I'm thinking about a 2002 ram that I came across and I just wanted to hear what some of you have to say about them. I'm looking at a 1500 quad cab..it won't be used for serious hauling, pulling, mudding, etc..just a daily driver that handles the occassional trailer or DIY home repair project.
How's your gas? Major problems to look out for? Etc..

 

basically if u get the5.9l u can pullllll gas suckkkkkkk badddi get about 11mpg

 

The 02 is a kinda bastard truck, along with the 03 Hemi. The 02 was the first year of the 3rd Gen body style (in 1500s) and had the option of either the 4.7 V8 or the old 2nd Gen holdover 5.9 V8 in the Quad Cabs. The '03 Hemi was the introduction year of that powerplant and it had a lot of changes made for '04, so support is limited there as well.

The 4.7 is a good engine, but IMO a little underpowered in a QC 4x4 if you are looking at 4 wheel drives. The 5.9 is a solid engine, but is basically late '60s LA engine technology and as a result doesn't have much power compared to modern engines while getting MUCH worse fuel economy. On the plus side is the thing is a tank and will last forever with decent care.

Negatives in both are the stock LSDs are ticking time bombs and the dashes liked to crack (a leftover trait from the 2nd Gens). The 4.7 can be prone to oil sludge issues if not taken care of properly and if allowed to overheat it does not fare well, often suffering anything from blown head gaskets to cracked heads. The 5.9 suffers from an inherent design flaw involving the plenum gasket (an easy fix, but costly).

Aside from that, the truck is a very dependable vehicle capable of years of good service.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just pointing out all known common issues. Every brand has issues and I firmly believe that the Ram is the most dependable truck on the market.

If it's within your budget, the '04s and '05 Hemis are hard to beat. You'll get 100+ more horsepower while still getting better fuel economy than even the smaller and much less powerful 4.7 V8 and you'd see a good 25-30% better fuel economy than the 5.9 it replaced...

 

im rocken my 5.9. i have done the very basic mods (if your thinking of moding) and i am doing 16mpg@55mph 14mpg@75. Hauling wise... i have hualled/carried lots of metal with no problem. Very happy with it, but if i had the chance to get a HEMI i would of gotten one.

 

Hammer, go easy on my baby. She's not all that bad, though I must say if I were to do it again I would either go for something with the hemi or really upgrade and go with the Cummins. If you're only towing every now and then it'll be fine but around here towing my boat every weekend on hilly back roads I really wish I had more power though she holds her own. My old man's Cummins tows it like nothing but no one except for him is allowed to drive it.

 

I did a *lot* of research online before I bought my 2002 4.7 1500 4x4 QC, scouring forums like this and dodge talk, allpar, and others, and the NHTSA recall site. I only found a few problems that cropped up, none of which stopped me from buying what turned out to be such a good truck that my second truck ever is also a Dodge RAM:

Steering Rack: If it hasn't been replaced, check for leaks on the bellows. If it's leaking, negotiate the price down. It may never blow (mine hasn't), but it's $800 if it does.

Heater Core: Ask if it's been replaced. Mine went at 85k. I doubt many make it to 100k. $800+ to fix and requires removing *everything* (everything!) from the inside firewall and the A/C to be discharged/recharged.

Rear Differential: Common to all newer 9.25" Chrysler diffs, there is an assembly clip that can come loose and shreds the pumpkin. Anecdotal information makes me think it happens on 1 of 10 diffs. My friend's Durango blew, my truck didn't. Apparently removing the clip prevents the failure.

Rear Disc Brakes: There is a recall to retrofit reinforcement brackets to the axle and calipers. Free of charge. If not done, the calipers can break loose and rip out the plumbing, which is bad. Look for the reinforcement brackets, you can't miss them.

Radiator: Apparently the radiators are prone to clogging, but at 98k miles when I traded mine I didn't have any problem.

 

Hammer-- thanks for your input.. I wish I could afford to go up a couple years and get the Hemi, but I'm actually trading my 04 Pontiac Grand Am for something useful that has more space and won't get me stuck in a rain puddle! haha.
Everyone..thanks so much for all the advice and tips on what to look for..it's helping a lot! And Moose-- good call on checking out recalls! I didn't think about that one and have been looking at that too now!
Overall I agree that Dodge is one of the most dependable trucks out there. We had a 96' that we bought brand new, put over 200,000 miles on it and only ever had minor problems with from here to there..the truck was a beast and it was still going strong until a multi-car pileup took it out this year :'( There's a good chance I'll end up with this one and I'll do some mods and turn it into my baby

 

im a proud owner of a 2002 ram quad cab witht he 4.7. my dad bought the truck new in 2002 and a year and a half ago handed it down to me with 143,000 miles on it.im a 17 year old kid so ive definetly put the truck through it paces and touched the rev limiter way too many times. but its been a farely strong truck. inow have 158,000 plus miles on it and its still runs fairly strong but could use a little suspension work. for the size of the motor its pretty peppy way more response and power then the comparable ford 4.6l. the only parts this truck have had replaced on it since my dad bought it are radiator and some ac stuff and a dash other then that its done good. i am currently loosing some radiator fluid on a regular basis so im a little worried about the head issue but it hasnt failed me yet. now when it comes to towing u can definetly teel when a trailer is behind it of any size. but its not too bad and will tow it but just not very enjoyable trying to hold 70 on a hilly freeway.

 

I used to regularly tow the same 5000+ lb rig you see in my sig pic with my 4.7. No problem, but then I didn't try to hold 70 MPH on big hills! Easier on the whole driveline and gas mileage to let it drop so it doesn't make that 4->2 high-rev downshift under load. That was always a little irritating.

Don't forget to turn the OD off.

 

My 02 4.7, changed the radiator at 75000 miles, it's plastic and split along the seams. Replaced the head gasket at 45000 miles, leaking (under warranty). Replaced battery after 8 years of service, had rearend fluid changed after several thousand miles when new due to recall. Stearing rack is leaking but no fluid on the ground. Mechanic said wait for total failure before changing. Other than that, its been a fairly solid truck, Fuel mileage: city about 12.5, highway 17.