Two things 1.The 5.2(318) and the 5.9(360) suffer from intake gasket blowing out on the plenum. Hughes engines makes a great repair kit used it on my truck. 2. I know for the 98 and up trucks lmc truck makes a replacement dash. I think the 94 to 97 trucks your still junkyard hunting.

I love these “Twister” era Dodges..... my dad had a ‘94 Ram 2500 4X4 with the Cummins 6BT issued to him as a work truck, even though it wasn’t his, we still loved it all the same... hell he even let me take it to my senior prom, why not, it was as long as a limo!

Mrs. Wizard, thanks for the improved lighting under the cars. It's a lot easier to see stuff now.

Amazingly rust free for a Kansas truck of that age!

Well wizard, not much of a surprise with a pic of it in thumbnail and it written in the title, LOL

I have a 98’ Dakota with a 5.9 and I’m in love with it. This thing just never dies. 200k+ miles!

6:30 Proper respect to Wizard for not littering - and to the officer who didn't make his muffler falling off an issue!

I just fixed that same timing cover gasket leak issue on my 1988, pre-magnum 5.2. Threw a new timing set in for good measure. 356,000 miles, runs like a top.

If that exhaust falling off happened to me I’d be laughing about that for hours!

That is a beautiful 2nd gen, clean for its age. Sounds great too!

Boss man , my name is Papadt. I really like your videos because it reminds me when i was doing mechanic work. I'm on disability now and can no longer work on cars and trucks. I watch alot of repair videos and yours is the best. Thank you for your program. Keep up the good work. Papadt

Nice!. I got a 97 360 still running strong at 430k miles. Great motors.

Great buy Wizard, at work I use to drive a 99 over 300k on the odometer it refuses to die. Very strong trucks.

Wizard: *Buys a 60's C30* Also Wizard: I need a truck!

Can’t wait for more on this truck!! I have a 99.. !! It had 300,000 miles before a valve spring broke and dropped a valve. Still ran good on 7 cylinders! Now it has a rebuilt engine.

My 99 Dakota with the Magnum 5.2 has 253,000 miles in it. I've given it plenty of abuse and nehlect and it just keeps going.

shop i used to work at had one of those with 550k on it 4 years ago ( used for tire deliveris). Its still going as far as i know

Everything is a good trade for wizard since he knows how to repair it himself

The 5.2 in my 97 Dakota beater has 230k miles, and despite being abused like hell by the previous owner, it runs like a top. Just needed a new starter, and grounds cleaned up, and it's been super reliable. She's THIRSTY though.

GM cars have a battery cut-off after about twenty minutes. They have had that feature for years.

I live in the country and don’t have a truck. I bought a 5‘x10‘ utility trailer with a 5‘ tall tailgate that also serves as a ramp. It cost me $1600 with a 3500lbs axle. No insurance $28.25 for tabs and can sit for months without anything going wrong with it. I can tow it with my Durango. It’s a lot lower and easier to load than a pickup for sure. No maintenance required besides repacking the bearings every couple years. Just some food for thought.

Just replaced my 01 Ram 5.2 with a 00 Ram 8.0, had to do it though, the added power of the V10, woodgrain and leather and factory keyless entry sold me into making the upgrade, decided to refresh the 5.2 Ram and give it to my dad. They aren’t worth much in money but they can hold their own in value for the use they give.

Probably enough with one DeathStar in stock.

"And if it blows a head gasket, that will make excellent content for you guys." You are awesome, Car Wizard!

I had a 97 with a 5.2 and a 5 speed manual, When I bought it, it had 180k, many moons later I sold it to a guy with 325k miles and he still daily drives it. Nothing special about the truck, but the darn thing never once left me stranded

I worked for an A/C company in Houston from 1989 - 2010 and when the new Dodges came out the owner was very excited to update the fleet from Ford's to the Dodges. Turns out that the 82' - 92' Ford's were MUCH better overall than the Dodges. The Ford's were weaker power wise but they broke less under HARD use and the Dodges had weak A/C's and lots of other mostly minor problems.. The boss's loaded Red 94' with the 360 actually blew up cruising at 70 mph with 60k on it and after that all new trucks were Ford's....

Love those late 90's Dodge Rams. They age like fine wine. My dad had a 98 Dodge Durango SLT in black. Bought it new in Summer of 1998 from the Dodge dealer in Hollister Ca. That V8 Magnum was a beast. But sadly he got into a wreck with a telephone pole. Miss that truck!

I had 97, for 6 years I said the same thing "Any day now, it's going to quite working". Sold it 3 years ago and still see it on the road today, 270,000 miles when I sold it. Went through ball joints every three years but like the wizard said It was cheap to fix.

I've got a very similar truck myself! Mines a 2001, was originaly a fleet truck so it's white with a vinyl bench seat and a plain stereo, 5.2 2wd. So far the only issue I've had is front wheel bearings (which are non adjustable on 2000-2001 models) and both outer tie rods. Great trucks!

Go ahead and fix the dash and headliner. She will appreciate it in the end !

I love those 90s Dodge trucks. The styling is great and those old motors are reliable.

The 318 is like the GM 350, with less power. One of their longest running, diehard engines, been around forever, driven several in work trucks. Not a power monster, but takes a lot of abuse and still runs forever. The 5.9 on the other hand, lots of issues on the ones we used.

Owned a Dodge of that era with the 5.2. Best thing I can say about them is that they are easy to repair and fairly reliable. Kind of just a simple truck to own. Transmissions are weak and everything inside breaks easily, but they are a workhorse. If I were shopping in that price range and era of trucks, I would consider one again. That's coming from a guy who has owned all three domestic trucks and currently has a '19 F150.

"It could blow a head gasket at any minute!" LOLOLOL Wizard has a sense of humor.

The wizard: now that I got "repositioned here" I can finish my story Best line I've ever heard

If it ever does die, a fella might could get another Rolls engine.

"Hell yeah check this thing out" 🤣🤣 That Northstar doesn't stand a chance

Bought my '01 quad cab with the 5.2 engine two years ago and beyond the expected maintenance at 251K, has been a darn good truck. I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of the rig

That Cadillac was absolutely gorgeous! I hope the kids don't screw it up!

Got a 273k mile 2001 Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.2L V8 that was very abused by the state fire department. Rides good, carries a lot of stuff, doesn't make me sad when it gets damaged off-roading, and is cheap and easy to wrench on. That's the best you can ask for in a truck.

Sweet truck! Won’t you be embarrassed to drive a truck that ain’t 25 feet long! 😂 Don’t get me wrong I like the old truck. Seems people lost sight of what a trucks for. Not to SHOW OFF! Insecure people.

"It's got speakers and boombox garbage on it. That'll be going in the trash."

When you get tires don’t forget to put the rim in the bed back on the left front, as soon as I saw the off style rim I was hoping the matching one was still there

The 318 is a good engine that Dodge made for years.

Everyone bashes the hell out of the Chrysler and Dodge, but occasionally they really make a fantastic product. The Challenger, Charger, Durango, and the 300 are all FANTASTIC vehicles and about the only cars I would consider buying new.

Wise choice! I am age 64 and have an actual 50 years hands on experience as a mechanic. I have mention y 98 Dodge ram extended cab several times in your comments. I love it and will eep it for as long as I live. Those 318 V8 engines in these 98s (94 to 03) aare actually your ,id 1960s LA Chrysler V8s.and the long block assembly is actually the same, so you actually have a 60s vehicle. They are better than your ford and gmc and chevrolet trucks. That Dodge is a truck you need to keep. Keep the rust off of it and it will always be worth anything you have to spend on it . I also own a cadillac that is the 89 brougham, but it is one of the good cadillacs with that cast iron long block 307 oldsmobile V8 and those are good forever engines also. That 93 cadillac you had is something I call a nightmare car though. Ill keep my 98 dodge ram extended cab for LIFE though.. I call it my tiger truck because I think the front looks like a tiger

Nice truck, kind of starting to dig those older Dodge RAMs again. Definitely remember growing up and seeing the new style it was impressive. Short bed looks sexy.

The headliner is worth doing to avoid the dust/matter flying around the interior and getting into your eyes, nose and mouth. Also, the aftermarket fiberglass dashes work very well if you are ever interested in replacing it, I have one in my 1999. These trucks are surprisingly inexpensive for nearly everything as far as parts and restoration, and I believe they may fall into a classic status due to that and their unique, trend setting styling when they were produced.

Ur gonna love that 2gen dodge i have one and it has 300k miles

Had a 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a dodge 5.2 that I sold with 450k miles on it and I still see it driving around town. The best thing we ever did to it was upgrade theninjextors to mustang injectors with 4 holes. My mileage doubled (14 to 28) and had better throttle response . HIGHLY recommend and would make a great video

The LA blocks were probably the best engine Chrysler ever produced. The 318 in my grandpa’s 86’ D150 went over 400,000 miles and was still running when it was sold. He even had a LA V6 in his 97’ Dakota went 325,000 miles until a drunk driver ran into it.

In 1999, I bought a 1990 suzuki sidekick 4X4 with a hard top for 1100 bucks canadian (a buck fifty american)... sold the hard top for 500 bucks and installed a brand new soft top for 170 (I worked at suzuki). I friggin' loved that thing... sold it 2 years later for 1200$... i miss that thing...

Love your channel I've been subscriber for a few months now from Australia great to see an honest guy doing what he loves well done mate 👍

My dad bought a 2001 with the 3.9 v6 new and we still have it today. That truck refuses to die. As for the question at the end I had a 95 dodge Dakota with the 5.2 4x4 that I regret selling but I just bought a Silverado 1500hd from a friend and didn't have room for both of them.

The car I most regret getting rid of is a near mint Mazda RX4 Coupe with 12A engine, maroon with ivory interior. It was a 1973 or 4 that I bought in about 1984 and sold late 86 to go work overseas. Always regretted selling. It was fun, loved to rev, very turbine-like, very comfortable, seated four adults, interior was lovely and these had overhead controls like a plane, which prevented you putting in a sunroof, very stylish IMO, and now very collectible. I bought it after a nightmare with a Triumph Spitfire I'd paid top dollar for and had literally everything fail on. My Dad thought I was mad as rotaries have such a bad rep, but it turned out to be very reliable. I met a young guy at the car club who knew a lot about them and worked on them in the garage under his parents house. He did a few inexpensive mods that made the spark plugs last longer, the service interval longer, and preserved the apex seals. Still needed servicing twice as often as a regular car back then, but still better than the six-weekly servicing that was typical for rotaries at the time. Made the car much more useable and liveable, and as I said, it was very reliable in my ownership, and I used it every day as my only car. Proves the point that finding a knowledgeable mechanic can make or break such a purchase.

Stil driving my 97 ram with the 5.2 and same color but a club cab body.

The only 2nd gen ram trucks I see around these days are diesels and there usually all brodozerd out. It’s nice to see a ram without a big lift, mall crawler rims, tow mirrors and blacked out everything.

I understand the need for the utility of the truck, but I found that the convenience comes at a pretty steep price. Each year between licence and insurance you pay and pay. Now consider that almost almost the same utility can be had with a nice utility trailer. Let's say you had something like a Crown Vic. You can tow almost as much but the licence and insurance os going to be much cheeper as well as the money to buy in the first place.

Great fucking truck. A buddy of mine had one of these back in the day and it served him well.

My raised roof Astro conversion van does it all. I have the quick release back seats out now. Built on 1/2 ton chassis. Carries drywall and ten foot boards enclosed and locked. Had a guy fit in and drop 1/2 yard bucket of stones. I if had to have one vehicle only it would be a van. Can sleep in it in a pinch

Come on Splurge a few grand into that truck Looks like a very nice platform To make it tastefully nice

Yeah! I have been driving the same 98 ram since high school. Everyone tells me I should have just bought a new one for as much money as I’ve put into it replacing stuff but it’s been in the family since new. Ask me if I’ve replaced it and I’m sure I’ve learned how too. Just replaced my heater core on 254,500 miles. Hope to see more!

I bought one of these trucks new in 1998. It's still my daily driver. The only real problem areas are: the dash crumbles, the A/C condensers leak, and the bottoms of the front doors rust out. That driver's seat bottom and cushion are available on eBay. Parts are reasonable and easy to find. Even Mopar still sells a lot of parts for it.

I just bought a 2000 Durango same color same engine with 216,000 mi. Runs, shifts and drives great! Needs 2WD front wheel bearings (passenger side makes some noise) but that's it. Paid $900 for it at auction. Good inside and out.

I had a Toyota truck in the late 1990's that had a bad muffler. I replaced it, but being a teenager, and broke, I put the first glasspack I could find in a junkyard on it. Also, being a teenager, and broke, I didn't have a welder, so I clamped it on. It stayed put until one morning coming home from work, where it fell off after driving 12 miles. I jumped out and put it in the back of the truck before thinking... and didn't have fingerprints on that hand for a week.

Nice truck, Wizard. Seems solid! Only suggestion - put in a nice basic Pioneer or Alpine radio, instead of the stock unit. It will sound better, last longer, and give you aux / bluetooth. All for very little $. A small upgrade but enhances the options for playing music in there and the high quality amp inside will be crisp without any extra equipment.

The truck's so loud the bass on my setup'd shaking the entire desk... I like that.

3:42 "speakers and boom box garbage" oh come on wizard don't hurt me like that, installed my subs 6 years ago when I was 17 🤣 now I figure keep em til they blow

So glad you posted this video. I was looking at one of these with a 5.9 magnum quad cab and was unsure because I know nothing about them. But car wizard gave his approval so I feel much better.

Love the 94 - 2001 ram trucks ! Cheap to buy, easy to work on. 👍

That’s a pretty good truck. Definitely fixable. I regret letting my mom get rid of her 2004 Subaru Outback LLBean wagon. It was the only one that I told her she should actually buy off lease, and unfortunately that didn’t happen. Now she regrets it as well. It was one of the cars that I learned to drive on in fact, and I always loved getting to drive that car it was so powerful and it rode so smoothly. Also the only one she has ever had with a V6. It was a nice red color too. Great car.

Good deal. This is a fine beater truck that is both comfortable and cheap. No tears if it gets a few bumps which is the right way to treat a truck. These new nearly $100,000 trucks are mobile offices and are absolutely glorious, but..... it’s absolutely nerve wracking to use them as intended. My beat up old Dodge, (it coulda been a Chevy or Ford or whatever) gets used to beat the holy Hell out of the world and I tear stumps out of the ground and get up to many tasks that rub a bit of paint off and give it a few scraps and scars.

as a canadian that sees those all rusted out, this thing is C L E A N

got a 01 360 and got 292k on it and my valve covers leak other than that strong truck.

Thanks a lot Wizard. Now I miss my 1997 Ram 1500 even more. Also you've got one random steelie with the rest of your wheels being chrome. I've always liked the SLT Laramine chrome wheels over the base model steelies. If you can swap out the one on the wheel in the bed, it'll look great.

Hey Wizard, just double the price and sell it to Hoovie, he’ll be delighted and you double your money 💰

Wizard this was the smartest purchase I've seen you make! I love these trucks, I own 4 of them, 2 with a 318, 1 with a 360, and 1 v10 truck, and i wouldnt trade them straight across for 4 new chevrolets lol

I have a 98 Ram with the mighty 5.2. It is a beast, its just the plenum gasket broke every few years on mine, so I got the Hughes Air Gap and got rid of the problem entirely. They can pull damn near anything as long as you aren't planning on getting there too fast.

The Wizard has become quite the director, :40 he's giving hand signals to Mrs. Wizard. Nice.

Nice old truck, im impressed that i cannot see any truck rust on the rockers or wheel wells!!!!

We had a 2001 24v Cummins with the extra cab in the same color. Dad always wanted a forest service green pick up. Loved that truck.

Nice Ram truck Wizard. I had one and was my first truck but with the 3.9 v6 in manual, It had nothing even a / c and radio ..work truck, the wheels were steel star style with rings and center caps chromed, I Miss that truck after this begun my love with pick up trucks ✌

Love Gen 2 Rams. One of the best looking pickup trucks of the past 30 years! I have 97 SS/T with a built 360/built 46RE and 4.56 track lock in the rear that i thrash on dirt roads! Fun!

I miss my ‘98. 4x4 5sp manual club cab. At 160k miles I had one rear end, two transfer cases and 3 water pumps and one ac pump.

I bought my '98 Ram 1500 with the same 5.2L V8 last year. 5-speed manual and 2wd. Only paid $3,000 for it and it's been pulling my 7,000lb. cargo trailer with no issues. Having paid so little for a clean title truck (86k miles at purchase) I think I got a steal considering what newer trucks are going for. This has been very easy to work on and the only thing I've done in a year of ownership is replace the battery and install a trailer brake controller. Mine too has the headliner falling down and a cracked dash but I could care less.

I did months of research on what truck to buy cheap. I wanted reliability, ease of maintenance and repair, and I wanted 4wd. So I ended up with a 99 ram 1500 with a 5.2 magnum, a 5 speed stick, and 4wd. My buddy has a 5.2 magnum jeep with 350k miles and this truck has a shade over 100,000 miles. I expect it to go on for a long time.

Steven Seagal wants his Dodge grill back.

Nice, I'm a Chevy fan and own a 1977 Chevy short van, but I just picked up my uncles 03 Dakota. He special ordered it for towing. It's a 4x4 with the 4.7 magnum but it's got the 5 speed manual transmission. It drives like it did brand new. I just have to attack the rust spots on it.

Hey Mr.Wizard, you chose a good choice for a truck.I drove these types of trucks for years as work vehicles. Never had a major breakdown . Just minor issues . I had one truck get over 275,000 miles. My personal truck is a 1999 dodge ram 1500 5.2l. with 183,000 miles on it . I enjoy watching your videos. Ii saw a dodge diplomat police car in your shop. Do a special on it or a 5th avenue. Keep up the good work .

if that engine ever does kick the bucket and you need a new one, swap it for a 5.9

Reminds me of Jared Pink for some reason... "Seven was plenty at the time, but this was a good eighth car" lolol

I have an 03 Avalanche with the 4L60e and the G80 rear end. Its been a great truck all these years it has close to 220k miles. That's cool you used to have one!

That brown mud you have there looks kinda like the red we have here in VA. We use it as rust inhibitor. I don't know about you but we use the bed of the truck to haul more than the intentional use of pulling. Just keeping it clean is always a job. Good luck and great grab.

I have always liked those Rams ever since I saw the red as the lead role car in Twister! It looks an honest truck and totally get why you swapped. I just hope the new owners treat the old girl with respect... Good news about the Affliates in the UK now! Yay

My mom had an old Ram from 1996. It was about 22 years old when it finally died. It had been used for a long time, in New England (with the snow, potholes, etc), was used for a plow truck for years, etc. What eventually killed it was that it somehow ran out of oil, though I'm not quite sure where it leaked or burned through. It blew the engine. The front ends are pretty shitty on those. That's the only thing I would say isn't great.

Good trucks if it has the manual. Honestly, the achilles heel of this generation RAM was the archaic torque converter attached to it. Good power out of both the 5.9l and the 5.2l. I had a 98 Dakota R/T that I swapped the 5.9l into after the og 5.2l blew. Real easy to work on, ran like a champ all into 200k+, and the only pain in the ass was the wheel bearing since you had the replace the whole friggen assembly.

I've had a 98 Dodge 24v Cummins loved it, sold to buy our house. Bought a 2001 with a 5.9 Rock solid truck. Now I have a 2007 6.7 Cummins truck. You can buy a new top dash part and front cover for pretty cheap and a headliner around 200 bucks

How nice to see a regular cab pickup, the extended and 4 door cabs ruin the lines of a pickup truck. You should install exhaust stacks like the Dodge Little Red Wagon had. Thank you for the video sir.

Wish I kept? An absolutely worthless 1991 Mercury Capri XR2 for which I had collected a ton of collectables, articles, options, & promotional materials. All it "needed" was paint. I had brought the 32000 mile car from total neglect & basket case status to great condition. But the 1991 XR2s have an inherent crankshaft pulley defect at which the bolt can break off the tip of the crankshaft. There is no known complete corrective repair for such a low production car. Sold in 2007 & still miss it & its unique oddness. 😢

I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee with this engine and been great to me!