The 1st truck we drove absolutely rocked! (all used) it was on a lot and the PO did some mods to it and it screamed. problem with it (or maybe no) is the milage is already up to 64k for an '03. Mods that I could see were a CAI, BD-Power info cluster mounted to the a-pilar, measuring tranny temp & pyrometer and something else, forget exactly what, and possibly an exhaust setup, forgot to check on it. It had the overhead console and I reset the mpg meter just to see what it would do. Took it out onto the hiway and put about 10 miles on it and the overhead creeped all the way up to 22 mpg. asking price is $28k

does that sound right?

Drove 2 other trucks, one was a CTD completly stock, it's overhead was telling me 15 mpg. the other was a POS chevy that was also around 15.

So really the question is, with mods, will the CTD mpg improve to the point of 22 mpg? I pretty much drove normal which means I was hammering it on the test drive (no babying my trucks :-) )

What else should I be looking for in a used CTD? I found a completly stock one for $26k with a mere 21k miles on it. he's claiming 16~18 mpg.

what do you CTD owneres think? I'm pretty much sold on a CTD, just need to find the right info for when i'm looking at them...

 

I can tell you from my Experence first those over head reading are very general best way is the old fashond way
You mentioned gauges and stuff on the first one was anything else done Gauges you will want even if you do nothing else at least a fuel pressure gauge.
even at 64k it not broken in yet but the word is new they get crap mpg for a diesel as they break in they get better
I have an 02 just got her can't tell ya yet what the MPG is but it is better then gas.
Even though she is still stock for the most part, stills feels like i got a rocket strapped to my butt at times. the things I plan will leave it mostly stock I not going try and get her to win drag races I just want a good powerhouse that is great as daily still pull a tower down when I want.

 

hey, i have an o2 CTD with 185K miles and i still 18 to 19. my truck is completely stock ecept for the fact that i cut the exhaust of right after the cat and i gutted it. and i took the silencer ring out of my turbo. so in my opinion i would go with the first on that you test drove. yes it may have a few miles on it. but for a diesel 64k is nothing. my uncle has a 97CTD with almost 260K on it and it still runs like a dream. but the upgrades all depends on what you want to do with the truck. a cummins will pull very well stock but with the upgrades you will be able to pull anything that you wanted. good luck with your decision

 

Yes I'm always see mileages in excess of 250k here and on other boards and the guys say the run for ever
If these things are maintained they have been know to run over 1,000,000
Keep in mind this engine if I'm correct is used in a lot of the bigger trucks. So unless your planning on doing some radical mods.
This should last you long enough to be buried in it.

 

well, i've had it all morning and put it thru some good runs up some steep hills and it rocks! the mods that are done to it are exactly what i'd do if it were stock. I had the brakes & suspension checked out and it looks like it needs inner tie rod ends & need to check how much play is allowable in the upper ball joints. kinda expected the ball joint wear with the tires on it. the tranny shifts well and the motor seems to run really well. Just not knowing what to look for on a diesel just makes me want to ask a professional...

anyway I need to find a mechanic who can give me some insite on it... but as of now, looks like I'll be making an offer on it.

 

as it turns out... that motor had a problem... took it to a diesel expert and he pointed it out to me. He mentioned that it may be covered under warranty and I should check with the dealer to see if there are any updates that still need to be done. anyway, that truck looks like a dead deal...

 

whats up with the engine???

second, the tollerances with the ball joints is supposed to be .090, but for me any play means a bad joint.

last, the 03's were the last of the good fuel mileage trucks and that is not uncommon to see 22mpg. my 04.5 will see 22 if I stick it to 55-60 with a tail wind. at 70 I'll see 18-20 depending on ricer activity in the area

 

so dodge screwed up the milage on the newer ones too? what the hell is wrong with them? (actually it's probably a cummins thing)

the problem w/the motor he thought was an injector issue and didnt come out and say it but indicated it was an expensive fix. there was a rattle that until it was pointed out... I didnt notice it. It was a good thing I took it there cause after driving it all over town getting it checked out... I thought it was fine. it still hauled *** and seemed to run good to me.

there is another 03 available with a mere 22k miles on it which is cheeper. completly stock and original owner.

Can anyone enlighten me on the warranty transfer? I think the drive line is suposed to have a 100k warranty on it...?

 

the engine has a 100,000 Cummins warranty.

tell you what, this has worked many times. run the tank down to about 1/4 tank and add a full 32 oz bottle of Power Service Grey bottle and run the snot out of the truck. find the longest steepest hill you can and put the throttle to the floor.

I bet that rattle the diesel mech is talking about will be gone

there s carbon buildup on the injectors and if you dont occasionaly go ape on the throttle it will build up and cause an injector noise.

I run 16oz PS and 8 oz of MMO per tank and I havent had a problem.

 

If I owned it, I would. I did take it up 2 steep grades to beat it some and it seemed to do fine (but what do I know).

the shop I took it to is one of the best shops in the valley. The owner is into performance diesels all the way and has a dyno at his shop so when the owner tells me to stay away... I think i'd better listen, plus my gut tells me to avoid that truck.

edit: Oh yeah, forgot to ask do you know what tranny was in the '03's?