1996 Dodge Cummins Opinion

[Dmace]

Sounds like a winner to me! :thumbsup:

Those transmissions were very strong and reliable as long as you keep the truck stock. That's what gave them a bad name, that era Cummins was so easy to increase HP/TQ in that people quickly learned the limits of a stock auto tranny. Keep it stock and tow within it's limits and that transmission will last as long as the engine.

Rust and suspension parts (ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings) will be your only real issues.

 

[manganos]

Heck if you pass up on it I'll take a look Nothing a DTT trans can't cure. Massage the pump and move the fuel plate... fix the KDP and woohooo!

Get it you will love it.

 

[Raspy]

The '96 Dodge Cummins was an excellent year!

My buddy has one with over 100,000 miles on it and he gets a hand calculated 23 MPG on his camping trips. Of course, he drives it easily.

There were no "53" blocks until 1998, if I recall, so don't worry about that.

The '96 12 valve engines had the P pump style injection pump and are completely reliable. Probably better than all later models for long dependable life and simplicity.

The transmissions have had a bad reputation, but it's only if you pull with them and don't watch the temperature of the trans fluid. Or if you crank up the horsepower. If you want to pull, get some gauges and, maybe, add a tranny cooler. If you turn up the power you'll need a built trans. No problem.

Look at the cruise control module under the battery and make sure it doesn't get battery acid on it. Expect the paint to fail if it's kept outside and not waxed.

These are excellent trucks that can go a million miles. They are way better than the '93 and earlier ones, more reliable than the '98 and later 24 valve models, and much simpler than the '03 and later ones. "High" mileage is not part of the consideration with the Cummins. The rest of the truck will normally be shot long before the engine.

 

[whistlepig]

I had a '96 4x4 with a Cummins and it was a beast. The auto tranny is the proven 747 transmission. Don't worry about the killer dowel pin problem. There is a way to adjust the valves with out using the dowel pin. The only issue I had with it was cold starting in winter. It had a manifold heater instead of glow plugs. Glow plugs are better.

 

[Raspy]

whistle,

The Killer Dowel Pin is not part of adjusting the valves. It's one of the hardened steel alignment pins that locate the front timing cover on the Cummins. This particular alignment pin is near the top of the cover, inside the gear case, and can "walk" out of it's hole through temperature changes and fall into the timing gears. This usually causes serious destruction. Some lucky souls have found this pin when it came out with the oil during an oil change. In those cases it made it past the timing gears without damage.

There are some kits to address this potential problem without pulling the front cover off the engine.

Anyone interested can search For KDP or Killer Dowel Pin.

 

[whistlepig]

whistle,

The Killer Dowel Pin is not part of adjusting the valves. It's one of the hardened steel alignment pins that locate the front timing cover on the Cummins. This particular alignment pin is near the top of the cover, inside the gear case, and can "walk" out of it's hole through temperature changes and fall into the timing gears. This usually causes serious destruction. Some lucky souls have found this pin when it came out with the oil during an oil change. In those cases it made it past the timing gears without damage.

There are some kits to address this potential problem without pulling the front cover off the engine.

Anyone interested can search For KDP or Killer Dowel Pin.

Thanks for the correction. There is a dowel pin used for timing the crank for valve adjustments and I thought that was the dowel problem that was mentioned. I was not aware of the problem you are describing.

 

[ETpilot]

I have a 96 5sp 2wd CTD and just love it. It is my first diesel and I've had a good learning curve on these engines. I tabbed my KDP and have had no major repairs, just normal wear and tear. It has 272,000 miles and still on my original clutch.

 

[Lt CHEG]

The rest of the truck will fall apart around the engine, which as has been said already is likely the finest engine ever put into a pickup truck. If the price is good, it could very well be a great buy for you. Based upon the experiences of people I know with CTD powered Dodges, I'd prepare for tranny problems but do everything you can to prevent them. That way if you're lucky, great, but if not then you haven't over extended yourself. If I had the place to keep one, I'd love to come across a 12 valve CTD powered Dodge 3500 4x4 extended cab from someplace in Nevada. It would be a great second truck to have as just a hauler. If the truck is well maintained and the price is cheap, I don't think you stand to lose much. To be on the safe side though, make sure you get your transmission flushed right away after buying as it is cheap insurance.

 

[Renze]

Thanks for the correction. There is a dowel pin used for timing the crank for valve adjustments and I thought that was the dowel problem that was mentioned. I was not aware of the problem you are describing.

The problem only occurs in on-road versions (e.g with a rotary fuel pump): the industrial versions had a heavy duty timing casing, to carry the offset weight of the inline Bosch pump with governor.

 

[PoorMansCat]

if you pass it up, let me know.. i'll definitely take a serious look at it.