2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Maintenance Intervals - The "Non-DC" Schedule

[Joe Mc]

This is meant to be light, yet true to our experiences. It will probably remind us all of some not so fun things. I've been thinking about this for a little while and will try to be short, leaving room for the rest of you all to elaborate.



Here goes in intervals of 3k (I purchased with 75k dumped all fluids and started fresh):

3000 miles - oil & filter change, check/adjust rear brakes, inspect belt & hoses and look for trans, 4X case, differential and fuel system leaks. Grease shafts and steering zerks. Check trans fluid/oil.



6000 miles - same as 3000 - including: change fuel filter, check rear axle for oil seal leaks, clean and re-sli-glide those wonderful front calipers and check 4X case oil level. Balance and rotate wheels/tires.



9000 miles - same as 3000 - including inspect shaft carrier bearing, front & rear pinions and universals for excessive play.



12000 miles - same as 6000 - except replace those wonderful calipers (thank god lifetime warranty Wagner's loaded with new pads)



15000 miles - same as 3000 - remove rear drums & shoes (bounces when braking under 35 to 20 mph) fit to each other by bending frame on shoes.



It's a viscous circle I'll stop and allow someone else to elaborate I'm at 114k now have followed above and performed valve adjustment @ 100k. it's about time to re-fit the rear brakes and drums again - most recently replaced 3rd set of calipers - under lifetime warranty.

 

[Pit Bull]

I would say with your maintenance intervals and from what you are doing your truck should last longer than you will ever want to drive it. I do the same thing but at 5000 mile intervals. Bought mine new should last longer than I would want to own it. Nothing replaces good maintenance and a caring owner.

 

[rrausch]

I'm curious about how you inspect your carrier bearing. Do you drop the driveshaft?



I just got mine replaced at 135,000 miles, and am going to begin to inject the bearing itself with grease about every 20,000 miles or so. I've done that on all the other trucks I've owned and have never had to replace a carrier bearing. I didn't do it on this truck, because it seemed more difficult. My loss.

 

[y-knot]

I have too applaud your diligence in maintaining your truck. It is nice to see someone that makes the time and takes the effort required to properly maintain a vehicle. Some might criicize your efforts as being nit picky or over barring, but I think they are just fine. I, like you apparently, enjoy taking care of, and working on my vehicles. Good preventive maintenance checks and services never go out of style, they are classics. Usually handed down from one generation to the next, like other family trates. I often think back to when my father and I use to work together, those are very special and treasured memories. I hope my son remembers our times together working on thing with the same fondness as I do.

 

[JJW_ND]

I like to work on my truck too.....

But when I was driving more miles even 6K oil services were every three weeks. Then it got old. I started pulling oil samples to see what was going on. Even when operating my truck so it met or exceeded every severe service criteria, 6,000 mile changes on petro oil were overkill. Never had one get close to falling out of grade, no wear metals out of line, no probelms with soot or fuel etc. I now have found the same with full synthetic and 24K changes (no bypass here).



I see nothing wrong with very agressive oil change intervals. But one is not doing them for the good of your engine. Not hurting a thing but not extending or helping. Just spending some quality time with your Ram. On the other end one could say I am premature killing my engine when changing every 24K. I agree, while yours will last 800K to a million on 6K changes my will probably need work at 500 - 600K. Neither of us will ever live long enough to find out. I know I will not.



jjw

ND

 

[illflem]

I'm with JJW, started out with 3k oil changes then started doing analysis. Delo still good to go at 5k, then 7k, then 10k.

More frequent changes certainly won't hurt anything but I have to question if they help either.

The type of driving will make a big difference also, jjw and I both live in the wide open spaces, city driving is harder on oil and a truck in general.

 

[jwinnie]

I have no experience with the 4x4's, do they really need new calipers and pads every 12k? I suppose if all of your driving was stop and go but I'd be changing my calipers 3 times a year .

I rotate my tires and check all the brakes every 7k. With almost 80k on the truck the brakes still look/work great and I don't plan on changing them any time soon.

Oil gets changed every 7k and the transmission and rear end get dumped every 30k. Power steering and brake fluid are next to get flushed. Antifreeze gets it every 2 years.

The drive shaft carrier bearing also gets injected with grease and have never had a problem.

Fuel filter gets changed when it starts to slow the flow.

I think this is a pretty good maintenance schedule for a truck that spends all its time on the hwy. Any opinions??



John



P. S. I'd buy a used truck from Joe Mc in a heartbeat, good job, just get that brake problem fixed

 

[Joe Mc]

rraush - the Joe Mc method of inspecting the carrier bearing - I hang on it and bounce up and down, wiggle it and basically see if it's moving alot. I must look like Kris Kattan doing his Mr. Peebles on Saturday Night Live, as my wife saw my procedure one time and commented that it looked as if I was having a good time and wondered if it was good for my truck too:-laf



I look at my type of driving as very severe - I work only 3 miles away from home, there's 8 traffic signals and the Ram barley gets up to 190* by the time I reach work. Then about once a month or so I take it on a 1 - 200 mile trip and annually a 6000 mile trip. I use the block heater in the winter time even though it rarely drops below the 20's and I don't have anything to tow yet. Judging by pictures found inside the cab, prior to it being prepped at the dealer where I purchased it, of construction sites and the amount of debris inside the cab and in the bed, I know it's first 75k miles were "not" easy (not that she didn't like it). Not to mention the amount of debris under the bed liner and behind the back seat after I got it home. So I feel fine with making her remaining semi-retirement miles easy and trouble free. I do take pride in maintaining and working on my truck. I hope to keep it as long as I wish and when I'm done to have her in better shape for the next person than she was when I bought her.



jwinnie - I'm definitely a FREAK when it comes to my truck and am guilty of over kill. Especially since I won't pay anyone to do something I can do myself. However, the brakes really do stink on these pre-rear disk trucks, it stops fine but I can't wait to be rid of the bounce from the rear between 35 and 20. It's getting better just haven't quite dialed in the shoe to drum fit yet. As for the front calipers it's an up hill battle, which I'm slowly winning with lot's of Sli-Glide and frequent inspection.