I just got my first dodge. A 94 Ram 250 15 passenger with the 5.9. It has 60k on it and I got it from a Daycare who bought it almost new. The inside is in amazing shape for a van that old. I paid 2k. I am going to use this van for my band. We will be hauling a box trailer and doing some cross country driving. Just wondered if there's anything special to know about these. Any common faults? other than changing fluids/filters what kind of preventative maintenance would be recommended? The first trip will be from Denver CO through Vegas and into LA.

 

Also how do you turn on the interior dome lights?

 

The headlight switch turns to alter the intensity of the dash lights. Turn it all the way CCW till it clicks to turn on interior lights.

 

Nope and nope.
Sure, things can wear out or break, but overall is a fairly reliable vehicle.

 

Thats what I figured. I tried that. Bulbs must be burnt out or maybe a fuse. A fuse was blown that cause my deck to quit working. I put after market deck in and I was having problems getting it grounded but it seems to be fixed now that I have replaced the fuse.

Would there be any advantages to running 87 octane towing a trailer with a van full of dudes or does it only need 85 ?

 

For fuel, the lowest fuel grade octane is 87. If you have a source that has 85 octane avoid it. The highest octane to run in our vans per the DI index is 89. Anything higher than 89 will cause fuel system failures over time.