I am tired of DIESEL......

[Johnstra]

I don't like driving a gasser either, but a Jetta diesel sure is sounding good right now. My brother gets ~48 MPG out of his. Get my bio-diesel still running and I'll be making money!



Thing is, I used to look for reasons to drive my truck. Now I don't. It sits more than it runs right now. If I don't need it to pull my skid steer around, I take my old Toyota.



-john

 

[Matt400]

I don't like driving a gasser either, but a Jetta diesel sure is sounding good right now. My brother gets ~48 MPG out of his.

That's pretty impressive John, we been thinking about swapping our gas Liberty for a CRD.

 

[PatrickHansen]

My Dodge gets me 18-19mpg around town and low 20's on the open road running 55-60mph. My Golf TDI, on the other hand, gives me upper 40's around town and 55+mpg running 55-60mph. I've been saving with the VW for the last 8 yrs; #2 was $1. 36 when I first got it.

 

[AKaiser]

I'm surprised I haven't seen a "high mileage kit" offered by someone; such as better flowing turbo, smaller more efficient injectors with the known timing advances that work on these units. Somewhere between 20-25mpg s/b obtainable.

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this, but from what I've read over the years on this and other diesel sites, you actually want BIGGER injectors that can put out the smaller amount of fuel QUICKER, getting a more effective burn earlier in the power stroke of the piston. The smaller the injector, the longer it takes to get the fuel into the chamber. The later in the power stroke that you inject fuel, the less efficient the system becomes. You just have to keep your foot out of it.

 

[Crunch]

My dealer wants every 5. 9 they can find to put on their lot.



You should be able to make a great dealership bargin for yours.



They're not admitting to it, but those who shop around a bit are quickly figuring out that nothing in this size/weight range gives the mileage of a 5. 9.

Me and a friend who also has an `03 were talking about current values of our trucks, 5 years on. He did a search of online want ads and found only 17 with 4WD within 500 miles. My dealer sent me a sales pitch claiming that there was a shortage of `03s and offering to make me a great deal if I bought a new one. I declined. The `03s hit the sweet spot for 3rd Gens. Mine rolled off the lot for just under $30K, and I wouldn't sell it for that now. I bet I could still get close to $23K for it now, even with 100,000+ miles and being 5 years old. And when it finally does fall apart the engine is going into a generator or boat. Haven't decided yet.

 

[JimB1]

Crunch,



Yep, as future unfolds, I believe 3rd gen 5. 9's will achieve same status as did last of the muscle cars.



Early on in '06 I decided my pre-retirement big ticket spends weren't going to miss out.



Dealership calls about every other month... ,

 

[opjohnny]

I would put on the mopar winter front to cure the cab heat problem. Plug the truck in on a timer too.

 

[mikepvg]

Dodge Cummins is the BEST

Well... . this is quite a development to as why I became so fricken sick of my diesel engine. It was EXPIRING !!!!



The EXCESSIVE smoke (cars behind you would disappear!). The EXCESSIVE oil consumption (almost a gal per 1k miles) etc,etc,etc



Scored cylinder means all of the above problems & much much more.



I just got back my NEW ENGINE & all is right w/ the world again. Wonderful power, easy starting & NO SMOKE!!!!!



ALL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY & completed in less than 2 weeks!!!!



The Dodge Company ROCKS!!!!



Cheers!!!

Mike

 

[GColeman]

That is great news. Any idea what caused the premature failure?

 

[TDeltonto]

i have a 05 and its heater will chase u out of the cab it gets really hot. and i dont have to work it hard just drive down the road and it works excellent

 

[mikepvg]

That is great news. Any idea what caused the premature failure?

I will only say this, the Cummins engine is a superb powerplant & was not at fault.

I will also give high regards to Dodge's customer service & will remain loyal to Dodge products probably until I'm dead & buried..... Oo.



I really want to add that 2500 w/ Hemi w/ MDS as a second vehicle but unfortunately can only afford to own 1 truck. And now that I'm essentially driving a new truck (thanks Dodge!) I will be very happy w/ what I haveOo.

Mike

 

[pwr2tow]

Just a little info, you can not get a 2500 or 3500 Hemi with MDS. At least not the last time I checked.

If your close to central ND SD border or don't mind driving a bit I know where you can get a 2004 2500 hemi with 19,000 miles and $20,000. Yah the price seems a little high for the year truck but they will not budge from that price.

 

[mikepvg]

Just a little info, you can not get a 2500 or 3500 Hemi with MDS. At least not the last time I checked.

I already test drove one (2500 w/ MDS) & I thought it was awesome & It made me definately miss that V8 muscle car sound. One of those trucks would sound just tits w/ some open headers on itOo.



The sweetner is that Dodge is currently offering a LIFETIME warranty on that engine & driveline. That makes it a very tempting & GREAT deal indeed

 

[WoodChuck]

Hey Mike,
Glad to hear you got your truck fixed and are happy with it again. I'm sure your mileage and cab heat will go up a lot with all cylinders firing. Don't forget to work it hard to break it in good.

I have a solution for your cab heat problem. Try an exhaust brake, it will help tremendously
with warm ups.

 

[mikepvg]

Hey Mike,

Glad to hear you got your truck fixed and are happy with it again. I'm sure your mileage and cab heat will go up a lot with all cylinders firing. Don't forget to work it hard to break it in good.



I have a solution for your cab heat problem. Try an exhaust brake, it will help tremendously

with warm ups.

Definately noticed quicker heat build up on cold mornings already! More power w/ less smoke is also great. The problem deterioriated slowly over time & caught me off guard!



Mike

 

[HERBN]

Good to see your truck has been repaired It made my day and I'm sure yours to see that Dodge/Cummins does stand behind their warranties. I hope it gives you many more miles of trouble free service. HerbN

 

[mikepvg]

Good to see your truck has been repaired It made my day and I'm sure yours to see that Dodge/Cummins does stand behind their warranties. I hope it gives you many more miles of trouble free service. HerbN

Yes, Dodge & the dealer gave me no trouble whatsoever & did a great job getting me k on the road. Just put 4k on the new engine & it runs very well indeed. It did burn some oil at 1st ( 2qts in 1st 1k) but oil consumption seems normal now. Bad hone job??? The only problems I've had are a couple of loose brackets the tech missed. NBD

 

[AKaiser]

It seems I need to do 2 things:



1) Find out what is the cause of the excessive smoke & hard starting & get it fixed.



2) Explore options for increasing the CTD efficiency.



Everyone has mods for increasing power. Who cares... . I have more than enough power & actually would be willing to accept less power in exchange for more efficiency (higher mpg). I'm surprised I haven't seen a "high mileage kit" offered by someone; such as better flowing turbo, smaller more efficient injectors with the known timing advances that work on these units. Somewhere between 20-25mpg s/b obtainable.



Who has experience w/ TST's module that advances timing on level #1? That is supposed to increase mpg... .

Perhaps the new Smarty Junior w/Power on Demand. I don't think it's out yet, but the S-06 PoD is, and you can set it at whatever percentage power (00-99) you want. In theory, that should use less fuel.