9 Must Have Mods For Your 2nd Gen Dodge Ram Diesel

The professionals at Mopar understand that Dodge has always made killer cars. With such a commanding presence in the performance industry, it’s easy to see some of that ingenuity spill into the diesel truck market. After all, Dodge has been churning out industry-leading diesel trucks since 1989, when the 250- and 350-series were united with the Cummins Turbodiesel engine. These trucks started with 160hp and 400lb-ft. of torque and have evolved into 385hp with 850lb-ft. of torque!
The purpose of this article is to better info you of the numerous mods that exist for your 2nd gen Dodge Ram Diesel. Keep reading to jump in!

9 Must-Have Mods

Think of the 2nd gen Dodge Ram Diesels as the ’68-70 Chargers only in the diesel market. For years, these Chargers dominated the racing circuit, and even with the launch of the new common-rail crowd, the 2nd gen Rams are still trailblazers within the industry. Some of the best mods that can greatly improve your ride include:

Cold Air Intake

The air cleaner component assembly is where your engine starts to generate power. Without adequate airflow, your Cummins cannot breathe properly and will result in poor fuel economy and performance alongside high exhaust gas temps. Although the stock intake design is efficient, upgrading the cold air intake to a higher flowing system drastically improves airflow, thus delivering better engine efficiency and performance.

Intake Manifold

Now that you have your high-flow cold air intake installed, there’s still a bottleneck between your intake and exhaust. This can be vastly improved to ensure operational efficiency by adding an intake manifold with a larger plenum to increase airflow with smooth radii to reduce intake pressure loss and turbulence.

Manual Transmission Clutch Kits

For those who love three pedals and a hand shaker, Dodge offered the NV5600 6-speed manual transmission in many of the ’94-02 models but you can find more detailed compatibility of the NV5600 transmission here, https://reman-transmission.com/transmission-codes/?code=NV5600. In 2000, Dodge further upgraded the 2nd gen manual diesel Rams to a 1-3/8” shaft from a 1-1/4” version along with an upgraded 13” flywheel to increase surface area. While the NV5600 transmission proved itself, some limitations could cause them to fail. However, if you still have a stock-powered truck and need a single disc replacement, or if you’re running a full pulling truck and need a triple disc, there are plenty of options available.

Modified Injection Pump

A modified injection pump, like the Scheid Diesel offering, can boost fuel delivery to your 2nd gen, which will equate to more twists in your tires. The rebuilding of your existing pump provides new delivery valves, 3,000-to-4,000-rpm springs, and a variety of other performance tweaks.

Radiator Upgrade

If you take a three-ton vehicle, add air, fuel, and a driver with motor oil in his veins, you’ve got extra engine-damaging heat. However, a radiator upgrade will maintain temps but can improve overall engine efficiency, plus make you realize the benefit of unfettered diesel due to the greater cooling capacity.

Turbo-Back Exhaust

The 2nd gen Cummins are factory equipped with a three-inch turbo-back exhaust. Although this system is adequate for mildly powered trucks, larger diameters are mandatory on all Cummins engines, even though with just the slightest tweak. Upgrading the turbo-back exhaust will help improve the towing performance of heavy loads.

Tuner Programmers

Diesel engines can greatly benefit from an optimized computer tune. Increasing the turbo’s boost pressure, more aggressive fuel delivery, and injection timing can vastly increase a diesel’s power level with little fuss. This gives you one of the best bolt-on bags for the buck!

Turbo Upgrade

due to the inline Cummins engine scheme, you have a basic setup of turbo design and a universal exhaust manifold style. While other designs require two manifolds, a pedestal, up pipes, etc., Cummins has an exhaust manifold with the attached turbo. This means many turbo upgrades can simply be bolted in place of the stock turbo component giving you endless options that perfectly fit your Ram’s specs.

Upgraded Fuel Pump

Any vehicle with a high-performance gas engine will benefit from a fuel pump upgrade, and your 2nd gen Ram is no exception. With a Cummins diesel, getting more air into the engine without touching anything else equates to the need for a larger fuel pump. Luckily, this is an easy mod that will deliver advanced filtration that removes debris, vapour, air, and water.