HI,

I'm new to the forum and to diesel trucks in general. I'm looking to buy a 2nd gen Ram 2500 4x4 with the venerable I6 Cummins turbo diesel. I don't plan on pulling anything regularly but want a truck I can use for work and light off-roading that will last for years. I will also probably put a lot of highway miles on it since I live 40 miles from my job. A buddy of mine who owns an '01 says I should get a manual transmission because they're more durable and better on mileage. However, most of the trucks I've found for sale are autos.

Should I steer clear of the autos? If I get one, what kind of reliability and mpg can I expect? How often will I need to have the tranny serviced or replaced? Would it be hard to do myself?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

if u come on this site alot and get the horspower bug u wil be puttin power adders on it guaranteed. it al depends wat u wil be using it for. but if i could do it over i woulda bought a auto and put a performance trans in it and i woulda been good to go. now if your stayin stock, and the truck has low miles, u should be ok on either style of transmission.. a manual wil be slower if u ever drag race but wil do great pullin.. i just get tired of shiftin al the time.. but thats just my opinion.. just remember if u buy a truck with higher miles, things wil tend to go out, i know that for a fact as ive replaced a few things already.. but all in all these are great great trucks!! the only REAL truck on the road.

 

Just my $0.02, I would stay away from the Automatics, if it ever goes out, you can't just put a couple of grand into it to make it "right" you need to spend the big cheese to get anything that will last, apparently nobody but a few listed on this site know how to build one right, and that is going to cost ya, to me a couple grand is normal, but to get one to last it is double that. Other than an old Acura V6 Automatic, I have never seen an automatic give such problems, and be so sensitive to ANYTHING. Think about it, why are you finding more autos for sale?

Please NO HATERS, JMHO about what I have read and been through with my first Ddge EVER, and definatley my last automatic behind a Cummings.

Lvnsmoke....ya wanna do some trading

MF

 

I like the manuals. Cheaper to maintain, repair and very durable. Autos are great once they are built, but suck stock. Drag racing is where the autos shine. Unless you are doing that with the truck on a regular basis, I'd go stick.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. Man, I was thinking I could spend $1-1.5k on an old auto to get it up to par, but apparently I was WAY off. I wish I could find more manuals, but everything for sale around here (Phoenix area) seems to be auto. I've only been looking for a couple of weeks though, mostly on Craigslist and Autotrader.

 

Go manual and dont look back. I bought my 03 6speed first and loved it, found my 98 and wanted a stick shift but bought it anyway. I like the truck but hate the tranny. Just keep lookin and you will find a stick if you really want one and if you dont like it I will make the drive from Tx and we can swapp'em out.

 

I love my auto (rebuilt right before I bought it, $2600), but would have prefered manual. In a used truck, you don't always have endless choices.
I don't think any of the 3 big manufacturers made as many manual transmission trucks as they did auto's, and the market reflects that. There are more autos because they made many more of then.

 

True enough Hodge. There were many more autos out there. They are Ok if your not pulling, & not hot rodding. If just driving around, and not putting in power adders you will be OK with an auto. I have a manual as I don't like auto transmissions for pulling trailers. That's what I bought my truck for. If you want a manual, just keep looking. They come up for sale often enough.

 

Whoa, Kadena AFB! I spent a few dets there back in my Navy days. Awesome buffet at the officer's club on Sundays. Not to mention the kobe beef at the Four Seasons. Mmmm....

Are you saying you can take an auto truck and install a manual tranny?

 

If you are not going to hotrod, mod, or tow heavy, they should be OK. There are ccertainly lots of people who can work on them. I think the $4k is for a hotrod setup, but I could be wrong.
Hold out for the manual, if you can. One will come around. The NV5600 may be a bit better, especially for towing. It came with the HO in 01, 02.
Good luck!

 

My hotroddin' days are over :P I don't plan on towing much either, but I'm leaning strongly towards the manual. I'll be patient and keep my eyes open for one. I've only been looking for a couple weeks now anyways. Thanks everyone.

Maybe you can point me to some engine mods I can use to improve the Cummins' efficiency and mileage.

 

The officers club does have a good brunch on Sunday. I dont care for four seasons enough to pay there prices for kobe but the comissary caries it too so I just bring it home and grill it myself. We really like Try Vikings down past Lester or King Kong straight out gate 2. Yes you can swapp manual to auto or vice versa but it would be much better to find what you want. I will swapp my auto for a stick one day but I gotta get off this island first. We were stationed at Luke before we came out here and I got my 98 out there.

 

The first thing I would get is an FP Gauge. The lift pumps on these are marginal at best. Airtex makes an OEM replacement that seems to do better.
I would carry one as a spare. Other gauges that are helpful are boost & pyro.
Many do Air box and 4" exhast. On stock emgines, the gains here are minimal.
There are some chips that help some with mileage and slight HP gain. Edge makes one, and there is a similar product from another Man., do not recall the name off hand.

 

I found a truck I like alot, but it's an automatic. I'm not 100% sure I want to go with an auto, but it looks like a good truck anyways. Here's the description:

1998 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie SLT, 5.9L 24 valve turbo diesel, extended cab, 4 door, automatic transmission, tow package, 83,000 miles. Actually, take a look at it here http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/1245308819.html I confirmed via email that it is a 4x4.

I'm gonna take a look at it today. I don't plan on towing or racing, so that should keep the transmission healthier for longer. This should be a 47RE right? I will crawl under it and take a look to be sure. What kind of mileage can I expect out of this truck? Can I put mods on it to improve mileage that won't destroy the tranny?

 

I'd expect in the 16 - 18 mpg range if it's unmodified. Also, depending on how the owner treated it during it's 83,000 mile life, you may end up having to rebuild the transmission. You might ask what gearing it has--I think the 4.10 gears are a little easier on the tranny than the 3.55, all other things being equal.

You can definitely do a few things to improve power, mileage and overall driveability without the risk of trashing the tranny. A simple box like the Edge EZ would be good--it advances injection timing as well as bumps up the fueling a bit. Replacing the restrictive stock muffler with a straight-through type muffler (or a piece of straight pipe like the muffler eliminator kit sold at genosgarage.com) would also be a good thing, along with a low restriction intake.

I definitely agree with supr on the fuel pressure gauge--the lift pump on these 24 valve engines is extremely poorly implemented by Dodge, and when it fails your injection pump ($$$) will soon follow. I ripped my lift pump out and installed one of the early FASS pumps. Mine's been extremely reliable, but there are others out there that people are equally happy with.

In addition to the fuel pressure gauge, I'd also get a transmission temp. gauge and install the sender in the output line that goes forward to the cooler. I'd also spend a couple hundred dollars and replace the stock tranny pan with a Mag-Hytec double-deep pan. The extra fluid capacity and cooling will help out a lot.

Good luck,
Mike