I'm looking at a used '05 2500 with the Cummins, I know my way around the rest of the truck, but dont know anything about diesels other than it will pull my toy hauler just fine compared to my 1500.

What do I need to look for in a 200k mi truck as far as the engine goes?

 

Take the oil fill cap off and see if there is white smoke coming out while running. Um what else. Does it have any mods ie programmer... Also smell trans fluid. Other then that i would buy it as long as it drives good.

 

I was looking to get an 03 cummins and based off of what I found the newer transmissions seem to have problems. I was even told by a dealer service tech that the 2nd gen rams were the best to have. I didnt end up getting a cummins because i live in the farm country part of omaha and they all want too much for their diesels still.

 

3rd gen rams do have tranny issues. Take care of it and it will treat you well. If you do alot of towing/hauling invest in a tranny temp guage so you can accurately keep track of just how hot your tranny is getting.

I'm on my first tranny in my '05 2500, but my bosses 2005 3500 which has a few more towing/hauling km's on it is on its 3rd tranny.

at 200K I'd try to deal a tranny service into the purchase price.

 

Ok so white smoke is bad I take it, if it has a programmer on it does that mean the engine life is deminished.

 

Programmer just means that the engine life may be diminished, just like owning a gun may mean your life may end sooner than otherwise - it's not a definite indicator, but it does indicate that there may be some more risky habits. (btw, I'm not trying to start a gun debate, and I'm certainly pro-gun, but I'm just making a point)

I would look for service records, and grill the guy on his service habits. How often did he change the fuel filter? What was his oil change interval and why? What kind of fluids did he run? What additives did he run (both oil and fuel)? Very important as well - what kind of oil filters did he run?

If he used oil filters with neoprene in them, run. Don't even take the chance - the neoprene dissolves and then clogs the piston cooling jets, which will cause major engine failures. Cummins put out a bulletin about it years ago and they won't cover warranty repairs resulting from it. If it doesn't have an OEM, Fleetguard, Stratapore, or a select few others, it's a gamble.

As far as the 47 and 48REs go, yeah they've got problems but it's mostly the cheap torque converters, running them too hot/cooking the fluids, and computer issues. They're essentially modernized 727 Torqueflights with electronic controls and an overdrive, so they're apparently easy to work on. At $200k miles, I'd be seriously considering putting an aftermarket transmission in it (suncoast, etc) or at the very least budgeting for it soon.