New to EcoModder, Ram 2500 diesel

[skyking]

I had about 1500 in parts and a friend with a press and know how. Love my new gears. Now I need to love a new clutch.

https://amzn.to/2SQUCjs

[ctmaybury@yahoo.com]

Very tight tolerance on rearend. 4x4 doubles your cost to do gears. I like the 355 gears in both my trucks. I pull 8 to 10k lbs max. If I pulled a 24k lbs trailer on a regular basis, I'd have the 411 for sure.

[skyking]

Check the link ink in my post above. That's both diffs and both master bearing sets for 1325 . Mine is a 2007 4x4, not the one in my signature.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by ctmaybury@yahoo.com

Both of my dodges 98 and 99 have 355 gears. 411 was offered. Changing ring and pinion gears will cost you in the neighbourhood of 4000 bucks. Many vehicles benifit from lowering the final drive ratio, but your truck won't unless you have the 411 gearing. Check the sticker under the hood. Taller tires are a cheaper route. Think about a tunner like edge or equivalent. I think the 03 to 07 came with a cat. Remove that for less restriction. Getting into the 20 plus mpg range isn't hard. Look up dieseldave on this forum and prepare to be impressed.

The cat first came on the 04.5 I have started to learn how to tell an 03 form an 03.5 or an 04 from an 04.5. Some are some pretty big upgrades like the 47RE automatic on the 03 vs the 48RE on the 03.5. The 04.5 added the cat and the 3rd injector event but also added 20 hp and 45ft-lbs to the HO motor. The easiest way to tell an HO from ads is either by the 6 speed manual or by the "C" in the 8th place on the VIN rather than a "6". In person the valve cover has a sticker that shows the HP rating. 325 means 04.5, 305 is an 03.5 HO or 04. 235 is an 03 or a California 03.5 or 04. From Jan 1 build date 04 every Cummins, Cali or not, was the 325hp motor with the cat.

I have heard of other ways to tell and 04 from an 04.5 by things like where the washer bottle is located or by the fan shroud but the truck I found breaks those rules. According to the sticker on the valve cover it is a 325 but it has the early fan shroud. The Dodge VIN decoders are no help as every one comes up as a 305 version even if it is the 04.5 325 version.

That is the problem I really want an 03.5 or 04 HO with the 48RE automatic and they seem hard to find.

[slowmover]

You really need to drive the man trans. Will cure you of desire for an auto. Unlike the V8 competition, the straight six Cummins comes off the line with no drama. Almost impossible to stall.

Slow to accelerate, yes, as it's a medium duty class trans behind a medium duty engine. Again, unlike the light duty drivetrains of the competition. One pauses just slightly between gears. Unnoticeable to anyone riding with me, but the truck dies not "keep up with traffic" so worried over by the morons.

And an auto simply will not return 19-21/mpg around town.

The auto isn't worth having until the six speed becomes available. Mainly for double overdrive.

[ctmaybury@yahoo.com]

My 99 has the 47re. Hated it until the rebuild. Lot of weak points, all of them fixable. My 98 has the 5sp (nv4500). I think the 5sp is good for 2 mpg over the auto, but the rebuild on the auto is less than a week old. New torque converter lockup profile and firmer shift might help with fe. I much prefer the 5spd. 6spd (nv5600 or g56) would be nice. The 5spd has a big jump from 4 to 5, but I don't think the final drive is much different between the 3 trannys. The 48re is a little tougher than the 47re, but has similar weak points. The second digit in the name stands for rated torque of 800 lbs. My 47re is now rated for 1000 ft lbs of torque (up from the 700 stock rating). I am no longer concerned about the auto falling apart on me when towing my travel trailer around the country (still prefer the 98 for towing)..

[Hersbird]

I drive a manual Forester everyday and have had many other manuals in the past. I will take a 6 speed if a good deal comes along, but I think I would prefer a truck I can loan out to anyone who needs it. My Aspen has been loaned out about as much as I have had it in my driveway and it is a great blessing if you have an extra car to be able to loan it out to others that end up in a pinch. I guess I could get rid of the Subie and get something else to replace that with an auto. I've been eyeing a couple of 2007-2008 3.0 diesel Grand Cherokees. I'd love to see what kind mileage those would get towing the Hi-Lo. If the Aspen can return 14 towing it, I bet they would hit that 20 mpg towing mark. I have also thought about the CRD Libertys as well. What I really want is an Ecodiesel Ram but I'm not going to pay $30,000 for a used one or $40,000 for a new one. I thought a 2003 or 4 Ram could be used for 3-4 years and then sold when the Ecodiesels are plentiful and cheap meanwhile the CTD will have lost very little value in those years as I won't have put more then 3-5000 miles a year on it.

[slowmover]

Don't know what happened to OP, but in reference to "loaning out the truck", I point them towards UHaul and the 19.95 van special.

[Hersbird]

One of the reasons I wanted a manual, so few know how to drive them. I shouldn't pat myself on the back too much because now I probably need to help drive and as long as I'm there might as well help load...

[slowmover]

I used to help others move. Had a great station wagon back when. Then I learned to refuse unless all was packed prior to arrival. Finally, I learned to use UHaul and hired crew to load and unload. Odd shape stuff in back of Dodge. But only if others unload the 900-lbs of gear normally aboard, ha!

These days I just provide food, drinks and cash tips to those who do that work.