Info about 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 4.7L

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Info about 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 4.7L

Posted: 12/18/2016 6:36:14 PM EDT

Last week, I inherited a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 with 4.7L and auto transmission. Picked it up this morning. 33k miles. Great condition in and out. Seems to have decent power around town. Has a tow package, but I don't think a hitch has ever been installed in the receiver. I plan to keep it for a while as a spare vehicle when I'm not hauling kids around.

ETA: Found service records in the glove box. New AC compressor installed under warranty at 3k miles. Oil changes at ~5k intervals with last one at 30k in June 2015. I'll change it this week simply due to the time interval. (Truck hasn't been driven much in last two years due to illness.)

I know nothing about Dodge gas motors as my only experience is with my 1-ton Cummins ranch trucks. Any known weak points/issues with this motor/transmission? (Other than, "It's a POS Dodge." I'm not a brand loyal guy, so I don't care.)

Thanks for any info.

Obligatory potato pic.

Posted: 12/18/2016 6:46:27 PM EDT

[#1]

I know nothing about the "new" stuff so I'm no help, but nice truck!

Posted: 12/18/2016 9:56:14 PM EDT

[#2]

Obviously the Hemi is the way to go when it comes to Chrysler V8's. Maintain the shit out of that 4.7 man. They are known to have a few issues including head gaskets, valve lash adjusters, oil pump failure and oil sludging. I think that newer gen Ram will be fine, and the issues were with the earlier models. Change the oil every 3k and you should be good to go. My buddies dad doesn't maintain his vehicles whatsoever, and blew a head gasket in his 4.7 durango. My mom has an 09 aspen with the 4.7, and my old man gets the oil change every 3k. They haven't had a problem with hers at all.

Posted: 12/18/2016 10:05:32 PM EDT

[#3]

Prepare to be amazed that a 4.7 liter engine can achieve the fuel mileage of an 8 liter engine no matter how carefully you drive

Posted: 12/18/2016 11:34:47 PM EDT

[#4]

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Prepare to be amazed that a 4.7 liter engine can achieve the fuel mileage of an 8 liter engine no matter how carefully you drive

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Yeah, I drove it home today. 315 miles on the highway with cruise set on 75mph. Computer said 15.6mpg. Hand calc said 15.1mpg. Oh well, it was a "free" truck, so I can't complain.

Ride was surprisingly comfortable for such a short wheelbase, though. I was expecting it to ride like a Jeep since the bed was empty. Those rear coil springs make a big difference, I guess. Pretty quiet, too. Not much wind or tire noise. No rattles or squeaks from the interior, either. Seems like a pretty well built vehicle all around.

My daily driver is a 2015 Land Cruiser, so I was prepared to be unimpressed. This truck is alright, though.

Posted: 12/18/2016 11:39:55 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
Obviously the Hemi is the way to go when it comes to Chrysler V8's. Maintain the shit out of that 4.7 man. They are known to have a few issues including head gaskets, valve lash adjusters, oil pump failure and oil sludging. I think that newer gen Ram will be fine, and the issues were with the earlier models. Change the oil every 3k and you should be good to go. My buddies dad doesn't maintain his vehicles whatsoever, and blew a head gasket in his 4.7 durango. My mom has an 09 aspen with the 4.7, and my old man gets the oil change every 3k. They haven't had a problem with hers at all.

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Had none of these things happen on my '04 4.7 Dakota. I just change the oil.

Posted: 12/18/2016 11:50:58 PM EDT

[#6]

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Quoted:

Had none of these things happen on my '04 4.7 Dakota. I just change the oil.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Obviously the Hemi is the way to go when it comes to Chrysler V8's. Maintain the shit out of that 4.7 man. They are known to have a few issues including head gaskets, valve lash adjusters, oil pump failure and oil sludging. I think that newer gen Ram will be fine, and the issues were with the earlier models. Change the oil every 3k and you should be good to go. My buddies dad doesn't maintain his vehicles whatsoever, and blew a head gasket in his 4.7 durango. My mom has an 09 aspen with the 4.7, and my old man gets the oil change every 3k. They haven't had a problem with hers at all.

Had none of these things happen on my '04 4.7 Dakota. I just change the oil.

Hmm thats why the point to my response was to change the oil. lmao. Did you even read my whole post? OP.. is the truck 2wd or 4x4?

Posted: 12/18/2016 11:53:08 PM EDT

[#7]

I didn't even know they made a 4.7, all i ever see is the 5.7 Hemi

Posted: 12/18/2016 11:54:25 PM EDT

[#8]

Does the heater still work?

Posted: 12/18/2016 11:57:03 PM EDT

[#9]

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Does the heater still work?

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It was 19 degrees when I left this morning. If it didn't work, I'd have died of hypothermia before I got home. :)

Posted: 12/18/2016 11:59:36 PM EDT

[#10]

Had a 05 Dakota with the 4.7. 166,000 miles and the only things I had too replace on it was the water pump, thermostat, spark plugs, belt, idler pulley, and exhaust manifold studs.
Seems the studs would snap off over time.
Still ran like a top when I sold the truck.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:01:38 AM EDT

[#11]

Change oil regularly, check coolant regularly.

When you service the tranny use only ATF +4 NOTHING ELSE!!!! no quick lube/trans lube shops where they use dexron or whatever with a "additive" thats "supposed" to be compatible, well it aint!!

Never allow the motor to run hot, if you do it willl drop some valve seats.

As long as its maintained correctly with the proper stuff you will not have any issues with a 4.7 until you have lots of miles on it.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:02:42 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
Obviously the Hemi is the way to go when it comes to Chrysler V8's. Maintain the shit out of that 4.7 man. They are known to have a few issues including head gaskets, valve lash adjusters, oil pump failure and oil sludging. I think that newer gen Ram will be fine, and the issues were with the earlier models. Change the oil every 3k and you should be good to go. My buddies dad doesn't maintain his vehicles whatsoever, and blew a head gasket in his 4.7 durango. My mom has an 09 aspen with the 4.7, and my old man gets the oil change every 3k. They haven't had a problem with hers at all.

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follow the MFG suggestions on the trans filter and fluid changes too. I had one that lasted to 225K before I hit a 12 Point 225lb buck at 75 mph. $14K worth of damage done it in.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:03:19 AM EDT

[#13]

Sharp truck.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:05:43 AM EDT

[#14]

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Sharp truck.

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That's what I was thinking.

Even with 15 mpg, I'd drive that thing all over the place.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:13:43 AM EDT

[#15]

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It was 19 degrees when I left this morning. If it didn't work, I'd have died of hypothermia before I got home. :)

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Very good. Heater cores are known to clog up on these. Ive replaced mine twice since i got mine.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:16:10 AM EDT

[#16]

I'd change the wheels and get rid of the goofy nerf-bars and drive the heck out of it. My dad had an '08 and got close to 400k out of it before trading it in on a '16.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:21:01 AM EDT

[#17]

i have 4.7 in 03 grand cherokee and it has been gtg
155k

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:21:30 AM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
Prepare to be amazed that a 4.7 liter engine can achieve the fuel mileage of an 8 liter engine no matter how carefully you drive

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Keep the cruise control off and it'll get 2 more MPG on the highway easy. It ALMOST bad as Toyota's CC.

Posted: 12/19/2016 12:24:09 PM EDT

[#19]

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Keep the cruise control off and it'll get 2 more MPG on the highway easy. It ALMOST bad as Toyota's CC.

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The CC on my Tundra and Land Cruiser is damned good, in my opinion. What problems have you seen? Just curious since I've never heard or experienced anything negative about them.

The only really dreadful CC I've ever had was on my old 7.3L Excursion. That unit simply couldn't hold a constant speed or gear selection. Multiple dealers told me, "Yeah, we know it sucks. No, we can't fix it."

Posted: 12/19/2016 2:03:39 PM EDT

[#20]

At 65mph I can get almost 18mpg, at 60 I can get 19 easily. My 4.7 2008 4x4 ram has been a tank with absolutely nothing going wrong under the hood. My only complaint about the truck is the rear window leaks.

I bought the truck new and the Hemi was $10,000 more. To earn back that money I'd have to drive 280,000 highway miles and the biggest thing I ever tow is a bass boat. To me, the hemi just wasn't justifiable since my ego isn't tied to the badges on the side of my truck.

They're great vehicles if you treat them right.

Posted: 12/19/2016 2:18:44 PM EDT

[#21]

My 03 had 175k on the odometer when I sold it. Had to replace the ecm arpund 160k, and I had a lot of engine sludge. Other than that, good truck/motor. Stay up on the oil changes.

Posted: 12/19/2016 2:25:54 PM EDT

[#22]

Sweet ride!

I just sold my '03 1500 with a 4.7 and 88k miles. I bought it with 63k on it and had zero issues the three years I owned it. Mileage sucks but other than that it was a decent truck. Maintain it and you'll have a great truck.

Posted: 12/19/2016 2:29:39 PM EDT

[#23]

Keep an eye on the water pump. Both my wife's old 3.7 and my 4.7 had the water pump go TU. Mine was in bad rush hour, causing it to overheat and warp the head. Pricey fix but ended up being worth it. Happened around 90k, and I'm still driving it at 174k.

Posted: 12/19/2016 2:36:15 PM EDT

[#24]

Had an 07 4.7 Flex fuel 4 door like yours. Added 20 inch factory rims and magnaflow exhaust. Awesome truck. Only complaint was EGR valve went bad and its in the back of the engine should you need to change it. Hemi has egr valve in front. It accelerates very well and ita a great truck. I also had noted my transmission would search around 35 mph for a gear. Could have been I never had it reprogrammed . Get the Magnaflow trust me.

Posted: 12/19/2016 3:22:16 PM EDT

[#25]

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Hmm thats why the point to my response was to change the oil. lmao. Did you even read my whole post? OP.. is the truck 2wd or 4x4?

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I'm not getting the correlation between oil changes and head gaskets? I've let mine sit in the garage forever and change oil every 2 years or so, it's been fine.

Posted: 12/19/2016 3:22:33 PM EDT

[#26]

Glad to hear mostly positive reviews. Maintenance doesn't bother me, as I enjoy that stuff and I've got a lift in the garage which helps a lot. Although plug replacement looks like a royal PITA. Also not a fan of the oil filter location, but at least it has a little gutter to help route the oil away.

Not interested in exhaust mods. I may have to turn on my man card, but I'm not a fan of exhaust noise unless it's a RR Merlin. I believe trucks should be seen, not heard.

Posted: 12/19/2016 3:24:06 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:

Keep the cruise control off and it'll get 2 more MPG on the highway easy. It ALMOST bad as Toyota's CC.

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I noticed this over the weekend with 850 miles of driving in my 1999 JGC 4.7. I got 21 mpg when I drove, 19 with the CC on.

Posted: 12/19/2016 6:44:00 PM EDT

[#28]

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Sweet ride!

I just sold my '03 1500 with a 4.7 and 88k miles. I bought it with 63k on it and had zero issues the three years I owned it. Mileage sucks but other than that it was a decent truck. Maintain it and you'll have a great truck.

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Out of curioisity, why did you sell a truck only 25k later?

Posted: 12/19/2016 7:27:26 PM EDT

[#29]

Cant beat a free truck with 33K miles. Looks nice OP Sorry for your loss.

Posted: 12/19/2016 7:38:26 PM EDT

[#30]

Sure that's an 09 model? I didn't think Dodge went to that grill and headlights until 2010 model year, Nice looking truck no matter!

Posted: 12/19/2016 7:39:37 PM EDT

[#31]

Known valve train issues on top of the normal dodge electric gremlins

Posted: 12/19/2016 7:39:44 PM EDT

[#32]

i had my 5.7l r/t w/ 8 spd transmission for a total of 6 months

i dont know how people can stand having a regular cab

Posted: 12/19/2016 7:54:59 PM EDT

[#33]

My only experience with the 4.7 was in a 2001 Durango, but my father in law has it now, and it still runs and drives great with 150k on it, no issues that didn't come from my sisters hitting stuff (like deer) with it when they had it. Never had a lick of trouble with the engine or transmission on it.