Yes I'm a newby, new to dodges too. I have a rockcrawler rig that I need to tow around. I'm looking at getting a 99 2500 4wd,automatic, cummins turbo diesel, SLT. It has 86k on it right now. I have until Friday to write up the paperwork to keep it. It does have a 3" lift on it, that I plan to take off (coil spacers and leaf springs blocks). It has awesome power on the test drives, price is about 18k now. Is this a good buy? I talked to a certified dodge diesel mechanic at one of the other dealerships here, and he told me a common problem is the fuel pump going out. He estimated the job to be about $2000 to fix when/if it goes. He also said they go between 80k miles and 120k miles. What does everyone think? I'm in a bunch of 4x4 clubs with sites, and have allways found help, so thanks in advance!! This will be my 4th vehicle, 3rd street legal vehicle, so I don't really plan to use it for other than towing and driving around town occasionally. :help:

Check the lift pump... VP-44 should be fine.
Automatic, subtract 1200.00 from price and get a performance rebuild from ATS Suncoast or DTT.
what rearend ratio? 3.54 or 4.10?

go to www.nwbombers.com and ask some questions there!

rearend ratio is unknown, I'd guess 3.54's since it has 33's on it. I can roast the tires if I get on it, but I'd still say 3.54's. So I'm looking more a t $800 repair "if" it goes out? I'll check out the other site too, thanks! How do I get the lift pump checked? Is that just hooking up a scanner?

Lift pump OEM will be 250.00. The high pressure inject pump or VP-44 is 1900~2300.

If it dies figure on 1900 reb exchange and 250.00 lab.
They do not usually fail unless the lift pump fails.
Check lift pump PSI using an isolated FP gauge. It should be a steady 9 PSI at idle and drop to 6 PSI at WOT unless the truck has been BOMBed. I have seen the OEM Lift pumps drop to 0 PSI when running a Drag Comp.
Is the truck modified?
Bigger turbo, injectors?, Comp Box, Blue chip, Diablo puck, MAD ECM aka CATchER, TST?

Like I said, I'm new to the game so I'm not sure what to look for on diesels, but the only mod's I notice after looking at 5 different motors(all I-6 turbo's) is dual batteries, an "edge" chip, 3 lift, 33" tires, new track bar, new tie rod ends, and wilford towing brakes controller. If I'm only hauling around 6,000 to 9,000lbs once/twice a month in the mountains, should I expect problems?

Price sounds about right, the injection pump you never know,it may last 300000 miles, there were some good ones,and bad ones in 99.The good part is the price has come down now to about 750-1000 on reman pumps,so the whole job should be under 2000 injection pump/lift pump and labor. Still way cheaper than an injector problem on a duramax,and and the potential ruined engine from oil dilution.For what your towing it doesnt matter if it has 3.54 or 4.10 it isnt enough weight to matter. This truck has been lightly modded,hopefully the tran was addressed too. Id go for it, there good trucks,and the resale is there if oyu decide down the road you need something different.

It'll be fine. Go for it. The only thing I would worry about is the Auto Trans. but that can easily be taken care of.

It sounds like a good deal. Get a fuel pressure guage and it should hold a steady 15psi at idle and 12 to 13 psi going down the road and no less than 8psi at WOT. You can get a lift pump at Napa for $195 and change it yourself in about 20min. 45 min the first time:D but you'll get faster at it! Napa has a lifetime warranty on it so it's like killing someone "after the first one the rest are free"):h
Even with my TST Power Max 3 with a good LP I can't pull it down more than 8psi.

Price sounds about right, the injection pump you never know,it may last 300000 miles, there were some good ones,and bad ones in 99.The good part is the price has come down now to about 750-1000 on reman pumps,so the whole job should be under 2000 injection pump/lift pump and labor. Still way cheaper than an injector problem on a duramax,and and the potential ruined engine from oil dilution.For what your towing it doesnt matter if it has 3.54 or 4.10 it isnt enough weight to matter. This truck has been lightly modded,hopefully the tran was addressed too. Id go for it, there good trucks,and the resale is there if oyu decide down the road you need something different.

Um....... actually injectors for the older dmaxes had warranty extended out to 200,000 miles or 7 years. A stock dmax will pull the same or slightly better than the dodge listed above. Just to set you straight on that. Back to the original topic.......the injection pumps were issues as mentioned above. But the biggest weak link in the whole deal is the 47re AUTO tranny. Notoriously bad. Tell them to take 2 grand off at least....you will need it to buy a tranny if you are gonna tow. Some of these guys argue that but I will bet you that I am right. 86,000 miles on an auto tranny that has been running around with an edge box hooked up is a big liability. Tell them $16000.