Cummins diesel stories 5.9

I just bought an 07 2500 mega-cab. Super clean body, interior and runs great. It has 185,xxx miles. Tranny rebuilt 10k miles ago. Front suspension replaced 90k miles ago- a little loose,not to bad. I know front suspension and transmissions are weak areas. I bought edge gauges to monitor the system. I gave $20k for it and it was always garage kept and previous owner had about 100 pages of service records. I know I will have maintenence. What should I expect and any advice?
I tow 2,000 miles a year and it won't be every day vehicle.
How many miles do gen 3s get?
I hope some diesel mechanics chime in.

I'm hitting 200,000 miles on my 2005. Changed the water pump and replaced wheel bearings and control arms.

Not sure if its an issue on yours, but the governor pressure and shift solenoids on mine have crapped out twice. Not a terribly difficult fix and I take the opportunity to adjust the bands. There are some very good tutorials on youtube. Also, its always a good idea to change transmission fluid fairly often on these. Otherwise, I've had no problems.

Now, I will say that if you don't do a lot of towing, any fuel savings you have from driving the diesel will be offset by your maintenance costs if you drive a lot. Everything for this truck is just more expensive and, god help you if you every have an injector or injection pump failure, because you are talking serious money with either one of those.

personally, I'm looking to sell mine and get a gas-powered truck.

Thanks orange,
I hear you on the $$$ but going over mountain passes at high elevations with 10,000lb load sucks with gas motors.

Mine is an 03 Quad Cab 3500 Daully. Just turned over 254,000 the other day. New trans at about 175K front end has been done...several sets of tires.
Injectors on mine are crap...still stock and have had 2 replaced and it still won't start without being plugged in below 60 degrees. Lift pump has been replaced once. I need to look at what the aftermarket has available to replace the lift pump and filter housing as I think the lift pump is going bad again.
Doesn't matter what it is but every trip to the dealer is North of 800.00. F-em It'll never go back...
Still love the truck just hate the crooks at the dealership...

Just turned 105K on mine. I have only had to replace a water pump. Any front issues were thwarted by recall notices.

Good point.

BTW, I've never done it, but I have been told that you'll be money WAY ahead of you get yourself one of these:

http://www.dieselfuelfilterkits.com/03_12_cummins_fuel_filter_kit.html

It will save your lift pump and possibly your injector pump. Much better than the standard filter.

Do you really want to hear my stories since I blew up TWO 5.9 Cummins and lunched over a dozen transmissions from NV4500's to G56's to the crappy 48RE? Of course quite a few of the issues were lack of maintenance on my part, and of my employer, but having said that, I miss not having one as my daily driver. I still have a 93 12 valve but rarely use it. I drive a 2015 2500 Hemi and tow quite frequently with it, and at 56K miles have not had a single issue, and have no problems going up major hills towing 11K lbs! I can't even really complain about the gas mileage towing, but empty it is definitely down compared to a Cummins but I expected that.

Rhino-
Thanks for chiming in, I have read your posts in the past. How many miles did your 5.9s have before they blew-up? Did the turbo fail and overheat the motor?
Was it you, that did the Alison conversion?

Both the 04 and 05 were around 165K miles, both injector issues. The 04 had an injector go wide open and hydraulic the engine kicking out a rod. The 05 had an injector go dead burning a hole in a piston. On the 04 I had replaced 4 of the 6 injectors, should have done all 6. The 05 was bought to replace the 99 that had the 7th NV4500 crap out in Memphis, TN so I bought a local truck to continue on with the transport at that time. Made it to Chicago and checked everything out with the truck but apparently the fuel filters were never changed and I missed that fact. The next transport it went into limp mode near Dalhart, TX and I managed to get to a Dodge dealer where they told me about the fuel filters. I made it to Payson, AZ before the injector died and had to have it towed to Phoenix from there. I should have done the Alison conversion on my 04 as I would probably be still driving that truck. I had almost $6K into rebuilding the 48RE and the issues after having it rebuilt. If I would have just done the Alison conversion to begin with I would have had around $5K in it.

06. 5.9. 48re.

I bought it at 80k miles and it's got 160 now.

So far, I've rebuilt the front end--new ball joints, u-joints, wheel bearings, control arms; the whole power steering system replaced--newer upgraded pump, steering box, hydro boost brake booster, added a steering brace and upgraded to the newer steering linkage. Replaced trans with a built unit--clutches, valve body, billet input shaft, billet converter. Added fuel filtration to 2 micron, single driveshaft to replace the 2-piece unit and eliminated the carrier bearing, and added a smarty jr tuner.

All said and done, about $10k in work. Most of it done myself. I didn't do the trans build. I paid a shop local to me who specializes in 48re--firepunk diesel in plain city Ohio.

98% daily driver; but I do tow and take it deep into the woods off road for firewood collection.

If I can keep the body from rusting away, I plan on this being the last truck I ever buy.

Is the new steering linkage worth it?

My '92 is like the Energizer bunny, it's just keeps going and going.

Everything I've read says it's got better geometry. I had a recall notice for something on the steering, I think it was driver side tie rod end. But I could see it was already replaced. Passenger side was goofy and loose. My steering felt loose and wandered around; so I figured I'd spend a little more and upgrade it all at the same time. Turns out I had a moog wheel bearing go bad after 90 days so that was replaced a second time under warranty.

Steering was better but still felt a tad off. About a week and a half later (in the middle of yellowstone) my power steering pump or box started leaking badly. I managed to make it home, driving across the country dumping a quart of ATF into the steering system every hour and a half of driving. Replaced the box, pump and brake booster for good measure. Added the steering brace at the same time (truck is also on 35" mud tires that weigh about 80 lbs each).

During this round of maintenance I learned that I couldn't get the combination of parts I needed. I damaged the pulley pulling it off the pump to replace the pump. Can't get an original pulley because dodge did a design change after production and specified a larger pump. The larger pump runs a different pulley. All you can buy is the newer pulley, forcing you to buy the newer pump. New pump, pulley and reservoir are available from dodge for $700+. I bought a remaned pump from rock auto, a new pulley, and a reservoir from amazon, for a total of about $400.

Once all of that was installed, the truck steering was nice and tight. But I couldn't really tell you if it was the updated linkage, new box, steering brace, or everything combined.

I've own four cummins. 91.5 and 92 will run forever. They are just noisy and you have to deal with a 72 designed body. My 05 had a couple of weak injectors at 105k so I replaced them all and added a fast pump/filter system on it. I added a dealer approved power adder module on it at 50,000 and I think that hurt my injectors. It went out at about 90k so I pulled it off. With old injectors and the stock filter and lift pump, you are living on borrowed time. When injectors go out they flood the motor with fuel and do what they Rhino described. You have the same injectors on the 07. If it were mine I would put all NEW Bosch injectors and the fast fuel/filter system on it now before it craps out. My 2012 only has 23,000 miles on it with no problems. It has the most power and runs the best.

I owned a 12-valve Cummins and liked it, simply because it was simple, efficient, and dependable.

I've also owned delivery trucks with common-rail systems and have experienced numerous engine failures related to stuck injectors. I refuse to buy any more common-rail diesels. For my business fleet I've swapped over to small GMC box trucks with 4.8 gas engines. I retired a GMC with the original gas engine in January at 496K miles, and another turned over 400K miles last week.

If I were buying a new pickup I wouldn't consider a diesel with all of the DPF or DEF garbage on it. I owned two 2008 Dodge Sprinter delivery trucks with that crap on it and they were constantly in the shop. And that whole "Regen" crap is for the birds.

I'm in the market for another 1-ton pickup truck right now, but it will either be mechanically-injected 12-valve or Hemi powered. No more computerized diesels for me.

The previous owner did the power steering pump upgrade already. He paid over $1000 for the part and the dealer to install.

On the injectors, your suggestion is to replace all with new bosch, should the common rail be replaced to? I know the injectors can take out pistons and the common rail. Will the common rail take anything out if it fails?

I bought an Edge monitor system that monitors the fuel rail pressure, exhaust temperature, transmission temp and turbo boost.

Thanks

Early 2004 HO 305hp/555tq 4x4 auto trans quadcab here.

174k miles currently on it, owned it for 10 years now, got it with 90k miles.

Used for a daily driver for the last 8 years, now drive it a much less but still enjoy it.
I don't tow a lot or super heavy but when I do the truck shows it's worth.

Truck has been awesome and has never left me stranded, all service work was preventative.
Has always started, even in sub zero weather, never needed plugged in.
I had a remote start installed back when I bought the truck and always let it warm up before driving it, in warm or cold weather.

Front leveling springs, Bilstein shocks, running 315/70-17 BFG AT's, never had death wobble.
Never had a tuner installed or other performance mods.

I've done general maintenance over the years always replaced filters on a regular basis, batteries, couple water pumps, idler pulleys and serp belt
replaced tranny fluid and solenoids and diff fluid a few times.

New ball joints, front axle U-joints(no zerks), front driveshaft replaced with new one and installed all new front steering parts with the recall kit.

Tranny still works good, still has the factory fuel pump mounted on the fuel filter housing, haven't touched the injectors yet but will get them checked out next year and probably replaced with new injectors.

Installed a new 4"turbo back stainless exhaust system last summer because the factory stainless exhaust rusted where it was welded together.

AC still works great, I've recharged it a coupled times in the last 10 years and it seems to hold a charge good. My HVAC controls seem to work good, they do get a little funky at times when selecting from vents to defrost but seem to eventually work right.

I've been very happy with my truck and if I can keep the rust gremlins away I hope to keep it a few more years even though the wifegod is not fond of the old stinky truck and wants me to get a new one.

Good looking truck Killerb

Filtration is key for engine and injector life. Keep a good paper style air filter installed, especially if you drive in dusty conditions regularly. The cotton/ gauze style just let too much trash in IMHO. I can't tell you how many 5.9 common rails I've had come in with a cylinder down due to broken piston rings. Everyone is quick to blame the failure on a bad injector but actually is due to bad air filtration. The rings are tapered, and as they wear, they loosen in the lands and eventually beak due to "fluttering" on the piston. As for the injectors. They will eventually need to be replaced. That's just the cold, hard truth. And with the mileage your truck currently has it's probably going to be sooner than later. That doesn't mean you can't take steps to improve their lifespan. I recommend a good quality afftermarket 2 micron fuel filter/ water separator setup. The factory filter is simply not adequate.

Now, let's talk about the front end. You can buy the most expensive name brand parts you can find and they are still going to wear out prematurely. Tie rods and front axle outer u-joints especially. Ball joints do wear out too but most people don't know how to check them correctly. The first thing they do is jack the front end up and stick a pry bar under the tire and pry upward. They feel and see up and down movement and say it needs ball joints. WRONG! They are designed to have a certain amount of movement up and down. Moog has even started adding labels to their ball joints to indicate this is normal. With the ball joints, Lateral movement is what you are looking for, rather than vertical when checking for wear.

The 48re trans will require more attention to kickdown band adjustment than earlier models. They wear out after time and will eventually ruin the front drum once the friction material is gone. If the adjuster bolt is level with the top of the jamb nut after being properly adjusted, it's time for a new band. Governor pressure solenoids also fail time to time causing improper shifting and taking off in the wrong gear. Aftermarket GM style solenoids are available to help with this condition. I work on these trucks everyday and this some of the stuff I see that are common issues with them. Hope this helps.

I'm from a Class 8 Truck Family. I've owned 2-a 2001 and a 2002 with Edge 60hp, the Parents had a 1990 12-valve. All were brand-new.

Now have a couple of 2001 360 Rams, a '98 318 5-speed, a /6 and 318 First Gens with 833od's in them: Don't miss any of those diesels one bit.

I'm not saying owning a Cummins is a bad idea, but don't buy one for fuel mileage, to save money, or to use as a daily driver: you will be disappointed, pay a small fortune, and eventually run into big-dollar repair bills. Diesel mechanics is an art of its' own and most of us can't do it ourselves.

Buy one if you are, as we say in the trucking industry, loaded both ways.

This is the God's honest truth, some of us find out the hard way. I like my Hemi Ram now, and the only diesel truck I will ever own going forward is a first gen, at least they are harder to kill...

I love diesels, and I love my diesels. I've had 6 over the years. I had the first 89 in this zone, an 06, two Duramaxes (or is it Durami?)(meh) and a TDI VW, but my '92 is awesome. Yeah it's loud, smelly, dirty, rough riding and it smokes but I wouldn't want it any other way. And yes I do all my own work.

I have an 01 24v and I never worked on a diesel in my life before I bought it. It's way easier to work on with way more the gas counter parts. If you can work on a gas engine, you can work on a diesel. Feel like a broken record on these kind of posts... ya you use more oil, but change it less than half as often. I put in 100hp injectors and an edge comp box, gained a ton of power and increased the fuel economy. Lets see a gasser do that! My truck is like driving a 4wd muscle car I can haul anything with and drive in the snow/mud. I have a 95 360 ram and an 04 hemi ram... so can;t say I wouldn't switch back, but I would never buy a gas ram for doing lots of towing.

I had a 99 24v with 250k miles on it. I bought it with higher mileage and the previous owner had already went through the pain of the transmissions that go out at 180k and the lift pump and injector pump that went out on him. Was a nice driving truck, however I never got the fuel mileage that some BSers claim. I do miss having a strong tow rig with the 8 foot box, however the truck felt like was on the verge of needing a lot more repairs so I sold it while the going was good.

Later a 97 12v truck fell into my lap for cheap. I had just shy of 290k miles on it. Everything was worn out and was going to take at least 5k in parts to get it roadworthy. Engine started having problems, I was worried it could be the injection pump so I got rid of it before putting a dime into it.

Nicest truck I drove was my buddy's 01 2500 with the v10 and stick shift. Thing drove wonderfully. 12mpg but at least no diesel-cost repairs to have to worry about. FWIW, I work at a heavy duty truck/trailer repair division of a transport fleet. Nobody drives a diesel as their daily driver except the boss who's always having problems with his.

180K before the trans had problems? Just how long do you think those things are going to last? The gasser versions weren't any better but I don't see anyone slamming them.

Those transmissions are just as crappy in the gassers. I wouldn't buy one with an automatic. However I was just trying to point out that if someone buys one around that mileage, if the last guy didn't do the trans, he will be very soon.

I am prepared for the maintenance. I knew that going in. I tried to buy the cleanest truck that I could and that had many updates/repairs. I needed more than a 5.7 and didn't want to buy a new truck with the 6.4. The money I save on registration, financing, and taxes hopefully fund the updates on the used one. I won't be putting to many miles on it yearly.
Thanks for the advice.

Hopefully I won't learn the hard way.

Funny the auto equipped trucks get the higher output engines. I might also point out that there are a ton of upgrades for this transmission. Practically every diesel drag racer uses this trans.

While the Allison has the bullet proof reputation they aren't perfect either, especially the earlier versions of the 1000 had some C3 clutch lubrication problems. I've owned two trucks with the Allison and while they were trouble free I hate the fact that they have a set shift schedule no matter what. They don't deviate at all. They shift into whatever gear at a certain speed and that's it. No matter if you are accelerating or decelerating.

The Ford trans has it's own issues too so just ragging on the 47/48RE is really pointless. I don't know of anyone except rhinodart that has had that many problems with it. He's also broken the stick transmissions too so I tend to think it's him and not the product. Just my 2 cents. YMMV.

A friend that runs a tranny shop and he says the 48re's are way better than the newer 6 speeds. He said the case/housing break frequently on the 6 speeds. FWIW

Well in my defense I did haul heavy, usually a 44' or 53' enclosed going from coast to coast and quite a few of the problems were in the mountains on I-40 or around Arizona.

I always wondered to myself what the rear end gearing was in the trucks that had trans problems you drove?

Because not enough gear is going to stress the trans more than if it had a deeper gear.

The 99 dually had 3.55's with the NV4500, the 04 single wheel had 4.10's with the 48RE, the 05 dually had 3.55's with the 48RE, the 07 dually had 4.10's with the G56.

Been a diesel mechanic since 1985.

Have never owned a diesel powered pickup, could have ordered one in 1993 when I bought my first 3500 truck to tow with. Did not want the noise, smell and expense of a DD diesel pickup. Mainly did not want to hear a diesel when I went racing because I heard them all day long at work. Plus 8500 bucks extra just for the diesel engine at the time bought me a bunch of race car parts. So I had to buy a chevy, dodge did not have BB gas engine no more.

So I had to switch from dodge to chevy in 1993 and got my first 4 wheel 2 wheel drive 3500 454 auto 411, it towed like a couch for 125K miles with no trouble. No major repairs at all, just maintenance.

Then bought another new 3500 dually 454 in 99 that I DD everyday for 13 years. It held up great too until the 13th year. Then the rear end broke. I fixed it and traded it in for a ford truck in late 2013.

Both of my chevys towed heavy trailers and neither had trans or front end issues. I put brakes on it a few times but that was it as far as suspension goes.

WOW is all I can say about the expense some of you have had with your diesel pickup trucks.

Buddy of mine walks into my work maintenance shop and I am replacing 2 of the injectors in a old ford powerstroke. Precedes to complain about injectors he had to put in his ram pickup. I can't remember how much he said but it was alot I was thinking at the time.

I have always said on here diesels are not worth it in a pickup in many cases.

3:55s are no good for the hills or mountains IMO. 4:11s are good.

My 99 chevy was ordered with 4:56s. The salesman told me it was to be gas hog, it was!! Luckily I live 1.5 miles from work and some days only drove to and from work.

But it would pull with those gears, I pulled a 49' for while. 49' trailer was too much for my 99 454 dually with 4:56 gears.
That is why I got the toterhome.

Funny, in the years of cummins pickups I had, the standards had the higher hp rating. You can argue me, but I have known too many guys who have shelled out 3-4k for a transmission job because the automatic in their cummins crapped out somewhere on the side of the road far from home where they had no choice but to eat the repair cost at a shop. Those 4sp autos were junk, just look at how many are for sale with transmission problems. It shouldn't take thousands in upgrades to make one live behind a stock 5.9.

The worst mpg I ever saw in mine was 14.5 and that was when I had a caliper hanging on the front. The truck stock on 295/75 tire got 17.5, went to 35" tires, added an edge comp and 100hp injector and I average 18-19 and it's all local. I hauled a 5500 pound ram on a 2000 pounds trailer through the ridges/mountains recently and still got 16 plus on that 200 mile trip.

If your going to haul a trailer even a few thousand miles a year, to me a cummins is well worth it. When you live where it's all hills like I do, it'd be hard to even consider anything less for towing.

Figured id chime in here. Diesels are definitely not for everybody. And im surprised of a lot of the bad luck people have had in this thread. Of coarse forums are manly for people having issues, and solving them..
Me, Ive had many ram cummins trucks, personal and work/business since they decided to put em in the 1st gens. since 93 Ive had 10 personal and add another 10 to that for work employees ect.. With the exeption of an 07 and an 11 all of my personal trucks have manual trans. They've all seen about 150k of mixed family truckster/towing about 10k-15k from time to time and off road use, with the exception of my 03 and 05 which each have/had 250k and the 05 which I still have has 277k. and presently also have a 13. Most all of them had 4.10 or 3.73 and the 13 has 3.42. Of the 10 personal trucks ive had 2 were modded pretty heavily, and ran like a bat out of hell and was just absolute blast to drive, but out of all of my personal trucks, Ive had 6 warranty claims. and one of em was for the radio in my 13.. fuel line rubbed on filter housing on the 97, 03-05 each had front hub assemblys/bearing while in warranty, front axle ujoints on 03 and 07 and throwout bearing failed on 13 ( at 12k ) gave me a new clutch on that too. Most of the 3rd gens I did do ball joints/tie rod ends at some point and u joints all around, which are to be expected regardless of gas/diesel or brand as it is typical maintenance. My 05 I did pull all the injectors and sent them out to be rebuilt when the first one went out at 230k. All have seen an avg of 19-20 mpg. Even the 07 and up trucks. The worst being the 07 6.7 16mpg and the best being the 05 22mpg. and around 12-14 towing. Now as far as value goes, the initial diesel option cost is more to have them, however, when your done with them, you get it back, and then some. The diesel trucks will hold there value usually more than the initial cost when comparing to a gas truck.
As far as work/business trucks go, they get used and abused, just as they are intended to be. Most of them autos, loaded with fuel tanks, tools, pulling trailers, lots of idle time and off road constantly, and still basically only need typical front end wear stuff, ball joints, ujoints ect.. and definitely always stocked lift pumps for the 24v second gens trucks, shift solenoids, water pumps and idler and always had a spare hub assembly for them along with track bar bushings. Never had a single driveline failure engine or trans in any of them. Personal or business. Only had one work truck (99) lose an injector pump (twice) for a pinched fuel line starving pump for fuel.
Now, with all that being said, I work with diesels of all brands constantly work with heavy equip/mining for a living, do all of my own maintenance and repairs on my personal trucks and all the work trucks maintenance/repairs other than warranty are done in house for the most part.
My experience with diesel ram/cummins trucks, personal and work, is, as long as theyre maintained properly they will yield you the best bang for the buck and if you can do any of the maintenance/repairs yourself youll be that much further ahead. But most importantly, the power and reliability is the main reason I stick with them.
When repairs are needed, they can be pricey, especially when having to farm out the work. Clean fuel and fuel filters are your friend with a diesel. Ignore the fuel system and typical maintence on a diesel of any kind, and you wont have much luck with them. And if youre buying one to go to the grocery store once a month you will not be very happy with it..

I get about 18mpg empty with my 2003 CTD. All stock 5.9. Edge tuner for gauges. I've only turned it up a couple times, but its an auto so I keep the program "economy" so the trans lives. About 245K miles on it. Did the injectors last year. Upgraded to the FASS pump/filtration to keep the new injectors happy. I'm one of those fools that likes daily driving at CTD for no good reason. I don't have anything new to add that has not already been said about maintenance.

I put one of those kits on last year, nice kit no problem going on. Once the payments stop put that money in the bank to fix whatever when it comes up, can't ride for nothing. I have an 06 with many issues but I just fix them as they come along. Can't beat that low down grunt of a diesel on up and down grades, no down-up shifting, smooth. If I want easy driving I take the SRT 392 out for a spin.

to the earlier hate on the DEF systems.... so far from what I've noted. They are a lot better with short trip driving than their predecessor 6.7 models. MPG is probably some of the best I've ever seen, oil change interval is back to being 7K+ miles, and they finally have dual filtration....something they've needed since 03 when the common rail came about. Only downside, the trucks are HUGE! Make my 01 2500 look like a Dakota parked next to them. They like a set of tires about every 30K. 13 and newer are really nice rides! (and NO WAY would I get a stick! 6spd Aisen, or Chrysler trans have been REALLY good)

My 07 is just turning 230k. I tow an enclosed trailer probably 2k average per year. The key to making the last of the 5.9s live is religious maintenance. Being retired army I'm pretty anal toward PMCS.

So ever since owning the truck this is what I've done

Switched to AMSOIL synthetic at 17k miles. I change the oil religiously IAW AMSOIL recommended intervals which is every 5k. I use WIX filters. AMSOIL recommends more frequent oil changes on the 07.5 5.9s due to the internal EGR. Took some getting use to the oil being dark all the time. I change the fuel filter twice a year, spring and fall. I use the Cummins fuel filters.

Added EDGE power adder and aftermarket aircleaner. On average I keep the EDGE set on the stock setting. I get better fuel mileage.

Another area of concern is the turbo. Being the EDGE has a turbo timer I set it at 1 minute to allow the turbo to cool. When I'm towing I allow for more time, usually 4-5 minutes especially if I pulling hills. The EGTs run about 320 at shutdown.

Service the tranny every 35k to 40k whether it needs it or not. I always service the tranny before I tow. Band adjustment is a must

Added the Bullydog steering crossmember to address possible death wobble

OE brakes changed out at 50k. I average brakes changes around

Changed out OE front end at 100k. Also replaced front U joints. Recently had to change out the front end at 235k. I run KYB shocks which have a lifetime warranty.

I service the transfer case and rear end every 40k. I exercice the 4WD twice a year. When I lived in the NW I used the 4WD more often. Now, being in AZ it's used less frequently.
130k replaced trans modulator. Tranny was short shifting at low RPM

Did a fuel sample and tested at Cummins at 200k. No sign or leaky injectors. I plan taking another sample this spring.

Overall this has been a great truck. My only complaint is the front seats break down constantly. Getting ready to replace the foam buns and cover for the third time.

My first CTD was a 2WD 2001. My only complaint with that truck was constantly dealing with the lift pump and injector pump.

aftermarket air cleaner..... most of the ISB engines I see with blow by have had this mod done. Most of the gauze type filters were dubbed the "bug and rock" catchers by engineering (I live in the desert, results may vary).

trans on my 01. built a core I had laying around with an OEM kit and valve body kit and converter from Goerend. That was at 38K. Have 160K on it now and it tows great. Not even a concern when I leave town.

common rails injectors..... should have had dual filters from the get go. They finally stepped up in 13 with that feature.

injectors causing damage (common rail).... most I've seen were trucks with poor maintenance and little understanding of the tow rating of the said vehicle.

Dart4forte.... you mean you're not a 120 Barbie doll? I swear that's what they designed that era seat around. They suck!! My 01 seat is much nicer. They did improve it on the newer models.

I have never owned a diesel anything. That said, if I could find a 1st gen with a solid body I'd love to have one. That said though, my son has a 92 W250 club cab,with a problem that we so far cannot figure out.
Truck has 140K original miles. 47RH ("618") trans. He bought it with 123K miles and all service records since new, has had it about a year and 1/2.
This is 2nd winter he has owned it, and has not driven it except on the nicer, warmer, salt and snow free days in either winter, he has another (gas) truck he saves for driving in snow and salt.

Just over a year ago, he broke the flexplate. We pulled the trans and replaced it, and although the PO had claimed to have had the trans done, he had it done again "while it was out" by CRT. (they are not that far from where we live, about 40 miles) 5K miles later, blew another flexplate, this was a "Pioneer" brand from parts store.
We have had a tough time finding the "right" one as this is non lockup trans and everything we see says the '94+ flexplate works and most current parts listings call for this now. Took it to a local diesel place where they did it again, this time found a cracked engine to trans adapter, which was replaced/ and he went with an SFI rated aftermarket one. 5K miles it's making the same noise again as it did the previous 2 times just before I had to go after him with a tow strap. 98% used as daily driver, what he has towed with it are loads I would barely be leery of pulling with my 1st gen Dakotas. He has a higher SFI rated flexplate here, like 2x original thickness. He loves the truck but is getting tired of this recurring issue. We both know of Cummins owners that have been running them for years and years with a whole lot more abuse and never having had this problem. He is starting to search around for the parts to convert to a stick, something that he has considered since the day he bought the truck, even before the 1st problem ever surfaced.

where's the flex plate cracking? can't say I've dealt with your prob.


non lock up RH trans.... that was back in the era where a stick was actually better.

I'd skip straight past the Getrag those trucks were born with, and hunt down a NV5600.

I don't get the love for the 1st gen... but to each their own. The ones with the bucket seats were nice. I always believed that was Dodges answer to the incredibly crappy ride of that era of trucks was to put a better seat in it

I actually like the Gen 1 ride. I have had several, but never a diesel. It is busting them out right around the hub.

at that point I'd be checking for trans alignment.... wonder if it's the OE trans, or if the other owner had a unit exchanged. I've seen them break, but that was on some trucks with some pretty aggressive tuners. Billet piece fixed those, but like you said, those were later builds. I have a customer with a 92 4x4 diesel that has a tick over 100K miles on it, and it looks like new. It's a spectacular specimen of a 1st gen.

125k on my 06 mega auto. It has had aftermarket fuel filtration on it since it had 30k on it. Made 499hp at the rear wheels for 40k on the stock trans and it never missed a beat (ran mid 13s at the time at just under 8k lbs). Pump seal started leaking so it got upgrade with billet stuff. Water pump died at 80k and evap went at 100k. My biggest complaint is the crappy cloth seats and the a/c in the megacabs needs help.

I have an 06 with the bad seats, what latter year seats would fit if they are better?
Also what's the first sign the injectors are having problems? Mines starting to miss a little on startup, 111452 miles. Can mine be converted back to an earlier year before the common rail?

I really liked my 2004 Laramie leather seats, but the best ones were in my 2000 SLT Plus Ram, but I am sure they would not work with an 06.

When I get old Rhino, I'm going to be one of those Guys with a Second-Gen Ram in the driveway who says "they don't make 'em like they used to".

Everything about them is perfect: except for that clattering 24 valve with rear springs that would slap you into next week on every highway expansion.

I am with you on that, just posted one from Craigslist in the WIW section that I would LOVE to own, though it is a 24 valve...

Was just researching seat swaps and it seems up to at least 14 will fit with swapping tracks to the seats if it's even needed for that year... earlier they are def different.

When I decided I was going to tow a car trailer (open, flat 16' deck) with my car on it, I went looking for a USED Cummins . . . was looking for 93 - 99 model. All I could find was a couple high mileage used trucks where drivetrain was fine, but body was rotting away !!!

So I ended up buying a brand new 02, Quad cab, HO, 6spd, short box - 2 WHEEL DRIVE - I figured I really don't need 4wd as I would only be towing or using the truck in summertime . . . being the anal maintenance type, I change oil/filter every 5k miles, fuel filter every year (which is about 5k miles/yr) . . . at 45k miles the lift pump went - changed it out for FASS OEM style unit and additional in line fuel filter. Thought I caught things before the VP44 was affected - NOT !!! . . . gotta remember, that this truck is pretty much pampered !! So, got the injector pump changed, and installed fuel pressure gauge. Truck is stock . . . .

I have 67k miles on it now, has only been driven 6 times during winter, not a speck of rust on it . . . the mileage has been as high as 27mpg empty and 18mpg towing !!! Course that is to imperial gallon - more like 23mpg and 14mpg to US gallon - still, not bad at all !!! . . . maintenance is not hard on a diesel. Keep fuel clean (change fuel filters), change oil (as on any rig you own) and keep air filter clean . . .

I figured I really didn't need to get one of the performance enhancers - I have towed my car (at that time, was '70 300HURST ragtop)across I-90 doing 85-90mph !! . . . figured that was more than fine (approx. 7,000lb between car & trailer).

Funny that how my truck sits, everyone thinks it is 4wd. Back when it was new, I got the rear inner fender liners - they came standard on 4wd, but not on 2wd. Sure helps to keep things clean !!

Anyhow, it is always your own choice for your vehicle. I am pretty sure this is the last truck I will own/need. Everyone tells me that I won't get squat for it, as it is 2wd . . . I will keep it, rather than give it away.

Good luck with your truck !

Cheers

Mark

I work on Dodges, I own an 01 with a VP, I carry a VP with me on long race trips.... does that relay my confidence in my injection pump?? . We often saw those pumps fail in the 60-90K range back in the day. My OE failed at 67K... luckily under warranty. Lift pump was still performing well as I've had a gauge on it since new to me. I have a tick over 100K on this one.

My 98.5 24V 2WD DRW Is used strictly for towing 24"Enclosed and occasionally hauling something from the Home improvement store,
it has 85K on it now, body is fairly rust free.

Love that truck and the Zero Payments, besides normal maintenance I put a little money into it every year, last year was a FASS lift pump and big line kit, This Year new shocks, and Air Conditioning Compressor which died last summer, Love the New 17 3500 Trucks But the 50-60K is holding me back, I guess if this Old Beast leaves me on the side of the road I'll look at a new truck more seriously.

Funny that's how I got my truck the VP44 died at about 75K and the original owner tore it apart and didn't have the money to finish it.
he just let it go back to the bank, we took it from there and put it back together.

This is critical to a 47/48RE trans living a long happy life.

My trans guy has over 400,000 on his. I think it's an 06 with no power mods and he tows an enclosed trailer.

Does the oil and filter every year whether it needs it or not and a band adjustment.

Kevin

Thanks for the advice. I put the 2 micron/water separator kit on. Those are nice kits. Diesel mechanic friend said I should replace the injectors because of my miles (187,XXX) -but the truck runs and starts great. He said 06 and 07- the injectors go out so fast that if you don't shut the motor down when they go out/stick, it will take a piston or 2 out in a matter of seconds. Then he quoted me $2500 for Bosch remans by Bosch. The lift pump and CP3 are original. Never any mods to the truck. Any thoughts on injectors?

I have 530117 miles on my '06. NEVER had the valve cover off. I must be doing something right and I think I have the best 5.9 ever built!!

Sounds like your truck has paid for itself several times over.

If you do injectors, don't go with remans. Get new Bosch. Remans are just someone else's problem. My $.02.

I replaced 4 of the 6 injectors and 30K later one of the two I didn't change stuck wide open and hydrauliced my engine...

Got a wheel alignment, tire rotation and balance today. Changed the highway mileage by 1 litre/100 km.

2006 Ram 3500 DRW
My truck has 460,000 miles on it. like others say stay on top of the maintenance. I replaced my injectors at 400,000 but have had good fuel filters on it since new.
last set of tires lasted 55,000 miles on the front and the DRW are still going at 65,000. Wheel hubs/bearings go out but usually have lasted about 100,000 miles.

Quick update: I drove my truck with enclosed trailer and my 67 convertible in it through denver and over La Veta pass and everything was perfect. Should have bought Cummins years ago. I did buy a Edge monitor system and 2 micron/ water separater. Trans temp didn't get over 190. Way better than gas.

Just turned 198k on my 01 2500 Quad Cab HO 6 speed. All stock, except for moving the lift pump at 88k back near the tank with a Vulcan kit. Replaced the lift pump at 128K just for piece of mind. Did ball joints, shocks, u joints, headlights, clutch master/slave, driver seat cushion and upholstery. Stock oil and fuel filter interval changes. I have run Diesel Kleen fuel additive for most of it's life, worrying about the VP44 not getting enough lubrication. I 'think' that stuff eats fuel floats though, and I am on my 3rd OE fuel sending unit. Real crappy design, with the 'printed circuit' design of the rheostat getting smushed over, over time and causing faulty fuel level readings. Will need to replace the entire fuel pickup module next time as the screen at the bottom of the pickup was plugged with black bits of the float and the only way to clean it was to cut the screen. It does get the trans and rear end gear lube replaced every 75K miles, belts and hoses and anti freeze every 5 years. AT 60 mph empty on an Interstate the trip computer says 25 - 26 mpg. Will need to replace the a/c system and the dash board at some point. My dash and gauge bezel have been glued together too many times.