Ok so I am new at this whole diesel thing. I am very familiar with the 2nd and 3rd generation Ram.. But I am not familar with the diesel engine. All I really know is this.

In 2001 they introduced the 24 Valve HO with a 6-speed.
In 1998.5 and up they added a 24 Valve Diesel
1998.5 and below they had just a 12V.

Now I am looking into getting a 2500. Diesel, Club cab, manual, and a 4*4. Now here are my questions.

What about the 12V. Is it about the most reliable diesel they made? Does it get better fuel mileage than a 24V?

And of course.. I have to ask this...... What kind of RWHP and Torque can you get out of a 12V with a stock turbo with basic upgrades? Like exhaust, intake, injectors, raising the boost pressure? Or what about the 24V???

I just want to see what's going to be best for me. I want lower maintance costs, best MPG, and the best reliabilty. What do you all suggest to a guy looking for his diesel?? Thanks for the help guys!! Paul

 

The 12v is about as close to bullet-proof as you can get. The 24v isn't far behind, but has lift pump and injector pump issues. I love both of them so much I have one of each.
The 12v typically gets a little better fuel mileage than the 24v, 3-4 mpg.
You can get 300+ with a stock turbo, but you'll be pushing the EGTs a bit.
Reliability? My 12v just turned 200K and it still runs like a new one. Bump the starter when it's dead cold and it's running.

Chris

 

I have a 12V as well

and yup its a tough cookie, with 180K it starts at the bump of a starter, hot cold it dont matter. 12V is super easy to bomb and modify, no electronic gizmos and everything is mechanical and u can pretty much do yourself.

Now there is a mod for Free GSK, and you can always bump plates and time your pump on a 12V for cheap and easy power. disadvantage to this is that you cannot turn down levels like on a comp box for a 24V engine...

Either truck will suit ur purpose well, but for MPG, simplicity and reliability, and decent performance, id go 12V, they also typically produce higher TQ numbers than 24V engines... so thats also a plus...


Im rather biased tho, but i do love both the 12V and 24V, heck i love cummins overall

Rick

 

I'll third the 12v for all the reason stated above.

 

Here are some other interesting tidbits of info supporting the strong testosterone attraction (as my wife refers to my rumbling diesel believe or not I am still parking it under the carport, will have my alarm and disabler tomorrow afternoon, after that the Maxima gets her home back ) to the 12 valve CTD.

"Top 5 Reason's to get a 98 12 valve according to '12valve' (move over Dave)

1 reason: Its got the almost bullet proof 180 hp mechanical inj pump, easy to turn up as well!
2.- its got the newer style dash (the same as up to 2002)
3. it may have four doors, better then the older ones! (some haven't)
4. it may be a short bed, (dont know what you look for)
5.- You'd have a truck they made only for a 1/2 year, (98-89.5) but very wanted! thats why we got 2 of them!"



Their intrinsic future value is also very interesting and I think I will start a post on that in order to determine the insurance amount I require, if God Forbid I would have to replace my "Black Beauty"

Good luck with your search "Iwannadodge", do your research in this forum and trust me "if I could learn about the CTD its strengths and also its few weaknesses , in a weekend so can you.

I sure love mine, check my signature the 8th digit says it all

Encore Bonne Chance and hopefully you won't have to be patient to long

 

Unless you have a stick, 215 HP stock (if you leave it there. I did. For a week.)

Plus I would much rather drive a 12v than a 24v. Much better throttle response with the P-Pump.

 

Hi there DisplacedTexan, if you have the time can you explain to me how to do the quote thing, it is maybe a stupid question but am not very computer literate, believe it or not it took my a week to learn how to use the smilies, unfortunately in my exhuberance I might have gone overboard with them at certain moments of the day.
My only problem with my 12 valve is some unexplained blowby coming out from underneath. Will investigate tomorrow for I will have the drive to complete a little inspection, just to burnt out right now and am reaching the point where for some strange reason the smilies seem to want to control my thoughts

So hears to all the Texans "never meet one I didn't like" , even shared a "everything is bigger in Texas joke with one gentleman from Houston.

Cheers gentlemen again you might not want to show me how to quote for as you can see I am again getting out of control,

la vie est belle

 

Sure, no problem...

At the bottom of everyone's post there is a button on the right side that says quote, if you click on that it will format the beginning of your reply as a quote of their entire post. I delete the parts of it that are not directly related to what I'm saying to save space on the page, and make things easire to read.

And if the blowby is slight, and oming from the blowby tube, don't worry, it's normal.

 

Yea, that is pretty the reasons I picked mine. You may want to ask a similiar question in the 24V forum. The only advantage I can think of having a 24Ver is the ease of power control, you can plug in a controller and adjust how much power you need or one that'll ease the power off when the EGTs get high. If you're driving in the winter this can also make life easier. It also seems a LOT easier to find the newer trucks rather than to pinpoint a truck that was only built for 6months like mine was. Some could argue the rear disc brakes in the 2001+ are an advantage but that is arguable as they may get ruined quick if you offroad.

 

Thanks DisplacedTexan, like everything on these friggin computers, once you know how it's easy.