Hello, Brian here, just bought my first dodge. 2003 ram 2500 4x4 5.9ho quad cab long bed. It is all stock except some one just straight piped the exhaust. It has 354,000 miles and it has always run royal purple products in everything. By the way it is a 6 spd. Just curious about what should I do with such high mileage, I have read that they are good for about 350,000 I work on cars for a living.
I just replaced all a/c heat doors from heater treater and replaced the broken dash.
Any advice on this truck would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks to all

 

Welcome, Standby as I'm sure someone with knowledge of your rig will chime in soon. Great people here. BTW a business that delivers to us has a 24 valve 2WD with 679,000? on the odo last time I looked. Not sure your milage is that big a deal if it's been takin care of.

 

Man, you got a great truck. The 03's and early 04's were awesome for mileage and longevity.

Make sure your valves have been adjusted, get an oil analysis, and make sure your fluids are good. Other than that, you are good to go if you're not having any problems.

Common problems on the early 3rd gens are ball joints (4x4), blend/recirc doors (already addressed) water pumps (that's iffy)... maybe a radio going out or some trim issues.

I've worked on these trucks a lot, if you have any questions, hit me up.

Welcome to the DTR!

 

What does the oil analysis tell you, and how hard is it to adjust the valves. I just did new radiator, thermostat, tensioner pulley belt and water pump.
I need to know about the antifreze, i used the orange at a 50/50 ratio. What is HOAT?

I also need to know what the a/c pressures should read when charged. \

Thanks Brian

PS Thanks for replying to my post

 

It will tell you what is going on inside your engine, how the internals are wearing, if there is any coolant in the oil, etc. Look up blackstone labs for an example.

HOAT is a hybrid organic acid technology... It keeps the internals from corroding, basically. Just a better coolant, google it and you'll learn loads.




Adjusting the valves isn't hard, but unless you have done it before, I wouldn't. You'll need a good set of feeler gauges and a torque wrench, along with other regular tools. You have to rotate the engine over as well while you do it.

I had started to reply to this at 9 this morning, then got called into work... my bad.

 

The G-05 HOAT technology was formulated by the BASF company and is specd. for the third generation Dodge Ram Trucks. There are 4 G0-5 HOAT coolants currently available. I find that the Zerex and Ford coolants noted below are the most cost effective choices over the Mopar OEM fluid and Mercedes offerings. If you used any coolant other than one listed here, there is a good chance that it's not a HOAT coolant. It may be a DexCool OAT formulation or an 'All Makes and Models" derivative. The color of the finished fluid is no way to determine if it is the correct type for the vehicle as there is no standard as to what color identifies coolant formulations within the industry. The coolants that are known HOAT formulas are listed below:

1). Valvoline Zerex G-05 HOAT -
Available in concentrate. The NAPA part # is ZXG051. The finished fluid is a Yellow/Gold in color. If you don't see it on the shelves or behind the counter, they can order it for you. CarQuest auto parts stores sometimes stocks this as well.

2). Ford / Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant - Ford Part #VC-7B is the U.S. part number and CVC-7-B (Canada). This fluid is yellow/gold in color. This is available at Ford dealers.

3). Mopar 5 Year/100,000 Mile with (HOAT) Embittered (factory fill) Chrysler spec-MS 9769. Red/Orange in color.

4). Mercedes Benz Antifreeze Agent - Part # Q 103 0002 Dark Gold/Bronze in color.

 

Thanks to the both of you.