I am new to the site and enjoying it. Currently I am at the end of a deployment and looking at buying a Dodge 5.9L crew cab 4X4 when I return. I have been reading about this engine for some time. However, I have not seen anything about what to look for as far as visual signs that would be a turn-off when purchasing a used truck. Anything information that you can provide would be helpful. Thanks.

Curtis

 

Hey Curtis, new to sight myself. Thanks for your service.
I bought an 07 5.9L with around 30000 mi. about thirty days ago and have since put 12000 miles on it. So far it has met all my expectations, and I really cant say anything negative about the engine. I wish now I could have got the std tranny because shifting is rather unpredictable, but I was in Moab last week and got to hit a few trails and was impressed with performance.
I travel the country and used to have a Sprinter which I thought was the bomb till I traded for this ride and now I could not imagine ever having such an enemic engine again.
One thing to look for if you buy from a dealer is a four year unlimited miles warranty, even on used engines such as mine. I bet I never use it.

 

I own the 2004 2500 HO 2wd auto. I purchased it around 8 months ago. Fuel mileage is awesome. I average 20.5 around town. However my buddy with the same truck gets 23 around town. I do even better on the highway 21- 27 depending on how fast I am going. They changed the engine in the 2004.5 model which robs the fuel mileage. I researched that particular year because that is what my friend has. Make sure you go HO. You want to make sure you get 3.73 gears and 4 spd auto. That is stock in many cases. 4.10 gears are good if you always pull a load but unnessary if you dont pull everyday and they suck fuel on highway. I have heard standard wont make a difference with mpg either. Good Luck. I am active army as well. Hope I helped.

 

Semper Fi and thanks for your service. I'm currently a contractor in the sandbox myself.

The easiest things to look at are your fluids. Make sure these look and smell right, so bring some of those blue paper shop towels from Wal-Mart with you.

Before you start the engine, check the radiator. If there is some contamination to the coolant it will be visible when you pop the radiator cap. Next, check the engine oil. If there is diesel leaking into the oil it will separate from the oil and you should be able to smell it on the stick or from the oil. Also check the transmission fluid if its an automatic. If it smells burnt or is darker than normal in color, thats because it is and you'll be looking at a rebuild sooner than later.

Start the engine and let it warm up. Notice if it fires right up or you have to crank it a bit. Take it for a test drive with some heavy right foot take offs, preferably up a hill, to see if the tranny/TC is slipping. Also unscrew the oil fill cap to check for blow by (indicator for bad rings) and leave it in place. If it looks like its trying to be "blown off" the top of the engine, then you've got blow by.

Once you get back check your fluids again for odd smells or color. Dealers are famous for swapping fluids and getting the entire powertrain up to operating temps and running it will help bring those sights and smells back out.

Find out if this is a local truck and if so, where the service records are at. Most vehicles come from auctions and aren't local, and if you don't have at least a decent history on the truck then pass on it.




Hope this helps.



Kris