sotex

i have been noticing on some posts regarding year of truck ie o4.5 instesd of just 04 is ther any difference first halfe of 04 or last half 04 with trucks ie motor drive line?sotex

madhat

In Jan of 04, Dodge came out with the 325/610 motors. (these are the 04.5's) Other differences were a cat and electronic wastegate. I believe that the pistons are different also, but I can't remember.

sotex

thanks so i am to under stand that the month of production has nothing to do with any thing .outher than jan o4 meaning motor mods =04.5 .sotex

dieselJon

No, check the HP ratings. Any truck made in Jan and beyond had the 325/610 rating.

Also, dont the 04.5's have the 5 injection event? Or 3?....

madhat

I believe all common rails(03+) have the third injection events.

As long as it is after Jan 04, it is an 04.5.

sotex

325 horse i got whats 610 mean

carl48

a huge difference in 04.4 and 04.5 engines. the 04.5 has the third injection event, in cylinder egr, he351 turbo, very black oil. poor fuel mileage. different pistons 4" exhaust and several other things. the 04.5 to 07.4 are the same and requires a lot of work including a cam and nozzle change to correct.

dieselJon

610 is the torque pounds number. 325hp/610 ft lbs

6cylinders

Can you tell by looking at the Vin # if it's a 04 or 04.5 ?
Like if you were looking at trucks on Autotrader or something.

madhat

I think you can, but you need a vin decoder, and I don't have a link for it.

I know it does not help you, but the sticker inside the drivers door will give the build date, and the info sticker on the valve cover will give the hp/tq rating.

Pirate

Correct me if wrong but didn't the '04.5 also have rear disc brakes while prior model years had rear drum? A few other changes besides the engine.

6cylinders

Pirate I know that relates to 01 - 01.5, I assumed rear disc brakes came on all 2500's after 01.5 ?

Pirate

Thanks for keeping the information correct, for some reason I always thought that change took place in '04. I went from a '99 to an '07.5 and no experience with any other model years.

sotex

thanks . is any one of these a more desireble motor or year model.or all about same.fore me its about dependability.sotex

madhat

Well, the 04.5's and up respond a lot better to programmers, but the 03/04's get better mileage.

I'm really partial to the 04.5's and up. I've had a 1st gen and this one, I love this one.

It depends on what you want. If you want a smooth daily driver and something to pull medium with, a 03/early 04 is your best bet. If you ever think think that you want to bomb it, get an 04.5 and up.

If it were me, I'd look for an early 07 if you can afford it. Get the last of the 5.9's. That's just me.