1998 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT from North America - Comments

I own a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT with the 5.9L. Bought new in 1998. While I love my truck, it is really junk. Problems I had: Speed sensor died - 50k miles, Rear diff drive shaft bearing went out - 60k miles - $1200 to rebuild and replace all bearings. Tranny died - 100k miles - $2400 to rebuild. A/C not working - 130k miles - I am too lazy to fix. Rear end locks up and driveshaft spins off the pumpkin - 145k miles - $2250 to rebuild rear end and recondition the drive shaft. Now at 160k miles, feels like torque converter is slipping, but shop says I have a clogged catalytic converter?! I will never buy a dodge again!

Hey Just have a question about my husbands truck maybe some one has the same problem and has had it fixed and you can give me a idea at what we are looking at.1998 Dodge pickup full size.I was driving down the road yesterday and my overdrive off light came on then the check engine light then the temp light. I got home and parked it. My husband is out of town working on a power house and I have to deal with a mechanic so id kinda like to know what I am talking about any info greatly appreciated!!.Thank you...

Well, I'm sorry to hear all your problems with this truck. I've had my 1998 SLT 4x4 for almost 2 years now and I have not had any problems with it.

When something does go wrong, this will be the first place I look because here it seems like you people talk and discuss things promptly.

I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4, 5.2L, automatic. It was purchased from the dealer with 18K miles on in it in 2002. I have had the transmission serviced 3 out of past 4 years, each time at the dealer. The first time the dealer only "replaced" the fluid and didn't drop the pan. The following year I took the truck to a different dealer who did drop the pan, replace the filter and tighten the bands. (2004), 2 weeks after that service call, $300 to replace some small electronic shift capacitor (vehicle would not down shift into low gear and consistently “searched” for gears. I went back to that dealer for additional tranny service in 2005. In December 2005, while returning home from a long distance cross country drive (750 miles), check engine light came on. Following day, truck wouldn't idle, engine code error was 1740. Took the truck to the transmission shop, $3500 dollars later and three return trips, the torque converter was identified as the problem. tcc solenoid was replaced along with the valve body. There was only 68K on the truck, it was never abused nor pulled anything more than a lawnmower, what a piece of junk. Even the repair shop, very qualified repairman, indicated Chrysler trans were junk. Overdrive unit was like brand new, the clutches were still like new, he stated that while diagnosing why the tranny was overheating and fluid was not being circulated through the cooling lines, he finally pulled it out of the vehicle and discovered the torque converter had disintegrated. I love driving this truck, but will never purchase another Dodge because of the unreliability of the transmissions and their expensive repairs. I was hoping to have this truck for a long time, now I just want to get rid of it before the tranny goes out again… thank goodness it didn’t fail on the expressway. Again, I will never use my hard earned money to purchase a vehicle that cannot make it 70 – 100K miles without some major overhaul. (I hit all the maintenance periods with this vehicle and am very meticulous with taking care of this vehicle). Toyota is coming out with a new Tundra…seriously considering one, even though my father will disown me, he is a blue color, UAW all the way, retired factory man from the Midwest.

I have a 98 laramie and the speed odometer quit working,I replaced the pickup sensor in the tranny and replaced the gauge panel 2 times still my speed odometer dosen't work, everything else works fine tach ect... can any one help?

I purchased new a 2000 Dodge Qcab4x4 Laramie with now has 119k miles...This truck was assembled in Mexico...not USA. It has not had ANY major issues, driven daily. I was told that the vehicle assembled in Mexico are of better quality due to the workmanship there. I now believe it.

1998 dodge quad cab. I bought this truck used, it had 60,000 miles. Transmission began leaking and there was a nasty growl in the rear end. ABS light came on. Replaced transmission and torque converter, rear end, breaks and ABS total $5000 did the work myself, 10,000 miles after this the transmission stopped shifting into 3rd or 4th gear. Two transmission shops say transmission is OK. They think the problem is external any suggestion? My first dodge was a 96 4x4 manual transmission bought it new and got 100,000 miles without a problem then replaced cat converter, ball joints, water pump and other misc parts. 1996 was a good truck the 98 is a pos it has cost me $20,000 for 10,000 miles. Boy do I feel dumb.

Servicemanagers@aol.com.

OK folks, I have read each and every comment.

First, I have been a Dodge mechanic for a few years, since then, I have decided to move on... but anyhow, knowing this, here is my experience with Dodge trucks.

I currently own a 1998 club cab 1500 4x4. I love this truck...HOWEVER...

All of you are certainly justified in most of your complaints, and I will try to address them here.

1) Transmissions, e.g. the 46 RH/RE auto specifically. This is the largest complaint and, is the most common type of automatic transmission made in the 1994-2001 Dodge Ram pickup, both 2WD and 4WD alike. Yes, it was a bad transmission from the start. I won't go into detail about what exactly the problem was, but you folks who have "had no problems with the transmission" are lucky, plain and simple. These are heavily prone to premature failure. The best replacement tranny I have found is the APS precision tranny made by the guys APS Precision Mfg. (No I don't work for them) They are an excellent tranny. If you have not replaced your transmission then I suggest doing the following:

a) Change your fluid regularly (whoever the guy was that said to not do this was just ignorant), of course you do not have to do this very often in the NV manual trannys (by the way the manual transmissions dodge made during these same years are absolutely awesome)

b) replace that external tranny cooler with a high capacity aftermarket, there are plenty out there. While you are at it, I would highly recommend putting in a one-way valve to prevent transmission leak-down in that same line.

2) Differential, specifically the Dodge 9.25" rear end. The shims from the factory apparently had some sort of wear and/or clearance issues, because this is also a common problem.

3) Engine overheating, yes this is also a common problem. If you are looking for an awesome replacement engine, go with Jasper, they win all battles hands-down. My Jasper engine runs consistently at 180-190 degrees no matter the load.

4) And last, but not least, dodge purchases the cheapest resin for their injection-molding process, that is why probably most every one of your has cracks in your dashes. Their interiors are garbage, you just have to deal with it.

The conclusion: I was not a "big-three" mechanic for no reason, there was plenty of work to be done.

My truck has 205,000 miles on it:

1) replaced engine with a $4000 Jasper engine at 154,000 miles (I have the 5.9L 360 magnum) (I highly recommend the Mopar performance PCM when putting in a Jasper, the stock PCM does not play well with a well-made engine like Jasper)

2) transmission replaced twice (have not purchased the APS yet, because my tranny still works, even though it is going out again, the APS is going in next, I'll do the work myself) (Again, recommend the Mopar performance PCM when putting in this tranny, the stock PCM will not play well with it otherwise)

3) replaced all shocks with Rancho RS5000's (my truck has the stock lift)

I hope this help some of the readers out there.

God Bless.

Jim.

I own a 98 Dodge Ram 1500, I'm having a problem with the battery being dead after the truck is parked for over 48 hours without starting it, I've made sure nothing is on in the cab, but still am having trouble. I know it's probably a short, but was hoping there was a quick way to diagnose the prob.

Secondly, my engine light is on, my code reader says it's an external speed sensor malfunction. Any idea what this is? Where is it? What does it cost? Is it really necessary? Thanks, Rex III.

Well, what can I say. I went in debt for a '98 dodge ram 1500 club cab a year ago. we are living on a VERY tight budget and was told that these "later model" dodges were "tough". so I thought that in the long run we would be better off, thought the thing would last. not so. truck had 105,000 miles when I got it. interior and exterior looked like brand new. engine was spotless. drove the truck about three months and the crank shaft broke. had to let it set for about two or three months until I could come up with the money to get another engine.. all the while paying a 306 dollar a month payment on it. have had the truck back about two weeks and the overdrive in the trans. is jerking so bad you have to drive with it off. I don't even want to know how much that is going to cost. rear end roars like it is coming out. was told this is normal. if I can get rid of this thing I am going to find me a older ford or chev. never again will I go in debt for a dodge. I can't afford this!!!

I bought my 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 brand new in late 1997. Basically I've had nothing, but problems!!! I think I've replaced everything on that truck from front to back!! If I knew then what I know now I would have made a different choice in vehicles! Dodge gets the BIG THUMBS DOWN from me!! I call my truck the "Money Pit"...Thank goodness I work for an automotive shop that lets me put my purchases on a payment plan. I think I've had the same payment plan since I started working there back in 1999. Seems that everyday it's something new wrong with it. So I guess you could say I am NOT impressed with my purchase of this truck, but it is now paid for and I suppose putting money into it is better than a truck payment for now, but when will it end!

I Own a 1998 5.2L 2wd 1500.

Most problems you guys have listed I've had... replaced the rear diff bearings $1200. a/c stopped working not gettin that fixed and now my tranny is toast... gee what a supprise... just wondering if it's worth just putting in an torque converter that's what I was told was shot in it...it's just starting to whine now and it's shifting fine any suggestions?? FYI I've had the ABS and waring light come up and your breaks will work fine just no ABS... my advice get 5 cents worth of electrical tape and cover the lights cheapest thing you can do!!

Dodge Ram 2500 Transmission overheating (automatic)

The o/d off light and transmission temperature warning lights both starting coming on about a week ago. A few mechanics said the transmission had to be rebuilt. I found an "old school" mechanic who recommended blowing out the transmission cooling lines with compressed air, since sometimes the lines become plugged with debris. The warning lights haven't come back on since. Hopefully this will save someone a lot of money, since it cost me nothing.

I have a '98 Ram 1500 2wd, Water pump replaced at 80k miles, replaced again at 110k miles, rear-end howls horribly, engine has a weird vibration, I lose A/C controls under acceleration, now at 118k miles the trans won't shift and then begins to slip at about 3500 rmp. I dropped the trans pan and replaced the filter, but no luck with that. Not sure if that would be the torque converter or the trans any suggestions? I have heard a whole lot about how crappy Dodge's trans were, now I know first hand. Chevy or Ford here I come...

I have a 01 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 5.2l 4x4, and in the last two months I've dumped money into an entirely new cooling system, because everything pretty much needed to be replaced; rear drive shaft u joint, driver and passenger side axle shaft u joints, passenger side hub assembly, and now I think my torque converter is heading south; at 45 mph I usually run at 11-1200 rpms, and now at 45 mph I'm running at 15-1600 rpms. Gas mileage has gone down hill lately. I think it's the torque converter, or could it be anything else?

I'm currently in the fire academy full time, and cannot spend all the extra cash on this truck. I have literally dumped most of my money into this piece of crap DODGE just to keep it running like it should run. Seriously considering trading her in for a Ford.

If you're in the market for a truck, don't buy a Dodge.