Looking at new to me 2005 2500. Quick replies please.

[scotty-u]

I am quickly looking at a 2005 2500, 4x4, auto, shortbed, 4 door(quad cab?) with 65,000 1 owner miles in almost pristine condition. Clean Carfax, clean truck, still has original tires. Price has not been stated yet, as the dealer is not finished detailing it yet. My question is, in a nut shell, what issues am I looking for. Mechanical not so much, but body rust locations, as my other two trucks are starting to look like swiss cheese!

Thanks, will keep you all updated.

UPDATE... dealer is asking $31,000 for it. KBB rates it as $27 k to $29 k. NADA has is listed as 25 to 27 k. Any more thoughts?

 

[Wayne M.]

Main issues are the rear wheel arches and rotted oil pans. Also look at door bottoms etc. the 3rd gens are holding up pretty well. My bro in law in central pa also looking for similar truck. Lots to choose from out there. Better be sitting down for the price!

 

[brods]

Look at the 2003-2009 buyers guide on the left side of the home page. My 05 with 125K miles has gone through all the factory ujoints (2x on the rear shaft), is rotting over the rear wheel wells, both rear doors had the wires break, fan clutch wire corroded on the inside, ball joints a few times (bad moog lowers, replaced with xrf. when the moog uppers finally died went with raybestos upper and lowers) oil pan rusted through, steering box and then the normal expected stuff like brakes, muffler and tail pipe, etc.

 

[p-Bar]

Check the intercooler side caps . Early 05's had the plastic ones prone to failure. Feel sorry for you with salting roads .

 

[DFark]

My bed is starting to rust at the previously stated wheel arches, and also the pinch welds that hold the bed together. If it has a bed liner you'll have to check it out from underneath. My hood is starting to bubble at the edge where it is welded underneath. Of course door bottoms and rocker panels and cab mounts. Road salt sucks

 

[Grizzly]

My 05 has been great. No issues at all. Never been to the shop for anything other than recall notices. I do my own maintenance and keep a log. Been to Alaska twice pulling the RV. Each trip was 11,000 miles round trip.

george

 

[nibroc]

reading this thread makes me feel good--31k for an 05 I didn't pay much more than that for my 06 new

 

[Ozymandias]

Lower Body Panels are also a place with heavy rust. Not so much Doors, Fender, Hood and Chassis.

 

[AnOldBiker]

My friend has an '05 with over 150K, and outside of normal maintance and the fuel line to #4 injector going out twice, he's had no complaint and loves his truck. No rust but runs it threw a car wash every week with the washer having an undercarrage spray.

 

[bdenson]

i have 183000 miles on my 05 no problems no rust but i do live in the south no salt here

 

[MarkEkberg]

All of us in the salt belt need to treat the truck with hot oil in the fall of every year. Local guy does it for $150. I have no rust at all in a NorthEast 03 with 222K. Previous owner did same thing with oil treatments.

It works!!!


As far as the used truck goes on price seems out there, but then ask yourself where can you find a no rust 65K mile truck that will tow what every you want without all the crazy emission crap now on the diesels.

I paid 6K for my 03 with 200K on it, and it was a steal in my area.

 

[Dave M]

I live in Calf, no rust, here but I just purchased a 2005 2500 4x4 NV5600 SB with 114K miles for $29.5K in Sacramento off a car lot. I had a 97 3500 12v 4x4 dually with 330K miles that was modified and ran great till a few months ago a guy turned a corner going too fast (probably texting too) and hit my wife at stop sign and took out the drivers side front to rear and totaled it. So we got this 2005 a month ago and had a hard time finding it. The dealer wanted 30k but got it for $29.5K. These trucks go high and the lower the miles the higher the price.

After we got it home I was showing it to my son and I noticed a howling noise from right rear with it parked and idling. I noticed the noise was coming from a fuel pump mounted on the frame rail inside right rear wheel well. I don't know these 24v that well but research I found that year and beyond they put fuel pump in tank. The previous owner had replaced the in tank pump with a frame mounted carter pump that was making lots of noise intermittantly so I replaced it with AIRDOG fuel pump.

Might see if the fuel pump is in tank or been replaced with external one. If fuel pump goes out it could take out the injection pump so I hope I did the right thing picking the AIRDOG over the FASS or something else. Some feel the FASS is a better replacement and AIRDOG had too many replacement failures.

My research shows these stock lift/fuel pumps are prone to failures and can cause expensive repairs when they fail.

It sounds like the price you are paying for the 2005 is reasonable for the low miles.

 

[AnOldBiker]

DaveM, I have read over the years many different forums and many have had complaints or praised both AirDog and Fass, and both have had issues and they have corrected them. So you should be ok. As for checking the fuel tank. Most who converted to the AirDog/Fass lift pump either used a draw straw 'or' used the conversion kit to use the original lift pump to draw the fuel. Look close and don't get confuse and think you have something you don't. More than likely with the AirDog, if you have 'no' draw straw and the original lift pump is still in, they converted it. If there is a draw straw, then the original is only used for tank level indication.

 

[Dave M]

Jim, Thanks for the info. I pulled my tank and found the previous owner had removed the orig in-tank pump and he used the orig fuel and return lines on the fuel module...no draw straw. I received the in-tank conversion kit with my AIRDOG II so no draw straw. Following the AIRDOG II installation procedure I drilled a new 5/8 hole in top of fuel module, inserted the new AIRDOG II fitting into the hole with new supplied fuel lines from kit from top of fuel module to bottom of module.

The kit seemed very well made. The AIRDOG II used the orig fuel line fitting on fuel module (originally used for fuel supply from in tank pump) to return fuel from AIRDOG II back to tank. The original return line from fuel rail was left untouched to return fuel back to tank. AIRGOG instructions specified many times not to use orig fuel pump (mine had been removed by PO).

Truck been running great for several weeks and the AIRDOG is very quiet.

The kit came with 3 sets of 1/2 fuel lines with quick connect fuel fittings on them and 3 1/2 inch aluminum fuel fittings which I used to re-size the lines to remove excess for a custom fit. I had to buy an extra brass splice from NAPA because the fuel line from AIRDOG pump to injection pump was about 2 feet short.

Also the kit recommended not using the stock engine mounted fuel filter but the housing had to remain because the stock injection pump return line ran thru the top of the housing. The stock injection pump return line was not to be touched.

I've heard the there was a problem with running tank below 1/4 and sucking air. I hope that's fixed.

 

[AnOldBiker]

Dave M, they have a sump setup several sells that goes on the bottom of the tank and the draw straw sets in. But using the original unit for the suction you'll be wasting your money. I only know of a couple guys that have the setup your describing and they don't have a problem with low levels yet. But then again, you shouldn't get your tank so low that any lift pump would draw air.

As for the original filter unit. I still have the original lift pump yet, and put a pre-filter / final filter unit between the lift pump and the original filter housing. Even with the original lift pump, I have more than enough pressure for the extra filters. I will be keeping the original filter housing no matter what I do as a check point for water in the fuel since it still has the water sensor unit that will warn me of problems. I read where many have removed the housing, but no one says how they would know if moisture is in the system. It might be that I'm to old, and replacing parts seems like an extra cost I really don't want. What the hell ... call me old and cheap.

 

[AH64ID]

It will sell, easily and rather quickly, for all or nearly all of the asking price.

It's the world we live in now.

I paid $30K for my sig 05 in 2007 when it had 10K miles on it. It would sell for all of that and more on a dealers lot today. I could probably get 25-28 for it private party. The EPA has basically stopped all depreciation on the older 5.9 HPCR trucks in good shape.