Lets hear some good experiences with the "53" block.

I am trying to find a good used 99-01 Dodge Cummins and they all seem to have the 53 block.
Do they all crack?????
I am going to be doing mainly daily driving with some occasional towing (7000#).
Eventually I want a slide in camper also.
Is this going to over load the truck to the point of cracking the block?

What mods can I make without killing this thing.

I really want a truck, but I cannot find one and I am finding it increasingly harder to located one within a 100 mile radius.

Please help and give me your good stories.....I have heard all the horror stories.....

Thanks

 

I was recently looking for a used diesel on the ebay and I avoided buying a 99-01 because of the risk of getting a 53 again.
I opted for a nice 96 12 Valve with under 100k on the clock.

Its not a matter of if one will crack..its when.

 

That is what I am afraid of.......

 

I am about a month away from getting rid of my 53 block. Ordered a new '07 to replace it. My '99 is still strong as an ox, crack and all. It just goes through a lot of water. I may stitch it before too long. I know it won't hold up to what I pull, but it will stop leaking at least. I'll do that right before I unload it.

 

I hope for my sake, and many others, you're wrong on this.

There's almost 360k km on my truck, 53 block, and no cracks. Failure rate seems quite low with these, and there are lots of trucks out there with them. I'll take my chances on it.

 

very few crack compared to the amount of 53 blocks out there. I would only worry about it if it came down to deciding between to trucks, one with a 53 and one without

 

How can you tell if it's a 53 block. Will the VIN have a special number in it or is there another way? Tks

Mike S.

 

does my 1999 ctd have a 53 block?
how do i check?
what and where are these cracks in?????

 

The numbers are most commonly found on the drivers side, right above the oil pan, directly below the injection pump. Cracks are usually on the passenger side, somewhere in the center. Theres a link somewhere on here that has tons of info on it, just hit up the search function.

 

Here is a link to an article telling you all about it and where to look.
http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins...NewInformation

 

Cracks! What cracks? OMG I am freaking out!

Well, no not really. Mine and my Dad's are still good @ 350k+.

 

Most people who own these trucks probably don't hang out on these forums, and as such, probably aren't even aware of the issue. I'd agree with those who say most actually don't crack. I'm increasingly less and less worried about a 53 block-if I were in the market for a 24v, I'd be more worried about the vp44.

 

140,000 53 block and still going strong

 

The Good Thing about my #53 Block was I Got $500.00 For Mine with a 8.5 Inch crack in it!!!!!!

Glad To Get it off my Property....

 

I'd gladly buy one cheap if I were in the market, cracked or not. Especially out of the truck, the crack is not hard to fix.