Dodge RAM Woes

kiddiccarus

The first widely accepted Tranny
20+ Year Stangneter :roc</strong><span class=
Dec 24, 2003
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30 Mins from a Ragged GT
So, in my re-introduction thread that became my progress thread, I posted a few pictures of how life had its ups and downs and how I turned it all positive and all that good garbage.

Well...... Back in July of last year, there was a "little" thunderstorm here in the great state of KY which is becoming "little Seattle" because of all this damn rain. I wish I didn't delete all of the pictures of the damage that happened when the tree fell on my truck. I do have the picture of it as it sits today.
20200313_153344_HDR.webp
It took out my bed, the sliding glass window, the roof and the drivers rear door.

* We removed the tree and straightened the body the best we could.
* We had to seal the rear drivers door to keep the water out, used undercoating, some rubber, some silicone and gorilla tape.
* We put some Lexan in the rear instead of glass. If the thing would have taken a real pane of glass I would still be driving it.

The day I came back to work after the tree incident, I began to google for a replacement. The very first truck that I found was relatively local to me but at a lot where I would not usually go and purchase anything, but this truck is a clone in 90% of the features. So, I called them up (and Ragged GT may be the one who gets on me about the lot "44 Automart" in Shepherdsville) and took the truck out for a spin that night. I was upfront with the salesman and told him to tell me the real deal on the truck. I explained to him where I worked and what I do for a living and that some repair work would not scare me. He was cool with that and assured me that he was not aware of any major issues. We took the truck out and put it through some tests. I listed things as we drove that needed addressed and showed him how to test future vehicles for the same thing. He took note of each of the things and when we returned to the shop, he asked me if I wanted them to fix it or begin reducing the price. I chose the latter and took the truck home below KBB value. I had everything addressed in 2 days time and turned to swapping parts from one truck to the other.

*** NO this is not the other side of the same truck, this is an 04 where the old truck is an 02. They Both are RWD, 4.7 Quad Cab SLT

20200313_154603.webp

My son and I got into the old truck and basically gutted it inside and out for parts to put on the new truck.

* Bumpers
* Door Glass
* Interior panels
* Stereo (complete with head, amp and all speakers)
* Dash parts and switches
* Wheels and Tires
* Spare Tire
* Head lamp and tail lamp assemblies
* Rear View Mirror (has a tint-able option)
* Battery

I will do the plugs, wires, etc soon now that the Mustang is back running as my DD
 
I will do the plugs, wires, etc soon now that the Mustang is back running as my DD
Ditch the Champion Copper that was OEM for a good NGK or Denso platinum or iridium plug and you won't have to do them every 30,000 miles. That, and replacing the ATF+4 trans fluid with Dexron III fortified with LubeGuard were the two best things I did to my 2003 Ram with the 4.7 in it.

Why in the hell Chrysler stuck with copper plugs for so long (hell, as far as I know they may still use them) after the entire rest of the industry went platinum, and then iridium, is beyond me. Most platinum plugs will last 50,000-100,000 miles. I've pulled 100,000 Iridium plugs that still had zero gap erosion. Why the hell a synthetic transmission fluid like ATF+4 breaks down faster than old-fashioned Dexron III with a friction modifier added is a mystery too.
 
Because $PROFIT$ for the Service Department! Same reason why they make so many products now (not just cars) that can't be easily fixed, just pitched and replaced.
 
Because $PROFIT$ for the Service Department! Same reason why they make so many products now (not just cars) that can't be easily fixed, just pitched and replaced.
That's just it, 5R45 transmissions with ATF+4 in them usually failed under warranty, hurting said profits!