My son is looking for a older truck for work as has found a 97 Dodge 2500 w/ Cummins diesel that might be in his price range. I thought some of you might have some idea what likely repairs he would have or the owner has already done? This would give him some idea what he might be expecting down the road. Truck has 133k miles. Also if you have any idea of estimated costs of potential repairs, please share that as well.Thanks for your assistance. I know there are quite a few Ram loyalists on here.

4bearhug wrote:My son is looking for a older truck for work as has found a 97 Dodge 2500 w/ Cummins diesel that might be in his price range. I thought some of you might have some idea what likely repairs he would have or the owner has already done? This would give him some idea what he might be expecting down the road. Truck has 133k miles. Also if you have any idea of estimated costs of potential repairs, please share that as well.Thanks for your assistance. I know there are quite a few Ram loyalists on here.Plastics tend to get very brittle in the interior, so they'll crack or disintegrate without much effort. If it's an automatic, the autos were known to have some issues in stock form. Namely, if you idled for long periods of time with the transmission in "Park", the tranny would burn up because it didn't circulate transmission fluid in park, only in neutral and the other drive gears. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Probably a good idea to ask if it had a new transmission.

KDP!!! Killer Dowel Pin. This is best fixed before it breaks. The prerepair procedure is easy. I didn't see if this was auto or stick? If auto, set a little money aside each month for a rebuild. If manual, do not bog the engine. The engine is a medium duty diesel. The 5 spd transmission will likely lose the 5th gear nut if used at low rpm/heavy weight. Get the steering stabilizer box. This stops the steering box from flexing the frame. Get the 3k governor spring kit. It will feel like adding 30hp. The stock engine runs out of power near 2600rpms. The GSK kit will pull solid upto the redline. By now the soft rubber fuel lines should have been swapped for new ones. Swap the starter contacts for new 24v units. The starter will go along time. The contacts not as much. Unless he plans to run extreme power, stay with the mechanical fuel pump. It's easy to repair or replace. Adding power to the 12v is also cheap and easy. It also gets expensive with the extras.

Two items to check;Killer Dowel pin, and 53 block.Killer Dowel PinChances of 97 having 53 block

I bought a 98 12V a year ago to run around with to keep my 15 for towing mostly.With 313K on the clock I was not worried at all. The 5th gear nut, dowel pin had already been dealt with. 343K now and just hand calc got 22mpg. Consistently 20.5-22.If it's an auto change to 215HP Bosch injectors that is a cheap 35HP and actually better MPG.LarryB has a lot of good RAM up grade parts at Fostertruck.com, genosgarage.com is also a great place to buy quality OEM parts.

Well we gave the OP some information on issues, well nothing is perfect, BUT I would say the the 12V Cummins comes close. There is a WEB site that has a lot of great information on all the Ram/Cummins.Turbo Diesel RegisterYou should also check to see if there is a Local Cummins part and service shop, as the Cummins parts shop likely will have lower prices than dealers or parts houses and the parts are true Cummins!

97 Dodge 2500 diesel known problems? | Good Sam Community

22 Replies

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jul 16, 2015
jimmyfred wrote:
..........Friend has 2001 2500 cummins , 188k miles had complete front end work done ~$2,000 . His Track Bar still had problems ! , jf

Tell him to bag the factory track bar. Get a 3rd gen adjustable and be done with it.
jimmyfred
Explorer
Jul 16, 2015
..........Friend has 2001 2500 cummins , 188k miles had complete front end work done ~$2,000 . His Track Bar still had problems ! , jf
rhagfo
Explorer III
Jul 16, 2015
blofgren wrote:
4bearhug wrote:
rhagfo wrote:
4bearhug wrote:
OK, here is the update to the story. The truck is a one owner, and does appear to run fine. The paint is really faded/gone on hood and roof. The AC works, but not really that good. All in all it's a decent truck for the age. The real stumbling block for my son is the fact that there is no access to the back seat except thru the two front doors. My son wants to use this for hauling/securing tools for construction and he just sees this being a real pain to get stuff in and out of. He lives in an area where you can't keep tools in the bed w/ a topper/tonneau. Also he is thinking about trying to get a car seat back there will be a real hassle.

So at this moment he is considering whether the good points outweigh the bad points. The price is non-negotiable, but that really isn't the issue for him. I think he was shocked to find this out as he never dreamed that a truck would have a back seat w/o having a separate door.

Really!! :S

a 18 year old one owner Ram Cummins with only 133,000 miles. I think he could learn to live with it.

Yeah, he could learn to live with it, but the thing is he doesn't really need a diesel or a 2500. He just needs an PU with an oversized cab and 8 ft bed that's in reasonable mechanical condition. So the benefit of the low mileage diesel is less useful to him than someone who is towing sizable loads regularly. He might still go for it, but based on his needs it's not such a no brainer as it might appear.

You would be hard pressed to find a truck that will be as reliable mechanically and as good on fuel as that one. I wouldn't hesitate for that price.

The 97 12V is an entirely MECHANICAL diesel, way simpler and far less expensive to repair/ maintain than the new electronic units.
A complete set on injectors is less than $400, no electronics in the injection pump. Can I say extremely simple and reliable, this is the million mile Cummins of legend!!

I may be PMing you for the sellers info if you don't want it, so I can get for my daughter to tow her GN horse trailer, so she will quit borrowing my 2001.

Empty/not towing that truck will get better than 20 mpg on the highway!!
blofgren
Explorer
Jul 16, 2015
4bearhug wrote:
rhagfo wrote:
4bearhug wrote:
OK, here is the update to the story. The truck is a one owner, and does appear to run fine. The paint is really faded/gone on hood and roof. The AC works, but not really that good. All in all it's a decent truck for the age. The real stumbling block for my son is the fact that there is no access to the back seat except thru the two front doors. My son wants to use this for hauling/securing tools for construction and he just sees this being a real pain to get stuff in and out of. He lives in an area where you can't keep tools in the bed w/ a topper/tonneau. Also he is thinking about trying to get a car seat back there will be a real hassle.

So at this moment he is considering whether the good points outweigh the bad points. The price is non-negotiable, but that really isn't the issue for him. I think he was shocked to find this out as he never dreamed that a truck would have a back seat w/o having a separate door.

Really!! :S

a 18 year old one owner Ram Cummins with only 133,000 miles. I think he could learn to live with it.

Yeah, he could learn to live with it, but the thing is he doesn't really need a diesel or a 2500. He just needs an PU with an oversized cab and 8 ft bed that's in reasonable mechanical condition. So the benefit of the low mileage diesel is less useful to him than someone who is towing sizable loads regularly. He might still go for it, but based on his needs it's not such a no brainer as it might appear.

You would be hard pressed to find a truck that will be as reliable mechanically and as good on fuel as that one. I wouldn't hesitate for that price.
4bearhug
Explorer
Jul 16, 2015
rhagfo wrote:
4bearhug wrote:
OK, here is the update to the story. The truck is a one owner, and does appear to run fine. The paint is really faded/gone on hood and roof. The AC works, but not really that good. All in all it's a decent truck for the age. The real stumbling block for my son is the fact that there is no access to the back seat except thru the two front doors. My son wants to use this for hauling/securing tools for construction and he just sees this being a real pain to get stuff in and out of. He lives in an area where you can't keep tools in the bed w/ a topper/tonneau. Also he is thinking about trying to get a car seat back there will be a real hassle.

So at this moment he is considering whether the good points outweigh the bad points. The price is non-negotiable, but that really isn't the issue for him. I think he was shocked to find this out as he never dreamed that a truck would have a back seat w/o having a separate door.

Really!! :S

a 18 year old one owner Ram Cummins with only 133,000 miles. I think he could learn to live with it.

Yeah, he could learn to live with it, but the thing is he doesn't really need a diesel or a 2500. He just needs an PU with an oversized cab and 8 ft bed that's in reasonable mechanical condition. So the benefit of the low mileage diesel is less useful to him than someone who is towing sizable loads regularly. He might still go for it, but based on his needs it's not such a no brainer as it might appear.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Jul 16, 2015
4bearhug wrote:
OK, here is the update to the story. The truck is a one owner, and does appear to run fine. The paint is really faded/gone on hood and roof. The AC works, but not really that good. All in all it's a decent truck for the age. The real stumbling block for my son is the fact that there is no access to the back seat except thru the two front doors. My son wants to use this for hauling/securing tools for construction and he just sees this being a real pain to get stuff in and out of. He lives in an area where you can't keep tools in the bed w/ a topper/tonneau. Also he is thinking about trying to get a car seat back there will be a real hassle.

So at this moment he is considering whether the good points outweigh the bad points. The price is non-negotiable, but that really isn't the issue for him. I think he was shocked to find this out as he never dreamed that a truck would have a back seat w/o having a separate door.

Really!! :S

a 18 year old one owner Ram Cummins with only 133,000 miles. I think he could learn to live with it.
wcjeep
Explorer
Jul 16, 2015
Most 98's had 4 doors. There were a few 99's that had only 2 doors with the extra cab.

Rear facing baby seat isn't too bad with the 2dr extra cab. Having to buckle a forward facing baby seat can be a pain.
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jul 16, 2015
That is why my two 98 12Valves are sought after trucks. New style interior, last year of the mighty 12 Valve and yes 4 doors!
4bearhug
Explorer
Jul 15, 2015
OK, here is the update to the story. The truck is a one owner, and does appear to run fine. The paint is really faded/gone on hood and roof. The AC works, but not really that good. All in all it's a decent truck for the age. The real stumbling block for my son is the fact that there is no access to the back seat except thru the two front doors. My son wants to use this for hauling/securing tools for construction and he just sees this being a real pain to get stuff in and out of. He lives in an area where you can't keep tools in the bed w/ a topper/tonneau. Also he is thinking about trying to get a car seat back there will be a real hassle.

So at this moment he is considering whether the good points outweigh the bad points. The price is non-negotiable, but that really isn't the issue for him. I think he was shocked to find this out as he never dreamed that a truck would have a back seat w/o having a separate door.
bucky
Explorer II
Jul 15, 2015
Buy the truck!