Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 99 qc sb 4x4

[new2dodge]

did i buy a lame horse or is it just me? why does it seem there are more 99qc's & 01. 5"s than other years having problems. maybe it's just me but i'm thinking about setting fire to mine and buying an 03. just kidding i like my ram it all just seems out of proportion.

:{

 

[LSMITH]

Mine was a miserable no good nasty horrible POS for 70K miles, the last 55K miles have been peachy though. All I have done in the last 50K miles is a trackbar... ... ... ... .





Throw up a little history lesson on your truck and put the matches down for now... ...

 

[jrobinson2]

I special ordered mine new and now have 91000 miles.

1 cup holder ( warranty )

2 times T-case leak (1warranty / 1 extended warranty still leaking)

1 power seat motor (extended warranty)

1 brake booster (extended warranty)

1 track bar "within spec" at . 075 end play(=3"at the top of the steering wheel)

1 steering box "within spec" (3" more at steering wheel for a total of 6" of play)

Power steering pump cavitates and wont work below 20*(solved with synthetic fluid)

Leaky rear window or brake light (not solved)

Front calipers sticking (I got it solved on the 3rd try)

The rear brakes will not self adjust.



I'm a bit disappointed with the reliability but would buy again in a minute.

Jared

 

[Morphious]

man, count your blessings, sounds like a decent truck.....



Mine's a 99, special ordered and recieved in Dec 98.



Alternator went out at 10,000 miles



trackbar at 20k, 40k, 60k, 80k, 100k (I'm on my 7th or 8th now, I've lost track, basically every 20k miles I replace it with the lifetime warranty part. )



Ball joints passanger side - 50k

T-Rod ends - 50k

3 fuel sender units in about the first 30k miles

Crank position sensor - 40k

Bent stock rim - 50k

Steering box - 60k replaced with AGR that is now shot

4 sets of shocks (replaced fronts with rs9000sx under warranty)

5 steering stablizer shocks (2 sets of duals, currently running Rancho's)



front springs sagging 90k replaced with skyjacker 2 1/2" leveling kit



broken emergency brake handle (5 a$$ dealer broke first one) it's broke again now.



Fuel pump was noticed when fuel pressure gauge was installed during bombing at 60k miles, replaced with Mallory, now have 2 mallory pumps that I swap out when the brushes go out.



On third clutch, but they are normal wear and tear with about 60k miles or more on each.



When I replaced the last clutch, noticed that the transmission mount is broken.



transmission has lost 3rd gear synchros... . had new bearing and syncrhos put in transmission, still needs new input shaft, mainshaft and 5th gear.



Replaced heater core around 155k miles or so.



Trucks been in 4 wrecks (all minor) and stolen once. I still need to replace the steering box, get the bed lined with one of the spary in liners (plastic liner from the factory rubbed off the paint), I've got a cheap bumper on the rear end till I can find a solid rear bumper I like and looks good with my front bumper. It's a continual work in progress, but I don't plan on buying another truck so that I have to start all over finding the weak areas again.



Morph.

 

[RO'neal]

Well I thank the good Lord for the lack of problems I've had, I LOVE mine and haven't had anything major go wrong on it. As a matter of fact the only things I've "had" to work on was one LP and the track bar. I'm just over 60k now...

 

[Speedo]

'99 problems

Wow, do I feel lucky. I had the servo for the cruise control, one of

the motors for the power seat and the short block (cracked block)

replaced under warranty. I have replaced one rear wheel seal

and the t-case rear seal myself. I replaced both front brake

calipers when I replaced the front pads the second time because

they both had torn dust boots on the pistons. I had to rebuild the

transmission when I added engine enhancements before I did

anything to the transmission (my fault). My ball joints are still tight as

are the tie rod ends and drag link ends. I still have the original

track bar and it steers and brakes straight. I've only had to put

one windshield in it which I consider to be good for Alaska and

a set of Rancho 9000x shocks all the way around. I adjust the

rear brakes everytime I change oil and the rears are still in great

shape. I consider that good for 125k miles. I'll keep it another

couple of years before I get another one but I'll definitely get

another Ram dually with a Cummins.



Gus

 

[jkern]

99 troubles...

here is my story of a '99 (bought 2/99)



two lift pumps 35k miles and 40k,

front brakes, both of them running hot and sticking, fixed myself, with tearing them apart, polishing and lubercating, track bar at 32k, new one has some wear in it, stock steering box has lots of slop in it, but not leaking yet, new shocks all around and front springs, steering stablizer, right door speaker doesn't work, front and quad cab doors rattle excessively, rear brakes won't self adjust, LSD barely holds, but other than that, it has been a good truck.

 

[PLaFrombois]

I've also had some problems with my '99, just like everyone else. You should use this site to gather information about your truck and to learn what others are doing to their trucks. Yes, you'll see that these trucks have problems, and what some are doing to correct them. How much hp, driving style, and towing capacity will also have an effect on the rate of breakage. Don't get so worked up about the problems other members are having with their truck, that you aren't enjoying yours. When I first bought my truck and got on the TDR, I was a basket case. I wanted to sell the truck. I was scared to drive it because I thought it would break down when I left the driveway. After what seemed like an eternity, I started using this information to learn about my truck. I got under the truck and really looked at it, by finding the lift pump, #53, track bar, and everything else that is common for problems. I'm more comfortable with my ability to fix the problems when they occur, and until a problem arises I just drive the truck. When something breaks fix it, but most important enjoy the truck

Paul

 

[plongson]

Morphious story..

The Morphious story reminds me of the story of the Lost dog... one eye, three legs, broken teeth... answers to Lucky

 

[Morphious]

lmao... . pretty much true and I'm keeping till it completely falls apart. No way am I ever going to buy another new vehicle after the last three I've bought.



Morph.

 

[David_VT]

love the truck but....

99QC4x4SB

Bought new in may of 99

Now at 96K

Will buy another one eventually...

------------ --------------- ---------



Overall very happy with the truck but no longer expecting it to last forever. I am beginning to think the Ram's engine will end up in my gutless 91 suburban which simply won't die... .



The Ram has lived a hard life on the dirt roads of Vermont. I've pushed it hard in all extremes of weather and left it idling in the cold at accident scenes for hours. (idling at 1200RPM)



I added moderate hp toys and paid the price with a new clutch which the TDR fully warned me about ... ...



Not happy that I see more rust under my rig then on our 91 suburban. Not happy that the driver's seat cushion is worn open under my tiny little body Not happy to discover rust under the carpet in the cab due to leaks in the back wall of the cab.



About three months after I bought the truck I stopped topping off the fuel tank. I did this because every time I topped off the tank the gauge would get stuck. The problem has never happened since.



I have wear issues that I can't really blame on Dodge. They never said I could skip service, beat the truck and they would fix my neglect. Tie Rods, etc.



Sure I can get on a good rant every month when I make my truck payment but most of the time I see the cup half full.....



Right now the truck is in the driveway with no power steering or brakes... That is worthy of a good rant but I will spare you all. .



Cheers!!

ps: Yes (again) I'd buy another one

most powerful and most fun I've had with a truck!!

 

[Intelman34]

Sheesh... its threads like this that make people buy Powerstrokes.



I bought my 99 with 44k on it and it has 48k on it now.



I only had to change the lift pump becuase the wires on the stock one were corroded and fell off.



This is the best vehicle I have ever owned.

 

[CumminsDZL]

Ok i had to chime in on this one. When i was younger and dumber and wasnt a TDR member, i had a 99 QC 4x4 short bed auto. i really didnt care about the truck (company pays for it, and they let me drive it on my personal use also, goes home with me every night) and was very mean to the truck. it pulled 3000-18000 lbs every day of its life with the stock auto. it got the oil changed about every 15000 miles or longer. i would drive full throttle thru my neighborhood, pull in the driveway and turn it off, really good for the turbo! my way of making the transmission stay alive was to accelerate full speed until i got to the speed limit no matter what kind of load i had on it.



the truck was traded with 168,000 on it in November 2001. it went to the dealer once in its life for a speed sensor. thats it, no lift pumps, no VP44s, no worries, never used oil, never a problem. it was with out a doubt the toughest truck i have ever seen.



then i got my 01. 5. i love this truck, i take very good care of it. it is serviced once a month (every 6000-7000 miles). no more abuse. i have learned a lot in my 2 years of TDR membership. to date its problems have been:



1 clutch slave cylinder

1 Vp44 (second one is acting up a little)

i will put on my 3rd lift pump tom.

broke the yoke off the Dana 80

1 speed sensor.



this just goes to show you that it doesnt really matter what year the truck is or how it is treated, some are tough as nails, and some are just not quite as stout.



im not bashing my 01. 5 its been a great truck, but it cant compare to the 99.

 

[Idaho Native]

I think I'll...

go out in the driveway and give mine a big hug and kiss after reading this thread!!



Bought new in Nov '98... built in Sep '98. Some minor problems, but with 68K on it now, looks like I'll be keeping the thing forever!



Instrument cluster died (extended warranty paid for itself instantly), both doors rusted out (replaced under warranty and the body shop did an outstanding job). Other than that, just minor stuff.



Thought I needed a new one this fall, but the test drive did not impress me enough to shell out the money. Don't get me wrong, the new ones are awesome, but mine is paid for and treats me right every day.



I love this dang thing!!



Loren

 

[mcoleman]

My 99 Quad Cab sb 4x4 has 126,700 miles on it.

1 lift pump

1 track bar

on it's 2nd set of tires

1 set of batteries

1 set of front brakes

I bought it to use and it is used hard pulling horse trailers, race car trailers, hauling wood etc. . on the farm. Would do it over in a second compared to the 1/2 ton IFS junk Chubby I traded for it that had to have the frontend rebuilt twice in 130,000 miles. Rebuilt as in all new bearings, seals etc. . The transfer case was going out and it was needing brakes for the 3rd time when I traded. No more chevies for me.