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6K views 44 replies 13 participants last post by  Incognito 
#1 ·
So growing up with a single mother didn't quite made me learn many stuff MAN do, and I'm talking about messing around with automobiles, most of my uncles are very knowledgeable when it comes to do major mechanic work on their trucks, I however don't really fit into that category, yes I can disassemble something and mess with it but I might brake something... Well anyways what this post is about is that for the first time I did change the oil, oil filter, belt, spark plugs, and washed up the K&N air filter, it perhaps took me most of the day but hey I did it all by myself, not even my step dad helped me out, and I'm proud of myself :4-looney:

I am looking forward to many other things on my Ram in the near future as long money is available :)

Thanks for reading, enjoy your week!
 
#2 ·
That's awesome! There's something about a job well done (on your own) that makes it seem all that much better!

What usually gets me is time. I don't have time to tear apart my daily driver many times to fix a lot of things. Time, and sometimes, specialty tools.
 
#5 ·
Nice job man, congrats! Thanks for sharing your story, and I agree, time and tools are my problem as well, but you always feel better when you do it yourself! :smileup:

- Cajun :pepper:
 
#10 ·
Congratulations there . You do know that if ever you would need advice , were here to give you the guidance that's necessary .
Thanks, I'd need advice, well more like a walk through on changing the spark plugs...

:smileup:Hey man......i think thats awsome. We all got to start somewhere and somehow. nobody has it in them to just do it with out someone showing them or a incentive in there head that i can do this.Good for you and you should feel proud.:smileup:
Yes sir I do feel very proud =)

Good stuff man. You learn a lot from doing things on your own, and if you break things, which'll happen, then you keep on going and keep on fixing. Far better than paying someone else to do it. Invest in some good tools and keep logging onto the forum and asking questions.
Thanks buddy, what's the proper tool used to change the spark plugs on an 02 ram?
 
#8 ·
:smileup:Hey man......i think thats awsome. We all got to start somewhere and somehow. nobody has it in them to just do it with out someone showing them or a incentive in there head that i can do this.Good for you and you should feel proud.:smileup:
 
#9 ·
Good stuff man. You learn a lot from doing things on your own, and if you break things, which'll happen, then you keep on going and keep on fixing. Far better than paying someone else to do it. Invest in some good tools and keep logging onto the forum and asking questions.
 
#22 ·
+1 on that, DIY. :smiley_thumbs_up:

Just did my '03's front brakes, haven't touched a floating caliper disc brake in years (my track car and others use fixed 4-piston fronts and are much easier to maintain, pad changes can be done w/o tools in 15 minutes).

But I didn't have much choice, my front pass brake was stuck closed and chewing through the rotor. I couldn't see paying someone hundreds of dollars to replace pads and rotors. Turns out I had to replace the caliper, too, pistons were cracked and melted inside - yes, the OEM were plastic.

Didn't look too bad other than the heat and rust wiped the dust shield - my wife drove the truck like this for 100+ of miles before she told me there "seems to be something wrong with the brakes" :158:



But once inside things were much worse than they looked :SHOCKED:



Curiously enough the new caliper uses steel, or at least the part you can see before installation of the 2 pistons is all steel.



So, $460 in rotors/pads (all 4 corners, Powerslot rotors with EBC Green Stuff Pads) plus a new caliper (~$120) and some fluid, all done. Wish I had time to put in new lines, too, but I will save that for when I flush all the old fluid and do the lines then. I didn't want to get into the ABS bleed procedure this round with the time I had available.

MUCH better than paying even more to have someone else do it, when I could take care of it myself at home.
 
#11 · (Edited)
good job brutha!! nuttin like the satisfaction of doin it yourself...I was almost the same way when i first got my Ram in 05..I knew how to do the simplest stuff like that...then I started readin through the forums and started tinkerin more an more...now, guys are comin over to have me 'tinker' on their trucks..... that's me in the engine bay of the red truck..
 
#16 ·
Mr Cantu...can you tell us what motor you have in your 02? can't be a hemi cuz they dint start using them til 03+. So I think the motor choices are 3.7L, 4.7L or 5.9L...
 
#17 ·
You should know....1/2" or whatever...
Gap? any idea? Such a Virgin.
uh..try 5/8th's with the rubber boot....most used for spark plug changes are 3/8" drive sockets an wratchet's seein as spark plugs are mostly tq'ed to 7lbs which doesn't require any drive bigger then 3/8th's... AND, we were all virgins at one time or another...
 
#23 · (Edited)
Oh, add $7 for 2 washers for the banjo bolt from the local stealership, outrageous price for 2 copper washers. But you don't want to reuse 6 year old washers that seal the brake line/caliper junction. If I had to do all 4 that would have been 8 washers, $28 and they didn't even have enough of them them in stock.

My rotors/pads from autopartswarehouse, free shipping on the order - no small issue with four rotors almost 13" in diameter!

The nice thing with 4 discs too is no really special tools required, just strong sockets and a 1/2" torque wrench, you need to pay close attention to the torque specs.

hth - full pics here
http://picasaweb.google.com/skylinegtr01/RAM_Truck_Brakes#
 
#24 ·
Oh, add $7 for 2 washers for the banjo bolt from the local stealership, outrageous price for 2 copper washers. But you don't want to reuse 6 year old washers that seal the brake line/caliper junction. If I had to do all 4 that would have been 8 washers, $28 and they didn't even have enough of them them in stock.
That's true about not resuing the washers, but I've never seen a new or reman piece that didn't have them included. You should have been able to pic some up at any parts store.
 
#26 ·
Re:washers that was my first question, too, were they included? Nope. They were pretty messed up on that side, probably due to heat. I don't see how, ahem, anyone could have driven it so much with the brake dragging like that. :i_rolleyes: I have strong aversion to anyone else driving my truck as it's not the first time - a basic rear flat turned into a totally shredded relatively new tire because she didn't notice that for several miles... :SHOCKED:At least the wheel was ok!

This was all that was left of one of the pads on that side :wow:




I plan to replace the driver's side caliper, figure if one stuck chances are pretty good the other might do the same. None were in stock at three local Dodge places I checked. I really needed the truck back on the road "yesterday" due to all the snowfall, so I didn't want to wait and do it later, leaving it in pieces on stands with the tail end of the truck sticking out of the garage. IDK why, but nobody seems to carry much stock locally, it's always "I can have that for you in two or three days from the NY distributor" - if I am going to wait two or more days, I sure as hell am not going to pay their markup, in this case easily $25 more than elsewhere for the caliper plus sales tax on top of that.

Driver's side caliper has the same design as the one I replaced, and the ends of the pistons show some signs that look like fatigue or potential cracking down the road. They otherwise look pretty much normal, seals were ok, too. It won't be much of a big deal to swap over the pads and line, I'll wait until I have 4 new lines and do both at once all the way around. When you see the driver's side line you know why. I just started using Fluid Film on the exposed underbody parts which will hopefully avoid rust like this. Looks worse than it was when I cleaned things up:



That's the downside of DIY, even planning ahead, sometimes it means you only can do as much as you have time and parts for. We've had at least two more snowstorms since I did the work on Monday, and today another 6" or so, my roads are at the end of town - last plowed. With the truck, I don't really care if it's plowed or not.

Good truck :smiley_thumbs_up:
 
#28 ·
Not yet, the hoses were actually better than they looked or I'd have just parked it. One side heat was clearly a problem, the dust shield just crumbled pass side while the driver's side is fine, and the driver's side pads had quite a bit more wear left. Almost all my pics are passenger side, after cleaning off the junk it looks a lot better, but not great:



I need to replace all the brake fluid (only 28k miles, but 6 years). I'll do all 4 lines then.

Any suggestions for sourcing stainless lines for the RAM? I could go with a set of OEM, too, I just would normally upgrade the lines when I replace them.
 
#33 ·
Nice posts guys, and yet seems like I have another problem, well actually two, I noticed my powers tearing fluid decreasing so I checked the lines, and sure enough there's leak, I bought a sealant, but it continues to leak very slowly, I think I will just change the lines instead, the other problem is one of the pulleys making a weird noise, I will post a video and some pictures tomorrow if I get time...
 
#39 ·
It's like if it grinds on something but like it doesn't always do it, sometimes you hear it sometimes you don't, I have to catch it on cam so I can show you guys, it's not noticible but it's something I know is there and has me thinking :sad:
 
#40 ·
Oh I don't blame her, it would be like blaming someone for not understanding Particle Physics who has never been exposed to even a 101 course. She has no innate understanding of mechanical things and cars, well, pretty complex mechanical things. Even the brake, well, the truck was still "working" in her mind, it was doing what she wanted it to - point A to point B. :i_rolleyes:

I'm not expert by any means, but I grew up in a family where my Dad raced Formula B/Formula Atlantic race cars in the 1970's, our 3-bay garage was filled with usually a roller, a car, and engine(s), workspace, tires. All the family cars were banished to the outdoors, lol! I learned a lot from helping him, and he made sure I knew the basics before I even got my license, and damn sure before I ever drove anything he owned.

Yes those end links are crap, way under-spec'd. I was pretty annoyed when I found the mechanic at the dealer only replaced one of the two, just the broken one. Hers is a 1999 MY, and I would have preferred they did both at once.

I find a lot of OEM end links are problematic. I recently replaced the links on my Inifniti G35 Coupe with Power Grid links, $$$ but very well made. OEM links I took off tend to pop at the joint, esp in the rear with upgraded sway bars (Hotchkis). Mine were practically destroyed due to wear, and it's a car I only drive on the street, no track use, etc.

Btw drove the truck through the Car Wash this AM, the Fluid Film coating is still there even after an underbody wash. I can see why guys like the stuff. It shows promise for keeping the under-body rust in check.

Also btw, I apologize to the OP as my entire post(s) are probably OT from his thread, don't mean to thread-jack his topic. Brakes just seemed like a good maintenance topic. :smiley_thumbs_up:
 
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