Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) goin to the 5*...need some input

[jkern]

i am taking my truck into the 5 star dealer on tuesday to have the coolant whistle TSB done and have them work on the right front brake as the truck makes a nice U-turn when you step on the stop pedal. the other thing i want them to look at is the steering, the truck has some play in the steering wheel and wonders bad on back roads and is a small chore to drive straight on the interstate. (it was much better new) what can i do to make them fix this thing under warrenty? i have 34000miles on the truck and have a winch and bumper on it and had 33 inch tires too. i have put the stock tires back on, but i am afraid that they will site excess weight on the front end. i also put better spings and rancho shocks up fron too... am i up the creek with them or should i do the steering work myself? any advice would be great.



Jeremy

 

[EMDDIESEL]

You want advice?, dont go I HATE the dealer, they are terrible here.

 

[duaneparks]

There's also some information (if you search, I can't right now from work. . too time consuming) about setting the steering box pre-load to reduce wandering...



HTH



Duane

 

[work2muchplay2little]

This may be too little too late but here is a link to a survey of dealerships:



http://dodgeram.info/survey_dealer/Dealers.htm

 

[DSteinel]

Maybe the 5 star STEALERcan fix the brake problem, but you are up a long creek on the steering play. I took my 01 with 20,000 mi. in for the same problem and they said that the warranty had run out on allignment at 12000mi. so if I wanted them to check it out and if they did not find anything wrong they would charge me for it. They charged me $68 to check the fuel pressure, and they did it in the wrong spot anyhow. hope this helps



Dean

 

[illflem]

I trust the Arab mechanic down at the corner gas station more than the dealer, I wouldn't take my rigs in even for a recall.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Stopped into the local dealer to see if I could get the parts on Safety Recall # 970 (secondary hood latch) and #973 (throttle cable) and install myself. Nope, can't do it.



I already changed my throttle cable 2 years ago. Looked till I was blue in the face for the invoice to get reimbursed.



WD-40 on the hood latch and moniter for binding.



The more aftermarket stuff you have is more of a reason to do the work yourself. This way I know its done right.





... ... ... and I don't need to spend 2 hours repairing the dealer's work when I get it home.

 

[dan_gilson]

I can't say anything really good about the 5* that I bought the truck from. They can't seem to fix anything the first time.



I had the steering wander problem. The stock settings on the front will do that for you. If you get lucky they will check and say that it is within spec. If they are really good they will know the other settings to make it stop. I think they are posted here on the site somewhere. My tire shop knew exactly what do to and changing the castor/camber settings to the published after market settings have made a world of improvement. No more wander!



You may have something out of spec. Also you larger tires will probably contribute to this. As well as the heavier front bumper.



The brake problem could be a lot of things. The 1st thing that I would check is are they clean. Hit them both with a can of spray brake cleaner. It is cheap (<$5). The next thing that I would check is are you pins lubed. Kake a ?3/8"? allen wrench and pull 1 pin at a time. There are two per calibre. Make sure that they are lubed. If not lube them. I have had good luck with Anti-Sieze. It is high temp and does not drip. There are some other good silicon lubes out there for this purpose too.



If you have not gotten my point yet, you will probably be time and money ahead to check things yourself. If you still want to take it to the dealer fine. I hope you have a better experience that most of us.



For me I could go on for a couple of pages of the stupid things that they have done. I will attempt to correct any problem that I have. If it is engine I will take it to Cummins. Cummins has been great. When I make an appointment, they take the truck on time and deliver it back when promised. AND it is fixed the 1st time. Yes it cost me out of pocket but that is far less in time that going back to Dodge for an average or 3. 8 times per problem.



Sorry I am ranting again.

 

[jkern]

thanks

thanks for all the input... i have always done my work myself, i just had thought that since the truck was still under warrenty, why should i have to use my time and money when it should be done for free... maybe i am way off here!! anyhow, maybe i'll just have them fix the coolant whistle TSB... surely they can't screw that up too bad!!!



jeremy

 

[illflem]

They can foul up even the most simple things. Had a buddy take his in for the hood latch recall, piece of cake you would think. Mechanic got some sort of hand cleaner or solvent on the steering wheel that caused it to come apart, dealer said it was something the owner did and wouldn't fix it.

 

[JR2]

The dealer will do ANY mandatory reflashes with out asking you for permission. Several guys have had this happen.



John

 

[work2muchplay2little]

Originally posted by JR2

The dealer will do ANY mandatory reflashes with out asking you for permission. Several guys have had this happen.



John

The way it was explained to me is that the dealer tech scans the ECM/PCM and then uploads that info to DC, which in turn sends back the updates needed which the tech then downloads into the vehicle. The tech is just the delivery boy and doesn't have a say in what updates are installed.

 

[dan_gilson]

Another plug for Cummins here...



I had mine truck in for service at Cummins West and they asked me if I wanted the latest flash for the ISB (Not Dodge). I asked what the differences were and he read me off the list. My choice.



I could go on and on about the differences is service.