Dodge Ram Quadcab SLT - Thoughts?

[maverickfhs]

So I looked at an 05 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi, with ~180K miles today.

It has rust on rear wheel wells and need 2 tires. What should I be paying special attention and is engine an transmission reliable on these Hemi? Truck was riding fine, but does have rust on the exhaust and muffler areas.

Is rust fixable in below areas or means I should keep looking? Thanks for the help

 

[HangFire]

Rust there is common, fixable, will probably return after fixing. If looking at Rams over 10 years old, just expect it. Use it as a bargaining chip.

At 180K transmission reliability will depend on towing/plowing history and owner care more than reputation. If it was a bad transmission, it's already been repair. If it's a good one, it might be almost done.

Perhaps some Semi-Hemi owners can weigh in on the 5.7L. If you're really concerned, have a mechanic do a leakdown and wet/dry test on it.

 

[maverickfhs]

Thanks Hangfire, always appreciate your valuable advice. Owner has towed a boat with it and it's 4x4. But it was shifting fine and I can ask for records about the fluids being changed and all.

With proper fluids, is transmission still going to give up or a possibility it can last for a bit?

 

[HangFire]

If the boat was a reasonable size and the owner didn't go 80MPH all the time with it.. and it is shifting fine, you should get at least some miles out of it. All transmissions give up at some point.

Does it have the tow package? (Transmission and P/S coolers). Hopefully it does, that really helps keep ATF temps down, which really helps the transmission last.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted by HangFire
If the boat was a reasonable size and the owner didn't go 80MPH all the time with it.. and it is shifting fine, you should get at least some miles out of it. All transmissions give up at some point.

Does it have the tow package? (Transmission and P/S coolers). Hopefully it does, that really helps keep ATF temps down, which really helps the transmission last.

Yes, I was told it has a tow package.

I did check the dip stick for ATF and at least fluid was pink in color. I believe boat was 23ft one.

 

[clinebarger]

*Listen CLOSELY for ticking noises around the exhaust manifolds! The manifold studs are notorious for breaking off from heat cycles!
*Make sure all the HVAC functions work, The recirculate door is known to break-off & cover the blower motor inlet cause really poor air volume in all modes.
*Dash cracks?
*Condenser Fan failures are common & the condenser has to be removed to replace the fan.
*Evaporator Core failure rates are astronomically high on these. Have the A/C charge checked!
*The 545RFE is a really good transmission, Don't let anyone tell you different! Towing over-weight & overheating it will kill any unit. Fluid exchange & replacing the 2 filters in the pan is recommended. Light years better than the 46RE that it replaced!
*Knowing Chrysler/Dodge.....The front end is probably worn the "F" out, I would have it checked by a mechanic/front end shop!
*Oil Pressure switch/sender leakage, Chrysler likes to use "Standard" as OE for pressure & temp sensors, You know......The brand that discount auto parts stores sell.
*Integrated Power Module issues......Some relays are soldered to a board inside the IPM. They are replaceable with some good soldering skills. (Chrysler doesn't support service of the IPM), Check everything electrical.

Can't help with the rust issues as it's not a problem in North Texas. One may think I'm hating on Dodge/Chrysler.....I'm not, In fact my niece has a 2003 with a 4.7L/545RFE & it's been decent truck outside the HVAC issues.

 

[229]

I had to give an '05 away because of TIPM and ECM issues. Plenty of videos on the tube about them.

 

[supton]

That rust looks bad--what else is rusty?

That said, if that's the worst of it, do you care if you just patch it? Does it have to look factory OEM for the rust repair, or can you just cut and patch and hit with some primer, and call it good?

I'm thinking, if you want it to look good, I'd keep walking. My vehicles seem to rust from the bottom up, so if I had rust like that it'd mean brake lines etc were pretty crusty.

Did you crawl around under it and check lines, frame, etc?

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted by supton
That rust looks bad--what else is rusty?

That said, if that's the worst of it, do you care if you just patch it? Does it have to look factory OEM for the rust repair, or can you just cut and patch and hit with some primer, and call it good?

I'm thinking, if you want it to look good, I'd keep walking. My vehicles seem to rust from the bottom up, so if I had rust like that it'd mean brake lines etc were pretty crusty.

Did you crawl around under it and check lines, frame, etc?


Thanks supton, I saw rust on the differential, whole exhaust pipe(muffler, cat etc..) and other parts. But surprisingly front end was fairly good and rubber components were in good condition .

I am not sure if that rust is repairable? If I take it to a body shop, not sure if it's going to be worth it - plus a lousy job would be same as leaving it as-is, I guess.

Still debating if I take a gamble or keep walking - truck has been maintained at the Dodge dealer and all recalls and service is up to date.

 

[dogememe]

Somebody gave me an 05 Ram a while back. I put a loud muffler on to cover up the howl of the bad rear end and used Bars HG-1 to fix the bad head gasket and sold it for $1000.

Also, the heater core was bad, and the exhaust manifold made noise, both of which was a big job so I didn't bother fixing those things. Also some other issues.

Otherwise it drove great for a 230k mile truck.

 

[supton]

I don't want to say that rust is terminal, but I have to wonder if it's worth fixing, I mean, is the rest of it just as rusty? How much would a rust-free bed cost? And does it matter on a 13 or 14 year old truck with 180k on the clock?

 

[JTK]

I wonder if you could remove the loose stuff, POR-15 the heck out of it and cover the effected area with big set of aftermarket fender flares?

Like mentioned, frame, chassis, brake lines, transmission lines, electronics.. Those would make it inop more so than the external rust.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted by supton
I don't want to say that rust is terminal, but I have to wonder if it's worth fixing, I mean, is the rest of it just as rusty? How much would a rust-free bed cost? And does it matter on a 13 or 14 year old truck with 180k on the clock?

For me, the objects of fixing rust is to a.) get it past new owner inspection, and b.) get it safe (frame is sound, don't draw back exhaust into the cab) and c.) don't advertise to the highway patrol that I'm an easy inspection ticket. Of course, rear fender rust is not an exhaust inhalation hazard, but you have to inspect everything.

How long you will use, and what you use for the truck for is a big determinator. If it's a backup vehicle, weekend dump run and occasional tow vehicle, you have the luxury of fixing stuff at your own pace, researching cheapest alternatives, letting it sit broke for a week or so before you get back to it. This describes my Dakota. Last year it gave me fits with the CEL, one thing after another, eliminated a bunch of evap code causes and then the ECU threw an "I'm dying" ECC memory error. I got a rebuild ECU from a service (CarComputerExchange) that was worse, but they sent me another on warranty and then things are fine again.But that whole process took a couple of months.

On the other hand if it is going to be your daily driver you depend on for work, or you're going to work the truck for your living, it would be wiser to get a lower mileage vehicle for more money, then get a high mileage beater and have to sink a lot into it up front just to get it ready for regular service.

PS It took 7 starts for the ECU ECC CEL code to come back after being cleared, keep that in mind when shopping for Chrysler trucks.

 

[fdcg27]

That looks bad and would not be easy to repair in a way that would last more than a couple of years and a proper repair would be expensive.
How much for the truck?
For maybe 3K, take it home.
For a lot more, leave it be.
Aside from the rust, there are too many unknown unknowns in a 180K Dodge nearly a decade and a half in age to pay very much for it.

 

[DoubleWasp]

That part of these trucks rusts even in FL. It's a simple repair for a qualified metal worker who does body work.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
That part of these trucks rusts even in FL. It's a simple repair for a qualified metal worker who does body work.


It isn't that complicated a repair, but with the need to cut out the rusted section, weld in a patch part and then smooth everything out, prep it and paint it, it won't be a cheap one.

 

[VNTS]

all the [censored] trucks,gm, ford, toyota all rust around the wheel arches, because the construction and no one ever yanks the inner fender liners and cleans the muck out.

go buy some patch panels, cut out the rot, tack them in and or 3m bonding adhesive. then repaint.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted by fdcg27
Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
That part of these trucks rusts even in FL. It's a simple repair for a qualified metal worker who does body work.


It isn't that complicated a repair, but with the need to cut out the rusted section, weld in a patch part and then smooth everything out, prep it and paint it, it won't be a cheap one.


True enough, but unless you buy a truck with a plastic bed, it's going to happen, no matter who makes it.