I am considering selling my nice truck and going to a non-diesel Ram 1500 4X4 QC SWB. Ouch!!! Can any of you give me any advise as to which model of half ton Ram is best. What must I avoid or look for? I cannot go to a 3/4 ton and am restricted to a 1/2 ton. Would of course prefer a 5 speed but they seem to be rare. Would prefer the smaller V8. How is the 6 cylinder if I am forced to go there? Do NOT want the V10. Can only consider years between 1994 and 1996. 1997 is a small possibility. If I can't find a 5 speed, what are the slushboxes like? Do they stand up OK or can I expect problems after 100,000 miles? Is there much of a difference between the QC and the extended cab? If I have to go back to an old truck I want the highest trim level I can get, like a SLT or Laramie. I think there were some big changes in 1996 but not sure what. Will consider the equivalent Dakota (have owned two already) but the price difference only appears to be less than $500 so will go for the larger truck. In any case the Dakota did not come in QC for those years, only extended cab.

I know this sounds weird but the main reason is legal for Mexico. I can't license my present truck down here but can license a 10 year old or older 1/2 ton. 3/4 tons not allowed. I can take a 8 or 9 year old truck and keep it until it becomes 10 years old and then legally put Mexican plates on it. I am not allowed to sell my truck down here. The only good thing about this is that once I put Mexican plates on it I can sell it and make a few bucks as they sell for more down here. Then repeat the process a few times and in a few years have a 8-10 year old truck for free. Unless the law changes again!

 

I've heard of the auto tranny self-destructing in the 1/2 tons. I've also heard of a guy who says he was just driving down the road and the "check engine" light came on...he gets to the shop and they tell him he's lucky he even got as far as their shop because the whole tranny needed replaced!

I think the 318 cu. in. (5.2 L) engine is pretty good and reliable. Sometimes when the engine is cold it'll knock because the cylinders toward the rear don't get as much oil pressure as they'd like due to the design of the oil pathways. But that engine has been around for quite a few years.

The 360 cu. in. (5.9 L) has been around for a lot of years too. I'm not sure how the mid 90's engines were, but the newer ones are gas hogs!

 

Stan I second that on the weak auto trans, and that is on the Ram and the Dakota. Dakota 318, 4wd, auto, club cab can get 17 to 18 mpg. Usually not as good on the Ram.

 

I had a 96 short bed reg. cab 4x4. 12000 miles tranny. 22000 miles tranny. 23000 miles Nissan! The 318 has almost as much power as the 360 and better milage. I liked the 318 better than the 5.3 I have in my 03 Yukon. They didn't make the QC until 981/2.

 

Thanks for the replies so far. I have had a couple of 318's in the past and was happy with them. Both my Dakota's had them. One had the 5 speed and the other the auto. Big difference in take off power. With the 5 speed my wife (the few times she drive it) always had trouble not to burn rubber on take off.
Your answers confirmed what I suspected, that I if I go this route that I need a 318 coupled to a 5 speed.
Haulin', interesting comment about fuel consumption. Why would the lighter Dakota get worse fuel consumption than it's heavier brother with the same engine and tranni?

 

I had an 01 2wd reg cab short box with a 318/5spd combo .......... I liked it almost as much as my cummins ...........

got between 18 & 20 mpg depending on how heavy my foot was

 

18-20 mpg? That's about the same as our CTD's. About what I got in my Dakota's with the 318's. Had both a 2wd and a 4X4 and never noticed any difference in fuel consumption, but I had the freewheel hubs in front.

 

Stan, I had a 96 1500 SLT QC Long Bed 4x4 with 360/auto before I got my dually. I had 167000 miles on it when I sold it. It had a hard life, so I expect the problems that I had stemmed more from me than the truck. I replaced the torque convertor twice and the intake manifold gaskets 3 times. I got 15-16 mpg on the hiway, and around 8-10 pulling my normal loads.

Can not remember any other issues with it. It was just too light for my normal use.

HTH

Ed

 

yeah I got 18-20 canadian .I think that works out to ...15 -17 US (canadian gallon is 4.54 litres, Us gallon is 3.8 litres), sorry should have worked that out earlier

but yeah it was pretty close to my CDT, but like I said it was a reg cab short box 2wd .........

my 2 buddies with quad cab 4x4's (one 318/auto, one 318/5spd) get about 15-16mpg cdn ( about 13-14 mpg US)

 

Stan, if I had to chose an earlier 1/2 ton, I would consider the 96 or 97 Z-71. 17mpg on the 5.7 vortec which cam out in 96. Good, strong engine. They say the vortec heads are the best produced since the camel-back. Also the third door on the x cab came out in 96. Strong engine, I was pushing 200,000 when I got rid of it and was not burning fuel. The main issues were the water pump around 125,000, and the intake manifold gasket around then too, because they use the black rubber style gasket which got dried out, instead of the old style with permatex. Also uses 4 O2 sensors when the time comes. I used it like a 1 ton and it rode like a Cadillac. I just won't go back to gas myself, if I can help it. And I like the flat bed with duals I have. My girlfriend at the time had a 95 dodge 1/2 ton x cab, with 360. Didn't get the milage, didn't pull the snowmobile trailer as nicely. Seats weren't as cozy.........

 

I've had two gasser Rams, both 318/5 spds. One, the 95, was an absolute gem of a truck. Ordered it in Sept of 94, got it in Dec of 94. It got a solid 15 mpg, rescued stranded truck drivers in a 20" snowfall, I even pulled a 75 F-brand pickup from KC to Columbia with it. The 98, on the other hand, was a bit of a lemon (that's how I ended up with my CTD). Fuel pump went out, belly pan gasket leaked, which made the cat go bad, and the thing got 12.5 mpg.

Speaking of the belly pan gasket, that's a common occurence on the 318/360 trucks, although it seems more common on 97 and up than earlier trucks. When it goes, it detonates to the point where it's destructive. If you're looking at one, take the air cleaner hat off, hold the butterfly open, and shine a flashlight down inside the intake manifold. If you see a puddle of oil, the gasket is either gone or about to go.

Other than that, the auto tranny's can be a sore point as others have mentioned although I think that may be from people using half-tons as if they were three-quarters. 4x4s will have the same basic setup as the 2500/3500, so the same track bar wear issues exist. You might look around on www.dodgeram.org for anything I can't think of right now.

 

A Z-71? Hmmmm. Had not considered that. Sure hate to go back to a gasser but have to consider all options. Did they come with a 5 speed for the 4X4?

jfpointer. I don't see how a leaking belly pan, (you mean the oil sump?) can cause oil to get into the intake manifold. Would a leak not just drip onto the road? I can see oil in the intake manifold detonating, but oil getting in there from the belly pan.

 

Also known as the plenum gasket. The only known sure cure for it is the aftermarket Mopar M1 intake. Here's a link to installation instructions for the M1 that shows where the belly pan gasket would be located, between the heads: http://www.steigerperformance.com/do...ationGuide.pdf

 

Thanks. Now I understand.

BTW, just did a search for reviews for the 1996-97 Z-71 and came up with a blank. What should I be looking under? Also tried e-bay and hit another zero.

 

Well this is my first post to this great site ,So here goes.
I owned a 96 Z71 and can say it was the best 1/2 ton I ever owned.
I sold it to a good friend with 125k on it and he is happy with it after a year ownership. Motor still tight,auto trany still strong. And that's after 100k. of hotshot work pulling up to 8k all over the country. One thing to look out for is door hinges wear out and are not easy to replace. Mine never suffered this problem. Anyway hope this helps. and good luck with you're choice.