Service before Major trip

[Cummins12V98]

Goody bag. Website hand written to apply for said goody bag.

 

[Robbie Antonosn]

Never even seen any news on a Class action on the 67A recall. Interesting. Buys a few gallons a fuel while the Lawyers get rich off of BS.
I scheduled a apt next week. Hope it does not screw with too much and if it does, they have parts to fix available.

 

[kthaxton]

The check was for allowing a company to run some diagnostic on your truck after the 67A.

Ahhh, I see. I had not heard of them doing that. Suppose it was random selection.

 

[Robbie Antonosn]

Well that check is for a class action against FCA And Cummins. For 13,14 &15 MY with the Cummins in 2500/3500. Bought only in certain states of the US. FCA & Cummins settled after a couple years with out admitting to the claims that the SCR system was not working right(talking about White Washing, couple of things I did not register in my brain). Anyhow, settlement was for $4,800.000. Anyhow, I will not be getting check!

 

[johnmyster]

Alternator brushes? Rear axle bearing adjustment? Man, we're picking some random stuff to worry about.

Every parts store everywhere has an alternator and brake calipers for these trucks.

DEF system - get a spare injector from Genos for $99 and keep it in the truck. Make sure the bolts are loose and not seized. 10/12mm box end wrench in your toolbox.

Do a water pump, new belt, and whatever hoses you can. Carry your old belt with you. Do a new idler and tensioner if miles are high and you're concerned. Use a coolant that you can buy/find at truck stops, walmart, parts store, etc.

I hate taking a trip and knowing I just touched a bunch of stuff. All the spare tools and parts to be able to redo a job on items that I now "own" because I recently touched them.

 

[Grumpy8811]

Alternator brushes? Rear axle bearing adjustment? Man, we're picking some random stuff to worry about.

.

that is the truth.. remember reading something from AAA that 98% of their road service calls were dead battery, flat tire or out of fuel... so take care of the stuff you need to maintain, take care of the iffy stuff before you leave and don't worry about the rest of it because if it is something so bad it leaves you dead in the water, chances are you can't fix it on the road anyway, or at least not without someone else's help.

 

[Robbie Antonosn]

Thanks for the thoughts. At 67 and a well traveled Road tripper, vehicle dependant back country camper, away from the urban centers. Moslty in Toyota Land Cruisers. I have not been stranded in the middle of No Where on my trips. I have typically had what I needed or have been able to get home. Maintance before hand, Taking care of the little things that bite one in the A$$. Just my way of doing it.
Being new to this platform, Ram trucks. Not finding much on this Forum(only one I visit for Ram. So far like the way people interact), about Wheel bearings (rear), and the Starters and alternators. These I can handle. I can see Ram/Dodge has picked some good designs for reliability in may ways. Maybe I am not use to the Nature of 1 ton trucks and how much more sturdy they are in not needing as much Maintaince as the lighter duty truck/Suv's I have been traveling in.
The thing that is the biggest issue(will take care of that in a couple of years), is the stupid DPF system that will not allow one to travel too far to get to a area with a shop that will have the tools if needed. Yes, I plan on Deleting this stupid system in the future(especially If I travel farther south of the border, plans to see more of this earth before I pass). I do like that I am not putting out as much NOX, but if it stops one dead in their tracks, that can be life threating and Crimnal in my mind.
I can see the mind set of not being prepared. There are parts in part stores in every Urban center. Till there is not the part you need. Not worried, but hell, a set of Brushing in their holder only weight a few ounces, and take up no space. Same with the Starter contacts back in the past. Same thought as carrying extra fuel filters in case of bad fuel.
I once lost a battery traveling thru the Serria Madries from Santa Fe New Mexico to Matizlan, Mexico. Trip was going well. Went thru the Copper Canyon area of Central Mountains. Took a 4x4 Road on a map, traveled on a road thru a village that the road was in a creek, down the mountains.
Pick up a hitch hiker with a Gun in his belt, gave him a ride, he got and walked to a big mansion in the middle of no where(yes got lucky).
Spent a wonderful week traveling to Mazitlan, But 2 days from the beach/Hotel, we lost the battery, Dropped a Cell. It was about 34-36 degrees. out side. Had a manual transmission. I put my my girlfriend at the time(now my wife), Behind the wheel, pushed the Vehicle down the hill, she popped started the Runner and off we went. For the next 24 hrs, the truck did not stop. See, that fuel injection system needs 10.5V nominal voltage for the Computer to run. The alternator will not generate that much voltage till it spins fast enough to do it. I had pored Hot water to get my Voltage up to 10.25 and crossed my fingers. it was 36 degrees out that night, at about 10K ft elevation in the mountains.
When I have 20 years with the Ram platform as I believe I will(another 16 on top of the 4 I already have) I think I will have a better handle on what I need to take when I travel. Until then, I ask questions. I load up the Hard side camper and do 3-5 days trip off pavement currently. The last was in late Decemeber on the Camino De Diablo in Arizona along the Border. No cell phone, Did have Star link for the Wife's Work. I doubt if I had lost the Alternator bushing two days away from any where I could find a Alternator.
Same in Canada, Which travleing to AK, one will at least a Days drive away from an Urban center that depending on Size, may or may not have the part you need.
I can see the mind set of not worring in the Continental US. We have it pretty well.
Again, thanks for the Thoughts. Cheers.

 

[Ozymandias]

Rear wheel bearings usually last the life of the truck as they run submerged in the differential oil. Very few problems there and if then it is the seal to start leaking.

Factory alternator is also very long lasting.

 

[Grumpy8811]

Factory alternator is also very long lasting.

to be honest, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone complaining about the short life of alternators on these trucks
mine has 165k miles on it. Starter motor too.

IMHO the stuff brought up on this particular thread makes think the thread starter is being overdramatic.
I'm heading for Tuktoyatuk NWT in about a month in my 9 year old truck with my 8 year old trailer
.. My batteries are 6 years old, most of the truck is original
I'm not carrying 2 spare tires or any of the other stuff some people seem to think necessary to drive on a glong gravel road
because if something happens I will deal with it..

 

[johnmyster]

I'm not carrying 2 spare tires or any of the other stuff some people seem to think necessary to drive on a glong gravel road
because if something happens I will deal with it..

I'm with you, or perhaps I'm more obsessive. I carry stuff that is cheap and easy that would be a silly way to ruin a trip. Bonus if it's light weight, or a used part I took off, or something I'll need in the future anyway. Especially if it's parts I just took off and don't trust the new ones yet. IE, I carried a brake caliper on our last trip.

I have the set of low beam halogen take outs in case one of my HIDs poops. Because a long drive with one light would be annoying and a trip to the store sounds like a waste of precious vacation when it's so easy to carry spares.

I have my old air filter that has plenty of life left. A gallon of oil. A quart of ATF. A gallon of coolant concentrate. A set of fuel filters. A used transmission thermostat block. A new DEF injector with bolts and gasket. A new water pump. My old belt. A new heater core plastic elbow. Plenty of hose clamps. I think right now I have a full set of takeoff radiator hoses, idler, and tensioner in the camper. Spare hitch pin assortment, spare hitch, and spare breakaway lanyard. A few lug nuts. Fuses of all types. Tire plugs and a compressor. Duct tape.

If I was anal I'd find a DEF pump module that fell off someone's truck.

I'm not carrying rear axle seals.

It probably depends on if you're retired and taking long, relaxed, adventure trips vs myself, when I'm taking long weekends and have a day I'm expected back at the office.

Two winters ago my alternator went on my last diesel truck. 16 years old and 300k+ miles. Was at a truck stop getting fuel and got a low voltage message. Day after Christmas, in the teens. Toddler sleeping in car seat. Wife as passenger. I turned off as much stuff as I could, watched the voltage gauge, calmy drove home. Wife asked why we were skipping other stops. My reply, sleeping toddler, I'd run those errands later. Drove home, dropped them off, and then continued on to the parts store.

 

[Cummins12V98]

to be honest, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone complaining about the short life of alternators on these trucks
mine has 165k miles on it. Starter motor too.

IMHO the stuff brought up on this particular thread makes think the thread starter is being overdramatic.
I'm heading for Tuktoyatuk NWT in about a month in my 9 year old truck with my 8 year old trailer
.. My batteries are 6 years old, most of the truck is original
I'm not carrying 2 spare tires or any of the other stuff some people seem to think necessary to drive on a glong gravel road
because if something happens I will deal with it..

I would replace the batteries. You are on borrowed time IMHO.

This is my son’s truck, batteries just over 4 years old AGM Costco. Funny part of this story his truck has an AISIN trans. New batteries cured the weird notice.

 

[Grumpy8811]

I would replace the batteries. You are on borrowed time IMHO.

This is my son’s truck, batteries just over 4 years old AGM Costco. Funny part of this story his truck has an AISIN trans. New batteries cured the weird notice. View attachment 143359

of course you would replace your batteries.. you are probably more OCD than practical would be my guess.


I load tested mine a few days ago with my OTC Battery tester. they are still good..
my batteries are relabelled Car Quest AGM's with a Discount Advanced Auto Parts label slapped over the CarQuest label .
if I thought for a monent they were going to fail I would replace them but so far they are great.

like everything else on the truck. it is holding up well.
on mine the only thing that ever caused problems was the DEF system, and that stuff went the way of the passenger pigeon.

 

[Robbie Antonosn]

Thanks Grumpy made my day. Never been called a Drama queen before(my interpretation of Over Dramatic).
Thanks for the comments. Understanding more about the Rams all the time. Good knowledge. Wishing I had got on the
band wagon many years ago. I would have more knowledge.

 

[Ozymandias]

I see that you are used to light duty vehicles where stuff starts to fail at the milage you mentioned - this isn't the case with our vehicles, they are much better lasting most of the time. Sure stuff can fail but there isn't a ticking clock that tells you now is the time as you are used to.

 

[Robbie Antonosn]

Thanks Ozymandias; great knowledge to have. Thanks for sharing.
Robbie

 

[AH64ID]

I had to have the alternator rebuilt on my 05 at relatively low miles due to weak batteries trashing the brushes, part of the problem with a 136A alternator.

Alternator issues are rare with the newer, larger, OEM alternators.