JaimeZX

I'm interested in picking up a RAM 2500. There are a number of them for sale in my area but I have never owned a Dodge and I haven't had a diesel since 1996, and that was a little 52hp VW. Aside from things common to all vehicles, what should I look for/at when I go to see these trucks?

Specifically right now I'm looking at a '98 (dunno how many valves) with 104k miles, auto, PS, PW, PDL, 2WD (I guess), short bed, quad cab, cruise control, VIN 1B7KC23D1WJ132195. www.kbb.com says it should be worth $15.7 from a dealer but he's only asking a little under $12k. I'm wondering what's wrong with it? Gonna go look on Friday after work. What do I need to look for?

Thanks in advance, guys. Looking forward to learning from the knowledge on these pages.

DieselDaze

Welcome to DTR JaimeZX, glad to have you.

There are two styles of Cummins engines.
1) 12 valve
2) 24 valve.

1989(?) to the middle 1998 are 12 valve.
Middle of 1998 to current are 24 valve.
Some folks on this board consider the 1998 12 valve to be the best year.

Things to look for would depend upon if its a 12 or 24 valve.

There is a dowel pin that can work its way free and fall into the front gears of these engines. Do a search on this site for KDP (Killer Dowel Pin).

The auto trans can be a weak link in the drive train. They're ok if taken care of and the engine has not been modified to provide more power than the stock trans can handle.

Let us know if its a 12 or 24 valve.

Rich

JaimeZX

Just called the guy at the dealership back and he said it was a 12-valve.

Edit: Also, what about things other than the engine? Body problems, drivetrain, interior, etc?

DieselDaze

Some folks believe that the refinements made through the life of the 12 valve were placed into the 1998 but the 1998 has the newer style cab and interior.
Thus, making a "best of both worlds" scenario.

Its really a matter of opinion, and like belly buttons, everyone has one.

Rich.

1320

Get the service record if possible.

Look for 5th gear trans problem, it falls off.
and the KDP repair....

There are several ways to fix the trans, keep 5 th gear on....I went the expensive way and put in an after market main shaft.........that cost me about 600, but its probably a no worry ever again fix.

The KDP can be prevented a couple ways as well....for about 90$ you can do it in 1 1/2 hrs. Thats the economic way.

The rest of the truck is pretty good. The 12 va;lve is very easy to turn up and make a lot more power. $1000- $1500 will get 350 hp and 850 + ft lbs of torque.

JaimeZX

The auto is a 5-speed? Wow. I don't get how the 5th gear would "fall off," though. I tried searching for it and maybe I suck at that, but I can't find anything. :dunno:

phox_mulder

No, the auto is a 3 speed with O/D.

5th gear nut has been known to back out and fall off on the 5 speed.

There is a fix with a better designed nut.


phox

KATOOM

Dont forget to look for the dreaded #53 block casting. I've read that some 12 valve's got it too.

JaimeZX

OKAY: So on Friday, I'll try to check for
* Block 53 (may be hidden by wires?)
* Hope that the KDP isn't an issue. (??? Can I check to see if it has been "fixed?" How?)

Other questions I have:
1) I've read here that the manual tranny is better than the auto for towing. This confuses me; while tractor-trailers are always like, 12-speed manuals, I have been previously told that autos are better because you're less likely to burn out your clutch. What's the deal here? I'll probably never tow more than 7000lbs or so.

2) I have a '92 300ZX Twin Turbo. Owners of these vehicles can expect the turbos to go out at 80-130k miles, and they're anywhere from $2500-$7k+ to replace. (Depending if you want to upgrade or not.) Should I be wary of this on the Cummins?

3) Any common issues with the interior / body / frame of the vehicle to check for? I'm not in a *real* hurry to get this truck, I'm not moving until the end of July...

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the help.

DieselDaze

The "53" stamped on the block should not be hard to see.
Take a look under the truck at the bottom of the block itself.
Do a search for Block 53, 53 block, or #53, you should find some posts with pictures and a lot of information.

As I mentioned earlier, the auto trans is the weak link in the drive train on these trucks.
In stock form, they're sloppy and will not hold up to abuse. If you take care of them, and dont modify the engine to produce more power, the stock trans is ok.
Increase engine power, or fail to service the tranny and they will not last long.

I dont know the average life of these turbos, but it is more than 130,000 miles.
However, it is (again) dependent on how well the truck was taken care of by the previous owner.
If the engine has been shut down hot a lot of times (not allowing the turbo to spin down and cool off), this will shorten the life of the turbo.

Good luck.
Rich

JaimeZX

Yeah, I saw a lot about that. Some pictures had a very clear "53" where in others it was smaller and the picture required use of an inspection mirror. Dunno.

You say "sloppy," what do you mean by that? Also, why don't they last long? They overheat? If so then how about an aftermarket transmission cooler?

Yeah, I'm used to requiring a turbo cool-down time. In the Z, the turbos don't spin up unless you're really putting your foot down, so a relaxed last mile home is usually good enough. I suspect this Cummins is a different beast, however. Might have to get a turbo timer for it.

Thanks bro. I'll let you know what I find!

Jim

DieselDaze

I'll let others address the technical side of this, but in stock form, the auto trannies do not do a good job of transmitting the power to the rear wheels until the torq-converter locks up.
However, to their credit, once the torq-converter is locked up, it is a direct drive.
Again, you modify the engine for more power and you can easily slip the clutch in the torq-converter.

Rich

KATOOM

JaimeZX, the best way to ruin any turbo is shut down the engine while the turbo is hot. This is because the turbo has an oil supply from the engine while running. This oil lubricates and cools the bearing. When you stop the flow of oil in the bearing area IF HOT it will coak and clog the oil passages ruining the turbo. This doesnt happen all at once, well maybe if hot enough but I thought it takes some time. This is one of the many reason you need guages on these trucks. An EGT's guage will let you know when you reach safe shut down temps. Recomended 300* pre turbo thermocoupler installation. So for another check on your list is take the air intake boot off the turbo (real easy, two big hose clamps) and feel the impeller of the turbo for excess play. I believe you should have no side to side and very little front to back play. And see if the blades are dirty (by touch) and sharp, no chips or dents. This also will tell you if the silencer ring is in place. One tell tale of previous owner. Not that it hurts anything if its gone either.
Another item to look for is what brand air and oil filter is on the truck. If the air filter is paper its a good sign and if the oil filter is a Mopar or Cummins Fleetguard then thats great. This might cause some feed back from others, but Cummins lists some oil filters that are to be used only or engine damage can occur. This is because some brands, particularly Fram, can allow filter paper to enter the engine clogging the oil jets that spray the piston, big time damage. Hope this helps.