Ok so i have a 1998 ram 1500 4x4 5.9(gas) with a leaking freeze plug on the driver side behind motor mount also has a leaky plenum i have removed all the drive accessories and the intake i was just going to replace the gaskets and the plenum pan and throw a freeze plug in it but since i am half way there i was thinking about just pulling the motor out of it to replace all of the freeze plugs and do the plenum on the stand, so question is im on a tight(ish) budget but im not a fan of pulling a motor twice so is there anything i should do to it while the motor is out im gonna put a new water pump and a double roller timing chain kit on it, also the truck has 209,000 miles on it motor war replaced at 187,000 but it was in 2007 so it has not really been driven a ton since then but i do not know if it was a reman motor or a junkyard motor bu i do know it ran ok when it was running i bought it from a friend, any help will be great i also have a huge list of stuff to do to the steering and suspension as well as the brakes and gonna toss in a new fuel pump when i replace the dented bed with the new bed i got , any ideas for the motor to ensure a few more years of use would be helpful. do i just pull radiator and take motor and tranny out together? any tips for the tranny when its out? shift kit ? adjustments?

 

speaking as a Chrysler dodge jeep tech with 35 plus years experience,i would not pull the engine!!!!! you can check timing chain slack by removing the distributer cab and turning the crank bolt. by turning it left and right you will be able too see how much slack is in the chain in relation to how fast the distributer rotor moves. just buy or rent a freeze plug installation tool. make sure you buy a few freeze plugs because mistakes happen. coat the freezeplug with sealer(I prefer ultra black rtv) and drive it in flush. fill the engine with water and pressure test the system for leaks. if no leaks are found drain the water out and refill with coolant. the engine must be completely reassembled for this though.

 

if 1 is leaking are more to follow?

 

Why not?

 

If you are going to pull the motor, by all means replace all of the freeze plugs in the engine block. With all of the freeze plugs out of the block, dig out all of the rust/muck from around the cylinders, too and wash the block cooling passages out with a water hose. The block freeze plugs are 1-5/8". I replaced all of mine with brass plugs. If you plan to replace the 4 freeze plugs in the cylinder heads, those are 1-1/4"

Also, replace the timing chain and gear set with a good double roller unit, along with a new water pump. Be sure to replace the timing cover gasket with a new one. If you want rock-solid timing for a long, long time into the future, also install a Mopar Performance timing chain tensioner.

If the oil pump is original, I'd drop the oil pan and replace the oil pump with a high volume pump, clean/replace the oil pickup screen and clean up the oil pan, too.

Check your distributor closely for wear. With the distributor cap off, try to push the main distributor shaft side-to-side - if you find play in the shaft when doing so, consider replacing the distributor - also while you are at it, this is the best time to change the cap, rotor, plug wires and spark plugs.

While the motor was out, I also took the time to paint it, to keep the rust down.

These are the main things I did when I performed my 5.9 engine swap a few years back and my motor is still running like a swiss watch.

FYI, when I pulled my motor, I removed the radiator+shroud+fan, then removed just the motor, leaving the transmission in-place. I needed a friend to help me a bit to align the motor+ transmission upon re-install, but it wasn't very hard with a bit of patience.

 

ok so one more question im gonna be doing a body lift as well as a suspension lift would it be easier to access the bolts on the tranny to remove it from the motor to pull the motor out after the body lift is on? or should i do it before?