This is going to sound crazy, but I have a 1998 with the rear open doors. There is nothing on the engine or in the owners manual saying whether it is a 12 or 24V motor. Is there a way to tell? (Sorry, it is my first cummins...)

 

look under the decal that says 2500 and it will say 12 or 24

 

It just says Cummins Turbo Diesel

 

If it just says Cummins Turbo Diesel then the trim, at least, is for a 12 valve. If the oil fill tube stands alone it is a 12 valve. 24 valve has a larger piece of trim over the valve covers with the oil fill tube through the cover. You can go on Ebay, search for 1998 dodge diesel and look at the difference in the engine compartments. There are both 12 and 24 valve motored units listed today.

 

its a 12 then.Look at the engine ,it will say either have one big valve cover or 6 small ones with a plastic cover on top.But if it says cummins turbo diesel on the door then its a 12

 

Sounds like you got the right one... (12v)

 

If its a short bed

congrats on finding the holy grail, moreso if its a five speed..

Rick

 

Holy Grail with a 53 block!!

 

Yeah, sounds like it's the good one. Funny how rare people say they are-I turned a 5 spd 4wd '98 12v dually down to buy my '98 12v 5 spd 2wd dually. Both were quadcabs. Since then, I've seen several others.

 

6 small valve covers = 12V
1 large valve cover = 24V

 

The 12v, will have one big cover over the 6 indivdual valve covers and the 24v will have one big valve cover that covers all 6 valves