when considering to buy a 2001 Ram 2500 Truck 4X4, 24 valve, extended cab with 8' box, SLT? Truck has 90K miles, price is $17,800. Truck is near pefect shape on outside, engine is clean, brakes and tires are nearly new. i;m newbie here and to diesel ownership. Any help much appreciated.

 

1. Fuel Pressure
2. Fuel Pressure
3. Front end components
4. 53 block -See this page for info http://www.stamey.nu/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm
5. Fuel Pressure

That's all that comes to mind

 

FP
Ball joints
Track bar
Brakes
Lift pump
53 block
Steering
Trans
tailgate actuator fluid


Justin

 

Should a 53 block be a deal breaker? or is this just good to know.

 

I vote deal breaker. Odds are it is going to crack. I have had two friends with that block, both went....

 

Most of the 99-2000 trucks out there have 53 blocks. Only a small percentage of them crack. Not to sat that it is not a problem. I would say it is not necessarialy a deal breaker, but think hard about the rest of the truck before you buy one with a 53. If the rest of the truck is PERFECT and EXCATLY what you want, I would say go with your gut.

 

- all of the above listed items, plus the exhaust manifold (look for cracks)
Look for diesel in the engine oil
Check acceleration - should be smooth and strong, no "dead pedal" ranges in the RPM
TC lock-up, disengagement
4WD, high and low range engagement; Try a sharp turn in 4-Lo, the truck should "waddle" thru the turn - listen for grinding sounds
Check the bottom of the door jambs for rust or signs of being painted over, and check the door hinges for cracks if you see either.
Batteries...remember, you need to replace TWO if either / both are bad
Signs of previous performance mods - the only obvious one I can think of would be strap marks on the PDB cover (mine had the stripes, and I had no idea what they were!) or tampering with the VP44
Vehicle history thru the dealer by VIN #

Keep us posted!

Rauschbo

 

Check A/C, make sure that it doesnt have leak detector in it. If it does say away.

 

Very helpful info! I will let you all know how it goes on Friday.

 

I concur....

One member here (Haulin in Dixie) had TWO 53's crack on him. Look for another truck.

 

Keep us posted!

Rauschbo[/QUOTE]

Well i checked everything you all told me to and even took the time to take it to a Diesal performance shop--a BIG shout out to Zimme's Automotive in Lebabon , PA--these guys were great and with no appointment and no charge give the truck a good going over. Guess what we found. Dead lift pump and dead injector pump (which explains the sluggish response and dead petal at 2000rpms).

The good news is that i had not yet bought the truck and that it still has 3-months under warranty. The dealer is dropping new pumps in next week!

My question is if everything else checked-out and truck is all around very tight, is there anything else to be concerned about? Price is coming in at $17.3k.

Also a big thanks to everyone here for all the great advice. At a minimum you saved me $2 grand, maybe more.

 

truck is a 2001.5 and the guy at the shop said that he had not seen a 53 in a 2001.5.

 

what is a 53 block?

i couldn't get the link to work for me.

 

01.5....good deal, disc brakes in the back. I find them a great improvement over the drums although alot of the rust belt guys find them a pain. Being both pumps are dead it's a good deal they are doing the pumps. They will be putting the in tank lift pump in and that piece has been met with more than a few bad reviews. I've installed several and haven't seen any issues, but personally I'm wasn't really comfortable with the psi they use on my mildly modded truck.

 

If its running better with the new injection pump and lift pump, then I'd buy it. That's a very reasonable price for the truck you described, especially with the new pumps
-Drew