I recently purchased a Dodge Ram Van Conversion with the 5.2 V8 engine. It has 123000 miles on it currently and I am expecting to take it on long road trips for camping or to the beach. In terms of maintenance I did not recieve any mainteannce records from the previous owner besides verbally saying the following has been done recently.

- AC Refresh 2 years ago
- New Fan 2 yrs ago
- New Belt, belt tensioner, and idler pully ( I just did that a couple weeks ago)
- Fresh oil change and filter ( I did that recently too)

What other maintenance Items would you recommend for a van of this age and mileage that I should perform?

 

Plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, PCV valve (get one from the dealer, they are actually the correct flow rate.)

Check that the plenum gasket hasn't blown out. Just take a look down the throttle body, throttle wide open. See any oil down there? If 'yes', time to pull it, and fix the gasket.

If you are paranoid, water pump, hoses, and coolant flush wouldn't hurt, along with a new timing chain and gears.

Fluid, filter, and band adjustment on the trans.

Change fluid in rear diff.

Check brakes, and hoses.

Brake fluid flush.

Any other maintenance that the schedule calls for.

 

I'd replace the timing chain too. Those 318 engines are notorious for sloppy timing chains. Also, if you have it apart, check behind the water pump to see if the cavitating water has drilled a hole in the timing case cover. It can cause water in you oil and you may jump to the conclusion that it's a head gasket (this happened to mine at 130k miles). I replaced the cover for $20 and it's been good since.