Gen 2,3 & 4 Ram 2500 4wd question

[Mr. 68 Hundred]

My questions are with regards to electrically shifted transfer cases, center axle disconnect and traction/stability control. I'm most concerned with Gen 4 as we are looking at a MegaCab and the wife wants new but I'm also curious as to how old I would need to go to avoid the ECU getting in the way.

Does removing any of the electrically controlled components and replacing with manually controlled cause any check engine lights/limp home more or other problems? If so, are there any fixes?

For example, if I bought a 2015 or 2016 6.4 Megacab and wanted to remove the CAD, add the Dynatrac Free Spin kit and have a manually operated transfer case installed, would this cause problems with the ECU/vehicle that could not be easily corrected?

Thank you,
Steve

 

[Rbertalotto]

06 is EASILY the best year ever made for the Dodge Ram. Maybe because this was the year Mercedes owned Chrysler and they really stepped up QC and engineering?

Turbo Diesel Register every month lists issues with the various generations...1st, 2nd, and 4th generations usually have multiple pages of issues. Gen3 rarely can fill a page with issues. And they are usually very minor. Just check used prices for a 2006 and see where they are. My 2006 has 185,000 miles with nothing needed but tires, brakes, one exhaust system (cat back), water pump......that's it. And I don't baby it. Shell Rotella Synthetic every 10-12K miles.....

 

[OR2BAJA]

I would buy an 11.5. You get the high output motor, no traction control. I have owned 2 6.7l motors with electronic shifter. I can guarantee that those two trucks have literally spent thousands of miles off road and I have never had an issue. With the 4th gen you get a way better cab than the 3rd gens ever imagined. I would avoid the 2013's and up. They built the front ends as an after thought. You do not need a free spin kit on these trucks. Way more maintenance and the hub assemblies on these trucks are extremely reliable. The only thing I would do is get the front rebuilt and beefed up.

 

[Buliwyf]

Traction control and stability control seems like a non-issue with our fleet trucks. Kind of annoying when it kicks in just as the mud is about to fling clear. But it's a rare annoyance.

Can't speak about the hubs and axle disconnect. I hated that on my YJ. But someone's got to have a decent fix for Rams?

 

[OR2BAJA]

Pull the ABS fuse and no more traction control but if you are off road you should not be using abs in the first place. There is no need for a fix in regards to the hubs. We have guys leading a life with their dodge 2500's and 3500's that most would not believe. My truck lives in dog years. The hub assemblies are about last on the list of failure parts. You're 100 times more likely to bend a the front axle, smoke the ball joints, smoke the steering linkage before the hubs and there are awesome fixes for those problems. The control arms are stamped steel with mushy bushings. The dodge is not perfect but none of them are but to me it's the only vehicle sold state side that I would buy for a vehicle that I depended on.

 

[aearles]

The 2016 still offers a manual transfer case, Power Wagon has one standard in all trims, but I learned the other day that the regular 2500 Tradesman trim also includes the Borg Warner with the floor shifter (at least in the Cummins). Salesmen told me it was a function of trim, which didn't make sense to me, I assumed it was just the Cummins, but he showed me the same truck in Laramie that had the electronic knob shifter.

Of course, they still have the CAD to deal with.

 

[1stDeuce]

I think Dodge offered a manual T-case in all those generations, and they still do. If you really want a manual t-case, I HIGHLY recommend you find a truck WITH the manual case, rather than trying to convert.

Converting to lockouts will cost you, and doesn't really save anything. Letting the u-joints and axle shafts spin with no load is what keeps the joints lasting longer IMO, as it keeps the grease/oil spread out and everything turning freely. You MIGHT gain as much as .1 (1/10) mpg with lockouts installed, but I doubt it. No payback on that. Ever.

The ABS/Traction Control/Stability Control in the 2011+ Dodge/Ram trucks (And Ford F250/350) was done by TRW, while I was there. It's based on the 2011+ GM system, which is pretty awesome. (The 2009-10 GM TC/Stability could be a bit restrictive...)

The Ram engineers relaxed some of the control requirements a bit to make the system work better for "truck guys". Traction Control adds more slip when you add more throttle, which is nice. Stability is less intrusive for mild "hooning", but WILL save your *** if you ask it for help by steering in a corrective manner. It won't whack you for no reason like some of the earlier systems would. And ABS adds a bunch of slip, and raises the lockup speed in low range, so it works much better offroad.

Traction control is never going to work in mud or deep snow, but that's why it has an OFF button, and on 2011+ domestic trucks, that button does turn it OFF. If you want to slide around too, holding the off button for a few seconds instead of just pushing it turns TC and Stability completely off, and you can waste tires, roll the truck, do whatever you want.

Honestly, in the early years, these systems were very intrusive and heavy handed with pulling torque, but the 2011+ GM, Dodge, and Ford systems (All TRW, all done while I was still there) are really great systems. If you've been driving a Toyota or Nissan, or earlier GM, and come to hate it, give the later systems a chance.

As an added bonus, I believe Ram's 2011+ stability control includes trailer sway control, (I know it does after 2013, at least.) which can detect that an improperly loaded (tongue too light) trailer is starting to take the truck for a ride, and actually manage to catch it and control it before you end up backwards and upside down in the ditch, with trailer impressions on both sides of your truck. It will save a situation that the driver has little chance to recover from. (Contrary to some of the info out there, it does nothing to control mild wind sway, or the driver swerving, it's really there as a safety measure for a trailer that's wagging because it's improperly loaded.)

My $2. (I spent 7 years of my life tuning, developing, and improving Traction Control at TRW, so my thoughts are hopefully worth a little more than usual on this subject...)

Good luck finding a truck you like!!

 

[Mr. 68 Hundred]

I had my suspicions it would be best to buy one with manual(s). Too bad it doesn't come in the MegaCab. Happy back seat kids=happy me thus the Mega requirement. On a related, and funny note, at least for everyone but my wife. The reason she demands new is that she once bought a used truck (before meeting me). Didn't really look it over that close and when she got it home and started cleaning it, found some panties under the seat. The Mega is going to be more of family travel vehicle with only light off-road anyhow so I"m probably pre-overeacting about electronics and front wheel bearings for a truck we don't even have yet.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Saharafire]

I've got a 2014 tradesman with the 6.4 Hemi. It has a manual transfer case in it. It's also a crew cab and has more than enough room for my two kids in the back. It is the biggest cab I've ever had in a fullsize truck. It is a very comfortable truck even being a lower trim level. Very happy with it so far.