The Cummins Inline 6 Diesel that Chrysler put in the Ram Trucks is a torque monster. It makes a LOT more torque than any stock gasoline engine way down low in the RPM bands and Peak torque on the relatively tame 1988 5.9L with the early Bosch VE pump was 400Ft-Lbs. The 1988 engine pushed out 300Ft-Lb at under 2500RPMs and by the mid 90's it was over 300ft-lbs at 1500RPM or less...
If you want a diesel in a GMT800 just sell the LQ4 truck and buy one with an LB7 Dirtymax. 500Ft-Lb at 1600RPM in 2001.
Diesels are kinda like a slutty, hot, high-maintenance woman. I've had both. Fun to look at and fun to ride but you don't want to have to pay for them.
I'm old enough to be quite sick of the less than reliable nature of all of the offerings the big 3 put out in the last 30 years or so. The LQ4 is almost as bulletproof as the old 350 smallblock with better fuel mileage and lower maintenance.
I would never have a diesel. I look at the overall cost to operate one in $ per mile with the added fuel prices and high cost of maintenance is the main reasons why. Give me a SBC or a BBC carb'd and I would be happy. The 2001 will be sold whenever I get one of my square body trucks moved up to DD status. I know exactly what to expect out of those old school set ups. Just trying to improve on what apparently is about the best I could expect out of it.
I still own a 2000 GMC with the 6.5L and a 2005 VW Jetta TDI. I'll never buy another diesel.
The 2000-2002 3/4ton GMT800 trucks are darn nice rigs that don't suffer from GM decontenting them like the 03-07 rigs. I like my squares and my GMT400 is a nice truck but the T800 is a nicer daily driver.
The 6.0 is a dead reliable engine with power on-par with the 400SBC. Pair that with the NV4500 and you won't have much maintenance outside of filters, fluids, brakes, spark plugs/wires, and tires for a good long time.
It has IFS so you get to do wheel bearings and A-Arm bushings around 125,000 miles. You can and should grease the new ones through the ABS sensor hole. There's a tool for doing this. The guys that do get 300,000 miles or more out of a quality bearing cartridge.
Some folks complain about the rear disc brakes but they also drive around with coal black brake fluid instead of flushing it out with fresh every 2 years or so.
My clutches usually go 150,000 or more miles and it's not the major job that rebuilding the 4L80E slushbox will be.
Your truck still has cabin air filters and an actual fuel filter on the LH frame rail. I had to install them on my 2005. If you haven't replaced the pair of cabin air filters yet I would recommend having a vacuum handy. Usually they are the original filthy nasty pair of cabin filters because nobody changes them. They're side by side... you pull one out and then slide the other to the narrow hole and pull it out.
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