Buying 99 24V Turbo Diesel

Buying 99 24V Turbo Diesel - advice?

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Charles - 17 Aug 2005 03:24 GMT

I have never owned a pickup before. I will be mostly driving between
6,000 and 11,000 feet and a turbocharger is definitely an asset at those
elevations.

I did a google search of groups on fuel mileage and got some data which
did not look too bad. But I have more questions.

After talking to friends I have settled on a 1999 (or newer) 24-Valve
Turbo Diesel Dodge 2500.

I want a manual transmission. It seems they make a 5- and 6-speed? What
years for those? Should I hold out for the 6-speed?

I do not want the quad cab. Extended (Club cab?) or regular cab.

I want to put a camper on it and tow a (snowmobile) trailer behind that.
I think I need the long bed for the camper. Do I?

What kind of fuel mileage should I get? Or should I say, what kind of
mileage do you get (and doing what)?

What should I look out for?

Looks like I will be buying from a dealer as I cannot find much in
private party sales.

Thanks for any advice,

Charles.

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Tom Lawrence - 17 Aug 2005 04:51 GMT

> I want a manual transmission. It seems they make a 5- and 6-speed? What
> years for those? Should I hold out for the 6-speed?

The 6spd (NV5600) first came out in '00 (with the '01 model year) with the
HO engines. If you're towing heavy, the 6spd is nicer, because of the
closer gear ratios, you don't lose as many RPMs when upshifting. The NV5600
also addressed the one weakness of the NV4500 (the 5spd), and that was the
'5th gear nut' problem.... lugging the engine below 1500RPMs in 5th gear
would cause a retaining nut to back off, and you'd lose 5th gear. It's not
a reason to dismiss the NV4500 outright, but it's just something to be aware
of, and the problem is easily avoided.

> I do not want the quad cab. Extended (Club cab?) or regular cab.

Club cabs went away shortly after the introduction of the QC (I think there
was only a 1-year carry-over - maybe 2 years).

> I want to put a camper on it and tow a (snowmobile) trailer behind that.
> I think I need the long bed for the camper. Do I?

Most likely. I don't think I've ever seen a camper for a short-bed (though
I'm sure they do exist... somewhere).

> What kind of fuel mileage should I get? Or should I say, what kind of
> mileage do you get (and doing what)?

With a late-model 24V engine, manual trans, and loaded down with a camper
and a light trailer, I'd guess somewhere in the 13-15MPG range. But that's
just a guess.

> What should I look out for?

Two known weaknesses of the engines in the trucks you're looking at are the
fuel pump (you should install a fuel pressure gauge and monitor it to detect
early signs of fuel pump failure - which could in turn damage the injection
pump, leading to a $2,000 repair), and the '53 block' issue (though this is
only with the early 24V engines). It would take too long to go into it
here, but essentially there was a casting problem with a certain run of
engine blocks that results in a greater possibility of cracking. The blocks
in question can be identified by the cast '53' in the side. Look on the
diesel truck forums (http://www.turbodieselregister.com
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com) in the 2nd Gen forums for discussions
about this. In short, don't buy a truck if it has one of these engines in
it.

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Charles - 18 Aug 2005 04:07 GMT

> > I want a manual transmission. It seems they make a 5- and 6-speed? What
> > years for those? Should I hold out for the 6-speed?
>
> The 6spd (NV5600) first came out in '00 (with the '01 model year) with the
> HO engines. If you're towing heavy, the 6spd is nicer, because of the
> closer gear ratios, you don't lose as many RPMs when upshifting. ....

Thanks a lot, Tom!

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Nosey - 18 Aug 2005 07:06 GMT

Detailed info about the "53" block at:
http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm

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Charles - 18 Aug 2005 17:30 GMT

> Detailed info about the "53" block at:
> http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm

That is great! Answered all my 53 block questions and then some.

Charles.

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DE - 18 Aug 2005 14:20 GMT

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 03:51:41 GMT, "Tom Lawrence"

'53 block' issue

Both local Cummins dealers are old friends of mine. I asked
what their take on 24v engines. Neither has seen a cracked block,
but have changed a good number of pumps and head gaskets. This is in
mountainous ranch country where dodge ctds are common.

My 01 with a 53 block has a fp gauge on it, but not losing any sleep
over the block. It's been pulled hard up many a pass.

DE

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