How Much Torque Does A 5.9 Cummins Engine Have? Here Are The Specs

The 5.9L Cummins diesel engine is best known for its time when it powered Dodge trucks beginning in 1989, and it's an engine that certainly helped propel the Ram into being one of the top pickup truck brands. If you're looking to get as much performance as possible out of 5.9L Cummins diesel, then you need to set your sights on the latest iteration of the engine that you can find. For the first several years, there's no difference in performance as the engine produced 160 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque from 1989 to 1993.

Moving forward from 1993 is when we see the first leaps in the 5.9L's performance. Beginning in 1994, there's a jump in horsepower and torque, and that gap increases further depending on whether you have a manual or automatic transmission. For a Cummins 5.9L from 1994 to 1995, an automatic transmission motor produces 400 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm, meaning it reaches that amount of torque at 100 rpm less than the previous years. Things get interesting when we look at the manual transmission — that version produces 175 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.

A bigger leap comes in 1996 and lasts until 1998. That's when we see the manual transmission version move up to 215 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque, with the automatic version a tad lower at 180 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.

Beginning with a refresh that began halfway through 1998, the 5.9L Cummins engine made its biggest advancement yet. The automatic hit 215 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, while the manual reached 235 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Between 2001 and 2002 came another iteration where the automatic transmission increased to 235 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, and the manual produced 245 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of torque.

The final iteration of the Cummins engine was produced from 2003 to 2007, and that's where you can find the greatest performance. From 2003 to 2004, the automatic did 235 horsepower with 460 lb-ft of torque, and the manual did 305 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. A refresh of the engine came partway through 2004 that let it hit 325 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque. Each generation of this Cummins engine has its fans, so it's tough to go wrong with any of them.

These are just the stock values for the engine, but if you get some aftermarket tuning done you can reach much higher highs. The engines from 2003 and beyond utilize a CP3 injection pump, and MotorTrend notes their ECMs (electronic control modules) are easily modified to reach over 500 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque. Eventually, the 5.9L engine was retired in favor of the Cummins 6.7L diesel engine, and there's still a debate today as to which one is better.