What do you guys think?

[FJE]

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I had a 1991 Dodge 2 wheel drive with the intercooled Cummins 5.9 and the 4 speed automatic. Never had a bit of trouble with the engine but the transmission was the weak link. It finally failed at around 125k and I traded the truck on a new 1999 Ford Super Duty. The transmission was always a problem.

If you intend to use your truck for heavy towing you do not want that 1991 Dodge. The problem was that the Cummins engine had far too much torque for the transmission to handle. To keep the torque from destroying the transmission Chrysler put a high slip torque converter on the front of their old 727 design transmission. It worked fine while you were moving down the road but if you stopped on a hill with a heavy trailer you could not get it moving. The converter would slip so much that you could floor it and it would just sit there. I ended up backing down hills plenty of times and then getting a run for it, hoping I would not have to stop for a traffic signal, etc. My brother-in-law had a 1993 4 wheel drive that did exactly the same thing. We had a mutual friend that managed a Dodge dealership who told us every one of these trucks they ever sold to someone who towed heavy had the same problem. Chrysler finally came out with a newer design transmission that could stand more torque. My brother-in-law traded his on a 1996 that performed much better.

[ToxicSludge]

There are a number of aftermarket transmission builders that specialize in trannies for diesels,and for the most part the prices are reasonable.Go to powerblock tv then go to the show trucks and see what you can find.

[Duluth Diesel]

Originally Posted by howam00

I found a local 1991 D250 Dodge Ram with the 5.9 Cummins with 132k original miles and an auto tranny (i have no idea if it is interecooled or not, whether it is a 3 or 4 speed auto and beign a D and not W its a 2-wheel drive).

the truck looks excellent given its age (bright paint, clean inerior that is not faded or cracked, limited dings/dents etc)

He is asking $5k but everything I can read says $2000-3000 is fair. Do you guys think this is a good deal or not? I am thinking about trying to offer $2k to start just to gauge him.

Great trucks. Buy it and put a real transmission in it. You'll never look back. For the best Dodge Cummins transmission talk to Dave Goerend at Goerend Transmission. Seriously the best trans builder for Dodge Cummins trucks in the country. Goerend Transmission Incorporated

-Chuck

[howam00]

I see this truck is back on Craigslist today ( I obviously didn't purchase it) and the guy is now asking for $6k instead of $5k like before.