Fresh Meat

[ram50bam]

What's up forum people? just purchased a new to me 1988 Dodge Ram 50 a couple days ago. haven't had a chance to dig into it too much other than fixing a few wiring issues. This little truck only set me back 500$. Don't know a whole lot about these little trucks other than it seemed like a perfect truck to make into a little low rider. I'm not for sure but I think she has a set of pathfinder wheels on her. It has buckets out of a Dodge Neon and the previous owner kept it clean.

[camoit]

Welcome to the board.
Nice little starter there, and you paid a good price for it.
Now that your a member you also have access to your online radio station. MMD5 Radio. Just look at the top of any page and you will find a link to the radio station. You can request songs and up load songs to it while surfing the net. I suggest using headphones. It makes a world of deference, or hook it up to a stereo and pump it up. We play everything on it. so don't be surprised to here out of the norm and new hits played back to back.

[BradMph]

Welcome to MightyRam50.net, Nice truck.

[royster]

It's no conspiracy~theory: Virginians are taking over the forum. We will soon demand our own...oh, I dunnoh, state or something...maybe a "commonwealth".

Welcome to the forum RamBam. It seriously IS time to form a mid-Atlantic group.

[Kaos731]

$500 bucks! and it runs! I feel ripped off now LOL.

I paid $1,350 for mine same year but different color!
:bang:

[BradMph]

$500 bucks! and it runs! I feel ripped off now LOL.

I paid $1,350 for mine same year but different color!
:bang:

You don't feel ripped off, you luv your truck and would of paid more if you had to. Just like me and everyone else here. The best thing to do is avoid them completely so you never get bit by the bug. :lmao:

[ram50bam]

yup 500$, ad runs so-so, ive put almost 100 miles on it since Saturday when I got it but its also cut off a solid 20 times, hell it turned off 6 ties tur around in my driveway earlier tonight, the carb breather is just kinda sittin there so ill need to put some bolts on that. the guy I got it from said it burned about a quart of oil per month but im pretty sure its jus leakin from the valve cover. and I have almost no power, takes forever to get up to any speed but no blown head gasket. wonder how hard itll be to put a dohc turbo mitsu motor in? seen someone put a 3000gt swap on here, time for some research!

[BradMph]

change your fuel filter, probably clogged

[OG Arrow]

You don't feel ripped off, you luv your truck and would of paid more if you had to. Just like me and everyone else here. The best thing to do is avoid them completely so you never get bit by the bug. :lmao:

EXACTLY !!! LOL

But since the bug has bit you ,,, Welcome !
You have a Great truck there, Very nice, and I like the color.
Welcome Aboard !

[ram50bam]

ok after she wouldn't run today without bein floored we found that 2 plugs weren't even half way screwed in and 3 wires were just dangling in there most likely only making connection by arcing. also found the it had 2 bosch 4 tip plugs and 2 champion single tip and all looked fouled. bout all new autolites. next we replaced ALL the vacuum hoses(all the 5/32 ones anyway) cause most of mine were dry rotter and cracked. air filter had seen better days so that was next. we then checked the timing and found that the bushing in the harmonic balancer was shot and the pulley was wobbling, as well as when we reved her up we could watch the belt hop so for now I tighten the adjustable altenator. we can hear either that pulley smackin the block some or we're hearing the timing belt smacking the inside some when I rev it up so for 70$ I order me a timing belt and tensioners. I also have MAD oil leaking from my valve cover gasket so I ordered that as well and while in there ill adjust the valves and cean her up a good bit. when I bought the truck saturdy the guy said she burned a quart a month but na not burning any unless inimal its just leaking something nasty. also found tht the choke was stuck so a can of carbcleaner fixed that up in a jiffy. all in all I started today not hardly running and ended the day commuting to class this evening with out her cutting off even once. however these things have like no power what so ever. on interstate at 70 any kind of hill and its down to 4th gear and praying to maintain 55, what's up wih that? also caned my cap and button to assure good connection there and I hav some 4g and 0g wire floatin aroun here somewhere so tomorrow morning im going to go ahead and do me a big 3 up grade, I figure it heped my jeep back in the day so it couldn't hurt this thing. since my part store cant get the balancer its to the scrap yard tomorrow for that and to find a 2g max chrome grille if lucky(way sexier than my stock ram50 grille.) also tomorrow ill get some interior pics.

[BradMph]

Get some seafoam and run it through the engine maybe. I think your on the right road, it will take time for you to go through your new truck and check for unmaintained things that are only hurting the truck. Be sure to replace the half round baby moon plug at the rear of the valve cover and head. These leak a ton and put some silicon on it so when you remove valve cover again it doesn't get pulled off with cover and lost somewhere.

[ram50bam]

can you point me towards a reference pic of the moon plug your talkin about? ad last 2 days in advanced auto the guy has told me of there sale on seafoam and I hav gotten it yet, it didn't do much for previous vehicles so I didn't become a believer but im thinkin tracking down some non ethyl gas andgoing 93octane and a can of seafoam through a few tanks and ill fix atleast a few of he issues goin on inside this thing lol

[royster]

can you point me towards a reference pic of the moon plug your talkin about?

It is literally shaped like a half moon, and it should come standard with the valve cover gasket, along with two rubber grommets for the valve cover bolts.

When you remove the valve cover, you'll see the half-moon dip in the cylinder head in the back of the engine.

[royster]

I happened to find a picture of where the half moon goes (outlined in green) at the firewall-end of the head. I forgot exactly why it's craddled like that, but if memory serves me correctly, the end of the cam craddles there just on the other side of the rubber half moon seal.
8719

There: consider yourself half-mooned

:butwiggle:

[ram50bam]

sweet. for now ive put a can of knock off seafoam(b-12 chem something or other) and filled the tank with 93 octane however ive only driven about 30mi but it seems to be smoother so we'll see.