I burn about 2qts every 3k miles and oil and air filter are changed every 3k and 12k respectable.
did change 6 of 8 spark plugs. could not get other two out(even w/ all my f it I hate this truck I dont care what breaks strength I couldnt do it)...any help would be great on that.

Going to go ahead w/ trans cooler....guessing plenium was never done...just go w/ hughes kit?? exhaust manifold gaskets and then do the rest as quoted above

also seems my radiator fluid resivior is dark brown even tho I do flush and fill every year. Any ideas of this?

Thanks for the help guys

 

Definitely change ALL of your plugs. Even if that means taking it to the mechanic. If not, your VERY prone to misfiring.

 

and budget is small/non exsistant... so all work will be done over the next 2-3 months. wondering in what order should things be done and best places to get quality but cheap parts.
thinking I will start w/ trans cooler
but suggestions are why I am here
thnks

also very hard to find any dodge trucks in junk yards around here...
seems people run these trucks until they are destroyed

 

In order of cheapness:
1. Tranny cooler can be pretty cheap and a good option. All you really need to do is find a small oil cooler from a junkyard.
2. Tune up: Inspect the wires, if they are not cracked, keep them. Look at the spark plugs. If they don't look too good, get some champions or NGKs. Do not get any other brand. Cap and rotor as well.
3. Plenum will need to be done. I would hold off on #2 until you get the plenum fixed.

For the plenum, it costs about 153 for the kit. Plus some other things:
1. Possibly a intake temp sensor if you break it like I did.
2. Water neck gasket, Throttle body gasket (can be reused if you are careful when taking it off), upper radiator hose, lower radiator hose, thermostat (get a 195* not a 180*, 180s are for if you have a tuner).
3. Some descaler/radiator FLUSH from napa. Since you have to drain the coolant, it is a good time to give it a flush.

So, you are looking at about 200 dollars for the plenum fix and additional odds and ends. Then piecemeal the tuneup and tranny cooler (You won't need a tranny cooler in the winter). THEN timing chain and gears. That will be a good one.

 

Quality and cheap are like oil and water, they don't mix. You have to buy quality parts in order for your rig not to break down at a very inconvenient time.

 

completly understood. although w/ research the hope is to resourceful and find the quality parts cheap. There are people, web sites, stores that sell these parts cheaper then others and these are the places that im asking for.

and thank you for advice

 

You can get the plenum plate off EBay for 50 bucks or so, get gaskets locally. Fix that first.......

 

I have 230,000 miles on my 99 Ram V8 4x4 2500. Other than the plenum issues I've been having, it runs strong. My observations over my month of ownership are as follows:

The plenum is one of the single most important things you can fix. If not, you are burning oil in the intake, which fouls the plugs, which clog the catalytic converter, which causes **** poor performance not to mention probable engine damage.

At 230k, my factory plenum plate was completely warped. Someone at Chrysler had a bad case of the stupid to use these.

It's a lot more work than I initially thought, thankfully, the previous owner, who is a border-line expert mechanic, did the work and I watched. However, after seeing the contents of the intake, it's a necessary step to ensure the life of the engine.

Flush the cooling system well. The overflow tank in my truck looked like a public toilet at an outdoor venue after a Lynard Skynard concert.

The plugs will have to be changed. I ran out of $$ and time, but I plan to get them this week. My truck is spark knocking pretty bad, but God bless him, he still runs pretty strong.

 

Well this is going to go over like a fart in church, but ... if you're on a really tight budget, you might want to try this test from Dodge Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 09-05-00 to see if you really do have a blown plenum gasket. (Tests for vacuum in the crankcase; no vacuum, no plenum leak). If that can be ruled out, you could concentrate on what I think would then be the absolutely most important things, which I think would be:

1) PLUGS! God knows how long those two stuck ones have been in there. Drop what you're doing and spray some good penetrating oil on them when they go into the head; I like Aerokroil best, then PB Blaster. Get them out of there; I don't think the odds of stripping the threads in a cast iron head are very great.

2) Cap, rotor, WIRES. Wires should probably be replaced a lot more frequently than they are, but they can also be tested for resistance and kept if they pass. The rule of thumb is 10-15K ohms per foot. If you find one that's infinite, replace the whole set. If you put new ones in, route them according to the TSB on that; before you do it, order the 5 new wire clips you'll need from a Dodge dealer.

Then the other basics; change the diff. lube, maybe do that coolant flush, check your belts, check your tire pressure, look for broken wires and bad connections (especially on your relays - I had some "greenies" on them that I cleaned up while tracking down my ignition problem [bad CKPS]).

As for parts, I've had very good luck with NAPA/Echlin ignition parts. zman's favorite brand, Standard Motor Products, owns Echlin.

So how about it, guys? Is it reasonable to rule out a leaking plenum gasket by determining the absence of vacuum in the crankcase? It makes sense to me.

 

If you close off the PCV system, then MAYBE. But if your PCV system is running then you WILL have vac!!!

There is always pressure in the PCV system, so a vac leak in the intake, causing negative pressure (vacuum) might just stabilize it at ZERO since you will not pull much vac without LOAD when idling.

Seems flimsy, but it is a good theory. Stop off your PCV system and give it a try. Just don't forget to unplug it before you drive!!! YOu will get oil overflowing out your dipstick (crankcase pressure!)