hey guys

Im looking at buying a 2nd gen dodge. What are some of the differences in these models? 24v that is. Is one year lifted more, rated for more HP, more options????

Tyler

 

Hey I Know On The 2001 They Came Out With More Horsepower And Tourqe

 

best year depends on who you ask....

what lots of folks agree on is ... if you have a choice, as you are considering which CTD to purchase.
stay away from 98.5 - 2002 24v.

before everyone flames me... lots of folks have gone 200k+ miles trouble free and LOVE their 24v. but loads of folks have been stranded on the side of the road with multiple lift pump failures, which leads to VP44 (fuel inj pump) failures. lots of 24v folks run fuel pressure gauges to monitor health and are very happy with results.

best second gen year is 97... the last full production year for 12v with all the bugs worked out with hydro-boost brakes.

lots of folks will tell you 98 12v is the best year or more accurately 1/2 year. sure you get the nice little doors. you also get lots of unique features for 98 12v. besides a completely new body/interior, engine is slightly different than older 12v.

the dreaded 53 block shows up first on 98 12v. so far I've only seen one person claim a 98 12v 53 block has cracked.

if you want a short bed, then 98 12v is the way to go. personal bias of course, but would only have a longbed!

 

The VP44 is of course the weak link in the 24V trucks. 02 had some good upgrades as well with the rear disc brakes. You just have to find something that is clean and in your price range and have it checked out by someone familiar with these trucks.

 

Not looking to attack your view, but lets be objective. You left something out. I would like to ignore the fact that my 2001 VP44 isnt very robust and may leave me stranded sometime in the future, costing $1200 to fix. But you seemed to leave out the achillies heal of your 12V. The Killer Dowel Pin that has turned good running engines into nothing but scrap in seconds. My friends 98 just exploded on him over the winter. $5600 to replace.

They are all great engines (wouldnt take chance on 53 block though), just either make sure the dowel pin fix is done on a 12V, or put on a fuel gauge on a 24V.

 

totally true!

that's why I followed everyone's warnings and killed my dowel pin. immediately after getting my 97 CTD. took me an afternoon and aprox. $25 for parts.

by the way ... one of my first posts was to ask which truck shall I buy? a super clean 2001 24V or my current 97 12v?

overwhelmingly the answer was to go with the 12valve. now all I'm doing is returning the favor that was given me.

in no way am I saying all 24v CTD are no good. A ton of folks are very happy with their 24v trucks.

just that if given a choice.... as when deciding what to buy. if both trucks are equal condition. a good clean low mileage 12 valve is a better choice.

 

Also, the TST dowel pin kit I bought cost about $60 including shipping. It does take an afternoon to install but its a cheap fix.

 

I love my 24V. I wouldnt trade it for a 12V thats for sure!!!!

 

Something else to think about is bombing the trucks. A nice feature of the 24V is you can get a basic computer tuner for $500 and get a quick 120HP. Best of all if you want to get better than 14MPG all you have to do is turn the box down. 12V people mostly go with fuel plates, which you can't turn down on the fly, obviously. Of course if your right foot isn't made of lead you can still do fine on MPG but the on-the-fly adjustability is awful nice. But then again so if NOT having your injector pump crap out.

That and the 24V is alot louder at idle, which I like!

 

I'm not trying to start anything by this, but have you owned a 12Valve? My 97 with DDP2's, B-1 turbo, homeground 100 fuel plate 3/4 forward, and some other minor stuff, gets 19 mpg with blowing alot of smoke and hotrodding around. It gets better mileage with the bigger injectors than it did stock, and I don't baby it anymore. My father has borrowed the truck a couple times, mind you he drives like a grandpa, and has gotten 23-24 mpg consistently. That's with the truck at fullpower all the time, I'm guessing 400-425 rwhp.

My vote is for the 97 with a 5 speed. But then again I'm bias

 

No I have not owned a 12 valve. I wasn't saying you can't get good mileage with a 12 valve, just that you can quickly change the setting with a few hits of a button with 24V, unlike a 12V

I guess I shouldn't have made the 14MPG comment.

Really it's how you drive it. And to be completely honest, I would rather have a 12V too. I just like good ol' mechanical reliability.

 

A p-pumped 24V seems to be the ultimate then get the P7100 injection pump plus the sound, brakes, interior, and chassis of the 24V trucks. I personally like both of them...you can always plunk a 6BT into a newer second gen in place of the factory ISB but once you buy a 100K mile or more 10+ year old with potential of rust type truck you're stuck with a resto-project on your hands which is much more $$$ than an engine swap.

 

Let’s also not forget that some of the 24 valves had the KDP issues as well. I have owned both types of trucks. Im a 12 valve guy! Oh and you can adjust your fueling on the fly in a 12 valve truck its called a valet switch.

 

I have a 97 12v 5sp and love it. It has the dreaded 53 block with 225K miles on it and still running strong. I got my fingers crossed.

...And of course I've got to say the 97 12V from a salt free state is the BEST truck to have.

I can't take credit for picking it though. I picked it by dumb luck. A co-woker who is a TDR member suggested I look into a Cummins. So I bought it on EBay from Texas 4 years ago and had it shipped sight unseen and then became a TDR member. My first diesel. I guess I should buy a lotto ticket some day...nah...never have...never will.

 

whoaa... a confirmed 53 block in a 97 12v... didn't think they started using 53 blocks until 98... failures are sooo rare in 98, it's not even an issue. so far only one person has reported a cracked 53 on a 98.

odds are you've got a really late 97 with same engine as 98. don't think that's cracking anytime soon. if ever..