I'm looking at purchasing a Dodge 4x4, manual pickup in the near future and was wondering what to look for and beware of? I'm thinking in the 95-99 year range and less than $15K. :D

95 through 98.5 will be 12v, later models will be 24v and a little more expensive.

I'm pretty sure the killer dowel pin was fixed by the 24v, although you've got the 53 block issue to be concerned about.

Tons of good reading here, and over at http://www.turbodieselregister.com.

Thanks.
Now, what's the "killer dowel pin" and the "53 block issue" exactly?

there is a dowel pin in the early 12 and 24 valves that can fall out into the timing gears that can split the timing cover.
expensive fix if it falls out, but easy to prevent.

the 53 block is a weak block they used in some vehicles, late 90's-early 2000's, that could crack. there is a #53 cast into the block.

derek

Great. Thanks. This is what I need to know. I also read that 5th gear on the NV4500HD trannies is prone to failure also.
Anything else I should consider before purchasing?