1994 - 2002 Ram 5.9L Cummins

1994 was the start of a new era in diesels. No longer were diesels only used for towing a fifth wheel or hauling a load of hay. With the release of the P7100 injection pump powered 12 Valve Cummins, it was quickly determined how easy it was to vastly improve the power of these trucks with some tweaks to the pump and a handful of parts in order to trump the factory rated 175 horsepower for NV4500 5 speed manual transmission and 160 for 47RH automatic transmissions equipped trucks. With some adjustments to the AFC (Air Fuel Control) Spring and sliding, grinding, or removal of the factory fuel plate, adding another 60-100 rear wheel horsepower was almost too easy. Then some home-brewed cold air intake systems were developed that didn’t equate to much more than installing a large pleated air filter from larger displacement diesel applications onto the factory intake hose. And if you were ready to get serious, swapping out the factory Holset HX35 turbo for an HX40 was all the rage.

In mid-model year 1998, the VP44 injection pump powered Cummins 24 Valve was unleashed to the public. Up until this point, everyone had become very familiar with both the VE and P7100 mechanical injection pumps, but this new VP had a circuit board screwed to the top of the pump, which brought about considerable speculation. Unfortunately, as the years went by and countless pump failures reared their ugly heads, it was deemed that the VP44 was a failure on the part of Bosch, the OEM supplier for the fuel systems. But was the injection pump really the cause for concern, or was it the lack of fuel supply from the subpar low pressure pump? Either way, the rumor has always been that the VP44 was merely a stepping stone while Bosch was ironing out the kinks for their next big thing, common rail injection. For those familiar with the 1998.5-2002 trucks, the first rule of thumb is to just make sure you have good supply pressure from a quality lift pump and install a fuel pressure gauge and you can drive it ‘til the wheels fall off.

In terms of adding performance, the two engine series will have varying approaches. Being that the 12 Valves are mechanically injected, the way you add power is via mechanical means. Items such as a BD-Power Fuel Plate, Dynomite Diesel higher displacement injectors, and BD-Power AFC Spring are how you get the job done in terms of fueling. For the 24 valves, you have the option to add via a performance chip or a set of performance injectors (or both!). Now, specifically talking about increasing fueling levels via a chip, in contrast to the newer common rail powered Cummins engines, this is only accomplished via a chip that “taps” into the circuit board on the VP44. Sure, programmers that plug into the OBDII connector under the dash, or chips that only plug into the MAP sensor and Data Link Connector, can add around 60-70 horsepower. But in order to physically tell the injection pump to shove more fueling into the injectors, it requires such “chips” as an Edge Comp Box or TST PowerMax. That said, one of the most popular things to do on a 1998.5-2002 truck is to “stack” a chip, such as an Edge Comp Box, with a programmer, such as a Smarty S03, to realize gains that can only be had in doing so.

The next big change that began in 1994 were front coil springs. While Chevy was still boasting their IFS (Independent Front Suspension) and Ford was still riding on coil springs at all four corners, Ram jumped into coils in the front, with the axle kept in place via upper and lower control arms and a track bar. For anyone that had any seat time in a 1st Gen, we’d all agree that the 2nd Gens deliver an astounding improvement in ride quality. That said, as age sets in and comparing to the newer trucks, these trucks can feel harsh, accompanied by a loose steering. And in some cases, the dreaded Death Wobble can even occur. Does this mean its just how it is? Absolutely not, as there is an endless list of upgrades to enhance the ride quality and get you a tight steering. One of our most popular upgrades are to ditch the gear box in favor of a Red-Head branded steering gear. These are not just your local parts store replacement, not even close. And for those of us that would prefer a better ride in rough terrain, brands such as Carli Suspension and Synergy Manufacturing deliver the goods.

Many products in this section will work on all 1994-02 trucks. However, some are designated for 94-98 12 valves while others are designated for 98.5-02 24 valves.

• 12 valve years covered in this section 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
• 24 valve years covered in this section 1998.5, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002

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Disclaimer: Diesel Power Products is not affiliated with Cummins or any of its subsidiaries or related companies. Unless a product is specifically identified as a Genuine Cummins product that has not been remanufactured, modified, or refurbished, Cummins makes no representation or warranty about the product and has not authorized, tested, or approved the parts for use in genuine Cummins brand products.