So I just picked up a 2016 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT 5.7L from an auction at my work. I paid $17K with 102,000 miles on the odometer. Never been in an accident and fully maintained its whole life. Mint! The deal was too good to be true and had no time to wait around so I made the purchase. I am new to 3/4 pickups and was hoping others can chime in with things to know and look out for on this truck. I realize it has the smaller hemi of the two but any idea how it tows and what weight I should keep to with this motor and truck size? I realize I can look up spec sheets but want to know others experience pulling with this. In the near future we will be pulling a 7 x 14 TT with two bikes, tools, and track gear etc... Also looking to purchase a boat and just want to make sure this is the right size truck. Any wisdom would be appreciated!
It should pull the things you describe no problem. Regular 1/2 ton truck would have been more than up to the task, as well.
I'm sure it would be. Like I said I took advantage of a great price. Is the 5.7 an engine that will run over 300K? This is also my first Dodge.
And why would anyone choose the 5.7 vs the 6.4 or cummins? I'm only talking 3/4 sized truck. Is there a benefit with fuel mileage? I wouldn't think it would be much better..
The engine might, the rest of the truck............... Diesel better towing with the torque they produce.
Price tag for one and service costs. Some people don't want to deal with the emissions bullshit either. I don't tow much, and that's why I'd prefer a gas 3/4 ton. Still the same or near capability but stouter frame and suspension. If I were OTR with the thing towing all the time, then yea a diesel would be the go to. The 5.7 has plenty of power for that type of towing, fuel mileage might suffer but all in all you'll likely still be ahead if the engine lasts a while longer economically. I sold my last Silverado 5 year after I bought it, for a mere 3k$ less than I paid for it. I hit the market when this emissions stuff starting taking control and people were wanting low mileage pre-emission diesels. I made out pretty well with that truck.
Didn't think much about service costs... Good to here though and hoping this can reliably continue getting me to tracks trouble free! Looking forward getting to know this big girl and would love to hear about any known issues as well as popular mods for performance.
See if it has a Dana rear axle. If it does, you should be good. I know from the mid-90s through the early 2000s the 1/2 and 3/4 ton Dodges were prone to shagging the ring and pinion gears. I replaced 3 or 4 of them; one of them was obviously abused, the others, not so sure.
Keep a close eye on the ball joints, track bar bolts and ends, tie rod and draglink ends, as well as all the suspension bracketry. They’re heavy trucks and hard on pivots and tires. Carli Suspensions are the best in the business for Dodge 2500/3500 trucks. Dynatrac offers a Free-Spin kit that’ll convert the frontend to a true part-time setup, which will help gas mileage.
Id probably look at all consumables at that mileage. Plugs, coil boots, all fluids brakes and steering and susp. Like noted. Our dnr fleets all vehicles and beat them proper. None are without fault.
It’s still a Chrysler , Cummins or hemi the truck will fall apart. Buy the worthless extended warranty.
I have a 09 1500 with the same 5.7 hemi. This is my first Ram and I picked it up cause I couldn't pass up the deal I got. But, I actually like it and overall it's been a great truck. Surprisingly enough, friends with Chevys and Fords of the same time frame are experiencing quite a bit more rust than my truck. So, the big thing with the motors is the valve train. Lots of issues with lifters and cams. I know 3 people who have had their valve train replaced under warranty due to lifter and cam problems, one guy had his done 2x. Listen for the "Hemi tick/ squeak". I have used a few different oil variants to try to quiet the tick and now it's pretty much non existent. Read through some of the oil thread on ramforum.com. I have 95k on mine. Bought it off of my father in law at 67k 4 years ago. Also, the transmissions are undersized, especially the OD clutches. IDK about 300k on these new gen 5.7 motors......
The 5.7 is actually a pretty well designed engine IMO. The Problem with them seems to be supplier Quality.... The all have Cam/lifter failure issues. If it hasnt happened it will. Most likely caused by insuffecient side clearance on the rods. Run good oil, dont let it sit and Idle for any amount of time. Especially when cold. If I owned one I would probably try some magic JUJu guice like Pro-Blend in the oil. Wonder if that stuff is still around?
Most of the failures I have seen have been cause from bad lifters or inconsistent bores that the lifters move in. Usually the lifter runs into issues and that wipes out the cam and pushrods. Also, there’s a lot of speculation that the oil is playing a part. Solution to the Hemi tick has been high moly oils and specific weight oil. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
