A friend of mine has a 1996 2500 with the V-10. About 2-3 weeks ago it started missing on him so he took it to the dealer. They told him that the engine had dropped #6 & #9 cylinders. They sent the heads off thinking it had cranked the head. Head was fine. They called him yesterday and told him the problem was in the lower end with a repair estimate of $6,000 to $7,000. What is up with that? Anybody have any ideas or dealings with the V-10?
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Dodge V-10
- Thread starter FD5
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I had a 97 V10 that was the most reliable vehicle that I ever owned, until I went and made it unreliable by putting a Paxton supercharger on it, at 45,000 miles. Long story for another day.
The engine used coolant from new, but never a leak. At about 40,000 miles, they replaced the radiator, (under warranty, I might add, even though it was up at 36K - I'm blessed with a great dealer). Soon after, I put the Paxton on, and traded the truck not long after, so I don't know if the new radiator solved the problem. I have since learned that in some early V10s, there were some bad head castings. But, I have also read of V10s going well into six figure mileage with nothing but a big fuel bill. Mine never used oil, never overheated, nothing. Ran like a clock. I miss it, and if I were to buy another big block gasser, the V10 would be it. I believe the V10 is on it's deathbed, however, done in by the Hemi hype, and dealers looking at you like you have 3 heads if you want a V10.
Anyway, I got off topic. Tell your friend to go here for more info:
http://pub8.ezboard.com/bdodgeramv10
I know fellow TDR member RustyJC had a V10, so maybe he will chime in here as well.
The engine used coolant from new, but never a leak. At about 40,000 miles, they replaced the radiator, (under warranty, I might add, even though it was up at 36K - I'm blessed with a great dealer). Soon after, I put the Paxton on, and traded the truck not long after, so I don't know if the new radiator solved the problem. I have since learned that in some early V10s, there were some bad head castings. But, I have also read of V10s going well into six figure mileage with nothing but a big fuel bill. Mine never used oil, never overheated, nothing. Ran like a clock. I miss it, and if I were to buy another big block gasser, the V10 would be it. I believe the V10 is on it's deathbed, however, done in by the Hemi hype, and dealers looking at you like you have 3 heads if you want a V10.
Anyway, I got off topic. Tell your friend to go here for more info:
http://pub8.ezboard.com/bdodgeramv10
I know fellow TDR member RustyJC had a V10, so maybe he will chime in here as well.
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I've had 2 V-10's, One '01 Dodge ran it to 80K, best gasser I ever had, and a Ford, biggest piece of junk ever built.
On the Dodge, at 40K, it had a pair of coils bad on the 4 coil unit, theres 2, one with 6, one with 4. It was an intermittent miss, replaced and the problem was gone. Only typical Dodge troubles from then on, none ever stopped the beast, except the appearance of a gas station.
On the Ford, Well, Cracked Head, Broken Thermostat, Bad Alternator, 2 Bad Water Pumps, Bad Transfer Case, Intermittent transmission Problems, Constant U-Joint trouble, Bad Front wheel bearings, Bad Front Right hub, Cracked Radiator, leaky Power Steering, Windshield always cracking at the cowl, radio volume knob statiky from day 1, Child Lock on Rear doors always sets itself, Door ajar lights always on, EGR, EGR, EGR always setting codes, bad fuel pump, whew, all in 65K miles, never again.
On the Dodge, at 40K, it had a pair of coils bad on the 4 coil unit, theres 2, one with 6, one with 4. It was an intermittent miss, replaced and the problem was gone. Only typical Dodge troubles from then on, none ever stopped the beast, except the appearance of a gas station.
On the Ford, Well, Cracked Head, Broken Thermostat, Bad Alternator, 2 Bad Water Pumps, Bad Transfer Case, Intermittent transmission Problems, Constant U-Joint trouble, Bad Front wheel bearings, Bad Front Right hub, Cracked Radiator, leaky Power Steering, Windshield always cracking at the cowl, radio volume knob statiky from day 1, Child Lock on Rear doors always sets itself, Door ajar lights always on, EGR, EGR, EGR always setting codes, bad fuel pump, whew, all in 65K miles, never again.
We had a 1996 3500 V-10 that we used to pull 5th wheels until we bought our 2002 3500 (see signature). The only reason we sold the V-10 is that our current 5ver put us way over the 1996's GCVWR, and we didn't want to deal with the "overweight" legal and financial issues should we be involved in an accident.
The only complaint I had with the V-10 (other than having to keep gasoline in it) was that it would run around 230 degF in stop-and-go towing in hot (100 degF) weather. This was cured with the addition of a large transmission cooler ahead of the factory radiator-tank and oil-to-air coolers as well as a 205 degF aftermarket fan clutch. We ran Mobil I from 2000 miles onward, changed the oil and filter every 3000 miles, changed the transmission fluid and filter every 12000 miles, ran synthetic in the rear axle and never had any driveline problems.
The only warranty failures we had with our truck were the factory battery and an oil pressure gauge sensor. Otherwise, it was dead reliable - enough so that I sold it to my brother-in-law who has a catering business. He uses it to tow a 10500 lb custom-built catering trailer. The truck still looks and runs like new.
Edit: You might want to check the V-10 TSB's over on Dave Fritz's site. The most common problems I've heard of with the V-10's are crossfiring between two cylinders (requires rerouting plug wires) and injectors failing by leaning out. Either of these conditions can torch one or more pistons. As far as other problem areas, remember that the V-10 is the 360 (5. 9L) V-8 with 2 cylinders added and a 0. 300" stroke increase, so it shares some common weaknesses (cylinder head clamping, etc. ) with the 360 V-8 design.
From the reports that are flying around, it looks like the truck V-10 will ultimately be replaced with a new V-10 derived from the 5. 7L Hemi - THAT ought to be an interesting gasser, even if its torque curve is all wrong for heavy towing!
Rusty
The only complaint I had with the V-10 (other than having to keep gasoline in it) was that it would run around 230 degF in stop-and-go towing in hot (100 degF) weather. This was cured with the addition of a large transmission cooler ahead of the factory radiator-tank and oil-to-air coolers as well as a 205 degF aftermarket fan clutch. We ran Mobil I from 2000 miles onward, changed the oil and filter every 3000 miles, changed the transmission fluid and filter every 12000 miles, ran synthetic in the rear axle and never had any driveline problems.
The only warranty failures we had with our truck were the factory battery and an oil pressure gauge sensor. Otherwise, it was dead reliable - enough so that I sold it to my brother-in-law who has a catering business. He uses it to tow a 10500 lb custom-built catering trailer. The truck still looks and runs like new.
Edit: You might want to check the V-10 TSB's over on Dave Fritz's site. The most common problems I've heard of with the V-10's are crossfiring between two cylinders (requires rerouting plug wires) and injectors failing by leaning out. Either of these conditions can torch one or more pistons. As far as other problem areas, remember that the V-10 is the 360 (5. 9L) V-8 with 2 cylinders added and a 0. 300" stroke increase, so it shares some common weaknesses (cylinder head clamping, etc. ) with the 360 V-8 design.
From the reports that are flying around, it looks like the truck V-10 will ultimately be replaced with a new V-10 derived from the 5. 7L Hemi - THAT ought to be an interesting gasser, even if its torque curve is all wrong for heavy towing!
Rusty
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New Motor
If your buddy is being quoted $6,000-7,000 for engine repairs, It may be more cost effective to just replace the entire engine.
My v10 in my 99 ran like a dream. I also could get 12mpg on I90 in South Dakota with the cruise set on 80, and then 14-15 on two lane roads, but I was one of the very, very few people to have this motor with a 5 speed. Bad gas mileage my foot.
As far as the the v10 being a 360 with two more cylinders, thats not true. The v10 in our trucks is a cast iron version of the all aluminum Viper v10, which Dodge, Pre DC days, designed.
Mine had 33,600 when I had my big accident with it. I ran QS 10w30 for the first 10,000 miles and after that, Moble 1 synthetic with 5w30 in the winter. No oil was used, no lost coolant, one recall (trailer hitch), one k&n filter and custom dual exhaust was all I needed for the truck.
Sorry for the rambling.
Ben
If your buddy is being quoted $6,000-7,000 for engine repairs, It may be more cost effective to just replace the entire engine.
My v10 in my 99 ran like a dream. I also could get 12mpg on I90 in South Dakota with the cruise set on 80, and then 14-15 on two lane roads, but I was one of the very, very few people to have this motor with a 5 speed. Bad gas mileage my foot.
As far as the the v10 being a 360 with two more cylinders, thats not true. The v10 in our trucks is a cast iron version of the all aluminum Viper v10, which Dodge, Pre DC days, designed. Mine had 33,600 when I had my big accident with it. I ran QS 10w30 for the first 10,000 miles and after that, Moble 1 synthetic with 5w30 in the winter. No oil was used, no lost coolant, one recall (trailer hitch), one k&n filter and custom dual exhaust was all I needed for the truck.
Sorry for the rambling.
Ben
I guess you can see that all of us were happy with our V10s. Like Rusty, I changed my oil every 3000, and transmission fluid and filters at 12,000. Like him, my oil pressure sensor went about 1 year into having the truck. You can imagine my panic, when, at 60 mph on the highway, my oil gauge started dancing like Jennifer Beals in "Flashdance"!
Like I said, if I hadn't gone "done and messed with it", I'd still have it. If I could afford 2 trucks, I'd get another V10, just for shi%%SS and giggles.
I agree, for the price quoted above, it may be better to replace the engine. Like I said, dealer support for the V10 was bad enough before, and probably worse now. If you notice, the V10 isn't even advertised as an available engine in all the big magazine ads for the new HD Ram.
(It is in a TINY picture in one of them, though).
On edit: I believe these V10 Rams may be collectable somday. They have been available, what 9 years, and I can count the number I have seen on the road on less than 10 figures, and we have ALOT of Rams on the road around here. That's ANOTHER reason I'm kicking:{ my self for screwing up my truck.
Like I said, if I hadn't gone "done and messed with it", I'd still have it. If I could afford 2 trucks, I'd get another V10, just for shi%%SS and giggles.
I agree, for the price quoted above, it may be better to replace the engine. Like I said, dealer support for the V10 was bad enough before, and probably worse now. If you notice, the V10 isn't even advertised as an available engine in all the big magazine ads for the new HD Ram.
(It is in a TINY picture in one of them, though). On edit: I believe these V10 Rams may be collectable somday. They have been available, what 9 years, and I can count the number I have seen on the road on less than 10 figures, and we have ALOT of Rams on the road around here. That's ANOTHER reason I'm kicking:{ my self for screwing up my truck.
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Commonality of Engine Family
Actually, it's worse than that. The 3. 9L V-6, 5. 2L and 5. 9L V-8's and 8. 0L V-10 share bore centers, head bolt layouts (4 bolts around each cylinder bore
), etc. This "modular" design allows for block machining using common machine tools. Is it coincidence that the bore on the 5. 9L V-8 and 8. 0L V-10 is the same at 4. 00" even? Or that the rod journals are both 2. 125"? Or that the piston pin bore diameters are both 0. 9834" nominal upper limit? Or that the pushrod length on both is 6. 925" nominal (indicates same deck height)? I think not.
All these engines trace their roots back to the 273 cubic inch 1960's V-8 as used in the Barracuda, etc. It was then expanded to a 318 cubic inch engine (new series), 340, 360, etc. I guarantee you, with the small production volumes the truck V-10 sees, there's no way DC would build it if they couldn't use their existing V-8 tooling. In fact, that probably spells the death knell of the current V-10 as the 318/360 V-8's are retired from production. The future gas engines are the 4. 7L SOHC V-8 (and its V-6 variant as found in the Jeep Liberty) and the 5. 7L Hemi - the next V-10 will likely come from the 5. 7L Hemi family.
Hey, Ford even calls their 4. 6L/5. 4L V-8 family the "modular" V-8. Their truck V-10 is a 5. 4L V-8 with 2 additional cylinders. The new GM truck V-8's (except the old Rat Motor-based 8. 1L) are all members of their SB Gen II family.
Rusty
Actually, it's worse than that. The 3. 9L V-6, 5. 2L and 5. 9L V-8's and 8. 0L V-10 share bore centers, head bolt layouts (4 bolts around each cylinder bore
), etc. This "modular" design allows for block machining using common machine tools. Is it coincidence that the bore on the 5. 9L V-8 and 8. 0L V-10 is the same at 4. 00" even? Or that the rod journals are both 2. 125"? Or that the piston pin bore diameters are both 0. 9834" nominal upper limit? Or that the pushrod length on both is 6. 925" nominal (indicates same deck height)? I think not. All these engines trace their roots back to the 273 cubic inch 1960's V-8 as used in the Barracuda, etc. It was then expanded to a 318 cubic inch engine (new series), 340, 360, etc. I guarantee you, with the small production volumes the truck V-10 sees, there's no way DC would build it if they couldn't use their existing V-8 tooling. In fact, that probably spells the death knell of the current V-10 as the 318/360 V-8's are retired from production. The future gas engines are the 4. 7L SOHC V-8 (and its V-6 variant as found in the Jeep Liberty) and the 5. 7L Hemi - the next V-10 will likely come from the 5. 7L Hemi family.
Hey, Ford even calls their 4. 6L/5. 4L V-8 family the "modular" V-8. Their truck V-10 is a 5. 4L V-8 with 2 additional cylinders. The new GM truck V-8's (except the old Rat Motor-based 8. 1L) are all members of their SB Gen II family.
Rusty
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I guarantee you, with the small production volumes the truck V-10 sees, there's no way DC would build it if they couldn't use their existing V-8 tooling. In fact, that probably spells the death knell of the current V-10 as the 318/360 V-8's are retired from production.
Agreed, Rusty. Some have mentioned whether or not Dodge needs the V10 to compete with Ford and Chevy. Remember, when it was introduced in '94, it was THE most hp, most torque motor you could get in a light truck, gas OR diesel. It's 450 lb ft beat the Ford 460 (400 lb ft), Chevy TBI 454 (385 Lbft), and even the Cummins 5-speed (420 lb ft. ) It retained that leadership position, at least in torque, until the 24 valve Cummins was introduced, and STILL retained gasser torque leadership until the new GM 8. 1 was introduced.
With diesels from the Big 3 now out-torquing and horsepowering it, it think it is dying. The majority of Dodge buyers buy the Cummins. Big-block still means one thing to most - Chevy - and their 8. 1 is, by all accounts, a real ground-pounder. Dodge could kill the truck V10 today, and, sadly, most would never miss it. As I have said in other posts, I think lack of dealer support, and "cannibalization" from the Cummins, kept the V10 from ever REALLY succeding in the market place.
Just my $0. 02.
Agreed, Rusty. Some have mentioned whether or not Dodge needs the V10 to compete with Ford and Chevy. Remember, when it was introduced in '94, it was THE most hp, most torque motor you could get in a light truck, gas OR diesel. It's 450 lb ft beat the Ford 460 (400 lb ft), Chevy TBI 454 (385 Lbft), and even the Cummins 5-speed (420 lb ft. ) It retained that leadership position, at least in torque, until the 24 valve Cummins was introduced, and STILL retained gasser torque leadership until the new GM 8. 1 was introduced.
With diesels from the Big 3 now out-torquing and horsepowering it, it think it is dying. The majority of Dodge buyers buy the Cummins. Big-block still means one thing to most - Chevy - and their 8. 1 is, by all accounts, a real ground-pounder. Dodge could kill the truck V10 today, and, sadly, most would never miss it. As I have said in other posts, I think lack of dealer support, and "cannibalization" from the Cummins, kept the V10 from ever REALLY succeding in the market place.
Just my $0. 02.
Slightly off topic but,
going back to when Chrysler was in deep doo doo and went to the government for money, they had to do certain things to secure the funds.
Chrysler had to dispose of whatever machine tools or whatever they had on hand to build the original hemi's and maybe the wedge engines. Is that true?
going back to when Chrysler was in deep doo doo and went to the government for money, they had to do certain things to secure the funds.
Chrysler had to dispose of whatever machine tools or whatever they had on hand to build the original hemi's and maybe the wedge engines. Is that true?
I have heard that the tooling for the old 440 V8 was sold/destroyed/auctioned, whatever, after it went out of production circa 1977-78, and that this was one reason Chrysler didn't revive the V8 config in the late 80s, when they decided to go V10. Also went V10 for emissions reasons.
My point to this whole thing is that the V10 is a real gem of an engine, and NOT much worse mileage than the 360. Case in point: Prior to my '97 V10, had a 96, Reg cab, shortbed, 4x4, 3. 92 gears 1500 series truck. Aside from the 4WD, the lightest Ram out there. I got 11 mpg city driving in that truck! Now, remember that 360 is (was) the standard engine in the 2500, much heavier truck, so now it has to work even harder. If I got 11 in the 1/2 ton, I can't imagine I would have done much better than 10 in the 2500. Anway, I got 10 mpg with my V10, and it will last a heckava lot longer, because it doesn't have to work as hard as the 360.
My point to this whole thing is that the V10 is a real gem of an engine, and NOT much worse mileage than the 360. Case in point: Prior to my '97 V10, had a 96, Reg cab, shortbed, 4x4, 3. 92 gears 1500 series truck. Aside from the 4WD, the lightest Ram out there. I got 11 mpg city driving in that truck! Now, remember that 360 is (was) the standard engine in the 2500, much heavier truck, so now it has to work even harder. If I got 11 in the 1/2 ton, I can't imagine I would have done much better than 10 in the 2500. Anway, I got 10 mpg with my V10, and it will last a heckava lot longer, because it doesn't have to work as hard as the 360.
I had a 1999 V-10 with the an automatic and 4. 10 gears. I loved that truck and it towed great. I did not have any problems with it what so ever, but had to get rid of it as the gas mileage was burning a big whole in my wallet. Sold it with only 35,000 mile with 1/2 of it towing 6000 lbs. I only got 12 MPG. Figured the diesel was better and boy I was right.
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