If you own a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, you’re probably responsible for maintaining it, like many others. There are many different tasks to keep up with and you may have no idea where to even start.

Since finding the best Dodge Ram rear ends is time-consuming and confusing, we have put together an article to show you what rear end is in your 2003 Dodge RAM 1500.

Let’s proceed to the crux, What Rear End Is In My 2003 Dodge Ram 1500?

Table of Contents

What Rear End Is In My 2003 Dodge Ram 1500?

The first thing you need to do is find out what kind of transmission your vehicle has and then look up its specifications.

This will tell you how many forward gears it has and what type of differential it uses. From there, you can determine the type of rear end that came with your truck.

For example, if your vehicle has a manual transmission (5-speed or 6-speed), then chances are it came with a solid axle drivetrain (or “solid axle”).

Product Recommendation:

How Do I Identify A Dodge Rear Differential?

If the ID tag or stamp is missing or unreadable, differentials can be identified by the number of cover bolts, the distinctive shape of the cover, the number of ring gear bolts, and ring gear diameter. They can also be identified by whether the center section is an integral or dropout design.

The center section has been integral since 1957 and is found on most all-wheel-drive truck applications. The rear differential has been a dropout design since 1960 with exceptions in certain models such as Coronet and Charger models.

The way to tell if it’s an integral or dropout design is to look at the back of the differential housing and count how many bolt holes are present (integral) or missing (dropout). If there are five holes on each side then it’s an integral design; if there are four then it’s a dropout design.

What Rear End Do I Have By VIN?

The VDS is the Vehicle Descriptive Section of the VIN. This information is used by law enforcement to identify vehicles. The purpose of this section is to provide a unique identifier for each vehicle produced by an automaker.

The VDS includes information about the year, make and model of the vehicle, as well as its engine size, gearbox ratio and transmission type. This information may also include other identifying marks like chassis type or body type.

Identify the VDS section, the fourth through eighth digits of the VIN. This section typically includes information such as the vehicle model, engine size and body type.

While not every vehicle manufacturer includes gearbox ratio information in the VDS, this will be where the information is found if it was included.

How Do I Find The Rear Axle Ratio On My Ram 1500?

The rear axle ratio is the number of turns the driveshaft makes in one revolution of the tires. If you have a 3.92 rear end, it will take 3.92 driveshaft rotations to make one tire rotation.

To find the rear axle ratio:

Start the truck and put it into neutral. Rotate the rear tire 2 times and count the number of times the drive shaft turns.

If you have a 4-speed automatic transmission, use 1st gear to minimize drivetrain drag and maximize torque multiplication on your vehicle’s engine.

How Can I Tell What Gear Ratio I Have Without Pulling Cover?

There are a few ways to get the gear ratio of your transmission without having to pull it out.

One way is to use a set of dial indicators and measure the distance between the pinion teeth and the ring gear teeth. The distance should be stamped on your cover, or you can find it online by searching for your year, make, and model vehicle. This method only works for limited-slip differentials.

Another way is to measure the thickness of your axle shafts at both ends with calipers. Take note of how many inches they are thick at both ends, then add those numbers together to get the total thickness.

The gear ratio will be stamped on your axle shafts at one end — usually right next to where they go into the differential housing. This method only works for open differentials.

Why Does My 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Rear End Recall?

The rear end recall is on your 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The truck is at a recall because of the rear differential and the torque converter clutch assembly. If you did not hear about this recall, it is because it was made after 2003. The reason for this is that they were not able to fix the problem until they could find a better way to do it.

The torque converter clutch assembly will have to be removed and replaced with a new one by a certified technician. This will cost around $1000-$1200 depending on where you take it for repair.

The rear differential will have to be removed and inspected for cracks, if any are found then they will need to be repaired or replaced depending on how bad they are. If no cracks are found then nothing else needs to be done except putting everything back together again and replacing all seals and gaskets that were removed during inspection.

This will cost around $500-$600 depending on where you take it for repair.

Where Is The 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Blend Door Location?

The blend door is located on the passenger side of the truck. It’s in a plastic housing with a metal rod going through it. The blend door has 3 positions: Cold, Hot, and Defrost.

It’s controlled by two motors, one for each side of the door. The doors are operated by a vacuum actuator which is connected to the dash vent system.

The vacuum actuator has a vacuum line connected to it that goes to the intake manifold on the engine. When you push the “defrost” button on your dash, it connects an electrical signal to a solenoid valve (solenoid) inside the actuator that opens up a vacuum line from your intake manifold to the actuator, which turns on both motors inside the actuator and moves them toward their respective positions (one moves one way, one moves another way).

You can check which position your blend door is currently in by using a voltmeter and checking resistance across terminals 17 and 18 on connector A2J.