Buying A Cummins?
 

I've been looking into buying a new truck and there are a couple cummins right near me. I've never owned or worked on a dodge, mostly chevy's and jeeps so far. One of the trucks is a 97 and the others a 99 so from what I've read so far that makes the 97 a 12valve and the 99 a 24 valve. They're both pretty much the same setup (cc lb) and the price is the same but the 99 has 245k miles and the 97 only has 173k. I'll try to include links here. What are some of the Dodge "gremlins" that I've read about on here and which truck should I lean towards? I'd like to do some mods to it, probably small (inexpensive) stuff at first like exhaust and intake and maybe the plate thing, I'm not sure what you call it (fuel plate?). Is going to a 10 plate or whichever profile going to be what gives you some smoke? Also with fuel prices the way they are I'm going to be looking for the best economy possible. I need some schooling here so help a possible soon to be Cumminshead out.

Cars For Sale: Car Details - AutoTrader.com


Cars For Sale: Car Details - AutoTrader.com

Hey Jesse....

Ive got a 98 12V and a 01 24V - go for the 12V.

Why? Well, theres a number of reasons - heres just a couple:

1) the injector pump in a 97 is a mechanical Bosch P-7100 and is referred to as the "Million Mile Pump" and its just about bulletproof. You wont have to worry about the fuel supply issues that plague the second gen 24 V's and wont have to spend money on an expensive lift pump upgrade

2) Mild to medium HP upgrades are much cheaper than on the 24 V. There is no fuel plate on a 24V. With the 24V you will have to buy a computer box that changes the fuel map of the injector pump. Thats not saying a 24V isnt good - but they tend to be a little less reliable than a 12V. 12Vs are not without their issues but most guys tend to like them better.

And you can make a 12V smoke like a frieght train (which sounds like what you are after)...

Thats a quick bit of info off the top of my head...fire away if you have any more questions and someone will be sure to chime in.

I had a feeling the 12v was going to be the answer, I really just wanted to know what its advantages were over the 24v/vp44 setup. Thanks alot and keep em coming. What does go wrong with these trucks? Dodges do have a reputation for falling apart and eating trannys. What can I do to prevent this?

Dodges do not fall apart. Who told you that? A Ford or Chevy guy?

And they eat trannys due to the large amount of torque these inline 6's produce.

oh come down here to texas if there drove long enough or worked they fall apart i can show u many beds comalongs are holding together, other than that u cant beat a 12v

I'm a chevy guy :w2:

lol...


I used to be too - until I mashed the go pedal on a mighty CUMMINS :c: :c: :c:

Beware of KDP (Killer Dowel Pin) and blocks with the "53" casting number!
A quick search of the forums will turn up plenty of info.

I beiieve *both* of those trucks are canidates for both problems. You can simply look for the 53 casting on the block (or worse yet, the stream of coolant below the exhaust manifold). You will just have to ask the owner if the KDP has been fixed.

You wont find a #53 block on a 97 12V - only on 98-2001.5's....

I read about the kdp on the frybrid site and a few other problems to look out for. I'm considering wvo or bio-d but for the amount of work that goes into the wvo kit and filtering the oil it seems like you might as well just make bio and then you can just put it in any diesel engine. I'll look into the 53 block.

one thing I'm curious about with the 12v is the vin that was provided on autotrader has a couple digits that don't seem right. The vin is 3B7KF23D8VM504205 and the bold letters should be 6U from what I've found of the dodge vins if it is a 97 12v

no...if the 8th digit is a D - its a 12V. By just being a 97 it will have a 12V for sure. DC started putting 24V's in mid model year 1998.

ok, lmc truck probably isn't the best source for that type of info anyway

And they eat trannys due to the large amount of torque these inline 6's produce.[/QUOTE]

i can secound that im on my third since ive owned this pickup

I would go with the 12 valve. I have had both and im a 12 valve guy. Plus that’s a nice looking 97.

Expect to put 2K-5K in the trans in the near future if you want to make any kind of power. KDP on both engines 53 block on the 99 as others have stated. I would get the Fuel pressure tested on the 24 valve. And try to find out if the Injection pump and lift pump have been replaced and how many times.

Do you need 4 doors?

The positives of owning a 24 valve
4 doors
I think they sound better
And you can adjust the chip going down the road

just curious what people get for mileage with 12valves or 24vs

I'm getting 19mpg with my 99 53'blocked 24valve. I've also got the NV-5600 6spd and 4.10 gears. At 80MPH, I'm outta gear and sucking down fuel at a ridiculous rate.

Im getting 17mpg with my 01 NV5600 3.54 Gears this is around town and some highway.

Stock I was getting around 15-16 if I was easy on it. With the goerend and #100 and a quart of 2 stroke oil per tank im getting 16 playing a lot and 18 taking it easy i hope to get 19 or 20 on the interstate at about 65.

20-21 MPG now,with a fresh VP44 in my truck.

well it turns out the 12v owner lives right down the street from me so i'm going to check it out in a little bit. any suggestions on what to look at?

Its for sale?

its on autotrader...

oil on the ground and if the break off screw is gone. gauges are also a sign that its not stock.

what is the break off screw? i just took the 24 valve for a drive and it sounded awesome, i wasn't too impressed with the way the 12 valve sounded but i just called him back and asked if i could take it for a ride this weekend so we'll see. Also kbailey's truck is just about in my price range now so that is another one i'm considering, and its a stick which is a big plus and i like that its a dually and has a gooseneck ball already too

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just got back from test driving the 12 valve and the interior was a lot nicer than the 24v's and it just seemed to be a lot nicer all around

not to hyjack the thread but is the 53 block a no no? whats the big deal about it? im also looking into a cummins and wounder about this.

i'd like to know more about this too anyway

this should help http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm

53 Block FAQ and Information

you left out the .htm at the end so your link doesn't work, but thanks it was helpful when i found it

I know I get 15mpg plus with my 12v. I would go with the 12 valve myself, they are easier to work on, the parts are cheaper, and they have a few "free" upgrades you can do. You can turn up the P7100 to put out more fuel, thats the most common one. You can also simply slide back the existing fuel plate to allow for more fuel. On the flip side, you cant chip them, but to me that's ok since you can mod them cheaper anyhow. I beleive a 12 valve will be harder to find in the future as well, so I would hang on to it if you got one, it may be worth money someday. As far as the killer dowel pin, yeah, go ahead and get it fixed, it may save you a huge headache in the future. Good luck!!

Go with the 12v,i love mine.I'm getting around17/20mpgcity and 22/24 freeway.:U:

i got a 24v, its a good truck. but id go with the 12v for sure. Mostly because of what all others have been saying. Cheap upgrades, super reliable if you keep upgrades reasonable, and good mileage. i get 18-20 depends on how and where im driving.

the KDP, transmission (im assuming its an auto),check the front end(ball joints, sway bar links etc) and ask if the owner has had any work done to it. Check the bed right above the back tires for rust and bottom of doors.

Other than that buy what ever feels good to you, get some knowledge of what your doing and BOMBS AWAY!!!:rocking:

I agree. Go with the 12 valve.:U:

I've got a '98 12 valve and get 20mpg in the summer and 17 in the winter, when they change the fuel over, mileage increased with Banks exhaust but went normal with addition of fuel plate.

Did you buy one?

not yet. i'm just going to wait til after i graduate this spring so i don't have to worry about a payment while i'm in school but i will definitely be looking for a 12 valve and probably try to find one with a stick :U:

i have a 94, and the guy i bought it from told me he got 15mpg but i know i get more im guessing about 18 in town. my trucks stock except my exaust.

This is my first 12v cummins and i'm not going back to what i had before.I really like my truck.I'm getting around 17/19mpg in city,and 22/24mpg freeway.When i bought he truck every thing was stock,not anymore.I have even gotten up to 26mpg on trips to california with the mods i've done.Pick what works for you.:U:

just bought a 6.2 to get me through the rest of college:U:

12 valve all the way!!!! got over 293 K on mine and going strong, :U:

I would go with a 12v or a 24v common rail just a personal prefrence of mine. I'm not a big fan of the vp pumps. But if it was between a common rail and 12v i would take the 12v first.