New Cummins 325/600

[Frank Irons]

Anyone looking at the new HO Cummins, 325 hp 600 ft lb engine?
I am thinking of buying a new truck and I would probably get another V10 but that engine is no longer available. I have never been interested in a diesel before but may have to buy one.

Frank

[MoparNorm]

Frank,
I was initially interested in the V-10 due to it's torque rating in 1996. However the Cummins soon far surpassed those numbers and with almost double the fuel mileage. The new ISB style Cummins 600 is powerful, quiet and economical. I would recommend it to anyone who keeps their vehicles for over 5 years. That motor will give you trouble free service for at least 300,000 miles before you have to think about major service or overhaul.
I have the older 24 valve Cummins, it's noisy and with half the power (CA version) of the new Cummins, but it is still a great source of power!
MN

[Gordon Maney]

I had a 1999 2500 with a V10. The truck was very smooth, quiet, and powerful, and it used a lot of gasoline. It had a coolant leak that first involved replacing both heads, and then finally the entire engine. I drove that truck for over 50,000 miles.

I now have a 2001 HO Cummins that I have put nearly 50,000 miles on in about two years. It goes twice as far on a gallon of fuel. If you like an old Power Wagon, you will love the rattle, bark, and torque of the Cummins.

[mxpro]

Frank, I purchased a 2003 3500 4x4 SRW Crew Cab with 4.10's and auto about a year ago. I previously had a Ford F-350 Crew Cab with the Power Stroke. The two trucks are like night and day. I liked the Ford and would have probably purchased another one until I drove the Cummins. I sold the Ford with 325K miles and had little or no problems out of it, it was a good, solid, hard working truck.

I have roughly 30K on my new truck and love this thing to death! I have had no mechanical, electrical or any kind of problems. I pulled the WC back from NY and averaged 12.3 mpg, calculated by hand. I just can't bring myself to trust the overhead displays. I average 17-19 mpg unloaded, I do have a hard time keeping my foot out of this thing. For a 8,000lb. truck this thing will haul!! Not to mention the sound...........

I should also mention I have the SO, not the HO, as I purchased it as soon as they came out. Power with the SO is quite a bit less than the new 600's, so I bet that will be one hard working and good running truck.

If you have any questions, I would be glad to help.

Curt

[scott youngblood]

Frank, I bought my first diesel truck in 1993 ( Dodge D250 ) and loved it from day one. Last July I sold that truck and bought a 2003 Dodge 2500 w/Cummins HO. Unbelievable difference. I have a 24 ft, flat-bed goose-neck trailer that weighs 4000# empty and about 12,000# w/Bobcat excavator, truck pulls this load with little effort. The old 93 would pull the load also but it was really straining. Also one good added benefit of the new generation Cummins is the quieter operating noise level. Try one, I think you'll like it. scott youngblood

[Joe Cimoch]

Is anyone using a Cummins in a colder climate? Last week were below zero for most of the week. Do these require special equipment and fuel additives for cold weather?

[Russ Erickson]

Cold weather diesels

Fuel gelling is the top concern for running diesels in cold weather. In the colder parts of the country, diesel fuel suppliers usually blend #1 diesel fuel into the#2 fuel to keep from gelling up in very cold weather. Be sure to ask about the fuel available locally to you to get the best winter performance fuel. Around here, the usual winter fuel is supposed to be good to about -30 F, but I always add more #1 to my fuel to be sure. Significantly higher diesel fuel prices in winter are partly because of the need to blend #1 fuel into the #2 fuel or from special additives used.

Fuel additives also help to prevent gelling. I normally run 30% to 50% #1 fuel in my trucks during the winter to prevent gelling. Just recently, I was told about Arctic Extreme additive that is supposed to prevent gelling at very low temperatures, and I am trying it out now.

All diesel trucks around here have electric block heaters, in addition to the glow plugs or intake heating grids, to help with cold weather starting. A diesel can be very stubborn to start in very cold weather. If you diesel won't start by itself, absolutely do not use ether on it or you can ruin the engine. A fair substitute for starting fluid for diesels is WD-40, which is essentially kerosene in an aerosol can. It has a lower flash point than #2 diesel, so it will help some.

If your truck does gel up in cold weather, you have run out of fuel and will have to bleed the injectors to get restarted. I always carry an 11/16" tubing fitting wrench to do the job if that happens. You will have to get the entire truck warm before the fuel turns back to all liquid and can flow properly, so dragging it into a heated garage is the best option. We often get sudden cold snaps here that catch semi's on I-80. Some winters, there will be hundreds of them stranded along the length of the state from gelled fuel. Service companies make a killing by building canvas tents over the tractors and using propane or kerosene fired heaters to warm up the entire tractor to restart them. It's a very rude shock to drivers who have never experienced it before.

[Jonas Smith]

Been 16 below zero here for a week...

I have the standard '01 Cummins with a 5 speed. I just plug it in at night and it cranks right up in the morning. I put Stanadyne additive in the fuel, although I have been told I dont need it. It does seem to smooth it out and give a bit better mileage and performance.
My commuting partner has a '00 F350 and it wont start when its cold out, even if he plugs it in.

[MoparNorm]

I haven't had my Cummins long enough, or in cold enough weather to really add to this, except to say, as cold as it gets here in SoCal is around 30 degrees. My ferd 7.3 didn't like that at all, it was hard to start at any temp. below 40 degrees. My Cummins has not wavered at all in the 28 degrees that was last years low temp.
MN

[Frank Irons]

Thanks to all for your input. I ordered a new Dodge today with the 325/600 diesel engine. Now I have to find a goosneck hitch that is approved for installation on the hydroformed frame of this truck, anybody done this?
Frank

[Jeff in N.Tx.]

I think Draw Tite might have one for your new truck. However, I had a local welding and machine shop do a custom gooseneck hitch mounting for me. They lifted the bed off of the frame, then laid a thick steel plate across the frame under the center of the bed. This plate had sides welded to it that fit over the outside of the two main frame rails. (looks like a big upside down "U"). They then drilled holes through the sides of this assembly and through the frame and bolted it in place. A hole saw was used to neatly cut three holes in the bed floor. One for the ball, and two for eyes to hook safety chains in. The big plate has a nut welded under it for the ball to screw into. The eyebolts are threaded directly into the steel plate.
The only thing that shows in the bed are the two eyebolts and the ball. All three can be unscrewed if you need a clear, flat bed surface. It really is a neat installation.
I bet any good welding or truck frame repair shop could build a similar attachment for you. Nothing is welded to the frame, and no cutting on the frame was done. My dealer looked over the installation and said the frame drilling would not affect the warranty as it was done neatly and professionally.

[Jason Mills]

Frank,
I read a review about PULLRITE HITCHES in The Turbo Diesel Register, which was positive, to the point of being glowing. They may be abit pricy, but it sounds like a great product. Also, think I read that the new 325/600 CDT will start down to -20 with out being plugged in...
That being said, I run a conditioner in Dec, Jan, Feb, and worry less about freeze ups.
Jason

[S.Swanson]

Frank - You'll LOVE your new Cummins Dodge; especially if you ordered the 6spd...;)

Firstly, here's a site with tons of insight and information about Cummins Dodge ownership:

www.turbodieselregister.com

Now then, in my opinion, way too much is made of cold weather starting with these B Series Cummins. While the block heater is a Cummins standard (the $10 you may have spent on what Dodge calls a block heater option is, in reality, nothing more than the cord that plugs into the block heater element that Cummins has already built into the engine), and every Cummins Dodge I've owned (3) has had one, I've never needed to use it to ensure cold weather starting, even in temperatures down to -30. The B Series engines are simply marvelous in cold weather startability. The best I can say for the block heater is that it allows the interior to warm up faster - in other words, you'd use it for you, not for the engine. Another arguement suggests that using the block heater is easier on the engine - that a 'warm' engine experiences less cold-start wear than a cold engine. In my opinion, the difference in temperature is not significant enough to make any meaningful difference at the major cold-start wear points, but the thought does give some comfort.

However - DO NOT USE WD-40 AS A COLD WEATHER STARTING AID FOR YOUR CUMMINS DODGE. The ONLY way I could possibily see using any 'starting aid' on your Cummins Dodge is if you could somehow introduce it AFTER the heating elements in the intake manifold. You should never spray any 'starting aid' into your intake system - you should never need to.

The use of anti-gelling additives in VERY cold temperatures, however, is perfectly sound advice. I spent 15 years as a driver in the 48 States and Canada, and never once did I gell out. Personally, I swear by Howes additive in cold weather. If it works in International Falls, MN in seemingly liquid nitrogen cold weather, it'll work in your home town. Additionally, and this is just one man's opinion, it's far wiser to use a quality additive in extremely cold weather - if your trust in your commercial fuel blenders fails - than to arbitrarily add #1 diesel or kerosene to your fuel. The reason for this opinion is that #1 diesel and/or kerosene lacks the lubricity of #2, which is these days marginal at best thanks to AlGore and the gang, and most quality anti-gell additives ADD lubrication additives to their product. Some people, although perhaps well intentioned, believe that they know more about the fuel they use than the companies who sell it.

So, unless you're traveling across the country and will be encountering wide variations of temperatures, the fuel sold in your area is blended to exceed the needs of your area. In other words, don't run the risk of causing premature fuel system wear to oversafeguard cold weather fueling.

To ensure trouble-free operation of your diesel fuel system the secret is simple - use fresh, clean fuel, use your filter drain valve at least once a week (I suspend a clear glass jar from a string and drain the fuel off into it. That way I can see what's in there) and change your filter regularly. A fuel filter is cheap insurance.

Regards;

Steve

[Frank Irons]

Thanks for all the input. Dealer advised me today that truck has arrived. Will pick up Saturday. Sold V10 truck yesterday, boy what timing, hope I will like the diesel.

Frank

[MoparNorm]

Frank,
I will tell you this, you will NOT like it! You will LOVE it!
Good Luck!
MN