Common Issue's with the Dodge Ram..
 

I have put together a list of some pretty basic things that are very common to the 3rd Gen Rams. Hopefully this will help guys out.



MDS... "Multi Displacement System" that causes 4 cylinders to shut off upon activation. This is suppose to help with gas mileage?? Very common to kick in/out several times while on perfectly flat ground due to the large nature and weight of the Ram. MDS also does not mate well with aftermarket exhausts as it causes a fluttering sound when activated and can be rather irritating. It makes your truck sound terrible inside the cab. MDS is standard on ALL 2006+newer 1500 5.7L Rams EXCEPT Megacabs as those are built on the 2500 chassis. Yes they are labeled 1500, but Megas do not have MDS, nor do 2500/3500's.
Flutter sound after catback install..This is cause by removing the gigantic muffler and/or resonators that suppressed the pulsating effect caused by the 4cylinder(MDS) activation. Since all 8 cylinders aren't firing, there are only have the exhaust pulses flowing through the exhaust. That is why you hear what you do. very annoying if you have not experienced this. It's kind of like a pressure pulse like when you have your windows slightly open. The flutter sound happens ANYTIME the MDS is active. You can turn the MDS off via Diablo or Superchips programmer.
Limited slip differential...AKA (LSD). Very common issue with the factory Mopar 9.25" LSD is for the Clutch Pack reatiner clips (commonly reffered to as the "c-clips") to wiggle themselves out of the carrier and cause serious damage. In late 2005 Chrysler changed manufactures which beefed up the retainer clips and slowed down the problem; however, it still has been occurring but at a rate much lower than before. This pertans to ALL 9.25" LSD rear-ends that are in 1500's only. Some guys remove them, but over time the clutch packs will move around in the carrier and cause wear/rubbing on the inside. This will wear out the friction discs as well as the inside of the carrier.
Rack & Pinion....The Ram R&P is notorious for internal leakage. many guys have expressed their discomfort in changing the rack out a number of times. I highly reccomend replacing the rack with a high quality NEW one because Reman units are generally worse than OEM as they are simply rebuilt OEM units. An alignment is needed after replacement as well.
Balljoints/Tierods...Yet another non-greasable crappy design by Chrysler. Known to prematurely break. There are aftermarket manufacturers that offer quality greasable replacements. An alignment is needed after replacement.
Bouncing or vibrating steering wheel when braking.....Many guys experience this when breaking. Lot of guys report warped rotors on the OEM brakes. Even after turning the OEM rotors whey report them warping again. Most have not migrated to slotted and drilled rotors.
Rear window Leak...Most times this is cause by th 3rd brake light not being sealed properly. Best bet is to remove the lightand squirt RTV sealant and remount the light. This is all that your local dodge dealer will do for this fix. Save yourself time and do it yourself. There is also a TSB regarding the rear window seal, but this is far less common than the 3rd light leaking.
Another problem is when the lower window track on the slider type gets plugged up. Members have remove the window, drilled to corners of the track and RTV'd thin tubing in the corner for better drainage.
Wind noise from doors...Either the seals are squashed or your doors are misaligned. Two ways to fix this. Either bend the top of your door frame in a little bit or go purchase the updated(thicker) weatherstrip seals at your local dealer. This has generally been an issue on older models 2005-prior but can still happen on newer one's as they age.
4.7L overheating...Generally caused by clogged radiators. Common problem for the 4.7L's. Be sure that there is no coolant in your oil as cracked/warped heads can be the aftermath of an overheated engine.
5.7L Hemi tick..."Hemi tick" is a very common problem that breaks all Hemi owners hearts. It's the only flaw of the engine IMO. It's very common and my '08 started at only 400 miles. The dealer will tell you it's an exhaust tick or something else to move you out the door so be prepared for that. I do suggest you have a mechanic or dealer listen to the noise to make sure it's not something else or serious. Just be prepared to hear that the tick is "normal". I've heard that the valve stems aren't sized correctly and cause valve chatter/tick sound.
Clunk after level install..This happens to most 1500 IFS Rams after a 2-2.5" spacer level. This is caused by the extreme angle of the suspension where the upper control arm contacts the spring assembly and also cause the shock to bottom out or rather top-out. This limits travel and longer shocks are reccomended. Also, when installing a leveling kit such a spacers, you put extreme angle on your upper balljoints as well as your cv shafts(4wd) You must have an alignment done after a level.
Vibration after Level install..Some guys experience this problem while others don't. Generally this occurs while in 4wd. Level spacer kits are an inexpensive way to raise the front end, but there are many consquences to cutting costs.
2500 Wobble..AKA "Death Wobble". This is caused by a design flaw in the steering components of the Ram. The factory steering has slack in it which causes the frame to begin to flex out of control. The only way to stop the flexing is to slow down to a crawl. There is a fix that you can do which is aftermarket. The dealer cannot do anything to fix this problem as there isn't an OEM component that stabilizes the steering enough to eliminate this, so don't even waste your time at the dealership. Do a search on Steering stabilizer for 2500's and you will find what you need.
2500 shudder/vibration..This can be caused by worn or damaged center carrier support bearings that hold the 2-piece driveshafts in place. While not always the caue, this is the most likely.
2500 Steering clunk...This is cause by a worn intermediate shaft within the steering column(engine bay side). OEM units are prone to this failure. Aftermarket units such as Borgeson are the best option. Aother reason for clunk is from the slack within the steering mechanism itself. There was a TSB and a recall for certain model years and consisted of the dealer swapping out bolts and adding a spacer or something along those lines. You can call your dealer or look up a list of TSB's and recalls for your model/year online.
HID Flicker...The Chrysler/Dodge line-up has canbus system that detects a burned out bulb. The pcm measures how much current the bulb is using. Stock halogen bulbs are 55w, while aftermarket HID bulbs only utilize 35w. This causes the pcm to think that there is either a loose connection or that the bulb is burnt out, thus causing pulses of current to the lamp socket. This is why most HID bulbs will flicker and also why you may get a Lamp Out warning light on your dash. To prevent this, an aftermarket relay harness is used as well as 6 or 8ohm 50watt resistors which simulate a stock halogen bulb current draw. Installing those will eliminate any flicker and will turn off your Lamp out bulb on your dash. STICKY HERE
Lamp out after LED install...this is a similar problem as the flicker for HID's except there is no flicker, just a lamp out warning on the dash. You need to simulate a higher electrical load as the LED's are very efficient and don't use as much electricity as halogen bulbs. Basic resistors inline will get this done. I believe 15w/6ohm resistors will be sufficient??? I'll have to check and update my findings.
Transmission...All transmission problems in vehicles w/50kmi or more are generally associated with DIRTY/BAD FLUID. There are TWO filters located in the transmission pan and another located on the return line of the cooler. If you are having trans. trouble, make sure you have changed or flushed your fluid at the reccomended intervals before wondering what the problem could possibly be. If you have no codes, this is likely your issue.
Heating problems...Possibly your blend door if you have heat on one side, or from one vent and not another..etc There are lots of pics out there in Blend door threads. Also if you have heat but very little flow, the problem could be the circulator door located above the fan.

I know there are more items to be added. PM me for more ideas or for incorrect info.

Be sure to visit the FAQ Section for good Tech info, DIY's and Polls for product comparison.