaster 40 to replace it its just getting it put on now. The real seller on my truck was the interior. It was maintained like a show truck. Looks like no one ever set foot inside.

It was hard for me to find anything under 250,000. People love their trucks here in TN lol.

I'll take a look at it. Usually ill opt to taking it to the shop for anything related to the tranny. I have changed diff fluids, brake fluids, steering fluid but when it comes to a tranny or transfer case I cower like a little girl lol. Ill keep in mind to not let them use any type of cleaner.

What all is involved with a check valve delete and what does the check vavle actually do for the tranny?


Mega viper maybe in mines future as well. I read a lot of good on those trannies.

and thanks same to you!

 

Just checked my email new tires will be in tomorrow!

 

My Magnaflow cat will be here Friday, the Gibson cat-back in a couple of weeks. I'm not waiting for the cat to fail and cause problems.

All I've got to do is nurse my tired old oxygen sensors along until I get under there with all those new parts, then everything behind the manifolds will be fresh and new.

I'm envious! Mine needs a new driver's seat (original owner was a fatass) and a headliner (he was also careless). Otherwise it's pristine but for a ding in the center seatback/console cover that I'll just live with if I don't spot a pristine unit to replace it. There's a yard a few hundred miles south of me that had a full grade A set last time I looked -- if they're still there in a month or so when I pass through town, they'll be mine. I absolutely HATE broken $h1T!

Wow, they love 'em and drive the wheels off, too.

I was like that, kinda, would do a fluid/filter change and a shift kit, but freaked at the notion of going deeper. Then I rebuilt my TH400 in my old Cherokee after reading every book I could find, and by golly it worked.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...smissions.html

If you'd rather have crimped connectors than hose clamps and don't mind spending $48 to get them, PATC has a pre-fabbed piece about 70% down on this page.

It keeps the torque converter full-ish when the engine is off. Unless you delete it, in which case you'd do well to idle in neutral for 20 seconds or so before putting it in gear after a cold start.

I've heard good things, too. I'll never make power enough to stress the thing, but that's exactly why I'll buy it. And probably put a remote filter in where the check valve should be -- or maybe put in a new check valve, downstream of a remote filter. I haven't decided that yet; that's for next year. I like remote filters, change 'em every 30,000 or so in order to keep the filter in the pan from seeing too much debris. Can't hurt, might help, WTF.

 

Truck is GREEN Now you can join the Green Truck Club if your not in it already