High mileage Ram

[steelrain]

I own a 2014 Ram 1500, I’ll be at 170k miles within a month. Since I’ve owned it, I’ve changed the oil/filter every 5k miles, I’ve changed all the fluids minus the brake fluid. It’s been a good truck, I changed the fuel pump bc the sending unit went out. And I’ve also changed the radiator bc of a crack. My question is, has a lot of people been able to get 200k+ miles on these 4th gen rams or am I already on borrowed time? I have a couple buddies at work with newer, lower mileage rams and they’ve had a lot of trouble with their trucks.

 

[mrack]

Rookie numbers. 200k is when you should start planning on major repairs, but who knows you may get another 100k out of it still. If you want the best value out of it, sell it at 195k ish, before it hits 200k. Potential buyers will like the look of 195k a lot better then 200k+

 

[OC455]

Have you had any other problems with your truck. If not, keep on doing what you are doing. It will be good for you.

 

[2012RAM1500RT]

My work truck is a 2012 2500. I have 257,000 miles on it as of now. I replaced the cam and lifters at 243,000 miles because of 1 lifter going bad. Otherwise I use it every day as a mechanic truck. It's hauled 9000 lbs since day one, that's total, truck and equipment. Need it to last a little more than 2 1/2 years till I retire.

 

[steelrain]

Have you had any other problems with your truck. If not, keep on doing what you are doing. It will be good for you.

No, I’ve only had to replace the fuel pump and the radiator.

 

[Jeepwalker]

There's no way to know what kind of issues, if any, you might run into. There have been owners who have had real high miles. And plenty of those who come here with issues....looking for solutions. You could get 10k more miles or 50k more miles, maybe 100k more(??) before more things start going, there's just no way to know. I think the longer you hang onto it the greater liklihood you'll have components which wear/fail, that kind of make sensee. But one has to weigh those repair costs against the price of a new truck too.

So...if you could, would you trade it in and buy something newer? Whats stopping you from doing that now? What's your threshold for risk? Can you afford to deal with expensive repairs if they arise? If your long-range plan is to get something newer, you might start thinking about when and how you'd go about it.

 

[steelrain]

There's no way to know what kind of issues, if any, you might run into. There have been owners who have had real high miles. And plenty of those who come here with issues....looking for solutions. You could get 10k more miles or 50k more miles, maybe 100k more(??) before more things start going, there's just no way to know. I think the longer you hang onto it the greater liklihood you'll have components which wear/fail, that kind of make sensee. But one has to weigh those repair costs against the price of a new truck too.

So...if you could, would you trade it in and buy something newer? Whats stopping you from doing that now? What's your threshold for risk? Can you afford to deal with expensive repairs if they arise? If your long-range plan is to get something newer, you might start thinking about when and how you'd go about it.

I guess I’m not so much worried about smaller components failing. The repairs I’ve already made have not been a big deal. My concern is big, expensive components like engine & transmission. I guess what I’m wondering is if Hemi’s and the 8 speed ZF transmissions are known for going high mileage with proper maintenance or not. Are there any other big ticket items to look out for? Ie. differentials. I appreciate your input.

 

[EdGs]

I own a 2014 Ram 1500, I’ll be at 170k miles within a month. Since I’ve owned it, I’ve changed the oil/filter every 5k miles, I’ve changed all the fluids minus the brake fluid. It’s been a good truck, I changed the fuel pump bc the sending unit went out. And I’ve also changed the radiator bc of a crack. My question is, has a lot of people been able to get 200k+ miles on these 4th gen rams or am I already on borrowed time? I have a couple buddies at work with newer, lower mileage rams and they’ve had a lot of trouble with their trucks.

I think you are doing just fine. Any part can fail at any time, crap happens.

Sounds like you are maintaining her solidly, keep on keeping on. Enjoy her.

My '15 has 192k as I write this, and my oil is changed according to the oci. Still original rad and water pump, I have changed my fuel pump, but because of a bad level sensor, not a pump failure.

Fluids, tires, brakes, a headlight switch, etc. Normal wear and tear.

I have NEVER had her aligned, and got 81k miles out of the Cooper Discoverer A/Ts I got from WalMart.

I try not to abuse her, but I do use the skinny pedal occasionally....lol.

And I will keep her as long as I can. I love my Ram.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Let's look at and theorize the "big" and expensive failure issues you're likely to run into and what you could do to blunt them, BEFORE they occur:

1) Cam/lifter issues: This is probably the most likely BIG *expensive* issue you could run into. And it seems to be fairly prevalant. At 170k, you're kind of on borrowed time. Here if you wanted, I would suggest it would be a wise idea to consider being pro-active and get ahead of the problem ...if your goal is to avoid surprises. The root issue seems to be excess free-play on the lifter rollers. They're small and it's asking a lot for them to last 200k miles. And often they don't. With your truck's mileage, it's difficult to imagine they DON'T have wear. Therefore, if you wanted to reduce a big $urprise it would be a lot cheaper/easier to get on it now where it would be a lot easier/cheaper b/c you could just replace the lifters themselves (leave the cam) which is about half the work/cost.

2) Transmission: These seem to last quite a while. Have you replaced the fluid yet? Hopefully you have (like ...100k mi ago!! ). Beyond that, continue to do the service. I think the tranny is a run-to-fail item. Lot of guys make it to 200k and northward pretty easily. They're generall quite a bit cheaper than replacing the engine.

3) Electronic Power Steering: This is another expensive failure owners in your year-ish see. IDK what you can do to prevent problems. Maybe boost your savings account up a bit in case it does fail. Figure $2,500 to replace. And if it never does, celebrate.

4) ABS Module: Another failure-prone item in your year range. Again, it's pretty much going to be fix-on-fail with this item.

5) Misc: Wheel bearings/hubs (run-to-fail), WIN Module issues (You could clean the contacts proactively), Cooling issues (replace coolant), Bearing issues (Replace or lube idler pulleys), Starter/Alternator (run-to-fail).

So looking at the major failure points, the only one you can realistically pro-actively mitigate is the lifter issue. And that happens to be one of the most expensive failures, could result in needing a new engine. But relatively easy to swap in some new lifters. So, that's one you might want to target before it gets you.

 

[mrack]

If you can’t afford to fix your truck when issues arise, you can’t afford to buy a new one. Buying a new one to avoid repairs is virtually never cost effective.

 

[Fred Chapman]

I own a 2014 Ram 1500, I’ll be at 170k miles within a month. Since I’ve owned it, I’ve changed the oil/filter every 5k miles, I’ve changed all the fluids minus the brake fluid. It’s been a good truck, I changed the fuel pump bc the sending unit went out. And I’ve also changed the radiator bc of a crack. My question is, has a lot of people been able to get 200k+ miles on these 4th gen rams or am I already on borrowed time? I have a couple buddies at work with newer, lower mileage rams and they’ve had a lot of trouble with their trucks.

I have a 2015 1500 Big Horn, 5.7 motor. I have 244k miles on it, driving it everywhere. I tow a trailer weighing 3500 #'s all the time. I change the plugs every 100k, flush the tranny fluid every 100k miles and oil every 7k miles. Only issues have been the common warping of the exhaust manifolds. About to put my third set in. $300 in parts for both sides, DIY so pretty overall cheap operating costs. Body and interior have held up very well so when expensive cost start, doing a crate motor to keep it running. It's worth more to me as a running truck than buying new every few years.

 

[Bill Copple]

I just sold my gen 4 (2010) to my grandson with 247,000 miles on it. So far he's been from here (Tulsa, OK) to Nebraska and back twice, here to Montana and back and here to Iowa and back without any problems. When i bought it with 21,000 Mi on it I immediatly changed it to full synthetic oil and changed it every 10,000 miles. Also changed all fluids including the rear end twice (first time was the result of a recall) I too had to change the radiator due to crack. Also replaced the water pump. Replaced one HVAC actuator and the A/C expansion valve. Mine was a 4.7L and while it was never a drag truck it always had all the power needed to get done what i needed including towing a 23 ft.camper trailer several times. This was actually more reliable than my previous 2003 ram and I considered that one a very good truck (despite having to replace the heater core... PAIN!!) Lost it due to totaled in a wreck (T-boned) and at that time IT had 187,000 miles on it!

 

[Lttlcheeze]

2012 1500 with 280k miles.

Regular maintenance and no major issues.

 

[SteveBlack]

I have a 2015 Pentastar with 197,000 miles on it and she runs like a top. I've only had to replace a coil and an evap sensor. I am planning on doing a full tune up before winter because she's never had new plugs as far as I know.

 

[Jeepwalker]

...Mine was a 4.7L and while it was never a drag truck it always had all the power needed to get done what i needed..

Some disagree, but I've had great luck with 4.7's going high miles. Neighbor kid had a good one too But then, the 4.7L's were a simpler engine ...didn't have cylinder deactivation (which is what causes the Hemi cam failures).

 

[Tominator223]

04 gen 3 hemi. 422,000 miles.

 

[BigDaddy02RAM]

3rd generation with 230k
I have changed just about everything on it and she is still kicking.

 

[RamDiver]

...didn't have cylinder deactivation (which is what causes the Hemi cam failures).

I thought the jury was still out on that theory, based on the fact that non-MDS Hemis still suffer from lifter/cam failures.

.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Ok...yer right. Cam issues either way.

 

[Goody66]

I own a 2014 Ram 1500, I’ll be at 170k miles within a month. Since I’ve owned it, I’ve changed the oil/filter every 5k miles, I’ve changed all the fluids minus the brake fluid. It’s been a good truck, I changed the fuel pump bc the sending unit went out. And I’ve also changed the radiator bc of a crack. My question is, has a lot of people been able to get 200k+ miles on these 4th gen rams or am I already on borrowed time? I have a couple buddies at work with newer, lower mileage rams and got 3they’ve had a lot of trouble with their trucks.