Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 24-valve or 12-valve?

[RyanMueller]

I am looking for a CTD, either a 1998 12-valve or a 2002 24-valve short bed,ex-cab, 4x4. I wanted to know the benefits of each and which would be the best for mostly daily driving, some towing, and some drag racing. Which would get the best fuel economy? Which can i get the most power out of? My dad has an '02 with the Edge and some other mods and i really like it but, i have heard the 12-valves are more hot rods. Any info helps.

 

[Cummins724]

The 24v engines have a VP44 injection pump which is known to fail if you lose fuel supply. The stock Lift pumps are garbage & need to be upgraded if you plan on any power boxes, tuners, injectors. Hopefully your Dad added a fuel pressure gauge before the Edge was installed. The 12v is a much easier/cheaper more reliable engine, but you won't have the ability to adjust power levels on the fly.

 

[telliott]

i love my 24, but i wouldn't mind having a 12. there is a lot of fun to be had with them. like cummins724 said, the lift pumps on the 24's are a problem and can lead to injection pump problems, but if you upgrade your fuel system, you should be fine. They both have there benifits, i guess its just personal opinion. The power adjustability is nice with the boxes and tuners, but if you want to make big power thats not adjustable on the fly, a 12 is probably the way to go.

 

[RyanMueller]

My dad has installed all the probes for EGT's and fuel pressure, etc. He also has a Vulcan big fuel line kit and an Air Dog lift pump and filter kit. My grandpa has a '93 12-valve with only 80,000 miles on it. I have been trying to get him to sell it to me for a couple years now, do you think it would be worth it to get it? If so how much; 8 to 10 grand? Are there alot of mods for the first gen trucks? I would love to find a twin turbo kit for that truck but i havent seen anybody offer one.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

I Bought a 98 12v Q-cab short bed 2 wheel new in June of 98. The steering drove me nuts for 7 years. Nobody knew why it wandered all over the road. Then one fine day Quigley wrote in to TDR and explained steering box ratios. Mine like Quigleys was 4 & 1/4 turns stop to stop. So like Quigley I replaced with a 3 turn and problem was solved. Now I like my Damn Ram. It is fine for the towing I do, 5,000 pounds and it does it effortlessly. 106k miles and there have been problems but none that shut me down. Early on I had a Gear Vendor installed. Made no difference in milage but the noise reduction is worth it. Not interested in souping-up the engine, It is fine as it is. Put on Aluminum wheels (2" offset) and fender flares. 265 Michelin "E" rated. Could be over kill but you can't be too safe where the rubber meets the road. As light duty parts wear out they are replaced with HD. Dodge cheats wherever they can as they all do. Once you do everything it becomes a nice truck. A 24v would scare me with all the computer gadgets.

 

[MMoyle]

If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought a 12 valve. The p-pumps on the 12 valves are bulletproof and can run on pretty much anything. I bought my 24 valve before I knew all the benefits of the 12 valver. The 12 valves are proven to run on Veggie, B100, and such without issues to the pump and related components. Don't get me wrong, the VP-44 24 valve is a strong motor, but the injection/fuel system need care and feeding their entire life.

If it was up to me... I would get a P-Pumped 12 valve. Just my 2 cents.

 

[AndyMan]

I've had both (96 12v and now a 99 24v). The horsepower WAS cheap and easy on the 12v, but the smoke was horrible. I thought I'd like it, but I do a LOT of city driving and controlling the smoke (even with a manual transmission) was nearly impossible. If you're going to run between 400-500 horse and that's the limit, I'd go with a 24 valve. If you want monsterous HP, I guess the 12v or a p-pumped 24valve would be the way to go.



I loved the 12v for what it was, but a daily driver it was NOT.



my . 02...