Looking for a reliable diesel truck

RustyJC wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Foy R. Smith wrote:
I was a diesel mechanic for 21 years for Freightliner and I knew what truck that I wanted. I searched Craigslist almost everyday for a year before i found one. I bought a 99 Dodge 1 ton dual wheel 5.9 24 valve Cummins with 125,000 miles on it for $10,300. It had a new lift pump and injector pump, recently. It has an auto, which i like! The 1st thing that I had done was change the fluid in transmission and adj the bands. He said it looked new, inside! I have used this truck for 2 years and it has been perfect! I average 10-12 mpg pulling my 33' 5th wheel toyhauler.I change the oil and filters when I should and keep a spare fuel filter under the back seat! If, and when you find a good truck that You like, you have to jump on it because it might not be there, tomorrow! Hard to come by!

I am surprised being a Freightliner Mechanic you did not stray away from the 99's since they are known for block cracking. I wish you long life on the 99.

That issue applies to the "53" blocks, which are fairly easily identified.

Rusty

True but the 99's were the worse for cracking under the exhaust manifold.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

RustyJC wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Foy R. Smith wrote:
I was a diesel mechanic for 21 years for Freightliner and I knew what truck that I wanted. I searched Craigslist almost everyday for a year before i found one. I bought a 99 Dodge 1 ton dual wheel 5.9 24 valve Cummins with 125,000 miles on it for $10,300. It had a new lift pump and injector pump, recently. It has an auto, which i like! The 1st thing that I had done was change the fluid in transmission and adj the bands. He said it looked new, inside! I have used this truck for 2 years and it has been perfect! I average 10-12 mpg pulling my 33' 5th wheel toyhauler.I change the oil and filters when I should and keep a spare fuel filter under the back seat! If, and when you find a good truck that You like, you have to jump on it because it might not be there, tomorrow! Hard to come by!

I am surprised being a Freightliner Mechanic you did not stray away from the 99's since they are known for block cracking. I wish you long life on the 99.

That issue applies to the "53" blocks, which are fairly easily identified.

Rusty

True but the 99's were the worse for cracking under the exhaust manifold.

Yes, that's where the "53" blocks typically crack - longitudinally down the passenger side of the block below the core plugs.

Rusty

Durb wrote:
FYI, I found my truck two years ago on CL, private owner. 2004.5 Ram 3500 quad cab, DRW, 2WD, long bed, auto, Laramie, 62,000 miles, Leer canopy, Bed-Slide, Bed-Rug, excellent condition, new tires all around. I had to pay $27k but sold the canopy and slide to get it down to $26k.

There was no engine braking that year so I installed a Pacbrake for an extra $2k. I am extremely pleased with the truck and expect it will be the last one I will ever need.

x2 on the PacBrake.

My 2004.5 already had a PacBrake on it when I bought it. Works perfectly. My PacBrake also has a quick connect fitting so I can plug in an air hose and get compressed air off it. Maybe they all have that --don't know.

crcr wrote:

Durb wrote:
FYI, I found my truck two years ago on CL, private owner. 2004.5 Ram 3500 quad cab, DRW, 2WD, long bed, auto, Laramie, 62,000 miles, Leer canopy, Bed-Slide, Bed-Rug, excellent condition, new tires all around. I had to pay $27k but sold the canopy and slide to get it down to $26k.

There was no engine braking that year so I installed a Pacbrake for an extra $2k. I am extremely pleased with the truck and expect it will be the last one I will ever need.

x2 on the PacBrake.

My 2004.5 already had a PacBrake on it when I bought it. Works perfectly. My PacBrake also has a quick connect fitting so I can plug in an air hose and get compressed air off it. Maybe they all have that --don't know.

Regarding use of an exhaust brake on a 2004.5 Ram with the 48RE automatic transmission, you might want to read THIS THREAD.

Rusty

allendlung wrote:
I'm looking for a reliable diesel truck. I like the idea of finding one of the dodge 12 valves but I haven't hand any luck. I want to replace my 2005 dodge 2500 Hemi.

My 5th wheel fully loaded can't exceed 9500lbs.

I was hoping to keep the price down to about $20K.

Any suggestions?

Go find you a good used ford with a 7.3 diesel in it.

While the 7.3 engines were considered more reliable then others, what must be considered is the newest model is now 13 years old and most will be high milers. The engine may be okay but the chassis and other components will need work. I had a '99 and in it's eighth year the high pressure oil system in the engine and the transmission failed. Both breakdowns were while traveling. Not very reliable IMHO. And this truck was well maintained thru it's life with me.

RAS43 wrote:
While the 7.3 engines were considered more reliable then others, what must be considered is the newest model is now 13 years old and most will be high milers. The engine may be okay but the chassis and other components will need work. I had a '99 and in it's eighth year the high pressure oil system in the engine and the transmission failed. Both breakdowns were while traveling. Not very reliable IMHO. And this truck was well maintained thru it's life with me.

Considering the OP Is trying to get a truck for under $20K I don't think appearance is going to be top focus. For the price, I would suspect a ton of miles and something 10 y ears old.

The other option that hasn't been tossed out is a Heavy Duty Truck..? It would be way overkill for this trailer but it's odd more people don't ask. I know around here you can pick up a used Volvo that probably has a lot of life left in it for $20K easy. Remember these things are Gov't safetied every 6 mths to 1 year max. so they should be mechanically sound (if anything is).

Not much for a daily driver, but you could tow anything you want with it and make extra money during the week doing deliveries. LOL

Please help me understand. I have a 1999 Dodge diesel 2500, Long bed, auto trans, cub cab, 2 wheel drive. The owner manual on page 148 says that this truck can tow maximum trailer weight of 10,200 with 3.54 axle ratio and 12,000 lbs maximum trailer with 4.10 axle ratio. The GCWR at the highest is 18,000.

I can't understand how you can operate/tow this unit safety and not tear up your truck? Most everyone on this forum and others said I can only haul a trailer around 9,000 lbs. "Dry Weight" safety and do not max out my truck!

Chuck .. wrote:
Please help me understand. I have a 1999 Dodge diesel 2500, Long bed, auto trans, cub cab, 2 wheel drive. The owner manual on page 148 says that this truck can tow maximum trailer weight of 10,200 with 3.54 axle ratio and 12,000 lbs maximum trailer with 4.10 axle ratio. The GCWR at the highest is 18,000.

I can't understand how you can operate/tow this unit safety and not tear up your truck? Most everyone on this forum and others said I can only haul a trailer around 9,000 lbs. "Dry Weight" safety and do not max out my truck!

:h

You just need to tow over the GVWR! :B

This is on stock rear springs, and 10,000# TV Gross Vehicle Weight.



This rig loves roads like this!

Like a DA I traded my 7.3 F250 for a gasser dually and cash. Didn't take long to get back to diesel haha.
I bought a 98.5 QC LB 2WD 24V Cummins that was bought new from the dealership where I worked with every service record and receipt at 271K for $6500 2 years ago. Interior perfect and one small dent in the LH bedside where a drunk hit it on a bicycle one night in FL. New trans, lift pump, new injection pump, ball joints, and on and on.
The OO was retired military and anal about maint. There are deals out there, but timing is critical. You can't take a day to talk DW into it, it'll be gone. Point being, you can find your truck with $20k. FL and TX are your best bets. Some areas are stupid high on prices, be willing to travel for the right truck.