Are Ram Trucks Really That Bad?

[skidderman]

Always told my youngest son not to buy dodge. He didn't listen. Bought a new caravan. In less than two years the thing cost them so much they got rid of it & were upside down lots on the trade to a GM. The dealer was horrible. They went in to fix one tire & the dealer said they had to fix all 4. Cost was $800. I could almost stand a dodge if I tried hard but the dealers are the worst there is. Also front ends on trucks are weak. My mechanic owns one & says he has to do the front end often. Ford & Chev break down too but you couldn't pay me enough to buy a ram. I don't have enough money to afford the repairs.

[CMichaud]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

After Ford built the 5.4L with the cam phaser issue I'll probably never own another one. Like Cat said, they're all good until they break, then they're junk.

I have had two Rams now - a 1996 1500 and a 2009 2500

I reckon that the domestics are all close to the the same however Dodge are cheaper to purchase and my buddy got burned by the cam phaser issue with Ford.

Both my trucks have been pretty good all things considered. I like the fact that they are still fairly easy to fix and the lack of "conveniences" and tech crap mean that they at easy to get fixed at aftermarket joints.

A couple of guys I know have the dually 3500 for towing. They seem to have had good luck with theirs. My one buddy services oil field sites in a 2500 and he is closing on 200k km with no problems I can think of.

The black dodge dually "sh8t head belt" was passed onto yuppy Ford Platinum drivers sometime in the last 2-3 years I reckon.

Personally I would go GMC or Dodge over Ford but that is just my bias.

[67ZL1]

Originally Posted by EZM

I wouldn't advise just running right out and adding significant expenses like a fleet vehicle, vehicle related expenses so you can spend the $ 100,000 to claim back and POCKET the $20,000 in "write offs?" You still spent $80,000 of your potential net profit and you just signed yourself up for a long term finacial expense like lease/finacing payments, insurance, vehicle related expenses ect - and your bank guy will expect his payment on time, every month, and doesn't care if you are profitable and times are good or if you are struggling as a business.

My accountant would tell me not to take on any expenses that you don't need to take on, under any circumstances, unless you need that item/truck/equipment.

He would say Just don't spend the $ 100,000 on the vehicle and maybe PAY ALL THE TAXES and enjoy the $70,000 in profits your left with.

Keep in mind write offs only reduce the net income used to calculate your income/business tax - it's not free money. It's like spending 10 bucks to get back 2 dollars.

If you need the truck(s) to do the work then get them if they will make you some money - but be very clear about what a "write off" is or does for you.

My advice anyways ...

Wow! First off nobody said anything about buying a 100k truck, i’ve been in business for 10+ years so ya I kinda know what is or isn’t allowed for writeoffs. My accountant doesn’t allow me to get away with anything, she is strictly by the book. And yes I know that the payments have to be made every month just like my fuel bills, vendors invoices etc. But thanks for the reminder! SMH

[hogie]

Originally Posted by 67ZL1

I’ve seen employee operators destroy 2500 GM’s with literally less than 30k on them, and other guys can manage to bend the frame on their F-150’s too.

Those guys are great for business. They treat a vehicle like crap. Remember explaining to guy on proper use of his 4x4 system. Looked at me and said " don't own a bolt in it don't give a f** k".

[does it ALL outdoors]

They all break down, Dodge just seems to do it a lot more than the other two.

ALOT more

If you run the other two with no problems why go down that road?

Stick with what has been working for you

If ya really want try one out I have a friend that's trying to sell his '17 Ram Rebel, he's selling it for one reason, and it's not financial

[EZM]

Originally Posted by 67ZL1

Wow! First off nobody said anything about buying a 100k truck, i’ve been in business for 10+ years so ya I kinda know what is or isn’t allowed for writeoffs. My accountant doesn’t allow me to get away with anything, she is strictly by the book. And yes I know that the payments have to be made every month just like my fuel bills, vendors invoices etc. But thanks for the reminder! SMH

I was just making a comment I thought would be another perspective so you can be better positioned to make a good decision for yourself. I have many hard working buddies (contractors or skilled trades guys) who I see in similar situations and I try and give them my perspective with the intent to want to see these guys do well for themselves and their families.

The $100,000 I referenced was a round figure for the purposes of illustrating a point and using round figures.

If you look at the total cost of the vehicle, and add up all the maintenance, insurance, financing charges etc.. costs, even a mid market truck is going be way up there in total expense.

Obviously if you pay cash and take the entire benefit in one tax period (for the truck cost itself) or finance it over a few years the total net/net usually works out be exactly equal to your applicable tax rate (as it lowers your income) and subsequently calculates your taxes on the balance.

Either way - you posted a comment looking for advice - I responded sincerely trying to give you advice.

When my wife asks me if these pant's make her butt look fat and she doesn't want to hear the truth (or facts) and hates what I tell her - I advise her not to ask me next time.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by does it ALL outdoors

They all break down, Dodge just seems to do it a lot more than the other two.

ALOT more

If you run the other two with no problems why go down that road?

Stick with what has been working for you

If ya really want try one out I have a friend that's trying to sell his '17 Ram Rebel, he's selling it for one reason, and it's not financial

I know I've said this a few times in a few previous threads over the years. Some people have good luck some people do not. They base their opinions on what they see.

The oilfield company I worked for had over 1000 fleet light trucks - anything from half tons to one tons and mostly domestics (GMC, Ford and Dodges).

The maintenance and repair costs both on and off warranty for the Dodge units were SIGNIFICANTLY higher (more than double in many cases per class of vehicle) compare to other brands.

They were, however, far cheaper to initially lease BUT also had a poor discharge (buy back/sell at auction) recovery.

After a few years of this we used Ford and GMC as our "standard".

It's because of this information, I would suggest that in harder use environments (like our company) the Dodges may not be the best choice - but, of course, so much depends on the driver, how he maintains his vehicle and where it's being used for what.

If you have a "gas and brake" metal mulish hero hammering any vehicle and driving it like he's being chased by a tidal wave - that truck is going to blow things up. Doesn't matter which brand.

[ROA]

Originally Posted by hogie

Those guys are great for business. They treat a vehicle like crap. Remember explaining to guy on proper use of his 4x4 system. Looked at me and said " don't own a bolt in it don't give a f** k".

Operators treat the trucks they same way they are being treated...like ****.

[67ZL1]

Sat down with the guys at GM this afternoon and thought I would pass on some senerios they proposed. I’m just posting this in case anyone else out there is maybe looking into a new vehicle in the next bit. Fleet discount is 7k off msrp but finance rate is 4.9%. Non fleet customers have rebates of 6k off msrp but 0% financing. Depending on your negotiating skills you should be able to get another 4-6k off. Now if you want to factory order a ‘18 you have to do so before end of May. You can order in May and have the vehicle show up in September just in time for the employee discounts to kick in. I’m sure it’s a wash in the end but at least you’ll get exactly what you want / need and not have to settle for whatever is on the lot at the time.

[EZM]

There is really "no such thing" as a "fleet discount" and a price that applies to a company running 20 GMC's versus a company running 300-400 GMC vehicles - so you are 100% correct about one thing - negotiate the best deal you can at the lowest interest rate.

There is a fleet "binder" but it's really a catalogue of manufacturer option packages based on lot runs for a particular type of truck with some BS pricing. These "lots" are sold at a discount but they are basically a tool for the dealer to buy X number of units against Z production run of a quantity of XX vehicles being produced on KK date. So there is some "cost reduction" to the factory that do pass on.

Our company would commonly purchase (then re-lease a vehicle to itself through a least management company) and I can tell you we purchased some makes/models and factory configurations for FAR LESS than a small dealership could acquire the same truck including their entire rebate and volume incentive program through the manufacturer.

But, if your fleet is less than a few dozen vehicle, you are probably sitting in front of a dealer (retailer) and not the manufacturer.

In our case, A local dealer was paid a few hundred dollars to do the unload, record of import, dealer delivery checklist, decals and NVIS work for us - and that's about it.

You can sometimes try and time your purchase around the time new models are coming in and can get a really great deal - I try and do this myself and have actually been able to make some pretty good deals (ones that a few months earlier would have been laughed at and outright rejected).

Negotiate and shop around and you will do well.

[67ZL1]

What I did my last 2 trucks was to special order thru a leasing company for 6 months. At the end of 6 months we purchased outright and saved a little over 6k than from the dealers best price. Not everyone has this option available to them and will more than likely the way we go again. My previous post was meant to give guys a heads up that they can order the exact truck they want in time for the employee incentives.

[Smokinyotes]

The only dodge I ever owned was a 2001 3/4 ton Cummins. If you took your eyes off the road for half a second it was heading for the ditch. Worse handling piece of crap I have ever drove. After replacing 4 lift pumps, 1 injection pump and numerous trips back to the dealer to see why it steered so terrible I sold it and bought an 03 duramax. First and last dodge I will ever own

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

Speaking of junk, does anyone know the best solution for a Ford that needs cam phasers? I've got a 2008 Ford with new tires, that's the only reason I'm considering fixing it!

The cam phasers in my ‘05 work truck have been shot for a few years now. The band aide solution is to put thicker oil in it. I just changed the oil and I put in 10W30 with a half litre of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer”. It stops the clattering from the engine and it won’t diesel anymore. The engine is gutless and I only get about 5kms/litre but it’s still running.

I have the complete Cam Phaser Kit with Water Pump that I got a deal on if you are interested in buying it. I don’t think that my truck is worth putting money into and I’ve decided to drive it until it drops and pick up a newer used truck.

[67ZL1]

After reading all the horror stories I’m sitting here wondering how Chrysler is even still in business. The last Ram I had was my first service truck I bought new in ‘97. I ran it till ‘03 and did 1 clutch and a few front ends in 500k. I have 2 Fords sitting in the yard now that are getting a little long in the tooth. Now that GM makes a HD front end they are back in the mix again for being a contender.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

The cam phasers in my ‘05 work truck have been shot for a few years now. The band aide solution is to put thicker oil in it. I just changed the oil and I put in 10W30 with a half litre of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer”. It stops the clattering from the engine and it won’t diesel anymore. The engine is gutless and I only get about 5kms/litre but it’s still running.

I have the complete Cam Phaser Kit with Water Pump that I got a deal on if you are interested in buying it. I don’t think that my truck is worth putting money into and I’ve decided to drive it until it drops and pick up a newer used truck.

Dave next time you change oil try Royal Purple 15w40. I have an 07 with buggered phasers that I only use for snow plowing. 2 years ago once the truck was warm it would hardly move at low rpm, it was less than useless. I am now finishing my 2nd year plowing with the same RP oil. I will change it out in the fall and be ready for next years snow. It is ridiculous how much better it runs.
I was told years ago about this but never tried it. Had I known it did such a good bandaid fix I would not have done the other 2 5.4's phasers. I think this truck had RP in it when I bought it, it was great until the first oil change. Scammers know this, be real leery of buying a 3v 5.4 that sounds good.

[Arty]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

The cam phasers in my ‘05 work truck have been shot for a few years now. [...]

Did anybody try to change the VCT solenoids recently? Might be the cheapest real fix you can make.

With that kind of bad mileage and lossy power, I'd change the air filter and plugs and coilovers too. And spray out the MAF sensor with a little MAF cleaner. Might make it back up to at least 8 km/liter.

Codes?

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Arty

Did anybody try to change the VCT solenoids recently? Might the the cheapest real fix you can make.

With that kind of bad mileage and lossy power, I'd change the air filter and plugs and coilovers too. And spray out the MAF sensor with a little MAF cleaner. Might make it back up to at least 8 km/liter.

Codes?

Air Filter and plugs are good. What do the coilovers have to do with it? It’s definitely the cam phasers.......timing chain slap and dieseling. It’s been used as a work truck (construction, firewood and trapping) so i’m not gonna put any money into it and i’ll just drive it until it drops.

I’m currently looking around for a decent truck to replace it. What should I buy, a Ford or a Dodge?

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

The only dodge I ever owned was a 2001 3/4 ton Cummins. If you took your eyes off the road for half a second it was heading for the ditch. Worse handling piece of crap I have ever drove. After replacing 4 lift pumps, 1 injection pump and numerous trips back to the dealer to see why it steered so terrible I sold it and bought an 03 duramax. First and last dodge I will ever own

I still have an '02 dodge diesel, just a bombing around truck now. Used it for work for many years, been thru hell and back. Has seen it all, done it all. Stolen once, jumped an approach once. Been on barges in the NWT and northern BC. Never a good road past a barge landing. To this day, still steers like a dream down the hwy. Too bad yours couldn't be fixed.
The lift pumps were definately an issue. Went thru it as well. Once lift pump went, knocked out the injection pump. Luckily that was on warranty. After warranty was off, put a pressure switch on pump with indicator light in cab. $100 and problem solved. Truck is tough as nails, aside from changing track bar and ball joints once in a while. Always did myself so no big deal. Truck has around 500k, and engine probably has close to a million km's worth of hours. A ton of idle time. Still runs like new, doesn't burn any oil. Have 2 others in the driveway, wouldn't have another kind. Personal choice based off good experience.

Originally Posted by 67ZL1

After reading all the horror stories I’m sitting here wondering how Chrysler is even still in business. The last Ram I had was my first service truck I bought new in ‘97. I ran it till ‘03 and did 1 clutch and a few front ends in 500k. I have 2 Fords sitting in the yard now that are getting a little long in the tooth. Now that GM makes a HD front end they are back in the mix again for being a contender.

The few horror stories on here are a skewed sample. All trucks have their problems no doubt. A ton of dodges around, always will be

Ford spent years changing up diesel engines every few years as they were junk, starting with the 6 liter (assuming they have the diesel engine problem figured out now, don't hear of many problems).

Have seen chevs up north with all kinds of problems. Weak front end being one. Had a fleet of chevs for a couple winters in the arctic, around the time the duramax's came out. Shift linkages always froze up, and transmissions continually puking out all the oil. Down here, once DEF was introduced in them, constantly on tow trucks getting hauled to town to thaw out.

Each one seems to have their problems. Pick one you like and are comfortable in, do regular maintenance, and do the basic mechanical work yourself (saves a ton of money)

[Arty]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Air Filter and plugs are good. What do the coilovers have to do with it? It’s definitely the cam phasers.......timing chain slap and dieseling. It’s been used as a work truck (construction, firewood and trapping) so i’m not gonna put any money into it and i’ll just drive it until it drops.

I’m currently looking around for a decent truck to replace it. What should I buy, a Ford or a Dodge?

Cam phasers change the valve timing from the 10 degrees at idle, to whatever is needed at a particular rpm and load. That's regulated by the engine computer opening or closing the VCT solenoid as needed to add or reduce hydraulic pressure to the phasors. They've got nothing directly to do with regulating timing chain tension.

First, pressure is increased above idle to pop the phasor's idle pin off, then further increased as needed for the phaser to advance valve timing cams during acceleration or heavy load.

If the VCT solenoid gets gummed up, worn out, or has it's filter screen plugged, no oil gets into the hydraulic circuit to properly regulate valve timing. So change out the VCT plugs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPqjJVHZS3I

Insufficient oil pressure and/or dirty oil will also block oil pressure to the chain tensioner and it will start to slap around too until the plastic guides break.

[HunterDave]

Thanks Arty! I’ll look into replacing that VCT Solenoid. It doesn’t sound like an expensive part and relatively easy to fix. I’ll look for the location of it but you wouldn’t know where it is on an ‘05 5.4L Triton engine, would you?

[Newview01]

This thread has taught me one thing. Everybody knows everything.

[Arty]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Thanks Arty! I’ll look into replacing that VCT Solenoid. It doesn’t sound like an expensive part and relatively easy to fix. I’ll look for the location of it but you wouldn’t know where it is on an ‘05 5.4L Triton engine, would you?

Front of the engine, near or at the end of the head covers.

Two kinds of port exist, the first where you can just undo a captive screw on the VCT plug and pull out the plug, and a later 'improved' kind where you actually have to pull the head cover off. My '05 was the first kind.

And, uh, make sure you don't drop anything down into the VCT port unless you've got a lot of time on your hands and some gasket seal for the front engine cover

[Coiloil37]

I run a 2010 with the 6.7 cummins and have since new. Here’s my take on it. I’ll admit to being a cummins fan and have had great success with their B, C and QSM series engines.
My truck has had a few recalls that they replaced parts for me. For unscheduled breakdowns it lost an O2 sensor. It didn’t derate anything but I got a code and check engine light. It was under warranty and they replaced it for me.

Yea that’s it for repairs.

I know the value of good filtration so I installed extra fuel filtration prior to losing my warranty, injection pump and injectors. The factory fuel filter was a 7 micron filter when the truck came out. A few years down the track they went to a 5 micron filter. I went ahead of them and installed a water trap good for 99% of the free water and 95% of the emulsified water. It’s also a 20 micron filter. Behind that I put what used to be a 2 micron absolute Donaldson fuel filter. Now they’re rated at 3 micron absolute due to a change in the testing procedure. We get terrible diesel in this province/country and diesel can’t be to clean for your engine. It’s in your best interest to give it clean fuel.
I also run a Donaldson full flow oil filter that’s not only cheaper then the mopar/fleetguard filter but a 15 micron filter vs the fleetguards 40 micron.

When the warranty was gone I installed a tuner and removed the emissions junk to try and help that engine live. What the egr puts back into the intake is criminal. The MAP sensor was constantly plugged with soot and the ccv filter is plumed back into the intake ahead of the turbo so the turbo is stuck ingesting that oily air for its lifetime as well.
I then put a bypass oil filter system on the truck that takes it down to 2 micron absolute. Being as the engine no longer suffers from fuel dilution and soot production the oil lasts a long time and stays clean. It’s no longer black like every other diesel oil you’ve ever seen because the filter removes the soot. I don’t know how often I need to change the oil anymore because I haven’t had an oil analysis come back telling me to change the oil.

The front ends on dodges are weak and the cummins is heavy. The design of the suspension is also susceptible to death wobble when components get worn out. The factory steering is also a bit “vague”. This is a fairly easy complex problem with a fairly simple solution.

Drive the truck like you own it instead of like you stole it. It’s not a custom built jeep on remote reservoir coilovers and long arm suspension. When you do wear your front end out (I haven’t yet on mine) install EMF ball joints, tie rod ends etc. You should NEVER have to replace them again. If EMF makes any component for any vehicle you own, use them. Their components are so far ahead of their competition it’s ridiculous. Their parts are world class and Alberta built. They’re also no more expensive then the generic junk on the market. I run emf on my jeep and flog that thing mercilessly and haven’t even had to adjust anything in the three years they’ve been on there. Check their website and check them on YouTube.

For the steering just install a steering brace. It ties the frame together and runs the bottom of the steering shaft in a bearing. It’ll cost you about $250 and take about an hour to install if you have a few beers while doing it. The change is night and day and it’ll help protect the steering box when you drop a wheel into a big hole in the road at speed.

Don’t neglect the fluids in the transmission, transfer case, power steering, brake fluid, diffs, especially not your coolant. Test the coolant and change it when it’s due or your going to have some repairs.

DONT over service your air filter. Put a filter restriction gauge on the air box and don’t touch the filter until it shows enough restriction. New air filters pass 90% of the particles they’ll ever pass in the first 10% of their life. Every time you open the air box and disturb the filter your letting contaminates into your engine. The filter is supposed to be dirty. Use a restriction gauge and pay attention to it. Never change a filter based on appearance.

The bad part is the new trucks have more emissions crap I’ve never dealt with. I’ve never had anything to do with def so I’m zero help there.

Some pictures to help with the show and tell.

Clean your map sensor regularly




THE oil filter for the 6.7 cummins. $16 at finning here in red deer



Fuel filtration complete with my ugly crimps. The whole setup cost about $70 to build.



Just keep a spare filter and hose in case you plug a filter or for whatever reason need to bypass the system. The pair of fuel filters are less then $30 at kenworth.



Oil filtration



That’s as dirty as my oil ever gets.



Steering stabilizer.



I’ve had eight years with no unexpected out of pocket expenses. I’m not saying dodges aren’t lemons but mines ok. Here’s her fuel mileage. Not as good as some 5.9’s but I’ll take it.

[roper1]

Originally Posted by EZM

I know I've said this a few times in a few previous threads over the years. Some people have good luck some people do not. They base their opinions on what they see.

The oilfield company I worked for had over 1000 fleet light trucks - anything from half tons to one tons and mostly domestics (GMC, Ford and Dodges).

The maintenance and repair costs both on and off warranty for the Dodge units were SIGNIFICANTLY higher (more than double in many cases per class of vehicle) compare to other brands.

They were, however, far cheaper to initially lease BUT also had a poor discharge (buy back/sell at auction) recovery.

After a few years of this we used Ford and GMC as our "standard".

It's because of this information, I would suggest that in harder use environments (like our company) the Dodges may not be the best choice - but, of course, so much depends on the driver, how he maintains his vehicle and where it's being used for what.

If you have a "gas and brake" metal mulish hero hammering any vehicle and driving it like he's being chased by a tidal wave - that truck is going to blow things up. Doesn't matter which brand.

Yessir, very well stated. Excellent information, with real world hands on knowledge. No horse in the race, just offering factual knowledge. Hope it helps the OP. My son worked patch, about 50 trucks through a well-known sales/lease outfit. A 2-person dep't to actually track purchase, maintenance, resale value. Found the same results, they use a few Chevies, but vast majority Ford.

[muledriver]

Originally Posted by hogie

Those guys are great for business. They treat a vehicle like crap. Remember explaining to guy on proper use of his 4x4 system. Looked at me and said " don't own a bolt in it don't give a f** k".

Don't you just love those type of employees?

They are the first ones to whine and complain about "the company", aren't they? I've avoided hiring those type as much as possible, and broom them out if they slipped by the screening process. No employer needs them.

[reddeerguy2015]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

I run a 2010 with the 6.7 cummins and have since new. Here’s my take on it. I’ll admit to being a cummins fan and have had great success with their B, C and QSM series engines.
My truck has had a few recalls that they replaced parts for me. For unscheduled breakdowns it lost an O2 sensor. It didn’t derate anything but I got a code and check engine light. It was under warranty and they replaced it for me.

Yea that’s it for repairs.

I know the value of good filtration so I installed extra fuel filtration prior to losing my warranty, injection pump and injectors. The factory fuel filter was a 7 micron filter when the truck came out. A few years down the track they went to a 5 micron filter. I went ahead of them and installed a water trap good for 99% of the free water and 95% of the emulsified water. It’s also a 20 micron filter. Behind that I put what used to be a 2 micron absolute Donaldson fuel filter. Now they’re rated at 3 micron absolute due to a change in the testing procedure. We get terrible diesel in this province/country and diesel can’t be to clean for your engine. It’s in your best interest to give it clean fuel.
I also run a Donaldson full flow oil filter that’s not only cheaper then the mopar/fleetguard filter but a 15 micron filter vs the fleetguards 40 micron.

When the warranty was gone I installed a tuner and removed the emissions junk to try and help that engine live. What the egr puts back into the intake is criminal. The MAP sensor was constantly plugged with soot and the ccv filter is plumed back into the intake ahead of the turbo so the turbo is stuck ingesting that oily air for its lifetime as well.
I then put a bypass oil filter system on the truck that takes it down to 2 micron absolute. Being as the engine no longer suffers from fuel dilution and soot production the oil lasts a long time and stays clean. It’s no longer black like every other diesel oil you’ve ever seen because the filter removes the soot. I don’t know how often I need to change the oil anymore because I haven’t had an oil analysis come back telling me to change the oil.

The front ends on dodges are weak and the cummins is heavy. The design of the suspension is also susceptible to death wobble when components get worn out. The factory steering is also a bit “vague”. This is a fairly easy complex problem with a fairly simple solution.

Drive the truck like you own it instead of like you stole it. It’s not a custom built jeep on remote reservoir coilovers and long arm suspension. When you do wear your front end out (I haven’t yet on mine) install EMF ball joints, tie rod ends etc. You should NEVER have to replace them again. If EMF makes any component for any vehicle you own, use them. Their components are so far ahead of their competition it’s ridiculous. Their parts are world class and Alberta built. They’re also no more expensive then the generic junk on the market. I run emf on my jeep and flog that thing mercilessly and haven’t even had to adjust anything in the three years they’ve been on there. Check their website and check them on YouTube.

For the steering just install a steering brace. It ties the frame together and runs the bottom of the steering shaft in a bearing. It’ll cost you about $250 and take about an hour to install if you have a few beers while doing it. The change is night and day and it’ll help protect the steering box when you drop a wheel into a big hole in the road at speed.

Don’t neglect the fluids in the transmission, transfer case, power steering, brake fluid, diffs, especially not your coolant. Test the coolant and change it when it’s due or your going to have some repairs.

DONT over service your air filter. Put a filter restriction gauge on the air box and don’t touch the filter until it shows enough restriction. New air filters pass 90% of the particles they’ll ever pass in the first 10% of their life. Every time you open the air box and disturb the filter your letting contaminates into your engine. The filter is supposed to be dirty. Use a restriction gauge and pay attention to it. Never change a filter based on appearance.

The bad part is the new trucks have more emissions crap I’ve never dealt with. I’ve never had anything to do with def so I’m zero help there.

Some pictures to help with the show and tell.

Clean your map sensor regularly




THE oil filter for the 6.7 cummins. $16 at finning here in red deer



Fuel filtration complete with my ugly crimps. The whole setup cost about $70 to build.



Just keep a spare filter and hose in case you plug a filter or for whatever reason need to bypass the system. The pair of fuel filters are less then $30 at kenworth.



Oil filtration



That’s as dirty as my oil ever gets.



Steering stabilizer.



I’ve had eight years with no unexpected out of pocket expenses. I’m not saying dodges aren’t lemons but mines ok. Here’s her fuel mileage. Not as good as some 5.9’s but I’ll take it.

Good post.

[wind drift]

I’ve owned trucks built by all of the ‘Big Three’, but it wasn’t until I bought a Tundra that I learned the difference between them and reliable. Honestly, I think the Big Three are big because we are tolerant and weirdly brand-loyal.

[TBD]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

I run a 2010 with the 6.7 cummins and have since new. Here’s my take on it. I’ll admit to being a cummins fan and have had great success with their B, C and QSM series engines.
My truck has had a few recalls that they replaced parts for me. For unscheduled breakdowns it lost an O2 sensor. It didn’t derate anything but I got a code and check engine light. It was under warranty and they replaced it for me.

Yea that’s it for repairs.

I know the value of good filtration so I installed extra fuel filtration prior to losing my warranty, injection pump and injectors. The factory fuel filter was a 7 micron filter when the truck came out. A few years down the track they went to a 5 micron filter. I went ahead of them and installed a water trap good for 99% of the free water and 95% of the emulsified water. It’s also a 20 micron filter. Behind that I put what used to be a 2 micron absolute Donaldson fuel filter. Now they’re rated at 3 micron absolute due to a change in the testing procedure. We get terrible diesel in this province/country and diesel can’t be to clean for your engine. It’s in your best interest to give it clean fuel.
I also run a Donaldson full flow oil filter that’s not only cheaper then the mopar/fleetguard filter but a 15 micron filter vs the fleetguards 40 micron.

When the warranty was gone I installed a tuner and removed the emissions junk to try and help that engine live. What the egr puts back into the intake is criminal. The MAP sensor was constantly plugged with soot and the ccv filter is plumed back into the intake ahead of the turbo so the turbo is stuck ingesting that oily air for its lifetime as well.
I then put a bypass oil filter system on the truck that takes it down to 2 micron absolute. Being as the engine no longer suffers from fuel dilution and soot production the oil lasts a long time and stays clean. It’s no longer black like every other diesel oil you’ve ever seen because the filter removes the soot. I don’t know how often I need to change the oil anymore because I haven’t had an oil analysis come back telling me to change the oil.

The front ends on dodges are weak and the cummins is heavy. The design of the suspension is also susceptible to death wobble when components get worn out. The factory steering is also a bit “vague”. This is a fairly easy complex problem with a fairly simple solution.

Drive the truck like you own it instead of like you stole it. It’s not a custom built jeep on remote reservoir coilovers and long arm suspension. When you do wear your front end out (I haven’t yet on mine) install EMF ball joints, tie rod ends etc. You should NEVER have to replace them again. If EMF makes any component for any vehicle you own, use them. Their components are so far ahead of their competition it’s ridiculous. Their parts are world class and Alberta built. They’re also no more expensive then the generic junk on the market. I run emf on my jeep and flog that thing mercilessly and haven’t even had to adjust anything in the three years they’ve been on there. Check their website and check them on YouTube.

For the steering just install a steering brace. It ties the frame together and runs the bottom of the steering shaft in a bearing. It’ll cost you about $250 and take about an hour to install if you have a few beers while doing it. The change is night and day and it’ll help protect the steering box when you drop a wheel into a big hole in the road at speed.

Don’t neglect the fluids in the transmission, transfer case, power steering, brake fluid, diffs, especially not your coolant. Test the coolant and change it when it’s due or your going to have some repairs.

DONT over service your air filter. Put a filter restriction gauge on the air box and don’t touch the filter until it shows enough restriction. New air filters pass 90% of the particles they’ll ever pass in the first 10% of their life. Every time you open the air box and disturb the filter your letting contaminates into your engine. The filter is supposed to be dirty. Use a restriction gauge and pay attention to it. Never change a filter based on appearance.

The bad part is the new trucks have more emissions crap I’ve never dealt with. I’ve never had anything to do with def so I’m zero help there.

Some pictures to help with the show and tell.

Clean your map sensor regularly

never thought of the the extra oil filtration ...

[Lefty-Canuck]

If anyone is interested I have a 2004 Lariat F-150 with all new timing components (work done by an AO member) and a rebuilt transmission (done by Lo-Cost). All under a year old for $5K, new fuel pump and fuel sending unit as well. It’s been parked all winter. Just needs a windshield.

LC

[Big Grey Wolf]

I Like a truck with engine that can go 1,000,000 km with out any major problems. My 2001 dodge ram is a 360,000km and just nicely warming up. At Suncor Ft Mac we had Union boys that could destroy new Fords in 6 months.