Hello,

I'm looking at getting a 2006 Dodge 2500 or 3500 Diesel Megacab with the 6spd manual.
I want the most reliable truck possible. From my research the 5.9L w 6spd seems pretty bullet proof.

Any advice on what I should pay close attention to when buying a used one?

I know to avoid the auto tranny.

I've also been looking at a 07 Duramax...But I told myself I'd never buy a Chev.

Thanks

 

we have several 06's in our fleet. in my opinion the 06 is the best. watch for the obvious, no K&N air filter or signs of a hotrod owning it. there is a few things you need to do to it first the dual mass flywheel will not last past 75,000 miles if it was replaced under warranty it will fail again replace it with a south bend conofe kit. the g56 needs one quart over full for the front bearing the trailer wiring goes through solid state devices make or get a isolator if you need schematic let me know. there is some wires by the a/c compressor that did not get wire loom that rubs and shorts a 5 volt supply that causes all kinds of weird problems just tape them up. the 06 like all 04.5 up has the in-cylinder egr you can minimize it by changing the cam to a pdr or colt. getting 50 hp nozzles from pdr get a smarty jr and open up the exhaust. this will get you over 6 mpg and keep the oil cleaner. and as you said avoid the auto like it was the plague

 

I had a 06 3500 dually and it was a great truck. I traded at 100K because I wanted a new one.

Clutch is the weakest point of the powertrain. If it has the stock clutch and isn't perfectly smooth and quit or will slip at wot it needs to be replaced. (never replace with a stock clutch)

I would have the front jacked up and check the ball Joints for play. They are fairly expensive to replace so check them.

 

Take a air temp guage with you. See if the passenger side is warmer than the drivers side with the a/c on. If so, needs a couple lbs R34. Cycle the air from inside to outside and see if when you turn the fan up it sounds like a hurricane with no air flow. If thats the case, the door that splits the air from the outside to inside circ may be laying accross the top of the fan. Mega Cabs are harder to cool so make sure the a/c is working correctly. The door thing is easy to fix by removing the fan motor and reaching up in the hole and crabing the broken door. 06's are famous for that.

The number 4 injector line is prone to failure if you have any loss of tightness
on the blue line clip at that location.

Carl covered the 5V wire.

Dave

 

I don't know how much it costs to change the clutch but I don't think it's ton more to do a fairly good rebuild on an auto.

I wanted a 6 speed but the auto was much more peepy.

 

I had an '06 2500 CCLB, ran it for a little over 3 years. Pulled a 33' fifthwheel and a 14' dump trailer around. I put an aftermarket air intake system on it and an MBRP muffler and got rid of the cat. Stock programming. Would usually get me anywhere from 18-21 mpg depending on how I was driving. I ran 33" tall tires as well. I did one time on a cross country trip pull 620 miles out of one tank, all flat ground interstate. Most every other tank of fuel was around 550. I changed all fluids out to amsoil. It would pull anything I put behind it, just didnt like to go much past 65 mph. The G56 I think is an alright transmission, just wish 6th gear was a little taller. I never had a single issue with that pickup. If you do a lot of hwy driving I found it best to set my cruise by an RPM rather than speed. My mileage dropped like a rock going over 2000 rpm. You wont be dissapointed with an '06, I dont care for the small backseats but overall it was great pickup to me.

 

If you see an '07 5.9,it's the same truck but without the fake wood dash. If it was manufactured in December '06,it'll should have the 0.74 final drive which the 6.7's have yielding a dab more fuel economy with the reduced rpm's.

 

Check all climate control functions, as broken blend, recirc and mode doors are a common problem. Pulling the dash to repair is time consuming but not too bad.

As noted above check ball joints and such. Otherwise, the usual stuff.