02Texas_Rattle

Hello all!

I just picked up a 2002 Dodge 2500 CTD 6sp, Dana 80 Rear, 60 front, 3.55 with 26,500 on the clock. Carfax clean, all body straight, excellent interior, excellent underhood, springs, body, bed, tires original 265's.

What do I need to do to her? She starts right up, sounds great, shifts beautifully, previous owner changed oil before sale....and oil smells "good" in crankcase and looks clean.

My only fear is past maintaince which if the exterior/overall condition of the truck is any indication, I don't think there would be any issues. I'm an ASE Tech, and have enough common sense when it comes to a truck purchase, but this is my first diesel.

I've read the important threads. Oil - Delo/Rotella, filter type, shift at 1800, wait 30 sec for cool down turbo before shutdown engine, don't get diesel at a station that is getting re-filled for the H20 getting churned up, etc......

What am I missing?

Your experience to help this newby will be much appriciated and passed on to the next newby!

Thanks,
Patrick

J BODY

On a truck with 26K I would change the trans fluid (drop the pan and change the filter method. This will give you the chance to check for excessive debris and adjust the bands if necessary. Next time flush it.) Change the fuel filter. Check the lift pump pressure. It also wouldn't hurt to change the rear diff fluid, especially if there are signs of heavy towing.

tomrock

Prolly don't need to adjust them 6 speed bands though... ;D

patriot pearl blue

LOL- on the trans filter change for the 6 speed, J-BODY must not have looked at the sig, so stop pointing fingers

i would look into getting a bug deflector,BHAF, 4 inch exhaust, trailer wiring hookup, 6inch drop hitch from walmart, 2 inch ball and a additional 2 5/16 ball with an additional 6 inch drop hitch,bed liner, window tint, horsepower box, step bars, and a few coozies to hang on the 4x4 selector and shifter 8)

dont forget the seat covers!
i bought some mud holding floor mats for the front, and moved my stock fronts to the back length wise...

HTH
BW

J BODY

DOHHHHH he he..... guess I should read the description a little better! Maybe I was thinking of things I did to my truck when I bought it (auto trans). And if you curious the 6spd can go 90-100K before a drain and fill is recommended.

HOHN

Well, since you basically have MY truck, lemme tell you what I recommend, though the others have made great suggestions.

First thing to do is install a fuel pressure gauge. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Take your pick of 0-30psi gauges from Geno's garage. Make sure you get mechanical, since the electricals tend to have the senders go bad. Make good connections and you won't have any leaks to worry about.

Then, you can decide whether peformance upgrades or cosmetic upgrades are a priority. Me, I went HP and I am glad. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought EDM stage 3 injectors and a boost fooler instead of DD2 and an EZ. The EZ gives a good bottom end kick though.

I would recommend you either go with a plain old boost fooler or a wire tap box. Don't waste money on a non-wire tap box-- you WILL want more, and the wire taps are adjustable. What a lot of people do is buy a COMP and not connect the pump wire until a later time. I would look at the DD version of the Comp (the DDUFM)-- it's more appropriate for our trucks.

I would convert all your driveline fluids to synthetic-- trans and diff lube. I have had GREAT results with the Redline MTL in the trans, and with their gear lube as well.

I just did the DT trackbar, and it's awesome! It really tightens up the front end. Mine made a noticeable improvement even though I only have 20K miles on my truck!

You might as well try to do it right the first time, so figure out where you want to be and don't bother with the middle steps. That means buying a wire tap box and then some larger injectors.

My own personal stopping point will probably be a set of Mach3.5 or Mach 4s, a wire tap box (PMAX) and a kwikspool B1 turbo. At that point, I might need a little more clutch to hold it

Justin

02Texas_Rattle

All:

Can't thank you guys enough for all your input.

It is with great sadness I have to report the truck I purchased on a cloudy Saturday in Houston
was 2 different colors on a Sunny Sunday!

End Result:
Returned her to the dealer.........No questions asked....
I feel like a chump in someways, but they took her back
and were disappointed as well, but hey, if you are spending (drive out) $27K on a truck, and it is an 2002,
it shouldn't be 2 shades of red!

Thanks so much for all y'all and your input. I will return to the forum with a new 2004 hopefully soon!

Patrick

HOHN

sounds like it was wrecked and painted.

HOHN