Dodge Ram 1500 Off-Road
The Ram line was redesigned for the 1994 model year. Development on a second generation began in 1986, ending in late 1992. A more conventional design was originally scheduled for a 1991 production; when Bob Lutz showed it to the new styling designers, chief designer Phillip E. Payne told him, "It looks like nothing more than a rehash of everybody else's truck." At that, Lutz told him he had 6 months to come up with something better. The exterior styling of the truck that was eventually released was the result of design concepts by Payne during 1988-1990. A review by the Dodge pick-up truck studio designers felt that modern pick-ups looked "too flat and sedan like", while the early 50's Studebaker pick-up and the 18 wheeler trucks had just the right "macho" look to them. The design featured a big-rig-looking front end and a large grille that was nothing like the current Ford or Chevy/GMC pickups in design.
The redesigned 1994 Ram was a sales success, with sales rocketing from 78,000 units in 1993 to 240,000 in 1994, 410,000 in 1995, and nearly 480,000 in 1996. That year, it was prominently featured as the hero vehicle in the film Twister. Sales of this generation peaked at just over 400,000 in 1999 before declining against the redesigned Ford and GM trucks. By 2001, Ram sales figures were below those of Ford and Chevy trucks.
Engine offerings continued over from the first-generation Ram and were the 3.9 L V6, 5.2 L V8, 5.9 L V8, and 5.9 L I6 Cummins turbo diesel. Added to the line up was a new 488 cubic inch 8.0L V10 engine designed as an alternative for those who wanted superior pulling power but didn't want a diesel. The new V10 and Cummins turbo diesel could only be had in the 2500 and higher designation models. Models were now the 1500 half-ton, 2500 three-quarter-ton, and 3500 dual-rear-wheel one-ton in both 2- and 4-wheel drive. 1500 Rams offered both 6.5- and 8-foot (2 and 2.4 m, respectively) boxes. 2500 Rams offered 6.5-foot (2.0 m) boxes with club or quad Cabs. 3500 Rams were the only model made with crew cab long boxes. They are very rare as only a small number of them were developed for Canada only.
Dodge offered the 2500 series in two different gross-vehicle-weight ratings for the first few years, but this was later dropped. The purpose of the difference between the light-duty and heavy-duty 2500 trucks was for the heavy-duty 2500 to take the place of the discontinued one-ton single-rear-wheel trucks. Rear axles for the light-duty 2500 trucks were semi-floating, while the heavy-duty 2500 rear axles were full-floating.
On the inside, special attention was paid to in-cab storage features, with a large glovebox, a center armrest storage area, and extra storage space behind the seat. The dash and gauge cluster were a far cry from the previous model Ram and were far more modern as well. A redesign of the dashboard and instrument cluster was introduced in 1998 along with the introduction of the quad cab, and rounded black plastic side-view mirrors replaced the previous rectangular design.
1998 updates
In 1998, Dodge introduced the "Quad Cab", which uses smaller, "suicide" doors directly behind the main doors. This was offered as an option on the "Club Cab" for this model year. Other changes for 1998 included rounded mirrors replacing the classic square ones, a revised interior, dual airbags, a chime replacing the buzzer for seat belts/door ajar/headlights/ and a digital odometer. The OBD II System was also standard, with a computer port near the driver's-side footwell and a code-checking system via the new digital odometer readout.
In 1999 Dodge introduced a revised front end for the Sport models with a restyled bumper, quad-beam clear-lens headlamps, and body-color grille. A 6-speed manual transmission was optioned for the diesel trucks in 2001. A small percentage of the diesel engines in 1999 and 2000 were subject to problems within the water jackets and fuel injectors. The most problematic was the "53" stamped engine block which had a defect that would cause fracturing in the structure of the block itself. The 2000 models began optioning heated leather seats. The braking system was upgraded to dual-piston calipers in the front. An Offroad Edition was offered as a package with a 2-inch lift accomplished with stiffer front springs and rear lift blocks, unique 17x8 rims, 275/70/17 all terrain tires, 4.10 gears, trussed Dana 44 in the front, limited slip differential, and skid plates. The Offroad Edition models are also distinguishable with an additional decal on the tailgate under the 4x4 decal that says "Offroad."
Although Dodge introduced a new Ram 1500 for 2002, the old second-generation style Ram was carried over for the 2002 model year heavy-duty 2500 and 3500 trucks. The new third-generation Ram would not appear in the 2500/3500 variants until 2002 as 2003 models. Part of this delay was due to the then new 5.7 L Hemi engine not being ready for production.
Transmissions
- A500/42RH-RE lower geared light duty applications found behind the 3.9 L V6
- A518/46RH-RE for more heavy duty applications found behind the 5.2 L and 5.9 L V8 engines.
- A618/47RH-RE for heavy duty use behind the V10 gasoline and Cummins diesel engines. The 47RH was used in 1994 and 1995 model years, while the 47RE was used from 1996 through 2002.
NV3500 was offered in 1500 Rams and light-duty 2500 Rams. NV4500 was standard in 2500 and 3500 trucks; the NV4500HD for V10 and diesel models (except the uncommon, light-duty 2500 rams). A NV5600 was offered in 1999 and 2000 Rams and was the only transmission offered behind the High Output diesel in 2001 and 2002.
Transfer cases
There was a total of 5 transfer cases for the four-wheel-drive Ram. All are part-time and have a low range of 2.72:1. The 1500 featured a NP231 and NP231HD. The NP241 was standard on V8 2500 Rams. The 2500 and 3500 V10 and diesel featured a NP241DLD from 1994 to 1997. In 1997 the NP241DHD became an option for 2500 Rams and was standard on 3500 Rams from 1998 to 2002.
Axles
The Dodge Ram features a wide variety of axles. For the front axle of 4x4 Rams, a Dana 44 was used on all 1500 Rams and the early (light-duty) 2500 Rams. However, most of the 2500 and all 3500 Rams use Dana 60 front axles. The 1500 Rams and some early light duty 2500 Rams used a 9.25 Chrysler (Spicer) axle in the rear. A Dana 60 rear axle was used on heavy duty 2500 V8 Rams. A Dana 70 rear axle was used in 2500 Rams with a V10 or a Diesel/Automatic transmission combination. A Dana 80 rear axle was used on 2500 Rams with a manual transmission and V10/diesel engine combination. Every 3500 Ram was made with a Dana 80. The front drive axles in these Rams were unique in the fact they didn't feature Locking hubs, but featured a Center axle disconnect. The 2002 2500 and 3500 Rams saw the eventual phase out of the Center axle disconnect, in favor of front axles that were permanently locked in. Dodge continued to feature front axles like this for their 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 trucks until 2013 models.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.
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