Looking at Used Cummins

I've been thinking about getting a Dodge with the Cummins, and looking at the '89-'93 models. When I drove by our local dealer today, I saw one and stopped to look at it. It is a '90 W250, I think it is an LE. Has a plow, Cummins[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img], 5 spd[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img], regular cab, PW, PL, cloth seat (no rips!), 123K, a big farmer type rear bumper, a little rust, not so good tires, and a couple dings. Basically looks like a good stock work truck that needs a little TLC. They have $5900 on the window. Is this a fair starting point?

Looks like it has a Dana 60 front with manual hubs [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img], and I'm not sure about the rear, were those Dana 60's, 70's or some Chrysler axle?

Any problems I should look for? I have always been a Chevy man, but want a diesel and let's face it - old GM diesels suck. Furd is not even an option!

I would use the truck for a daily driver (30 mile commute to work) and towing my toys. What ratio fits the Cummins' torque curve best for this type of use?

Too many questions?

[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
'84 K20 driver
'80 CJ-7 BBC, 1 ton
<font color=orange>'79 K10 mud racer</font color=orange> (for sale)

At 123,000 miles, the cummins engine is just broken in good. I've got a 99 with the cummins and 5 speed. i have 3.54 gears with 285-75-16 tires and don't have any problems. best fuel mileage is arount 65-70 mph and i'm averaging 18 mpg. Anything over 70 mph and your fuel mileage will start to suffer. With the 12 valve engine like that truck will have you can probably squeeze 20-22 mpg out of it on the freeway. As far as the front, probably a dana 60 and the rear is more than likely going to be dana 70. My 99 model has a dana 80 rear. Do all the normal things you would do when buying a used truck. check the oil, and if they will let you pull the fuel filter and check it. they should be changed every other oil change. drive the truck and check the steering good. Try the transfer case too. engage it and then move the truck around on soft soil. If you want to read some more about the 12 valve cummins, check out this link.

Turbo Diesel Register

Thanks for the reply. Ya, the miles don't concern me at all with the Cummins. Went and drove it after work last night. The engine is surprisingly quiet. Straight pipe could fix that.[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif[/img] It runs great, shifts great, transfer seems fine, looks like an NP205. Great torque![img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Steering wheel is about 1/8 turn to the left to go straight. Then the front end starts to wobble a bit when you hit about 45-50 mph. The speedo doesn't work, so I'm guessing. The front tires show that this has been going on a while with a choppy wear pattern. Could this be the ball joints in the D60 or? It has a plow on it, so that probably has something to do with it. The front leaves are very de-arched which is probably the result of the plow and time. The sales mgr. didn't want me to leave without it of course, and without me saying anything, he offered it to me for $5,000. I'm sure I could get it for less yet, the only thing I'm thinking is I would rather have an extended cab. But, the price is attractive, and I think all the problems are things I could fix and still be in good shape money-wise.

[img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
'84 K20 driver
'80 CJ-7 BBC, 1 ton
<font color=orange>'79 K10 mud racer</font color=orange> (for sale)

[muddybronco]

Sounds good to me. Which cummins is in these trucks and what are the HP/torque numbers? I would love to find a 1 ton diesel 4x4 for under 10 grand, but I don't think that I ever have unless it had 300K on it. Diesels are pretty heavy so that D60 front end is probably correct, but I know squat about mopar.


It's a multi-purpose passenger vehicle and it eats SUVs for breakfast...get it straight!

Muddybronco

[Shorts]

12 valve goes up to mid/late '98

24 valve came in late '98-up trucks

<font color=blue>Shorts</font color=blue> &lt;-- It's not what you think [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ...and don't ask what it is

'94 Chevy K1500, with stuff...needs more stuff

[muddybronco]

is it 5.9L? what about body styles?


It's a multi-purpose passenger vehicle and it eats SUVs for breakfast...get it straight!

Muddybronco

[Shorts]

new generation came in '94....check out the discussion: http://forums.pickuptruck.com/Forum12/HTML/000800.html

<font color=blue>Shorts</font color=blue> &lt;-- It's not what you think [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ...and don't ask what it is

'94 Chevy K1500, with stuff...needs more stuff

[muddybronco]

Well, I would like a newer style but realistically I doubt I could afford one. So did the engine specs change much between say, late 80s and 94? I guess I could spring for a 94 with higher mileage. A couple more questions on this subject: Say I got one at about 150K, what kind of maintenance could I expect to be doing soon? Are they expensive to rebuild compared to gassers? What are the frequent maintenance items (injectors, glow plugs?) and about how much do they cost? Thanks for any info, and more sites with info would be great! Oh yeah, and there was a site i found one time that said you could get like 1800 ft/lbs out of a 8.1L, do you happen to know what performance company this is? I think it was exhaust and an electrical "box"?


It's a multi-purpose passenger vehicle and it eats SUVs for breakfast...get it straight!

Muddybronco

[Shorts]

check out the <font color=red>turbo diesel register</font color=red> site that mongoose posted. that's the best dodge diesel site around. i'm pretty new to the diesels myself, so i can't pass you any info off the top of my head [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

http://www.turbodieselregister.com

<font color=blue>Shorts</font color=blue> &lt;-- It's not what you think [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ...and don't ask what it is

'94 Chevy K1500, with stuff...needs more stuff

been gone for the weekend, but i'll see what i can do. as far as the steering wobble, i would check the steering shaft rag joint. They are easy and cheap to rebuild with parts from NAPA, but you'll only get about 5-6000 miles out of it before it starts acting up again(usually, sometimes more). this is a weak point in the dodges. There is a company i think is called "flamming river" that offers a complete new shaft with a quality u joint that will last a long time. it is a little more pricey though. You might want to consider adding a steering stabilizer to the front end if it does not have one. Also the weight of the cummins will wear front tires very fast if you don't keep them rotated. i rotate mine every oil filter change. As far as maintance, the 24 valve is my first cummins, but i have heard that the 12 valve engines require valve adjustments at certain intervals. don't know for sure what mileage though. You could very eaisly find an 89-94 model for under 10k i would think. HOpe this helps.