why I hate my truck

[SOneill]

So, I have had this 03 CTD SO for a little over a year now, and here is the list of what has plagued me with this truck:



- grab handle @ 23K miles (paid by DC)

- CD player crapped out @ 24K (DC)

- lifter pump @ 30K miles (paid by DC)

- PS pump failed @ 32K miles (DC)

- U-joints F&R on driveshafts @ 35K (paid by DC)

- upper & lower ball joints @40K miles (paid by ME)

- e-brake cable broke (asked dealer to fix 3X, every time lied to me, and finally was out of warentee time: still broke & I won't fix with dealer on principle)

- inner & outer drag link, & both front wheel unitized bearings (paid by ME)

- Front wheels heavily cupped by bad unitized bearings, replaced with 19. 5s



Now, at 55,300 miles, I got in my truck Sunday to drive to a work conference, and the GD engine starts dumping coolant out of it!



So, I call DC to tow it in, call a cab, get a cab ride to the nearest airport, rent a minivan for the week, and call the dealer on Monday (today).



It turns out that it is NOT the water pump, but that the idler pulley on the engine had worn, and chewed a hole in one of the radiator hoses. And to kick me in the nuts on top of it all, this isn't covered under either the 7/70 drivetrain or the 7/100 on this truck. :-{} WTF is the deal with that? Another $250 I do not have (have to rob a package store now to get that).



All I ever seem to do is pour resources into something that is supposed to last forever (BIG JOKE THERE) and I have NEVER had the problems with any vehicle I have had with this truck (and I have owned a Pinto & Jeep CJ7s before) For the most part I have been covered under warentee, but the thing that worries me is that all this crap failed before, and there is no reason I can see why it wouldn't fail again (lift pump was converted to in-tank, which will just cost MORE when that goes, not if)



So anyways, what is the deal? Why wouldn't this be covered? Is there a rash of failing idler pulleys @ 55K, or is it like everything in my life, only I get thoroughly crapped on? I think it is the later, because they had to order it, so not a common failure part.



Not like I beat up on this truck either: I DD it to work, and occassionally tow 10K lbs max with it. I don't run it hard, I don't do doughnuts with it, I just drive the damn thing? What is the deal?



Shane

 

[RMalone]

You have a crapper truck for sure, if you can get out of it without losing your ***** trade it on something else. I won't even suggest another ram (you might be able to find me) :-laf . Seriously get rid of the pig before it drives you broke, crazy or both. Sorry to hear about your troubles!!

 

[Diesel Power]

sounds like a reletive of mine, its been a junker from the first month

 

[SOneill]

The thing that kills me about it, is I have done things to it based on plans for keeping the thing until I was an old man.



I put powersteps on it, nice 19. 5 alloys, and serviced it regularly. I gave this truck every chance to be a great truck, and never asked anything of it outside of it's design requirements, and I get rewarded with a big old steaming pile of problems.



I had a 95 boneville that I let my wife just trade in a different car with 150k on it, and it had two repair items on it the entire time I owned it: a HVAC switch, and a water pump. That says something.



My dually is at the dealer on average about every 5-6 weeks. And I got the thing last July with 22K miles on it... And, the PO never towed with it, because the hitch never had a receiver in it, and there was no trailer brake wired in.



I don't know if I should just cut my losses & sell it (still have a $550/mo payment for oh... EVER) or just do a trade-in (probably wouldn't get what I owe on it though).



Or, have I got all the damn gremlins now, or am I on the proverbial iceberg tip?



ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG





Shane

 

[PRush]

75,000 on my 03, Quad, 3500 SB,4x4, 48RE. Still original BFG Rugged Trails.

Water pumped deceased at 70,000, DC replaced. No other problems.

I am knocking on wood.

 

[SOneill]

75,000 on my 03, Quad, 3500 SB,4x4, 48RE. Still original BFG Rugged Trails.

Water pumped deceased at 70,000, DC replaced. No other problems.

I am knocking on wood.

You are a lucky guy my friend...



I should have dumped it when the lift pump went after 4 months of ownership.



Problem is I have no one else to trust right now in the "HD" truck market: Ford's 6. 0 sux (a CTD in a FoMoCo I would like), and a chevy truck is well... . a chevy CAR: they stopped being trucks in 1988 (1991 for 3+3s). I still own an 87 K30, but it is a gasser 454, and it doesn't pull as hard as the CTD, & gets half the milage. Maybe I should just do a 12V swap on the old K30???



Shane

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Maybe the Lemon Law would work in your favor therefore my suggestion would be to pursue that angle. As to what else to buy (since you tow) if it were me I would look for a good used 98 12v. Buy from an individual and try to get a sense as to his/her honesty. Once you own it you wont have to be dealing with dealers. Find a reputable independent shop. I bough my 98 12v new and have no intention of ever parting with it. After the wandering problem was solved it is a good truck. Not great but good. Maybe your truck was built in Mexico. Mine was built in St. Louis because it has a diesel in it. The gassers were built in mexico. I don't know if that has changed since I bought mine. Look on the drivers door jam and see. Wish you luck. I guess they are called dealers because most deal themselves the best cards. Wait until you pay $70 for a windshield washer tank when you replace it yourself, re-using the old attachments. Could not possibly cost the dealer more than 10 to 15 bucks. $50 for a fuel filter available (I found out later) at independent shops for $15. They are dealers alright dealing from the bottom of the deck. -- email address removed --

 

[swexlin]

SOneill, you have had an experience with your truck like I had with my 2001 F350 PSD. I know many people with the same Ford I had, and not a thing wrong - mine had 3 pages of warranty issues (a couple of which left me stranded) in only 35,000 miles. But, I'm not dissing the Fords - I simply got unlucky, and got a bad one. What did I do - I cut my losses, and got my current rig.



Has it been trouble free. NO. But better than the Ford. My point is, there are clunkers from every manufacturer, and you got one. No way around it. I would probably get rid of it, but that's me.

 

[BHolm]

I agree with swexlin. I had a '99 Ford PSD that I put 250k HARD miles on and the only thing it ever needed other than regular maint was a water pump. I had two Isuzumax trucks and had TONS of trouble with both of them while most guys think they are the best thing since sliced cheese. I have had four third gen Dodges and still own two of them. My '03 dually has almost 100k on it, was a work truck most of its life and hasn't had ANY of the problems you have.



One of your problems is the dealer. I would never ever ever trust them to diagnose my truck for anything. They are salespeople just like the ones in the front of the dealership. They will sell you crap you just do not need. Very few are mechanics anymore, they are simply parts changers. That probably accounts for half of your problems as I read the list.



I would unload the truck, I think you just have a bad one

 

[rbattelle]

An idler pulley rubbed a hole in a radiator hose? Sounds fishy... (not you, SOneill, the dealer).



Ryan

 

[SOneill]

An idler pulley rubbed a hole in a radiator hose? Sounds fishy... (not you, SOneill, the dealer).



Ryan

Well I thought so too Ryan. I mean, the thing never made a peep (I guess it could be hard to hear over the clatter of a diesel), and I have had idlers go before on TBI chevy SB & BB engines. I am just going to have to get a better look at the thing when I get back into town on Thursday & get it from the dealer. If I wasn't on my way out the door for a business trip, I could have spent a little time diagnosing what the deal was. I had bags of luggage and work clothes with me, and was NOT in the mood to deal with the truck.



I guess there is that eternal question: when has one man replaced enough crap that can go wrong on his truck to have made it reliable? Or, will it always be a turd?



I may change it's name from the BRD^3 to the BRT (Big Red Turd)... .



Just have to take it in stride I guess.



Could be worse: I could have had the engine grenade & have had boxes on it like some of you folks on here. I could never justify that cost.

 

[MCummings]

55k on our '05 and only 4 oil changes and 2 fuel filters, an air filter or two, a few windshield washer gallons, and who knows how much fuel. We pull 19k daily at 75MPH use 4x4 often and generally it runs in the 220* range because it is working so hard. Never been to the dealer, and we have zero problems.





I feel once a lemon, always a lemon. Take a loss, trade it in.



Merrick

 

[DGamelin]

I have to agree the dealers are going to be useless. I just tried to buy a new dodge at four different dealers ships and they sure like to play their games. I'd call them and tell them what I want they'd tell me they had it and either they didn't have or they would tell me why a truck in stock would better suit me. I made it clear to them I had worked in a car dealer ship and been a machanic most of my life. I buy and sell equipment now and haul it all over the country. I wasn't looking for advice, I knew what truck I wanted. All four different dealer ships were so agravating to deal with. I live in Michigan and found a dealer who had what I was looking for in Arkansaw. Went all the way down there to get it they didn't have it, had a truck that they thought was close enough and told me that they'd through in a bedliner to cover my trip. So I just went and bought a used one. I've already found a couple of problems with the truck I bought, I'm taking care of them my self. Anyways I sure hope your truck starts treating you better. You might want to find a local machanic you like and check on these things.



Good luck.





04. 5 3500 6x6 quad cab 6 speed 373 25K

93 250 2x4 xcab auto 355 240K

 

[SOneill]

The kicker for me was I HAD a great mechanic before: actually a personal friend of mine who did great work. Then I moved 250 miles away for work.



Then three weeks ago, I was told that I am going to move AGAIN. From Maine to New Hampshire (now) to Minnesota (summer 07).



Hard to build a relationship with a mechanic when you are a rolling stone.



I am mechanically inclined myself. Problem right now is I am living in an apartment complex with no shop capacities. When I move to MN, hopefully my home in Maine will sell, so I can have enough money to actually buy a house (with a big garage of course) in MN.



I am glad I don't have kids, because my life is nuts enough now, between the impending move, and the fact I am home about 7 days a month.....



Anyhow, I owe $7k more on the truck then it is worth in trade-in, so I will have to sit on it Hopefully she will start treating me better because it is getting old quick.



Shane

 

[BTighe]

why not try and sell outright? that would bring in more than trading. i got about 2k less for my 97 than i wanted (consignment) but the trans had about 5k left in it and i had just put in a new injector pump. my new truck and my old truck are costing me about the same amount of cash. i chose the new one this time

 

[RVTRKN]

The kicker for me was I HAD a great mechanic before: actually a personal friend of mine who did great work. Then I moved 250 miles away for work.



Then three weeks ago, I was told that I am going to move AGAIN. From Maine to New Hampshire (now) to Minnesota (summer 07).



Hard to build a relationship with a mechanic when you are a rolling stone.



I am mechanically inclined myself. Problem right now is I am living in an apartment complex with no shop capacities. When I move to MN, hopefully my home in Maine will sell, so I can have enough money to actually buy a house (with a big garage of course) in MN.



I am glad I don't have kids, because my life is nuts enough now, between the impending move, and the fact I am home about 7 days a month.....



Anyhow, I owe $7k more on the truck then it is worth in trade-in, so I will have to sit on it Hopefully she will start treating me better because it is getting old quick.



Shane

Did you know the previous owner? My brother bought a 03 2500 5sp mans tran 4X4 gasser work truck and has had numerous problems, he bought it used as well. I warned him not to buy used, due to the lemon law will not cover used vehicles, however it has been OK for the last 20K with 70K on it. As far as the tensioner, Dodge told me that there was nothing wrong with it on my 93 shadow POS and I removed it myself in front of the mechanic and proved it embarrassing him and had no more trouble at that dealer. The belt would always be off one tooth after 1K miles.

 

[CTD 600]

Get rid of it fast. If you are ****** off now, imagine how much worse it would be when its about 2 years from now.



Find a used one... with proven miles. That's what I would do!

 

[CStockton]

I say cut and run. I'm going through the same thing with my 98 K2500 Suburban. It's like the truck is haunted or something.



I'll compare my this vehicle is a pita list to anyone. I've fixed everything that's broken and I still feel bad about selling it because I feel I still be screwing the guy who buys it from me.



If it had been running properly at the time I would have traded it in when I bought the Ram.



I've owned many vehicles in my life but I've never had one that's had as many problems as this one. Glad to know I'm not alone.

 

[Grizzly]

I had the same experience with a furd F-250. Just out curiosity, was the truck assembled in St Louis or Mexico?

 

[ENafziger]

Seems some vehicles never let up...



I stayed with my 1990 K1500 Chevy 4x4 through a new engine @ 107k, a new rear end, 4 transmissions, a transfer case, an EPROM computer chip, wheel cylinders, radiator, shocks, exhaust, alternators, water pumps, multiple driveshaft u-joints, unexplained tire blow-outs, factory tape deck quit, guage cluster went south, odometer started rolling backwards--actually taking miles off the vehicle, steering wheel fell off, CV axles went bad, AC quit working, headlights both quit at the same time in the middle of the night 20 miles offroad, battery cables, three fuel pumps, two throttle body rebuilds, fan clutch, torque convertor solenoid, and on and on and on...



I've had the bad experience of learning that vehicles that start giving problems usually don't let up. When my monthly bill at the auto parts store became higher than a new truck payment, I finally gave in. I hate to be pessimistic, but it may be best to count your losses. I would have been money ahead to push mine off a cliff the day I got it. Instead, I sold it for $2500 after putting over $12,000 in parts into it in a couple years time. Oh well, live and learn!