New(to me) tow rig,school me

[O'neal]

I picked this dodge down in SLC last weekend to serve as pullin duties/road trip cruiser.

'04 3500-86k-5.9-auto-ugly 20's-straight piped-cold-air intake.Have not dug further yet to see if it's been tuned with aftermarket box's/injector's,A mechanic that lives by me seem's to think it is by the way it run's.

This truck run's great,excellent stump pullin torque off the line,cruised parly's in od at 65 like it was flat ground,get's decent milage for it's size,comfy and roomy which are all a plus for the fam.

What are these dodge's downfall's,what to look for and what maintence need's to be done to them?

From what I have read one of the not so good to have is the auto,everyone want's the 6spds.How bad are the auto's?It seem's the guy's that juice up the cummin's full hilt take advantage of all that power and destroy the trans,just too much torque.
The other 2 is unit bearing's and fuel pump's.School me on the dodge diesel's,this is my first american ride...LOL

 

[bryson]

Put a few bucks into a decent trans rebuild and nice torque converter when you can, and that tranny will be as good as any other... I've had 4 Cummins automatic trucks, and once you put a few bucks into the trans, they are great. You'll love the truck even more the first time you hook a trailer to it...

 

[O'neal]

Who has the best tranny kit's/TC's?? If I do it,it's got to be a done deal first shot...Thank's

 

[Herzog]

Nice truck! I love that color on the dodge trucks.

 

[bryson]

Who has the best tranny kit's/TC's?? If I do it,it's got to be a done deal first shot...Thank's

I've had really good luck with J&G Transmission here locally (at least local to me ...) Their TC's are also made locally I think, and I have one in my '01 now, and I love it. They are tons cheaper than the big name tranny guys too.

 

[ricsrx]

I have got to get me one of those. Nice truck

 

[mbryson]

Nice. Mine's black and a little shorter (BARELY fits in the garage now--did some garage rearranging today). Auto as well. I did just tow the trailer with the Jeep on it. I'd be curious to put it up against my white PowerJoke. I think the PowerJoke might take it, but not by a lot.

I've already lost the drivers side unit bearing. $250 or so. Easy to fix, other than the wallet part.

It's a nicer truck to drive than the F*rd and pretty comfortable. I like the gray a LOT. I almost bought a 6 spd that was a twin to that truck (sans the Bushwacker flares and the 20" wheels).

 

[O'neal]

We like it alot,Seem's to be a great truck and in really good shape.Whoever had it before put some money into it,just hope it had been taken care of and not beat.
I crawled under,over and in before buying and found nothing out of the ordinary,no ding's,dent's,scratches anywhere on the drivetrain or frame.The dealer dude was like and I was like No leak's either. I'm kinda leary on used vehicle's just for the fact that most trades are traded in for a reason.

 

[O'neal]

I've had really good luck with J&G Transmission here locally (at least local to me ...) Their TC's are also made locally I think, and I have one in my '01 now, and I love it. They are tons cheaper than the big name tranny guys too.

I will keep them in mind.Thank's

 

[LT.]

Your stock tranny will be okay with about 50 to 75 extra hp. Any more than that and it will start to slip on you. Keep an eye on the fuel pressure. The previous Cummins had problems in that area but, the third gens seem to do much better in that area. Still, easy to do to keep an eye on the fuel pressure. The front end may give you some trouble later down the road. With all the links and other moving parts on the front end when a part or parts start to wear death wobble may occur. If and when it does check the ball joints first, then the track bar and then the tie rod ends. These items will really start to seem worse if you lift your truck. Lifting the truck places additional strain on these parts and if they are worn even a little the suspension lift will really bring them to light. As with any Diesel I would recomend a good set of gauges. For the auto tranny in your Cummins I would want the tranny temp, EGT, and the boost guage to start. I would also look at a fuel pressure guage as time and money allow.

LT.

 

[rollover]

Talk to Pat at Pete's Diesel (1700 S 1200 W, SLC). He has an upgrade for the auto trans that really helps it last while giving it some beef. Cheaper than a rebuild and can be done in a few hours same day.

 

[RustEoldtrux]

Truck

I really have to pop over to see your new Dodge. My '03 CTD HO engine with auto has been an awesome tow rig, with no problems at all. If you tow in OD, be sure to drop into direct on hills.

 

[O'neal]

I really have to pop over to see your new Dodge. My '03 CTD HO engine with auto has been an awesome tow rig, with no problems at all. If you tow in OD, be sure to drop into direct on hills.

Or I can run out to your place since it will give me an excuse to get behind the wheel
I'm trying really hard to stay in the samurai for my DD in town but I like to ride in the dodge too since it's warmer and drivability is waaay better

 

[ChestonScout]

Thats a good looking truck! Congrats!

The wheels arent the best but Ive seen worse

 

[O'neal]

Thats a good looking truck! Congrats!

The wheels arent the best but Ive seen worse

Thank's! I dont care for the wheel's myself.I'm not one for flashy thing's,I'd rather have a set of stock 17" alloy's or....Maybe someone will read this and wanna swap

 

[RustEoldtrux]

17" wheels

We had company today, so I didn't catch your post until now. You're welcome to pop over anytime. I also have a set of 17" Dodge rims from an '06 3/4-ton with nearly new tires you can try out.

 

[O'neal]

We had company today, so I didn't catch your post until now. You're welcome to pop over anytime. I also have a set of 17" Dodge rims from an '06 3/4-ton with nearly new tires you can try out.

Reallly....I'll call ya

 

[tiny2085]

try out cumminsforum.com - it's all dodge cummins and it is broke down in to each generation of cummins, anything that you'll ever need to know or want to do to your truck is over there.