Hi, I'm new to the forum, I'm thinking of buying a 2003 2500 diesel to pull an 8000 lb. race car trailer. I'm going to try to find one with a mileage of 100k-150k to save myself some money at purchase and since I'll probably only put 8k or so miles a year on it myself. I've never really owned a large truck/diesel before or done any serious towing.

I'm looking for any advice on this such as: Are there some problem areas I should look for or be aware of? Am I right in thinking the truck should run many many more thousands of miles with good regular maintenance? How do the transmissions/driveline hold up with this many miles? Do any of you have these with high mileage and how are they holding up? Are there any options related to towing I should look for?

Thanks!

 

The 03's came with an S.O and an H.O. They also came with two different tranny's, depending on the build date. The units built later in the year came with 48re's. That is the one you want if going the auto route. The 6 spd is t
the better option though.
Oh ya, welcome aboard. Lots of info here.

 

First, welcome! You will find lots of friendly people here.

03's had a few minor issues. There was an updated power steering hose to the hydrobooster to cure a vibration issue, some had alternator brackets that cracked, and there were a few threads about some trucks that had bad/improperly installed door seals.

As long as you get something that's been well maintained and not abused, I would think you could find a truck in the milage range you are looking at that would serve you well for many years.

As far as towing options, the flip out towing mirrors are nice, the tow package (prewired for brake controller, and with a factory receiver hitch) would be nice. I personally also prefer a stick shift for towing.

Edit: Good point above about the HO/SO. In early 03 the High Output only came with a stick, until the introduction of the stronger 48RE automatic...

 

You can get a high mileage 2003 for cheap. Look on Ebay.

 

Even though I'm a complete believer in stick shifts, especially in cars, I'm going to have to go with an automatic in this case. How would I be able to tell if it has the 48RE or the older tranny?

 

This question was asked and answered in another post...I just don't remember which one. But there is way to tell.

 

go with a manual tranny for towing, unless you plan on upgrading your auto tranny and TC

 

8000 pounds aint nothing for the auto.You need to look at the build date on the drivers door if its in jan of 2003 or later it should be the 48RE.There is also a sticker in the glove box DG8 =48RE. Look on the left side of valve cover there is a sticker that will say the HP 305 =HO 250= SO.The HO has the 48re for sure.

 

I was in your shoes about 6 weeks ago and bought an '03 2500 and have fallen in love with it ever since. The reasons I picked and '03 model year is because they do not have a CAT equipped, nor do they have the 3rd injection event (I think it's called) which are both emissions devices, in your case this works out for the better. I ended up getting the HO engine for that extra "ump" of power. If your going to be pulling a race car, I'd recommend you going with the HO as well.

To tell if a truck has the stronger 48RE trans, first off the HO engine was introduced half way through the '03 production year. All HO engines had the 48RE trans. The SO engine also had the 48RE during the second half of the 03 model year. To see for yourself if a truck you are looking at has an HO or SO engine, look under the hood on the driver side of the valve cover. You will see a sticker (engine data tag) with a bunch of information on it. Look for the HP rating which will either be 305 (HO) or 250 (SO). If you choose to go with the SO engine a way too see if the truck has the 48RE is to look in the glove box. In there you will see a sticker (glovebox data tag). Look for where it says trans code and the code for the 48RE is DG8. Hope this helps.

If anyone sees an error in my response, please feel free to chime in.


(Shout out to my man Blast Chamber for helping me out when I was looking for my truck)

 

Actually, not to pick nits, but the HO was available at the beginning of the 03 model year (I have one), but at the time I ordered it could only be had with the stick shift.

Mid-way through 03 and the 48RE replaced the 47RE, and then an auto could be had with the HO.

Early 04 HOs also will not have the cat or extra injection event. In 04.5 they switched to the 50 state 600, which have a cat...

 

one way is to look at the engine id tag on the right side of the valvecover. If it states 305 hp (H.O. ) it will have the 48re. The S.O. will say a lesser horpower rating and will have the 47. Another way is to look in the glove box at the build tag. If it states a 11.5 rear axle it will also have the 48re. S.O trucks with the 47re had a 10.5 rear.
You could also get the vin and call your local dodge dealer and ask them for a spec and history sheet on the truck. They'll be able to tell you as well.

 

This truck laughs at 8000lbs.

Cracked alternator bracket, vibrating ps hose, and false flashing Check Engine light. All documented in various TSBs . Since the basic warranty has expired, expect to pay for these yourself. Other general weaknesses include lift pumps and driveline u-joints.

The only real problem I've had so far is backing a trailer at night and not having enough light to see where its going. Pretty easy solution to add rear fog lamps.

 

There were SOs made with the 48re once they 47re's were all used up..... My 03 3500 SO/47re had the 11.5 rear too......

 

My 03 has the 10.5 rear and always thought it had the 47re...Now I'm confused because I looked in the glove box and saw that it has 2 Transmission codes? The first one under the Trim Code says: Description: Transmission-4-Speed A and the Code: DG8(looks like DGB) and the second code: Transmission 4-Spd .Au Code: DGP? What does this all mean?

 

VaultRam, welcome to the forum!

Either automatic will have the DG8 code. The DGP code means 47re, and DGA means 48re.

Standard output trucks built in early 2003 first had the 47re, but when DC ran out of them they started using the 48re (mine was built in March '03 and has the 48re). Your build date is on the driver's door data tag.