What should I stay away from?

camsdad11 wrote:
It is about an hour away. I am going to test drive it as soon as I can.

Check on this when you see it in person:

There were two engine versions (well, three really if you count the Cali version) of the 5.9L Cummins (all are Turbo engines), and FOUR transmissions available in the 2003 - Autos, 47RE and the stronger 48RE, manuals 5 and 6 speed.

Look at the driver's side of the valve cover, top of the engine. Look for a white sticker, about an inch high by 4 inches long. It will have a spot that says "Advertised HP". Hope that it says 305 in that blank.

If it does, that means it's the 305hp/555tq version ("High Output") of the 5.9L Cummins engine that came with the updated (and stronger) 48RE transmission in 2003, a so called 2003.5 - if it's an auto trans, you didn't say. The 305/555 engine is considered one of the best versions as it is known for outstanding fuel economy and great power. It also has the 15,000 mile oil change interval.

If it says "250" (so called "standard output") in the HP spot, it's a 250hp/460tq engine, and it will then have the 47RE tranny. Not a really big deal, but you should be aware. The Cali version was 235hp/460tq.



If you can read the "CPL" number on the engine data sticker, that will tell you a lot about it. Here's a chart for reference:

2003
235 hp @ 2,700 460 tq @ 1,400 47RE Auto 8216
235 hp @ 2,700 460 tq @ 1,400 Five-speed manual 8224
250 hp @ 2,900 460 tq @ 1,400 47RE Auto 2624
250 hp @ 2,900 460 tq @ 1,400 Five-speed manual 8223
305 hp @ 2,900 555 tq @ 1,400 Six-speed manual 2998

2003.5
235 hp @ 2,700 460 tq @ 1,400 47RE Auto 8410
235 hp @ 2,700 460 tq @ 1,400 Five-speed manual 8412
250 hp @ 2,900 460 tq @ 1,400 47RE Auto 8212
250 hp @ 2,900 460 tq @ 1,400 Five-speed manual 8226
305 hp @ 2,900 555 tq @ 1,400 Six-speed manual 8228
305 hp @ 2,900 555 tq @ 1,400 48RE auto 8213

The "CPL" number is the four digit number on the right hand side of each line.