OT- 1996 Dodge 2500 w/V10 Good/bad?

Dave from MN · May 19, 2014

Need to do some thing for the farm truck. Ol green is getting rusty, engine running terrible, Front suspension getting loose, and needs a water pump too. How good is the V10 for power and dependability? has 95,000 miles on it. Would be needed to pull a 28" 21,000# 5th wheel. My current truck is a "97 chev 3500, 2500# booster springs, 4.10"s with lockers front and rear. 250,000+ miles, bed falling apart. Would I be dissapointed??? I d o not do enough hauling to justify a diesel, although I would love an older cummings, but they are still close to $10,000+ for a 15-18 year old truck

G1355 · May 19, 2014

That v10 will pull good, might only get 7-8mpg but it will pull good, think you'll like the dodge to, what motor does your Chevy have. My hemi will pull 20,000+ pounds easy and I know the v10 dodge will pull it to because a friend of mine had one a few years back.

oj · May 19, 2014

Dodge V10 make good power, towing shouldn't be a problem... gas milage might be... like G1355 says 7-8 mpg, probably the same towing as driving unloaded...

I own a 98.5 24 valve diesel, and dodges are terrible for front end problems, mine does the death wobble every few years, parts aren't too expensive but it does get expensive when they fall apart so often (although i used moog parts last time and they replaced the track rod free so far (after about a year)... if it is 4x4 i'm not overly fond of the vacuum disconnect for the front axle either...

uncle henry · May 19, 2014

02 dodge 3500 5 speed 5.9 cummins 124,xxx for 8,000

T in NE · May 19, 2014

Pass anything but a gas station. Just gotta watch the transmissions, like the diesels, if it's an auto. If it's an auto and it lets go get a rebuild kit, valve body, and torque converter from Suncoast or Goerend, and it'll be just about bulletproof when it's back together.

D beatty · May 19, 2014

If you going to pull trailer a lot with some weight the V10's had a tendency to snap cranks at flywheel.

oldtanker · May 20, 2014

OK all BS aside. It ain't a diesel. It's a gasser. So all the comments and pretty pics of Dodge diesels (really Cummins, they never could build a diesel) Dodge didn't make it are all BS. The V10 Chrysler doesn't have a very good reputation. The Ford is a better engine but both like their gas. A lot!. Both the Dodge and Ford V10 gassers sucked a lot of gas. But I guess better than my friend who got sucked into a Dodge "hemi" (hemi refers to the combustion dome shape and all modern engines from about the mid 50's use a hemi dome, Chrysler just jumped on the it first and got a patent, been duping people who fail to do research ever sense). He can't even pull an empty horse trailer without burning a lot of gas with his vaunted "Hemi". Wont even pull it empty in OD. Feather lite aluminum 2 horse trailer too. Don't get sucked into anything by asking questions here. use your internet time and do some research. I don't even want you to take my word for it. Avoid both Dodge (fiat) and Ford (flip over read directions) pages. All you will find is guys like G and me, one each on each side. Find out for yourself on independent sources.

Rick

Dave from MN · May 20, 2014

Forgot to mention my chevy has the 454 vortec

ericlb · May 20, 2014

i have a good friend who has this truck same year and all, plenty of power but his freightliner semi gets better gas milage with a full load

Dick2 · May 20, 2014

Knew a guy who bought a Dodge used; within a couple months the V10 blew up. Replacing the engine made it a very expensive truck. He drove it a few times and traded off the truck - took a real loss on that whole transaction.

mkirsch · May 20, 2014

Must be they don't salt the roads in Minnesota?

Around here there isn't anything recognizable left of a 1996 Dodge that's driven year-round except the ignition key.

hd6gtom · May 20, 2014

Dave over the past 10 years we have sold a lot of them, along with the ford v10's. Yes they will pull, yes they will drink a LOT of gas, yes we have seen a lot of problems with both the ford and Dodge V10 motors. If you want a gasser to pull I would seriously look around for 1 similar to what you have. good luck. Tom

Nick m · May 20, 2014

I had one for a short time. Lots of power. 12mpg empty. Was a reg cab 4x4 auto. Had around 120000 on it. The transfer case was rebuilt right before I bought it and the transmission took a crap right after my brother in law bought it from me. Didn't seem like a bad truck, but I bought a cummins after that and my brother in law bought a power stroke. That being said, if the price was right and I wanted a beater truck I wasn't going to put many miles on, I'd buy another one.

Super-H-Mike · May 20, 2014

I own one , a 2001 2500 4x4 , auto. I have about 78000 on it and I love it. Yes, the mileage is poor, 8-9 empty, 5-8 pulling. I havent had any engine trouble, uses no oil, pulls great. The trans was reworked on it back when it was still under warranty, trans is your weak point on the older Dodges. Steering is also a little vague even when everything is tight and in good shape, can get really bad when the track bar , tie rods and ball joints wear out. I only drive it when I need to haul or tow so the mileage doesnt bother me. I personally dont want a diesel in my pickup, so the V10 is good for my needs.

Clodbuster · May 20, 2014

Chrysler did make a great diesel engine out of the legendary slant six but GM had just ruined the public's image of diesel engines with their own converted V-8 problem child. Chrysler mothballed the project as no customers wanted any diesel engine of any kind. This is from one of the many interesting engineering articles in a Mopar Action magazine. It took a whole generation of drivers to forget those GM diesel cars!

The new "HEMI" isn't really a true hemi either, but it sure is good for marketing! This is coming from a Dodge hoarder too.

David G · May 20, 2014

I would think you would be better off finding a newer 454 Chevy.

Anonymous-0 · May 20, 2014

HEMI does indeed refer to the shape of the combustion chamber, but outside of Chrysler, Harley-Davidson and Honda there were very few HEMI head engines around the US. An engine with a wedge-shaped combustion chamber and the valves lined up from one end to the other, you know, like almost all American auto engines from the 50's to 2000 or so, isn't a HEMI. The hemispherical chamber is about maximum valve and port sizes, not just some magical shape and a cool-sounding word Chrysler designers dreamed up.

GVSII · May 20, 2014

The V10 Dodge engine is only fairly dependable,pulls like a train but darn near collapses the gas tank!

ss55 · May 20, 2014

How much load do you haul on your trailer? Your 1 ton truck is beefed up. Many 3/4 ton pickups may not be equipped and or rated to pull a fully loaded 21,000 pound trailer. Maybe look for a 1 ton with a V-10?

Spending $100 to have a trusted mechanic inspect a used vehicle can pay dividends when you negotiate the price and know when to walk away.

Super-H-Mike · May 20, 2014

On my way to get a load of hay....55 mph down the highway...empty

OT- 1996 Dodge 2500 w/V10 Good/bad?

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member