Engine Info

[Deezul Fumes]

I'm looking to buy a Dodge Cummings truck, what I was wondering was what year did Dodge go from the in-line 6 engine to the V6 engine. I would prefer to buy the in-line 6 engine. What are the pro's and con's of the in-line 6 engine verse to the V6 engine. I want to buy a 5 speed. No automatic for this guy. Any info on the 1st. and 2nd generation diesel truck's would be of help. I have heard that the 1994 and 1995 truck's are the best year's to buy, is this true? I''ll leave the light on.

Rick

 

[Texas Diesel]

A V-6 is not available in the Dodge Cummins, they are all I-6's.

A mechanics told me that the 97's were the most consistent on power.

 

[Deezul Fumes]

V-6

Show's you what I know about Dodge and Cumins. They are all in-line 6. That's good to know. How many K's before they need a rebuild? 250, 300, or 400 thousand?

Rick

 

[SA Law]

mileage

depending on how u take care of ur baby, u can usually get around an average of 300k-500k before rebuild... i personally drive a 24 valve(98 and up), but the downside is that its all computer controlled as oppsed to the 12 valve(94-98) hopes this helps

 

[Deezul1]

In one of the earlier TDR mags there was a 95 or 96 that was used to deliver trailers I believe and it had 1,250,000 on it with no rebuild. There have been a number of these trucks that have broken the million mile mark and a few on these forums with over 500,000 with no rebuild. Taken care of they last a reeeally long time.

 

[Deezul Fumes]

Pump

I heard that a good reason to get an1st or 2nd generation was that the lift pump seem to last longer. I have looked at a few truck's with 200K's on them. One is a real beauty. Dark green, club cab, long box. Only thing was it's an auto. I need a 5 speed. How about turbo problems or over heating problems?

Rick.

 

[Deezul1]

Turbos and overheating are not a chronic problem with these trucks if well maintained. The 1st gen trucks are the old sqaure body style. The 2nd gen started in 94 to present. The lift pump troubles are in the 24 valve trucks which started in mid 98 and are the start of the computer controlled trucks. 97 is the most desireable 12 valve and then 96 due to power increases and other minor changes. there is a HP penalty with an automatic of any year in the 12 valves.

Good luck in your search

John

 

[Joe G.]

BOMBing is cheaper for a 12V!

 

[FATCAT]

12 valver's

If you can find a pre 1998 1/2 12 valve or 1997, these are the best. Only major thing to look out for is the dreaded Killer Dowel Pin (KDP). Seem that the worst year for this was 1997 (my truck's year). But simple to fix or not to expensive to pay someone to do it. But ... if you find a 2nd gen 12 valver, have the KDP fixed right away.

 

[Deezul Fumes]

12 valver

Fatcat.

I see you run a 1000lb clutch. I heard that they changed the clutch size in 92 from 12" to 10". Does any one have any info on this. I like the new Dodge, but can't really aford the $$$$. I have seen a few real nice 12 valvers and the owners say they have had few problems. How about rust on the bodies of these older truck's. I live on the wet west coast of Canada. It rains alot here.

How about cost for K & N air filters and oil filters for these trucks. And I will also want to go to a 4" exahaust. How much are they?

Rick

 

[FATCAT]

rdurham,

My 1,000lb clutch is new (blew the old one at 135,000 miles after installing the #11 plate).



My 4" exhaust was about $400 from Jardine. (Super simple even for a dope like me to install).



The original clutch is a 12" one and my new one is a 13" one i think. I have the Kevlar bushing and new throwout bearing so the fly wheel had to be resurfaced and the pilot hole had to be drilled larger ... byt hte new clutch is fantastic.



I run a Amsoil air filter in my stock air box and run Amsoil HD 15W/40 synthetic in it and have not had any complaints in over 30K miles.



The 12 valver are the way to go, only thing is to get that Killer Dowel Pin (KDP) fixed. I had my done about a month ago and found it was about half way out!!!



Not much rust except for the frame a bit, but I do touch up the radiator and under side with some black spray paint, that helps delay the enevitable ... but a total rust out won't hapen for a long time.

 

[Deezul Fumes]

92-4x4

Looked at a 92 4x4 extended cab today. It had 285 K's on it. It also had 2 fold down rear seat's in the extended cab not a bench. Is this the way all Dodge are? Or do they come with a bench? What year has the bench? My wife a kid's like to sleep back there while I drive.

The owner also told me he blew a spider gear in the rear end and replaced the transmission and the rear end because when it blew the whole thing locked up. Is this a common occurrence?

On the whole it wasn't such a bad truck. He said he was the 2nd owner. I think I will keep looking.

Rick

 

[JFitzgerald]

Re: 92-4x4

Originally posted by rdurham

Looked at a 92 4x4 extended cab today. It had 285 K's on it. It also had 2 fold down rear seat's in the extended cab not a bench. Is this the way all Dodge are? Or do they come with a bench? What year has the bench? My wife a kid's like to sleep back there while I drive.

The owner also told me he blew a spider gear in the rear end and replaced the transmission and the rear end because when it blew the whole thing locked up. Is this a common occurrence?

On the whole it wasn't such a bad truck. He said he was the 2nd owner. I think I will keep looking.

Rick

The club cabs had the side jump seats. There were no rear benches. Mine has buckets up front, but I saw a first gen club cab once with a front bench. Not sure if it was from the factory that way, but it did match. My kids are small enough (10 and 7) that they can sleep side-by-side in the back on long, late trips. Just fold the seats up out of the way. Some guys have swapped in rear benches from Chevys or Furds.



A guy I know had his Getrag (the 5 spd. that came in these trucks) lock up while towing. Turned out it was low on oil. The general consensus here seems to be that the Getrag should be overfilled one quart, which is what I do.

 

[Pit Bull]

The newer the truck the better. All depends on what you want to spend. They are all good and they all have potential problem areas. If you are aware of these and watch them you will be a happy camper. Good luck

 

[Deezul Fumes]

Great Truck's

Pit Bull & Other's

Yes they are great truck's that's for sure. So that is why I'm here to find out what to look for in the way of problems. I not really too familiar with Dodge. Saw a 1991 yesterday a friend has. It is a old farm truck, really done a lot of work around the farm. It is real beat up. But is sure does run good and still has a ton of power. My buddy is real happy with it. He drive's every day.

More info on the different bench seat's in the club cab would be great. What is this KDP? Never heard of it before?

Rick. .

 

[Joe G.]

Rick,



The club cab was not made in '94. When the new body style club cab was made in '95 and after it has a bench seat. The fold down jump seats on the side were only in the first gen trucks ('89 thru '93).

 

[slavallee]

hey Rick

The KDP you asked about is what's known as the Killer Dowel Pin. In essence it is a dowel pin inside the front timing cover that can wiggle loose on the 12 valvers. When it wiggles out, it falls into the vavle train gears and can grind your gears at best, grenade them and bend some valves on the worst side. Glad I have a 24v'r.

 

[Joe G.]

What usually happens for a KDP failure is that the pin gets trapped between the cam gear and the top of the gear case. That causes it to break the gear case so you have a BIG time oil leak. There are some cases where it broke other things up but not often. If the aggravating thing fails it's a big hairy job to fix the damage. Preventing it is a job, but not too bad. Just a few hours of work. There are two methods to fix the problem before it fails. One is a jig that allows a blocking screw to be installed. The other is to make and install a blocking "tab". Search the 12 valve forum for more info about the KDP than you want to read. If you decide to use the tab method e-mail me for some info about it at: -- email address removed --

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

rdurham,



If you're looking for a truck locally on the lower mainland, drop me an email, maybe I can help you find a good one.



Bob.

 

[BV]

1st gen Club Cab bench seat

Hey Rick - There is a company that makes a bench seat conversion for the 1'st gen club cab with the jump seats. I can't seem to find the info I had right at the moment but the pricing was around $450 + shipping.



Okay - Here is the company that makes the bench seat Can Am Cruisers