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Dodge 1/2 ton thoughts.

S

SanDiegoOverland

NAXJA Forum User
Location
San Diego
Anyone have one? Thinking of adding one to the stable.

Looking at a 1500, 4x4, 4.7L V8, 5 speed, crew cab short bed.

I've heard IFS and solid axle (2500) ball joints can be an issue, and that the auto trannies can be a bit problematic. (this one's a 5speed)

Unit bearings suck, which I think they have, but the ones on my jeep have held up okay.

Towing and hauling duties would be limited to our small trailer, antique furniture runs, small/medium uhaul rentals, and an occasional bed full of building materials like plywood, lumber, concrete, paint, etc.

No plans to haul a boat, toy hauler,etc. (we don't own either one...)

If I can get 15-18mpgs out of it empty, I'd be happy. Worse than that and I might go a different direction.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.
 
the other rig we've tried and liked is the Commander. Funny that they have the same motor's.

You could comment on that choice, too. We'd be relegated to towing a trailer for hauling duties with that one, but a commander would be more of a Cherokee replacement than the truck would.
 
$700later said:
I have a friend that has one set up like that, he gets around 16mpg. This is in the hilly east TN area.
Click to expand...

Cool, good to hear. I'm seeing the same report on fuelly.com and the dodge forums. That 15 is average, with the most economy coming from how you drive it and being able to keep it at around 60-65 on the freeway which I'm used to in my XJ.

I know the Hemi has like 100 more horsepower for about the same mpg's, but this particular truck is VERY clean and only has about 60k on the clock.
 
I'll give you my opinion... THe 4.7l has been a good motor since it came out in 1999, it get decent mpg's, and has decent power. The 1500 is a ok truck, but the rear diff usually has pinion bearing issues. I rebuild a lot of those for noise concerns, most usually has a pitted front pinion bearing.

Hub bearings don't seem to go out near as much as the chevy's do, and the 5 speed automatic transmission (I know you said its a 5-speed, I'm guessing its a manual) have very few problems compared to the past 727/46RE's. That manual trans is decent, same style as the later cherokees had, NV3500/3550. Also, most of the ball joint concerns on the solid axle 2500's are because they are mis-diagnosed. Shops assume because they have up and down play in them, that makes them bad. They are actually allowed quite a bit of movement before they are out of spec, but aftermarket shops like to try and sell them because they are "loose".

The only other common issue with them is the HVAC recirculation door, mot of those were 2006-2009 trucks. The door would break off and block air flow from the blower motor.

If you have any other questions, PM me, I know a little about chrysler products.

Justin
 
xjjeeper19 said:
I'll give you my opinion... THe 4.7l has been a good motor since it came out in 1999, it get decent mpg's, and has decent power. The 1500 is a ok truck, but the rear diff usually has pinion bearing issues. I rebuild a lot of those for noise concerns, most usually has a pitted front pinion bearing.

Hub bearings don't seem to go out near as much as the chevy's do, and the 5 speed automatic transmission (I know you said its a 5-speed, I'm guessing its a manual) have very few problems compared to the past 727/46RE's. That manual trans is decent, same style as the later cherokees had, NV3500/3550. Also, most of the ball joint concerns on the solid axle 2500's are because they are mis-diagnosed. Shops assume because they have up and down play in them, that makes them bad. They are actually allowed quite a bit of movement before they are out of spec, but aftermarket shops like to try and sell them because they are "loose".

The only other common issue with them is the HVAC recirculation door, mot of those were 2006-2009 trucks. The door would break off and block air flow from the blower motor.

If you have any other questions, PM me, I know a little about chrysler products.

Justin
Click to expand...


Cool, so from your list above, it looks like the rearend pinion bearing, and possibly the "light-duty" manual tranny, if I'm going to be working it hard, are possible trouble points to consider.

I'm familiar with the pinion bearing howl, as my d35 has been noisy for at least a year and half. I had it checked and my mechanic said, "Honestly, I don't see an issue running it, if you don't mind the noise. Mechanically it's tight, and isn't a safety issue."

It only howls when under load, not when coasting. :) That's the kind of issue I can deal with if it happens. lol.
 
I have a 03 1500 4x4 5.7 that now has 75k on the ticker. It has been very reliable. I put 33's on it about 5 years ago. No front end problems or tranny probs. I primarily use it to tow my heep. MPG's suck arse, but you would probably get better than mine.

Just my experience.
 
jrowell said:
I have a 03 1500 4x4 5.7 that now has 75k on the ticker. It has been very reliable. I put 33's on it about 5 years ago. No front end problems or tranny probs. I primarily use it to tow my heep. MPG's suck arse, but you would probably get better than mine.

Just my experience.
Click to expand...

Manual or Auto? And what does "suck arse" mean to you? haha. 10mpgs? less?
 
Last edited:
Dude, thanks for the info. Appreciated. Seeing as how my heep is returning 13-14mpg mostly highway right now. (Def. past due for a tune-up) I'm actually not dissuaded by teens anymore, as long as it fires up and gets me there every time. :)
 
My wife has a 2004 1500 4x4 Laramie, with the 5.7L Hemi. 175K on the odometer. Truck has been reliable, wife drives pretty hard, 12-13 mpg over thousands of miles. It does have the towing package and 3.91 gears in it, so that probably hurts the fuel economy a bit, as opposed to the stock 3.55s.

It lost a motor (dropped a valve) at 170K. That was a pricey exercise. It has given us no other issues. Original battery, bearings, etc.. Just brakes and tires, and one power steering (small leak) hose.

My son has a 2004 2500 4x4 SLT, with the Cummins Turbo Diesel. 130K on the odometer. He bought it used. Loves it. He gets 15-17 mpg towing a 4000 lb trailer, maybe 1 mpg more empty. He's had it for about 25K miles, and hasn't put anything into it except a fuel filter.

David Bricker / SYR
 
my 06 hemi gets 15-16 town and 19-20 fwy i dont use skinny pedal. when i tow i get round 11-12ish auto not stick 124k 2nd tranz but i love my truck and will get another
 
For a gasser, I would recommend a GM with a 6.0L Otherwise, CTD power FTW!
 
SanDiegoOverland said:
Anyone have one? Thinking of adding one to the stable.

Looking at a 1500, 4x4, 4.7L V8, 5 speed, crew cab short bed.

I've heard IFS and solid axle (2500) ball joints can be an issue, and that the auto trannies can be a bit problematic. (this one's a 5speed)

Unit bearings suck, which I think they have, but the ones on my jeep have held up okay.

Towing and hauling duties would be limited to our small trailer, antique furniture runs, small/medium uhaul rentals, and an occasional bed full of building materials like plywood, lumber, concrete, paint, etc.

No plans to haul a boat, toy hauler,etc. (we don't own either one...)

If I can get 15-18mpgs out of it empty, I'd be happy. Worse than that and I might go a different direction.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Click to expand...

I have had 2 Dodge vehicles with the 4.7L.

First was an '02 Ram 2WD 4.7L manual trans. I got 19-20MPG regularly on the highway so I think 15-18 with a 4WD is reasonable. Awesome truck, never had a problem other than the rack and pinion going out but they fixed under warranty. As far as towing, I hooked up our shops Mastercraft boat just to tow 7 miles across town and it was not happy but it was a big boat. Small trailers should be okay.

Second, was an '04 Durango 4.7L auto. Loved it, no problems. Towed a small boat and a small trailer with up to 6 bikes on the trailer. Both of these trucks had less problems than my new Dodge 2500 deisel.
 
Tobtech said:
I have had 2 Dodge vehicles with the 4.7L.

First was an '02 Ram 2WD 4.7L manual trans. I got 19-20MPG regularly on the highway so I think 15-18 with a 4WD is reasonable. Awesome truck, never had a problem other than the rack and pinion going out but they fixed under warranty. As far as towing, I hooked up our shops Mastercraft boat just to tow 7 miles across town and it was not happy but it was a big boat. Small trailers should be okay.

Second, was an '04 Durango 4.7L auto. Loved it, no problems. Towed a small boat and a small trailer with up to 6 bikes on the trailer. Both of these trucks had less problems than my new Dodge 2500 deisel.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the input, sir!

I've gotten a lot of "you need a 2500 or 3500" comments on another board, and when I ask why, the response is always "the 1500 won't tow a gooseneck or a carry a big load".

LOL. :laugh:

I'm like, "dude. I just said I'm not going to be doing those types of things".

Specifically.

hahahaha. I have a TINY 4x8 trailer that we use for construction materials, and THAT's it. :D Just a normal redneck from East county SD with normal redneck needs. As long as it'll carry my 3 kids, my guns, my groceries, an the occasional loadout of camping gear, without taking a dump on me, I'm stoked.
 
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