I've been looking for my first used CTD for a while now. Got some great advice and feedback from this forum and have learned a ton, especially about the dreaded VP44 injector pump....

I have found a truck I want to look at, but I don't know how to tell if it has the stock original injector pump, or if it has been replaced or modified or damaged.

The truck is a 1999 3500 dualie long bed extra cab. It has 21,650 miles (that's what the listing says). It's at a dealer, so I can't really expect straight answers about whether the original pump was ever burned out, replaced, or upgraded.

Is there any way that I can inspect the injector pump while the truck is on the dealer's lot? Or is there some way to get clues about the pump while the truck is running?

This rig also has a plow. Any easy ways for a lay-person like me to tell if the u-joints are shot?

The truck is listed herehttp://www.dieselland.com/vehicleDet...MF3363XJ558558

Any thoughts on a fair price? I'm figuring I don't want to pay more than $18,000 for this truck.

 

ANOTHER nice looking truck that's for sure. At first I was going to say that he's priced kinda high, but if his mileageis actual, you might be pretty good with 18K. I dunno.



One things for sure, the previous owner liked to keep his eyes on things, so based on that I'm guessing he took pretty good care of his truck. Why he'd get out of it so early though is a mystery. Someone here ( I can't remember who ) had some free carfax time left that he was offering up. Perhaps take him up on the offer and dig a little deeper.

 

SWEET new signature, Mr. Mayfair....now I really gotta get a Ram CTD so I can git me a fancy sig too.

Interesting point you make about the prev owner keeping his eye on things. Probably a good sign for how the truck was cared for, but by the same token he'd be on top of something that wasn't right that might have made him want to ditch the rig at 21K miles. Who knows....

$18K is my wish price; the dealer has no price listed on the website.....just "call for quote", that always makes me a little nervous. I suspect they are asking more based on the prices of their other trucks. Almost drove the 2 1/2 hours to Hookset today to look at it, but didn't get past Lowe's. Got a room to finish off, figured I'd get more points with Mrs. if I worked on some new flooring and a window installation rather than disappearing to NH for the day to look at trucks.

Getting off topic here....

Basically I've got it narrowed down to two choices: the black 99 with the plow in New Hampshire, or a 97 dualie 4x4 with 123K miles. The 97 is a private listing in Massachusetts, about 3 1/2 hours drive from here. The current owner has had it since about 20K miles and seems like a normal honest person who takes care of his truck. It's never done any heavy duty work, some towing but not much, and no plowing. The owner is asking $10,500 which seems like a very fair price for that truck. The only thing is that I would probably need to get the tranny rebuilt or replaced so I won't have to worry about long trips towing a trailer. Don't know what that would cost but I figure it would be somewhere around 1500 bucks, so even with that added on I'm still in a nice truck for around 12K. The only thing keeping me from buying it tomorrow is the distance. I would much rather have the old bullet-proof P7100 injector pump and 12 valve CTD for my first diesel truck. It seems like that's the right engine for me to learn on.

Which brings me back to my original question on this post.....

 

I honestly think that you are getting yourself into a situation where you are going to box yourself in so tight that you'll NEVER wind up with a Ram. Since being here ( not saying that's a bad thing ) but since being here you've now come to be scared to DEATH about a 53 block, a VP44, an auto tranny, 24valves ect ect ect.

I'll tell you this straight up.

I have no clue what block number it is that I have, and I honestly don't care. I know that I DO have the VP44, but I also know that if I take care of the lift pump ( by replacing it with something better ) my VP44 will live a long and happy life. I also have an auto tranny which, yeah, I've heard the horror stories, but if I take the best care I can of it, it too should also take care of me.

Bottom line, I can understand where your scared and nervous ( which is understandable ), but don't over analize to the point where you never take a step at all. I'm pretty sure that EVERY year Ram has a flaw here and there that might scare you away.

BTW: I have about 120K on my truck, so the guy in New Hampshire sounds like a pretty good deal if you ask me. Sounds fair. I would probably buy it and drive it and just take care of it. When ( if ) the tranny goes, take care of it then. No sense replacing something just because you THINK it's bad ( unless we're talking about a lift pump ) LOL !!

 

Man, you are right. I really need to read what I write before hitting the "submit to post" button...

Here's what's really funny: my wife agrees with you.

It is getting very close to the time when I need to just jump in and learn as I go. So, no more posts from me until I have pictures of a Ram CTD that I have bought.

Thanks to Mayfair and all the regs here who have given me straight up opinions.

 

Whoa whoa whoa .... I'm not trying to scare you away. PLEASE feel free to ask any and all questions that are on your mind. I was merely speaking to you as if you were a friend of mine standing right next to me. Don't buy anything that your not entirely 100% comfortable with. I'm just trying to help you feel comfortable.

 

No worries, you are not scaring me away. In fact, quite the opposite. I appreciate the honest feedback I get on this forum. Sorry if it sounded like I was over-reacting...

All I meant is that you are right about me over-analyzing all the various options and potential problems. So it is time for me to buckle down, make a list of available trucks and all their pros and cons, set my priorities, and see which truck best fits those priorities. Then, buy it.

I didn't mean that I'm quitting the CTD forum or anything crazy like that. This is a great collection of people who give good advice and honest opinions.

This also doesn't mean I'm going to go get one tomorrow, it still may take another month or two, mostly cuz I'm a cheap b*st*rd and I don't want to pay too much for a truck. And I should read a manual or intro tech book on basic diesel mechanics so I can become familiar with the parts when I am checking out various trucks.

I'll still be around, and if I think of something funny to say I'll post it. But I do need to stop with my "how will I know this is the truck?" posts, cuz you are right that there is no perfect truck out there. So the next NEW thread I start will be about the truck I bought.

That is, unless I think of more questions about injector pumps......

 

Naah .... keep em comming. I actually like seeing what's available out there, as well as helping someone out be maybe seeing something in a way that they hadn't seen it ( aka, the gauges )

Did you rule out the black dually? It DOES have roof lights !!

 

Lights

 

LMAO !!!!

Like a moth to a flame huh ?