Hey guys, thanks for takin the time to read this and I appreciate your insight. I joined this forum to learn more about my truck and how to take care of it the best I can with what I have.

I own a 2001 Dodge Ram 5.9L auto transmission 4x4

I am moving and I have about 2000 miles cover, and due to gas prices and my small bank account, I have not driven my truck much in the last year and it has been doing alot of sitting

I plan on doing an oil change and swappin out the spark plugs..what else, if anything else, do any of you recommend that doesnt cost alot of money that I can do to make sure this road trip goes smoothly for my wife and I? The truck has been very good to me, as I have had almost no issues with the truck and I have put about 50k miles on it since I bought it about 5 years ago. It has just under 100k miles on it now.

 

check the brake lines mine sat a year i had two of them rust off. but make sure you run it before you change the oil. That and you will be able to see if you got any other leaks.

 

Check your tires and make sure you inflate them to a safe psi, tires take a beating by sitting for long periods

 

Lol before my roadtrip I did plenum fix, water pump, timing chain, new belt, new brakes, all hoses, changed oil, trans, and rear diff, cap and rotor, plugs and wires. I took the old belt as a spare. You probably don't need to do all of that but at least check over everything. I had bought the truck about a month before so I had a lot to do. Check the spare tire. Make sure it has air and lowers like its supposed to. Check the jack and lug wrench. Are the tires dry rotted badly? Tread good? Keep an eye on oil and trans level when you stop for gas. Windshield wipers good? Maybe flush out brake fluid if it hasn't been done in a long time. Easy to do and you can check lines for leaks and shoes/pads while you're there. I drove mine a few weeks ago about 1700 miles pulling a fairly heavy trailer with no issues. Good luck

 

O something else you may want to do is get the front end aligned. They will also check the tie rods, ball joints, etc. Make sure everything is greased up good.

 

I would find a shop that does complete vehicle inspections. Midas done mine for free.

 

check the tires for dry rot. air them up to 32 or more. check/fill air in the spare tire. make sure you have a jack, lug wrench, tool to lower the spare. maybe- remove each lug one at a time, oil, reinstall hand tight 100# torque. its a bitch trying to remove an overtightened lug from a tire shop.

test drive the truck around town before you go and make sure it feels right. check/tops off all fluids - coolant, brakes, ps, front and rear diffs, water level in battery, oil and trans fluid. clean battery terminals. make sure temp level is holding correct. spray out the radiator vanes front and rear with medium water pressure to clear out mud, dust, grass, etc.

check radiator and heater hoses, belt.
check all lights, AC.

are you pulling a trailer? check brakes, lights, and don't use OD when towing.
include cell phone, cell phone charger, basic tools.

 

Great info. Thanks alot guys. Any recommendations on fuel octane? Ive heard good and bad about all ratings..

 

Just run regular. The difference in economy going to a higher octane does not offset the additional cost.

Definitely do the full vehicle inspection.....

In addition to that, and whatever they find, I would:
Change ALL fluids.
Full tune up.
Alignment.
New serpentine belt.
Tires??

 

run the lowest octane that won't ping. if it does ping, top off with high octane to stop it.

if you're not sure, start off with a 1/4 - 1/2 tank of 87. if that pings, fill up with 92/93. then play with your mix. generally 89 will stop a mild ping. (and the pinging is an indication you need to fix the plenum).