Hi ya'll. I'm new here and need some advice on the truck I just bought.

Details:
- 1996 3500 Cummins dually
- 12 Valve
- 5 Speed Manual Transmission
- 300k miles

I bought this truck from a man who used it to move from Washington to Missouri five years ago, and it has been pretty much sitting since. He said he maybe put 500 miles on her in the last five years. She does have near 300,000 total miles on her. On the face of it, the Ram looks to be in good condition, but instead of assuming everything is just "ok," I thought it prudent to take her to a mechanic for a more thorough inspection/servicing. My questions are two-fold:

- What in particular would *you* ask the mechanic to look at/uncover potential issues?
- What services would you have the mechanic perform just to be on the safe side?, though they might not be necessary (the point is if it's at a shop already, it might be good to just have certain things done to her for my own piece of mind)

Any other words of wisdom are most welcome!
Thanks!

 

Have the mechanic do a 'used car inspection'. Around here, those are pretty thorough, and they inspect the car front to back, top to bottom.

Change EVERY fluid. Engine oil, trans oil, differential fluid, power steering fluid, brake system flush, cooling system flush. Also do any other maintenance that you don't know FOR A FACT has been done recently.

The diesel is just getting nicely broke in at 300K, the rest of the truck? Likely needs a bit of work.

 

Do you know if the "Killer Dowel Pin" has been addressed? I would assume so with that many miles, but why take a chance.

 

thanks heyyou and ol grouch. I appreciate the tips.

Yep, the previous owners took care of the kdp and also, something with 5th gear ... a nut or something that I wasn't aware could be an issue. I've been catching up on my reading regarding this truck, but definitely appreciate any and all feedback/tips on this ol girl from seasoned veterans who love these trucks!

 

That's right. There was a problem with 5th gear back then. I had forgotten about that. It sounds like you have a good solid truck there. I've got a '96 myself. (1500 gasser.) What cab and bed combo do you have? I've got the extended cab, short bed myself. The drive train and suspension are lighter on my unit but they are the same otherwise.

Post some pictures of your truck, we're strange like that. Seriously, besides the fluid changes already suggested, I'd pull the wheels and eye ball the brakes. The rear drums might be fun to remove as they are held on differently than the 1500 and 2500 trucks.I'm assuming you have DRW in back. Check your flex lines while you're at it. Any cracking you want to replace. When one pops, you lose most of your braking. If everything looks good, a good flush will do. One thing to look at while you're under there is the front pads. If the pads don't match, you may have an issue starting with the caliper. As a for instance, the left front caliper has an inner pad worn way down and the other is much thicker. This is an indication on caliper pins dragging.

Something else to check will be your front panhard or track bar if your truck is 4X4. If the bushings are worn, replace it. Nothing like a sudden case of "Death Wobble". Trust me, that name is NOT a joke.

 

hey ol grouch glad to hear from you, she's an extended cab dually with an 8 foot box. Tryin' to think of a good name for her but for now all I got is 'baby darlin'. Attached a pic. From the looks of it the previous owners seemed to have cared for her. But again, one never knows what might be amiss, which is why I'm fixin to get more learned eyes on her. Hopefully not much is wrong. But I intend to take care of her as well as possible. A big part of that is digging into learning resources on these 2nd gens and talking to wiser men than me.

 

I don't know about being wiser, I just usually buy older stuff and have to fix it. That is one sharp looking truck. Don't be in a hurry. I've found vehicles will often name themselves. My '96 didn't have a name when I got it.


After I did a "Farmer Chic" paint job, it named itself.



Meet "Fiona".

Your truck looks like it was a long distance runner. Something like pulling a camper or such. Eventually something will happen that suggests a name. I had an '84 named "Black Betty". The name came from a neighbors daughter. Personally, I didn't think an 11 year old girl should know that song, ut the name did fit.