What do I look for when buying a 5.9 Cummins and NV4500 ?!?!

[Tigger4X]

I just got a hold of a guy who has a 5.9L Cummins with an NV4500 trans; well, actually his wife so I have to wait for better details. :rolleyes: Its unclear if its in the truck or not so I need help in what to look for so I can tell if this guy is blowing smoke or if this is actually a good buy. All thats said is it runs really good. No details as to what year it is, etc. I know that leaves a TON of variables but could ya'll give me some pointers PLEASE!! The asking price is too good if all works out well and would speed up the stockpile and build process not to mention save me a bunch of cashola. ;)

[Elliott]

Late '97+ have the NV4500 with the removable shift tower if you are interested in a short throw shifter mod. If this is only a 2x then you are looking at some mods like the main shaft, rear housing to go 4x.

[Tigger4X]

Late '97+ have the NV4500 with the removable shift tower if you are interested in a short throw shifter mod. If this is only a 2x then you are looking at some mods like the main shaft, rear housing to go 4x.

Gotta pic? Or can you describe what that tower looks like VS the other kind? What should I check to make sure its good and not wasted?

[jeepmj_tj]

i've got the early tower and with the depth of our tranny tunnels its a short throw already. MY shift lever came is only about a foot long.

[Tigger4X]

Hmmm ... I'm beginning to think that until I have the 5.9L sitting in my truck I wont know for sure how much throw I'll want/need. It'd be my luck I go short and then the engine sits to low and gets whacked by the axle or the stick gets sucked under in articulation. :o I've been toying with the idea of CNG injection which means I need to decide where the tank(s) will reside. I could easily stick a single in the front of the bed or run dual torpedos underneath along the frame rails. If they go under then I'll most likely do a custom body lift. It all gets tighter if I run a doubler and not just the 205.


But between now and then if I find something what do I need to physically look for on the engine and trans to determine if they are a strong candidate? I dont wanna end up with a boat anchor that needs to be gone through. BTDT :banghead:

[76FSChief]

The 5.9 is a very durable engine - outside of things like a hole in the side of the block etc. There are a few different versions so you just have to look at what year it came out of.

The early versions are a mechanical injection version which for myself made it the ideal swap for my Chief. Additionally these early versions can burn alternative fuels without having to worry about messing up a computer.

As mentioned these engines are extremely durable so even with higher mileage engines the odds of having a boat anchor are slim - but that is just my opinion! :D

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[Tigger4X]

Yeah, windowed blocks are no bueno! I did some reading and thought I was on the right path in looking for a late '97-'02 24V engine and then swapping it out to the P-pump which would in turn eliminate the computer. Sounds good to me. Welllll then I came across an article about a CNG injection kit by Natruell/Bully Dog ... BUT ... it mentions the "common rail" which if I understand it correctly those are in '03-'07 models. :banghead: The CNG kit needs the computer so regulate the diesel and CNG being injected. My head = :dancingbanana:

[Elliott]

Gotta pic? Or can you describe what that tower looks like VS the other kind? What should I check to make sure its good and not wasted?

Bolt down shift tower:

http://www.offroaders.com/directory/products/images/nv4500.jpg

[Tigger4X]

a X ... :confused:







:p