tthomass

Yeah I'm new to the site but I'm in a bit of a pinch right now on buy'n a truck...........neighbor has a 2000 Dodge 3500 Cummins, 50k miles, 12ft dump, freak on maintaining it so its perfect condition........perfect for me and doing landscaping.

I've done some searches and come up a little short of really trying to find the hard info on these trucks. I and most my family are Chevy people and I know little on Dodge other than people raving over the Cummins.

So, YES I am still reading but I may have to buy in the next 2 days to get the truck (prob $17k). I would GREATLY appreciate a run down from some of ya'll on this truck as I continue to read up on it. Plenty of power is there I know but I would like to bump up the gas mileage with a chip and extra power never hurts..........reading up on Bully Dog etc but what kind of mpg are ya'll look'n at and what chip? He tells me he gets about 14mpg runn'n around in it with mulch (all he used it for basically).

My background:
I'm a Honda guy and know my way around swaps and parts and shops, mechanically inclined and meticulous* but I'm just not as prepared as I would like to be before deciding on purchasing a truck just yet but I'm in a pinch on this one before someone else grabs it. I think the price is great......ya'll? Any questions just ask I'll do my best to answer and thanks for the help!!

GlennRMK

Good price if 4wd

Is it manual or auto?

The 5 speed is known for 5th gear falling off(fixable). If its a rare 6 speed(in that year) it won't have that problem.

The autos are not the strongest in stock form either

Read up on the "53 block"

It could have one. Easy to find. Crawl underneath in front of the front tire. Right above the oil pan, in big 1" block letters may be "53"

Chip wise, unless your ready to do a clutch or build the auto, I would go EDGE EZ or EDGE COMP and leave it in EZ. Or do the VanAaken, which I have. Pretty happy with it.

4" exhaust and air intake are nice upgrades too.

tthomass

ok yeah i just read your other reply on the 53 block, i'll check it out..........as far as chips i don't care about more power as i know its got plenty for me at the moment (of course more doesn't hurt) but def not looking into tearing into the tranny right now.........

the only reason i want a chip is for fuel economy, what do you suggest and what can i look for there? thanks man!

tthomass

and its auto

nubby3

A chip,exhaust,& air filter system will not help fuel milage.

tthomass

i'm not talking exhaust etc.........just chip, maybe intake or a filter

but from that i'm try'n to see what chips are for my truck that #1 aren't a piece of crap and #2 help my mpg

i'm not after big power gains as the truck as plenty for me at the moment, i'm looking for better fuel mileage

Dr. Evil

If you want better milage stick with a Handa. These are big, heavy, works trucks with medium duty industrial engines and they DO get fairly good milage compared to a gasser. A chip isnt going to give you the results you are looking for. Sorry for being blunt but thats the way it is.

GlennRMK

Some say it doesn't but mine definitely helped my mileage

tthomass

what kind of increase did you see?

i'm very capable of running a truck (cdl class A).......i know for a fact that chips increase mileage, i'm not looking to double it or anything but bumping it a bit helps in the long run. again, i'm mostly a chevy guy and my cousin has a 2004 or 2005 Chevy w/ duramax and he jumped up 8mpg (yes 8) with a bully dog chip.

i'm just wanting to find out what chips people have experience with and what results they're getting for mpg

GlennRMK

I didn't get 8 MPG, but I'd say 2-3 MPG.

Started out getting 18 MPG on the highway, but it increased to about 20-21 MPG with the VanAaken. Got 17 around town stock, about 18.5 with all my mods.

More power = less foot in the throttle too maintain speed(assuming you can control yourself)

Injectors are also supposed to increase mileage as well.