I don't know where else to introduce myself, so I will do it here. We have decided we need a new truck because my 1974 Cevy 350 C10 just isn't cutting it anymore. It is gutless pulling a 19' travel trailer and gets between 7 & 8 mpg doing it. The wife and I have pretty much decided on a Dodge 2500 regular cab long bed. I have always liked the inline 6, but do not know whether the 5.9 or 6.7 is the right choice. Why is there not a 5.9 offered in 2008? Do the engine sizes dictate the number of valves? Thank you for any replys and not chastizing me for not doing indepth searching.

 

Dodge History

1st Generation (By body styles) had a 5.9L Non- Intercooled Cummins ('89-'91) and a intercooled Cummins ('91.5-'93) with a VE pump. They are quickly becoming collectors items. Expect to pay about $7-$10K for a good one.

2nd Generation had a 12 valve Cummins ('94-'98) powered by a P-Pump and a 24 valve Cummins ('98.5-02) powered by a electronic VP44 pump.

3rd Generation had a 5.9L Cummins Common-rail (CR, kinda like EFI) until '07. Early 07's had a 5.9L Cummins and later years ('07-08) had a 6.7L Cummins.

There you go.

Jon

 

Thanks Jon. Can anyone expound on the pros and cons of a 5.9 vs a 6.7?

 

6.7 doesn't get nearly as good of fuel economy due to the emissions controls that are on them.

When it comes to initial cost, fuel economy, and reliability I personally recommend a '96-98 12v. Many will agree that they're the best of the bunch.

 

Are you wanting new or used?

Used will be 5.9 (mostly). new will be mostly 6.7 with some leftover 5.9 2007s.

 

Probably used because I would like to stay under 30K. Which leads me to ask, why are they not offering the 5.9 in 2008?

 

They increased the engine size from 5.9 to 6.7 halfway through the 2007 model year. The 6.7 motor is a bored and stroked 5.9 with a very similar injection system as the 5.9, a Variable Geometry Turbo, and a Particulate Collector similar to a Catalytic Converter.

The 2003 and newer Dodges with the 5.9 and Common Rail injection system are very reliable and get good mileage.

 

NEW MOTOR WAS MADE TO MEET NEW EMISSION REQUIREMENTS

 

Exactly - the 5.9L Cummins for on-highway use is no longer produced. Do a google search on 2007 on-highway diesel engine emissions and you'll get a feel for how severe these new regulations are.

That said, I would avoid the 6.7L for a few years until it proves itself. The '03 - '07 5.9L engine trucks would be well within your budget. The '98.5 - '02 "24-valve" engines, while plenty capable, have proven to have troublesome electronically-controlled VP-44 injection pumps and lift pumps that can fail without much warning. When a VP-44 goes, it's around $1100+ down the drain. These units also (along with the 94 - 98 12Valve's) had the troublesome 47-RE automaitc transmission as well. Much of this was rectified with the '03 + Common-rail injection engines and 48RE transmission. Alothough there were a few '03's with the 47RE still in them.

Overall, while a 12-valve is a great engine, the rest of the truck is getting older now and will need work to keep it up...check my signature, it's there for a reason. If you have the $$$$ to spend on a 3rd-gen I would look for one of those, and if you don't mind it, a 6-speed model is likely the least troublesome unit overall. Good luck - welcome to DTR!

 

These replies are great and exactly the type of information I need. Does the 3rd Gen 5.9 have only one configuration (number of valves, common rail, etc.) and is that 2003 -2006.5? Is the 48RE a reliable automatic and was that the only one for 2003 -2005.5?

 

Yes the 48RE is reliable if you don't pound on it with aftermarket power adders and it's IMO much faster than the 6 speed manual and gets better MPG to boot.

For 30K you can get a new one. Consider yourself lucky now is a good time to buy a dodge diesel.

Go out and find a 5.9L, auto, 3.73 gears. If you plan to put 35+ inch size tires try to find one with 4.10 gears, wish I did .

I've heard of dealers knocking 14 grand off the MSRP. I got 10 grand off on mine in my signature = 34K.

Also, 6.7 liters have a six speed auto that is much better and an exhaust brake. But I can't get past all that new emissions equipment .

 

Yep - all these are 4-valve head engines (24 valve) with a Bosch Common-rail injection system. Quite reliable, but for best overall reliabilty consider an '04 - '07 truck. The '06 & '07's still have the 5.9L until January 2007. Note that a subtle redesign occured in '06, which is much more signifigant inside. Some people like the new (much lighter colored-material) seats, other find them hard and easy to discolor. May want to look both of them over pretty well. Hope this helps!

 

other things 2 consider is wether or not you nd an extd cab or a crew cab that could determine if you buy an 03 or newer or an 02 or older i have had an 01 and an 06 both are nice but if plan on hualing people, dogs or etc you may want an 03 up but the the older ones are gd to

 

Since you asked about dodges in general, another thing to consider is the Hemi. I think it comes with a lifetime warranty now and is stupidly cheap new. Isn't too bad, I had a 1500 with one and it was kinda sporty with 345hp. I think it would do pretty well in a 2500 with the better suspension. My 1500 was a bit of a tail dragger towing especially with the 1.5 inch lowering shackles .

Anyway, most full size trucks are better than that 34 year old chevy 350 .

FWIW, my Hemi 1500 didn't do too bad on gas. Regular Cab but short bed, you can't get a 2500 in a short bed but don't think it would be much worse.

If you're going to do a lot of heavy towing over a lot of miles though I'd highly recommend the Cummins.

Other things to consider are ST, SLT and Laramie. I think the ST and SLT seats are painfully uncomfortable but you can add padding to them pretty easily.