I have a 1995 dodge cummins5.9, 12 valve, 2500, 316,000 miles.

Truck has been having trouble shifting(have to get it up over 50mph then take my foot off to get it to shift down)

Was on the interstate pulling horse trailer-going up a small hill and the truck started shaking/viberating and the engine died right there.....let it sit for couple minutes then started again...drove it few miles off the exit. I've been driving it back and forth to shops and no shaking but I'm not hauling anything.

Transmission shop said could use a new transmission but could not pin-point a actual trans problem

Diesel shop #1 said sounds like engine may be fuel injecter pump

dieasel shop #2 said have the pan dropped, check filter to see about trans and maybe needs flush trans out, new oil, new filter.

This is my only vehicle..... guys are telling me to send it down the road due to its age and miles.....I'd like to keep it without breaking the bank and losing on it......anybody think it would be worth putting $$ into??

 

Sounds like what happened to mine, when I had a 12 valve. Is it an automatic? If it is, then I can almost promise you its the torque converter in the transmission. It's slipping. I replaced the torque converter with a cheap one and it fixed it, but it started doing it again about 50,000 miles later. If I had to do it again, I would have put a more expensive one in with a valve body upgrade. Look into this, I hope I helped and that I didn't send you in the wrong direction, but sounds like I went through the same thing.

 

1.) No way I would trade the 12 valve for anything newer diesel unless I were independently wealthy.
2.) What shape is the Dodge in? Obviously a Michigan truck will be rotted more than a Cali truck.
3.) Are you comfortable learning and doing some if not all work yourself?

 

Thank you dodgekid9712!! It is an automatic -this one shop said they will drop the pan and check the filter and trans to see the damage first.... I will tell them what you said

 

Thank you patdaly!! The truck is in pretty good shape...paint peeling and some rust spots but not horrible. I am not comfortable working on trucks