Hi guys,
I heard this was the place to get all my questions answered so here goes. I'm looking to purchase a used Dodge and want a CTD but I dont know enough about these engines to properly inspect one. What should I be looking for? Besides the overall cleanliness of the engine how can I tell if its been abused? What are the problem areas/items. I'm not sure what year I want but I'd like a 3/4 or 1 ton 4x4 with fairly low miles ( 50 -75k ). Probably an 02, 03,or 04. I am mechanically inclined and will be doingall of the maint/mods myself.Any advice on these trucks in general would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

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I guess the first sign of abuse would be if it has a plow on it. After that I'd look for any mods that may have been installed to make the Ram quicker.

Overall though, the years that you are considering with the low mileage that you want should get you a pretty good find.

 

Under the hood,look for things that indicate a hack doing the wrenching. Otherwise look for signs of programmers or other mods--most mods are nothing to really worry about, but you may be able to beat the seller down if it's got them or shows signs it did have them at one time. Sticky residue on the fusebox cover is a dead giveaway.
Otherwise look for any leaks and see if both batterys areat leastthe same brand/model. If one is different, it won't be long before you'll have to replace them both.
I think the way to best tell the condition of the engine is make sure when you look under the hood, that the engine is stone cold, them go back by the exhaust pipe and make the seller start the engine. If after waiting for the wait to start light to go out, the engine cranks for more than two seconds before it starts, it may have a problem. When it starts, it shouldn't blow any smoke (a little grey smoke is probably O.K). White smoke means fuel delivery problems, blue smoke is internal engine problems, black smoke is fuel problems.
If it passes this test, take it for a drive.
When I was looking for a CTD, I test drove one local to me that passed the above items fine, but when I drove it, after it warmed up, it went into limp mode and barely made it back to the dealer. Needless to say I passed on that one.

 

Check and make sure it does not have a 53 block in it. If it does, look to see if it has been repaired, or is in the begining stages for needing repair. Not all 53 blocks are bad, but it doesn't hurt to check. I've got one and have 176k miles on it.

Also, if you get a 4x4 check the front suspension real good. Check the ball joints, hubs track arm, steering gear box all for excesive play. None of these are major probelms, but can be common areas in the 2500 4x4's and will cause slop in the steering.

Also ask if the lift pump has been recently replaced. If so, you may also be looking at replacing the injector pump too. Unfortunately there is no way to tell if an injector pump has been damaged due to the lack of fuel, until it is too late.

 

Thanks for the info guys, Couple questions: From reading this forum I now know that there is a problem with lift pumps and 53 blocks but...How is a 53 block identified and whats the issue with it? And whats the issue with the lift pump and how can I check to see if a truck has a bad one? This is great info and I cant tell you how much I appreciate it! How much does a lift pump go for anyways?

 

This should get you up to date on the 53 block.

http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm