wheelo90

First off my old 92 is looking to be replaced! I found a 2001 3500 4x4 5spd with a 133,000 miles, one owner body is in excellent condition crew cab long bed dually. They are was asking $16,000, i talked the dealership down to $14,000. Is that a good deal?
What are some common issues with these trucks?
I dont know very much on the 24 valve, unlike the 12. but any and all help is appreciated very much, supposed to go to the bank tomorrow!
thanks!
Wheelo

rich

lift pump and the vp 44 dying due to bad lift pump. seems high fo 2nd gen. 5th gear likes to fall off

jbix12v

thats a pretty good price actually. buddy of mine paid 15.5 k for his 01 SRW with 129 k miles. and most common problems are what rich said.

96_12V

Sorry, I cannot reccommend a 24-valve any longer for the reasons stated above. At lest, it's not a 47RE transmission. For $14000, you are knocking on 3rd gen territory, and a much more reliable Common Rail injection system.

One possible redemption point is if it's a 01.5, with the rear Disc brakes. That alone would be worth adding to my truck.

I'h hold onto the '92 a bit longer unless something big is about to go.

Royce70

Wrangle a deal with them to make sure a set of gauges is installed, or a programmer that already has a monitor built into it. Everyone on these trucks is going to tell you to make sure you have a fuel gauge and pyrometer gauge at the very least. And go one step further and get a fass or airdog after market lift pump while they are at it. That's providing the truck does not have one already. You need to check into this before buying, check out the 24 valve info before you go diving into this purchase.

Grit Dog

If it's a crew cab like you said, then if it's in good shape, that's a deal! Only seen a couple 2nd Gen crew cabs ever. Assuming it was a conversion back in the day.
If you mean quad cab, then yeah, it's an alright deal. Be better if it had a new LP and VP.

wheelo90

It does have a FASS system on it, and has had it on since 75,000 miles. As for 5th gear, is there anything that can be done to prevent or prolong the life of the tranny? Nobody has tinkered with the fuel, the previous owner was an older guy who used the truck truck on the farm, primary fuel was offroad. yes it does have rear disc brake as well.

bentwings

From what has been posted here and elsewhere try staying away from 1800 rpm either side is ok but apparently there are some bad harmonics in the drive line that try to loosen the 5th gear.
I've got 230k on my 99 dually and pull a 12k hotrod trailer and mine seems to be holding up. I really try to stay away from the dreaded 1800 but who knows, there are others that have repeatedly lost it. Most cases you can limp along in 4rh at a reduced speed. 4.10's and 4rh gear make for slow going however.

Here is one place that claims a cure all for the 5th gear if they have the stuff in stock.
http://quad4x4.com/NV4500%205th%20Ge...0Solutions.htm

I don't think it is as bad a problem as the VP however. The best thing is to have $1100 ready at all times for a VP and watch for the known signs of coming failure. I find it is just a 100k mile maintenance item just like tires. I just spent $1000 on 6 tires after 85k miles so what's the difference???

Otherwise a 2nd gen is a good truck. Noisy, rough riding, a bit out of today's fashion but it's a truck not a car. It's what trucks are.

wannadiesel

Man, my '93 would have to be in really bad shape for me to think about replacing it with a VP44 truck. Get 2nd gen 12 valve or CR if the old girl's gotta go, but don't get a 24 valve unless somebody p-pumped it.

96_12V

What's wrong with your old '92 that you want to update?

Unfortunetly, the VP-44 24-valve units are known as the least reliable ones in the line up. They can be made to be more relaible, but they are not like your simple, proven 1992 rig is.

rich

i've had more trouble with my cr then i ever did with any of my 24v's

wheelo90

I decided to keep the old girl, and not make payments. but instead put some of that proposed payment money into fixing up my old 12v. she just needs a LOT of work, front driveshaft, rotors, treads, brakes, trans rebuild, just some of the things to mention. But thanks to all for helping me come to a conclusion with my thoughts.
Thanks,
Wheelo

96_12V

Pretty smart idea there.

Staying away from another payment is probably a good idea, especially until we see how this whole economy thing works out. Actually, people taking on too much debt is part of how we got there.

As for updating your current ride, I would make a list, search around for the best price (on parts, if you do it yourself, or full repairs, if having something done) and then prioritize on what to do first. You'll probably like your old rig a lot more once you get some of your list accomplished.

Good luck...