Just as a comparrison : How do you guys like the 3rd generation compared to the 2nd generation ? Do you think the AAM axles are as strong as the Dana, that's the only hesitation I have on upgrading to an 03' or newer !!

 

I like some things about the 3rd gen better. Some dislikes:

paint -- dark colors scratch way, way to easy. IMO easier than the last gen

sheet metal -- should be #1, 2, and 3 complaint. just leaning against the thing can cause a dent/ripple, especially above the rear fender wells.

seats -- plenty of info on the poor seats on all of the dodge forum sites.

cat -- i hate cats on gas engines, hate them even more on diesels. way too much particulate matter in diesel exhaust. you cannot tell me that these are not slowly clogging up.

Good things

I like the styling more (now)

the 4x4's steering is much improved

brakes are much better

you can get a 3500srw now

the auto seems to be holding up well


I am sure that there are more, but supper is calling my name. good luck, you're gonna love it

 

oh, about the AAM axles......

have not heard any complaints other than a few regarding the limited slip.... they look absolutely huge when viewed from the rear

 

The AAM is a HUGE axle, took the cover off to change the fluid. Its way bigger than what was in my SuperDuty.

 

An alarming number of people have gear whine from the 11.5" AAM. Dodge has had so many complaints and repairs that they now require STAR to approve any repairs. When I took my truck in for repairs, the dealer agreed there is a problem, but STAR refused the repair and stated; "... heavy duty trucks are work trucks and should be expected to make heavy duty truck noises."

My rear axle makes so much noise at 50-55 mph, the sound from the rear axle is significantly louder than the engine and turbo whistle. I removed the axle cover myself, and I've never seen such a poor gear pattern from a factory assembled unit. Every few hundred miles I remove the fill plug and clean the magnet, which has accumulated enough debris to cover the exposed head nearly 1/8" thick. I have just over 7,000 miles.

I think the AAM axles are junk, and this truck will be my last dodge.

 

Before I bought my low mileage '02, I drove the '04 and all-in-all the '02 just overall felt better. The 5 spd felt better, the 6spd it seemed difficult to find the gears, I like the rattle/noise of '02 CTD, compared to the quietness of the '04. My Bro. has an 04.5 and the only thing on his that I like is the 4 doors. I don't like the "PLASTIC" lookin dash. As mentioned earlier about the sheet metal, my '02 just sounds more structually sound then my bro's, ex. when closing the doors between the 2, mine sounds like a "TANK" were my bro's sounds like a "ALUMINUM CAN." Just my $.02

P.S. I hope I didn't hurt anybodies feelin's, the 3rd gen. are nice trucks!

 

I have had first gen, second gen and now a third gen truck. I am a fan of the AAM axle, especially if you want the limited slip version. I could never get reliable performance out of the Dana's. The limited slip in the AAM's is much more predictable. I agree with the posts above, the biggest improvement is that the brakes hold up and the steering actually works, this is the first Dodge I have had that goes exactly where you point it. I have no complaints about the seats. The sheetmetal is easy to dent.

I service my differentials every 15K miles and have not had any unusual wear. I have no whine, no chatter and no complaints.

I am probably in the minority, but I do like the looks of the 2nd gen trucks better.

 

the newer rear axles are JUNK... mine has only 3.2K miles and I think it is already making a WINDING noise of some sort!!! what is up with this!!!

a heavy duty truck making loud noises.....now that is edited

STAR =

seems like the more i read the more i want or NEED to trade my 04.5 CTD DRW QC in for a 6.0L PSD DRW CC...

dang it!!!


edited by moderator for unnecessary language

 

I miss the Dana 80,I am not sure yet about the AAM axle,seems to have its share of problems.
I was much more comfy in my 2000 compared to the 2004,it was a real BEAST and a pleasure to drive,I am still getting use to this truck,Dodge has some explaining to do with these seats I think.
The brakes are far superior on the new truck compared to the 2000 I had.
Sheet metal will bend leaning against it,my 2000 was much thicker.

 

nicholashang87, it does indeed look like you should probably trade it in on a ford with a 6.0 powerstroke. If I were you, that's probably exactly what I'd do.

 

"nicholashang87, it does indeed look like you should probably trade it in on a ford with a 6.0 powerstroke. If I were you, that's probably exactly what I'd do."

Yeah thats exactly what I would do

 

I've never had any problems with dana limited slips my work perfect in my 01

 

i've had a 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen

wifes '03 seems to do everything a little better than my '01 ... braking and handling are much better though ...

aam has a MUCH better limited slip ... no clutches no special fluid

dana 80's came with a screwed up clutch pack (trac-loc)

instead of the clutch packs in the dana 70 (powr-lock)whichh had a clutch-plate-c-p-c set up

the 80's had a c-c-p-c-p-cc set up which allowed much more slip...

that's the reason you find so many adament dana ls opinions

guys that had 80's (and actually needed the ls) hated 'em

guys like me with the 70's and powr-lock love 'em

do a search on here and tdr and you will find tons of unhappy 80 owners

one fix was to get a cluch pack from the dealer and do a c-p-c-p-c-p-c repack yourself ... which a good freind did ... didn't help much ... he recently took out the clutches and lincoln locked it

for the first time in 3 years he's finally happy with his ls

most specs for the dana's and aam's are so close that there is no practical difference

the local dealer sells alot of trucks to the oil and gas industry and the guys in the shop say that they had to work on the dana's a lot more than the "new axles"

nicholashang87 the best thing you could do is go buy a ford ... i've heard lots of good things about the 6.0

 

I have had both too. 2nd gen had better seats and the engine sounded like it should. Almost everything else was improved on for the 3rd generation especially the cab strengh and fit. If I could make the truck better I would install 2nd gen seats and rid the common rail and injectors combo. This has been a nightmare on these trucks and I don't see longevity in this system without spending money on injectors.

 

Looks to me like I'm leaning toward the 03'. I did like the noise of my old 98.5. I kick myself everyday for getting rid of my 98.5. it was a dreaded"53" block engine and I didn't want to gamble with a cracked or not cracked block. Thanks for everybody's imput !!! Chip