03-07 Cummins auto

EdJonesJeeper

EdJonesJeeper

The Stig's NC cousin
Joined
Apr 24, 2010
Location
Pisgah Forest, NC
With these year models is there anything I need to stay away from?

It seems like a lot of '06 are for sell. Was that a bad year or just a coincidence?

Who is recommended here on the forum to bomb proof those trannys?
 
EdJonesJeeper said:
With these year models is there anything I need to stay away from?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the auto tranny :flipoff2:

I like the 05-newer interiors a lot better, the seats are more comfortable.

You probably already know this, but 07 was a transition year. The early 07's had a 5.9 Cummins, and the later ones had the 6.7. The 6.7 is ALOT quieter straight from the factory.
 
Those trannies are fine in stock form. If the engine has been modded, the autos will pay the price. TV cable adjustment on the early ones were key as are band adjustments on all 48RE's. Clean and cool fluid will help them survive. But keep a budget on hand to put toward auto upgrades if/when it fails.
Hub bearings, u joints, somewhat sloppy steering and cracked dashes are prevalant issues. HVAC issues are common too.
Luckily you know a local guy who worked on many, many many of those trucks when the dealer was sucking away his talents.
A stock 3rd gen 5.9 with a properly maintained auto will do all you would ever ask of it.
 
Ok ill give my opinion.
I like my 03 3500 for its seats, ride quality and power.
It has the ho cummins that recieved the 48re tranny instead of the 47re dunno where the differences are and im sure jody and lee can fill us in.
I have a diablosport predator tuner and it stays on level 2 so it should be 405hp at the flywheel and that is considered a mild performance/economy tune.
I am very gental on my tranny when towing never going over half throttle and do not ever force a downshift with a heavy load as thats when they let go.
I keep up on service and band adjustment so im sure that has also helped it live 212,000mi.
Its a 2wd truck so it doesnt have the frontend issues that people bitch about however I did replace a unit bearing with a cheap ebay bearing at 160,000 and I think its going to need the other side in the near future so I guess ill get another ebay bearing.
My dash is cracked in 2 places and last winter the hvac problems started so I figure if I do actually repair them ill just get a complete hvac unit and replacment dash and pay someone else to deal with that suck.
If you do buy a cummins id suggest a 03-04 ho just from personal experiences and those years have the best fuel mileage potential and less soot in the engine due to a different pattern on the cam and the injector cycle is different.
Also first thing you will need to do is ditch the engine mounted lift pump. I was going to install an airdog and when I made the order the tech guy actually talked me into a raptor pump and 1/2" fuel line kit it was under $400 with a lifetime warranty.
Register on cumminsforum.com and ask for opinions and advice those guy are pretty straight forward with their answers.
Also if your in the mood for eating mexican go to black mtn and see Abe he likes to talk cummins and has owned every generation.

Buckeye Performance Inc.
828-779-2242
 
I would add a couple points, make sure the truck you purchase is up to date on its firmware (flash updates). One of the newer updates features return rate monitoring and warning to prevent catastrophic failures caused by injector failures. It also seems that the 03-04 trucks had more rocker arm failures, some of which caused cam wear and/or failure. Champion oil offers a high zinc off road 15W40 (imnsure theres others including additives) that solves the rocker issues once repaired.
Lastly make sure you have a good inspection by a reputable shop before completeing your purchase. While diesel trucks often surpas gas vehicle in longevity, you'll spend almost double in repairs (in some cases) if a failure occurs. And please make sure you change your fuel filter atleast every other oil change!

On a side note
While I'm personally a FASS guy , I know alot of others are airdog fans - regardless of your brand preferences make sure you send in the registration card within 30 days of purchase or you don't have a lifetime warranty!
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I wouldn't buy an auto just because of that stupid shit they did with the horn when they found out the shifters were faulty.

6spd is where it's at, regardless.

The aftermarket lift pumps are a ripoff. I got 150k out of the stock one. It took about an hour and cost $150 to replace. I had a couple people talking me into a FASS or airdog or wtfever, but when I saw what they cost... f that noise.
 
shawn said:
I wouldn't buy an auto just because of that stupid shit they did with the horn when they found out the shifters were faulty.

6spd is where it's at, regardless.

The aftermarket lift pumps are a ripoff. I got 150k out of the stock one. It took about an hour and cost $150 to replace. I had a couple people talking me into a FASS or airdog or wtfever, but when I saw what they cost... f that noise.
Click to expand...
Shawn, their only really a requirement on the vp trucks. Your right the factory lift pumps work very well. For the same price you can install a ddrp fass with a either 4 year or lifetime warranty. That being said the airtex offers a lifetime warranty.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
 
shawn said:
I wouldn't buy an auto just because of that stupid shit they did with the horn when they found out the shifters were faulty.

6spd is where it's at, regardless.

The aftermarket lift pumps are a ripoff. I got 150k out of the stock one. It took about an hour and cost $150 to replace. I had a couple people talking me into a FASS or airdog or wtfever, but when I saw what they cost... f that noise.
Click to expand...
Is that why the damn thing blows the horn in reverse if I crack the door to stick my head out????
 
Yeah, they found out the column shifter was bad, and let people think that it was in park when it was really in reverse. Couple of people got ran over or something, and Chrysler's fix was to blow the horn if the door was open and the truck was in gear. Cheaper than replacing the column shifters.
 
well the shifter has acted weird before, like hey I'm here but no dice!

Really sucked at first because I got real used to hanging out the door to watch my tires when I was really close to hooking up to a trailer by myself. Well past dark thirty in my old neighborhood I bet my neighbors thought I was an ass!
 
I have an 06, 2500 and yea that reverse horn blowing, blows. I forget about it open the door and for a second it is WTF, over. There must be a way to disconnect it and I'm gonna start looking for it.
 
SFGator said:
I have an 06, 2500 and yea that reverse horn blowing, blows. I forget about it open the door and for a second it is WTF, over. There must be a way to disconnect it and I'm gonna start looking for it.
Click to expand...


Interrupt the ground side of the horn circuit with a simple switch. Easy stuff.
 
SFGator said:
I have an 06, 2500 and yea that reverse horn blowing, blows. I forget about it open the door and for a second it is WTF, over. There must be a way to disconnect it and I'm gonna start looking for it.
Click to expand...


There is, something to do with jumping the sensor under the driver seat for the seat belt light iirc. Check cumminsforum.com, I know it's been posted there.

Duane
 
EdJonesJeeper said:
With these year models is there anything I need to stay away from?

It seems like a lot of '06 are for sell. Was that a bad year or just a coincidence?

Who is recommended here on the forum to bomb proof those trannys?
Click to expand...

To add to the thread:
- SOME 03-04 has had injector problems
- 03 is a weird year because you could get the 47RE (SO), 48RE (SO/HO), NV4500 or NV5600 transmissions
- some early SO trucks came with an AAM 10.5 rear instead of the 11.5. (I happen to have one of those; no problem, just good to know)
- 04.5-07ish is the 'desired' year range as far as I'm concerned. Better turbo, injectors, and the possibility of doing EFI-Live if you want to.
- FWIW, I've read that the CP3 will actually draw fuel through a dead lift pump.
- As far as transmissions go.... I'm a lover of the automatic, and agree completely with Treadway's post above.
- Locally, Olee Poole builds dodge transmssions (www.powerbypoole.com). After meeting with him and visiting his shop a few times, I'd be comfortable with his work. I'm actually getting a valvebody from him tomorrow for my 03's transmission swap.


I bought my 03 from "Frank" on this forum, and absolutely love it. There have been a few piddly things I've had to address, but overall CR is the way to go.
 
Hurley said:
To add to the thread:
- SOME 03-04 has had injector problems
- 03 is a weird year because you could get the 47RE (SO), 48RE (SO/HO), NV4500 or NV5600 transmissions
- some early SO trucks came with an AAM 10.5 rear instead of the 11.5. (I happen to have one of those; no problem, just good to know)
- 04.5-07ish is the 'desired' year range as far as I'm concerned. Better turbo, injectors, and the possibility of doing EFI-Live if you want to.
- FWIW, I've read that the CP3 will actually draw fuel through a dead lift pump.
- As far as transmissions go.... I'm a lover of the automatic, and agree completely with Treadway's post above.
- Locally, Olee Poole builds dodge transmssions (www.powerbypoole.com). After meeting with him and visiting his shop a few times, I'd be comfortable with his work. I'm actually getting a valvebody from him tomorrow for my 03's transmission swap.


I bought my 03 from "Frank" on this forum, and absolutely love it. There have been a few piddly things I've had to address, but overall CR is the way to go.
Click to expand...
I'll second this. Olee has been building my transmission and doing our head work for years.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
 
Hurley said:
FWIW, I've read that the CP3 will actually draw fuel through a dead lift pump.
Click to expand...


It will. I drove home grossing about 25k with a dead lift pump. It was only a couple of miles, and it didn't run well, but it did run.

That was a couple of years and a bunch of miles ago. CP3 is still going strong.
 
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