First diesel purchase

[Robobrainiac]

It's official. I just got my 2nd cummins. 2006 Ram 2500. 213k miles. Receipt for transmission by the same shop that did mine marked at 190k miles. Everything seems to work and it's a decent truck. Standard dodge fender rust and paint peel. The rockers have been repaired and lower truck body bed lined. I will abide by the almighty and include a pic because it happened. Unfortunately with time the way it is now it is dark when I go to work and when I come home from work.

 

[Dirtstiffs-1000]

I've had a bunch of pickups, past and present. Still enjoy this old truck the most. 98 - 24 valve, I've been slowly bringing back to new.

 

[HBarlow]

Dodge-Cummins is the (only) way to go!

 

[Ericthered]

Don't do it. Dodge is so noisy it is annoying. Chevrolet with new Duramax is so much quieter and gets more power for same mileage. My brother loves his Dodge Cummins, but every time I talk to him its in the shop. My 2017 has 94,000 miles averaging 17 mpg in town and 24 mpg on the highway. When I hook up the 26 ft toyhauler fully loaded with Honda 1000-3, 100 gallons of water and all our stuff I get 15 mpg at 65 mph. Here in the mountains of Nevada getting 15 mpg is great. My old 2004 Silverado with the 8.1 Liter gas got 10.4 religiously no matter what, and it severely lacked speed on some of our hills. With NO work required so far other than lube and oil changes I couldn't be happier. Plus its the best model, ""Paid In Full !"" since 2018.

 

[Robobrainiac]

I grew up with friends and family having the 5.9L 2nd gen trucks. I always heard good things from them. I have always kind of liked the dodge bodies more. I really like the 3rd gen rams. I think the 24 valve 5.9L cummins in the 3rd gen is the perfect blend of old school tech and new school technology. If you ever do any of your own wrenching you will greatly appreciate the ease of work on a 5.9L cummins. I installed sound deadening material in the doors of the black ram. That helped a ton. I have plans on more material for the floor and headliner. The red ram will get the same. For now the red ram is really decent on engine noise. The black ram has aftermarket injectors and advanced timing so it's noisy. The red ram has a junk k and n air filter intake that makes alot of turbo whistle noise. That will go away at some point.

 

[HBarlow]

My first Dodge-Cummins was an '01 dually with the 24 valve 5.9L HO 6speed. I sold it with 325k miles. I had to have the 6 speed rebuilt at around 302k. The motor was still going strong.

I replaced it with a new '06 with the dually 5.9L HPCR Cummins and improved automatic. I put 235k miles on it in less than two years as an RV transporter.

When I quit transporting, I bought a new '08 Ram C&C 3500 with the new ISB6.7 and Aisin 6 speed automatic.

When my vision began failing and I had to give up driving I sold it to a good friend back in Texas with 240k miles. He was a lifelong fanatical Chevrolet guy but after he rode with me and drove my Dodge with a huge heavy trailer in tow a few times , he bought my Dodge and sold his Chevy Duradud dually and his Chevy 2500 with the big gashog 8L V8.

I still love the Dodge-Cummins but no longer own one.

 

[thashane]

05 5.9 4x4 w/190k miles. great truck, not planning on getting rid of it. Do wish there were some CARB approved twins on the market

 

[MI-Trailblazer]

'01 5.9L 24-valve HO 6-speed with 49,000 miles on it when I bought it in 2018. No rust on it anywhere, despite living in Michigan all its life. That is actually because my friend that ordered it new only used it to pull a car hauler to feed his car hobby. The truck spent more time sitting in the barn than on the road for 16 years.

The above picture was from our trip to Moab in 2021. At that point it has 73,000 miles on it, 3-inch straight exhaust, Fasst DRP fuel pump, big line kit, and commercial truck air filter (BHAF). That enclosed trailer was packed from front to back with SXS and quads- est. about 7500 lbs. trailer and all. Averaged 16 MPG for the whole drive out from Michigan and back.

 

[HBarlow]

View attachment 368589

'01 5.9L 24-valve HO 6-speed with 49,000 miles on it when I bought it in 2018. No rust on it anywhere, despite living in Michigan all its life. That is actually because my friend that ordered it new only used it to pull a car hauler to feed his car hobby. The truck spent more time sitting in the barn than on the road for 16 years.

The above picture was from our trip to Moab in 2021. At that point it has 73,000 miles on it, 3-inch straight exhaust, Fasst DRP fuel pump, big line kit, and commercial truck air filter (BHAF). That enclosed trailer was packed from front to back with SXS and quads- est. about 7500 lbs. trailer and all. Averaged 16 MPG for the whole drive out from Michigan and back.

My first Dodge-Cummins was a white club cab like yours but was a Ram 3500 dually. I loved that old Dodge.

I installed a Jacobs "Jake Brake" Exhaust Brake when it was new.

 

[HBarlow]

to be fair I've replaced about every front end component on my truck, and just had the tranny built at 160k. smarty jr since 09.

hypothetically -loader operator went a little heavy on a load of rock. there's about a 3.5k'elevation change between my house and the quarry, and we've got a pretty serious grade here, called the luge. Snow storm arrived 3 hours early, and I was thankful to make it without having to chain up. kept it high revs in 1st, and was still feeling independent wheel spin in 4x. the CUV ahead of me turned around half way, luckily they were coming down as was going up. If they would've forced me to slow, I'm not sure I wouldve made it through the snow w.o chaining up. I'd hate to do that pull with a gasser, snow or no snow.

View attachment 368595 View attachment 368596

Yes, unfortunately Dodge Ram's 4wd trucks are notorious for high wear rates and do not offer locking hubs. The three I owned were 2wd.

 

[HBarlow]

This is my 2008 Ram 3500 when new back in early '08. I added a CM bed, four underbed storage boxes, Transfer Flow aux fuel tank (for a total of 125-gallon capacity), and a cut down Reese fifth wheel hitch.

 

[HBarlow]

My old Ram belongs to a friend in Lubbock, TX now. He and his son, both car nuts, send me occasional photos of the truck working. The trailer was mine also. It's a custom ordered Kaufman with twin 7,000 lb. axles, 16,000 lb. GVWR, electric brakes on both axles, steel diamond tread deck, dovetail rear, 16" wheels with LT235/85R16 LRE tires, mounted spare tire, and 12,500 lbs. winch mounted in a heavy poly box to keep it less visible and out of the weather.

w. He and his son send me occasional photos of my old truck still working.

 

[MI-Trailblazer]

That '01 of mine says 2500 on the doors, but all the right boxes were checked when it was ordered and it has everything a 3500 has except the door badges. I kind of confirmed that when I needed to replace the rear axle pinion and axle seals - parts store look-up was wrong seals. Number off the pinion seal crossed to a 1-ton axle seal number. Likewise, with the front passenger axle seal- look-up for a 2500 got wrong part. Tried 3500 look-up and got right part.

Only regret with it is that it is not a quad-cab. Been several situations that a back seat would have been very handy. Otherwise, truck has done everything I've ever asked it to do, even towing my 9300lbs. tractor up to our cabin a few times now.

 

[HBarlow]

Yes, I remember now how strong the Ram 2500 was in that generation. I think the only difference between the 2500 and 3500 was the rear axle housing width and dual rear wheels.

 

[Dirtstiffs-1000]

I still have the window sticker and spec sheet for my 98 Ram 2500.
It's a 3500 by spec.

 

[Robobrainiac]

Does anyone have experience with exhaust cab drone? I have contemplated this in the past. The black cummins has a MBRP exhaust. 4" pipe, MBRB labeled muffler, 4" to 5" MBRP labeled tip. In the cab at highway speeds it drones alot. I would like to get rid of the drone.
The red cummins has a non labeled 5" pipe with 2 non labeled 5" mufflers and a non labeled 5" to 7" tip. It has no drone. At all.

I know it's a different beast but my dad's duramax has 5" straight exhaust to 8" tip. His has no drone.

I am thinking about going with a 5" straight to 7" tip on the black cummins in an attempt to get rid of the drone.

I like the loud exhaust. The red cummins is very quiet. I assume it is because it has 2 mufflers.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mopower58]

When I was doing deletes the 6.7 had a short straight through muffler. When I installed the 4" exhaust, instead of a straight pipe I installed the short,factory, straight through muffler. It's been over 7 years and they were all 6.7's but I don't remember a drone.

 

[MI-Trailblazer]

Your drone is coming from the muffler on the black Cummins. I have a '91 GMC Jimmy that I bought last January for a plow truck / second daily driver. It came with a welded cat-back exhaust with a knock-off Flowmaster muffler and 3" tail pipe. That thing not only drones, but rattles the fiberglass top when you get in the upper RPM's before the trans. shifts from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. I had many friends that had K5's in the past with multitudes of different exhaust systems and none were as bad as what I have on this Jimmy. I also have a nephew that put a set of those knock-off Flowmaster's on his 2016 Chevy 5.3L truck and it also drones very bad.

I'd say try swapping-out the muffler on the black truck with another muffler or throw in a straight pipe- drone should go away.

 

[Mopower58]

Your drone is coming from the muffler on the black Cummins. I have a '91 GMC Jimmy that I bought last January for a plow truck / second daily driver. It came with a welded cat-back exhaust with a knock-off Flowmaster muffler and 3" tail pipe. That thing not only drones, but rattles the fiberglass top when you get in the upper RPM's before the trans. shifts from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. I had many friends that had K5's in the past with multitudes of different exhaust systems and none were as bad as what I have on this Jimmy. I also have a nephew that put a set of those knock-off Flowmaster's on his 2016 Chevy 5.3L truck and it also drones very bad.

I'd say try swapping-out the muffler on the black truck with another muffler or throw in a straight pipe- drone should go away.

Drone will not go away with a straight pipe.

 

[Robobrainiac]

I made the assumption the drone is being caused by muffler. That is why I am thinking about removing muffler or replacing muffler. I am curious if a 5" pipe would make a lower note that will not drone as much in the cab.