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Opinions on a dodge?

Chevy305

Chevy305

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My neighbor is selling his truck and it's peaked my interest. Its a 97 Dodge 2500 Cummins turbo diesel. Regular cab, long bed, auto, 4x4, its got a plow but not sure if it comes with it, 120K miles. He's asking $6000. The truck is in overall great shape, and I know he takes care of his vehicles. I haven't talked to him yet, but I want to know about some things to look for.


btw... I'll get pictures because I know you'll be asking.
 
not much bad to day about them P7100 pumped 12valvers.........I've driven in a 12valve truck with 660,000 kms on it, still ran great.


check to see if the killer dowel pin has been taken care of, and thats about all I can think of off the top. If the steering is tight I'd say its probably A-OK.
 
knowing the owner of the truck and some history is always a selling point any day...


worst case..those motors running show up on craigslist for 1100-2500 time to time and trannys are fixable.
 
Auto + 120K = your neighbor's lucky it survived that long.

If you are interested in it factor in the price of a new trans.
 
I think the 47re is pretty tough. if the truck has remained stock or close to it, I would thinks its fine. Of course nothing lasts forever but I wouldn't suspect it is toast unless its not shifting and or driving poorly.
 
It doesn't have a bowtie, that seems to be the biggest problem.

I know the auto trannys on the gas motors are junk, not sure what comes behind the t-diesel but they are prob junk too. Not a big fan of dodge trucks, unless they are a shortbed std cab lifted, or a short bed std cab dully with stacks.
 
My uncle has a 97, that he bought new, with 680k on the clock. The motor runs like new and has only had routine maintenance. The only problem(s) he has had have been transmission problems. He has had three of them in it so far (just put the 3rd one last month). He works the truck HARD every single day, pulling a heavily loaded gooseneck trailer. If you stop and think about it, three transmissions in almost 700k miles isn't that bad. That's over 200k per trans. I think the main thing is when you start modding the Cummins and start making more HP & torque. No way the stock trans will be able to handle that kind a power. I think $6k sounds like a reasonable deal, as along as the truck isn't beat to hell.
 
right forgot the 53 blocks IIRC didn't arrive until the 24valve ISB. my truck is a 53 block, it is not cracked. check the passengerside between #5 and #6 if yousee evidence of water pass on it like chaddy said.
 
How hard to you think it would be to swap in a standard trans? I prefer the stick and if the dodge autos suck then that might be the route I'll take.
 
IMO don't rule out the auto, if it is infact still good.........a valvebody and torque converter upgrade will do it wonders for length of service. even if you up the power some. I think you'd be further ahead in the end than swapping to stick. but if you really prefer stick then go for the swap it sure can be done. no problem but not at all cheap.
 
im sure te parts are a hel of a lot cheaper..but 6k to swap a manual in an 05 ford superduty was my friends tally eith all new and rebuilt parts:crazy:
 
Check the front axle's components. ****ty unit bearing hubs, multi-piece passenger side axleshafts, cantankerous CAD axle engagement setup, and D44 sized inner axleshafts. Fine for towing and hauling but far from up to running big tires, lots of power, and wheeling under the weight of that Cummins.

Check the bottom edge of the doors. They rust out bad. Crappy drainage design.

www.PavementSucks.com has lots of good 94-01 Dodge info.


Also check with your insurance company first. I tried to buy a Ram similar to that about 5 years ago when I was 24 and the bi-annual insurance bill just about knocked me over. Diesel parts are expensive...and if you're young...holy ****!

I ended up with a '99 Ram 1500 4x4. Nice truck and it drove nice and got lots of looks but after 10 months of fixing it I said forget it and sold it.
 
If only this was closer to IL, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I'm looking for a cummins 2500 dodge right now.
 
I had a '99 Quad Cab SB 4x that I ordered. Loved the truck and the Cummins. HATED the 47re. After the third auto rebuild I sold it and got my Sierra, primarily because of the Allison. Had I known that the LLY Dmax is a overheater, I probably would have stayed with the Dodge but got the six speed.

I did read about guys that did the manual swap over on TDR. Not an insurmountable job, especially on the 12v. If you do upgrade the transmission, plan on at least $3k.

Beyond the 47re, the other weak link IMHO is the front brakes (same as a Trooper) and rear drums that NEVER auto adjust. Plan on setting them up manually every 5k when you change the oil.

Otherwise great trucks.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Check the front axle's components. ****ty unit bearing hubs, multi-piece passenger side axleshafts, cantankerous CAD axle engagement setup, and D44 sized inner axleshafts. Fine for towing and hauling but far from up to running big tires, lots of power, and wheeling under the weight of that Cummins.

Check the bottom edge of the doors. They rust out bad. Crappy drainage design.

www.PavementSucks.com has lots of good 94-01 Dodge info.


Also check with your insurance company first. I tried to buy a Ram similar to that about 5 years ago when I was 24 and the bi-annual insurance bill just about knocked me over. Diesel parts are expensive...and if you're young...holy ****!

I ended up with a '99 Ram 1500 4x4. Nice truck and it drove nice and got lots of looks but after 10 months of fixing it I said forget it and sold it.
Click to expand...

Is that the center axel engagement system? I can get rid of that and just swap in a D44 or a D60 right?

If I do get this truck I don't think I'd lift it, but I might do wheels and tires, sound system, and some basic engine upgrades.
 
Chevy305 said:
Is that the center axel engagement system? I can get rid of that and just swap in a D44 or a D60 right?

If I do get this truck I don't think I'd lift it, but I might do wheels and tires, sound system, and some basic engine upgrades.
Click to expand...

CAD is central axle disconnect.

Swapping in a 44 is a bad idea, the weight of the truck (especially with the diesel) will likely go through balljoints and wheel bearings on an annual basis.

Swapping in a Dodge 60 would be a lot of work dealing with all the link mounts etc.

If you get the truck just leave it. That stuff isn't as unreliable as everyone makes it out to be, just not as strong as the older stuff.
 
agreed. my cad has not let me down if and when it does, I'll install a cable actuator. or convert the outters to manual lockout and ditch the unit bearings. I've only done 1 unit bearing on mine in 80,000 HARD kms.

like the man said they they're not unreliable. don't need to be afraid of it.
 
Ford D60's have been swapped in but "swapping in" involves either converting the truck to leaf springs for the Ford axle or converting the axle to the Dodge link setup.

There's also the 03+ AAMCo 9.25" front axle which has similar mounts but I'm not sure how similar.

I'm not saying they are bad trucks...in fact the engine is world class...but they have flaws. Personally I'd do a Boggerless and get a Super Duty if I ever found myself in need of a pulling truck that badly.
 
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