Hey guys, this is my first post in the CTD forum, I have been combing though to try and answer my questions, but I can't find anything that answers them to the fullest.

Heres my story, I currently have a 97, 1500 4x4, 5.2l, with 233xxx miles. I'm looking at a 99, 2500 4x4, 5.9l turbo diesel with 88xxx miles. the CTD is perfect, nothing wrong with it, the 5.2 will need some gasket work on the engine ect.

I just want to know the mpg I can expect with a diesel, where I live diesel is about $4.40ish by the gallon. And the reliability of these trucks, and last the maintenance cost vs gas.

I do quite a bit of driving, and occasionally small loads, bikes, wheelers, sleds, camp stuff and trailers.

If it works out to be about the same I'll be happy, if it's better I'll be in love.
Any input would be great! Thanks a bunch guys.

 

Depends on a lot of things, driving style, gearing, tires, terrain...

There's no reason you shouldn't be able to hit low 20's on the highway, high teens around town.

Potential problems to look into:

"53 Block" - http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm

There's more than enough links and info on that link to fill your afternoon, but basically there were some blocks with casting number 53 that have a tendency to crack. It can be fixed if it happens, and there's no promise that it will happen.

Auto trans? They're a known weak link, but they can be beefed up and made reliable.

Lift/Injection pump - the lift pump will undoubtedly go out, first you won't notice it, then you'll notice a loss of power at WOT or while climbing hills, then it'll get worse, and if you're lucky it'll die fast enough that the injection pump won't get taken out. If you're unlucky, the injection pump will starve for fuel and it'll burn up, and then you'll have to replace both. Easy to avoid - get a FASS or AirDog lift pump/filter.

There are some other little annoying things that I haven't had to deal with because I never owned a 2nd gen, something about headlight switches melting, seat bolsters falling apart, dashboards shattering, but those are more factors of age than anything, and since you own a 97 with 233k miles, you should be aware of them already.

I prefer floor shift transfer cases, but if you can't get one, make sure you cycle through the 4wd modes once a month or so to keep it from seizing up.

 

I like that you didn't sugar coat anything, just honest. Because I wanted to know actual downfalls along with upsides. Dodge is great I'll admit but not perfect, as is any vehicle.

Yes its an auto trans, idk if its a floor shift for the TC and i agree on the preference. And the lift/injector pump issues, i'm assuming won't break the bank, though it won't be dirt cheap either.

And not that it matters, but i would have expected the interior problems with my 97, but it's perfect condition besides a stained carpet from winter. The truck still runs and shifts like 100xxx, personally i can't believe it, but not complaining. I guess you could say it was the one in a 100,000 trucks made that had the opposite of typical dodge engine/tranny/interior problems.

But thanks a lot for your input and information, really good things to know before jumping into a whole new truck!

 

You're welcome...

I'm a big fan of the Ram/Cummins combo, but I realize there are issues just like with every truck out there. Personally, I'd rather people know the major flaws before making a purchase - it's horrible when guys get all bent out of shape because they're hit with a big repair bill that they had no idea was hanging out there.

The OEM lift pump isn't a significant cost to replace, you do have to drop the tank or lift the bed for in-tank models, but so long as the tank isn't full it's not too bad.

The VP44, however, is going to run about a grand. You can find them cheaper but ballpark you're looking at $800+/- plus labor if you don't do it yourself.

An Airdog lift pump/water separator/fuel filter will run a bit over $600 plus install.

On the flipside, if you look at 6.7L common rail trucks where programmers have raised rail pressure, you run the risk of cracking injectors. Dodge charges (depending on dealership) $1200-1400 EACH. You can get them from Cummins for less than half that, but it's still $3000 for a full set of injectors. VP44's seem cheap in comparison.

 

I have a 1999 Ram 2500 with a stick shift and I wouldn't have it any other way. It gets no worse than 19 MPG in town and about 22 MPG highway, as long as I keep the speed at 70 or less.
I did install a FASS lift pump just to keep from having an injection pump problem. It has worked flawless since new. I even got 21 MPG towing a boat with the air on!

 

hey guys, looking for info for my uncle, he has a '01 2500, with about 90k miles. he has done the lift & injector pumps 2-3 times already(@$2500+ each time.)last time around, he did put the airdog unit in, and it failed again about a year ago, and has been sitting since then. i know i read on here some time that the official dodge fix it more failure prone than the original, is there any other,perhaps unorthodox solution ? could the common rail system from the '03+ models be retro'd on to this engine??

and i really can't give you much more in the way of specifics, as i am in Ohio, and he & the truck are in southern Idaho( only found out about the problems when i had to go out there for a funeral a month or 2 ago.)

 

P pump it!

How did he kill an Airdog?

 

What did he do to kill the pump?, I really don't know.
when it's running the dodge is his primary farm truck. @ this point he's retired from being a school teacher, and 75% retired from farming, with a few cattle, horses, mules, and a couple chickens, mainly as a hobby. so how he killed the air dog (???), or if in fact he really did kill it, i don't know. I know it won't start, but no codes came up on the scan tool, (though after i tried to pull them found out the trucks battery had gone flat over winter...).

( P pump? never heard of it... anything to do with modern urea based emissions reduction thingy?)

had to laugh about it while there, his '01 dodge has had this same problem 3 times in 90k miles, his other farm truck, a (i'm guessing mid 70's) ford, with who knows how many miles, that he bought 15-20 yrs ago for $1000 (mainly for the flat bed that was on it. he pretty much bought the bed & got the truck for free)is still running like a champ, and only now, is the trans starting to slip...

 

P pump... p7100 mechanical injection pump off the 2nd gen 12-valve engines. It's the cat's meow - it'll throw a TON of fuel out, super easy to make big power with it, and relatively cheap too. As far as retrofitting one to a 24 valve goes I'm not the guy to ask. It can be done and it's not as hard or expensive as trying to retrofit one to a HPCR truck, but it does take some work and parts swapping.

The VP44 injection pump is lubricated and cooled by the fuel, so a lift pump failure can fry the injection pump. The lift pump Dodge uses is known to fail, which is why most everyone recommends swapping out for a more robust aftermarket solution. The Airdog does require filter changes and draining the water separator periodically, and IIRC there's a screen filter that should get cleaned out as well. Run a good quality fuel (and oil!!!) additive too. The ULSD fuel doesn't lubricate as well as the older higher sulfur fuels. Same goes for motor oil - the new diesels required new oils because everything that made the old diesel oil so great ended up clogging the new emissions equipment. Run an additive package since the 01 won't have the DPF and EGR crap.

The old 70's Ford was a great truck. They're simple and extremely overbuilt. Parts will wear out and require replacement, and they're nowhere near as efficient or powerful as a Cummins in proper working order, but they're like the old 6-shooter revolver. Not a lot to go wrong.