So I'm looking at this truck. It's my buddies truck his dad has owned it since 99 its a 97 it now has some dent sings faded paint and a crack in the dash and seat ripped. But its mechanically perfect and runs good. Has been well maintained his dad is a mechanic so its been treated correctly. My question is how good of a truck would this be? It's a 1500 RAM 318 2wd . What problems are they known for ? How does it compare to a chevy?how many miles can they run for? Thanks guys.
how about a dodge ram
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my father inlaw has a 01 that he uses for his pilot business (pilot car for oversized loads), he has almost 400k mi on it, he had to put an engine and transmission in it last year at 375k mi. been a great truck. the only common issue with them is the intake plenium gasket that leaks, and it's not a huge deal.
Is that with both the 318 and 360
I've never had a dodge so I'm skeptical but figured it would be ok since its a friends
The 318 was a very old school, reliable engine. It's probably going to be the best part of that truck.
The auto transmissions and rear axles were not great during those years. The engine will probably easily outlast them.
Also, the Ram's interior was pretty bad until 2002. Cracked dashes are very common up through 2001.
The auto transmissions and rear axles were not great during those years. The engine will probably easily outlast them.
Also, the Ram's interior was pretty bad until 2002. Cracked dashes are very common up through 2001.
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
Is that with both the 318 and 360
Actually that is a 360 issue.
As to the truck. It was approx 94-97 that they had the infamous transmission issues in the Rams. Some say it was fixed by 97 while others say it was 98. It is a toss up between those 2 years. The bad rep they got for that short period of time still plagues them to this day even though the problem was resolved for 98 trucks. I actually had a 97 Ram 1500 and the transmission was fine but I didn't use it the way that lead to most of the failures( extended idling ).
Overall the 94-01 Rams( 2nd Gen )were very good trucks. However I have to tell you that as GREAT of a motor as the 318 was it just was too underpowered for the 2nd Gen Ram trucks. They were too heavy for it even in 2WD models IMO. The same power issues plague 3rd Gen( 02-07 )Ram 1500's with the 4.7L. The 3rd Gen's got even heavier and once again Chrysler dropped in a mechanically fine for the most part, but vastly underpowered, motor in a very heavy truck.
I had a 94 1500 2WD w/ the 318 and it could barely get out of it's own way. A friend had a later model w/ the 318( his was an extended cab - 99 or 00 as I recall )and it too was a DAWG! Their fuel economy isn't measured in MPG but rather MPF( miles per foot ). Just horrendous MPG from the 318 Rams. MIne got 9-10 MPG on it's best days and I drive very conservative( even when gas was $1 a gallon and I could have cared less about MPG ).
If the truck is cheap enough and it runs good, and you don't need it for towing and hauling major loads, AND you can afford to put gas in it 2-3 times a week( if you drive it a lot ), then go for it. Me personally I would never buy a 2nd Gen w/ a 318 again. I had two 2nd Gen's with the 360 and that is the appropriate motor power wise. HUGE difference. MPG wasn't much betetr but it was some. Maybe 11-12( and those were 4WD models as well ).
Is that with both the 318 and 360
Actually that is a 360 issue.
As to the truck. It was approx 94-97 that they had the infamous transmission issues in the Rams. Some say it was fixed by 97 while others say it was 98. It is a toss up between those 2 years. The bad rep they got for that short period of time still plagues them to this day even though the problem was resolved for 98 trucks. I actually had a 97 Ram 1500 and the transmission was fine but I didn't use it the way that lead to most of the failures( extended idling ).
Overall the 94-01 Rams( 2nd Gen )were very good trucks. However I have to tell you that as GREAT of a motor as the 318 was it just was too underpowered for the 2nd Gen Ram trucks. They were too heavy for it even in 2WD models IMO. The same power issues plague 3rd Gen( 02-07 )Ram 1500's with the 4.7L. The 3rd Gen's got even heavier and once again Chrysler dropped in a mechanically fine for the most part, but vastly underpowered, motor in a very heavy truck.
I had a 94 1500 2WD w/ the 318 and it could barely get out of it's own way. A friend had a later model w/ the 318( his was an extended cab - 99 or 00 as I recall )and it too was a DAWG! Their fuel economy isn't measured in MPG but rather MPF( miles per foot ). Just horrendous MPG from the 318 Rams. MIne got 9-10 MPG on it's best days and I drive very conservative( even when gas was $1 a gallon and I could have cared less about MPG ).
If the truck is cheap enough and it runs good, and you don't need it for towing and hauling major loads, AND you can afford to put gas in it 2-3 times a week( if you drive it a lot ), then go for it. Me personally I would never buy a 2nd Gen w/ a 318 again. I had two 2nd Gen's with the 360 and that is the appropriate motor power wise. HUGE difference. MPG wasn't much betetr but it was some. Maybe 11-12( and those were 4WD models as well ).
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Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
The 318 was a very old school, reliable engine. It's probably going to be the best part of that truck.
The auto transmissions and rear axles were not great during those years. The engine will probably easily outlast them.
Also, the Ram's interior was pretty bad until 2002. Cracked dashes are very common up through 2001.
Cracked dashes are common in the 02-05 3rd Gen Rams too. The problem is just starting to arise now as they are newer. Now that they have been out for a while a lot of them are also experiencing dash cracking.
The 318 was a very old school, reliable engine. It's probably going to be the best part of that truck.
The auto transmissions and rear axles were not great during those years. The engine will probably easily outlast them.
Also, the Ram's interior was pretty bad until 2002. Cracked dashes are very common up through 2001.
Cracked dashes are common in the 02-05 3rd Gen Rams too. The problem is just starting to arise now as they are newer. Now that they have been out for a while a lot of them are also experiencing dash cracking.
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The intake manifold gasket problem is an issue with the 5.2L also. I had that engine in my '97 Dakota with a blown plenum gasket. It runs "fine" with the leaking gasket, it just consumes a lot of oil.
Check the front suspension for problems. ball joint wear is common on those trucks, and the task of replacing them is not cheap or easy.
Alright thanks guys. He says the truck averages 15 mpg and his ain't a slouch. It was roughly comparable to the 350 I had. It's got 2 3/4 exhaust and a air intake it sounds pretty good.
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