Hey,

I have decided to get one after admiring them from the film twister (1996). I have currently noticed one for sale localy.

I am not sure what one it is but it looks like it is:

Late 1990s DOGE RAM 1500 unsure of engine but it is V8.

Please can some one give me advice on defects to look out for. An estimate on fuel consumption (I am lead to beleve 11 (US MPG) upto 21 MPG. Average service costs.

Thanks

 

Pull the air intake off of the throttle body, crack the throttle wide open, and have a look.(bring a flashlight) If you see oil down there, the intake needs to come off, and the plenum pan needs to be resealed. Generally, replacing the steel pan with a quarter inch aluminum plate (available from hughes, or APS) is the hot ticket. About 140 in parts. Labor is a couple hours, at whatever going rate is by you. Unless you can do it yourself.

Transmissions are weak. Take it for a ride. Drive it hard. Make sure the trans goes thru all gears, and the lockup engages. Check fluid.(in neutral, won't work in park.) If it is dark, or smells burnt..... probably going to get to do a rebuild in the near future. (1500-2000 bucks..... unless you can do the labor yourself... that cuts the bill about in half, depending on how weird you get with meaner parts.)

Trans fluid check valve right up by the radiator. There is a DIY in the faq section for eliminating that. Its a good idea to make it go away. It tends to clog up, and then smoke the trans.

Aside from that, give it a good going over like you would any used vehicle.

Fuel economy varies dramatically, depending on driving style. Engine size doesn't seem to matter much. 11 as an average for a 4x4 shouldn't be too far off the mark. I don't know anyone that can get 21 out of their truck. (downhill, with a tailwind?) If you drive nice, and don't do a lot of city driving, it will be better. If you have a long commute to work, and this is going to be your daily driver.... you either need to be on the high end of the pay scale, or, consider having something else that gets better mileage.

 

i believe labour for the plenum is more 12 hours.

 

Thank you for the reply. This will definatly be the biggest gas guzzler I will have consdered buying.

So over all it seams very reliable. What is the best grade of motor oil to use?

I should be ok as long I dont get to carried away with the gas.

Thanks

 

Any oil of the recommended weight. Of late, I have been using the Advance Auto store brand.... as I go thru quite a bit. (my plenum is blown.....)

 

drive it for a while at op temps and see if the oil gauge reads good pressure, also throw er in park and sit there and get on the gas a good bit and see if youve got a cloud of smoke behind you. and like heyyou said the trannies are weak. after driving pull it into a parking lot and check for any major leaks all over the truck. dont be afraid to get on the go pedal to make sure everything is in check

 

And actually with a few simple mods you can reach that 21mpg(hwy) mark. I have a 98 with a 318ci V8 2wd with the stock 3.55 tow package gears, leveling kit, aluminum 17X10 inch wheels with oversized tires, dual exhaust, and a CAI. I use to drive 45 miles one way on I-95 in florida, cruise control at 65 in the slow lane, the best mileage i got was 21.46, calculated with the gas pump and GPS odometer,(oversized tires make the real odometer about 10% off), now i get around 15 in the city (unless i have some fun when it rains). and i will tell you the dash will be cracked unless its brand new. I went with a coworker to look at a 98 4X4 and I told him all the same stuff you see here plus the drivers seat springs being broken and the dash being cracked. I was 100% right and the only info I knew was that it was a 98 with about 68,000.

 

he is from spain, I doubt that there are autozones there.

 

Didn't even notice that....... and I wouldn't buy water from autozone. They are not my favorite parts store.

 

Hello,

Thank you for the in put. We do have shops similar to autozones the equivalent from looking at the website is norauto.

I still havent been in the truck. But I now know it is a late 1997 with just short of 100k on the clock. I still down know what the engine is I persume it is the 5,7 V8.

It is twincab but only with 2 doors with 3 seats + a bench. The crome needs a good polish I love the aggressive front.

I think could do with some mods to lower consumption.

My daily from work and back is 17 miles. What is normaly 15 miles on highway then 2 urban.

Thanks