safirenfish

need some help from the "community"....my son recently bought an '03 2500 4x4 6 speed with 100k miles on it in miami florida where he is stationed with the coast guard. truck has a superchips flashpak in it and the rest is basically stock. he asked me questions on it that i am unsure of. i own a 2000 4x4 cummins and i am not familiar with the 03 models. are there any problems with these trucks to be aware of? what injector pump does it use? he asked if he needed to fix the fuel system as i have done with my 2000 and the vp pump. i added an inline electric pump and fuel pressure guage and was wondering if he needed to do the same. truck looks like it has been kept in a garage and waxed every weekend. this has been my son's dream truck for as long as i can remember and he worked his butt off to get it (so proud of my "guardian"). anyway- i told him he needed to get on this forum and check for info on his truck. any thoughts and help would be greatly appreciated. it is kinda tough to help your son when he is so far from home and trying to do things on his own. thanks again for helping a nervous dad try to remain calm and let his son grow.........oh yeah- he sent me a pic of his truck computer telling him his gas mileage compared to my '00 auto....thats just wrong.

Kowalski

Tell him grats on the new truck and thanks for the work he does. It uses the Cp3 injection pump to pressure up the common rail, so no more cracking fuel lines . The best thing to do for the injection system would be to install a 2 mic filter just before the Cp3 pump. Also check to see if the lift pump is still on the back of the stock filter houseing or relocated to the tank, both pumps are known to crap out, install an Airdog or FASS system for better pumping and more filtering.

Nate-03 D

Sounds like your son got a hold of a beautiful truck. He got one of the best year Common Rails in terms of fuel mileage, especially with a manual. The 555 tq motors are very robust.

The big issues the early CR's were having was the lift pumps quiting. Their is a good chance that it has already been replaced. If it does quite, look to an aftermarket pump like an AirDog or Fass. The CR motors use a CP3 for an injection pump, they are pretty much hassle free.

One thing I would recommended is a set of gauges. Turbo/EGT/Fuel/, it never hurts to have an eye on things, even on a nearly stock motor.

Jeff in TD

With the VP44 trucks if the lift pump dies it still flows fuel and runs fine, but damages the VP44 from not having the required head pressure. As I understand it the CP3 common rail pump can be run without head pressure with no damage, and the lift pumps used won't flow fuel if they puke- so the truck just stops.

If the truck is stock, I wouldn't worry about a fuel pressure gauge. Injector problems, though, can be an issue. A 2 micron filter between the stock canister and CP3 isn't a bad idea. The in-tank lift pump came about in 05 I think, and earlier trucks would have been upgraded if brought to the dealer with a failed filter mounted pump.

Other things with the 03: The alternator bracket was a stamped steel piece that was prone to cracking. If it did, it would have been changed out for a solid cast bracket. The early 03's can also develop a harmonica like buzz or vibration in the pedals and the steering wheel. There was an updated hose between the power steering pump and brake booster that has a weight and a crimped metal restriction mid-length to keep the pump's pulsation from causing vibrations/buzz in the cab. Right at 2000 rpm is where you would feel the vibration, and not above or below.

Some 03's also had issues with door seals not properly sealed to the body.

Otherwise, the 03-04 stick shift trucks are generally the most fuel efficient of the common rail 3rd gens. As always, ball joints, U joints, and stuff like that crop up.