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I have a '00 Dodge 2500 360 and love it. It's my second 360, the first one had horrible fuel mileage but awesome power, this one is a little on the wussy side but gets awesome fuel mileage pulling trailers so I will deal with that! I want a 12V Cummins Dually really bad. Its hard to find a truck that old in good shape.
 
Discussion starter · #122 · (Edited)
What do you guys think of a 1997 2500 with the 12valve? I want the manual transmission and 4x4. I'm looking at replacing my 03' 1500 Silverado. This would be my work truck. Are there any main problems with a truck from this era? Only problem I see is trying to find one thats 4x4 standard cab with the 8ft bed.
All of the pre-emission diesels are getting hard to find, any Dodge 2500/3500 Cummins with a manual is like GOLD the ULSD fuel lubricity; does not relate to the Bosch P700 fuel injector pump; because it is OIL LUBRICATED ie from the engine. The Bosch P700 is a mechanical pump, and is not computer controlled, and therefore will waste some fuel. The Bosch P700 has tremendous hp/torque potential; however it involves mechanical fine tuning, you have to be able to "wrench" on the P-Pumped Cummins diesels.

back in 2000 To meet the next round of EPA emission & MPG standards, Bosch had to switch to a computer controlled fuel injector pump, enter the misunderstood Bosch VP44/$$:laugh: it is totally fuel lubricated, at the time VP44 testing did not include ULSD, and their was no reason to assume the EPA would switch to it anytime soon. WRONG
The Bosch VP44 is a ECM computer controlled injector pump capable of very percise injection cycles, on the fly tuning, and the ability to increase HP/Torque MPG without any tools from the cab ECM access port. Cummins also added the 24valve head to breath better, and complement the new VP44injector pump.
It soon became clear the Bosch VP44 was sensitive to drops in fuel pressure below 9psi, this was because the stock carter (LP) lift-pump were failing. soon Dodge tried to correct the problem with a OEM fuel tank pump. The aftermarket industry stepped in with several options the FASS system. Airdog, Glacier Warlbro pump; which gives a WOT 20psi or idle at 12psi.

With that said the Bosch P700 injector pump is OEM bulletproof, but requires mechanical modification to extract more hp/torque, and from the factory is passively tuned, moderate tweaking is all one needs on the P700

The VP44 is a different animal, and does require a plan to possibly replace the lift pump, and VP44 at some point in the engines life. Because of the computer controlled VP44 it's the easiest to be modified, plug & play applies. But most folks have cooked their VP44; because they jumped to the tuner before replacing the lift pump.

In stock form the VP44 Cummins will run for over 100,000 miles, some guys are just replacing the stock LP at 20 to 50,000 mile intervals to ensure the LP does not fail, The drop in fuel PSI is very slow over time, so most VP44 failures are a "slow death". The dreaded "dead pedal" is when you "slap" a tuner on the Cummins, and it dies immediately.
 
Well I went out today looking for the right Dodge. I'm looking for the 1ton dually and or the 2500 95'-98'. Both reg cab, 4x4 and 12 valve. I couldn't find anything. I'm going to my nursery tomorrow and tell them to keep on the look out. Is there any site on line other than truck trader? They are joke. I guess my best bet is just drive around to the small car lots and or call around. Maybe try lots by the Port of Tampa, there might be some old work trucks from the shipping industry, who knows.
 
Discussion starter · #125 ·
Well I went out today looking for the right Dodge. I'm looking for the 1ton dually and or the 2500 95'-98'. Both reg cab, 4x4 and 12 valve. I couldn't find anything. I'm going to my nursery tomorrow and tell them to keep on the look out. Is there any site on line other than truck trader? They are joke. I guess my best bet is just drive around to the small car lots and or call around. Maybe try lots by the Port of Tampa, there might be some old work trucks from the shipping industry, who knows.
Seriously look on E-BAYThumbs Up
 
Good website. I spend a lot of time on there looking at trucks. Here are few pages to look at for Dodge 2500 and 3500 trucks.

http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/...n=DODGE&guid=9D82B5D8D23F414EBE4949509861284D

http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/...n=DODGE&guid=9D82B5D8D23F414EBE4949509861284D

http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/...n=DODGE&guid=9D82B5D8D23F414EBE4949509861284D

I just did a search for Dodge 2500/3500 Cummins 4x4 within 75 miles of Orlando on autotrader.com and only found one, a 1992.
 
Wow thanks guys I got some searching to do. My friend found a newer 24V 3/4 ton auto thats suposidly emaculate, its near his house. Its an auto though. He told me that the 12v's are slower and I would have to sink some $ into one to be happy.
 
Discussion starter · #132 ·
Wow thanks guys I got some searching to do. My friend found a newer 24V 3/4 ton auto thats suposidly emaculate, its near his house. Its an auto though. He told me that the 12v's are slower and I would have to sink some $ into one to be happy.
He is right about the 12 valve, you would have to modify the P7100 with a new fuel plate minimal.

The 24valves are stronger from the factory, plug & play is king:clapping:
Be careful with the 2nd gen 24 valvers ask if he has replaced the VP44 or the lift pump yet. The 47RE auto's are very stout, and will last you; with that said I would not pass up a good 2nd gen Cummins because it was an auto.
 
You know, getting back to the Ford versus Dodge thing, I just don't know. I grew up a die hard Ford fan because my family drove them. However, all of them literally fell apart at 100,000 regardless of how they were taken care of or what type of Ford you were driving. I never understood that.

I bought a light duty 98' F250 with a 5.4 Triton and wasn't impressed at all with the truck. The engine was gutless and the suspension didn't seem much more than a 1/2 ton. Every time I'd get into the truck, I'd find a spot of chipped paint on the outside. The hood was aluminum and the sides were really thin metal-really poor quality.

When I bought my 03' Dodge 1500, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It seems the trucks most in stock were the SLT with all the power items-it's almost their base model;not many SL models out there. With the Ford, everything is the XL versus the XLT. So, you're already getting a more plush truck from the start with the Dodge.

I went to the largest truck dealer in Ga. today(right down the street) that sells Ford and Dodge and they have rows and rows of trucks including about 20+ used trucks. They know trucks. I looked at several Ford trucks, including some 450's, and everyone of them rattle when you shut the door. They're just like my old 250 with the cheap metal and sound like they have hollow doors with no insulation. It just surprises me to see so many Fords out there when they seem so cheaply built. The F450/550 is a heck of a truck, suspension wise, but it still has that Toys-R-Us body and no options. My Dodge is nice and plush and sounds really solid when you shut the door, even with over 105,000 miles on it. It's all metal too and doesn't have an aluminum hood. I'll take aluminum cans with Coke in them but I want metal with my work truck. I looked at several Fords with a lot less mileage on them than my Dodge and the interior was already showing a lot of wear. My Dodge has one small tear on the back of the center console and that's from kids in the back seat. If not for that, the inside would be perfect. Most people think it's a new truck. The Fords just don't add up. I even liked the Chevy interior better.:confused:
 
My dodge story goes like this. I bought a brand new 2001 dodge 3500 360 v8. At 3300 miles, the transmission went out. It took forever to fix because the dealership said that the parts were back ordered(something about lots of dodges were having transmission issues). About a week later, I was back at the dealership, because the transmission went out again. The third transmission lasted a lot longer. At 14,000 miles, I decided I wanted a different brand truck. The majority of the work trucks in the Washington DC area are Ford Superdutys. I test drove a F-250 6.0 and loved it. I now have 101,000 + miles and no issues other than routine maintenace.
 
My dodge story goes like this. I bought a brand new 2001 dodge 3500 360 v8. At 3300 miles, the transmission went out. It took forever to fix because the dealership said that the parts were back ordered(something about lots of dodges were having transmission issues). About a week later, I was back at the dealership, because the transmission went out again. The third transmission lasted a lot longer. At 14,000 miles, I decided I wanted a different brand truck. The majority of the work trucks in the Washington DC area are Ford Superdutys. I test drove a F-250 6.0 and loved it. I now have 101,000 + miles and no issues other than routine maintenace.
Dodge was having tranny problems back in 01' and I think the whole world knows it. Ford was also having head gasket problems and the whole world knows that as well. However, they have both moved on. My Dodge has never even
slipped a gear-I pull 75% of the time(4200# tractor on a dual axle trailer). None of this explains the cheap interior of the Fords.
 
I dont understand people that want a diesel but are conserned about it being super fast. I mean if you want a race car buy one. I have a 12v and drive it daily. It pulls what i need it to and get 20+ mpg highway. If i wanted to do a quarter mile in 10 seconds id buy a hot rod but i want a truck to work so i got a work truck. You can tear a truck up so fast you can even see straight trying to make it a hot rod. Example 2007 chevy duramax 1 ton 4 door it has a chip and exhaust its at 40000mi on its third ALLISON tranny. I dont know how much an allison is but i am pretty sure they are very proud of them. It jus blows my mind why people want a 7000+ pound truck and expect it to go a quarter mile in 10 seconds and if it does not then they come on the internet and start ragging on them about their truck is too slow blah blah blah. In my opinon get a soild 12 or 24v cummins auto or manual take care of it and dont tear it up or abuse it and it will take care of you for a long time.
 
I didn't get rid of the dodge because of the transmission issues. I figured the third transmission was working very well. I got rid of it because I wanted a diesel engine truck. At the time 2004, diesel was about 20-30 cents cheaper than gas, and my dodge, like most v8 gas engines gets horrible fuel mileage.
My F-250 is an XL and does have basic cheap interior. My dodge did have a better interior at the same package level, however, the Superdutys have tow mirrors, recovery hooks and a few other things that either dodge didn't have or were optional. These were some of the things I looked at when deciding on a new truck.
 
You know, getting back to the Ford versus Dodge thing, I just don't know. I grew up a die hard Ford fan because my family drove them. However, all of them literally fell apart at 100,000 regardless of how they were taken care of or what type of Ford you were driving. I never understood that.

I bought a light duty 98' F250 with a 5.4 Triton and wasn't impressed at all with the truck. The engine was gutless and the suspension didn't seem much more than a 1/2 ton. Every time I'd get into the truck, I'd find a spot of chipped paint on the outside. The hood was aluminum and the sides were really thin metal-really poor quality.

When I bought my 03' Dodge 1500, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It seems the trucks most in stock were the SLT with all the power items-it's almost their base model;not many SL models out there. With the Ford, everything is the XL versus the XLT. So, you're already getting a more plush truck from the start with the Dodge.

I went to the largest truck dealer in Ga. today(right down the street) that sells Ford and Dodge and they have rows and rows of trucks including about 20+ used trucks. They know trucks. I looked at several Ford trucks, including some 450's, and everyone of them rattle when you shut the door. They're just like my old 250 with the cheap metal and sound like they have hollow doors with no insulation. It just surprises me to see so many Fords out there when they seem so cheaply built. The F450/550 is a heck of a truck, suspension wise, but it still has that Toys-R-Us body and no options. My Dodge is nice and plush and sounds really solid when you shut the door, even with over 105,000 miles on it. It's all metal too and doesn't have an aluminum hood. I'll take aluminum cans with Coke in them but I want metal with my work truck. I looked at several Fords with a lot less mileage on them than my Dodge and the interior was already showing a lot of wear. My Dodge has one small tear on the back of the center console and that's from kids in the back seat. If not for that, the inside would be perfect. Most people think it's a new truck. The Fords just don't add up. I even liked the Chevy interior better.:confused:
My god man, This is so off its not even funny. You must be looking at old company trucks or something! Not one of my fords was anywhere close to cheaply built. They all were much stouter than the GM and dodges ive owned. Stop spreading these bad lies. Fords are superbly built trucks, as well as dodge, and some GM's. people wouldnt keep buying these trucks if they were like you described. Now just stop.
 
I dont understand people that want a diesel but are conserned about it being super fast. I mean if you want a race car buy one. I have a 12v and drive it daily. It pulls what i need it to and get 20+ mpg highway. If i wanted to do a quarter mile in 10 seconds id buy a hot rod but i want a truck to work so i got a work truck. You can tear a truck up so fast you can even see straight trying to make it a hot rod. Example 2007 chevy duramax 1 ton 4 door it has a chip and exhaust its at 40000mi on its third ALLISON tranny. I dont know how much an allison is but i am pretty sure they are very proud of them. It jus blows my mind why people want a 7000+ pound truck and expect it to go a quarter mile in 10 seconds and if it does not then they come on the internet and start ragging on them about their truck is too slow blah blah blah. In my opinon get a soild 12 or 24v cummins auto or manual take care of it and dont tear it up or abuse it and it will take care of you for a long time.
I thought the Allison was da bomb?:dancing:
 
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