want to get back in the full size trk game

[mauve66]

you guys talking about trks here lately has started me looking again (my Daytona is long gone, out of state according to the guy i sold it to) of course it will be a dodge, i've driven a ford for long enough.

been looking around today and there seem to be a couple of decent deals out there but thing i don't know about

cummins diesels - what years are best / what to look for for problems on particular generations / never had one before / it would be a 1500-2500 series

gas engines - whats the tow rating of the old 318 extra cabs??

any tips would be appreciated, thanks

[mauve66]

oh yeah, what about mileage on those diesels, does it matter or do they last forever like the ol /6??

[ACUDANUT]

Go with the only American Company that did not take a bail out...FORD. Better resale and less problems. Not owned by Fiat. Just my 2 cents. 

[mauve66]

this will be a used purchase, not new, at least 2005 or older, probably 2000 and older

[mauve66]

nobody with ram diesel experience..........................

[jb666]

nobody with ram diesel experience..........................

10 year SuperDuty Diesel veteran here 

I'd never own anything but... Although the Cummins is an AWESOME setup 

[xpbprox]

Powerstroke all the way! I got 2 ford diesels and love them both!

7.3 powerstroke is bulletproof from the factory and the 6.0 can be bulletproofed for a couple grand.
Ford has a much better truck than the ram, better quality and strength.

24v cummins are good as long as you don't get a block with a 53 casting number (prone to cracking)
12V 94-98 is what you want to get, better fuel system with easy potential to get more power

[mauve66]

tired of driving a ford, plus i give my boss too much grief over his ford to turn around and buy another one
thanks for the info on the 94-98
where would i find the casting # on the block??  same as a regular mopar big block??

[Budnicks]

nobody with ram diesel experience..........................

I've had a couple of 1995 2500 4x4 Dodge Ram & 1998 3500 Dodge Ram Dually both 5.9ltr. Turbo Cummins equipped diesels, I towed all over the U.S. Drag racing, from 1981-just a couple of years back now, I had Fords Chevy's & Dodges over the years, I own a 2002 F-350 4x4 dually now {my Pops likes it for his RV 28' 5th wheel} I liked the Dodges better though, the 3500 Ram I had 350K miles on when I got rid of it, both were modified, larger inter coolers, turbos & injectors/pumps timing changes, the 2500 4x4 was a manual 5spd trans & the 3500 dually an Allison equipped auto... Both good trucks, I ended up going to a Kodiak intermediate mid size with a 610hp Caterpillar Diesel & Featherlite all Aluminum trailer, then ended up selling all the stuff to my old partner... If you keep any of them up on maintenance, oil changes & primary & secondary fuel & air-filters, stay away from cheapo crappy diesel fuel with water in it, any of them will be good for tow/working rigs, I didn't much care for the Chevy's but at the time they were kind of the truck to have, the Ford is in & out of service way too much, too many recalls, it does get 14mpg not in tow & 11mpg or so while towing both combination miles town & hwys/freeways... It only has a 4" exhaust & a K&N air-filter every thing else is stock on the 2002 F-350 Power Stroke 7.3ltr. 4x4 manual 6spd trans...  The Chevy's had the nicest interiors, but worst in power & driving... the Dodges were the most trouble free, tightest turning radius, best towing overall, rode really rough if not loaded down though, but pretty crappy plastic interiors {new 1's are nicer}....  I'm still not liking the Ford a whole lot, you need an empty parking lot or 80' to turn the damn thing around, some power losses at 95k miles, rides like a tank when not loaded...   All just my experiences & personal opinions, your results may vary...

[jb666]

nobody with ram diesel experience..........................

I've had a couple of 1995 2500 4x4 Dodge Ram & 1998 3500 Dodge Ram Dually both 5.9ltr. Turbo Cummins equipped diesels, I towed all over the U.S. Drag racing, from 1981-just a couple of years back now, I had Fords Chevy's & Dodges over the years, I own a 2002 F-350 4x4 dually now {my Pops likes it for his RV 28' 5th wheel} I liked the Dodges better though, the 3500 Ram I had 350K miles on when I got rid of it, both were modified, larger inter coolers, turbos & injectors/pumps timing changes, the 2500 4x4 was a manual 5spd trans & the 3500 dually an Allison equipped auto... Both good trucks, I ended up going to a Kodiak intermediate mid size with a 610hp Caterpillar Diesel & Featherlite all Aluminum trailer, then ended up selling all the stuff to my old partner... If you keep any of them up on maintenance, oil changes & primary & secondary fuel & air-filters, stay away from cheapo crappy diesel fuel with water in it, any of them will be good for tow/working rigs, I didn't much care for the Chevy's but at the time they were kind of the truck to have, the Ford is in & out of service way too much, too many recalls, it does get 14mpg not in tow & 11mpg or so while towing both combination miles town & hwys/freeways... It only has a 4" exhaust & a K&N air-filter every thing else is stock on the 2002 F-350 Power Stroke 7.3ltr. 4x4 manual 6spd trans...  The Chevy's had the nicest interiors, but worst in power & driving... the Dodges were the most trouble free, tightest turning radius, best towing overall, rode really rough if not loaded down though, but pretty crappy plastic interiors {new 1's are nicer}....  I'm still not liking the Ford a whole lot, you need an empty parking lot or 80' to turn the damn thing around, some power losses at 95k miles, rides like a tank when not loaded...   All just my experiences & personal opinions, your results may vary...

Good stuff there 

[mauve66]

thank you sir
was looking at a  95 2500 reg cab long bed with 200+K on it but the mileage worries me a little

[xpbprox]

Here's the info on the 53 block an remember the engine is a cummins which is not a mopar block.
As long as you get a diesel, you can't go wrong! Plain said, unless you get a Chevy  
MPGs aren't that bad on diesels, all engines vary. Even if it's the same engine, there's too many x-factors, computer flashes, etc
Cummins usually do well in that part except for the newer ones like the 6.7

[ACUDANUT]

nobody with ram diesel experience..........................

10 year SuperDuty Diesel veteran here 

I'd never own anything but... Although the Cummins is an AWESOME setup 

Same here. I have too many friends that have their Rams always in the shop. This includes the Cummins and their computer/electrical and Catalyst converter problems.

[Todd Wilson]

thank you sir
was looking at a  95 2500 reg cab long bed with 200+K on it but the mileage worries me a little

If the truck itself is in good shape dont worry about the 200k on the old 12 valve.
95 was the last year old the old skool way of doing things. 96 started with the various electronic controls of stuff on the trucks.


Todd

[ACUDANUT]

200 K on a Diesel is not bad, however the transmission and suspension will mostly kill the deal.  I had also seen countless dash and frames fall of Dodge trucks.

[Aero426]

I have a buddy who has 400k on his 12 valve '94 Ram 2500.   He's just replaced it with a similar southern truck with only 100k on it.    I know the diesel will outrun the gas truck in longevit. I also know why people want the old 12 valve trucks.  But the price penalty you pay for what is an "old" truck with worn out truck problems seems crazy.    If you need a diesel for cross country towing, or you tow often, that is one thing.   Otherwise, it really seems like a waste of money.    

[Scaregrabber]

Anyone that thinks a Ford diesel is superior to a Dodge with a Cummins is not in touch with reality. There's not a lot of newish Ford Diesels that haven't had the cab off to do serious work on the engine, thats fact. I drive a Ford PU at work and its a POS.
If you buy a Diesel truck I would suggest an 06 or older Cummins, try to find a manual trans if you can. The Cummins will generally go a milliion miles if serviced correctly and will outlast the body if you live somewhere where they salt the roads.

Sheldon

[472 R/T SE]

May I ask what "flashing" consists of?  Yeah, I can Google it but I was wanting a car guy explanation.

So, is the reason the automatics are junk because they're not built for towing?  What about HP applications, are they doing alright?

TIA.

[Todd Wilson]

May I ask what "flashing" consists of?  Yeah, I can Google it but I was wanting a car guy explanation.

So, is the reason the automatics are junk because they're not built for towing?  What about HP applications, are they doing alright?

TIA.

I dont know where he gets the "flashing" for a diesel at. You can get add on computers for the newer diesels so you can dial in the power you want for the diesel engine. It has different settings for the computer. If you are trying to get good mpg  you can put it into a mpg mode. If you are wanting to drag race at a stop light you can put it into a hipo mode and if you are pulling or pulling heavy there are modes for that. other plugins simply increase the performance of the engine.


Nothing wrong with the transmissions.........if the diesel owners would have read their owners manuals and operated the truck as they were supposed to they would not have ate transmissions up.  the 47RH and RE transmissions were basically a 727 with the 4th gear and OD added.  Looking back on things the transmission design probably wasnt the best for a diesel engine. We all know about the line pressure and adjusting the "kickdown" on our 727's. Problem was the tork of the diesel was so great that at low rpms like starting out from a dead stop the line pressure had not built up enough and the transmission slips.   Diesel owners also pulled and pulled heavy with the OD on when the manual clearly states to shut OD off when pulling. Then the tranny gets hot and you know what happens from there and then the "Dodge transmissions are bad" word gets out.   As for frames and suspensions going bad after many many miles is no surprise.  I have seen many Dodge diesels way way overloaded and not overloaded once a year but many times a week and they do it day in and day out.


Todd

[xpbprox]

Anyone that thinks a Ford diesel is superior to a Dodge with a Cummins is not in touch with reality. There's not a lot of newish Ford Diesels that haven't had the cab off to do serious work on the engine, thats fact. I drive a Ford PU at work and its a POS.
If you buy a Diesel truck I would suggest an 06 or older Cummins, try to find a manual trans if you can. The Cummins will generally go a milliion miles if serviced correctly and will outlast the body if you live somewhere where they salt the roads.

Sheldon

Let's try not to get this into a ford vs dodge war or whatever.
I was just stating fact, each has their own strengths and weaknesses. FYI ford just started making their own diesel engine starting with the 6.7 which so far has been a tank. All previous diesels in the fords were made by international. How about a cummins vs international.....
And everyone knows that the ford body and chassis is far superior to that of a Chevy or Dodge.

[SG1022]

My Grandpa bought a '94 Cummins new, and put 1,168,000 miles on it running a trailer transport business up until '05. It has the 12valve turbo, in a 3500 dually standard cab. Personally, I have been using the truck for years, hauling cars, helping friends move, or just driving it for the fun of driving. 

Other than standard replacement parts(tires, lights, filter), and oil changes every 3,000 miles(on the dot) with DELO, he has done nothing to it. He has had no mechanical or electrical failures or problems at all.  He has pretty bad agent orange poisoning, and crunched the front driver side fender pulling into the VA hospital(we should of not let him drive then), and the running boards are starting to separate from their corners(yet still fully functional). Other than those two things, and needing a wash, it isn't even during too badly cosmetically.

Everything on the interior still works great, from the cruise control to the power mirrors.

I absolutely love the truck. It's a tank, that(with it's standard cab) can turn on a dime. Backing in trailers couldn't be easier, and the thing pulls just as well with a 5 ton payload as it does with out.

And the best part about it is, as soon as I buy him a new daily driver/beater, the thing is mine. 

[xpbprox]

  you just can't beat a mechanical diesel

[mauve66]

Here's the info on the 53 block an remember the engine is a cummins which is not a mopar block.
As long as you get a diesel, you can't go wrong! Plain said, unless you get a Chevy 
MPGs aren't that bad on diesels, all engines vary. Even if it's the same engine, there's too many x-factors, computer flashes, etc
Cummins usually do well in that part except for the newer ones like the 6.7

no link for info, i know its not mopar but where is the casting # at please

[Scaregrabber]

"And everyone knows that the ford body and chassis is far superior to that of a Chevy or Dodge."

I take issue with that statement as well. My son's 97 1500 Dodge has 200,000 miles on it and is as quiet inside as can be. The 08 Ford I drive at work has more squeeks and rattles than the old Dodge by far. The 08 Ford doesn't even have 50,000 miles on it all of them have been on pavement and the biggest load it has carried is a 400lb snowmobile. The Ford has had a wheel alignment and has been to the shop several times for chintzy problems like getting the heater repaired etc. Still not convinced? The tailgate on my 05 Dodge weighs probably twice as much as the Ford tailgate, I think that pretty much sums it up. Ford's are great for soccer  moms and wannabees, if you actually buy a truck to haul something and stay out of the shop, buy a Dodge or a newer Chev or GMC. The Ford "engineering" is so good that they set the gas pedal and brake pedal near each other and on the same plane, About five times now while wearing work boots I've revved up the engine while applying the brakes, that just p-poor designing, it's a darn good thing the truck has no power.

As far as making this a Ford vs Dodge argument, you're the one that came on here blabbing how good your choice is and how other choices are not as good. I don't care what other people do with their money and I realize different people value different features when spending their own money. Just don't run down my choice and I won't run down your choice.

Sheldon

[xpbprox]

Here's the info on the 53 block an remember the engine is a cummins which is not a mopar block.
As long as you get a diesel, you can't go wrong! Plain said, unless you get a Chevy 
MPGs aren't that bad on diesels, all engines vary. Even if it's the same engine, there's too many x-factors, computer flashes, etc
Cummins usually do well in that part except for the newer ones like the 6.7

no link for info, i know its not mopar but where is the casting # at please

sorry
http://www.cumminsdieselspecs.com/cummins-53-block.html