The third-gen Dodge diesel-powered trucks are getting up there in years, but they are still a favorite among many truck enthusiasts. But, with age comes wear and if you are planning to purchase one of these used haulers, you really need to know what you’re getting into. Luckily, the guys at Thoroughbred Diesel are looking out for you.
In the above video, Wade McGinnis of Thoroughbred Diesel fills us in on the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to what you need to be aware of with the 2003 through 2007 Dodge 5.9-liter Cummins platform.
Follow along with the video as Wade McGinnis walks us through some things to look for when buying a third-gen Dodge with a Cummins.
Wade first talks about what you need to consider when looking at the 5.9 Cummins common rail engine in these trucks. He says he sees a lot of good and a lot of bad in this platform. This era of trucks tends to be in the price range for people who are first-time truck buyers or maybe they’re looking for a backup truck to pull a camper with or something of that nature. So he felt it pertinent to start with the engine in this video.
When looking at the engine in a third-gen Dodge Ram truck, a visual inspection might not indicate any issues. So, Wade has a few tips to follow before you spend your money. For starters, an injector failure can cost you money you weren’t planning to spend. You’re looking at anywhere from $250 for re-man injectors or more than $400 for brand-new injectors.
The 24-valve 5.9L Cummins engine is legendary. But if you’re considering the purchase of a truck with one of these engines, there are a few things you need to look into.
An easy way to check to see if a truck has — or ever had — an issue is to take the truck for a drive. Wade says you need to drive the truck and get it up to operating temperature. He also insists that if you’re looking at buying a truck from someone and they won’t let you drive it, then walk away. After your drive, open the hood and remove the oil fill cap. By doing this, you’re looking for crankcase pressure or blow-by. If you see a lot of smoke or the cap blows out of your hand, You’ve got a bad cylinder.
Another failure that happens on third-gen Dodge Ram trucks is a dropped valve seat. A dropped valve seat chews up the piston, valves, and the head. If you’ve found one that doesn’t sound natural to you and has a lot of blow-by, you’re probably wise to walk away from the truck. That said, if you can get it for a price where you can repair the engine and go on about your way, it might still be an option.
From 2003 to 2007, third-gen Dodge trucks had four transmissions available. The automatic transmission in these trucks is the 48RE. Unfortunately, there can be problems with this transmission if the previous owner(s) never paid attention to any maintenance regimen.
When it comes to transmissions, Wade discusses both manuals and automatic options and what might be an issue.
Three different manual transmissions were in the platform between 2003 and 2007. Some of the ’03 and ’04 trucks had a five-speed NV4500 transmission while others had an NV5600. There were not a lot of problems with the NV5600. However, sometimes there were synchro problems. The clutches were a single disc, single mass flywheel which doesn’t hold a ton of power. If you’re above 400 horsepower, you’re probably going to slip the clutch.
The G56 was in the 2004-1/2 to the 2007 years. The G56 Mercedes transmission is a good everyday transmission. There are guys out there with trucks pushing 1,000 horsepower on a stock transmission. The weak link on the G56 trucks is the clutch system. It uses a dual-mass flywheel, so Wade says you’re going to be looking at a clutch change if you are pushing more than 400 horsepower.
There is a lot more information about what to look for when contemplating the purchase of a used 2004 through 2007 Dodge truck, and thankfully, Thoroughbred Diesel has helped take some of the confusion away about what to pay attention to.
