Replacement for V10

[BSkinner]

I'll probably end up in the 2nd gen forum but thought I'd ask here first as many of you have owned several Dodge Cummins.



I have a good friend who has a ton, dually, 4x4, 5 speed, V10 flat bed who need to get a different rig. Last year in July, the V10 blew up at 60,000 miles. He put in a new V10 with a 36,000 mile warranty. It blew up the other day and is being replaced under warranty. As he's very busy, I told him I'd do some research on a possible replacement.



He won't be able to buy a new rig. He'll be looking for something that's 2-3 years old. I'd be interested in anyone's opinions on which year would be best in regards to possible problems, i. e. lift pumps, transmissions, axles, etc. I would think the HO with a six speed would be the best bet. He needs the highest GVW possible.



Thanks,



Bob

 

[#crnxr]

I think you're headed in the right direction. 98. 5-2002 24V 2WD HO w/6-speed and 4. 10 rear end. Try www.traderonline.com and click on "Advanced Search" to see whats out there with the exact cab, engine, and transmission combinations. I'm a mechanical 12V owner, so takes these words with caution. The 24V will have the VP44 electronic injection pump. I've heard the lift pump could be an issue, but probably more so if your friend plans on fueling bombs. The rear end on the manual 2500's, and all 3500's should be the Dana 80. Upgrades to power would be injectors and/or box like Edge EZ or Comp. Hope this helps. He might want to consider a 97 or 98 12V as I think bombing is generally less expensive some of the issues are not quite as severe. Rumor has it that there were even some 98 12V built with the 6 speed. ???



-Kyle

 

[jzaremski]

If this guy already chewed through two V-10s (with less than 60k miles each, I might add), I don't think it's realistic to expect a Cummins to fare much better.

 

[KMeek]

Jzaremski, I disagree with you. I had a Dodge V-10-they do not hold up well. That is what brought me to the TDR. My 98 V-10 went through 2 cracked heads, a rod bearing, and a rear end between 32,000 and 37,500 miles. It was not abused at all. It is my understanding that the V-10's have been troubled all along and everything I read tends to generally confirm that thought.

 

[Dean Upson]

They quit making the V-10's and are still making Cummins's .



Dean

 

[TPCDrafting]

According to the TDR buyers guide the 6 speed transmission wasn't available until '2000 from the factory. There are some out there that have swapped in a 6 speed into earlier models. If he hauls really heavy (more than or right at what the truck is rated for) I would recommend going to a medium duty truck. If he blew motors that easily, my guess is he's either really hard on his vehicles or is hauling more than what the truck can handle. Especially on a regular basis. JMO

 

[DPKetchum]

Darn! saw many,many V10s come in our shop over a 4 year time frame with No problems. Many with 150 to 200k on them. Lots of my customers loved them. Low rpm,tons of torque etc. Some even replaced with Cummings and really missed the passing power loaded that the V10 had. Saw one or two intakes leaks and that was all. Outlasted,got better fuel mileage and outpull any 454 or 460 out there. Only time saw heads off one was a Viper with oil leaks. Had new updated gaskets for it(tsb)Lots of folks that towed HEAVY but only pulled/drove 4 to 6k a year really liked them considering only a $400 opition over the 360.

 

[hammersley]

Nope - they still make the V-10

I saw some new 04's with the V-10 on the fender - I also thought they had dropped it... ... .

 

[BSkinner]

Originally posted by #crnxr

I think you're headed in the right direction. 98. 5-2002 24V 2WD HO w/6-speed and 4. 10 rear end. Try www.traderonline.com and click on "Advanced Search" to see whats out there with the exact cab, engine, and transmission combinations. I'm a mechanical 12V owner, so takes these words with caution. The 24V will have the VP44 electronic injection pump. I've heard the lift pump could be an issue, but probably more so if your friend plans on fueling bombs. The rear end on the manual 2500's, and all 3500's should be the Dana 80. Upgrades to power would be injectors and/or box like Edge EZ or Comp. Hope this helps. He might want to consider a 97 or 98 12V as I think bombing is generally less expensive some of the issues are not quite as severe. Rumor has it that there were even some 98 12V built with the 6 speed. ???



-Kyle

Kyle,





I tried trader online. Not much in our area in 4x4. One of the disadvantages of living in the middle of nowhere.



I don't think he'd be interested in power boosts. He's not into that kind of stuff. He just needs a rig that keeps running.



I really liked driving the V10 but he's pretty much out of patience with this rig. We live in a small town and there have been several V10 failures. There are a bunch of CTD's in Buffalo.



Thanks,



Bob

 

[BSkinner]

Originally posted by KMeek

Jzaremski, I disagree with you. I had a Dodge V-10-they do not hold up well. That is what brought me to the TDR. My 98 V-10 went through 2 cracked heads, a rod bearing, and a rear end between 32,000 and 37,500 miles. It was not abused at all. It is my understanding that the V-10's have been troubled all along and everything I read tends to generally confirm that thought.

The first V10 had a cracked head problem. The new engine shot a rod or two through the pan. This was a brand new Dodge engine.



I liked the way the truck drove. Mileage seemed to be 9-10 mpg whether it was loaded or empty. He's in the rangeland weed spraying business and hauls a large amount of water and chemicals and drives off road in some pretty rugged country,



Bob

 

[BSkinner]

Originally posted by TPCDrafting

According to the TDR buyers guide the 6 speed transmission wasn't available until '2000 from the factory. There are some out there that have swapped in a 6 speed into earlier models. If he hauls really heavy (more than or right at what the truck is rated for) I would recommend going to a medium duty truck. If he blew motors that easily, my guess is he's either really hard on his vehicles or is hauling more than what the truck can handle. Especially on a regular basis. JMO

For a medium duty truck, he'd have to go to a Ford (with a Cummins)?

I don't think he's rough with the rig but he is hauling more than he probably should. But, there are plenty of CTD's around here that haul/pull just as big a load or more.



Bob

 

[DPKetchum]

Was told by a D. C. sales manager the V10 was gone in 03. Replaced by the hemi. Honestly in 4 years in a BUSY shop saw a fair amount of V10s and never one failure. Lots of miles on some. Really never heard any complaints about them until now.

 

[Dean Upson]

Dealer told me that the v10 was history. None for '04.



Dean

 

[TPCDrafting]

So a CTD it is. Bskinner, I just PM'd ya.

 

[swexlin]

My '97 V10 was very reliable, until I went and screwed it up by adding a Paxton supercharger. What a POS that Paxton was.



I had 44,000 miles on mine. It is my understanding though that there were two real issues with these engines -



1. Porous head on some early models - my engine drank coolant, and dealer never could pinpoint. Even replaced the radiator.



2. 5-7 plug wires causing some sort of piston/engine catastrophe. Supposedly, their routing was fixed on '99-up engines, but, I don't know what mine were like - I traded the truck before I ever knew about this issue.



I think the spark plug wire thing is the biggest possible BAD thing that could happen, it it would be an failure which required a new block.

 

[hammersley]

Well they are available -

go to http://www.dodge.com/towing/D/vehicle_to_weight.jsp and spec a 2500 4x4 and see what engine is available.

 

[scotty1]

V-10....not good

I had a 97' V-10 for about 6 wks.

Keepers on #1 flew apart and push rods bent at 400 miles.

Had it rebuilt, deep engine knock and serious loss of power.

They transplanted a V-10 form a 96 on the lot that did not sell... Was worse... apparently there was a computer software issue. New engine shipped and put in the truck... 3 miles per gallon loaded... with a 7,000 pound load.

Dodge traded me into a 97' Cummins no charge.



I still am not sure why I wanted to try the V-10 and now I am glad that happened.

 

[bluthndr]

Sounds familiar

That's what actually brought me here...



Chrysler knows it happens but doesn't know why. For what it's worth mine ran awesome with great mileage - right up until it holed the #7 piston and broke the ring lands on #9 - at 38,000 miles, bone stock.

 

[PGoble]

Originally posted by KMeek

Jzaremski, I disagree with you. I had a Dodge V-10-they do not hold up well. That is what brought me to the TDR. My 98 V-10 went through 2 cracked heads, a rod bearing, and a rear end between 32,000 and 37,500 miles. It was not abused at all. It is my understanding that the V-10's have been troubled all along and everything I read tends to generally confirm that thought.

Interesting,

Our business has had two V10's, a '95 and a '96. We sold the '95 with 180,000 with no major problems. Only problems were a short in the drivers door and three fuel pumps. We used these trucks to haul 10,000 - 15,000 regularly. I think calling the V10 troubled is an uneducated comment. If you read the JD Power reports on the V10, it was one of the least troubled engines during the late 1990's. Just my opinion.

 

[bluthndr]

A lot are probably fine, but I know that when mine blew, I researched it for quite a while. Every dealership (about 5) that I got a hold of had seen at least one V10 fail like mine (broken piston and/or scored cyl wall).



I found about 20-30 other accounts just like mine - same cylinder # (always #7, but sometimes with #5, sometimes with #9 - always the rear driver's side of the engine) - on other internet boards, and although Chrysler's own dealership technical support people know that very failure occurs, they don't really know why. There are lots of theories (vacuum leak, intake gasket, porous head castings, faulty pistons, cross-firing, etc) but they don't really know why it happens...



Also, if you look at the production #'s, the CTD trucks have been built (I think) about 5 to 10:1 for every V10 truck built depending on the year. I'm guessing here, but I bet Ford and Chevy's gas vs diesel production #'s are quite different. I also would think that any "good" engine would see more than an 8-year "limited production" run. That tooling just can't be cheap...



That said, Chrysler was very fair with me when it all happened, and that V10 (flawed or not) was the most efficient large displacement gasoline engine I have ever owned. My 3/4 ton with the V10 got the SAME mileage as the 1/2 ton with the 360(both were 4x4 Club cabs) I traded for it, but the V10 drove like it had twice the power in it - and that in a heavier truck.