Greetings all - I am back in the big truck market after finally downloading my 6.0 PSD Ford (Thank God) and I am thinking now about purchasing an older (98) V10 2500 with under 150k to pull my 5th wheel. The camper is 9300 lbs dry.

I've been doing my research on these trucks and don't expect a lot in the mileage department. This won't be my everyday driver - just a tow vehicle for camping trips - so the mileage doesn't scare me. What I'm interested in is the mechanical history of these engines and the reputation for not leaving a person stranded. I'm not interested in brand loyalists (like a lot of the 6.0 guys who say it's a great truck once you spend 18k on it to fix all the problems) but am looking for some honest feedback about these engines and their reliability. What are the common problems, are they junk or treasure, and if you own one of these, would you buy another if they were available?

The other option is an older 24 valve Cummins 02/03....I'm trying to avoid EGR coolers and all the pollution crap like the plague. Comments on both? Thanks

 

I own a 98 with a V-10. It runs great, drives decent, shifts fairly well, and is really a pleasure to drive. The additional power stepping up from the 360 (gas) was most welcome. It doesn't have a lot of the issues you see with the V-8 engines, and the trans seems to be a bit more reliable. When I was truck shopping, I would regularly see them with 250K plus miles, and still original engine and trans. Mine only had a 134K on it when I bought it. I had to replace the TPS for a TCC problem, the headlight housings were fogged really bad, but, aside from that, no issues.

I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Welcome to DF!

 

Good info! What gears are you running and do you tow anything with yours?

 

I have 4.56 gears, and 285/75/16 tires, so, RPM's run a bit higher than stock. (and the speedometer lies.....) Basically, I don't need the right tires to push the house off the foundation.

I haven't towed with it yet, but I am quite sure it is going to be happier about it than my 96 with the 360, and 3.55 gears...... Which is one of the main reasons I bought it. I haul a 14 foot dump trailer around quite a bit during the summer, hauling anything from wood chips, to clay..... to rocks.

 

I have an 01 with 129k on it. Overall, I'm pretty happy with mine.

It's been a solid truck for me. No big issues and hasn't left me stranded. First trans was replaced by the original owner at 30k under warranty. They removed the trans line check valve at that time. The second trans is still going strong. I've changed the tps and iac, plug wires, and swapped the 3.55's for 4.10's. I changed the setting for tires size in the ecm to work with my 35's. I get about 13.5 on the highway and 9 around town. I tow a 10k dump trailer every now and then and it pulls it just fine.

Other mods I've added are a tuner and jba shorty headers.

 

This truck I'm looking at has a 5 speed manual. I've read that the manual trannys are much better than the autos. Also, what's the deal with the piston meltdown issues? I've also read about those, and that makes me a little hesitant, especially since most of the people who complain about it had tried to get Dodge to come up with an explanation for the problem and they weren't successful. Is that an issue still?

 

This is the first I've heard of it.

The manuals have an issue with the 5th gear nut. There is a kit available that solves it, but, it involves dropping the trans, and partially dismembering it.

 

Do you know if the 6 speed manuals had that same issue? Just in case I run across one of those....thanks!

 

I haven't heard anything about the six speed having issues.