xtoyz17

Mine's for sale To be perfectly honest though, I'm selling it to upgrade to a back seat and a 5 speed. Same reasons you may want to avoid it

Overall, you should be happy with either a 5.9 or a 7.3. Both can make very respectable power and both are pretty solid trucks. I prefer the dodge over a ford, though.

Big Smoky

Thats very true. On my old 12v I had all sorts of problems with the 4wd, but there is a fix. Posi-lock makes a pull cable that mounts in the cab and replaces the vaccum crap. I loved it because I knew it was locked in. It's not enough to not make me want another 12v though! If I could find another cheap 12v, I would be all over it!

Box5

lol, i meant that in the most complementary way, that means the dodge is built like a semi :-D

dieselfuelonly

Yeah I'm not saying thats a reason to stay away from Dodges at all. I don't even own a 4x4 and in some respects I'm glad I don't, for it would just be 1 more thing that *could* go wrong, and more weight for me to lug around. I wouldn't mind if my trucks had 4WD, but I bought them used and not having 4WD just isn't a big issue for me, and they're both nice trucks.

All that matters to me is I've got a 12v Cummins under the hood, and a Powerstroke and a Chevy way back behind me in my mirror when we hit the on-ramp with a trailer in tow .

kelownadiesel

what I mean about not being maintenence free is that with a higher mileage truck you will have to change soem parts out and it is easier to do in a dodge than a ford.Thats all I was getting at.I like to be able to see what Im working on.The 12v is a workin mans truck that he can fix by himself.

jonesracing

The only way I would buy a Ford new or old is if it had a Cummins 12v under the hood. I had to drive a 94 F350 4x4 wrecker what a POS. It had no power towing you would always end up at low RPM going up hills then the pressure plate would not hold at low rpm and you would slip the clutch or down shift to bring the rpm's up so the clutch would hold again.
I was always happy at the end of the day to jump in my Dodge and drive.

Box5

plus the dodge just looks so much better on top of having the cummins.

Box5

would it be worth taking whatever truck I find to a diesel mechanic before I buy it? I'm good with gas engines and what to look for. But i'm still not great at listening to a diesel and know if it's to clicky or what not. If it runs well, sounds good, and the fluids look good, go for it? Or should I just take it in and have someone with a good ear for diesels take a listen before making a purchase. I'm sure i'll learn what sounds right and what doesn't once i own one.

xtoyz17

If there is something terribly out of the ordinary, you'll hear it. Other than that, the only other thing might be a slightly louder engine from valves out of adjustment, but that's not a reason to not buy the truck. They can be adjusted easily or enough, or pay someone to do it for a pretty reasonable price.

1. Make sure theres no major oil leaks.
2. Smell the oil and check the oil for anything out of the ordinary.
3. Make sure you can't smell fluid burning if it's an auto. Get it to lock into overdrive, and try to accelerate with your foot on the break. If the RPM's rise too quick, the TC is shot.
4. Make sure the auto shifts smooth, sorta falls in with 3, but you get the idea.
5. If you have a jack, lift the front end up and check for play. These truck almost always have some play, but tons of play means it's time for things to be serviced.

Make sure you watch where the play is from. If the steering box has some play, it can be adjusted out.

Depending on the price, none of these things would really deter me from the truck. If anything, it's a bargaining chip to get the price to what you think is fair. If they won't sell it for what you think is 'fair', than don't buy it. Nothing worse than buying a truck for more than you want to just because you want one and are sick of looking. In the end, you'll usually end up being bitter about how much you spent, especially if it wasn't exactly what you wanted to begin with.

Box5

I guess i'm just getting anxious, lol. Everytime i'm out driving and I see a dodge i've been trying to pull up next to it to hear if it's a cummins.

what about compression/blow by, isn't that somthing to check to show internal wear?

xtoyz17

If you're worried about checking for wear, ask if the seller would be willing to let you send an oil sample out to be tested.

dieselfuelonly

You should be able to tell by the exhaust pipe unless they've got a before-the-axle exhaust :P.

96_12V

In a Word --Yes! This seems to be one of the most underrated ideas on this site, and I still can't figure out why. Actual experance I had 7 years ago: Found a '95 2wd AT, 19k miles, from Alaska. Was being sold by son of original owner. Owner had died and truck had been shipped to Illinois. All this was True. Something about the truck didn't feel right - I insisted on taking it to a dealer for a check. At first owner resisted, when I started walking away, caved in and went with me to dealer. They took me into the shop after about 30 minuites and showed me where the frame had been cut and re-welded in three places. Also many other areas of damage - from a major front end collision (wonder how the original owner died?) Also the truck had been in for service there a year piror - with only 300 less miles on it....I got out of there quick!

It's just incredible what experanced eyes can find when a truck is up on a lift. Something to think about - good luck in your search.

Box5

yea, my first truck i bought was a 91 toyota 4x4, lifted and had 35's on it, I was 16 and didn't know anything about it really, just wanted a lifted truck (that was only 6 years ago, but i've learned alot about buying things since then, lol). I took it to a mechanic and he basically said to pass on it. But me being so impatient i bought it, and the transmission went out, then the differential went out, and it was a electrical nightmare...lol, so ever since then I've inspected every inch of anything I buy.

I'm good at inspecting everything other than say a Diesel engine i've never owned or worked on. But usually i'll find a truck a couple hours away so it would be hard to arange to get a mechanic to check it out. I'm gonna take my time and find the right one though. I think i'll just read this site as much as possible to know every symptom of the 12v.

WVAussie

If you know what to look at other than the engine, then good. My .02 on mechanics is that of course there are good diesel tech's out there they are just not plentiful. Of the 1/2 dozen or so mechanics i'm casually aquainted with none of them understand diesels, some would tell you not to buy a diesel at all because of their own ill informed opions. If you can find a good diesel mechanic then definitley take it to them. But if it starts on the first revolution and stops abruptly with no excessive blue smoke once its warm I'd buy it. Buying used anything is a crap shoot, so buy the best you can (Cummins)and everytime you have to fix something it should add to your peace of mind. One less thing to break you know.