Are Dodge trucks still junk?

[mikeyg36]

Originally Posted by Angrybird 12

Why does just about every dodge or ford diesel I see do it then? Maybe they all don't but whenever I see black smoke from a pickup 9 out of 10 times it's a dodge or ford.

This. I've seen a Duramax smoke once in my life, and the guy was at WOT.

[05stram]

4RFE did have issues when first released but by the time they changed to the 5RFE (which by the way was developed in conjunction with GM both trannies and the 4L and current 6 Speed all came from the same joint development that GM uses) GM and Dodge had worked out the fluid issues. The 2004 - 2009 Dodges WERE NOT developed by Diamler they were already revealed before the merger. The later 4RFE and the 5RFE are the transmissions you are looking for. By 2003 when GM /Dodge got the mixture right to keep the pumps from leaking and valves from sticking ending the grenading.
Reasons you guys see most dodges and fords smoking is because people over fuel them just like they do the duramaxes. Most people who know trucks know that out of all the engines that the Cummins have the least problems with Duramax following closely, and until the release of the Scorpion 6.7 from Ford they had major issues following the 7.3s demise. Now if you look at the newer diesels I am going to say you should be good to go with all of them. If you look today you will see that the tailpipes of all the diesels are actually clean as a whistle. Only problem you have with Cummins are pre 13 they had a lot of EGR action and clogged the preheaters (no glow plugs) with the Duramax you typically had to drain the intercoolers of oil from the LMM on. If looking for a used diesel I would suggest the LBZ Duramax, 5.9 Cummins, or a 7.3L Powerstroke unless you look to one of the current offerings. The smog diesels upon introduction in mid 2007 all had issues and they were not resolved for a couple of years.
Hope this helps.

[Bornluckee13]

I think fords 5.4 triton had head problems around that time that would cause the sparkplugs to shear off flush with the head when you tried to change them. Not sure what years exactly but when I had my '08 I remember a lot of forum posts about it. Loved the truck though.

[09'Z28]

Originally Posted by shank0668

Same thing here too. It's young punk kids that mod their trucks to make them do it. Every stock diesel I have ridden in does not smoke. Some of the older ones are louder, but don't smoke. You take out a newer stock Ram, and you'll hardly tell it's diesel besides the amount of torque.

Our '02 2500 has always made black smoke under heavy acceleration, not necessarily WOT, since the day it was new, 210k miles ago.

[Brian 1LE SS]

I had an 04 Dodge 2500 4x4 with over 215,000 miles on her and my only issue was a heater core. I decided to get a new truck this year and went with another Ram. I autox it yesterday. Its an R/T

[newmoon]

I've had (3) Ram 1500s, 2004 which I traded in on a 2006 simply due that I could no longer stand having a black truck, other than that the 04 was flawless. My 2006 I kept until this year when I traded it in on a 2013. The only issue I had with the 06 was a AC recirculation door that popped off it's hinges, the truck was out of warranty but Dodge still covered it. The 13- well it's too new to tell but no issues yet. Each model year has gotten better and better. I also shopped the GMC (which I had Employee Pricing avail.) and Ford models at each purchase but preferred the Dodge.

[turboguy327]

I have a completely stock 08 powerjoke. If I leave a light with heavy throttle it looks like I'm doing a brakestand due to all the white smoke pouring out of the exhaust because of the stupid programming for emissions. Lets DUMP fuel in on the exhaust stroke and make 1800 degree EGTs!! Such a good idea. Lol. Even stock diesels smoke. For the most part it's the idiot coal rollers though unless its a 6.4 navistar pile of junk. I run all my trucks hard and fords are the worst trucks hands down. They sell millions of them only because they are the cheapest so fleets flock to them. But a dodge is the leader of the work trucks. Especially if you want it a daily and work truck. They ride so much better than others. And have the least amount of problems. I have them all and they all get used hard. I don't care what books or reviews people read. My records have all repair money recorded truck by truck. Fords are the most expensive to keep on the road. Without a doubt. Especially an early 6.0. And if you count the month your out of your truck when its under warranty.

OP. whatever you do don't waste your money on another ford. Unless you like a light skinny wallet. Go for dodge. The pre 04s had some trans issues with the 45RE but that's long past.

[evilstevie]

Thanks for the replies. I figured if I asked the question on a Dodge truck forum I'd get 100% pro-Dodge response, so I asked it here. I'm pretty sure I'd be getting a gasser and not a diesel. I know the Ford 5.4's are about the weakest and slowest motors, but they're torquey and they don't seem to blow up so that works for me. I've had a 4.6 (very weak) and a 5.4 F150 over the past 7 years, and both trucks were high mileage, but 100% bulletproof (other than AC compressors which went on both of them). It does sound like as long I'm looking at a 2004+ Dodge I should be OK from a powertrain perspective. Now the task will be to find a truck that I can afford (around 2005ish) that isn't rusted to pieces (upstate NY road salt).

[Bumblebee2012]

I had an 05 Cummins 2500 crew cab long bed 4x4 with the 45RE and had 3 engines and 7 transmissions replaced in 78K miles. I was so happy to get out of that junk.

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[Stew]

Originally Posted by midnighter

You might want to get on a Dodge Ram forum and ask people who actually drive these Dodge trucks about their quality. Here on C5 you will just hear people letting out hot air about Dodge trucks without knowing a single fact just because they are diehard Chevy fans.

I have a 2004 Ram1500 w/Hemi and it still drives like new at 63,000 miles.

This, you will get here is a bunch of biased nonsense just because it is not a GM product, though it is nice to see so many people with actual experience chiming in. My 2001 Dakota has held together great and I know quite a few people who have them from even the mid 90s and those trucks are CERTAINLY NOT junk and hold together just as well as their GM and Ford counterpoints year to year.

[upflying]

This is the best truck:

Ford chassis and body.
Dodge Cummins engine.
GM Allision transmission.

Too bad no one builds it.

[Rhyno81]

Being a diesel mechanic and having to rebuild ford 6.0 powerstrokes daily. They are the worst engine ever I would stay far away from ford trucks. The 6.4s are worse. 7.3s are awesome engines that can take abuse and keep running. I don't have much experience with duramax engines as we don't have any in my fleet. But seeing the power and reliabilty of the Cummins engines; if I were in the market for a diesel I would go that route. Preferably in a GM chassis lol.

The ford triton engines are a pain to change the plugs on because they get carbon build up in the combustion chamber and it is a 3 piece plug. So it breaks. There are special tools to remove it and they work. But still a pain in the ass. I use a 3/8 impact gun and it works just about everytime

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[Bumblebee2012]

Originally Posted by Stew

This, you will get here is a bunch of biased nonsense just because it is not a GM product, though it is nice to see so many people with actual experience chiming in. My 2001 Dakota has held together great and I know quite a few people who have them from even the mid 90s and those trucks are CERTAINLY NOT junk and hold together just as well as their GM and Ford counterpoints year to year.

I'm not a gm fan boy. I owned my 05 Cummins until 2012 and hated it beyond description due to the constant issues. I was afraid to drive it because it left me stranded so often. Factory engine replaced by Cummins, that replaced engine was them pulled and rebuilt by me. I had the dealer replace the trans a couple times, had local rebuild shop do it a couple, had a large National chain rebuild and finished with a $8K BD diesel trans that was in it when I traded it in. That was a lesson in Dodge ownership that I'll never forget. Over $30K in repairs killed me.

Sent from a Galaxy Note 2, far far away.

[Stew]

Originally Posted by Bumblebee2012

I'm not a gm fan boy. I owned my 05 Cummins until 2012 and hated it beyond description due to the constant issues. I was afraid to drive it because it left me stranded so often. Factory engine replaced by Cummins, that replaced engine was them pulled and rebuilt by me. I had the dealer replace the trans a couple times, had local rebuild shop do it a couple, had a large National chain rebuild and finished with a $8K BD diesel trans that was in it when I traded it in. That was a lesson in Dodge ownership that I'll never forget. Over $30K in repairs killed me.

Sent from a Galaxy Note 2, far far away.

Sorry it happened, but that is VERY unusal and strange, especially when it comes to the Cummins.