Hi guys i was thinking of buying an older cummins, 94-98 and was wondering what i should look out for as far as known problems! Thanks a bunch

 

Trans is weak ... the TC is one weak point, the Planetarys are another weak point, if those are swapped out , there ok for medium power ( 300 ish ) ..

The HG can be an issue as well, like to pop under the T-stat, mostly due to higher EGT's and vaporizing the coolant causing high spike's in coollant presssure which can be remedied, by several things, warrm it up correctly before playing, Coolant by pass, drill holes in the T-stat to eleviat pressure ( only works a little bit , bypass is best ) ..

If its 2wd, Ball joints and shocks are a common issue as the Cummins is quite heavy and has a tennoncy to wipe out the shocks and ball joints...
4X4's have the same issues and the CAD- Central actuated disconect, for the 4x4, some guys do away with it all together, and doing a Spin Tek spindle swap - helps improve mpg and dosent turn the front diff full time ( t-case mods needed to comlpete this ) ...

Over all , there alot more solid than the Ford and Chevy in the same years that are Diesel trucks ... Not my oppinion- actual results ..

 

Killer Dowel Pin.

 

Ah yes .. the infamus KDP .. nearly forgot about that .. LOL!!!

 

I actually laughed out loud at this one. While the 6BTs in our trucks are arguably the toughest, most reliable diesel engines available (once a few of the inevitable factory oversights are tied up), the '94-'02 ('94-'01 for gas trucks) Dodge body they dropped it in is an over-engineered, under-built piece of garbage. The interiors are put together sloppily with chintzy materials, most of which Chrysler decided not to stand behind after it came to light that they start literally falling apart and bursting at the seams after a few years of even delicate use. The sheet metal is the thinnest of any passenger truck of that era and is poorly protected by a second rate paint job. The entire truck, save the drivetrain, is put together like a Cold War Soviet space craft. For f***'s sake, the driver's fender is mounted to the body with more bolts than an entire 1st Gen front clip, probably because some ******* at Chrysler decided that it should support its own weight worth of wiring harness (which is a Mexican made fire-waiting-to-happen), anti-lock brake controller (that doesn't work well to begin with), and a plethora of other useless garbage.

I love Dodge trucks, man, I really do, but let's be honest about the second gens. The only thing that makes them even compete is a kickass diesel engine, a straight front axle (that still manages to suck) and that iconic big-rig styling. The statement that they're "more solid" than a Ford truck from the mid-late '90s isn't based on reality. Had FMC had the Cummins contract for the F250HDs and F350s, Chrysler would've lost the LT market 20 years ago.

OP, if you want a solid old Cummins truck that doesn't fall apart as you drive it or make you want to kick your dog when you have to turn a wrench on it, get a 1st gen. Those are solid trucks.

 

I know what you mean .. i obviously was basing my opp. on the drivetrain alone ... Having worked for Chrysler,Dodge,Jeep,Ram ... I have fixed many things that seemed stuipidly put together ..

But, if you must .... I would love to have an ol' Chevy 3+3 with a P-pump 12V .... and an Allison 6spd auto ... Now were talking ... but .. no money for the build..

 

Mine will turn over 355K tomorrow. It has been a work truck it's entire life, in and out of dirty, abusive construction sites and plowing snow in every storm. The interior looks practically new. Compared to every Ford and Chevy in our fleet of nearly 100 trucks, it is easily the tightest, quietest cabin, and has held up by far the best even though it is our oldest truck with nearly 100K more on it than any of the others. The driver's seat still feels exactly like the passenger side, who's use over the last 16 years could be measured in hours, as apposed to the driver seat which I sit in for over 1200 miles a week. It isn't showing any signs whatsoever of falling apart or bursting any seams. I find it extremely difficult to believe that the interior in this truck is in any way inferior to the build quality of the Fords or Chevys in our fleet which are all complete pieces of **** inside after a year in the field.

The metal quality, well, that's hard to argue with. These trucks freaking suck rust out of nowhere. That said, the second rate paint job on this one pushed through sand and salt for almost 200K without so much as a bubble, until we decided to paint it the fleet color. And the ******* who did the work stripped it, left it outside for two months, then sprayed it and gave it back.

Regardless, I live in my truck all day every day, I've driven every generation of every truck we own, and you couldn't give me any of them. Mine is more comfortable, rides better, handles better, has half the turn radius, doesn't require me to get out and lock/unlock hubs, can lift a thousand pound plow without squatting the nose so low that I can't get it over a sidewalk, regularly gets thousand of pounds more than it's rated for dumped in it/dragged behind it and handles it all like a truck. A comfortable, capable truck that shocks everyone who hears the mileage. If Ford had picked up the Cummins contract twenty years ago, I'd be taking out their 12V to put it in my 2nd gen Dodge.

 

Lol... Age old arguments, who wins ... No one, cause everyone is right..

 

You either own the exception to the rule or you're in the advanced stages of denial brought on by "I own it so it's awesome" syndrome.

I, for one, hear things like "cracked dash", "disappearing clear coat", "disintegrating sheet metal", "busted seat seam" or "falling headliner" and I immediately think Second Gen Dodge.

Dude, I like you, but that was the stupidest, most myopic thing I've ever seen you write.

 

Yes, But all are Intitled to OPPINION'S ..... Including YOUR'S .. Which everyone values just as much as any other person who KNOWS what thier talking about ..

For instance, my truck does have a head liner issue, seats are fine, metal is great, paint does suck ..

I scrapped my Chevy ( 77) because is was a rusted pos... everything on earth will one day return to the ground from which it was created .... EVEN HUMAN'S !!!!!
Some just will have more molage on them ..LOL