2000 and up Dodge Ram w/Cummins

Status
Not open for further replies.
Donald

Donald

Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
29,640
Location
Near the beach in Delaware
I am half considering moving up a few years and into a 4WD from my Dodge Ram 2500.

I know the next few years past the 1999 had the same engine as my 1999.

Any ones to avoid?

Anyone know what year the radio had a AUX and/or BT connection so I can play music from my smart phone?
 
Rams got some pretty worthless stereos from the factory for a number of years. My 07 came with the same piece of trash as my 03 did. Turn it all the way up and you'll start hearing music.

If you get an 03+ 5.9, make sure you get the HO 5.9. Makes a decent amount more power than the standard.
 
Iirc my old 04 had a headphone jack so you could plug an iPod in if you have a double male patch cord.
The stereo in my 04 wasn't bad. Had a multi-disk head unit,sounded decent however my 06 charger was light years ahead of the truck.
If your present truck has no problems I suggest keeping it though. The dodge front end leaves much to be desired in the durability department and if you get 200k out of it consider yourself lucky.
My brothers 08 needed complete rebuild at 250km,I got 280km out of my 04 however it was pretty much shot when i totalled it.
I cannot comment on the newer versions though.
I've never had a front end issue with my Chevys
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Any ones to avoid?


All of them?

Seriously though, it's easy to see the appeal of these trucks. However, you'll pay an absolutely astronomical amount of $$$ (relative what you're getting) for a good pre-emissions truck these days.

If you're dead-set, then so be it.
If not, I'll propose that there are gas powered alternatives that'd save you a truckload of money, and last just as long (whether gas or diesel, the truck will fall apart before the engine in non heavy-haul, high mileage applications).
 
'03 & up use a High Pressure Common Rail fuel system, The Injectors wear out to the point the combustion event cant be controlled correctly, Noise level of the engine is the easiest way to tell, If you come across one that sounds similar too the 24V in you '99.....It needs Injectors! Bosch Remans run around $300 a piece. These HPCR 5.9L's were pretty quiet when new, The noise increases so slowly over time the operator doesn't notice.

If your looking for another 24V, An '01/'02 would be your best bet, The brake upgrade alone is miles ahead of your '99, However I have heard rumors of Dodge cheaping out on the Frame on '02 models, Busted windshields & Cracks in the Bed sheetmetal have been reported, A search on the Turbo Diesel Registry would be a good idea....I haven't owned one of these since '05.

Moving "up" to a 4wd gives more problems, It is basically a oversized Jeep setup, The weight of the Cummins, & Dana 60 is too much for the design. Balljoints, Track Bar, Bushings, & the Unit Wheel bearings wearing out are common & frequent issues on these trucks, Read up on "Death Wobble".
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
The brake upgrade alone is miles ahead of your '99,



The brakes on my pickup are always better than the ones on my Jeep, and I have done the Akebono caliper upgrade on my Jeep.
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger

Moving "up" to a 4wd gives more problems, It is basically a oversized Jeep setup, The weight of the Cummins, & Dana 60 is too much for the design. Balljoints, Track Bar, Bushings, & the Unit Wheel bearings wearing out are common & frequent issues on these trucks, Read up on "Death Wobble".



I am thinking I can sell both my Jeep and pickup and get a 4WD 3/4 ton pickup that can launch my boat. The pickup tows it just fine, but am afraid of issues at the launch ramp without 4WD.

I have 3 vehicles (road vehicles) for myself, and I am thinking that is too many.
 
As far as stereos go, there are some plug-in OEM Chrysler upgrades from other vehicles. I was researching this when I was trying to replace the HU in my Chevy, since NOBODY builds a 1.5DIN HU anymore, and a couple of the top tier Chrysler ones are near audiophile quality.

As far as the truck itself - the dodge's are just junk. Fantastic engine/trans, with a garbage vehicle around them. My grandfather retired from New Venture Gear and the whole [censored] family kept buying Dodge junk, some of them still do. They ALL have had a plethora of issues. Uncles truck leaked water from day 1, they could never fix it. I know a handful of my dads friends who hung 9' Fisher plows on them and bent the frames on all of them. The Powerstroke Fords are the best compromise of good vehicle and reliable engine, the never half tons look like 3/4 tons underneath, so on and so forth. The Duramax's seem to have a lot of injector issues, but are otherwise nice trucks. If you can find a late model 7.3l truck with low miles, jump on it. If you buy a 6.0 Powerstroke truck - do NOT get a first year truck, get one a couple years into it, and purchase it with the knowledge that you'll spend a couple grand on the 'bulletproofing' the minute you purchase it. Do that, and you'll never have a problem. On that front though - I haven't lived in Syracuse in a decade - whats the emissions like there? Still no inspections on diesels? If so, delete ALL of the emissions junk, do the bulletproofing, and get a tune for it and it'll give you hundreds of thousands of miles of trouble free use.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
The brake upgrade alone is miles ahead of your '99,



The brakes on my pickup are always better than the ones on my Jeep, and I have done the Akebono caliper upgrade on my Jeep.


Dual Piston Calipers & larger Rotors on the front, Disc brakes on the Rear W/ Dual Piston Calipers for the '01 model. Your '99 is a mirror of a GM brake system of the same year, But smaller wheel cylinders.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Ok, this one is in VA (my father in-law lives there) and we could go down for a visit.

Unsure about "needs second gear". Guess figure on reman trans.

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/5115515858.html


Stay away from trucks with any kind of "Fueling" mods, Boxes, & Programmers.... That's kid $hit, They run the [censored] out of these trucks, Then Break something & throw it on Craigslist.

"Needs 2nd gear" To me, Means the trans is destroyed & Their just being vague hoping someone will buy it thinking "2nd Gear" is a component that can be changed easily.
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Donald
Ok, this one is in VA (my father in-law lives there) and we could go down for a visit.

Unsure about "needs second gear". Guess figure on reman trans.

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/5115515858.html


Stay away from trucks with any kind of "Fueling" mods, Boxes, & Programmers.... That's kid $hit, They run the [censored] out of these trucks, Then Break something & throw it on Craigslist.

"Needs 2nd gear" To me, Means the trans is destroyed & Their just being vague hoping someone will buy it thinking "2nd Gear" is a component that can be changed easily.



I agree in general if the truck has an mods for increase in HP. My pickup has a aftermarket fuel pump I had put on (AirDog) only because they are better than OEM or Carter supplying fuel to the VP44 injector pump.

I missed where it mentioned snow plow mount. Its in Norfolk, does it snow enough there to need snow plows? Salt?
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Donald
Ok, this one is in VA (my father in-law lives there) and we could go down for a visit.

Unsure about "needs second gear". Guess figure on reman trans.

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/5115515858.html


Stay away from trucks with any kind of "Fueling" mods, Boxes, & Programmers.... That's kid $hit, They run the [censored] out of these trucks, Then Break something & throw it on Craigslist.

"Needs 2nd gear" To me, Means the trans is destroyed & Their just being vague hoping someone will buy it thinking "2nd Gear" is a component that can be changed easily.



I agree in general if the truck has an mods for increase in HP. My pickup has a aftermarket fuel pump I had put on (AirDog) only because they are better than OEM or Carter supplying fuel to the VP44 injector pump.

I missed where it mentioned snow plow mount. Its in Norfolk, does it snow enough there to need snow plows? Salt?


I have an AirDog on my Duramax, The pump itself failed after 2 years, That's when I found out their "Lifetime" warranty doesn't mean anything....The Pump/Tower assembly has a 1-year warranty...That is the only moving part of the system...Go figure.

How many years/miles do you have on yours?
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Donald
Ok, this one is in VA (my father in-law lives there) and we could go down for a visit.

Unsure about "needs second gear". Guess figure on reman trans.

https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/5115515858.html


Stay away from trucks with any kind of "Fueling" mods, Boxes, & Programmers.... That's kid $hit, They run the [censored] out of these trucks, Then Break something & throw it on Craigslist.

"Needs 2nd gear" To me, Means the trans is destroyed & Their just being vague hoping someone will buy it thinking "2nd Gear" is a component that can be changed easily.



I agree in general if the truck has an mods for increase in HP. My pickup has a aftermarket fuel pump I had put on (AirDog) only because they are better than OEM or Carter supplying fuel to the VP44 injector pump.

I missed where it mentioned snow plow mount. Its in Norfolk, does it snow enough there to need snow plows? Salt?


I have an AirDog on my Duramax, The pump itself failed after 2 years, That's when I found out their "Lifetime" warranty doesn't mean anything....The Pump/Tower assembly has a 1-year warranty...That is the only moving part of the system...Go figure.

How many years/miles do you have on yours?


Only had it done a few weeks ago. So cannot say anything positive or negative. Same as the Carter pump (which is what I expected).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 2wd 5.2 v8 needs entire front end
Replies
17
Views
1K
Rmay635703
F
Cummins 6.7L general questions
3 4 5
Replies
93
Views
11K
MSCH
92saturnsl2
2008 Dodge Ram 2500 6.7L clutch replacement
Replies
1
Views
875
14Accent
N
2016 Ram 1500 Hemi towing impressions
Replies
9
Views
1K
ekrampitzjr
road_rascal
Using old phone as media/music player only
Replies
12
Views
1K
zzyzzx
Back
Top