I'm looking at a '96 Ram 2500, 5.9L 5spd, regular cab, long bed. Does anyone have any reccomendations as to what sort of things to look for when I'm inspecting the truck? Any trouble spots to check out? Thanks!

 

Aide from all the normal things you would look at in a 10 year old truck..

KDP been cured?
Timing case intact?
Oil leaks?
5th gear been fixed and if so, how?
Any unusual noise while driving in 5th gear?
Does 4WD, if equipped, work? Any unusual noises from front end?
Steering slop? Can you see movement in the track bar, TREs, or ball joints when someone turns the steering wheel back and forth?
Heater vents work properly?
Cruise control work properly?
Does the truck need to pass emissions?

 

Thanks for the info, scramblinman. I do find myself a bit lost, though- can you point me in the direction of a general FAQ? The 'FAQ' link at the top seems to just be about forum-technical stuff, not trucks. It'd be greatly appreciated. I search for 'KDP' and mostly got references to it, but I didn't find an explanation. I'm sure I'll have many questions like this one in the future, and an FAQ would be very helpful.

Thanks again,
Ned

 

The KDP is a dowell pin in the timing gear case that can fall out, causin major damadge, most of us have put a tab over ours to prevent it from backing out. It is an easy fix if you get a truck that has not been done. Plus it allows you to go ahead and replace the front seal, which has somewhat of a tendancy to leak.

If the timing case is cracked, it is a sign of damadge from a KDP that came out and fell into the timing gears, and is obviously not good.