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Comments
Well, I guess I will just have to wait till Fri. to see what these characters do about it.
Chris
P.S I ordered the truck sept. 15/99
BB review by fleet department
BD special equipment processing
BE edit error
BG passed edit n/a for schedule
BGL edit ok parts unavailable
BX passed edit available for schedule
C sub firm
D firm schedule - dealer has allocation and all parts available
D1 gateline schedule - scheduled to be built
E frame
F paint
G trim
I built not ok'd
J built ok'd
JB shipped to body vendor
JE emission check
JS shipped to storage
KZ released by plant , invoiced
KZL released - not shipped
KZM first rail departure
KZN first rail arrival
KZO delayed/recieved
KZOA plant holds
KZOB zone/distribution holds
KZOC carrier delays
KZOD carrier holds
KZOE mis-shipped vehicle
KZOF show/test vehicle
KZOG damaged vehicle
KZOH all other reasons
KZT second rail departure
KZU second rail arrival
KZX delivered to dealer
ZA canceled
I can only guess that any "A" codes mean that it is still waiting to be looked at by DC.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
How was the long trip?
Mike in Louisville
"Assuming that DC was just testing the waters and a new V10 is in the works, I've got to wonder what
the mill will displace. 6.5 liters (basically the
per-cylinder displacement of the 3.7 factored out to 10) seems too small. 7.7 liters seems more likely, which is basically the per-cylinder displacement of the of the 6.1 factored out to 10. As KC, one of my Ace Buzz Patrollers, pointed out, "it would slide off the tongue better with the 3.7, 4.7, and 5.7 engines." I'll keep you posted."
and yes, that is me in that Buzz report too
You can read about the road trip here
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
C'mon back good buddies.
Just as you left for vacation I posted a question for you. It is #314. It has to do with choice of differentials with the new 265 tires. I probably don't "need" a Dodge Cummins truck, certainly not for serious pulling, although I think I would like one for very long trips around the U.S., and the longevity that it offers.
If I read your previous posts correctly, it seemed that you were concerned that the 3.54 or 3.55 in combination with the 265 tires would be too high for efficiency of the diesel engine. I do know a number of people who pull heavy loads (12,000 lb. 5th wheels, cattle trailers) with the 3.55 and 5 spd., although the 4.10 might be a better choice.
If I purchase one of these trucks, I would like to have the engine upgrade and the 6spd. transmission. Do you think for light to moderate pulling the 3.55 will now be too high with the 265 tires? If so shouldn't Dodge correct the problem with another choice like 3.73?
And one more question. How long does it take for the Cummins to warm to operating temperature in a temperate climate? I live in central Texas, where it is hot much of the year, and in the winter it is often not colder than 40's on many mornings. To go to work, I drive about 7 miles on the hiway immediately after leaving home and then about another 3 miles with stop lights. Is that a reasonable distance to run this engine back and forth every day, with a lot of hiway on the weekends, or is it more like "stop and go" for the cummins?
I would really appreciate your input. Thanks.
You hit on something that Dodge should have addressed that Ford did. Ford uses 3.73, 4.10, and 4.30 in the Super Duty trucks with the 265 tires, while Dodge uses 3.54 and 4.10. A 3.73 in the Dodge with the new larger tires would be terrific. But as I pointed out, a 4.10 with 265s is equal to a 3.73 with 2.45s, so the 4.10s with the larger tires are now actually the halfway compromise that Dodge never offered before.
As for your commute, it's similar to and slightly longer than mine. But I also do plenty of running around off-hours and on weekends to make up for it.
At 40 degrees, you won't need the engine block heater. The Wait-To-Start light will be on for about 30-60 seconds, then you can crank it. The heater grid will cycle for 3 minutes while you idle; although you can drive during the cycling, I always wait for it to stop before leaving the parking space.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
I apologize for the delay in responding.
I love the 6 speed and think it is worth the wait, especially if you will be towing. I have the 3.55 gears and when towing the boat (4ooolb) have no trouble pulling on grades in 5th. Have 10k miles
Re: #401 I will be ordering a new 2000 Ram 2500 4X4 Cummins w/auto, and the larger 265's tires.
I plan on pulling a 5500# boat short distances (10 miles) about 20 times a year plus an occasional 500 -900 mile trip. Other than that I'll be driving it to and from work which is about 10 miles highway 10 miles stop and go.
What would be best axel ratio 3.55 or the 4.10 and what kinda of problems would I encounter with the 3.55?
Any help appreciated.
Nick.
Observed speeds with the six speed gearbox in 6th:
1500 RPM: 54 mph
1800 RPM: 63 mph
2000 RPM: 70.5 mph
2200 RPM: 80 mph
2400 RPM: sorry, too many cops, but extrapolated, probably 88 or so.
Observed speeds at 2000 RPM (arbitrary) shift points:
1st gear: 8 mph
2d gear: 16 mph
3d gear: 25 mph
4th gear: 37 mph
5th gear: 52 mph
6th gear: 70.5 mph
These numbers obtained in hilly conditions, 60 degree day, 3.54 rear end. Truck as equipped:
2500 HD Quad Cab LWB
Cummins ISB 5.9L Turbo Diesel
6 Speed manual
Anti spin rear end
4 wheel ABS
SLT package
Trailer package
Camper Group
Fog lights
Sliding rear window
AM/FM in dash CD, Infinity 6 speaker system
And the kicker: at 558 miles, filled up with 25.7 gallons which equates to 21.7 mpg off the lot! Mixed hwy/town driving, about 20%/80%. Couldn't be happier. Fit and finish are good as any vehicle I've ever purchased, with the exception of the paint, which has some minor trash under the clear in two spots, but that's alot of surface area to cover, too. The 2000 SLT is equipped with forged aluminum rims instead of steel, 16x8 with Michelin LTX radials, 265/16s. The trailer rating on my sticker is still 13,700 and 20,000 CVWR, so I don't know where the rumored decrease in capacity came from, unless its something related to 4x4 and the snow plow prep packages which I don't have. Any more questions? I'll be happy to share.
Which transmission and tire size would be best? I was thinking that the 4.10 with 265 tires would be about the right combination.
Where can I get the Dodge towing chart for the different engine/transmissions combinations?
Thanks in advance,
Before you purchase ANY truck with the Auto Trans that will be used for heavy towing, test drive it with the O/D OFF first! Know what you're getting before you buy it!!! I'm serious...
The numbers I listed were for the 5 and 6 speed manuals with the 4.10, not the automatic. I get them directly from DaimlerChrysler's media site, where they are broken down MUCH further than the catalog. Again, they only list the 20,000 GCWR for the 2 wheel drive Rams, and that's the only truck that has ever had that rating.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
You mean none of the 2500 or 3500 4x4's have ever been rated 20,000# GCWR? If that's the case, then these two brochures I have here for 1999, and 2000 contain very misleading information. In fact ALL of the 4x4 2500's and 3500's for both years have listed GCWR's of 20,000# (with manual trannies) except the Y2K 2500 4x4 which is what began my quest for truth in the first place.
Soooo.. I finally got through to someone at DC who assured me she was reading from the most current spec sheet (she said it had a revision date of 30 Sept '99) and that the 2500 was now indicating max trailer weight of 13,300 (4.10 axle/6spd) and 20,000 GCWR.
This makes sense since all of the Furd 4x4's have 20,000# ratings and I can't believe that DC would give away a ton to the competition.
ratio=rpm X tire diam./mph X 336
This is for non-overdrive use.
I have the exact truck as you with the exception of posi rear end. My truck has a build date of April,99 and was built in Mexico. Have never experienced the torque converter surge, but I did have the TSB for it done (Just to see if there was a change). Have 5K miles on it now and have had two problems. Both have been fixed and haven't re-occurred. One of the fuel injectors went bad and was causing a very slight loss of compression. Caused the engines rpm's to surge up and down at idle. I was still able to drive the truck until part was delivered. The second was a "Chatter" from the brakes. Turns out one of the brake drums had a "Spiral groove" in it and caused the brake shoes to make the noise. Replaced brake drum and shoes... no more noise and they work fine.
If I had a choice of gear ratios, I would DEFINITELY go with the 4.10:1! You will be towing in O/D and the lower gear ratio will keep you in a better rpm range. Just curious, but you plan to replace the rear end no matter what... and it's a new truck? Why not just get a 2K truck set up the way you want?
Good luck,
Brett
Eric16
The Cummins is delivered with Valvoline Premium Blue 15W40. It was made specifically for Cummins by Valvoline, and is also marketed as Mopar Diesel Motor Oil at your Dodge dealer.
eric16
The HD Service Group is still included with both the Cummins and the V10. It's an option when you order the 5.9L V8 - the sales rep is coming up with a price from that. Make sure he reads the exception codes for that option.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
The truck is equipped with 245's presently and I will probably leave them on till its time for a new set. Personally I think the trucks looks a little out of place with those huge wheelwells and those smallish tires. I didn't realize the gear reduction already there with the 245's hence my question about upping the gear ratio .
Brett (and anyone with the ISB and automatic w/ 3.54 gearing) one more question , what have you been you getting for mileage with your truck ? Mileage is a big concern for me, its been my selling point to the wife , she's an accountant and doesn't think the added expense of the Cummins will pay itself back in fuel savings. My 360 is getting about 10 -12 city and maybe 16 highway and I put somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 bucks a week in this thing , even cutting my fuel cost by a third to an optimistic half will be a benefit and help pay the increase in my monthly payment .
Just in....got a call from a dealer that I talked to over the weekend ,he is getting a 98 trade in , has 10,500 miles , he is checking options , if the price is even better I may go used , which will make the boss happier , thanks for everyone patience with my flip flopping ... john
What is the frequency of this problem? I have a 2000 on order! j dunlop
My truck only has +/-5k miles on it. I wouldn't quite consider it broke in yet. I'm getting around 16mpg with about 70% city and 30% hwy. I think 'kcram' has the same truck and just did a long trip of about 3K miles. Somewhere in one of these topics he listed specs on his trip, but wasn't able to find it. He's a very good source of info concerning the Dodge Cummins.
One more thing concerning the gear ratio question. You mentioned that you planned to put 265 tires on in the future. 'kcram' mentioned in another posting that with the 3.54:1 ratio with 265 tires would change the overall ratio to 3.27:1. That seems a little high to me! 'kcram' only recommends the 4.10:1 ratio with the Cummins / Auto configuration.
I personally wish I had gone with the 4.10:1's. Let me know how things go if you switch them. I'm interested in cost of parts, time involved, special tools needed, problems encountered, etc. I would definitely like to switch mine too!!! I've done a lot of work on cars/trucks in my past, but never switched axle ratios before.
Good luck!
Brett
BTW... I'm in Ohio, what about you?
changing the gears is not hard if you are mechnically inclined but it does require special tools , one of which is a case spreader , which is expensive unless you are in the right place at the right time , i just got an army surplus unit in the box unopened for 100 , otc sells it but its almost 400 ... ouch ... i'm in new hampshire , planning a vacation out here we can have a gear change party ...
and to ISB owners , what are you getting for mileage , i know i'm beating this subject but i nned to know to make the final decision , thanks
john
anyone out there have an answer on pinion ratio factoring , this is aimed at guys that put on larger than stock/optional from the factory tire size ... thanks
BTW he loves driving through Nashville!
http://wellengaged.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=News_and_Views&t=376&q=45&A=y&f=1
JerryP
MADMACK:
Regarding your mpg posting. I checked your profile and it says you are from Nevada. Whether it is the high desert at 4400 feet (Reno) or low desert 2100 feet (Las Vegas) altitude will have an effect. Fuel, heat, and air are all factors. My father in law gets much worse milage in Utah (4500 feet) then I do here in Ft Worth (620 feet).