95 cummins opinions

bigbluef150

Active Member
Joined
May 7, 2012
Looking at getting a 95 dodge 2500 4x4 with the cummins and an auto trans. There are some small issues but the truck is as virgin as i can find and priced very well. Im asking for input on them as to what to look for and where are the problem areas to pay attention to? Any input, ideas, or opinions will be appreciated.
 
biggest concerns with the 12valve, is the killer dowel pin issue. along with the typical dodge junk front ends. otherwise, they're virtually bulletproof motors.
 
ingle92 said:
biggest concerns with the 12valve, is the killer dowel pin issue. along with the typical dodge junk front ends. otherwise, they're virtually bulletproof motors.
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X2 the 12 valve is damn near indestructable. Keep an eye on the condition of the tranny, make sure the fluid is nice and pink and does not smell burnt.
 
Cracked dash, faded paint...you know, Dodge stuff :D

Tab the KDP, front end stuff, change the oil/filter and fuel filter and keep on rollin!
 
Thanx for the feed back Going to check her out tom in the am! I know the tranny is always an issue with dodge but whats the dowlenpin issue? May be a dumb question but never messd with dodge or any diesels before. Not looking for a power house just a good solid tow rig
 
It's an alignment pin that is used between the block and the timing gear housing. Over time, they will vibrate loose. Some do, some don't. When they do, since it's right above the cam gear, it'll either fall out and down in to the oil pan (you hope) or it'll fall out while it's running and jam itself between the cam gear and injection pump pump gear. That'll cause all sorts of catastrophic failures and typically ruin your day :D

The KDP tab is just that, a small tab that you bolt over the pin to keep it from coming out. Google it and you can see some pictures. Very easy fix and a good time to toss in a new crank seal.

http://www.dieselbombers.com/94-98-...-tech-articles/4498-killer-dowel-pin-fix.html
 
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I was actually doing just that, googling it lol But thanks for all the help! Ill deff post how it goes tommorow!
 
Ok, on way to go look at it. Got some info about a problem its having. They say the O/D sometimes dose not work. Say its hit and
miss. They say it shifts and pulls fine just sometimes no O/D. Current owner says the previous owner had trans rebuilt, but thats all hear say for me. Any ideas? Maybe a bad converter or an o/d solenoid??????
 
I think that's a fairly common problem with the Dodges.
 
bigbluef150 said:
Ok, on way to go look at it. Got some info about a problem its having. They say the O/D sometimes dose not work. Say its hit and
miss. They say it shifts and pulls fine just sometimes no O/D. Current owner says the previous owner had trans rebuilt, but thats all hear say for me. Any ideas? Maybe a bad converter or an o/d solenoid??????
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That would most likely be throttle posistion related. For the most part a minor issue to repair, in some cases tps delete is selected over a new tps if the customer isn't willing to replace the bellcrank assembly.

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Ok, got to put about 15 miles on it. Fired rite up, no smoke or unusual noise. Rode great. There was an od switch on dash and also a toggle switch. It seems like you had to get her up in second gear, turn the toggle switch on, let out and get back in the throttle and she would go ahead and hit OD. Its like the toggle switch was controling lock up? If you went to stop you had to turn the swich off or it would shudder and almost stall out, real slug when trying to take off. Also i noticed the speedo bounced from zero to about 30 mph. Could there be an output speed sensor causing all the headaches? Also i couldnt get cruise to work. Hope this isnt a nightmare
 
Probably a combination of issues. Sounds like someone wired in a lockup switch because of the tps issues. Cruise wont function without vss or vacuum. Both of those would be difficult to call without actually diagnosing the issues, however both are likely minimal issues.

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Did they use a crank sensor similar to the First Gens? If so, I know they were somewhat problematic. They were usually involved in a cruise control problem in the earlier trucks.
 
Croatan_Kid said:
Did they use a crank sensor similar to the First Gens? If so, I know they were somewhat problematic. They were usually involved in a cruise control problem in the earlier trucks.
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It does but it wouldn't charge and the tach would be inop. I guess that could account for unusual shifting too though.

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Thanks for all the feedback so far it all sounds like pretty simple TLC type work. Would that cause it to be sluggish on take off? Seemed to pumping some excessive black smoke for the acceleration it was getting. But my first drive of a cummins so it could have been my lead foot.
 
Probably needs some pump tuning and a throttle valve adjustment. Could also possibly have a boost leak.

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Not looking to pump alot of power out of it just a good tow rig but i know for a fact first thing its getting is a boost guage, trans temp, and pyro.
 
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