Going from dual rear wheel to single rear wheel, and 24 vs 12 valve pros cons

[peneumbra]

I had a 2001 (24-valve) 4x4 3500, and when the stock-mounted lift pump died, I was able to get it home without killing the injection pump. I bought a relocation kit and mounted the new lift pump on the frame.

But then, I had two lift pumps die within 20,000 miles. Bad pumps? Maybe...

 

[blakeape]

MT6bt,

I am the owner of a 97 12Valve with 230K miles, pushing 37" tires with 4.10 gears a 241HD t-case and original NV 4500 transmission that routinely pulls heavy loads. I really like the 5600 until you try to service it, parts are hard to find and they just drive kind of "notchy". I love my 12 Valve particularly running on veggie oil. I have had problems, but if you want to consider alternative fuels I think a 12 Valve is the best way to go. I too would love an OBS Ford with a manual trans and a 12 Valve, but consider my truck a pretty good compromise. I will say the 24 valves start better in the cold and I like a chip you can de-tune or turn off if somebody else has to drive you truck. My 12 valve puts down 338 hp and 797 ft/lbs torque on 37's at the rear wheels on veggie oil, with very basic mods, but put somebody behind the wheel not used to that or with a trailer hooked up at 38 lbs boost and trouble will ensue.

 

[Iron Bender]

A lot of erroneous information here.....

The lift pump issue with the 24v Gen II is way overblown, usually by 12V., Gen I and Gen III, or Ford owners who have never owned one.

Considering that every 24v owner I have personally know has had to replace the VP44 and every Ram CTD discussion forum is littered with similar stories, I would not consider the issue to be overblown. This is just my opinion, but for a vehicle that I expect rock solid reliability from, I would avoid the 2nd Gen 24v trucks on that basis alone.

'94-95 175HP/420 TQ w/manual (slightly less detuned for the slightly less dainty manual)
'96-97 215 HP/440TQ w/manual (this era manual trans was built to take more gut busting torque)

I do not understand this. How does the NV4500 transmission in a 1994 Ram CTD differ from the NV4500 transmission in a 1997 Ram CTD?

MT6bt,
The reason i jumped in '01 to a Dodge is because of the drivetrain; front to back;top to bottom. The engine has enough power, but not too much for the rest of the drivetrain. The NV5600, six-speed manual is encased in cast iron. No aluminum/flexy, bearing eating case need apply. The downside is it weighs 360 pounds/dry. A total boat anchor.
NV5600 Ratios: from low to high: 5.63/3.38/2.04/1.39/1.00/0.73/5.63R
NV4500 Ratios: from low to high: 5.61/3.04/1.67/1.00/0.73/5.61R aluminum case. Notice the big hole between 2nd and 3rd. Some woes with the 5th end gear nut coming loose. Somewhere along the line they reverse threaded the shaft and that fixed it. It's still not built to go behind a hot-rodded engine.

The NV4500 has a cast iron case. It also has an aluminum rear housing that contains the overdrive gear, but to my knowledge the aluminum component has never been a problem in this application. Your NV241 transfer case housing it is made from aluminum, too, which has not proven to be problematic, either. Also, the NV4500 5th gear problem is related to the mainshaft not being fully splined for the gear. A fully splined mainshaft cures the problem. While the newer 6 speeds are nicer, the NV4500 is more than adequate. Should it ever become a concern, a G56 can always be swapped in.

This was the first year they put a true 35 spline, FF, 1.53" axle diam. Dana 80 in there. Previously, only the V10 had the 35 spline shafts.The Dana 80 has a 13,500 pound max load rating. Quite a bit higher than the Dana 70's that came with the 12v. Previously, only the V10 had the 35 spline shafts. My 2500 came with a Camper Package, which included upper secondaries (or overloads) just like the 3500 duallie. In fact is was the first time Dodge did a 2500 with a 3500 suspension making it a defacto SRW one ton. Virtually everything above was the first year they did these upgrades, and that's the reason i jumped for a 2001.5 CTD. What's the .5 you ask? One major change around mid-year was addition of disc brakes, to the rear.

All 1994-2002 Ram CTD trucks equipped with manual transmissions also came with FF, 35 spline, 1.5" axle shaft diameter Dana 80s. I know that my 1997 Ram 2500 CTD has one. It also has the factory camper package that includes overload springs. I assume they were available on all 2nd Gen Rams. Although personally, I much prefer the Firestone Ride-Rites for supporting and stabilizing heavy loads. Opinions will obviously vary, but to me, between the 2nd Gen trucks, the greater simplicity, reliability, longevity and durability of the 6BTA/NV4500/NV241/D60/D80 drivetrain combo of the 12v trucks makes it a better choice for a expedition/preparedness worthy vehicle over the minor improvements in comfort and performance of the 24 v trucks.

 

[redthies]

Considering that every 24v owner I have personally know has had to replace the VP44 and every Ram CTD discussion forum is littered with similar stories, I would not consider the issue to be overblown.

Opinions will obviously vary, but to me, between the 2nd Gen trucks, the greater simplicity, reliability, longevity and durability of the 6BTA/NV4500/NV241/D60/D80 drivetrain combo of the 12v trucks makes it a better choice for a expedition/preparedness worthy vehicle over the minor improvements in comfort and performance of the 24 v trucks.

This is a pretty accurate summation of the 2nd gen Dodge. If you are very lucky (I was), you can find an early 98 12v and get the "comforts" offered by the newer style interior and available quadcab.
My brother in law drove past yesterday and said "they are offering 0% on GM diesels right now" (while sitting in his '12 Dmax that recently spent 6 weeks in shop while they tried to find a urea injection pump). I laughed and pointed at the 12v and said "I have zero financing sitting right there!"