2001CamaroSS

Well, first time poster, but long time lurker. I just handed down my 2001 2500 HO 6 speed to my brother who just joined the company, and picked up my new 04 Laramie 2500 HO 6 speed. All I can say is WOW ;D. What a difference from the 01. I don't think there is any thing that feels or looks the same.

Few questions for you diesel nuts...

1. What are the recommended oil changes on these new engines? I changed the 01 every 5000. The 04 will hall a car trailer occasional, but mostly just standard driving around the jobs. The 01 will do the severe duty of halling dump trailers and construction materials. I hope not to scratch the new one up.

2. It has 3.73 gears and wondering what your average rpm is for shifting? It feels so much more torquey down in the lower rpm, and very quiet.

3. Any thing I need to be aware of that is different from the 2nd gen motors?

Well time to read the manual I guess.

Just a note, the car I trailer with the Dodge is a 01 SS red camaro convertible. I have changed the cam, added headers, boltones, and dynoed it at 390 at the wheels. Tuning will be next. This is the reason I use to browse here instead of posting. I usually can be found over at the LS1 forumns. But since I love this new Cummins, I guess I will chime in if you guys accept.

Thanks

AlbertaBear

Very nice truck

This is the first 04 truck we have seen pictures of.

How about a few more???

rear headrests
instrument panel
grille

Bjorn

mymaur

Welcome to the Forum.

Opinions on oil changes are like noses, everyone has one.

So here is mine. If you plan on keeping this truck for a few hundred thousand miles, then change your oil evry 6 to 8 thousand miles. If you know for a fact that it will never see 100,000 miles with you behind the wheel. Then save your money and change it every 10 to 15K.

The stick takes a lot of getting used to. I have nearly 12K on my 03 and am just now feeling comfortable with the shifting. Problem is finding the correct gear to shift down to when you have slowed from say 70mph to 35mph. Do you go into 5th or 4th or 3rd. Just takes getting used to. The tranny will fight with you if you try and go too low. The engine will also tell you if your too high.

New trucks also seem to have a lot of brake in issues. IE: alot of people, including me, seem to experience vibrations and other sounds, that do seem to go away with brake in. Most of my woes were gone by about 4K miles. In nearly 12K miles I have only had it in one time for service. Overall, outstanding truck. I have owned many ram diesles. Have driven them over a million miles. This 3rd gen is superior in every way.

Good luck with yours.

tarpilot

Welcome to the forum, pretty truck.
This forum has helped me learn a lot of stuff really quickly, I'm real appreciative of all the assistance available from people who know what they're talking about. The web is awesome for this kind of thing, couple of years ago I wouldn't have even considered this kind of Resource.
I'm planning on changing the oil every 5-6k, with Amsoil synthetic and stratapore filters (which I just found out about two days ago). Unbelievable rigs, aren't they? When I drove mine home from North Carolina, felt like I was flying my own personal little jet, that's why I calls myself TARPILOT!!! ;D

Old School

Very nice Pick up! ;D I too learned alot here in short order. I have almost 14k on mine now and it just gets better and better. Oh yeah, I changed oil at 2k, then 5k, now every 5k hereafter, and I use mine pretty hard, for pulling, etc, not that that's the way to do , it's just a schedule that I'm comfortable with.

jnaker

Just got a new 03 3500 DRW with 5.9HO and the new maintenance schedule which you are suppose to have signed and recorded for warranty by a dealer when you do the mainenance requires Oil and Filter every 3750 miles for most of us if we pull or dive normal. My first 03 2500 slt 5.9HO said every 7500 miles, but they have changed that according to my dealer. I think to comply with warranty they are now sticking to 3750 interval for B use which most of us fall into.

They actually have a seperate coupon book for maintenance the dealer is suppose to pull out and keep regardless if they do it or you have it done on your own.

DieselDaze

Welcome to DTR SSRam!
Were glad to have you aboard.
Theres a lot of good folks here with vast amount of information.

You have a great looking ride.

Rich

joel

Nice looking truck! I'm curious to see what the 04 Laramie instrument panel looks like... any pics of that?

Scotty

Very Cool looking truck.

Welcome to the site!

I gotta see this dealer scheduled oil change stuff in the owners manual. Sounds like a waste of oil and money to do it that often. My 90 had 430,000 miles on it when I sold it and never had any engine issues...changed the oil every 10,000 kilometers and did the fuel filter every second oil change...that lil truck hauled in the 20-26,000 lb range most of its life and was still running fine at nearly 800,000 miles.

I keep doing that with all the trucks and probably will keep doing it that way on the new one.
However, I dump the oil after the first 500 miles and run dino oil for another 2000 [ just over 3500 kms] then I dump and go to Duron Synthetic 5W30 forever after. After the 500 I hit the roads with a heavy load as often as possible before I change to synthetic. ;D Stratapores too.

Good luck with the new RAM!

Scotty

rjweiss

Tarpilot,

Where in North Carolina did you get your truck? I am still having trouble locating a 03 2500 SLT HO SB 4X4.

Any help would be appreciated, I don't want to buy a Ford !

Ron W.

tarpilot

rj,
Got it at Smith-stokes in Reidsville, good sized dealership with a lot of inventory when I was there (2mos).
If you want to get crazy you can use the dodge inventory search and a zip code map. Or if you have a dealer you like and are willing to go get your truck yourself, let them do the search, their little search engine is way more efficient. They just usually won't go outside 200 or so miles unless you force them to. I found the truck myself, then told my dealer "either I'm buying it from you or I'm buying it from them", that was the end of that. Good luck. Bryan

rjweiss

Bryan,

That's pretty much what I'm doing, from the Dodge web site I can take a look at dealer inventories, if they seem to have alot of trucks I call them. The inventories themselves are not very accurate as to what a dealer exactly has...they are not updated that often.

Just wish I found a truck at the right price already, I would hate to lose the opertunity to get an 03 HO with the $2,500 rebate.

Ron W.

GrandpasRam

Welcome to the site, and really nice looking truck. As far as the change schedules, read the owner's manual and go by that. On the '03's, Schedule B is 7500 mile intervals UNLESS it has the California package which is every 3750. Getting 500 - 1000 miles break-in, then change oil first time is pretty common, and I did so like most folks on here. Then changed at 3750, then 7500, now every 7500. Also changed the first fuel filter at 7500, then will change at recommended interval unless fuel pressure guage indicates drop in post-filter pressure earlier (will change then if needed). If you follow the recommended OEM intervals, use the recommended replacement materials, you should have no problems for a very long time.

Jonesey

[quote author=jnaker link=board=17;threadid=19186;start=0#msg180330 date=1062645512]
Just got a new 03 3500 DRW with 5.9HO and the new maintenance schedule which you are suppose to have signed and recorded for warranty by a dealer when you do the mainenance requires Oil and Filter every 3750 miles for most of us if we pull or dive normal. My first 03 2500 slt 5.9HO said every 7500 miles, but they have changed that according to my dealer. I think to comply with warranty they are now sticking to 3750 interval for B use which most of us fall into.

They actually have a seperate coupon book for maintenance the dealer is suppose to pull out and keep regardless if they do it or you have it done on your own.
[/quote]

I wonder if your dealer is reading the California schedule? If it is true DC cut the oil change interval in half I am happy I have an 03. ;D

jnaker

Okay after looking at my maintenance book a little closer there is a funny little cross symbol by the oil change at 3750 intervals. That is for California only so looks like they are still on the 7500 mile interval . It is a new book though and the Dealer actually told me 3750. Guess it was the salesman so I will give him a call and get it strait. Im sure its the same as always. I will still change it at around 4-5K