what to look at/for when buying a 96-01 ram?
Rookie
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 83
Likes: 0
I just bought a 96 ram with the 5.9 4x4 etc etc. What I would reccomend is...
Brake lines galore!!!! I have had one bad blowout going 55 because the steel line by the left caliper (unwrapped portion was rusted out) so definately brakes lines. Ive replace almost all of them except for the axle line.
U-Joints!!
Axle pinion play- I have the chrysler 9.25 posi with 3.9:1 and supposedly they suck although ive had good luck with mine in the first 2k miles of hell (owner induced hell lol) Make sure the pinion has very little play if none at all.
Blown plenum as everyone already said! Look down the throttle body with a fflashlight. Oil should not be pooled up down there. maybe a light film is all.
Trans fluid- Make sure its a nice colored pink/red and smells alright does not burn your nose kind of smell. When you floor the truck the trans should shift rather smooth. ( i was surprised by mine. crystal clear fluid and incredibly smooth under load)
Maintenance Manual I was provided with a shop manual indicating dealer maintenance for 87k miles including oil changes every three.
Oil Cap- Make sure there isn't any gunk atached to the oil fill cap on the valve cover as this would indicate moisture or a history of moisture in the lubrication system. Also smell the oil dipstick and cap. Should not smell like gas. That would indicate excess blow by.
Check Coolant Clarity
Also pay attention to the Oil PSI gauge while driving. It should be around 40 psi.
I would also check the filter.
Thats a basic list. When I checked out my truck I was there for about 45 mins bare minnimum and spent at least 20 miore minutes driving. If you're gonna spend thousands you need to make sure you aren't gonna get burnt. Usually I forget to check some things when im looking at a vehicle so jsut print out peoples responses and take the sheets with you LOL
Good luck-
Jared
Brake lines galore!!!! I have had one bad blowout going 55 because the steel line by the left caliper (unwrapped portion was rusted out) so definately brakes lines. Ive replace almost all of them except for the axle line.
U-Joints!!
Axle pinion play- I have the chrysler 9.25 posi with 3.9:1 and supposedly they suck although ive had good luck with mine in the first 2k miles of hell (owner induced hell lol) Make sure the pinion has very little play if none at all.
Blown plenum as everyone already said! Look down the throttle body with a fflashlight. Oil should not be pooled up down there. maybe a light film is all.
Trans fluid- Make sure its a nice colored pink/red and smells alright does not burn your nose kind of smell. When you floor the truck the trans should shift rather smooth. ( i was surprised by mine. crystal clear fluid and incredibly smooth under load)
Maintenance Manual I was provided with a shop manual indicating dealer maintenance for 87k miles including oil changes every three.
Oil Cap- Make sure there isn't any gunk atached to the oil fill cap on the valve cover as this would indicate moisture or a history of moisture in the lubrication system. Also smell the oil dipstick and cap. Should not smell like gas. That would indicate excess blow by.
Check Coolant Clarity
Also pay attention to the Oil PSI gauge while driving. It should be around 40 psi.
I would also check the filter.
Thats a basic list. When I checked out my truck I was there for about 45 mins bare minnimum and spent at least 20 miore minutes driving. If you're gonna spend thousands you need to make sure you aren't gonna get burnt. Usually I forget to check some things when im looking at a vehicle so jsut print out peoples responses and take the sheets with you LOL
Good luck-
Jared