# 2004 Dodge Cummins aka - (The New Wood Hauler)



## certified106 (Jan 27, 2012)

I have been looking for a truck for the last year to replace the Durango with and finally ran across a 2004 Dodge Quad Cab Cummins Diesel 2500. I went and looked at it tonight and it was spotless not a dent or ding on it interior or exterior and only had 112000 miles on it. Does anyone have opinions on that model year or issues I should be looking for? I am really considering going back to get it on Saturday as it's priced 3,000 less than book value and I haven't seen one this cheap in over a year of looking.


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## nate379 (Jan 27, 2012)

Good trucks.  manual or auto?


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## certified106 (Jan 27, 2012)

It's an auto but it has the tranny pressure boosted and a locking valve body installed. The truck has never pulled more than a 5,000 lb camper to the Nascar races in Tn and it's a one owner owned by an older guy using it for his daily driver.


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## Pallet Pete (Jan 27, 2012)

The only dodge I have owned was a 99 ram and though the motor was great I went through trans after trans after trans!! I ended up selling it to many trans problems no other car manual or auto has ever given me such fits.

Pete


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## mking7 (Jan 27, 2012)

Things that go bad often?  Lift pump and injectors. Oh, ball joints too.


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## MasterMech (Jan 27, 2012)

Newer Dodges ('02 and newer)  have gotten much better than their predecessors in terms of reliability. 5.9L Cummins is BOMBPROOF as engines go.  And I haven't seen a 4x4 truck yet that doesn't occasionally need some front end work. (Ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.)


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## Mick-Fish (Jan 27, 2012)

I have a 2006 Dodge 2500 4x4 Auto with 5.7 Cumming and love it I have gotten any ware from 19 to 24 miles per gal. depending how you drive it .You can load the heck out of it ,and it feels like no weight on it at all.I would buy another one in a heart beat


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## Dieselhead (Jan 27, 2012)

Mick-Fish said:
			
		

> 5.7 Cumming


Um, 5.9 Cummins?


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## Dieselhead (Jan 27, 2012)

I have 217K on my 04.5 it has needed a couple injectors and obviously front end work. adding a 2 micron inline fuel filter will help with poor fuel quality which is what usually at fault for injector problems. I-6's are very easy to work on, should the need arise. As long as the trans has been maintained they are ALOT more reliable then the 2nd Gen Dodges (94-02).


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## Halligan (Jan 28, 2012)

Is the truck a 2004 or a 2004.5? The difference is in the power rating and whether or not it has a catalytic converter. a 2004 will have 305hp/555tq and no cat. 2004.5 has a bump in power to 325hp/600tq with an added catalytic converter. Some consider the 2003-2004 305/555 Cummins to be the holy grail of the common rail 5.9 Cummins. The 48re auto transmission is a much stronger trans than the problematic 47re used up until 2002. the 48re is not as fancy as the Allison but it's strong. If it has a manual trans then it will be the NV5600 6 speed which is pretty much bomb proof. FWIW I had a 2004 305/555 Cummins in a 4X4 2500 and the truck was a beast that pulled my 10,000lb fith wheel camper with ease and in the 40,000 miles I owned it it was trouble free. Ball joints are known to wear quicky but there are good replacement ones out there with a lifetime warranty. If the truck needs ball joints PM me and I will steer you in the right direction where to get those.

BTW, this is my first post here on Hearth.com and I hope I could help you out some. I guess it beats the typical "Hi, I"m new here and have 500 questions about wood, wood stoves, wood haulers, chainsaws, log splitters, moisture content, creasote, chimneys, wood sheds, Husky vs. Stihl, Stihl vs. Husky" and whatever else I've read while I lurked here. FWIW though, I expect those above 500 questions answered in my second post  .


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## nate379 (Jan 28, 2012)

47 or 48RE, neither will take much power over stock.  They are really the same trans other than some fairly minor upgrades.  No one will argue that the 48RE is stronger, but the engine that it's bolted to almost makes much more power than the 24v motors of the 2nd gens.


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## certified106 (Jan 28, 2012)

Halligan said:
			
		

> Is the truck a 2004 or a 2004.5? The difference is in the power rating and whether or not it has a catalytic converter. a 2004 will have 305hp/555tq and no cat. 2004.5 has a bump in power to 325hp/600tq with an added catalytic converter. Some consider the 2003-2004 305/555 Cummins to be the holy grail of the common rail 5.9 Cummins. The 48re auto transmission is a much stronger trans than the problematic 47re used up until 2002. the 48re is not as fancy as the Allison but it's strong. If it has a manual trans then it will be the NV5600 6 speed which is pretty much bomb proof. FWIW I had a 2004 305/555 Cummins in a 4X4 2500 and the truck was a beast that pulled my 10,000lb fith wheel camper with ease and in the 40,000 miles I owned it it was trouble free. Ball joints are known to wear quicky but there are good replacement ones out there with a lifetime warranty. If the truck needs ball joints PM me and I will steer you in the right direction where to get those.
> 
> BTW, this is my first post here on Hearth.com and I hope I could help you out some. I guess it beats the typical *"Hi, I"m new here and have 500 questions about wood, wood stoves, wood haulers, chainsaws, log splitters, moisture content, creasote, chimneys, wood sheds, Husky vs. Stihl, Stihl vs. Husky" and whatever else I've read while I lurked here. FWIW though, I expect those above 500 questions answered in my second post  *.



LOL I enjoyed your sense of humor! I gave the guy money down on it yesterday morning and he already had three other people lined up to buy one guy was offering more money than what I paid. I am going to pick it up this morning and will post some pictures later on. I am not clear whether it has the 47re or 48re tranny but it is super clean and low miles for a cummins so I am going to give it a shot. Worst case scenario I will resell it if I don't want it as I got $3600 less than kbb private party value. I think the guy realized he messed up when he told me I could bring him the down payment yesterday as he had already pulled the add back off of craigs list and reposted it for $3500 more than what I bought it and there was a lot of whining about not realizing how much the truck was worth when he listed it.


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## certified106 (Jan 28, 2012)

Alright here is the new to me wood hauler.....


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## amateur cutter (Jan 28, 2012)

Nice !, but it's only a shortbox & way too purty to nick & ding out in the woods. 

In all seriousness though, get a bigger trailer & load it too the gills, or you'll forget it's behind you. Good find. A C


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## PNWBurner (Jan 28, 2012)

amateur cutter said:
			
		

> Nice !, but it's only a shortbox & way too purty to nick & ding out in the woods.
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> In all seriousness though, get a bigger trailer & load it too the gills, or you'll forget it's behind you. Good find. A C



Yeah, no kidding.  That a pretty cherry rig to be hauling firewood around in, congrats!  I think you need a big old dump trailer behind you now...


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## Halligan (Jan 28, 2012)

certified106 said:
			
		

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It will have the 48re transmission. The only question is if it's an early 2004 with the 305/555 engine or the later 2004.5 with the 325/600 engine. A quick glance at the tag affixed to the engine on the drivers side will tell you the horsepower of the engine. Good luck with the new truck. Dodge really stepped up their game with that generation of truck and they are a reliable beast with a few known area's that require upgrading. I drive a 2010 Ram 2500 Hemi and love it.


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## greythorn3 (Jan 28, 2012)

dodge has never made a transmission that was worth a hoot and never will im sure. they are always garbage. if it wasent for the cummins engine no one would buy a dodge sad to say but true. and the new cummins arent very good either. i cant belive people still buy them trucks they are ticking timebombs, you can see it in their low resale value.


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## G6 at Snook TX (Jan 28, 2012)

I have to agree with greythorn to a degree. I have had two Dodges and use one right now, but the problem has been that the body always wants to fall apart faster than the motor. Also, I can say that the 5.9 is a good Cummins, but I would NEVER buy a 6.7, especially the 2007 model. I had one and it was nothing but trouble. Also, a complaint about modern, efficient, and clean diesels are that you cannot idle the truck while in the pasture. It may have changed in the last few years, but there was a reason Dodge was always 4-5 grand less than Ford or Chevy or Toyota. There is a reason why--quality of make. I drive a Ford, F-150, and would buy another again, or look at a Toyota, but that is where the list ends. 

It looks like you bought a clean truck and I hope it treats you better than Dodge treated me.


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 28, 2012)

There are people with 350,000 miles on a 47RE trans, the problem is many people won't change oil & adjust bands. I realize this won't have the 47 in it, same deal though, get Jiffy lube to do a power flush on it & get all that old oil & band material out. The sad thing about the Cummins was after 98.5 they needed to take the low speed torque out of the engine because of emissions. If you,ve ever driven a good 2 valve you'll be spoiled. I drove newer ones that had all the off idle torque of a gas engine. A Smarty chip will put the timing advance back in. Good luck that should be a nice truck for you.//// Think Federal Mogul(Moog) front end parts as Dodge really dropped the ball there, Randy


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## greythorn3 (Jan 28, 2012)

the newest cummins engine i would get would be a 24v then i would pull just the engine and sell the rest the truck because thats where the garbage begins.


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## certified106 (Jan 28, 2012)

amateur cutter said:
			
		

> Nice !, but it's only a shortbox & way too purty to nick & ding out in the woods.
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> In all seriousness though, get a bigger trailer & load it too the gills, or you'll forget it's behind you. Good find. A C



Yeah, I agree it won't make it out into the woods but the plan is I can now haul the tractor on an 18 foot landscape trailer so the truck won't have to but I will now be able to pick up small scores without having to go home and get the trailer. I also wanted something to pull my camper through the mountains in WV so it will be pulling double duty lol


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## certified106 (Jan 28, 2012)

greythorn3 said:
			
		

> dodge has never made a transmission that was worth a hoot and never will im sure.



Dang I wish I could have found a low resale value but it took darn near two years to find this one. I agree the stock tranny is horrible if it is not maintained properly however it really only takes about $550 dollars of upgrades to pretty much make it bullet proof. There is a local guy about 45 minutes form here who works on nothing but Dodge cummins engines and the tranny that is attached to it. ALL the locals swear by him even the guys buying almost brand new trucks take them down and have the tranny reworked. My best friend has three Dodge Cummins and all three tranny's have been reworked for under $600. His 1 ton dually has 275,000 hard miles on the tranny and is still going great and that truck is constantly pulling a huge skidsteer, 5'th wheel, or very large farm equipment. I already called and set up the appointment for the tranny work so I will let you know how it seems afterwards. I will say the original owner had the bands adjusted every 25,000 miles (saw the receipts) and the tranny still shifts great and drops into gear really solid.


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 29, 2012)

certified106 said:
			
		

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I'd be interested to find out what is done with the tranny reworking. My guess would be a valve body mod. I would recommend doing a pan drop & band adjustment & filter change every 12,000 miles. You only get rid of 4 to 5 quarts out of approx. 18 this way. Good luck there, Randy


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## certified106 (Jan 29, 2012)

Singed Eyebrows said:
			
		

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I'll get the specifics when I take it down there but what I know so far is he replaces the reverse gear, rebuilds the valve body to be a locking valve body, upgrades some solenoid, raises the tranny pressure, and adds a locking switch to the truck so the tranny can be locked into any gear and you can shift it like a stick. From what he was saying one of the major problems with the tranny is the stock tranny pressure isn't high enough and it's hard on the bands. Once he performs the mods listed above the tranny shifts really solid into every gear. I have driven a few with these mods and the difference is incredible. If you are going to be using the truck for major pulling all the time he usually wants to replace the torque converter and overdrive gear also but he siad 80% of people don't need that. We will see how it goes.


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## thewoodlands (Jan 29, 2012)

certified106 said:
			
		

> Alright here is the new to me wood hauler.....




Certified106, the truck looks great.


zap


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## Dieselhead (Jan 29, 2012)

Dont let anybody on here talk your truck down you got a great truck!


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## certified106 (Jan 29, 2012)

Dieselhead said:
			
		

> Dont let anybody on here talk your truck down you got a great truck!



Thanks, I'm not to worried about what anyone thinks as I put a lot of research into the Dodge and knew what I was getting into besides everyone is entitled to their opinion lol. 
I checked yesterday and mine is an 04.5 also as the HP rating is 325 and it has the 48re tranny so I'm happy  :thumbsup:.


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## certified106 (Jan 29, 2012)

Dieselhead said:
			
		

> Dont let anybody on here talk your truck down you got a great truck!



Thanks Zap! I have waited 12 years and 3 months since I sold my last truck to be able to afford to go back to college and finish my Mechanical Engineering degree so it was pretty satisfying.


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## Dieselhead (Jan 29, 2012)

seeing as you in sled pull heaven in the ohio/indiana area if you go to any pulls you see what brand is dominant Hell I come from CT to Terre Haute every year to watch them Strong Dodges pull. You will have no problem finding a good diesel shop out your way if the need arises also.


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## charly (Jan 29, 2012)

I have a 2004.5 ,  3500 Dodge diesel , 5 spd standard,  single axle.  I love it. Had to do ball joints and an in tank fuel pump. Other then that it's been trouble free. Over 20 mpg. 125,000 miles. Bought it with 85,000 miles on it. Removed the cat, installed turbo back 5 inch pipe. Truck has Amsoil in everything from the front to the rear. Have a couple of people always asking if I ever go to sell the truck to let them know.. It's a quad cab short box. You'll love the truck so much it'll be your daily driver. You put your time in to find that, great find!


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 29, 2012)

certified106 said:
			
		

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Sounds like he knows what he is doing. The greatest diesel trans man I know of, Bill Kondolay from DTT, says that your hydraulic pressures determine the life of your trans. Dodge could have easily done a better job, unfortunatly many heavy duty truck owners want an automatic that shifts like a passenger car. Randy   BTW, regarding the Cummins engine. This is the only medium duty diesel engine available in a pickup truck. All the others are light duty. The  Cummins is rated for 300,000 fully loaded miles, light duty is 100,000 fully loaded miles.


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## nate379 (Jan 29, 2012)

Never heard of Bill before, though I know of several guys that do pretty good work.

$550 isn't going to make a 48RE "bulletproof" but it will sure help, more so with stock power levels.

I HOPE the rebuild I did on mine this summer is going to hold up for a while.  Had a slow leak that turned into a big leak and melted town while towing a only few tons.  Truck does put down some power though, have run 14 sec 1/4 miles with it.


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 30, 2012)

My 47RE was shifting like a poltergeist got in it. Its had an easy life, with very little towing. I was told by the dealer a long time ago that if I used the synthetic fluid (+4) that I only needed to change the filter, big mistake! It's getting better as I did a filter & pan drop oil change(thanks Blades for use of the warm shop). I think theres a bit of band material in the valve body, hopefully it will work its way out. Randy


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## dorkweed (Jan 30, 2012)

I've had the pleasure of owning 2 Dodge Ram 2500's.   I drove the '99 for 5 years before I gave it to my Dad. Gave it to him with 207,000 miles on it in '04.  It now has 263,xxxmiles on it.

When I gave my Dad the old Dodge Cummins, I bought a '04.5............I've got almost 190,000 miles; of which 170,000 miles have been BOMBed!  BOMBed is an acronym  for  Better Off Modified Baby Of the 190,000 miles, almost 2/3rd's of those have been towing some sort of trailer.

On the rollers, my '04.5 puts down 383hp and 787ft. lbs. torque. On the "tune" I'm running now.   That's "Rear Wheel" numbers boys...........not flywheel..........like the engine manufacturers use  I've got the 6 speed rower, so I'm not gonna 1/4 mile anyone.  But if you wanna go 60-100mph; you'd better have a fast car, because once the turbo lights, she's gone!  I'm running the "Smarty Revo SO6" tuner on my '04.5.

If that truck is a clean as you say, and you can get it for a price you think is fair................I'd say buy it.  The Cummins motor is a "medium duty" motor in a what's classified as a "light duty" truck.  This motor is different configurations is in trucks that have GVW of 30,000lbs.+  Enough said there!!


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 30, 2012)

dorkweed said:
			
		

> I've had the pleasure of owning 2 Dodge Ram 2500's.   I drove the '99 for 5 years before I gave it to my Dad. Gave it to him with 207,000 miles on it in '04.  It now has 263,xxxmiles on it.
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The Smarty is real nice, do you have that 3 cylinder cold idle on yours? That was the only feature I wasn't wild about. I'd put one on my 99 except I would run it on economy setting(the most timing lead) & that would tear up my trans fast, Randy


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## dorkweed (Jan 30, 2012)

Singed Eyebrows said:
			
		

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The 3 cylinder idle is only on the 24valve VP equipped trucks I believe. Not the "common rail" 5.9liter trucks which were from '03-'07.5.  On my '04.5, from the factory, and even with the Smarty downloaded, I have the "automatic" "high idle" feature which is based on engine operating temps and "cold air induction" temps.   IOW, the 'puter bumps up the idle RPM's to 1000rpm from 750rpm when the ambient outside temps and engine temps are below a certain temp.  Comprende'???


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 30, 2012)

dorkweed said:
			
		

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## nate379 (Jan 30, 2012)

That's about what mine is at I'd guess with the injectors I have in it.

I know it makes over 500hp to the rear tires with the TST all the way up.  It's ok quick, but it pales to the 300hp WRX I used to have... could hit 80 in that before even grabbing 3rd gear.



			
				dorkweed said:
			
		

> On the rollers, my '04.5 puts down 383hp and 787ft. lbs. torque. On the "tune" I'm running now.


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## North of 60 (Jan 30, 2012)

Beautiful truck Certified.  Treat it well with maintenance and it will treat you well. It will go 0-60 pulling the biggest loads at an incredible rate if you want it too.  Take your time getting there instead and it will take you there many times more.  Fewer times if you repeatedly try to set records and race the Corvette beside you. Treat the power with respect as I know you will.  I have a 97 12 valve 5spd tweeked out but I drive it easy. Love the power, sound and the reliable mileage it gives me.  I will maintain my drive line and keep this truck to the end of my existence. Its getting a new paint job this spring. Beats spending $60 grand on a new one with wimpy sound and $hity mileage. Enjoy your new ride.  04 still was a great year. :coolsmile:


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 30, 2012)

north of 60 said:
			
		

> Beautiful truck Certified.  Treat it well with maintenance and it will treat you well. It will go 0-60 pulling the biggest loads at an incredible rate if you want it too.  Take your time getting there instead and it will take you there many times more.  Fewer times if you repeatedly try to set records and race the Corvette beside you. Treat the power with respect as I know you will.  I have a 97 12 valve 5spd tweeked out but I drive it easy. Love the power, sound and the reliable mileage it gives me.  I will maintain my drive line and keep this truck to the end of my existence. Its getting a new paint job this spring. Beats spending $60 grand on a new one with wimpy sound and $hity mileage. Enjoy your new ride.  04 still was a great year. :coolsmile:


Nice truck, you got the big pump on that with the 5 speed. I'd like to eventually get a 97 or early 98 3500 with the 5 speed, unfortunately demand has driven prices through the roof, Randy


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## North of 60 (Jan 30, 2012)

Singed Eyebrows said:
			
		

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Yes, the Bosch P7100 with a proper machined B&D fuel plate, Star wheel set so only little smoke an very hard acceleration.I am not a young kid any more and the black smoke is just pointless in my honest opinion. Fifth gear nut tabbed,Dowel pin holder modded, 4" stainless exhale B&D turbo back exhaust with muffler and 5"polished SS tip. Stock injectors.
EGT and boost gauges on pillar.  Modded fittings on Turbo plumbing for 30psi boost at 2100rpm.  28 miles per Canadian gallon @ highway long distance cruising. Yes I am not joking. :bug: 2-wheel drive extra cab SLT.
Mods done at 185,000 Kms. 300,000 on it now.  No diesel starts like a Cummins in the cold.  Sorry for getting off topic from the OP. :red: I just love my old Donkey.
Cheers!


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 30, 2012)

north of 60 said:
			
		

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What is sad is that I had a chance to buy a 97 2500 4wd stick & I wanted the newer 24 valve. I did get a very clean, no 5th wheel, 2500 2wd that was basically a new truck. I have 200,000 on it now. I bought it at 71,000 miles & the VP went out at 105,000. My truck is stone stock except for a Raptor 100 feed pump. If the VP doesn't get good pressure it's history. I drove an early 98 2 valve 3500 5 speed low miles that had everything right with it. They wanted $20,000 3 years ago. It was tough to give the keys back with that truck, it was a joy to drive, Randy


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## ironpony (Jan 30, 2012)

Wheres the rest of the truck?????
congratulations
the engine will still be running strong 
when the rest of the truck has fell apart
just the way it is


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## Singed Eyebrows (Jan 30, 2012)

ironpony said:
			
		

> Wheres the rest of the truck?????
> congratulations
> the engine will still be running strong
> when the rest of the truck has fell apart
> just the way it is


Absolutely, better to have a nice engine than nothing though, Randy


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