OEM 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 Piston

2005 Dodge Ram 1500 Piston Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to Remove and Replace a Piston and Its Connecting Rod on 2005 Dodge Ram 1500?

  A: Cut off the battery's negative cable before you open up the piston and connecting rod. Following this, you must get rid of the oil pan and its gasket/windage tray, cylinder head covers, timing chain cover and cylinders head. If you need to, hold back the pistons and use a reliable ridge reamer to clear the top pillar of each cylinder. Once the bottom of the engine is off, place the crankshaft in the top dead center position so the connecting rod assemblies align and remove them from the cylinder block. Avoid stamping or punching a number on the connecting rods or caps, since this may hurt them and use a permanent marker or scribe to mark their places, making certain you do not damage the joint between the broken rod and cap. Lift out the cap on the connecting rod, move the Special Tool 8507 Connecting Rod Guides into the removed connecting rod, pull the piston from the cylinder bore and repeat for all pistons. After removing the bearing, get the cap on the connecting rod promptly, so it remains undamaged. Pistons and connecting rods should not be cleaned with wire wheels or abrasives because of the Moly coating; wash the pistons using a proper solvent, rinse in warm water, dry with a towel and use a wooden or plastic scraper to clean the ring lands without pulling out the piston pin. Examine the journal in the connecting rod for extra wear or unusual shape and check the connecting rod for any twisting or bending, just as you should check the piston for tapering, a somewhat elliptical shape, marks from scoring, scraping and cracks around the rings. To install the pistons, begin by fitting the piston rings, next coat the piston head and rings in engine oil and set a ring compressor over them, maintaining the pressure so the rings stay in place. Slot the bearing onto the connecting rod so that the bearing end and connecting rod hole match and lubricate the area with good-quality clean oil. Place Special Tool 8507 Connecting Rod Guides into the inside of each connecting rod bolt. The raised "F" marking on the piston pin bore shows where the piston should go; it must always face toward the front with the connecting rod oil slinger on both banks. Put engine oil in the cylinder bore and spin the crankshaft until the connecting rod journal is centered. Then, fit the rod and piston, while moving the connecting rod guides so they fit the crankshaft journal. Slide the connecting rod onto the journal as you tap the piston down with a hammer handle. Connecting Rod Bolts are 'torque to yield' pieces and should be replaced, never reused, once they have been removed or become loose. Apply engine oil to the rod bolts and the places where the connecting rod and bearing will touch, add the connecting rod cap and bearing and tighten the bolts to 27 Nm (20 ft. lbs.) plus 90°. From here, reinstall the cylinder head(s), timing chain and cover, cylinder head covers and oil pan and gasket/windage tray, correctly add the engine oil to the crankcase and link the negative cable to the battery.