I'm new here, and new to diesels in general so please forgive my ignorance here. My situation is that I'm looking to upgrade from my Ram 1500 to a 2500, and I will freely admit I am quite frightened by various reports of injector problems.

Hopefully some people can chime in here and give me some straight up no bs answers.

I am looking for a 2003-2004 ctd with a manual tranny. I have no preference whether is SO or HO since they all have more than enough power for my needs. I do not plan to modify either.

So with that information, are there less occurences of injector problems on average in 2003-early 04 than in the 04.5 and newer? If so, why? If not, why?

Right now this is the one thing that is keeping me from pulling the trigger on a truck with the criteria I mentioned. Am I just paranoid? I just want to know what the consensus is on this and whether or not its a good idea.

What kind of options are available for aftermarket replacement? Is there actual replacement available or is it more of an exchange for higher performance injectors currently?

What kind of cost might be expected for a new injector installed?

I'm very concerned about this, paranoia or not, and just want to get as much info as possible. I've done some searches here and what I found was not exactly comforting to be honest. But for anyone who may have some comments, please weigh in on this.

Thank you!

Bierk

 

The 03-04's are the best dodge cummins ever made you have nothing to worry about

 

*Snort* Boy is THAT statement debatable!

 

Oh yeah is it ever. He must have never owned a 12v. But if you are not going to do mods. I would not worry about injectors that much

 

I'm not trying to divert this with a CR vs 12v argument, I just found that statement kinda funny.

 

I meant for 3rd gens guys, calm down...

 

Bierk,

You should be fine with whatever truck you get. You can have an injector problem with any of them, but it is much more common an a truck that has a "pressure" box added to it. Since you plan to stay stock, you should be fine no matter which one you get.

And the 04.5 on up trucks are just as reliable as the 03-04 trucks. There are some differences though and none are bad. The newer ones are more powerful though, stock.

 

Ok, had no way of knowing that though from what you said.

 

Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource Forums > Dodge Truck / Engines and Drivetrain > 3rd Gen Engine and Drivetrain


Thats the section were in....

aint it?

 

Yes, and assuming I ignore the wording you used and pretend that no one ever makes comments that cover other generations of trucks in this section, that makes perfect sense.

 

I agree

And if your just talking stock no mods trucks, they are the best overall.

Better handling, more power, good fuel economy, smoother ride.

This is the internet after all.

 

Use a good fuel filter and replace more frequently then DC says and use a fuel conditioner and you are LESS likely to have an injector go on you.
Less meaning less and that nothing is perfect of course.

And we pretty much all say it's staying stock at one time or another. Regardless, say goodbye to the gasser

 

Hi Bierk, welcome to the forum.

It's interesting that you used the term "paranoid". I've been called paranoid twice in the past two weeks on two different posts. One of those posts was also about injector issues. At the risk of being labeled as such for a third time, here is my take on your question.

You said that either a SO or HO would meet your power needs, which was the same criteria I had. That being said, one main difference between the two is in the computer programming. The HO programming makes more HP, part of which is through higher rail pressures, which means higher pressures on the stock injectors. Following that logic, if an SO truck would meet your needs then odds are it will have a lower potential for injector problems long term. Some may dispute that claim, but to me it makes sense.

When you say that you don't plan to modify the truck, do you mean by not adding any power box? Some modifications will actually help the truck and the fuel system. The biggest mod in this category is to ditch the lame stock lift pump and replace it with a decent aftermarket system. This will provide the high-pressure CP3 injection pump with a plentiful supply of fuel, which is a very good thing. Another beneficial mod is to add a secondary fuel filter, preferably a 2-micron. Your fuel system, and especially the injectors, is vulnerable to debris that can pass right through the stock 10-micron fuel filter. Yet another good mod is to fix the exposed roll-over valves on the top of the fuel tank, thus preventing dirt and water from being sucked into the tank.

You can do searches on all of these topics and have days worth of reading. IMHO the late 2003 & early 2004 models represent the best of the 3rd Gen breed, and that you are on the right track with your search.

Good luck!

 

Hey Blast Chamber!!! You're "Paranoid"

 

That's great, nfsommer !