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2007 Ram: Replace the engine or replace the truck ?

What impressed me working on all the new hemis was how well the the cylinders wore.. 6-8k plus run hours and they looked awesome even with several oil changes, yes several. Fleet equipment seen tons of idle hours and the cheapest and fewest oil changes possible.. I had a jeep that still had the factory oil filter on it and was sludged so severely at 80k miles and no service.. it went bye bye.. A hemi is a very well designed engine.
 
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What impressed me working on all the new hemis was how well the the cylinders wore.. 6-8 plus run hours and they looked awesome even with several oil changes, yes several. Fleet equipment seen tons of idle hours and the cheapest and fewest oil changes possible.. I had a jeep that still had the factory oil filter on it and was sludges severely at 80k miles and no service.. it went bye bye.. A hemi is a very well designed engine.
The pic of the Jeep has had it's engine rebuilt
once. 150,000 miles. When I took the block
and heads to the machine shop, the guy was
amazed the cylinders had minimal ridges,
and though the valves had some carbon,
none were burned. Regular maintenance
on a AMC, or any engine, insures it's
longevity. There's none out there that's
better than the other.
 
It is definitely not the time to buy a truck. I was looking at ‘15 2500HD’s new and I didn’t do it. That same Model truck used now is the same price it was new in 15.
Rust is the killer here. I keep up with my 01. I’m going to keep it going a few more years and hopefully the used market calms down. I like the Ram 2500’s with the 6.4 gas engine.
 
The truck has a very clean interior. The 4wd took awhile to get working but it does work. It handled well, didn't squeak and the brakes were good.
It was slow though. The added weight of the lumber rack, 4wd stuff, 2 extra doors and seats made this truck slower than mine despite the extra miles mine has. It has 17" wheels so I suspect that it has 3.55 gears. Trucks built with the 20" wheels usually had 3.92 gears.
I took a picture of the VIN so I can call the dealer to get the axle ratio. Like mine, there is no tag on the axle.
For now, I'm sticking with mine. I am curious about the axle ratio though.
At least when I bought mine new in '04, the 3.92 gears were mandatory with 20" wheels (which mine has).
I agree with you - with 4wd like mine AND the 20's, 3.92's are where you'd START - and after having lived with
the thing all these years (it's been an exemplary truck), I'd probably have gotten even steeper gears if
possible - the overdrive in the 545RFE is just that severe.
Still, as my little stump-jumper, the truck is a hoot to drive and comes up my ridge like its' arse is on fire. :)
 
Hard to believe that 94,000 miles is considered to be low miles today. Back in the day, if your car had that kind of mileage on it, it was ready for the junk yard.

When I started looking my goal with used but something with approx 10,000 miles per year of age. I was open to most any year but my budget was at max $20k so I knew I had to make some concessions on it to a degree.
My truck pops all my buttons . one of the top colors I wanted, a mint interior ( dark color int prefered ) and the truck is all factory paint and doesnt have nearly a scratch on it . A 2wd was 1st choice. full 4 doors was mandatory. And I wanted a shifter, be it column or floor didnt matter,,,,,,,not the stupid round dial thing on the dash
And if I went as new as the current 09 and later body style the sport hood was almost mandatory. I would have REALLY liked to have a sunroof, but finding one is tough and keep to my prequisites of miles and condition

I really wanted the 2006 thru 2008 ram body . But finding one with decent miles was near imposssible. Closest I got was a 08, with 130k miles at $13,9 and it sold in a day of being listed

I did look at a 61k mile 08, but it was a bare bones no option truck and it only had a 4.7 in it. And they wanted 21k for it . The wife saw manual windows and locks and killed that idea. I saw the 4.7 and said NOPE
 
Hard to believe that 94,000 miles is considered to be low miles today. Back in the day, if your car had that kind of mileage on it, it was ready for the junk yard.

It is hard to believe but out here, vehicles just don’t rust. The underside of mine looks like it is only a couple years old. The frame paint is still good. Not even surface rust on anything.
These engines last a long time due to EFI and computer controls. I never thought I’d praise the computer she for anything but there it is.
For awhile, I drive a lowered 84 Chevy truck that got looks and compliments frequently. I love these short bed, regular cabs. Dad used to drive them when he’d get “company” vehicles when he sold cars.
 
You wouldn’t believe how the ram bedsides rust through here. Your body style only takes a couple years!
 
You wouldn’t believe how the ram bedsides rust through here. Your body style only takes a couple years!
That is disappointing. I may move to Tennessee. I'd hate to have mine rust away after staying clean all this time.
 
That is disappointing. I may move to Tennessee. I'd hate to have mine rust away after staying clean all this time.

Notice he's in New York... Tennessee doesn't salt the roads... Might pepper yer California *** with buckshot but no salt...:lol:
 
The water pump replacement seemed to stop the water/coolant loss.
The old engine is still running great but I want to be ready for when it does not. I checked with several wrecking yards today, first I went to the full service yards. I need a 2006-2008 engine with the MDS system. I only found one and it was $2800!
For that kind of money, I'll consider other options.
I went to a few self serve yards afterwards. These places usually get the lower quality wrecks since the full serve yards buy the nicer ones.
I found a 2006 Chrysler 300 at a Pick-N-Pull. It is a half price weekend too!
I'm going back tomorrow to dig in. If it will spin with a breaker bar, I'll dig deeper. I can rebuild it for well under $2800.
 
Just swap the FEAD and intake, bingo, it’s a truck engine. The cams are different, but I thing the ecm would have a problem with it.
 
Just swap the FEAD and intake, bingo, it’s a truck engine. The cams are different, but I thing the ecm would have a problem with it.
Is that Front End Accessory Drive ?
Don't forget the oil pan, dipstick, starter, exhaust manifolds and....what am I missing?
The cam....Are the car camshafts tuned for higher rpm and less low end torque?
 
Thought that would be obvious, lol!! Yes, front end accessory drive.

The cams are different, but the specs I’m not sure of.
 
Oh yeah we do....we just don't have need to very often. :)

Well that surprises me... I'd expect just sand... Plenty of western states get snow, no salt just sand.. Works fine & doesn't rot the cars... I think Detroit promotes salting so they can sell more cars...
 
Well that surprises me... I'd expect just sand... Plenty of western states get snow, no salt just sand.. Works fine & doesn't rot the cars... I think Detroit promotes salting so they can sell more cars...

They use some kind of brine here too. I heard it’s a by-product from fracking. But what’s nasty is the fact that it looks like it creeps like wd-40. Makes its way in between spot welded seams etc. back when I did collision work I’d find salty stuff in everything, well into August.
 
That is disappointing. I may move to Tennessee. I'd hate to have mine rust away after staying clean all this time.

If you going to move there, nurse the truck along and you probably won’t have to worry about the emissions!! I don’t know what the regs are there, but it’s probably minimal. Here, as long as you don’t have a check engine light, your good.
 
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Well that surprises me... I'd expect just sand... Plenty of western states get snow, no salt just sand.. Works fine & doesn't rot the cars... I think Detroit promotes salting so they can sell more cars...
They like the brine solution here, apparently it's cheaper and easier to store.
 
If you going to move there, nurse the truck along and you and you probably won’t have to worry about the emissions!! I don’t know what the regs are there, but it’s probably minimal. Here, as long as you don’t have a check engine light, your good.
Unless you're in one of the three major metropolitan areas (Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga) there are no emissions
testing - or a safety inspection.
 
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