PsRumors

I currently have the '03 described in my sig. I am looking at a '93 CTD 4x4. I would sell my truck to buy this one. It is in very good condition, has 110,000 miles and is automatic.

What are problem areas with these trucks / engines? How easy is it to safely turn up the power? How good / bad are the autos? What is available to make the auto perform?



Off to reading the archives, thanks for any input.

Dan Brooks

These trucks are pretty reliable, especially since the computer does a whole lot less than on the new ones.

The only problems with the 1st Gen engines I'm aware of are the bolts inside the timing case coming loose and the "killer dowel pin" (both are relatively easy to fix for peace of mind - many trucks never have problems with them).

Turning up the power is simple. The fuel screw on the back of the pump has a lock collar, but it is easily removed. Pulling the top cover of the pump off gives access to a few more adjustments (cone & starwheel). You should find detailed instructions in the archives. FWIW, I turned my fuel screw in 1.5 turns and backed the smoke screw out all the way, and I'm happy with how the truck runs. I had the cone turned to max and dropped the starwheel a little, but it smoked more than I liked, so the cone is back in the stock position and I raised the starwheel a bit - even though I lost about 2-3 PSI, the truck "feels" more driveable than before and smokes a lot less. Passed the sniffer test with flying colors, too.

The biggest problem with the stock auto is the converter - it just doesn't allow the power to get to the rear wheels, and it is a fluid coupling only (no lock up). There are several aftermarket converters out there - I have the Hughes and like it. The DTT is regarded as one of the best. I've heard mixed reviews of the TCI.... If you have a good, independent transmission shop in your area that knows Dodge diesel transmissions they can build a very stout unit. Many of the heavier-duty parts from later model trannies will swap into the A518 used in the 1st Gen trucks. I just had a quality rebuild done on mine when we put the Hughes converter in, and added the TransGo TFOD-Diesel shift kit to take care of a few minor "factory" issues (fluid drainback, no circulation in park).

I think you'll love the simplicity of the 1st Gen truck. If not for needing an extended cab or 4-door truck I'd keep mine forever, but it'll be replaced by a later model in the not too distant future.

wannadiesel

The biggest thing to watch for is the body. 4x4's are especially prone to cowl cracks, you can see them if you open the door and stand next to the fender and look down. The cowl cracks are responsible for annoying noises and puddles on the floor. There used to be patch panels available from Dodge, but there have been reports that the left one is hard to find. Check the floorboards, cab corners, and rocker panels for rust. Be especially picky about the roof just above the windshield. They rust from the inside out up there, so any rust is 10x worse than it first appears.

The other problem with 4x4's is cracked steering box braces and/or cracked frame rail by the steering box.

PsRumors

Thanks for the info guys. Are there any prone to failure items like the lift pumps and injector pumps? What setup is on the 12v? Will I be looking at a $500 FASS for preventitive reasons or just to keep the motor fed?

wannadiesel

Nah, our lift pump is driven off the cam. The injector pumps run a good long time, too.
The stuff that breaks is the nickel and dime type stuff any older vehicle will have trouble with.

PsRumors

How about add ons, power equipment, injectors, etc? I see the majority of the offerings are for 94-98 12v. Is there plenty of stuff for the '93s? I want to be able to modify it to 350 to 400 hp, what's that take?

manganos

I had an 03 now I have a 93. I like both about the same I guess. The ride is very harsh in the 93.

wannadiesel

You can see from my sig where mine is HP wise. You can get injectors, exhaust, etc. If you want a clean and easy 400 HP you will find it much easier with the '03. When I bought my truck 3 years ago conventional wisdom said that a 1st gen would never break 300 HP, and still there are not a whole lot of them over that number.

There are not a lot of aftermarket pieces specifically for our trucks available any more.

PsRumors

Those #'s look pretty good. I'd be happy with that.

DBF

Look at my signature. It's 308rwhp/668tq with the stock turbo and a 16cm2 exhaust side. A good turbo setup (next on the list) gets you to 350ish.

Some of the improvements from the stock 160hp/400tq (I got 134rwhp on mine, stock), are free - pump adjustments and so forth. The up-front costs are to make the auto trans couple to the road more efficiently. Oh, yeah, put in the gauges (tach, trans temp, boost, egt) when you get it, so you can track improvements/problems. The gauges will probably show you need additonal transmission cooling at some point; believe them and add a cooler. After that, you can play as time and money permits.

Regards, DBF

serious

Stuff tends to fall apart a lot easier on the older trucks. Most of which are easy fixes, but still anoying if you don't like tinkering with the truck much. I don't mind, so for me it's really no big deal.
Engine hop up parts are not nearly as common or as cheap compared to the newer, more popular trucks.
They do ride really harsh, but once again there are fixes like aftermarket springs/ lifts that will sort of help. Once again you're tinkering. The older ones had weak manual transmissions. The auto doesn't seem to be much better. At least you can rebuild the auto to perform better where as the manual you can only upgrade to the newer nv4500.
Other than that you'll see the truch as either gorgous or just ugly for looks.
Brent

Underpsi

Ive done alot of reading on the Getrag, which is the 5spd that the 1st gens come with and Im convinced that nv4500 just isn't the way to go anymore. It seems to me that the only problem with the getrag is not being setup properly from factory. I love my first gen and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. My dad owns a trucking company and keeps trying to make me get rid of my truck and offers to buy my a brand new one (he can write it off with the company) but I choose to keep my truck and have to pay for everything myself as he can't expense anything for my truck with the company. Persoanlly I think my truck is much more reliable then my dads 05. I don't have any computers to worry about and my truck as been very reliable to me where my dad has had several problems with his 05 when trying to mod it. sorry for getting off topic just letting you know my opinion