i just bough a 2006 2500 dodge ram with a cummins and just joined here. i know nothing about diesels and hope to learn a lot here. i previously owned a 2003 1500 dodge with a hemi. i really liked that truck but last summer we bought a travel trailer and the timing was right now to upgrade my tow vehicle.

my first question is about break in. i've read my manual and also checked out the cummins site. the manual says not to tow the first 500 miles. other than that, the manual and cummins site says to not baby the engine during break in. so is it OK to ocassionally get on it during the first 500 miles or should i keep everything mellow until after 500?

also, it seems there is all kinds of stuff you can do to improve performance and even mileage. i wouldn't mind improving my towing performance and gas mileage, and maybe some extra "fun" for daily driving. i'm not looking to race kids with coffee can mufflers or have to replace my tires at 10K miles. so what products should i look at for my desired improvements? also, should i wait until the engine is broken it good before doing anything? if so, how many miles?

thanks for any advice.

 

Welcome... I don't know much about third gen preformance. But the guys in the the third gen forums can fix you right up.

The break in period is for the drivetrain diff gears and such, the Cummins engine is best broken in by hard work. Take it easy for 500 miles, and then tow the heaviest thing you can and put the hammer down.

 

Mine gits great GAS mileage. I have the same gallon still sitting in the back of my truck for 20,000 miles. You know there are a few that can't resist picking on you for that one.

 

bigrod - so are the cummins that run on GAS called cummings?

 

bubba, I waited for about 475 miles before hooking the boat up to it and giving it a good pull. During the break-in period I drove the truck "normally". I didn't baby it, and I don't like to thrash my vehicles either.

The dealer did a complimentary oil change for me at 3000 miles. I did an early differential oil change too (can't remember how many miles were on it right now) - I didn't want a lot of break-in "chunkies" floating around in there. I went to synthetic engine oil around 18k.

As far as modifications go, do some checking on what will and will not void your warranty. Generally speaking, if it adds lots of horsepower - it'll void your warranty. Lots of discussion on this topic on the board here - grab a flack jacket and dive in....

One of my best mods was installing silverstar light bulbs - I think the stock lightbulbs are lousy.

Welcome Aboard.