I own a 2001 2500 5 speed. I replaced the IP & LP and a set of batteries @ 200k and thats it! I guess its time to change the gear box, diff, coolant etc . And, I would get in the truck and drive from Waco to the Yukon in a drop of a hat. Its stone reliable.
I just read about that 2001 3500 6 speed thatr has 1.7 million. The article stated he runs custom injectors, stock IP and a programmer. I would like to kniow erxactly which combo he's running....just out of curiosity. It does say he runs synthetic everywhere and changes them every year....except engine oil, which he changes every 10k. How many duromaxims and powerlesstrokes have that many miles and are still pulling down the road as we read and type?? What amazes me most is how the trucks that have ultra high mileage are still being used daily to deilver loads. I wander how long the VP powred CTD will go before it spins a bearing???? Since the driver runs Rotella synthetic the bearings will proly last for another 500k!! Simply amazing, but not really, because thats what these engines are designed to do.

 

I have an 01' six speed, and so far so good @ 115K miles. I can only hope for 1.7 million miles. I believe the drivetrain would make it, but not the Dodge wrapper.

 

Supposedly my Dad's 1980 Mercedes 300SD went over a million miles on the stock motor. The Cummins 5.9 is modeled after the 5 cylinder MB 3.0 liter.

Great engine!

 

I just replaced the original 47re in my 02 CTD around 202k miles. The original trans decided one day to violently die driving down the highway. Hopefully I'll get another 200K out of my new trans.

My truck is 10 yrs old now w/ 208k miles on it and the driver side cab corner is starting to rot and same with the bottom edge of the tailgate. I keep it very clean but all the dodge trucks i've owned eventually rot.

 

So, youre saying that the 5.9 Cummins was designed after a Mercedes engine??? I thought Cummins has been making the in-line 6's since the 1930's? Ive been reading and studying diesels for 10 years and I have never read anything abourt the Cummins replicating another engine....just other engines copying Cummins...Im not saying you dont know what ur talking about though...just really interesting.

 

The Cummins 5.9 is a big tryuck engine, exactly, just scaled down. True, the Mercedes engine helped engineers see what works and what don't work in extreme mileage situations, but the 5.9 is a minature big rig engine.

 

It was designed to a set of spec's for Case for use in construction equipment. It had millions of hours logged proving itself in applications where it could see full load around the clock for weeks on end long before Jack Rousch shoehorned one into an 88.

 

325k and counting. tranny and ip replaced. Swapped the front axle due to rotor issues but other than that the axle is solid. original ball joints in the axle.