riffman

Hey Guys...been a LONG dam time since i posted on here. I'm looking at getting back into the world of diesels. At this point its actually cheaper per mile for the things i do w\ my current pickup to have a diesel than it is to have my current gasser. Even if diesel were 1.50 more than the current gas price, it would be breaking even....crazy.

Anyway, I'm looking at an 04 (yay for fuel mileage) 2500 QC 4x4. I was wondering if you guys could tell me some of the tell tale things to look for on it? Its got 75,000 miles on it.

Thanks for any help you can give!

mikmaze

if it is early enough of an 04 you can get great mileage out of them, think that was the last chance at the 305 hp motor., a quick look at the "valve cover" drivers side will have a sticker with the rated output, 305 will get you way better mpg than the newer 325 rated motors.

riffman

did they change vin number between the 305 and 325? Its a C vin, which I know is better than the 6 vin (265hp?).

mikmaze

vin schmin. so easy to pop the hood and look at the sticker on the motor, no guesswork, no codes, bam, black and white.

riffman

haha..yeah, i just was curious in case this one doesn't work out, so i can triage the trucks i go look at.

D45

Early '04 305/555 motor=no catalytic converter

I am very happy and very pleased with my 04' 305/555 truck......

pcgym

I just bought my 2nd 305... was stupid to sell the 1st one

iaddiesel

Unless you need it for work or something, then look for one that resembles a vw diesel and gets 50 miles per gallon.

riffman

man, i'd love to talk my wife into a TDI for her dd, but for me...well, they don't pull trailers so well. Nothing for work, just recreation and work around the house.

So other than verifying that it isn't a plow truck, what else should I look for? Check for any specific leak spots on thet tranny or anything? do these still have the Wobble of Death or something like that? So should I check on the track bar bushings and that kind of thing?

tslewisz

I guess I'm not really experienced enough to give you a checklist specific to Dodge/Cummins trucks. I'd just go over it just like any other used vehicle. However, if you want another pair of eyes, or want a 40k mile '05 to compare against, let me know.

(see my location)

MtnDodge

Can't tell you specific things to look for but can answer one question and give you one piece of advice. First- spend the extra money if you are really interested in this truck- and aren't sure what to look for- and have a reliable diesel mechanic give it the once over. It will save you money and grief in the long run. Second- the Death Wobble is a fact of life with all of the big Dodge's- gas and diesel. Some will never experience it and those of us that have hope to never do it again. There are things to check- but you'll have to keep those things in good repair anyway no matter what so it isn't really a flaw in the truck. It's a flaw in the front end design.

Good luck- hope it works out for you!

rjjr

Check the transmission fluid for antifreeze and check the antifreeze for transmission fluid. I learned the hard way, 3K mistake.............

riffman

yeouch, that does sound like it would be a big problem!!!

Well, I looked at it tonight. Was a farmers truck before he traded it on a ford. It had some dings...mostly on the tailgate from a gooseneck (B&M turnover ball) that was too low, it looked like. Was actually in pretty good shape, and it drove very well. It was, however, a 325. I drove it for about 30 miles mixed, and averaged 20.4 on the overhead. So how far are those off by???

Anyway, the dealer tried bending me over on my trade (i guess gasser pickups aren't worth crap anymore...) so I walked away. Probably best as there were some other things that needed attention as well.

Guess its back to the searching!

Floridacracker

all i know is that farmers are hard on their trucks, they are for work only

03RAMBUNCTIOUS

YEA i bought one of those trucks.... she is working out for the most part though.