Thoughts on a 2000-ish Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins

[weebl]

My wife's grandparents bought one of these brand new around 2000 or so. They used it for 11 years, before they upgraded to a 2011 F-250 PowerStroke, and it was sold to my wife's parents.

That tired old truck now needs (from what I understand) a tranny rebuild. If we had the option to get it as is, what would be fair to pay for it, factoring in that it needs the transmission work, and once that is addressed, just how good were the Cummins engines in these?

 

[Donald]

How many miles on it? 2WD or 4WD?

The basic engine is a great engine, same in my truck. The VP-44 injector pump is a great pump but fuel lubricated. If the fuel supply gets low in pressure it may kill the injector pump.

The block #53 had some issues with a crack in water jacket. It still would run but loose coolant. I have not had that problem.

I paid $7500 for my 1999 about 2 years ago with 157K miles.

A reman transmission for that truck is $1600 from RockAuto plus install.

Consider an AirDog lift pump to replace the substandard factory one.

Use 1 oz/gallon of TCW-3 oil in the fuel for lubrication.

I would say between $3K and $4K if 2WD.

You will LOVE the truck. When you hit the sweet spot of about 1800 RPM, you can feel the turbo boost.

 

[weebl]

Honestly don't know what mileage, but probably low for its age. Considering the '11 Ford I think has less than 25,000 miles I am sure this put on the miles at a similar rate. I know the engine would have been well maintained as he is meticulous with maintenance, and my father in law keeps on top of his too.

It's a 4WD, and there is talk about maybe only needing to pay a grand or so to get it. My sister-in-law may be [censored]-ing my wife, but claims she wants to just take the truck from them and they would be ok with it, but then it changed to buying it cheap. Some family politics may come into play here.

For me, I see it as a good way of getting something better suited to towing - first to take over towing the tent trailer, but then down the road open the possibility of a bigger trailer.

 

[bullwinkle]

Guessing this is an automatic transmission issue? Might want to get a reman with a decent warranty, they weren't strong at all. It'd be worth a grand if it didn't even run! I had an '02 for a while, other than VP44 issues, had ZERO trouble (but it was an NV5600 6-speed).

 

[440Magnum]

Good solid trucks. The core engine will run forever if taken care of. Depending on what they're asking and the cosmetic condition, it could easily be worth the cost of getting the transmission rebuilt and upgraded a bit. They were very popular in the RV and light commercial towing communities, so there's plenty of support out there. Tent trailer?!? It'll tow a Suburban towing a tent trailer like nothing's back there!

 

[A_Harman]

The VP44 pump is the major issue in those trucks. If the previous owner has not been diligent in changing the fuel filter regularly, the pump could have been run with low inlet pressure, scoring the rotor. Many pumps died early on because the supply pump was unreliable and would not provide enough pressure to keep the VP44 properly cooled and lubricated. Those trucks need to have a fuel supply pressure gauge or warning light installed. If supply pressure runs below 5 psi on a long-term basis, the pump is toast. One of the first upgrades I did to my truck was to put a Vulcan pump relocation kit on and switched to a Holley Blue fuel pump. This puts the pump on the frame rail just in front of the fuel tank so it doesn't have to pull the fuel all the way from the pump to the engine. If the VP44 has been run with low fuel pressure continuously, any pump with more than 80,000 miles on it is living on borrowed time.

I did the supply pump ugrade at about 100,000 miles, and my VP44 lasted to 193,000 miles, at which time, the internal electronics board had a fatal failure. This is the second flaw in the VP44 pump, and it's unrelated to fuel pressure. This is basically thermal fatigue of the electronics from daily warm-up and cool-down cycles. It will last for "X" number of cycles, and that will be that.

Go to bluechipdiesel.com to read up on VP44 pump failures. I bought a rebuilt pump from him with a NEW circuit board and put it on my truck at 193,000 miles and it's worked fine so far. I have about 243,000 on it now.

The Cummins engine itself is anvil-strong, and I don't think mine really finished breaking in until it got to 200,000 miles.

 

[clinebarger]

The transmission problem could be as simple as a Governor Pressure Solenoid & Governor Pressure Sensor gone bad, Very common problem on the 47RE & the later 48RE for that matter.
If it's locked in 3rd gear, The above is most likely the issue.

Do a search on "#53 Blocks", These blocks can crack below the freeze plugs on the passenger side of the block. NOT all "#53" blocks crack & NOT all 24V blocks are "#53" castings.

The dash is probably already cracked, I got rid of my 24V because of this, I had HUGE holes where the defrost ducts go. The Mopar replacement at the time was stupid expensive.

The 98-02 Dodges like to crack windsheilds,(Lack of rigidity in the cab)

The batteries tend to leak, Overcharge issue, Factory defect.
Leaks battery acid on the Cruise servo. AGM batteries are a good idea.

The crankcase vent on the gear case cover likes to clog the radiator with Oil/Dirt, Pull the radiator & clean with degreaser.

These trucks are pretty good, They just have their fair share of little idiosyncrasies that you need to be aware of.

 

[Donald]

I also have a cracked dash, but they are crack lines not chunks that have broken off. They have not changed in about 2 years. I cannot really see them from the drivers side so they do not bother me. Sure I would prefer no cracks. But it is a 15 yr old truck now.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: clinebarger
The transmission problem could be as simple as a Governor Pressure Solenoid & Governor Pressure Sensor gone bad, Very common problem on the 47RE & the later 48RE for that matter.
If it's locked in 3rd gear, The above is most likely the issue.

Do a search on "#53 Blocks", These blocks can crack below the freeze plugs on the passenger side of the block. NOT all "#53" blocks crack & NOT all 24V blocks are "#53" castings.

The dash is probably already cracked, I got rid of my 24V because of this, I had HUGE holes where the defrost ducts go. The Mopar replacement at the time was stupid expensive.

The 98-02 Dodges like to crack windsheilds,(Lack of rigidity in the cab)

The batteries tend to leak, Overcharge issue, Factory defect.
Leaks battery acid on the Cruise servo. AGM batteries are a good idea.

The crankcase vent on the gear case cover likes to clog the radiator with Oil/Dirt, Pull the radiator & clean with degreaser.

These trucks are pretty good, They just have their fair share of little idiosyncrasies that you need to be aware of.




My Dodge Ram has a 47RE and no problems. But the gov. pressure solenoid & gov. pressure sensor failed on my 2001 Jeep twice, but threw a code each time.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: Donald
I also have a cracked dash, but they are crack lines not chunks that have broken off. They have not changed in about 2 years. I cannot really see them from the drivers side so they do not bother me. Sure I would prefer no cracks. But it is a 15 yr old truck now.


I'm sure the Texas Sun & Heat had a lot to do with my dash disintegrating, My '97 12 valve also had a cracked dash but didn't implode, Same with a '03 Common Rail.

This is one of the reasons I stopped buying Dodge trucks, If I was buying a cheap used truck that would be one thing, But $30,000 to $45,000 I was spending on them & have this issue in 2-3 years was unacceptable.

I was just pointing out some other flaws in these trucks besides the Fuel System, Not bashing Dodge.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: Donald

My Dodge Ram has a 47RE and no problems. But the gov. pressure solenoid & gov. pressure sensor failed on my 2001 Jeep twice, but threw a code each time.


Your Jeep has a 42RE, It shares the same electronics with the 47RE, The Governor pressure solenoid & Pressure sensors are the same, I'm guessing you have owned the Jeep longer than the Ram?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Donald

My Dodge Ram has a 47RE and no problems. But the gov. pressure solenoid & gov. pressure sensor failed on my 2001 Jeep twice, but threw a code each time.


Your Jeep has a 42RE, It shares the same electronics with the 47RE, The Governor pressure solenoid & Pressure sensors are the same, I'm guessing you have owned the Jeep longer than the Ram?


I have owned the Jeep for about 80K miles. On the Jeep it failed first at 60K and the second time at 85K. And at 147K now. Maybe the manufacture or design was changed slightly and the latest replacement is good till the bone yard. But I would prefer to have the gov. pressure solenoid and sensor than something internal (really inside) where you have to pull the transmission to repair vs dropping the pan.

Do the 47RE or 42RE need band adjustments?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Donald
I also have a cracked dash, but they are crack lines not chunks that have broken off. They have not changed in about 2 years. I cannot really see them from the drivers side so they do not bother me. Sure I would prefer no cracks. But it is a 15 yr old truck now.


I'm sure the Texas Sun & Heat had a lot to do with my dash disintegrating, My '97 12 valve also had a cracked dash but didn't implode, Same with a '03 Common Rail.

This is one of the reasons I stopped buying Dodge trucks, If I was buying a cheap used truck that would be one thing, But $30,000 to $45,000 I was spending on them & have this issue in 2-3 years was unacceptable.

I was just pointing out some other flaws in these trucks besides the Fuel System, Not bashing Dodge.


So go for a southern Dodge truck with no salt/rust issue and get badly cracked dash. Northern Dodge truck with less dash cracking but more salt/rust issues.

 

[ls1mike]

Excellent truck. Not sure how much difference there is between the 2000 and 1998, but my BIL has a 1998 can't kill the dang thing. He works for the carnival, yes my BIL is a carney, only thing we ever had to mess with was the front suspension. He had the death wobble. Rebuilt the front suspension and put a different stabilizer in. Has been built proof ever sense. Now at 620,xxx miles. His is A NV4500 and had to have the overdrive gear update done. I can't speak for the automatic, but it seems it is the biggest, I might say, only complaint with the RV folks.

For a 1000 bucks I wouldn't think twice. Throw a good rebuilt automatic with all the updates in there and enjoy!

You can read about the suspension stuff here.
Death wobble.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: Donald


Do the 47RE or 42RE need band adjustments?


The 42RE requires band adjustments every so often, not sure about the 47RE.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Donald

My Dodge Ram has a 47RE and no problems. But the gov. pressure solenoid & gov. pressure sensor failed on my 2001 Jeep twice, but threw a code each time.


Your Jeep has a 42RE, It shares the same electronics with the 47RE, The Governor pressure solenoid & Pressure sensors are the same, I'm guessing you have owned the Jeep longer than the Ram?


I have owned the Jeep for about 80K miles. On the Jeep it failed first at 60K and the second time at 85K. And at 147K now. Maybe the manufacture or design was changed slightly and the latest replacement is good till the bone yard. But I would prefer to have the gov. pressure solenoid and sensor than something internal (really inside) where you have to pull the transmission to repair vs dropping the pan.

Do the 47RE or 42RE need band adjustments?


The Solenoid/Sensor have always been quirky, Just the nature of those parts. I was a transmission tech for several years & never saw a pattern for their failure.

All A727 based transmissions require Band adjustments every so often, Both the 42RE & 47RE have band adjustments.

 

[weebl]

Truck is off the table now, unfortunately for us. My father-in-law came to his senses and is just going to get the tranny rebuilt, since that's all it needs.