Hey guys......im considering buying an '03 Dually.

Going to look at it tommorrow. Its being brought in as a trade for a new Dodge truck.

Truck is currently an '03 DRW quad cab, 126,000 kilometres, its 2WD which is fine for my line of work (interlock/landscaping)

I've been doing some searching here on the site & have noticed theres a big power jump 2004 1/2. Just wondering what the main differences are between them (engine, injection, etc). Did they change the powertrain at all or is it a different tune in the ECM releasing some more power?

The truck will pull my equipment 95% of the time & i was planning to get a programmer on it anyways.

Any tips would be great.

-Carm

 

04.5 had a slightly larger turbo, 3rd injection event, whole different ECM, more emmissions, cat, full 4" exhaust, Electronic wastegate, probably missed a few.

I am glad I have an 03.

Look to see if it an SO or HO, valve cover, drivers side. 250hp or 305hp.

 

JJPage if you dont mind me asking why are you glad?

Are all those things for the 04.5 a bad thing & are they known to fail?

Im going to see the truck tommorrow so i'll check the valvecover....but there is another person waiting for this truck if i dont like it & i need to make my decision tommorrow. The price is right & the truck is apparantly immaculate.

-Carm

 

03's seem to get better MPG. I have 4.10's and I still get 20 overall.

But like JJPage said, look for a HO in stead of SO.

 

The 04.5 is only 25 more hp than mine and that's easy to make up. I drove a couple of 04.5+ trucks before I found my 03 and I didn't think they were enough better to make me want lower mpg, the third injection and a cat. I wouldn't trade my 03 for ANYTHING else. Craig

 

03 = 305/555
04.5=325/600

 

No, they are not nessessarily a bad thing, in fact with mods the newer trucks seem to make easier power. The 03/04 trucks are simple, mechanical wastegate vs electronic, 2 injection events vs 3, less emmissions.

I am not sure if the third injection event, or different injector tips and spray angle, have anything to do with the injection failure rate of the 04.5 yrs +, but they sure do have a high number of failures, compared to the 03/04s.

If this 03 you are looking at is premo, grab it!

Check the top of the fuse box cover, under the hood, for evidence of velcro, see if it may have had a fueling box on it, also look at both sides of the head, under the injection lines on top of the block, for fuel leaks (high pressure box), some moisture is ok and normal, excessive moisture, alot of fuel, is suspect. Watch the exhaust when it starts, for white smoke or long crank time, may indicate injector problems.

Hope this helps, wish I could be there with you, so many things to look for, it is impossible to remember everything. Jess

Edit: one more thing, if it is an SO, TST, Smarty, most programmers make them equal to the HO's, only mechanical difference between the two is, the HO has some type of oil cooling to the skirt of the piston. I would not shy away from the SO.

 

Well thanks for the great tips.....i'll let u guys know what pans out tommorrow

-Carm

 

I have had an 05, 06 and now a 2WD 03.......out of all three it is by far my best rig......the others were 4x4s and maybe that has something to do with it but my 03 pulls my trailer noticebly better then the others......better interior....and the kicker is the fuel mileage.....my other trucks never saw better then 17mpg.......and I am not exagerating.....my 03 hwy no towing is 22mpg hand calculated......19.5 city........and 14.5 towing a 10k trailor if I stay easy on it.....it has almost 140k on it now and runs as new....best truck I have ever had.....if the 03 you are looking at is nice I would snag it....Im still on my stock lift pump with an extra one in the glove box!

Good luck

 

I have an 04 Dually Quad Cab 2wd and love it, I have the smarty programer on it, boost elbow, cold air and 5" stacks and I love it. How much are they asking for it?

 

Thanks guys. put a deposit on the truck today. its an '03 3500-SLT Dually 2wd

Drove it & it has LOTS more bottom end then my '99 or '95......feels like a very strong truck.

It seems a little loud (ticking) at idle & the diesel mechanic at the dealership said it needs an injector or has injector issues......they're going to fix that up under warranty (Diesel powertrain warranty expires in 2010 or 160,000 KM.....has 127,000km currently)

Other than 1 ding on the truck it is MINT. They're going to have the paintless dent removal done on it as well to fix that.

Is there any other issues i should be looking & point out to them while its there (motor wise). I did notice some oil on top of the exhaust manifold....seems to be seeping either from the head or maybe theres some oil ports near it....not sure. They're going to check that as well.

Im excited!

Now......Quadzilla XZT....is this a good bang for the buck box? Truck will tow most of its life

-Carm

 

Before I would start adding power to the truck, I would get some gauges on there, especially if you plan to do alot of towing. These trucks will pull well past there safe limits, and on long, heavy pulls I would be concerned with my EGTs. Also, gauges let you know if something may be wrong, poor boost, or temps in the tranny that are too high. While the quad is a good module, I think most on this website would say the Smarty is king, and the support from Bob and Marco has been outstanding. The biggest issue with the Smarty is the lack of on the fly adjustablity and possibly the computer know how to get the newest downloads off the MADS website. That being said, I have been very pleased with the Smarty's performance, though on a stock trans you may never want to tempt fate past level 3. JMO...

 

I was thinking of the Smarty JR actually....i wont need more then that as i will not be changing turbos/injectors etc....i satisfy the need for speed craving with the car.

Just wondering if the XZT will have similar off the line power as the Smarty Jr.

As for guages, i have a Recon module sitting here that needs to go back to Quad (defective screen) and i'll see if they can exchange the whole thing to something that will work with my '03 to monitor boost/egt/fp....if not i have a whole spare guage set here (phantoms) that will go good with the truck

Also....does anyone know who the HECK makes a leveling kit for a 2003 2WD 3500!!! Everything i see says "will not fit 2wd" ????

Very much appreciated guys!

-Carm

 

Add a quart of 2 cycle oil to your fuel, tcw3 formula, ashless, every tank, tick goes away, CP3 safe.

Congrats on your "03" own it for ever!

 

What is it exactly thats causing it to be loud? Is it the injectors like that mechanic said? And will this 2 stroke oil help once in a while if they end up changing the injector(s) under warranty?

-Carm