I just got a bone stock 2001 Ram 2500 with diesel and auto trans, 2wd with only 77k miles. I know nothing about Diesel engines other than to not put gasoline into it
What are some low budget hop-up and durability mods that are recommended? I hear these engines are pretty responsive to simple changes.
Thanks!

Get a fuel pressure gauge to see if your lift pump is actually pumping fuel. Probably need to upgrade to an aftermarket lift pump...so you don't kill the injection pump.

Thanks, any recommendations on which one to get?

NOT the AirDog Raptor kit. I have one and have already had to replace one pump. The Raptor is Airdog's budget line...it shows. The replacement pump I got from them has been working good for the last 4 years, but I don't think I'd buy another one.

I'd probably use a FASS system. A couple of friends have had good service from them.
Some people have good luck w/ the dealer installed in-tank pumps (the factory installed lift pump is mounted on the block), but I have heard of a lot of those failing. Mine had the in tank pump when I bought it and it put out 0 psi.

I think you typically want 10-20 psi all the time.

I went through 2 raptors. garbage.

id also go fass

Good to know, thanks guys. I do not intend to go crazy with this rig, just get it solid and reliable with as much power increase along the way (of course!). I'm thinking intake, exhaust, power tune and looks like proper fuel delivery so it will live a long healthy life. Would appreciate any recommendations or thoughts along those lines or if I'm even going in the right direction as I know zip about this stuff.

I also like Fass pump and would consider adding filters like the Titanium series. If your truck falls into the Dodge recall, let the dealer pay to put a new lift pump in your tank.

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/recalls/Notice878.htm


You need gauges so you can see what is going on. If they are already in your truck, you have a number of of programmer choices for your tune. If you don't have gauges, you could consider a programmer that includes gauges like Edge.

Since the truck is an auto, I'd consider spending money to make your transmission live longer before spending money on an intake and exhaust.

A good lift pump setup should be the first mod you do. Then gauges to monitor fuel pressure, trans, and exhaust temp. Boost is nice to monitor but not as critical. The intake and exhaust isn't going to net you much bang for the buck. The torque converter is the first weak link that needs to be addressed before adding any sizable power gains. A good triple disc converter with billet cover would my suggestion before adding anymore than 50 hp or so. A small set of RV 275 hp injectors or 50hp nozzles plus an Edge EZ make a good combo for towing without sending the EGTs into the stratusphere The small HY35 turbo that came factory equipped on your truck will not be able to keep the EGTs in check while towing with much more fuel.

I'd save your money on the intake setup. I believe the factory airbox is fine until you get over 450 hp or so?
If you absolutely have to do something on the intake side, get the $50 BHAF (Big Honkin' Air Filter). It's a Wix 42790. I have it on my truck, but can't really say how much it helped. Stay away from the oiled filters Like K&N.

The cheapest exhaust is one of the $250 4" straight pipe systems on ebay from MBRP, Diamondeye, etc. I have the MBRP kit on my truck, nice system. Just know that a straight piped Cummins is loud. I love it, but a lot of people don't care for the noise. The kits w/ a muffler are around $300.

Did the exhaust help? I would go with a muffled system.

C-U-M-M-I-N-S

There is no "G".

Yeah, it'll sound like a road grader.

Nothing like a painfully loud black smokin' Diesel truck to spread the word about what a$$holes drive Diesel.

Oh, another thing...You can let it idle in the Walmart parking lot until H#!! freezes over and that won't turn it into a big rig.

I borrowed a '99 24-valve 5-speed Ram for several months and just stock it was a lot of fun to drive. That turbo boost coming in at about 1300 rpm put a smile on my face every time. Really hated to give it back to the rightful owner!

Only down side was that everywhere I went people tried to buy it!

R.

So what I'm getting here is; lift pump so I don't starve the injector pump and motor first, gauges to monitor temp, boost etc, maybe exhaust system and watch the tranny. Keep the intake with a high flow filter and just drive it. This sounds like a recipe for reliability, can I expect any performance gains. Would a "tune" be appropriate at that point?

I did the BHAF and exhaust before I even hooked a trailer behind my truck, so I can't really say one way or another. My truck does not "roll coal", but I like the sound of the straight pipe. My 8 second 1100 hp street car has 4" Flowmasters on it, so I guess I'm just an obnoxious a$$hole.
The exhaust should help lower the EGT's when towing.

I have a small programmer/tuner/whatever you want to call it. It's a SuperChips Flashpaq and adds about 60 hp supposedly. It made a big difference in my truck. Any more than that and I'm pretty sure it'll eat the trans and converter in a big hurry.
The next thing I do to mine will be a torque converter.

My truck had 160k on it when I bought it in 2011. It now has almost 208k on it and going strong. Most of those miles were pulling my enclosed car trailer.

when I had my 01 HO 6spd truck, the BHAF was an add on, didn't see any difference, I was running a straight pipe with PAC exhaust brake. It was obnoxiously loud after a few hours in the truck. My passengers complained. not me.

Google "Cummins 53 block" not to raise a red flag, just so you know.

Good to know, thanks!

First mod, put in a lift pump fuel pressure gauge. If the lift pump dies and you keep driving it, it'll kill your injector pump. That's a 1000-2000 dollar part. Even if you do no hp upgrades, do the fuel pressure gauge because if you catch the lift pump as it starts to die, you can save your injector pump.

Your automatic transmission, if you leave your truck at stock HP levels, you can expect it to self destruct at 180k miles. If you up your power levels and abuse it, you'll cut that lifespan considerably. These transmissions are known for being garbage. Anyone putting out real power has already had their transmission rebuilt and upgraded.

Air filters, stay stock. You won't see any change other than noise. Don't the K&N style hot air intakes that let too much crap into your engine. Even 500hp highway tractors don't run junk like that.

Exhaust, again unless you're upgrading hp levels with bigger injectors and a retune, IMO you won't gain anything.

Thanks Daytona, that's what I was looking for, good common sense recommendations. Do you recommend the FASS system or is that overkill for this application?

FASS 95 is sufficient for your needs, titanium I believe includes more aggressive filtration. Mine has only an Edge Juice w/ attitude and muffler delete as modifications. Edge because of the included features, muffler delete because there was no muffler available when the baffles broke in the original, so it got straight piped. Still can't hear the exhaust over the engine.

Robert

Thanks Robert! Keep the suggestions coming!