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1999 dodge ram turbo diesel 4X4 3/4 ton quad long bed. short block right side coolant leak 1.5"-2" hoizontal crack leaking coolant. Obviously defective block . bought new late 1998. well taken care of.Up grades and external engine parts have been replace over the past 2 years. cummins takes no responsibility for flaw in block and won't even look at it 110K which is nothing. No mechanic beleved me until they saw it with their own eyes. It somehow as eaten through the block from the inside out. cummins is trying to sell me a new motor but i say that is bullshit. Cummins won't even have a representative look at it. What do you say??? thanks.zachery neff
Optional Information: Year: 1999Make: DodgeMake (other): ramModel: 2500Engine: 5.9L 24 valve turbo diesel Already Tried: nothin yet
Hi, my nameis Tim, I will guarantee you have what is known as the "53" block, there are a lot of them that have cracked in this same place, yes it is a defect in the block, but chrysler is not warrantying them after 100k, I agree, they should but they wont, this has been a problem for many years, not all the 53 blocks crack, in fact i have 200k on my 99 that has not cracked, the only other option is a process called stitch welding, if done properly will fix this crack, but it is expensive as well, you must remove the engine and strip it down, but this will save the price of a new block. Does your crack look like the one below?
thanks Tim it is lower than that on the block and just started about a week ago and has progressively gotten worse. If i replace the whole thing with another cummins how do i know it won't happen again??
The only way to avoid this is to replace it with any block besides the "53". this is stampped on the drivers side block, down low by the front oil pan, it can also be on the passenger side, If it says 53, stay away,Tim
Experience: 30 YRS EXPERIENCE, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, GAS AND DEISEL
tim, one last question, I live in oceanside calif where would you reccomend I buy a new cummings diesel? thank you
I reccomend ATS in denver, we get all our deisels from them, ford , gm, and cummins, they are not cheap, but very good rebuilds, and if you want to add hp, they are the ones to see, i dont know of any rebuilders in CA, but a google search would help you,Tim