I have 180k, and am about to take a 2500 mi drive with a decent amount of cargo early next month, so I want everything in order...no funny sounds, but the following observations:

-Looking at how everyone says their plenum was bad at one point, I took a peek down my tb. There is a small amount of oil, but I can still see the metal under it. Not sure if plate was ever replaced.
-I get about 10mpg, not sure if its good/bad/normal
-At about 45 mph, the rpm jumps up quick before shifting
-To get in Drive, I have to move the bar between D and 2, every other gear is right on point.

Does anyone see any issues with the things above, or am I just being paranoid? The last time I took this drive my explorer blew into flames, so I want to be sure everything is in order. Any suggestions on preventative maintenance besides the obvious liquids changes?

 

Given that you're getting only 10MPG out of a 2WD, something's not quite right. Could be the plenum, could be oversized or underpressurized tires, could be serious need of a tune up, could even be really crappy gas -- too much ethanol will do that. For the plenum: Grab a vacuum/pressure gauge and do the test in the TSB that's found in the 2nd Gen Ram FAQ section here.

The flaring on upshifts is a transmission that's tired. Maybe a fluid/filter change with a band adjustment will fix it, maybe it won't. Maybe a new governor pressure solenoid and sensor at the same time would do the trick, maybe it wouldn't. If those things don't work, well, I'd not want to be riding with you unless I had another ride to get home.

The shifter thing is either a linkage problem or a worn rooster comb inside the transmission, more likely a linkage problem. Does the shifter pop into place normally and it's just the indicator that's off, or do you have to move the shifter to a spot that feels like it's between gears?

I think you're right to be concerned.

 

cough *exploder* cough

 

My transmission/convertor were acting similar to yours, I reset the pcm by removing and cleaning the terminals on the battery and also cleaned the tb. My funky shifting went away and I went from 10.7 mpg in town to 13.5 and from 13.7 highway to 16.6. The truck runs great and shifts as it should. Mine has 178k miles and doesn't use any oil and doesn't ping, so far.

 

But, always remember, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you!