Opinions on Dodge diesel

I am by NO means a fan of dodge/chrysler stuff. I have a bit of a soft spot for Jeeps that have more to do with JEEP than dodge but for the most part...I am not a fan at all (does not include the late 60's early 70's stuff, or the turbo K cars).

That said I would love to get a mech. inj. cummins powered 4x4 ext cab 3/4-1ton with a NV tranny. The only other dodge I would own that was made in the last 20yrs would be a viper gts.

If your not going to use the truck for towing save the money and buy a 1/2 ton or "mini".

You could also get on dodgeforum.com and ask around. I own a 01 Ram 2500 gasser. I love it. Even though its had a few issues.

I am in the process of rebuilding the engine. I hope to have a badass truck when its all said and done.

As mentioned Dodges have known certain problems. I'm not sure if the diesels have all the same problems as the gassers or not. I kinda doubt it cause the engines are different.


I think you would be happy with a Ram

Chern_889 said:

Thanks for the opions guys, but i think im still set on the Dodge, Although it all depends on an new job oppertunity.

Im going to a skills assesment camp for Saskpower, which is the provincial power company for Saskatchewan. From what i understand, i was one of 60 guys chosen out of 2000 applicants to go to this camp to become a Powerline Man apprentice. The kicker is that there is only 23 apprentice spots, and some of the Saskpower guys ive talked to say this camp is insanely intense. I go next week and am pretty nervous, I went climbing poles today with a family friend that is a Journeyman Lineman with Saskpower and it gave me a good insight into what to expect.

Here is a good outline vid of the camp, if anyone is interested
trainingvid-1

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Nice man, good luck. After college I was an apprentice lineman for some months, but as soon as my college loans kicked in I realized I had to go straight into engineering as I just couldn't swing the payments on that salary and hope to move out of my parents house. I worked for a small municipal company though, and there was little-to-no-overtime unless you had 10 years in. Lineman make a ton of cash but they earn every cent of it.

I currently work in the power industry, doing a lot of wind and some other misc. design jobs in transmission and distribution. If you have any technical questions shoot me a PM and I will see what I can do.

Remember its all about safety, and always hang your grounds!

Adam

The cummins 5.9 is an excellent engine, but i only know one person (and i live in the boondocks) that has a dodge truck without any transmission issues, diesel or gas. I don't think you can find a better all around 2500 than a late-model 7.3 Ford...absolutely bulletproof in my experience. I'd highly recommend the six speed manual in a diesel of any brand over the automatics. I've driven several 200k+ 6 speed PSD's and all felt like new. Automatics tend to wear faster when pulling/hauling. just my $.02

revhead347 said:

If you aren't worried about towing, than a Diesel probably isn't worth the money IMHO. I don't like Dodge's or GMs. I've had bad experiences with both. Dodge's do tend to have torque converter issues, but if you are getting a Diesel, it's mainly to get that extra towing edge, so what's the point of having an automatic. That's totally counter productive.

Honestly I think you are better off getting a 3/4 ton Ford with a gas engine, with a Triton V8 or V10. If you aren't towing a lot of weight, or towing often, the auto is fine. The diesel is going to cost more money in maintenance, and the fuel savings is negligible in comparison. If you have your heart set on a diesel, save up the extra cash to get the Ford.

Kurt

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Just wandered into this one, but this is pretty much spot-on for what I was going to recommend. Here's my feedback (got a lot to say on this one, so hang on):

1) Had a 98 24v cummins dually 4x4 in AK. Loved it, drove it up here in AK. Bulletproof truck (had the manual), got great mileage, would pull a barn down. Realized I wasn't saving as much as I thought in total operating cost because fuel filter changes, higher cost oil changes, etc. Still loved my cummins though.

2) My dad has driven cummins diesels since they were first introduced in the early 90s. Still anecdotal, but he's pulled HUGE loads alongside friends using Ford PowerStrokes of various vintages. Lower CI Dodges always outperformed (and were more reliable than) the Fords. (As an aside, I don't know of many people who routinely use their diesels for heavy hauling that drive Chevies).

3) Fast-forward to 2003-I needed a new truck, was dead-set on buying a new Dodge diesel. Sat down and did a total cost of ownership calculation, figuring increased purchase price of a diesel engine over gas, fuel economy savings, increased maintenance cost, and (at that time) fuel cost savings, as diesel was cheaper than gas then. Figured I'd need to drive my truck over 110k miles to reach the break-even point over a gas engine. Wound up not buying any truck for a while, but during that time, a few related and noteworthy things happened:

a) Diesel fuel changed: Current motor fuel is 15 ppm sulfur content, mandated by clean air act effective 2007. Previously was 2000 ppm. Changes in refining have driven the cost of diesel to significantly higher than gasoline (where it will stay for the foreseeable future).

b) Changes in chemical properties of the new diesel result in a 10% reduction in energy produced from it's combustion. In other words, it now takes approx 10% more fuel to create the same amount of energy. So your mileage went down. Manufacturers are also having issues with the design changes to the engines built to run the new diesel. (not a lot of science out yet on the impacts of the new diesel in older diesel engines, but there's got to be some impact, most likely in increased engine wear).

So, point 3 winds up with some big strikes in my book AGAINST the diesel engine.

In 2005 I needed a new tow rig to replace my 3/4t Suburban. I pull a 4-place enclosed snowmachine trailer that doubles for my car hauler. Didn't like the chebbie, but bought it when I did because the price was right. Went shopping for an Excursion. Wound up finding a heck of a deal on a V10 gas model, but really wanted a diesel, cuz I really liked diesels, they can pull more, their more manly...But not manly enough to make me pony up $6k more for the same truck. Bought the gas. Since that time I've put about 60k miles on my Excursion, including one roundtrip from Seattle to Billings, MT for a Christmas snowmachine vacation, 3 one-way trips on the Alaska Highway from Seattle to Anchorage (two hauling my trailer, the last one with my 67, my compressor, toolbox, blast cabinet, and jam-packed full of mustang parts, well over my 10k gvw rating on my trailer axles). Verdict: This thing pulls like a champ. Yeah, I only get 9-11 mpg towing, but I don't drive like a grandma either. Without a trailer, I get 13 around town, 16-17 on pure highway. Oh, yeah, and gas engines work waaayyy better in the cold than diesels. If you want more detailed proof/info, PM me.

The last few model years, Dodge hasn't built as good of truck as what they were building 10 years ago, IMHO. A friend with a construction company owns a couple, and he isn't that happy with them, especially when he compares them to the ones he owned 10 years ago. Fit and finish is poor. Tranny and front end problems are common.

I've never been a fan of the PowerStroke either, in either configuration. Ford seemed to be constantly tuning the crap out of their bigger-cube V8 to try to compete with Cummins' smaller displacement I6, and they seemed to fail a lot because of it.

I'm sure I opened a blast furnace worth of flaming. but I say it from the perspective of a former die-hard Cummins guy. My advice, based up by some fact and experience--buy a V10 gas (I suggest the Ford). It'll haul your sled deck easily, you'll have a lower total cost of ownership (purchase price, fuel bills, maintenance expense), and you'll have what has been a reliable drivetrain/truck for me.

My two dollars worth.

The gm trucks would be my last choice.

The dodge deisel is a good motor imo.

just to throw in my opinion. You cant beat the 7.3 ford powerstroke, its bullet proof.... ive seen one with a million miles, ran great

Dodge is the way to go as far as 3/4 ton and up diesel trucks. They've always had stronger running gear (minus the automatic trans) than Ford and GM. Plus the Cummins is truly the best light duty diesel engine available. There's a reason so many people have swapped their vehicles over to the 5.9L Cummins. I have two Dodge pick-ups, a '90 and '94 that have 235,000 and 250,000 miles. The only issue has been the weak Getrag 5-speed that was put in the early trucks, however it has towed 32,000lbs on so many occasions it's hard to believe the transmission didn't just drop from the truck. I used to be a Ford truck guy, but they just don't compare to the durability of the Dodges.