Newman,

Can I ask why you didn't just opt for a brand new 07, with $20k i'm sure your interest would be alot lower and then you wouldn't have had to deal with any of these headaches ? After hearing about all your findings, i'd be returning the truck back for a refund...lift/wheels or NOT!

-V

 

Impulse buy I guess, we looked at new trucks and the wife was like hell no, you can buy a truck but for about 6-8 grand less than a new one so thats what we ended up doing. Troubles yes, but I can overcome and conquer, my wife can be a beast when she gets ******. I know these trucks are a dime a dozen with lifts etc but again, impulse buy. . . .

 

I have found on mine the air filter never lasts as long as Dodge expects it to..

I have taken to replacing mine at every oil change (7500 miles). If you buy them from Geno's they are pretty cheap (~$12) and I did some rough calcs a while back that justified swapping them every 7500 miles based upon how many MPG I was losing late in filter life..

I also change the fuel filter every 15k and flip the drain on the fuel filter canister every fill-up..

Regards,

Bryan

PS my oil looks black 100 miles after a change..

 

As far as MPG goes. The larger tires affect the odometer/ speedometer. So, the mileage you use to hand calculate your MPG is off. The larger tire rotates less often over the same distance as the stock tire. Also the truck sits higher with the lift creating more air resistance, as well as allowing more air to flow under the vehicle (where all the uneven surfaces are) and that creates more turbulance also creating more drag. Point is your vehicle is lifted with larger diameter tires- you shouldn't compare your MPG to non-lifted vehicles.

Get the speedometer corrected for the tire size, then hand calculate your MPG. There will be a happy ending.

P.S. The rig looks SWEEEEET!

 

Don't sweat the Black oil. The oil in my '07 is Black about 5 minutes after an oil change. Its the way the newer diesels are.

 

Thank you for all the compliments guys, I appreciate it. I realized that when I bought the truck that my MPG wouldn't be all that great, but since changing the air filter my mpg has gone up a few points, I am going to fuel up today and calc the mpg.

Thanx again

 

But you can't trust your odometer 'cause of the big tires. Use your GPS for distance.

Peter

 

37" tires equals 10-11mpg, trust me!!!

 

Nice truck! I personally think you'll love it once you get past these few items. I wouldnt think that it was beaten hard just because of the air filter. A mechanic's inspection might give peace of mind...but I wouldnt worry. At 26k miles, unless this thing was used in the Baja, I think you still have a great truck that will last quite some time.

Same here on the black oil. My 06 is black before I check it on the next fillup. Old 96 did the same thing. Maybe just a Cummins thing...

 

I was never really worried about its reliability, I am quite happy with the truck, pulled my Jeep Grand Cherokee with it last weekend and was quite impressed with its pulling capability. I have a 3/4 ton GMC (gasser) at work I use to pull it with and its a night and day difference. One of my friends has an older Ford Powerchoke and he was like my truck can pull better, its funny as he was following me he couldn't keep up on the hills.

Btw with my truck how it is, I needed a 12" drop, I bought a Pintle hook ball hitch that is cabable of towing some 16k lbs and has a total of 13" of drop, but thankfuly I didn't need all of that drop.

Next step, Goose neck. . . .

 

Good. I was actually worried about my oil because of that. It reminds me of the Hummers that I've delt with over here.

 

I have an 07 5.9 with no lift and 315's. I drive lots of stop and go and get an average of 12-14 mpg. If I drive all hwy it picks up a good bit (17-18). I have a BD system on mine, but that is it.

 

Thats good to know, we drive with a pretty light foot with the exception of the occasional turd that comes hauling *** up on our tail gate at which point I hit the throttle and well you know the rest. I always keep it under 2k revs and on the freeway when the spedo says 70 I'm at about 1875 RPM's.

Thanx