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Gonna need a new tow vehicle . . .

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2004 : 00:33:01

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Gloss
 Hey Larry,
How do you know so much about trucks? I'm impressed.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I did a LOT of research before I bought my truck, and I try to stay "up" on news and info about the Cummins diesel so that if there is a recall or Technical Alert Bulletin issued by Chrysler, I'll know about it.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
He said that if you buy a Dodge Cummins diesel you want to buy a 2003 or newer, as they made some kind of changes which made the engines quieter.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

That's correct. A change was made to the injection timing that cuts down on the loudness of the power stroke fuel detonation that makes these non-pre-chamber equipped diesels so loud and rattle-ey at idle. This change was made in late 2003 or early 2004. I have also heard that the downside of this change is that the engine's thermal efficiency was degraded slightly, causing the truck to lose 2 or 3 miles per gallon on fuel efficiency compared to the previous version Dodge/Cummins.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
A friend said that he also heard that GM bought out Cummins, and they now refuse to sell engines to Dodge, so Dodge is now buying their engines from Japan (I wonder if it is Yanmar?)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I don't think that's quite correct. The new engine isn't coming from Japan, it's a Mercedes-Benz engine (from Germany, obviously). The Japanese diesel you were told about is the Duramax engine that is in GM and Chevy trucks, and I think it's an Isuzu-built unit. What I think is going on with the Dodge trucks is that since Daimler-Benz bought out Chrysler several years ago, they simply want to save costs by using a "home grown" Mercedes-Benz diesel engine instead of a Cummins engine. Since Mercedes Benz engine division is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler-Benz, and Cummins isn't, they will save a considerable amount on production cost, even though the engines will have to be shipped all the way over from Germany instead of from Ohio (where Cummins is located).
This buyout of Chyrsler by Dainler-Benz is really downplyed in US advertising, to the point that even some owners of Chrysler branded vehichles don't know it. Anyway, what I have heard is that 2006 or 2007 will be the last year for Cummins engines in Dodge trucks, and after that, they will have a Mercedes-Benz diesel engine, same as the smaller versions of the Mercedes-Benz "Unimog" trucks (Google "Unimog" to see what these are). I am not sure if these are inline 6's or V-8's. I would rather have a Cummins as they are US made, and you can get them fixed at any diesel repair shop or Cummins truck service center; after they switch to a Mercedes engine, it's probably going to mean much more expensive and hard-to-get parts, and you will only be able to get them fixed at a Dodge dealership.

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