Maybe I'm a dreamer, but when I purchased my 08 Ram Cummins 4x4, I thought a manual trans would be a good move. So far the Mercedes G56 transmission seems great, however the clutch was designed and assembled by the 3 stooges. I drive in Florida, not too hilly, and have pulled my 500 pound flats skiff. At 72K miles, the hydraulic clutch master/slave system is shot and the dealer says I need a clutch. Only $1,800. How is it possible Dodge engineers failed to design a clutch for a diesel engine?

I love the vehicle, but am stunned with the Chysler engineering. For example, the pinion seals failed in 36 months on both differentials. The clutch was designed for a golf cart and who knows the impact from the Al Gore emissions crap? Maybe replacing the 3 gallons of oil every 3K miles will offset the impact of blowing exhaust in the oil? Oh well, at least I dodged the Ford diesel disaster and GM's Duramax is a foreign made engine. I wonder if GM is having similar issues?

 

Do NOT get another OEM clutch, not for $1800. Get a Southbend clutch and flywheel setup and save some coin.

I think the issue is that they decided to market the Ram diesels at soccer moms and dads with too much money who wanted to look tough driving their trucks, but who didn't like how loud and rough they were, so they designed a clutch to smooth things out a bit. Unfortunately, it's a piece of crap design.

Where in FL are you located? I may be able to point you in the direction of a good shop with some Cummins enthusiasts to help you out.