Ok, first off let me say hello to everyone...<br><br>I am about to buy a 1996 dodge 2500 5.9 (12 valve diesel of course). I need to know what to look out for in this truck it has about 130k on it. I’m not to familiar with the 5.9 engine so whatever anyone can tell me to do and not to do it will be appreciated.<br><br>I’ve had experience with both Ford and Chevy and not to wild about ether of them. Me always being a dodge kind of guy naturally I’ve all ways liked the dodges better.<br><br>Thanks for any input <br><br>Hodges

 

Weclome aboard Hodges!<br><br>These are some pretty good trucks. <br>The 12Valve trucks dont have much to watch for mechanically except for a pin in the front of the engine that is know to fall out. This pin is refered to as the KDP.<br>(Killer Dowel Pin).<br>Use the search funtion of this site and search for KDP.<br>Its an easy thing to prevent, but its an expensive thing to fix if the pin falls out.<br><br>Is it auto or stick?<br>How was this truck used in the past? <br>If it was used for pulling, you may be looking at a tranny soon.<br>These trannys arent the strongest. However, if they are well taken care of, they may last longer. <br>Just depends on how well the've been taken care of, and what they were used for.<br><br>Good luck.<br>Rich

 

130000 miles is nothing as long as it was cared for. Need more info to tell you what to look for.

 

hey hodges.. i bout a 97 with 100k on it with a 5spd. flawless mechanically and the body is awesome considering the age ( just a few stone chips etc )as soon as i bought it took a trip from lancaster pa to daytona beach fla non-stop except 4 fuel and a quick snack. with 3 bikes in the back 2 guys upfront plus gear and running winter fuel got 18 mpg. i love this truck....cant believe i waited so long to buy1. if the 03 still had the 12v ( properly valved ) engine id buy 1 2day. anyway good luck..... 1 more quick thing, never had a truck that is so easy and clean to do an oil change on..sweet ;D ;D ;D...later, scott

 

THANKS for all the help...its really helping me<br><br>I was wondering if there is a way to tell if the previous owner of truck did the KDP fix??<br><br><br>PS. it is an auto. Im looking at it on a car lot so I dont know the previous owner. But i did do a car fax on it just came up with registered to a private owner and also a commercial vehicle at one time. Would commercial vehicle just mean a commercial tag or a company owned it and didnt give a **** about it???<br><br>Thanks for the help

 

If you can at all avoid getting an automatic.. I would. Autos aren't known for living much past 100,000 miles anyways. But people do have reasons for getting them. You could always just throw a new tranny in it. I'm very biased when it comes to autos.. never have had any luck with them except when mated to a gas engine. The low bottom end torque of these Cummins doesn't make me feel good about that 47auto being behind it. Just my feelings of course. Others enjoy their autos...

 

Hey Hodges <br>You are looking at a truck like mine. If the previous owner did a jig fix for the kdp you can look behind the fan hub and you will see a bolt. If they did the tab fix (like I did) you might not be able to tell except for maybe some silicone sealer around the gear cover. As far as the tranny, if it has 130,000 miles on it someone probably went through it. Mine had 132,000 miles on when I bought mine. I would also recomend that you put no more than a #8 fuel plate in it (if you do buy it) so you don't overpower the tranny. Is the money about right for it? Does it look like it has been &quot;rode hard and put away wet&quot; more than a few times? Check the pedals for wear also. <br>Good Luck<br>Tom