One more try:1994 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins

Here"s the add:

1994 2500 4x4 5speed cummins diesel, gooseneck ball, bumper hitch,trailer brake box, loaded (for 1994) pw pl, ac is cold,cruise, no modifications have been made to this truck, it is completley original, plenty of power, i have pulled a few loads of hay with it , not abused,
THERE IS NO RUST ON THIS TRUCK! , 181,000 miles, decent tires , this truck was always garaged until i got it, new front end at 150,000, $6250 obo.

I kinda figure 5k will buy it. Pictures look good. Any input?? I promise, I"ll shut up about trucks after this one.

I would like to have it. I would bring it to Cleveland and make a plow truck out of it. It would be a big help on our farm. Most of the time I tow with my 06 Explore and it is taking a toll on it. I just don’t have that much extra cash. I just bought the kids two dirt bikes.

Bill

Have no idea about the price, but I sure wouldn't be afraid of the years or the miles.

I was really curious about the year. I know that 1994 was the first year for Dodges BIG redesign. I didn"t know if there were any issues that first year or two or not. Realistically, how good are these motor"s and powertrains?? Tires, brakes, AC stuff I don"t mind. It"s the bigger stuff that agitates me...

transmissions had a few troubles, 5th gear nut coming loose and main shaft breaking if it had alot of torque put to it. As for the engine, the "killer dowel pin" would be the only thing to hurt a 12 valve. The dowel pin is inside the front timing cover and would vibrate out into the timing gears, breaking things and cracking the front housing leaking oil everywhere. The bolts holding the timing cover to the block could vibrate out as well. Other than that, that is the only problems with the drivetrain. The stock clutch should be good for 200-250 thousand miles if not abused.

All important points have been covered....go buy that great truck!

If the Cummins is running strong now with no odd noises it'll last until the Dodge falls off the frame rails around it.

Of the ones you've posted so far, this is the best deal ($$$) for the best truck.
Buy it.

Those transmissions were known to have problems dropping something in the overdrive... and it's still a Dodge body, but they're not bad trucks. Front ends were troublesome, but probably no moreso than a Twin I-Beam. Probably a lot less actually...
If you can buy it at 5K, jump on it. That would be pretty fair value on it around here anyway.

Rod

its worth the price asked i have one, if you can buy it for that you better run to it dont walk or it will be gone, the 12 valve cummins just runs and runs, i have a quater million on mine i did a water pump and starter on it thats all, friend has the same year with 400,000 on it uses about 2 quatrs of oil between changes , its hooked to a trailer 90 percent of the time, those are the best trucks dodge made, the new ones have a little more power, but a lot more issues too

Well, I talked to the seller tonight. He's the second owner. He bought itwith 151,000 miles on it, just after the front end was rebuilt. He said the works was done to it, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc....He said he changed the oil(conventional) every 5000 miles and that the truck doesn't use a drop. The only reason he is selling is that he's out of work and needs the money. I'm going to look at it either Friday or Saturday. Kinda surprises me you guys prefer the Dodge over the Fords. Always thought the Powerstroke was a good engine, but again, no expereince with it either. Thanks for the input.

Casey

The Cummins is twice the engine. The truck overall... mabey not so much, but it's worth it for the engine.
The '94 Dodge, the first of the new generation is far better than the old ones too. The old ones with the leaf spring front ends rode like a lumber wagon... or mabey the lumber wagon rode better.
These were a vast improvement.

Rod

If it appears everything's as advertised, and everything works, buy it. I'd been a Ford PU man from age 18 when I bought my first, drove Dads' before that. Still have both a '77 & '91 F150. That being said, my best first choice would be a Ford with a Cummins diesel engine. I bought my '98 Dodge Ram 3500 in July of '03. I love the Cummins part of it, and put up with the rest. I over torqued the clutch once, tore the center right out of the clutch plate. Something to be careful of. If the deal with the nut on the fifth gear shaft hasn't been done, you will be doing it at some point. You can just figure on that being a given, but it's not a bad job, tranny doesn't have to be pulled, and after market nut up grade solves problem permanently. Any good transmission shop will know all about that deal, and with 180K miles on the truck, it may very well have been done already. If you're driving along, and suddenly lose fifth gear, you'll know that's what's wrong. Any other complaints I have with my truck are all rinky dink Dodge aggravations, like Chrysler products have always had. Check things like all of the light lenses and housings, and the grill. All are 100% plastic, attached with 100% plastic fasteners, and are prone to breakage and failure. If they're not solid, negotiate them into your offer. Just things to look at and watch out for. I had a lot of friends driving Dodge Cummins PU's that were getting along with them reasonably well before I bought mine. The conversation that finally nailed it with me was when I was at a salvage yard getting some used parts for a wrecked car. I asked the owner, who I know pretty well, for his opinion on Cummins versus Powerstroke. He said, "The requests I get for Powerstroke engines and parts out number Cummins by at least five to one. Whats that tell you"? At any rate, even if you have to give the full price, it's a WAY better deal than the '84 Ford, IMO. Good luck!! :wink:

I'd take a 94 dodge over a 84 ford. The dodge will run circles around the ford, both engines will last just as long.

Sounds like a good 'un. They are tough trucks and parts are generally reasonably priced. Simple to work on as well. If you need engine parts you can get a lot of them from the CaseIH dealer.

The Cummins B series was born out of a joint venture with Case. Case came to Cummins and laid out a set of parameters on an engine, and asked if it could be built. There were certain power and torque levels that had to be survived, as well as being able to be part of the frame on a tractor.

One of the requirements was that it had to be able to tip in any direction at over 45 degrees and hold oil pressure. They will run almost laid flat on their right side. I saw the footprints my dad left on the backhoe window where he stood to use the boom and stabilizer to set it back upright.

There are a couple companies that do the Cummins Ford conversion, and they sell the kits to do it yourself, and the Ford 5 speed auto will even work with the Cummins computer. I think one of them can be found at fordcummins.com