Hi guys I ran across the Truck I think I want. I have driven several and I like this one, however it is a 12v and not the 24. It is a 97 25004X4 Ext cab long bed Loaded with towing package (I think) AUTO TRANNY and the following options DPK5 Trim, BGK brakes, DGB transmission, DHG t-fercase, DJF #4850 dAND 60 FT AXL, DMD 3.5Axl DRE Spic 70, DSA Ltd slip. These were the codes under the hood. Are any of them rare or in your oppinion good? Should it have something else like other options that are not listed? The truck has 79,895 miles they are asking $15995 however i think I can get it for @14. I have been doing most of my reasearch on the 98.5 and up years. After driving it today it seemed ok as far as power was concerned it seemed to take about a full second longer to build boost than what I remember the 24v and the turbo seems more quiet than the 24v's. It has a 3.50 AXL it this good or bad? I need to make a decision relativly quickly on this deal and will be devoting the remainder of the night and morning reading all I can find about the 12v. If you have any comments on what to check for (KDP, 53 block,ect) Please give me your oppinions I have been looking for a while and this one really looks good (Ican afford to bomb it ) My primary concern is dependability on a dailey driver it will not tow much and will most likley never tow more than 10,000lbs I just want to tow the MX bikes around the South East. Thanks

 

The list sounds like the truck is pretty much the standard equipment for a 2500 4X4. The front axle is a Dana 60, and the rear a Dana 70. Dana and Spicer are the same company.

After you do the things you would for any used vehicle, the first thing to check is that the proper oil filter is being used. If it is not one from the approved list, walk right on by the truck. The chance of a plugged piston oil cooler port is too great to chance it if a non-approved filter was used.

If the truck passes the first check, take your time and a few bucks and have a genuine Cummins Service Center check it for compression, and engine problems. Also, take the VIN to your nearest Dodge dealer and check the record for warranty work, recalls, etc. You want all those done. Just do not waste your time getting a Dodge dealer to assess your engine.

The KDP is a common issue with the Cummins powered Dodges, so just figure on doing the fix unless there is a record it was already done.

The Brazilian (53) block rarely cracks in a 12 valve configuration, but be sure to have a litmus test done on the coolant if it is a 53 block. You do not want it if the coolant is not up to par, as it will mean the corrosion will have started at the bottom of the cylinder casting, next to the outside of the water jacket. They eat themselves from the inside out!

You will likely want to check the integrity of the intercooler (in front of the radiator). They are aluminum and if allowed to get buggy and dirty in a humid climate, they get holes eaten through them and no longer hold the air pressure. A good supply of Dawn dish soap or Wally World kid's bubble blowing soap drenched all over the intercooler with the engine running at an elevated idle will show up any air bubbles where there are holes.

Other than setting the timing, I would not touch the engine in the power department until you have saved enough to afford a new transmission and converter from a good builder like DTT or Goerend Brothers. That will be the first thing to break if you run the power up and stomp it.

As far as dependability goes, the 12 valve engine is the most bullet proof engine ever used in the Dodge. The problems come in with the track bar that locates the front axle on the second and third gen 4X4 trucks, the steering gear sector shaft that wears out the lower bearing, and cracked upper spring seats. Dodge should be on the hook for any cracks in the spring seats, but you will have to go aftermarket for the solutions needed for the track bar and the steering gear box (do not even waste your time with OEM Dodge parts there).

With the mileage you list, the engine is barely broken in if it was properly serviced during its life. If the transmission was serviced, and not abused, it should be good for quite some time unless you boost the power.

The price sounds reasonable, good clean 12 valves are going for their original new truck wholesale dealer price around here!

 

My question is does it give you a "warm fuzzy" feeling? If it does, you know what to do. Does the interior seem in decent shape or does it look like it was "rode hard and put away wet" a few too many times? It sounds pretty much like a stock truck to me. The only thing I know is the axle ratio is a stock ratio. You don't need to worry about the "53" block in that one. all you need to worry about is the dreaded KDP.
Tom

 

Sounds like a pretty good truck with not that many miles, they say you can get morepower out of a 12v anyways. As far as a daily drivre, I had a 97 auto and had no problems with it. Just make sure that the tranny is shiftting good and it has been maintained. Other then having it checked out I would say go get it. Good luck.
dave

 

Sounds almost like the '97 that I traded for the '03. All the above is good advice. Traded only because I wanted a manual and needed the quad cab.

The trubo is slow to wind up from a standing start. The first second or two it will be slow. Once the turbo winds up it will hold its own.

If the maintenance record is good, go for it.

 

The oil filter concern is moot. Basing your buy on the brand of filter used will take a lot of well maintained great condition rigs out of the running considering that 95% of Americans have their oil changed by a Quickie-Lube type place where "approved" filters are rarely used.
Go for it, '97 was a good year

Letter from Fram published in the August 2002, Cummins Bulletin® Technical Information

It has been brought to our attention that a few DaimlerChrysler service
technicians are recommending that the FRAM PH3976 filter not be used on
Daimler Chrysler vehicles with the Cummins 5.9L Turbo Diesel engine and
that use of these filters can cause damage to the engine. Daimler Chrysler
has informed us that they released a Technical Service Bulletin to their
dealerships communicating a potential contamination issue and recommending the use of Fleetguard manufactured filters.
FRAM has been selling PH3976 filter for this engine application since the
engine platform launch and it has maintained an extremely reliable service
record. Late in 2000, Cummins and Daimler Chrysler brought to our
attention a low incidence failure mode in their Cummins 5.9L Turbo Diesel
engine of the piston cooling nozzle plugging, resulting in engine failure.
The plugging was caused by contaminates lodging in the nozzle. The
contaminants included metal chips, calcium carbonate, polyethylene, and
styrene butadiene that are not associated with filter manufacture, and a
neoprene compound, which is used as a sealant on the tapping plate of the
filter. There were also several other engine warranty issues determined
unrelated to the piston cooling nozzle plugging that were part of the
engine failure sample. A small amount of neoprene rubber was used in the
FRAM filter as a sealant.
Throughout our investigation with Cummins & DaimlerChrysler on various
engine failures, no conclusive evidence was found to assign cause to
filters or other contamination sources. However, driven to satisfy our
customers, the FRAM engineering team made modifications to the design
eliminating the neoprene and expedited development and manufacturing to
release a revised filter model number to PH3976A. With the design change
on the PH3976A completely removing the use of neoprene, there is
absolutely no validity in comments that the Fram filter should not be used
for this application or that it may cause engine failures associated with
plugged nozzles.

Since this time Cummins has recanted it's stand that only approved filters should be used in a bulletin sent out to it's dealers. Sources that say otherwise are outdated

 

his sounds like a nice, low mileage truck, but that's quite a bit for a '97, and I would steer away from an auto--be sure to drive it thoroughly and see if the torque converter starts shifting in and out on the highway. If so, move on.

 

sound like it has an aftermarket torque converter..
I don't know I don't like autos

 

Thanks fior the information. We have not reached a sale price yet I honestly do not want to give more than 14 for the truck and he seems stuck on 15,00 I was hoping to get it for 13,500 but it is not looking good. AS for the Automatic, I know they are trouble and I have heard some success stories from them as well. I realize most likley It will need work however I have allways shifted gears and do not want to any more I had rather pay the 3grand and get the tranny and TC up to par as I had shift gears. I will not be doing that much heavy pulling and will mostly be driving 20 miles 1 way to and from work. I decided that I could not have to much truck However I know from experience in the past that you can end up with not enough and by finding a good CTD I highly doubt that I will come up short again. Thanks for al your responses.

 

that low of milage on a truck that is more than 5 yrs gets more and more rare as time goes on. good luck

 

HEY WHAT IS KDP AND WHAT ARE APPROVED OIL FILTERS FOR THE CUMMINS? I HAVE ALWAYS USED FRAM FOR YEARS WITH NO PROBLEMS.

 

Hey Fanz send me your email address and I will email you the info on securing your KDP via the tabbing method.KDP which stands for killer dowel pin, it is a pin used to align the gear housing to the front of your motor and it needs to be secured as they have been known to come out and mess the housing and\or the gears up and will cost you some moola to repair. As for the filters that has been fought out here far to many times, I am of the opinion that the fleetguards that cummins sells for them are the better option as some have had problems with the fram and the fleetguards can be purchased from places like www.genosgarage.com and delivered to your door for not to much more or you can pick them up at the local cummins if you have one near you. Anyway opinions are free here so ask away. Do yourself a favor and do a search on filters and the two methods of securing the KDP and let me know if I can help you with the info I email to guys. It is a easy repair and stand on my statement if you change your own oil you can do this. Goodluck,, Rick, Oh yea one more thing typing in all capital's is like screaming on the board.

 

If you got your truck, plan on replacing ball joints at 100,000 miles, if not before.