Yea, I figured. Probably will stick with 24v for that reason. Id like to have a programmer so I can change between power and econ. Now, I just got run the s**t out of this truck so I can get the tranmission to fail. 160000 miles and the 46re is still going. Strong at that especially since its original :P. Ill work on finding a 99-01 donor truck this summer. Paint the body before harvest but after double crop, and beef the frame up in the back end before swapping sometime.

 

1998 is when the 24v was put into use.

A 12v with the Bosch P7100 is still the way to roll for cheap/easy mods.

Either one is a great truck with a manual or a built 47re behind it.

 

Id be more likely to p pump a 24 because wiring changes with years. I need to find a 99-01 truck to keep wiring and stuff similar. I don't wanna mess with trying to figure out what goes where. Idk though. Such hard decisions on what motor eventually becomes permenant

 

12V all day long. Super reliable, can be made extremely fast and powerful for a small amount of money.Not to mention, you can actually wrench on the 12v, no chips,computers, just good ol fashioned power and reliability I actually got rid of a 2001 24v to buy my 97 12v. They call the 97 the holy grail(Last of the mechanical diesels) for a reason. But I have to agree with Brian here, go buy you an early 2nd gen 12v and just make that truck what you want. A lot of work involved in what you want to do. Good luck

 

a 98 with a 12v or a 24v will wire up just fine, the only issue is if you go with a pre 98 12v, then you have to find the 98-98.5 electrical (engine harness and PCM) and everything will plug in, other than that, the engines will all work, also in the 2500 and 3500 rams, the second gen bodys carried over into 02, so anything 98 to 02 will work for you

my opinion it the 12v is a much more reliable engine capeable of much more HP, and most of it can be adjusted for free in just a few mins, there isnt much wrong with the 24v but if you do it, just make sure its not starved for fuel or injection pumps WILL give up in a short order

 

So if I want a 12 v that will wire in with out having to find a harness then I have to find a 98-98.5 cummins. If I want to use a older truck, then I must find a 98-98.5 wiring harness. Been reading up some more, sounds like some guys blow through VPs like crazy. Being that I am not a big money spender, reliability would outdo short term performance if the pump is gonna go out. 12v are apparently much more power capable if they are modded. Maybe Ill look for any 12v cummins and if I need a wiring harness, then Ill just have to find one. Itll be awhile though, so any help or input is appreciated, not that I haven't already learned something off basically every post so far.

 

yup, you are figuring out all the fun stuff now, and you are correct, just a quick thought, if you come down to having to buy the 12v 98 harness, check online chrysler or mopar sites, when i did mine, you could find brand new dealer parts cheaper than what sellers were asking for used junk, you wil also need the 98 12v PCM too, it is different from the 24

 

there is so much misinformation in this thread it is ridiculous...

first off, 97 was NOT the last year of the 12v nor is it the "grail truck."

98 was the last half year of the 12v and it was called the grail truck because it had the P7100 12v with the later interior of the 98+.

a 12v is not more reliable than a 24v.

guys "going through vp44s like crazy" are idiots that don't listen when people try to educate them.

add lubricity to the fuel or use fuel that has good lubricity (B5 for example) and replace the absolute junk lift pump dodge put in there with a good lift pump that can hold stable fuel pressure, add a fuel pressure gauge so you know for sure it has good fuel pressure, and the 24v is every bit as reliable as the 12v.

There are tons of 24v's in the million mile club, some are even in the two million mile club. And you want to tell me a 24v that has made it past two million miles isn't reliable? please...

that's like saying carburetors are more reliable than fuel injection because you are scared of electronics... guess what, chokes stick on carbs, vacuum lines rot off causing vacuum leaks... age affects everything, electronic or mechanical.

yes the 24v has minor problems like a weak stock lift pump. but guess what?! the 12v has minor problems too! KDP anyone??? that wasn't fixed till the 24v came out... all 12v's have the KDP problem until someone puts an aftermarket fix in...

then there is this "can't wrench on a 24v" comment. How do you figure?

just because you can't move/replace a fuel plate or turn a timing screw makes it so you can't wrench on the motor?

12v and 24v make big power very similar... via bigger injectors and bigger turbo(s). a 24v actually makes most of its power mechanically and gets up to a 180hp boost electronically.

12v is similar in that respect. gets it's largest boost via injectors and turbo, gets a decent boost from the pump, but the pump can only push so far before it becomes in danger of running away. (never revving down) A 24v can't run away. it will electronically shut itself down if it tries. the only way to make a 24v run away is to have an oil leak in the intake which can happen if internal seals break inside the turbo and it leaks oil into the intake, but a 12v can also have this happen. difference being the 24v will automatically cut off it's diesel fuel supply where a 12v will keep feeding that as well making a bad situation worse.


Then if you are just one of those die hard mechanical is better guys that will always fear technology: guess what?! you can convert a 24v to use the same injection pumps as a 12v! that's right, a 24v can be easily made to use a p7100 or VE injection pump! been done hundreds of times and there are aftermarket kits out there that give you every part you need for the conversion! so the argument of a 12v can make more power than a 24v: completely false. a 24v can use a 13mm p7100 just like a 12v, or even a sigma pump just like a 12v. only the 24v head outflows the 12v head making it capable of more power if the injection pump is converted.

 

This actually makes sense. I was doing some more reading, and actually read an article by blue something that makes pumps. They discovered that the reason that 24v VP pumps were failing is because newer fuels have less lubricating qualities and if the pump was being starved or fuel was weak, the pumps would bind up. The only other issue with VPs was the fact that the electronics would get to hot or connections would corrode. Other than that, the VPs are good. Doing as you said and replacing fuel pump would be first step.