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2000 Dodge Ram
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Comments
I was to impatient to wait for the ETH so I went ahead and ordered since I am not planning on towing anything extremely heavy. Hope you guys get yours soon after ordering. My order went in 8/23 and one DC rep said last week that it would only be on restriction for another 10 days or so. I hope he is right but I get the feeling they really have no idea since I get a different response everytime I call.
Anyway, good luck with yours.
I am still trying to resolve a "klunk" in my steering system on my 99 Ram 1500 4x4 Quad. The
dealer has replaced the steering shaft and this
does not seem to help. The dealer also tells me
the front steering linkage (track bar & tie rod??)
is supposed to rotate/twist to some degree to
minimize wear. I can crawl underneath the truck
and twist the tie rod??? When I do this, I hear a
noticeable "klunk" in the tie rod ends. Is this
noise normal? I don't like the thought of metal on metal. Things wear out too quickly in this
situation. A recent article in Popular Mechanics
downgraded the Ram because of this same problem.
My 97 did not exhibit this behavior, and as far as
I know the 99 has the same front end. If anyone
out there has had this problem, and has been able
to find a solution, please let me know. Thanks. David.
I ordered my 2000 1500 SLT Quad Cab 4x4 with the 5.9 liter engine, the off-road package and just about everything else I could get on it, except the leather seats on September 7th. The order is at status code BX (passed edit, available for scheduling). The dealer says I should have a production date by the end of this week.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
Thanks for the info. Guess my next question to you or kcram would be what is the price of this package? Do any of the online websites list this option? I haven't found it yet anywhere, and when I mentioned it to a dealer here in St.Louis they were dumbfounded. Any idea which wheels come with that package? Also, you mentioned it REQUIRED the SLT Package (2_G), any reason that you know of why you couldn't order it with the SLT Plus package? Because of the 4-wheel Anti-lock included in the package I assume?
Sorry for all the questions but I'm just wanting to make the right decision before I drop that kind of cash. Wanting to purchase a 2500 Quad Cab 4x4 SB Cummins, Patriot Blue with SLT Plus AND Off-Road if I can get it that way.
Looking at the 1500 prices, the cost of the off-road group is $1,483.00 invoice and $1,745.00 retail. I ordered my truck through http://www.carsatcost.com, which has this package listed. As the name suggests, I was able to get the truck at invoice, with no haggling. Of course, you do have to pay their "service fee", which is $399 now (it was $299 when I ordered my truck).
My thought on the SLTplus package is along the same lines as your theory... the SLTplus package comes with 4-wheel ABS, and you can't have it with the AWL package. As soon as kcram bails out Jersey, he could probably confirm it for you.
I don't know what the wheels will look like ... kinda wish I did, now that you mentioned it. Maybe I'll take some pictures and post them on my web site when I get my truck in!
Thanks,
John
I know how you feel. My V10 left Fenton, MO on the 14th and as of this morning its only in Cleveland. At this rate it ought to take another 2 weeks to get to Massachusetts!
I have basically the same truck that you ordered, but with the 3:54 diff. and 245/75 tires (you will probably have 265/75's). The 265 tires will drop your rpm's roughly 50-75. I would definitely stay with the 4:10 diff. I am "tac"ing around 1850 rpm's @ 65 mph in O/D. With the 4:10, you should be "tac"ing around 2100 rpm's (if you had 245/75 tires). Has for towing with the O/D off... forget it! You won't be able to with the current auto trans. With my truck, if I turn O/D off and try to run at interstate speeds, the cummins is "tac"ing around 2650 rpm's @ 65mph. The cummins HP and torque drop dramatically between 2700 and 3200 rpm's (3200 is the engines red line). Most people don't realize that diesel's have a smaller useable rpm range than gas engines. Running a gas engine @ 2650 rpm's, the engine seems to hum right along, but a diesel is right on the peak of it's power curve and getting close to the red line. With the 4:10 diff., there's no way you will be able to tow with the O/D off! You will be "tac"ing @ 3050!!!
My advice to you...
Stay with the 4:10 and tow IN O/D (more power than 3:54 diff). Being careful not to let the trans hunt in and out of 3rd gear a lot on the hills. Remember to take VERY good care of your auto trans by servicing it every 10-12K miles.
---OR---
Get the 6-speed manual trans.
When Dodge finally decides to "mate" an appropriate auto trans with the cummins, I'll be first in line to trade my new 1999 truck in on one! Until then... I'll just have to keep making the payments.
You're correct that the V10 is rated higher, but as you note, the rpms are also much higher in the V10 than in the Cummins. At 2800 rpm, the automatic is getting much higher fluid flow, and unlike the Cummins, the V10 torque is a peak, not a plateau. The Cummins is producing a steady 420 lb-ft from 1600 all the way to 2700 in its detuned form. The manual-trans version is producing 460 over that entire stretch, and the ETH-code will rise to 505 at 1600 and gradually lower to 480 at 2700 - way too high for the Mopar automatic to handle at rpms that low.
musket,
The advice for the 3.54 is only good through 1999 and here's why (actually a very simple reason): the tires for 2000 are larger. Ram 2500s now offer 265/75s over the standard 245/75s, and the 3500s cpom,e standard with 235/85s over the previous 215/85s. With the 265/75s or 235/85s, the 4.10 becomes the equivalent of a 3.75 (3.73 is the more common axle ratio) with the smaller tires. Similarly, with the larger tires, a 3.54 will drop to an equivalent 3.24, which would keep the Cummins way below its rpm range on the highway.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
Did you order the snow plow prep package? Dodge is uprating the front axle from 4850 to 5200 pounds just for this combination (diesel/Quad Cab/automatic), but a date for ordering that package was not released, last time I checked.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Keith
sorry bout that!
Eric16
Yes, you read me right. The 47RE can handle 450 lb-ft of torque but not steadily. Thus while the V10 only hits that figure for a single point higher in the rpm range, the Cummins would kill it in no time punching 450 lb-ft through almost its entire operating range. All Cummins-equipped trucks do come with a trans-overheat warning light in the "diesel message center", right alongside the "Water In Fuel" light.
To the truck's credit, the Cummins has the same radiator withg the Cummins as the V10 even though it only has 75% the displacement. I have yet to see my truck reach 190 degrees in terms of coolant, and with the trans cooler infront of that 700-square-inch radiator, my trans has been just fine as well.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
remember one thing about torque charts - they're statistics, and numbers will do anything you want them to Numerically, yes, at a given rpm, the V10 may be higher. But think about your right foot and the throttle response of the truck. When you hit the go pedal in a gasoline engine, it happily revs right up to about 3000-4000 in a couple of seconds. The diesel, however, is much slower and stays in that high-torque/low-rpm area MUCH longer. This is why Allison is so successful. They primarily market their automatics for diesel applications; at one point, GM merged Detroit Diesel and Allison as the same division. The GM Duramax diesel will only use the Allison 1000, not anything from Hydramatic as the current 6.5L does (4L80E). Had Dodge also gone with the Allison 1000, you'd see the new ETH-code Cummins offered with both 6-speed stick and Allison automatic. In fact, Cummins recently introduced a version of the ISB engine specifically for the Allison 1000 - rated at 550 lb-ft, the tranny's torque rating.
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
Good luck with yor new rig. The V10 will definitely handle the load, and your wife should have no trouble driving it. My 5'3" sister has no trouble driving my 3500 Club.
jcmdie,
Some fifthe wheels will be okay with a shortbed, but you need to check with the fifth wheel manufacturers as for which of their models will do so.
Note to all:
After today, I'll be on vacation for two weeks and will be back on Monday October 11th. Those of you waiting for ordered trucks, hope they come in soon, and enjoy!
kcram
Community Leader/Smart Shopper Conference
Also, to anyone who might have input; I live in central Texas. The Cummins diesel trucks sold her are all assembled in Mexico. Has anyone heard any comparisons regarding these trucks as opposed to those assembled in the U.S.?
I would really appreciate any input on the above.
Thanks,
David
I average 16.2 to 19.5 depending on driving and towing. I don't think Mexico vs US made makes a difference. Good luck with your truck!
Also, how do you like the 6 spd. transmission?
Am I wrong somehow? I don't do much towing, (nothing a small truck can't handle anyway) except for a couple times so needing to go slower those few times won't be a big deal. When unloaded I'd like the littel extra efficiancy of the 3.54s.
I'd go with the VW for the 50 mpg, but those just can't take the roads I drive. I need ground clearance. (4 wheel drive would be nice too) Besides cars are uncomfortable, I'm still sore from the weekend's road trip in my sister's Neon.
on their trucks:
Is this alarm the same as the "EVS Security
System" listed in the Mopar Accessories catalog?
Specifically, does it come with all the features
listed there - starter interrupt, valet, panic
button, dashboard warning light, etc.?
I ordered a 1500 QC SLT with keyless, PDL, PW and
the alarm etc etc. Am I getting the features
listed in the catalog as EVS?
About the 2000 diesel 4x4 qc we just ordered, will it have the heavyduty transfer case? We did not get the snowplow prep pkg. Becasue I don't think the standard duty tranfer case will hold up to to many years of plowing!!
Up here in canda the brochure does not have a heavy duty tranfer case as an option, but it does state the plow prep pkg, but doesn't say whats included in that pkg. We figured since it's the diesel, we be getting the heavier duty transfercase.
The brochures have been out for atleast three weeks. When I picked mine up, the dealer hadn't had time to unpack them yet so they were still in the boxes that they were shipped in. I'm still waiting for the Mopar accessories catalogue to come in...as of two days ago the dealer was saying they were due in any day now. Knowing my local dealer, that could be three months from now
The "Shift-on-the-Fly" transfer case (Code DHG) is the heavy duty transfer case. All transfer cases are Shift-on-the-Fly, but this option will give you the heavy duty version which can handle more torque. It also includes the Power Takeoff
on the Transfer Case (Just part of it, not an extra option for the case). I don't know if it's part of the Snow Plow pkg, but I would hope so. Look and see if you can NOT order option DHG with the Snow Plow option. That would indicate to me it was included or not.
It looked sharp!
Has anyone else noticed this? Are there any other changes to the engine ? Aesthetics or otherwise?