Let's talk trucks
 

From another thread about trailers

I want a truck, specifically an 03-04 Dodge 5.9 auto diesel dually. I won't be towing hard everyday but I do have 2 brothers that live in different states and we all have about 12 cars between us all. I also plan to move to the Midwest withing the next few years. Not wanting to get into a which is better. But I really find myself in positions where somebody needs a truck. A gas engine probably would not hold up to extended driving (in my mind). Your thoughts.

I really like the earlier diesels. The 5.9 is great in either the 12 or 24 valve, some good years of the Duramax as well. I drove my 7.3 Powerstorke everywhere all the time. My dads 2000 Dodge would get 20-21mpg on the highway and pulling the airstream would drop down to around 14-15. My Powerstroke was about the same, I'd say average of 17-18, best of 21.

We took a 1 ton, gas, crew cab to SEMA a few years back hauling a 30' enclosed, what a pig. Glad I wasn't paying for fuel.

My wife's Jeep gets 14mpg, can't haul or tow as much and doesn't have the interior space. We just bought a 1500 Crewcab Chevrolet, I'm not really diggin it yet, I miss my diesel.

:cheers:

As with any brand, all of the common rail trucks have different quirks to watch out for. A lot of it depends on whether you're leaving the truck stock or putting some power adders on it. The '03-Early 04 trucks were bad about eating injectors. Once they're replaced with the newest updated ones they are lasting a lot better, but that's about a $2500 hit. '03 had 3 different engine options. California emissions=235hp, standard output=250hp, and High output=305hp. The only difference between the SO and HO was in the tuning of the ECM, and some of the aftermarket programmers use the HO tune as the stock setting. California trucks use the 47RE transmission still while the SO and HO trucks use the 48RE.

The automatic trucks during that time used a very small exhaust housing on the turbo. Not much lag, but they lack the top end that the newer ones have. A turbo swap from a 2005-2007 or from an '03-04 manual transmission truck is a cheap alternative to an aftermarket unit. Also watch the intercoolers. They made metal and plastic and metal units and the plastic ones have been known to break.

The automatic transmissions in stock form leave a lot to be desired. The converter is very loose, and they don't run any line pressure so there's a lot of slipping between shifts. The governer solenoid and transducer are very common for being bad out of the box from Chrysler. Plan on a transmission rebuild at some point. A good heavy duty unit will probably run you around $3500-5500 depending on what parts you put in it.

Be sure to check the front end extremely well. Ball joints and wheel bearings seem to last about 60-100K. Not a pricy job, but can be time consuming.

After spending 3 years in a shop that specialized in nothing but Dodge Cummins trucks, the '03-Early 04 trucks are my favorite. They get the best mileage of the common rail trucks and the oil stays cleaner than the new trucks which is nice when you have to tear into one. My '03 is sitting at 289K and I'd trust it to go anywhere.

How often do you tow or wish to tow now?

If you only plan on towing once or twice a year, I'm not sure the added investment of a diesel is worth it.

I have had opportunities to drive my friend's worked Duramax (tuning, no exhaust, no emissions, bigger downpipe, level lift, blahblah) and while it's fun when you stand on it it's a TURD when you're not really into it.

My daily driver is an 06 Avalanche 1/2 ton (5.3) and I'm quite happy with it. I haven't pulled with it yet, but I *never* pull. I did have one opportunity to pull with it but said diesel owner was out of town and loaned me his truck instead. It was a *very* small load (tow dolly + integra), but aside from negotiating lane changes and turns there may as well have not been a car behind me at all.

That said, my 1/2 rides significantly better, is quieter, was a *lot* cheaper and parts costs are obviously a lot less.

If you never plan on pulling >5000lb, I think a 1/2 ton gasser is an excellent choice. If you plan on pulling >8k, I think you really need to consider the diesel. Between those two ranges depends on how much and how often as to which vehicle I'd pick.

I have a 1999 Dodge Ram diesel, 2500 club cab, long bed with 140k miles white... cloth interior.. that's been sitting for the last two years, seldom used.. didn't want to sell it cuz its a great truck, but bought a Mega Cab and can't seem to find a reason to keep it now. 9k firm. needs tags. :G-Dub:

I was in the same boat last year and ended up buying a 2008 Cummins with a 6.7 and an auto. I looked everywhere for a 5.9 with low miles, but couldn't find anything in my area after looking for 2 months. So far, the 6.7 has been perfect. All I've done is the DPF delete kit and I get 21-22 freeway consistently. My new trailer loaded will be right at 8500 lbs with the Chevelle in it. Nothing terribly heavy, but a decent load at 500 miles each way a few time a year. It's half the noise of a 5.9 and the trans has two extra gears which is huge. Just my 2 cents.

Tell me more about this DPF delete kit.

You can bolt an aftermarket exhaust system from a 2005-2007 5.9 truck directly in place of the factory stuff on the 6.7 trucks. They also make an EGR delete kit that deletes the EGR valve off the intake horn and the EGR cooler off the exhaust manifold. The bad thing is that in order to run these components you have to have a programmer capable of turning off the emissions tuning and fooling the sensors that you remove. H&S and Smarty were the two companies that made them and the EPA stepped in and put a stop to the U.S. sales within the past year. Your only option is find someone with an old one on the shelf or buy a used one and take your chances.