Hi, my first post here- Just picked up a 98 1500 king cab 4X4. It was parked for 1 year when the previous owner lost his license for DUI. This is my first 4X4, and first pick up actually. I was thinking i should drain and replace all fluids since it has been sitting for the year. The 4X4 shifter is very hard to engage, and when it does, it is very sluggish. Maybe the transfer case oil is bad/ low? I bought her in another province and now must do an intense inspection to register it. Anyone know where the DRL relay is located? The beast has 152000 KM by the way... My steering has alot of free play in it, but no knocking- would that be tie rod or ball joint related? My belt has started coming off, I presume I will need to change the tensioner, but the idler in the middle of the engine looks to be pointing slightly upward???? What is the deal with that??Anything else I should be doing based on my situation?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!Thanks!!!

 

Hi, couple of thoughts. I'd drop the fluids like you mentioned, the transfer case is pretty easy, if you've never done that before. It just uses trans fluid, a little over 4 pints if I remember correctly. My transfer case is easier to shift into 4hi when moving, but you'll have to stop and shift to nuetral to move it to 4lo. The front axle will need to be locked together by the CAD system ( which works by engine vacuum ) before you really have 4x4, having the axle spinning will speed this up a bit.

Your steering sounds familiar, mine did the same. Everything was shot, tie rods, ball joints, track bar, and the steering box needed a little adjustment.

You could probably do the tie rods and track bar yourself if you have some basic tools.

If you were to service the transmission fluid and filter, I would adjust the bands in the transmission. It's pretty easy to do and makes a big difference. It should be done about every 24k miles, don't know what that is in KM.

The self adjusters on the rear brakes are probably froze up, you could check those and adjust as needed.

Don't know about the DRL, it might be in the fuse block over the driver side fender.

Lots of knowledgeable people here that will offer tons of ideas.

 

Welcome! I don't know what the DRL relay is - so I can't help there. To check the steering, put the front of the truck on jackstands and remove the wheels. turn the ignition key to unlock the column, and have a friend move the steering wheel back and forth while you look at all the tie rods, etc watching for play. If it looks like something is loose, grab it and try to move it by hand. any steering parts that you can feel "slop" in them are bad. What do you mean by "the belt is coming off"? The idler pulley should keep tension on the belt at all times. I would go get a new belt and try that. If the idler does not keep it tight, then it might be bad. I change my belt by putting a ratchet/socket on the bolt in the center of the idler and moving the idler with the wrench to get the belt off and on. Real simple. There should be a decal under the hood that shows how the belt should be routed. I would suggest changing ALL the fluids. I would suggest using synthetic gear lube in the front and rear gears (if you have limited slip in the rear you may need to add a "friction modifier" to the lube) I use Mobil 1 in the gears and the engine. I'm pretty sure the transfer case takes Type 4 tranny fluid, but check that out for sure. Shepard is right on how the 4x4 works. It's better to be moving when you engage it in 4 Hi.

 

Congrats on the truck and welcome to df...

how much did you pay for it if you dont mind me asking?

Swap all the fluids like you mentioned, and i'd also flush the motor out before running it too much. you may have some sludge in there from the PO that may cause overheating issuse. it also may work its way into the radiator and cause more problems. your loose steering is probably an adjustment on the box, there is a nut & adjustment screw to tighten it up. you'll want to turn it until you can release the wheel in a turn and it goes back to center on its own. if it doesnt or is slower than you'd think, it may be too tight.

on your belt tenisioner, take some wd-40 or spray lube of choice and spray the spring area real good and take a wrench to the pully and work it back & forth to loosen it up. it probably just needs some movement to get it back to functional again.

 

I hope you know not to drive it in 4x4 on a hard surface. It is for snow, sand, mud, gravel, etc. Good luck and have fun.

 

I paid $4900 Canadian. Which around here is a crazy price. I looked at one the same but it had 200 000 + KM but with leather. He wanted $9000! I fixed my tensioner issues. The tensioner was fine, it was the idler pulley. The bearings seized i guess from sitting so long, and litterally started coming apart. I had metal shavings & fragments. I changed the part, it set me back $72.00 from Dodge, but it is fixed now. Today I pass inspection. These guys can be VERY tough. I am a bit worried, but I do want it to be in top shape. I went to my parts store, and they set me up with Bosch platinum plugs, Bosch wires, and a Champion Cap/ Rotor. They recommend it, but I am wondering if they are good? I have not put anything on yet...Keep in mind this is a daily driver, not a race machine. (Just sold my 5.0 Mustang to buy this...)It is all stock- just has a K&N filter, with a Cat back Exhaust. Thanks for all your help guys!

 

Bosch platinum plugs are kinda junk for how expensive them are. I'd take them back and get Champoin Truck plugs, they'r much better! The wires and cap/rotor will be good though.

 

Two years ago I bought a '96 RAM 1500 with low miles - 52k. This was also one that had also been sitting for much of its prior life. I thought the steering was loose, but turned out the ball joints were stiff. The truck required constant steering corrections - just like with loose linkage or box. Once the ball joint problem was pointed out and explained to me by a buddy who drove it and is also a Serv Mgr for a big dealership, I too could tell the problem was not looseness but poor "return-to-center."

So, when you put it on jack and check things, if nothing is obviously loose in the linkage or box, consider the ball joints. Also note if your steering wheel is slow to re-center after a reasonably tight curve at a moderate speed.

Allen

 

or get the autolite 3923's non-platnum. they are said to be good for up to 5 hp. as for cap & rotor, get them from dodge, they seemed to last the longest for me when I had my 2000.