I just traded my '02 RAM 2500 5.9L Magnum V8 GAS-HOG (7mpg pulling trailer) for a '99 RAM 5.9L I6 24V CTD. It has 139K miles on it and is in almost mint condition. It appears to have never pulled anything (the bed has no sign of a hitch of any kind, and the receiver hitch appears to have never been used. I guess my question is: will I start creating problems now that it will be pulling a 28ft 5th wheel that weighs about 8500-9000 lbs?

 

Hurting a diesel by making it work? I can't seem to think of any reason why that would be bad.

 

do a search for the power service diesel (PSD) and the marvel mystery oil (MMO) mix. you will want to add it to your tank at each fillup. Drew (local expert) has mentioned that the older CTD's have an issue with a lift pump (IIRC) and low lubrication. this will help reduce the likelyhood of a lift pump failure... Drew will correct me if i'm wrong.

the other benifit (for me and other CR motor owners) is the fuel economy increases when using a 16oz PSD & 8oz MMO per tank. mine goes up 1.5~2.0 mpg when using the white bottle vs the grey bottle of PSD...

as for your question... make sure you have a big tranny cooler on there and monitor your tranny temps and you should be fine. diesels love to be worked...

 

I'm Pulling a 9000 lbs. horse trailer (empty) with my 01 2500 and it has 149k. Other than putting a few extra leaf springs on it and a performance chip I've had to do very little to get it to to pull a load.

 

Thanks guys. As I mentioned, I'm new to diesels, so this may be a dumb question: How do I know whether I have a good tranny cooler?

 

look for your tranny cooler lines coming off the side of the transmission and follow them up to the radiator area... not sure about the 2nd gen location on a diesel but on my 2000 5.9 gasser it was on the passenger side (my '05 is on the drivers side). see if they go to the radiator only or to another cooler in front of the radiator (that would be my bet). if it's huge, then you should be good. you might also look into getting a tranny temp guage installed for towing... cooler is better.

 

Thanks, Steve.

 

On the second gen diesels the air cooler should be on the Driver's side. There should also be a cooler close to the block on the passenger side, this exchanges with the engine coolant directly. That transmission needs both, it's a 2 stage setup.

 

the guys here have you in the right direction, but the Power Service and MMO help the injector pump. the VP44 lubricates itself with the fuel and not the engine oil like the rest of the pumps that have been used. With the new ULSD fuel comeing out the VP44 is going to be hurting for lubrication. make the injector pump happy and it will keep the truck running strong for a long time to come.

also, the 2nd gens do have an issue with the lift pumps going out. if your truck all of a sudden does die, DO NOT try and start it. you will kill the injector pump and that is a costly part. the best way to make sure the lift pump is working is to get a fuel pressure gage and make sure it doesnt drop below 12-15psi idle and 4-6psi at full throttle.

 

Sorry Drew, but I'm a bit confused (which is easy for me). The lift and injector pumps are 2 different pumps? And, are you referring to the injector pump when you use VP44?