Howdy!

Never owned a diesel before (or a Dodge for that matter) so I am looking for some assistance. I hear nothing but positive stuff on the Cummins diesels.

Have been looking at an '03 2500 Quad Cab SLT long bed with Cummins (HO) and auto tranny with 130K miles. Single rear axle, rear wheel drive. This will be to replace our '06 Ford E-350 Wagon with 5.4L V-8. I tow a 6,000 lb bumper pull travel trailer and have a motorcycle (700 lbs) I want to keep in the bed while travelling.

Dealer let the wife and I keep it Saturday evening and today to drive and give us the opportunity to get someone to check it out for us. We let a friend that owns and works on his F-250 with the 7.3 look at it and drive it.

The truck starts right up, the a/c blows cold and the heater blows hot, so that's a good start.

Transmission smoothly shifts through the gears both up and down. All electrical items (windows, locks, mirrors, cruise control) work fine. The steering is nice and tight, no slop and no unusual noises or vibrations. I reset the avg fuel economy setting while on the highway at 70 mph and over the next 25 miles showed an average of about 20mpg. The combined avg for the weekend was about 17.5 with a lot of stop & go city driving.

Inside the engine bay is clean (as I would expect it to be on a dealers lot) but I have found some gunk underneath. Specifically, I found dripping transmission fluid on the lines that go in/out of the transmission cooler. There is quite a bit of gunk on those two lines as well. (I will admit that I didn't check the level of the transmission fluid.)

There is also some gunk on the forward side of the transmission - rear main seal? It's not wet, or even really thick, but it's there.

The power steering reservoir is low and the radiator overflow appears to be bone dry.

Also, when I turn the engine off there is a distinct squeal as the motor shuts completely down. Almost sounds as if it's coming from the serpentine belt.

And the hood lift supports are not as strong as they should be. A good gust of wind liked to have decapitated me earlier today.

We noticed absolutely no problems with the ride yesterday or today after putting 75-100 on it, all gauges stayed in the middle of the operating zone while driving (oil pressure gauge did drop to the lower-middle of the normal zone while idling but immediately went back to the middle after accelerating). I can handle oil/filter changes, rotating tires, and changing filters - but I've never wrenched on an engine/transmission.

It appears this truck has been sitting somewhere for a little while. All four tires are dry-rotted (not only would I not tow with them - I wouldn't make a short trip with them). There is quite a bit of hardened pollen in the side window channels (??? right term) and you can tell up close that there was considerable pollen on the top of the truck for quite a while.

The only visible issue is the front valance appears to be pulled up from the bottom (the bottom of the airdam is farther forward than it should be). There is a noticeable, but equal, gap on both sides of the bumper between the top of the bumper and the front/bottom edge of the fenders.

My specific concern is the tranny. Would it be acceptable to tell them just to replace the lines and fluid and call it good?

My van is paid for but the mileage sucks and while it doesn't struggle to pull our trailer, I can't take the motorcycle.

Here is a link to the truck.

I am supposed to go talk to them tomorrow and welcome any feedback on my concerns, or any other things to be concerned about, as well. Should I try and deal or straight up walk away?

Thanks in advance.

 

There are always gonna be some kinda leaks on a truck with any kind of miles on it. have them fix or replace the trans lines that are leaking, and if they will change the fluid, that would be nice too. coolant may or may not have a leak...could have had a leak in the past and maybe they just never refilled the bottle after filling the radiator? unknown without knowing the full vehicle history.

If the rear main isn't gushing, I wouldn't worry about it.

the squeak when the engine shuts down is normal. My old mans 03 and 04 both did that. its just how common rails shut down. I always made fun of it cause my 00 doesn't do that, but its an entirely different injection system all together on the motor so start up, shut down, and just how it runs and sounds is completely different.

the sound is nothing to worry about unless it's constantly making noise while running... I would check the condition of the belt though. more than 5 cracks per inch means time to replace it.

as far as towing goes: its going to be night and day difference between your van and this truck.

this truck towing will drive like it has nothing behind it...start tuning that engine a little and it wont even know what a hill is with a load behind it...

I would change the fuel filter as soon as you get it though.

 

If you get the vehicle be aware that there is an open recall on it. Recall is E17 for the out of park alarm system.

 

Thank you guys.

I went and talked to the dealer and showed them the problems.

I agree about the coolant. Not too worried about that as the guages stayed in the normal zone.

Appreciate the info on the recall - another bargaining tool if I decide to go with this truck.

My biggest concern is the transmission cooler lines. I could not tell where the leak was coming from and it wasn't just gunk - but wet transmission fluid. The sales manager took the truck over to their maintencance shop as I was leaving the parking lot this morning. We'll see what they have to say...

I went to the local Dodge dealer this morning and was told the cost to replace the transmission cooler lines is ~ $150 labor plus parts. More if it's the cooler.

I really like the truck, but this will be a daily driver as well as a tow vehicle. My van is not the most efficient but it's more than capable, paid for, and reliable. I don't want a truck I'll have to put in the shop as soon as I buy it.

 

Dealership called and said the two transmission cooling lines crossed at one point and were touching, which had rubbed a hole in one of them.

Does this sound feasible?

 

it is possible for lines to rub through each other or develop small pinholes in the lines even when they don't touch...

like my damn hybroboost line that has a small pinhole in it and is pissing out PS fluid, yet nothing touches it or could possibly touch it in the spot its leaking. just gotta replace the lines. rubber doesn't last forever. age, temperature, and pressure eventually get the better of them..

as for the cummins, the engine should be pretty reliable and dependable, get far better fuel economy than your van, and tow like nobodies business.

my cummins is my daily driver. very reliable and never left me stranded. even when it ripped every tooth off 6th gear in my last transmission and broke the intermediate shaft, it still got me home in 4th gear!


I've had problems along the way...mostly with the steering...blew a head gasket which was my own fault for how much fuel timing and boost I was running without head studs, oil leaks here and there, and the water pump decided to **** coolant a few months back (easiest water pump job you'll ever change. 2 bolts and no hoses or paper gaskets, just an o-ring, and its located top front of the motor)

she gets the economy in my sig with the power in my sig...been a good truck

 

Appreciate the response.

I have a friend that's a certified Cummins mechanic going over tomorrow after work to look at it and take it for a spin.

Will let y'all know what he says.

 

My 08 6.7 didn't ever really have the belt chirp upon shutoff, but my 98 12-valve certainly does, almost every time. It's just the engine stopping faster than the fan. It's normal.

 

Thanks for the response. Makes feel better about the motor.

 

I have a question for everyone does this seem worth it?
http://scranton.craigslist.org/cto/3685581022.html