Tired of this......

[Deleted member 995608]

Sag, S. R. , just keep that wishful thinking attitude because as you know,. attitude is everything. . Then after the big crap happens, you can recall what a "great truck it was"...

Dude, I think ya need to start a "I hate my truck" thread somewhere else.



I'll give a dollar to go buy a Ferd if ya promiss to leave TDR

 

[SierraRam]

Yes they are a weak link, so when they fail trade your truck in

 

[SierraRam]

Sag, S. R. , just keep that wishful thinking attitude because as you know,. attitude is everything. . Then after the big crap happens, you can recall what a "great truck it was"...

Yes they are a weak link, so when they fail trade your truck in :-laf Seems like the aftermarket has solutions for the "Designed to FAIL" parts of the OEM. All mfgs want to sell new vehicles. You think only Chrysler acts like this?



I have had major mechanical failures on just about every truck I have owned, I fix it and move on. But when I fix something I try to improve on the OEM parts.



Oh yes I do love this truck!

 

[algonaman]

At Chryslers behest, there is quite a bit of amount of allowed play in the BJ's and still be in spec. Why the engineers did it this way is a mystery to me, and maybe one of the many reasons I come to the TDR!

 

[steved]

At Chryslers behest, there is quite a bit of amount of allowed play in the BJ's and still be in spec. Why the engineers did it this way is a mystery to me, and maybe one of the many reasons I come to the TDR!

Because unlike the Dana versions, there is no provision to apply preload to the joints... as soon as you get any wear, it shows as play. The Dana axles have an additional threaded insert in the upper joint that allows you to introduce preload onto the joints, some guys would periodically retorque this insert and get a lot of life out of their Dana joints.



I remember when I first bought my 3rd gen there were a LOT of guys having the ball joints warrantied for "excessive" play, then DCX introduced the ball joint specifications and started making the dealers follow it for any claims, there were a lot of unhappy Dodge owners for a while. There were a lot of threads on the subject.

 

[Fiver]

At 72k I just had new ball joints (XRFs) installed but discovered that both hub bearing assemblys were totally rusted out so replaced those with Moogs. Maybe it was Idaho road salt in winter? Mechanic said he'd not seen this (to this extent) on a dodge before. I bought the truck new in 03 and it is in the garage when not on the road and of course have only averaged 8k miles a year. Oh well, I can move a little faster now with a lighter wallet.

 

[Yo Hoot]

Yea I dumped a lot of money in mine too.

Carli uppers and Napa lowers (don't remember which ones)

2008 upgraded steering.

Front axle u-joints.

Front spindle bearings ( old ones looked ok but did them while doing the joints)

Just did the rear brakes at 119,000. Fronts were done twice.

Had the prop shaft rebuilt. . removed the damper, cut it apart, rewelded and balanced.

Now it needs a steering box and pump. My buddy always tells me it's the big tires. He's probably right.

The motor and trans have been 100% reliable. Never broke down. I did do a lot of mods to the engine and trans but only for the power, not because something went wrong.

 

[KnightR]

Just got back from a service call on my 98 dodge. Had him check to see if the rebuild of 15K ago had a KDP tab. It did'nt and the pin was just starting to breach the opening. Placed a tab and removed, cleaned, locktite, and retorqued the inner bolts. Including kit bill was $375 seem fair... ... but said I had a oil leak gasket inner gasket..... and possible fuel problem like not getting enough fuel. That could mean a new P pump and injectors. Bill of around $2300. So folks moral of the story. I never ever seen a drop of oil on the ground under my truck. Does'nt smoke period. Starts with a tap of the key. Does'nt use oil gets around 17 MPG. and its 4X4 3500 dually. So who do I believe. I believe I'll drive it till the front license plate falls off.

 

[HBarlow]

I've always wondered also. I've never owned a four wheel drive truck and don't plan to but have asked my mechanic friend who worked in a Dodge dealership for eight or ten years. He said they rarely changed front end parts on Dodges.

 

[Jim W]

At Chryslers behest, there is quite a bit of amount of allowed play in the BJ's and still be in spec. Why the engineers did it this way is a mystery to me, and maybe one of the many reasons I come to the TDR!

You asked why? Because the engineers design to a marketing request and to the accounting department audits that are preformed on the design. They also design to a B10 life targets that are set for the component; this means 10% of the components will fail before they reach their design life target. If they did not design this way than you could not afford to buy the truck. The selling price would be more than a large earthmover tractor somewhere in the neighbor hood of 1. 5 million dollars.

Jim W.

 

[TGVET]

Dude, I think ya need to start a "I hate my truck" thread somewhere else.



I'll give a dollar to go buy a Ferd if ya promiss to leave TDR

Last I checked, this was an open forum, a place to express ones experiences as well as learn from and share with all about their trucks. NOT a place to submit personal attacks against those who are doing so.



As far as leaving TDR, don't hold your breath. . DUDE !

 

[steved]

As far as leaving TDR, don't hold your breath. . DUDE !

I will be leaving in a month or so... trading or outright selling my truck and buying another 2500HD/3500SRW, likely not going to be a Dodge/Ram and definitely not going to be a diesel this go around. For my family's current use, a diesel isn't warranted any more. Very limited towing, not many miles put on these days, etc... for the limited towing I do, I can offset the added cost for lost mpg with the savings from not buying the diesel by a lot.



And unless you actually need or just want a diesel, they are getting pretty much cost prohibitive for the average guy anymore. Between the initial up charge for the diesel, the added DEF and higher fuel prices, the added cost to maintain, and (typically) higher cost to repair (sorry, mine has not been repair/trouble free); they can be expensive to own as a toy. At one time they were well worth the added cost (they were cheaper to own than a gasser not all that long ago), but now; that's not really the case and very debatable.



It pains me, as I've been a Dodge guy my entire life; but after the injectors, clutch pains, and the latest $$$$ in the steering repairs... I'm sort of disgusted.

 

[MegaJeff]

Well... on a brighter note... . diesel came down to $3. 99/gal yesterday and regular unleaded went up to $3. 99/gal so I don't know what's going on but I like that dynamic! I remember back in 06 when I bought my last truck, diesel was so cheap I felt like I was cheating somehow by driving this big ol Megacab 3/4 ton4x4. Payback stinks!

Looking into making B100 with some neighbors. We all have diesels and it is starting to make sense in AZ where it won't get too cold. Maybe we'll get that cheating feeling back?

 

[steved]

When I got my first diesel, fuel was around 75 cents, and gasoline was almost a buck. Add that to the crazy mileage the 1st and 2nd gens got, and it was awesome. Diesel is $4. 36 and premium fuel is $4. 15 around here, a big difference from back then...

 

[TGVET]

Iv'e ranted about my GMC Suburban, factory ordered to the max delivered w/6. 5TD in Oct. 95. A cream puff to say the least, 20 mpg tank to tank not bad for an 8Klb road boat. Then, diesel fuel was about 90 cents, gas over buck50, I used to laugh at the gassers for a very long time. THEN, it started creeping up,up, up do to what I believe was the popularity increase of people buying diesel trucks taking advantage of lower fuel $$, and not bad MPG's either.



WE are getting ripped off to the max, diesel (aka out here as "PREMIUM diesel") should be a fraction of the cost to gas.



#2 cyl. in the Sub ate an exh. valve in 2005 @ 476K, guess I got my moneys worth. Needed another rig ASAP, got my Ram and was overly thrilled up until 2. 5 years ago when little things started to break transitioning into bigger and yet bigger in reference to cost to replace and the most stupidest of things. One would think that by the time 2005 rolled around workmanship, technology, pride in building something of value and performance would be revered by many for a very long time.



So as not to attract anymore personal attacks, I'll skip over everything that is wrong with my truck, at least for this post. In hind sight, I really wish I would have put a new 6. 5 right back into my Sub, but I test drove the Big 3 w/ the Ram being the last and was in love. . My second Chrysler product, and first real power cruiser.



All I'm going to do from here on is just keep fixing it to a point I hope to reach where it will be a NON-OEM precision machine, the way it should have been built in the first place at a cost of over 45,000. 00 hard earned dollars. .



I will never buy another brand new vehicle especially a Dodge.

 

[AEdelheit]

I think you would be disappointed with any new vehicle regardless of make, we have 2 2011 Fords at work and I dont understand how people could ever like one of those.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Anyone that even THINKS they want a new ford, PM me. They are the biggest pile on the road... ... ... ... ... ..... Except for maybe the last two diesels that ford has offered!!! I just got rid of a bad decision and got another 06 Cummins and couldn't be happier. I'll throw money at the trans and put some good ball joints and some other suspension parts at her. It's easy to deal with failures when you KNOW whats going to happen. WIth the FERDS, you just never know how bad it's going to hurt!

 

[amsoilman]

My first Diesel was a 1991 Dodge, and I have never looked back!! I have now had 4 of them, and each got better and better in regards to upgrading, such as suspension, drive train, interior, exterior, and as far as I'm concerned RELIABILITY, as I have never had a MAJOR problem with any of them. My 2003, was never back to the shop except for a recall. My 94' model had a small problem with the overdrive, which did cause a rebuild of it as well as the transmission, but I attribute that to my installing of engine power upgrades.

 

[rscurtis]

TGVET, I looked at one of those before I bought my '95 Dodge. I was considering the engine in a Blazer. I just wasn't impressed with its layout, espescially several glow plugs that were virtually inaccessible. Based on your experience, it would have lasted a long time. It was certainly a rare vehicle, I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one.

 

[BHiggins]

My truck has 29k miles on it, already I've done a clutch (dual-mass flywheel failure at 21k miles), both batteries, it's failed to start a half a dozen times (problem still unknown), tires, radio, theft-deterrent/keyless entry module (or whatever that thing is called), the list goes on and on... I've been a Dodge guy for decades, but the Ram just isn't a quality product anymore. I can't speak for Ford or Chevy (they may have problems too), but I can tell you I'll never buy another Dodge.