'04.5 or not. No BS!

[Udaloy]

Ok, I need to make up my mind in the next 24 hours. Do I go for the '04. 5 6-speed, or not. I've heard 'rumors' of issues they're having with it, but I can't find any evidence. I think the biggest complaint so far is a hesitation/vibration at certain speeds.



I test drove a "600" automatic last night, and the only thing I didn't like was the "pinging" noise it made. I seriously thought something was wrong. I know, my truck may make the same noise, and I just don't hear it from all the other noise. Anyone with an '04. 5 "600" hear the same thing???



By the way, I didn't seem all that impressed with the performance of the "600". I drove an '04 6-speed, and then drove an '04. 5 with the 4-speed auto. Since I have an auto now, I thought I'd be able to judge the difference, but my ass must not have a very sensitive dynomometer. Don't get me wrong, I've been in some very fast cars (Dodges), but I couldn't tell the difference between the supposed 600 and my current 460 ft. lbs. I'm 99. 9% committed to this '04. 5. Someone please tell me I'm not crazy.

 

[KevinO]

maybe the smooth ride of the 04. 5 has your butt feeling too relaxed to feel the extra power

 

[Prairie Dog]

It's not your ars Udaloy, it just isn't like;y anybody can feel a 20 HP difference.

 

[klenger]

Reports seem to be that all the 600's make the pinging sound. Mine does. No big deal. Speculation is that it's caused by the 3 event pilot injection. Some of the talk around here makes it sound like the 600 is as bad as the Ford 6. 0. Mine's great. Do you trust Cummins?

 

[RobertBolinger]

Pinging, what pinging? I have no vibration either. Mine is 2WD-is that why? I don't know.



Mine was running like a scalded dog tonight. No hesitation-It will probably be back next week...



And nothing I have seen is as bad as the Ford "fuel oil in the crankcase-o-matic".



I did not drive an auto. My take on the manual is that is is easy to drive smooth. It is easy to drive fast. It is hard to drive smooth and fast.

 

[Sarge]

Klenger is right. Do you trust Cummins that they made a good product? For me, there were multiple reasons. One big one was the HPCR system. Then it was the four full doors, flat load floor, and the beefy 48RE. There will always be some issues with a new product in a few units. For the remarkably few issues that members here have had (and this is a vocal group) the new truck is impressive. You ever stop to think how many moving parts and systems it takes to move 7000 pounds of metal down the road smoothly and quietly?? All in all, I would recommend the the Cummins hands down. Sarge

 

[PHX ATC]

Just go buy it already!

 

[geusterman]

What is with the "24hrs" and the "or not" in you dire request? The truck is awesome. Mine is 4 days old. It pings. A little. So does my 02 if you listen real close. Dream truck. Stick your nose in the tailpipe. geusterman

 

[barbwire]

Buy it!!!!!! the 04.5 that is.

We need a whole bunch of Guinea pigs to own them, so all the bugs get worked out of them, before I get around to needing a new one.

 

[Peter Campbell]

If the 24 hours is what the salesman said, cancel and go to a dealer that treats you with respect. If it another issue on the timeline - never mind.

 

[evldsl]

Read the group buy thread and call and get $1,000. 00 below now. No dont read another thread just get on the phone and call "NOW".

 

[DPelletier]

Prairy Dog,

He has a 90 hp difference 325/600 vs 235/460. Udaloy, Buy the truck, its a great piece of engineering. Don't know why you couldn't feel the difference, I went from an '01 ETC to the '03 ETH and its not even close.

I don't have a crystal ball, but everyone's comparing the 600 to the ford 6. 0 is grating on my nerves. Nothing I've read or seen would lead me to believe we will ever have anything like the 6. 0 issues that are giving the blue oval guys fits. I am sure any small problems will be resolved, it is still a 5. 9 Cummins, after all.



Dave

 

[jungledave]

I went from an 02 235/460 auto to "just a 305/555" auto and can honestly say that the 04 would kick the crap outa my 02 and I noticed that immediatly. It also gets around 2 or so more MPG. The power difference is so smooth and without the lag; you probably didn't notice the diffference. Just watch how much faster that speedo moves from zero to sixty. The 325/600 should do even better.

 

[Ron Civita]

I just picked up my new '04 3500 QC SLT SRW 4x2 on Thurs night. What a truck. I very pleased with it. I initially thought about an '04. 5 but when I was at the dealers on Thurs night and saw this truck, I knew I had found the one I wanted. I think it's great that we have choices. I'm sure I would have been happy either way. I now have two diesels. My other one is a '03 VW Jetta TDI Wagon.