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5.9 Cummins. good/bad?

7K views 51 replies 25 participants last post by  kickstand 
#1 · (Edited)
Found a 2006 ram 2500 I'm interested in with the 5.9.

Any pro's / cons for this setup?
 
#2 ·
I'm trying to look it up, if it has EGR and DPF. My 2007 does but it's the 6.7L

5 year 100,000 mile warranty on them FYI

Hard to say if the 5.9 is better than the 6.7 but at least the 5.9 is tried and true...

Pro's - You can run staks
Con's - Mine will have more power than yours :finger:

Yes there was nothing useful in my post
 
#4 · (Edited)
The 5.9 Cummins is an awesome motor. May be one of the best. I have a 6.7, but have had several 5.9s. I think they're slightly better simply because they never had all the emissions bullshit. No Egr, no particulate filter, and only one catalytic converter. They get good fuel mileage too with a few mods.

What do you plan to do with it, dd, heavy towing, etc? What are you looking for, an auto or manual trans?

If you run stacks, there is an 8" minimum size requirement in order to be cool. :teehee:
 
#7 ·
They suck, get a 6.0 powerstroke instead.

Just kidding, I have had a few 12 valve 5.9's and they have been great. I want to start looking for a newer 5.9 in the next few months (unless I find a better deal on a d-max).
 
#12 ·
personally for what the 5.9 cummins is its probably one of the best diesel engines all around it has pretty high torque and just as much horsepower to back it up depending on what your doing with the vehicle its a great engine for mudding and pulling Cummins make the best engines
 
#13 ·
Ive got an 05. Its a great motor. Pulls like a train. Those engines are in everything from military n civilian generators to small firetrucks. They are an industrial multi purpose engine built to last. I think they are supposed to be somthing Like a 15000 hour engine. U don't see equipment manufacturers putting powerstrokes in agg machinery.
 
#38 ·
If you leave a stock type exhaust on them the newer common rail trucks are not really loud...not like the 12/24 valves were.

I really like mine....proven motor, proven trans (nv4500), good axles, ect. Its not as nice a riding / driving / feeling truck as a chevy or newer ford but it is simple, reliable, easy to work on, ect and those things are far more important to me
 
#26 ·
Rofl. Win. Please refer to my thread from earlier where I saw a MM *** in a Cummin with one huge stack.
 
#27 ·
It took me a second to find it... It made me giggle cuz you almost expect that now. There are 2 dodges that pass me in the morning on the e-way that see my pillar gauges and try and race me. I usually just ignore them and they get all pissy and blow coal at me. I just laugh at them and go on my merry way.
 
#28 ·
Notice no one can say a whole lot bad about these. Im told that if the trans craps out, when u rebuild it, (its a 40+ year old trans, u can rebuild 6 of then for the price of one torqshift or allyson) u should put the performance torq converter in it cause the stock one is "squishy". And it is I agree. Still love it. The trick isn't bad I don't think. Mine is 8 foot box 4 door, and I really like that, once I figured out how much crap I can pack in there.
 
#48 ·
Do you stop before you shift?

If so then you are doing it correctly.
 
#50 ·
check front end parts it will need ball joints and front ujoints around 75 to 100k. Transmissions are fine if you want to go all out put a torque converter, billet input shaft, rigid 2nd gear band, 4.2 lever and valvebody and it will take about anything you throw at it. My 03 is around is 700hp and has the same transmission for the last 80k. I sled pull and plow in the winter with it. As far as the engine injectors are about the only problem. If you notice it starting hard or a whiteish grey smoke at idle it probably has a cracked tip. For the most part they are good trucks dont listen to the haters on here just keep the mirrors down when your not pulling a trailer and for god sakes don't put a stack on it. I worked for a company that had over 30 trucks 03 to 07 all diesels and all 4x4s so I've seen about everything. They have trucks with over 500k on them
 
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