I have never owned a Dodge truck before, however I think they are a great truck and I am considering the purchase of a 2003 2500 Quad cab diesel.
My problem is identifying the engine. (24v CTD or 24v HO CTD or 12V CTD). I know that the engine is represented by digit 8 on the VIN, but what are the codes for these?

I also would like some advice on which engine I should get.
I regularly tow a 7000 lb holiday trailer in the mountains with 2 ATVs in the back of the truck (total of about 8,500 lbs).

Is there a great advantage to the 24v CTD HO or is the standard 24v CTD sufficient for this ?

 

An '03 12V may be a little hard to find.

 

It appears that I was mistaken about the 12V....thanks so much for the quick response on that issue

Still hoping someone can answer my other questions

 

Hmmmm.........

I believe HO were only available on manual trucks in 03???

I know for sure they didn't put the old 47re that was still in the eraly 03 behind the HO.

Otherwise I'd say read the engine data plate and the horsepower rating will tell you if it's an HO or SO.

You will have zero problem towing that load with either engine.

Good luck.

 

A 2003 has the HPCR (high pressure common rail) fuel system. All CTDs built after 1/1/98 are 24V engines, with the first 24Vs having a VP44 injection pump, and the newer (2003+) models with the HPCR.

If I'm not mistaken almost ALL the 2003 CTDs are "HO" engines. The only non-HO engines are those built to emission specs-- i.e. California emissions models.

The 2003 engine should be a HPCR model rated at 305hp/555 tq.

If it's used and has some miles on it, then there's a good chance that the engine is a real runner, with VERY few problems. Some of the very first production models had leaky injector issue, but those have since been solved.

If it's an auto trans, it may be either the 47RE or the 48RE, with the latter being the new/improved version. Both are OK trannies when taken care of, but they can't handle a lot of HP upgrades before they slip. Generally, adding more than 60hp will endanger your auto trans. The 48RE is stronger and can take more before a trans upgrade is required.

If your looking to tow, I'd recommend you consider the manual transmission models. The 6-speed trans (the New Venture 5600) is VERY VERY strong, and has a good reputation for durability and toughness-- but not for smooth shifting. Aftermarket trans lubes like Redline MTL seem to help the shifting smoothness (they did on mine, at least).

With the weight you are towing, either trans will do just fine, but the manual will give better towing MPG due to the factory torque converter being setup on the loose side (emissions).

Any more questions, feel free to PM me. We're here to help-- at least most of us are.

JLH

 

tool / HOHN:
Thanks for the thoughtful responses, I appreciate it.

I am looking at purchasing and I thought the since I was new to the Dodge CTD, I would check.
I am down to 2 possibilities for my purchase:
1) An 03 Laramie with 27,000 miles with the automatic (47RE). The current owner says that it is a standard 24V CTD (not HO CTD)

2) An 03 SLT with with 87,000 with the 47RE trans. This owner swears that it has the HO CTD and is asking significantly less for the truck because of the higher milage (and obviously not as many bells and whistles as the Laramie)

Judging by your responses I don't think I would need any performance mods for either engine and frankly, I always worry about second-guessing the OEM engineers.

Thanks for the information, I feel confident either truck would work great for me. I think I have what I need to make my decision (all down to price now).


Thanks again !!

 

If the truck has the 47RE tranny then it is definitely NOT an HO. The 47RE's were only mated with the SO engine (I needed the tranny to be automatic when I got my first one and was then informed that the only engine available with it was the SO)

HO's weren't available with an automatic until the 48RE came along.

As stated before just check the engine plate (drivers side of the engine) and it will state the HP rating (305HP for the HO in 2003).

Enjoy whatever you get!

Ken

 

The owner of the second truck you mention, the SLT with a 47re is not being truthfull. There were no HO engines put behind the 47re. To get the HO and an Automatic tranny, you had to wait for the 48re to become available.

I bought my truck in march of 2003. Because there were no Ho's with Automatics out yet, i had to factory order mine. I have one of the first ones made with that combo.

That being said, both engines will suit yout needs, but in my opinion, your gonna want the HO. You certainly want the 48re over the 47re. That there is no argument about.

to see if either engine is the HO version, look on the drivers side of the valve cover, and it should say in clear as day writing....305HP, and 555 Tq

The NON HO, or the SO( Standard Output) is rated at 250 HP, and 4sumthing TQ.The resale value of the HO is higher, so if you are indeed buying a SO, use that as a bargaining tool.

BTW 87,000 miles is not alot...just getting broken in.

Darn!! Convert beat me to it

 

There are SO models out there with the 48re tranny, i have one... To be able to tell if you have a 48re on the SO truck you can first check to see if it is the SO (250/460) or (235/460 i think, emissions truck) and then check the engine build date. If the build date is after Jan 1, 2003 then it will have the 48re. There is also a code you can check in the glove box but i forget the exact code off the top of my head. Also you can take the VIN number to a dealer and tell them to print you off a window sticker copy so you can see exactly what the truck has. Hope this helps.

 

I am reasonably sure that in 03 all the 555ho's were 6 speed.

 

nope, the HO 555's and the SO engines had the 48re also...

 

NOPE!! Read my sig Bud

 

beat ya to it

 

i have a HO with 48re got 2 buddies that have the so with 48re.The HO was not only available with a stick like some have said on here but it was only available with 48re not the 47re.You could end up with 235 -250 -305 hp the glove box has the code for the tranny.The valve cover has the HP # on the drivers side.

 

Told you you'd get all the answers you'd need about diesels over here bdist... lol