Dodge Ram Cummins Diesel Questions

beardadpsp

I have a 2004 3500 4x4 Dodge Ram Diesel with about 63000 miles. On occasion, decreasingly, I lose almost all power and cannot accelerate - but, the engine keeps running at a low idle. If I pump the accelerator, power is soon restored - this can take anywhere from 2 or 3 seconds up to about 30 seconds. I have changed the fuel filter - the problem hasn't stopped although with passing time it appears to happen less frequently. The check engine light comes on, however, if i stop the truck overnight, with plans to have the truck computer checked - the check engine does not come on and the computer shows no history of problems.

tarrantt90

I Have a 2002 dodge 3500. Intermitingly the rpm will not go above 1500 especaly on a steep hill. It also seams to surge in the morning (cold) and on the hwy. The surging isn't really noticeable but its there. I'm thinking it's a fuel delivery problem but not sure?

sixtiesrock

Well here we go with all kinds of problems. At about 30,000 door locks kept opening and closing. took to the dealer and were supposedley repaired but truck had no power. complained and complained until I guess it burned out the turbo because they had put the wrong codes in the transmission at this time. At about 68000 kms the dealer replaced burned out turbo. Ran okay but not great. Should say that we put on 30 hp chip at about 7000 kms. Now this spring while driving check engine light came on and had no power. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the lift pump and the injection pump. After about 1000 kms while driving down the road the other day if completely stopped on me. Started right away again and I continued about another 50 kms. I drove it around town all afternoon shopping. On the second last stop when I started it...it was surging. I drove about a block to my next stop and shut it off. When I finished at that location, I went to start it and it died 3 times before it would run. When I did get it started I could only get 40kph out of it. Had it towed 400 kms back to the dealer. They say it had a weird code. What I don't know. They unhooked the chip and say it runs fine. It runs out of warranty in about a week...so I need any advice I can get. Could it be the engine control box? Anyone else had similar problems?

sixtiesrock

Here is an ongoing probelm my dad is having with a 2002 3500. When he gets to about 1/4 tank of fuel it stops and won't start again. He has had the lift pump replaced and about 4 injection pumps replaced. The last fix was new lines to the injectors. It has 129,00 kms on it. He has it chipped...but even with the chip removed he still has the same problem. Any ideas?

KCRam

I'd say drop the tank and look for a problem there. If it happens at 1/4 tank no matter what else happens or changes, then the computer may think it's empty.

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sailhighseas

In the early years, the oil pressure built up and shoewd 40 psi fast on the guage after the engine was started. 230,000 miles later it takes a couple seconds to show pressure build up after the old girl starts up. Now that is from a cold start after she has been sitting overnight. Warm engine even after sitting an hour or so, you crank the engine the oil pressure appears asap. Wear in the oil pump allowing oil column on the suction side to drain back into the pan, losing prime? Any other idea's? Other email address is Sailhighseas@aol.com. Bill

dusted1

Hello all,
Here is my story,

I have a dodge 2500 with the cummins desiel, the truck is driven empty
and gets approx. 200-300km per day, empty. No after market parts on
engine or exhaust. The truck gets regular service and I have been more
than pleased with it, good mileage ,good power, starts great, no
complaints...until, On Jan6, 2007, the truck has 159,225km and I am
driving home and there is a slight knocking which increases in the space
of 20 seconds, there is a loud explosion and fire, I get the truck
pulled over and open the hood and shovel snow onto the fire to put it
out.............towed to dealership......get call back two days
later, Dodge dealer, we are sorry the engine has been dusted and ran
out of oil and seized we refuse to cover the warranty. They removed the
turbo and head to make this call. NOTE: there is three large holes in
the block just above the oil pan,where you can see a loose connecting
rod. They refused to remove the oil pan and simply stated they have
seen dust in the air intake and they measured the cylinders (without
removing the oil pan at any time) and have come to the conclusion it has
been dusted; NOTE: we have had 2 -4 feet of snow since november 1.

I had the engine replaced at a private dealer and had the oilpan removed
to survey the damage. We found an oilpan full of oil, we found the two
bolts which hold the connecting rod on the crankshaft, in the oil pan,
one slightly bent, threads intact on both. The motor had been using no
oil previously and the oil had been checked approx. 200km before this
happened.

Can you shed some light on why this happened and has this happened to
anyone else,
I am currenlty fighting for warranty,

dusted1

Hey,

I know it might be late, but I just joined this forum, I have a 04/2500 dodge with a 5" procomp lift and 35's, the 35's will rub badly when turning or running on uneven ground if you dont have a lift. The 33's fit nicely and dont rub, I ran them previously and they looked great with a stock truck.

hope this helps,

jfiggs22

problem has started recently...while driving the truck will loose controle of the throtle. You can floor it and the truck does nothing. The truck will remain at the same speed that u were traveling, when it started acting up. While doing this if go up an incline the truck will loose speed and rpm at a pretty quick rate. When this happins the truck has no boost and wont build any either( according to my gages.)
To get this problem to stop, you have hit the clutch and floor the trottle one or twice then let out on the clutch and the truck will take off again. Ive checked the fuel pressure and it is fine. I would extremely appriciate if anyone could share some knowledge and clue me in one how to fix this this problem...

KCRam

That sounds a lot like a cruise control malfunction. With a manual trans, cruise control will do just what you're experiencing when you hit a hill, because the system can't call for a downshift as it can with an automatic. And if it's "sticking" like it seems to be with your truck, it won't change throttle position either.

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dodgejeepmopar

I just changed the oil in my new 06 Ram cummins at 3200 miles. I checked the oil at 3600 miles and it seems almost as black as when I took it to my dealer. The dealer response was that there is about 1/2 a quart of oil that does not drain out of the cummins and the new oil looks black coming out of the shop after just being changed. It had what appeared to be a new filter. The Dealer claims this is his biggest complaint in the shop drive way after an oil change on the Cummins. Any one got any good info on this?

felt

I am new to diesels. The last 2 times I have filled the tank, the person on the other side of the pump have poured in fuel additives. One fellow recommended Standardyne Corp. additive to compensate for low sulphur fuel now available.

I own a 2006 Cummins. Does the manufacturer recommend additives, as I was told?

Comments would be appreciated.

Oh, I have had trouble finding Standardyne products. Is there another product recommended? How about Red Line?

KCRam

I only add anti-gel in the winter to my 2005 Cummins, and in the 9 years I had it, I added anti-gel and maybe 3 bottles of STP diesel fuel treatment to my 1996 Cummins. As long as your fuel source (gas/diesel station) keeps the fuel fresh and turned over frequently, and you keep your fuel filter changed per recommendation, you shouldn't need any additives.

The correct spelling of the product you saw being used is Stanadyne - hopefully you were having trouble finding it just from the misspelling. The other major brand of additive is Power Service. Both products are used frequently in heavy duty truck fleets, but are generally overkill for the average consumer-driven diesel pickup.

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carnut17

Hello dodgejeepm, the oil will probabably keep turning black right after the oil change until you hit around 25,000 to 30,000 miles. At that mileage range the engine should be fully broken in. After that the oil should stay clean for awhile (maple syrup color). Most diesels the oil will turn black right away after an oil change,regardless of mileage. However, the Cummins is the exception. A Cummins will easily go 300,000 miles with no problem but they take a long time to run in, so don't worry. I recommend you Chevron Delo 15W/40W

felt

Thank you very much for the info. I will not worry about the additive for now .... when Winter arrives, I will give it more consideration.

Thanks again.

Felt

frankthatank80

My Truck is an automatic but it is doing the same sort of thing, I push the throttle I get no response. It doesn't do this all the time, but from time to time when Im driving this will happen and I will loose all power also when I first start the truck there is usually no power or a delay in power. Im wondering what is causing this bc it is defiantly not a cruise control issue.

dodgejeepmopar

Thanks for the response. I think I will skip 1 of the free dealer oil changes they threw in and do it myself next time just for my owm peace of mind.I will use the Chevron Delo and a factory filter and see how long it takes. I like the Dealer they are the first folks in 49 years I ever let change my oil.

donatl

I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel with 90,000 miles. I have had 4 turbo's replaced, and now I took my truck in again thinking the 5th was needed. They tell me this time, my turbo is fine, but I need new catalytic converters, an ew muffler, and new UV joints(i think they said). They are telling me the catalytic converters are under warranty, but not the muffler nor UV joints.

When I bought my truck in Dec. '03, I was very happy with it. I continued to be happy for a couple years. My 1st turbo blew at 33,000 miles. The 2nd blew at 55,000 miles. The 3rd at 82,000, and the 4th at 85,000. I've gottne to the point that there is something wrong with my engine, and fully expecting the turbo to be blown again, they tell me is perfectly fine, but now the 'new problems', which I previously mentioned.

I am at the point that I feel I need a new engine, and am completely dissatisfied with my truck.

What should I do? Am I entitled to anything to get this corrected? Is the turbo related to the catalytic converter, and to the muffler, and to the UV joints? Why are certain things under warranty, and others are not? Why is my truck having so many problems?

Thanks for any help with this. I am desperate for a solution.

dustyk

The majority of RAM owners with the CTD have not experienced problems like yours. The need for U-joints at 90K may not be unreasopnably depending on the loads the truck has been used for or how the vehicle was driven. Most RAMs have not had this type of issue.

I've not heard of a muffler replacement on a RAM of any type. The gasoline RAMs use stainless steel exhaust and the muffler chain stores don't even have a replacement listed for a RAM since they typically last the life of the vehicle.

Now occasionally I hear of turbo replacements on diesel trucks, but here again mostly Fords. I think I remember a Cummins needing a turbo a while back, but needless to say three turbos in 90,000 miles is not normal.

The failure mode of these turbos can point to the problem, if you know it. If the issue has been bearing seizure then maybe it is a maintenance issue. Use of the correct oil and maintaining periodic oil changes is very important on a turbo-equiped vehicle.

Some of this situation cam also be the result of inexperienced diesel technicians. Dealers are not required to send their techs to the diesel engine course.

Good luck,
Dusty

dodgejeepmopar

I did not think that an 04 Diesel had catalatic converters. I had heard that cats are new to diesels for 2007.. and did not exist until the looney green minds decided to ruin diesels as we know them.....that may just be here in Loony CA..

KCRam

Cummins Rams have had cats for a long time... my 96 had one (and it was a federal emissions truck, not California), as does my 2005. What's new for January 2007 is a particulate trap filter and a NOx-burning catalytic converter.

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felt

I drive a 2006 2500 (Dodge) diesel .... my first diesel. Fantastic vehicle; great ride; power and fuel efficiency.
There is no perceptable smoke from the exhaust, however, yestersay I passed a car, and had to step down out of OD. I was surprised by the black smoke that same out. Is this a sign of a problem?
I suspect diesels are most "happy" pulling and working, which I do only occassionally when I pull my 5th wheel. Do diesels "carbon up" like a gasoline engine, and need to be run hard occassionally?
Thanks in advance.

KCRam

Black smoke is not unusual during a hard stomp on the go pedal, but rare on a stock common-rail Cummins. Don't sweat it. (The old 12-valves could lay down military-grade smokescreens when "adjusted".)

You should occasionally "drive it like you stole it" if you otherwise don't load it very often. You are correct that diesels are much happier when heated up and worked.

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bobe73

I have a Dodge RAM 3500 Diesel that is having an oil leak. The last time I had it looked at the dealer said that the Breather/overflow for the crank case line was clogged. They said they cleaned it out and that was it. This was 7 months ago and it is leaking again.

Not sure the issue and looking for ideas that might fix this.

Robert

rebelram87

i have a 95 dodge ram 2500 cummins turbo diesel well i was driving it to work when i just about got there and i had decreased my acceleration for a speed zone i went to speed back up and it was like the truck was in neutral, well if i shut the truck off it would run for about 30 seconds to a minute just fine but then it would do the same thing and again if i shut it off and turned it back on it would run just fine for that brief period of time well i replaced the trans filter last week and it would run at high rpms but with no power and it has problems taking off but i was able to drive it home but it takes forever for it to get up speed and it has no power what so ever does anyone know whats wrong with it? please help

rebelram87

do you think it might be that the torque converter is bad?

KCRam

You probably want to head for the Dodge Ram: Transmission Problems discussion.

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carnut17

Rebelram, It sounds like you have a bad trans fluid pump. You need to pull the trans to replace it, sorry i hope im wrong. Anyway if you can afford it put a upgraded torque converter and valve body. Kevlar bands/clutch plates too. Then it will last forever. The Cummins put out so much torque their hard on transmissions.

rebelram87

today i dropped the pan again and drained the fluid and it had a bit more power but now its having problems shifting gears and it still is very low on power

bigreddiesel

after 13,000 kms on my brand new dodge 1-ton cummins diesel pickup, it broke down... wouldn't go like fuel wasn't getting to the engine.

towed it to dodge where they said the tank had 66% water and it will cost $18,000 to fix. warranty won't cover it, insurance won't cover it (can't prove vandalism - have no idea how water got in there, could have been churned up in big tank at cardlock where i last fueled up).

my question: shouldn't a brand new truck have a warning light if there is water in the fuel tank?

18THOUSAND dollars to fix a brand new truck? i'm not very happy. any suggestions?

sixtiesrock

Hi,
I would ask the dealer to prove the water content. Isn't there a warning light on the dash that says water in fuel? Call Chrysler direct. If not go after the cardlock dealer. Best of luck and don't give up.

KCRam

The fuel filter/separator should indeed trigger the dash warning light, but if your tank really was 2/3rds water, that may have overwhelmed it and the engine failed immediately.

Definitely look to file a claim against the fuel station - if that's where the water came from, you won't be alone.

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morganoi41

I am getting fault signals on my 2001 Ram with cummings diesel. I wanted to know if I had fixed anything by cleaning some terminals. How can I reset the computer?
Thanks.... ps... see my post... I disconnected the batteries and cleaned them and it totally changed my automatic transmission. It shifts perfectly now. Before would get stuck between gears, would have to punch it to get it to shift, very sluggish. Now I swear it shifts like a honda. What did I do?

manlawn04

Today, July 26, 2007, I tried to start 96 2500 and engine just turned over, no fire at all. Ran great yesterday and before that for last two years, no problem at all. Does anyone know what the problem might be??? The repair wants to send hook but I would like to get information in case it happens again. SOMEONE HELP

manlawn

Just where is th.po.se. located? And while I have you, do you know the Ph# for Chry,div. for cummings??? I was told that valves on 96 were self adjusting, is this correct?? You could reply to email: cah1646@yahoo.com if this allowed.

manlawn

After I was asked if they should send a "hook" tow truck, I looked at batteries and noticed a wire had come loose. I should have remember that because when I first got truck the same wire did damage. Next time I will look there first. If some of you are have a starting problem, look at the small wires coming off battery. So for going on and on but I did locate a problem and will know where to look if this happens again.

01dually

We have a 2001 Dodge Ram Dually 3500 5.9L Diesel. This past weekend we went away for vacation. We parked the truck and then about 10 minutes later we were asked to move it. We started it up and went to move, it puked a little and just stalled out. It took a few tries, but it did re-start. Then it did the same thing the next day. We replaced the filter, primed it, new 0-ring...blah blah blah. Truck sat overnight and in the morning we were preparing to leave and it died on us again before we could get moving. It did this 6 or 7 times, it finally started and blew a ton of white and blue smoke!! A friend of ours kept bleeding the air out of it. He said it is sucking air somewhere. Finally got it started and got it home, but then it died completely as we were taking a golf cart back. We had to be towed home. It will not re-start this time. Not even sure where to start with it. Some people are telling us it is the injectors, a crack or a bad fitting in the fuel lines, a lift pump, an injector pump, or just bad fuel. If anyone can give me some guidance, that would be great. Just want to know where to start. :confuse:

manlawn

Well, first of all, I read a posting about the fix for rpm and wish to thank the person that gave me the cure. Now I wish to pass it on... First,Dodge Ram 2500, TURN on key but don't start, leave it on and then disconnect both batteries and leave disconnected for about 1/2 hr to 1 hr.
Then turn key off, connect batteries (CLEANED of course) then turn key to on, then pushing foot feed down and back up Start and drive to see if it works for you. I can only say that it almost stopped all rpm jumping. ALso, I cleaned all connector on transmission,(4) with carburator cleaner, blem excess fluid off. Sound difficult but not. I do notice a big difference in the shifting problem. SORRY, for going on and on but a new truck with 1996 body, love it.

manlawn

Well, first of all, I read a posting about the fix for rpm and wish to thank the person that gave me the cure. Now I wish to pass it on... First,Dodge Ram 2500, TURN on key but don't start, leave it on and then disconnect both batteries and leave disconnected for about 1/2 hr to 1 hr.
Then turn key off, connect batteries (CLEANED of course) then turn key to on, then pushing foot feed down and back up Start and drive to see if it works for you. I can only say that it almost stopped all rpm jumping. ALso, I cleaned all connector on transmission,(4) with carburator cleaner, blew excess fluid off. Sounds difficult but not. I do notice a big difference in the shifting problem. SORRY, for going on and on but a new truck with 1996 body, love it.

dmcabee

2006 dodge diesel cummins turbo. not sure what the running temp is. when pulling 16 ft. box trailer and running a/c the temp gets up a little over 200o. is this normal? any help would be greatly appreciated.

KCRam

For that load, that temp is about right. My 2005 Cummins is about 180° running empty on the highway.

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titanium29

My first american vehicle - an 06 Dodge 3500 with the Cummins. I like the truck very much.

A day or two ago, Cerberus, the new private owners of the majority share of Chrysler appointed their new CEO - Bob Nardelli. Don't know of him? I'll bet we all know his handywork. If you walked into a Home Depot over the last 4 years or so, and got red faced like the huge numbers of folks complaining that there was no customer service whatsoever, you know him. He turned the books around, but customers left in droves because it appeared Home Depot couldn't care less about their customers. That's Bob! And now he's going to head up the new Chrysler. I just hope someone makes the new Chrysler keep more of an eye on the customer first, then the books. If not, all of us Chrysler/Dodge owners are going to be left in the cold.

PS. And someone tell Chrysler that there new vehicles are great except for one BIG thing - whats with all the hard, cheap plastic for their dashboards? I thought it was just my truck, but got a new charger as a rental car this week and it's the same cheap junk. More hard plastic than the Chinese toy section at K-mart. Go back to the semi-padded vinyl PLEASE!

carnut17

Titanium29, I couldn't agree with you more! I am convinced that if Dodge didn't put a Cummins Diesel in their full size trucks they probably would have gone out of business a long time ago. Their transmissions are almost just as bad as the interior. However; once you put a upgraded trans. which should happen at about 50,000 miles if you tow a lot, 70,000 if you don't. Then your truck will be perfect and out last any Ford or Chevy. Crazy but it's true!! thanks Carnut

scofftoo

98 Dodge 3500, 2wd, 5 speed man., 24 valve diesel. 265k miles. I am having problems with it not starting after I shut it off. It just cranks and cranks, and it is like someone shut the fuel off. It started about 1 month ago. It used to start within 1/2 sec of cranking. Then it started taking up to 5 sec before firing up. Now, sometimes it starts, delayed and others it does not start at all. The only way to start it is to use a little starting fluid in the air intake. I don't like doing this, but it is the only way. Once started, it runs perfect, idles great, plenty of power, no problems at all, until I shut it off. The fuel pump seems ok, it is not lagging the engine. Fuel is getting through the filter ok. Air filter is clean. I do have a cracked exhaust manifold. The local Dodge people sucked, and did not know what it was. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

bdonh

2001 Cummings knocking on pull or deceleration is high not crank or deep knock no knock even at 80 mph no load have a 2001 cummins, 6 sp tran Was going down a steep hill after a hard climb Was going to slingshot the next hill hauling a 36' fifth wheel Went from 5th to 4th instead of 5th to 6th over revved for a second or two, shifted back to 5th and climbed the hill when the load leveled off had a light knock high not deep like crank No loss of power and no leakage of oil or water no MISSING Was in the middle of desert and was best to go on The knock would come and go When I leveled the speed at 70mph it ran with out any knock if I climbed a hill or down shifted to go down a hill knocking would return I loosened the fuel line to all the injectors one at a time and revved engine and let off knock remained the same on deceleration When the injector fuel line was loosened the engine missed on that cylender. Pulled the pan plastigaged all rods Had good clearance mains ok as well I was getting ready to pull the head and look for a wrist pin or piston with collapsed skirt Was told it could be a thrust knock Is this possible if so how to check for this also I found no metal in oil or oil pan

bdonh

dodge did a recall on the transfer fuel pump will fix it free if yours is one of the recalls sounds like your problem

bdonh

have a 2001 cummins, 6 sp tran Was going down a steep hill after a hard climb Was going to slingshot the next hill hauling a 36' fifth wheel Went from 5th to 4th instead of 5th to 6th over revved for a second or two, shifted back to 5th and climbed the hill when the load leveled off had a light knock high not deep like crank No loss of power and no leakage of oil or water no MISSING Was in the middle of desert and was best to go on The knock would come and go When I leveled the speed at 70mph it ran with out any knock if I climbed a hill or down shifted to go down a hill knocking would return I loosened the fuel line to all the injectors one at a time and revved engine and let off knock remained the same on deceleration When the injector fuel line was loosened the engine missed on that cylender. Pulled the pan plastigaged all rods Had good clearance mains ok as well I was getting ready to pull the head and look for a wrist pin or piston with collapsed skirt Was told it could be a thrust knock Is this possible if so how to check for this also I found no metal in oil or oil pan

titanium29

Ditto, CarNut17. I would not have gotten anywhere near a Dodge truck if it weren't for the Cummins motor for towing a big load. And yes, I am aware of their pathetic track record for sad transmissions. I looked to put an extended service contract on the powertrain, but they wanted a mint to cover basically just the tranny, since the Cummins is covered for 100,000 and 5 years.
But, I am curious. What do you mean by "an upgraded transmission"? I'm intrigued. I just figured it would go to the dealer who would swap it with another rebuilt for another 50,000. How/where do you get one put together and installed that IS bullet-proof?

PS. Even all the talking heads on CNN and FoxNews are bemoaning Bob's placement at the helm. They say "wave goodbye to whatever talent Chrysler had that was sticking around to see what happened". I guess Monster.com will come out ahead from all the resume postings from Chrysler folks!!

carnut17

Titanium, My transmission started to slip about 80,000 miles. You have to do some shopping around to find a good transmission shop (HONEST) I found the most ethical and knowledgeable guy here in Sacramento Ca. He told and showed me exactly what i needed. To over simplify things you need kevlar bands and clutches. A valve body which increases your line pressure which increases the holding power(resists slipping) of your torque converter. A heavy duty torque converter is a must if your going to tow, one that has a double or triple clutch ring inside. I can give you his shop # if you like. Thanks Carnut17

scofftoo

My 1998 Dodge 3500, 2wd, 5 speed man., diesel sits on about 180* pulling a 16' cargo trailer. With a heavy load, hill climbing, 100* + temp outside, it sits on about 190 - 200*