Maggie’s Diesel Pickup Truck Options

[1911fan]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

WARNING: Thread Hijack!

I work for a dealer in Washington state and we are looking for a diesel master tech. PM me.


1911fan

/hijack

 

[John L]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

Had a 96 Dodge one ton with the old 12 valve engine, what a great truck. 250,000 miles and nothing but what I consider general maint. Sold it for a 03 Dodge 3/4 ton. Total POS I have sunk so much money in that thing I cannot wait for it to die or rust away into a pile .

Like Spur said if you want a really good diesel truck find an older 12 or 24 valve Dodge Cummins.

 

[Gogetum]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

Have a 2003 F250 6.0 pulls a 14,000 lb trailer 2/3 of the time and have changed the gears to 4.30's. Did not put a chip in it or mess with the timing, changed the oil and radiator fluid at regular intervals, 83,000 miles, no problem. Keep the fluids changed, and don't dog it when towing. I know it will need to have the top end done some day, saving money, $7,000.00 will be better than $65,000.00 and putting the additive into the fuel.

 

[GUNNER75]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

Buddy and myself tore into a case of beer and a couple packages that the brown truck dropped off. Next morning we woke up hungover and his Dodge lost about 300lbs of weight. Runs much better now. "grin"

Funny, same thing happened to his 1yr older Ford and that thing flat hauled ass. Didn't start grass fires anymore either.

Ford man, but going Diesel......Dodge. Next year may change my mind.

 

[cypriss32]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

I got myself a CHEAP 99 Crew cab short bed F250 7.3 4x4. It was an old ranchers truck. Paid 6k with new injectors, starter, new 35s on 20's and batterys. Its a work horse and just got a total overhaul. I dont think I can sell it. Im waiting for motor to go south and put a PPUMP 6.7 in it like my other 99.

 

[konabully]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cypriss32</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got myself a CHEAP 99 Crew cab short bed F250 7.3 4x4. It was an old ranchers truck. Paid 6k with new injectors, starter, new 35s on 20's and batterys. Its a work horse and just got a total overhaul. I dont think I can sell it. Im waiting for motor to go south and put a PPUMP 6.7 in it like my other 99. </div></div>

Cypriss32,
My 2001 Crew Cab short-bed 7.3 4x4 F-250 was also a ranch truck from the Bakersfield area. It also has 35's with a 2" lift and Fox shocks. This is my first diesel truck so I'm really ignorant about any mods. What is this "PPUMP 6.7" and do you have any links for it? The most I tow is a 29' travel trailer with pop-outs.

 

[simmy952]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

Just do a google search. It involves putting a mechanical injection pump in place of the cp3 pump. Making it a mechanical injection system. It still is widely used in the pulling tractors area but there are some street and off roaders that are doing it. In a F-series truck, you would have to do a Cummins conversion.

 

[wvlawyer02]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

I appreciate all the input guys. I test drove several different new trucks yesterday by the big three (dodge, ford, GM). I'm not buying new for a diesel though, the prices on these new trucks were crazy. One was $57,000 loaded up.

I did see both a 2011 Dodge and Chevy at one lot with between 25-30k on each that were well priced. The Dodge has a better body style but the GM drove much better. Bunch of used Fords but I didn't drive one because none were crew cabs like I'm looking for.

 

[konabully]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

Thanks, Simmy.

 

[cypriss32]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: konabully</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cypriss32</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got myself a CHEAP 99 Crew cab short bed F250 7.3 4x4. It was an old ranchers truck. Paid 6k with new injectors, starter, new 35s on 20's and batterys. Its a work horse and just got a total overhaul. I dont think I can sell it. Im waiting for motor to go south and put a PPUMP 6.7 in it like my other 99. </div></div>

Cypriss32,
My 2001 Crew Cab short-bed 7.3 4x4 F-250 was also a ranch truck from the Bakersfield area. It also has 35's with a 2" lift and Fox shocks. This is my first diesel truck so I'm really ignorant about any mods. What is this "PPUMP 6.7" and do you have any links for it? The most I tow is a 29' travel trailer with pop-outs. </div></div>

Its just a cummins motor thats in the 06 and up dodges. Its 6.7L straight 6. The PPump is cummins industrial pump thats mechanical injection. They are more reliable and hella lot cheaper to do the conversion. BUT its mechanical so no plug and play stuff.

 

[bear458]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wvtrainer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am in the market for a diesel pickup either new or used. I have a dual axle dump trailer I'll me hauling few times a month. Any suggestions on make and model? I'm leaning toward a 2011 or 2012 Chevy Duramax.

What do you have?? </div></div>

I have a 2012 3500HD crew / 8' bed / duramax, its my 3rd diesel and 4th chevy pu in a row I had 2000 gasser (gutless), a 2003 duramax (3 door, traded up to a crew), a 2006 duramax 8ft crew, and now the 2012. So far the '06 got the best mileage on the road@ 20-22. The '12 has every option but the sunroof, I like it so much I don't care what the mileage is. never a shortage of power towing 10k lbs in the mountains or anywhere else.
I have fleet vehicles at work, one ton and 550 ford diesel pu's, why? cause they make me buy the ones on state bid (they are the cheapest) they ride like log wagons + the mpg is half the duramax and they are expensive to repair but hey, they're cheap to buy. If I were you, I would find a pre 2007 1/2 duramax block off the EGR and drive it a half a million miles.

 

[Trophy Case]

Re: Diesel Pickup Truck Options

I just purchased a 2012 F350 a few months back so I can really relate to this thread. I sold my '99 F250 that I ordered from the factory and was sick about having to do it. Unfortunately it was an extra cab log box that my family simply outgrew. It came down to the fact that the kids were crammed in the back with their knees up to their chins and the glass rear window as a headrest. I loved that 6 speed 7.3 noise maker optioned with a CD player power windows and power locks, I WANTED SIMPLE. Hardly anything every went wrong with it, just the Cam position sensor, speedometer sensor and the new Ultra low sulphur Diesel ate the rubber fuel line components. The beauty of the earlier ones is that you can actually work on them yourself, if you have to at all. The new one is amazing, but I keep thinking....so much to go wrong. The stock power alone is crazy at 400HP and 800 foot torque, it does put a smile on my face, but it does come with a price. The Lariat models get north of 60K on the sticker real quick, but can usually be had for 10K less if you're a good negotiator.
Bottom line is the single guy in me would still own the 1999 and the married guy with 2 kids enjoys the 2012 crew cab.
Good luck with your decision!!!!

 

[thewileyone]

Have an older F350 with a 7.3.... I love the 7.3 stroke would recommend it over the other ford diesels. I like the Chevy Duramax's for pulling, they get pretty good economy and plenty of power. The newer diesel's are a pain with all of the new restrictions, especially the Fords and Dodges. They have restrictions on idling and if you drive on dirt roads, the exhaust will clog up and you will lose power.

 

[simmy952]

Have an older F350 with a 7.3.... I love the 7.3 stroke would recommend it over the other ford diesels. I like the Chevy Duramax's for pulling, they get pretty good economy and plenty of power. The newer diesel's are a pain with all of the new restrictions, especially the Fords and Dodges. They have restrictions on idling and if you drive on dirt roads, the exhaust will clog up and you will lose power.

You are correct in that they will plug up. That is what DPF deletes are made for. We have had several township trucks that don't get run hard enough for them to do a regen so they ended up doing deletes. They could belive how much better they ran and also did better on fuel mileage. Go figure.

 

[sab9259]

Ive had them all. Find a good 7.3 power stroke and you will pay twice what a 15 year old truck is worth. I did have one in high school for close to 80k miles and sold it for more than i paid when I bought it as a repo.

Still have an 05 6.0PS that has 325xxx on it. Truck as had 3 sets of head gaskets, two egr coolers and two egr deletes, 2 high pressure oil pumps and a turbo replaced. We just studded the heads and hopefully we can get 500k out of it.

Have an 08 PSD the fuel economy sucks. Its needed injectors (full set. No clue why) a fuel rail and both front hubs before 150k miles

But my daily driver is a 2008 duramax with 283xxx on the clock. Only service, a U-joint and a #4
Glowplug since new.

In short. Buy what you want but stay away from the 6.0 power stroke like the plague

 

[SmokeStyx]

I've owned one of them all at one time or another, the best all around package is the Duramax with the Allison package in my opinion. If you buy a used Diesel make sure you have a top knotch mechanic check it before you buy. Well maintained,they last forever,not maintained will break the bank.

 

[SOTA]

I'm a cummins 12valve guy I have a 93 dodge with over 350000 miles and still runs like a champ, At work we have a 97 for boxtruck with a 12valve that has 379,000 miles runs great and runs close to 12 tons most of the time , my brother has a 98 12 valve that has been loaded out to 36000 lbs and cruised down the freeway at 75 until state patrol stoped us and gave us a over weight ticket. If you want a real mans truck that will get the job done every time get a 12 valve cummins. If wou want a fluffy girly truck with a nice soft ride and leather seats and a bunch of other shit that doesnt belong on a truck get something else. Also the worst MPG I see is on the box truck at about 12mpg all the other trucks we have get about 20mpg and I can get 22-23 in mine since I have propane injection

 

[wdebo]

I have a 2011 Denali Duramax it's a very nice truck. Has a little over 50,000 miles I have not had one issue. I have had several Duramax's and never had a problem. But I am getting ready to order a new F350 platinum. Going to try it out and see if I like a ford.

 

[Cserv]

Love my 12valve Cummins. Have a 93 W350 dually with 175000. Inhereted from my folks. Banks power pack, Gearvendors over/underdrive, BD engine brake,airbags, and 5th wheel hitch. Doesn't turnover twice before starting right up. Gets 15-17 on hiway or 15 in town.


Eric

 

[Duff]

all trucks have their ups and downs. your best bet is to go older if you can or go with the one with the oldest engine design. the fords biggest problem was having to change engine design because of the EPA. the 6.0 6.4 and 6.7 all have design flaws that havent been worked out yet. i have a 2002 7.3 and wont change it for anything. cummins has a great engine transmission especially in 01s are supposed to be weak. GMC has the allison and that will last forever but the truck is lacking in a few areas. new fords have engine problems but are great all around trucks. your best bet is to go for a used truck. before they put the exhaust fluid deal in it. its expensive enough having to buy diesel let alone adding the fluid on top of it.

 

[TimK]

I just went through the same decision process myself. We haul a cargo trailer for deliveries (cabinet maker) and it'll get upwards of 9,000 lbs. I'd never owned a diesel, but we borrowed a 2008 Duramax for a delivery just to try it. It sold me on the concept, and we just bought a 2013 Duramax last week. Obviously, it pulls like beast. I don't have enough miles to have any feeling for reliability yet, but a contractor buddy has the identical truck and has been running trouble free for many months.

I couldn't care less about the exhaust fluid thing. It's not horribly expensive, especially in light of the fact I just spent $50,000 on a vehicle. It's just the cost of doing business. Used vehicles were so expensive here that it made no sense at all to consider them.

The word around here is that no one considers Ford a reasonable choice, and Dodge is second best. Chevy apparently rules. It was disappointing to me since that's the exact reverse order that I wanted. I was really wishing to buy a Ford.

Go drive a Duramax. Besides the power, I was most impressed with how quiet it is in the cab. Pretty remarkable, really.

 

[texote]

2000 7.3 with 200000 miles on it. absolutely love it

 

[Hairball]

I drive an 02 Ford SD with a 7.3 with a few mods ( PC 6 ½ lift, Centerline wheels, PC 37x12.50R-17's, Warn PP HD Winch, ZENA Welder, Jotto Console, Scanner, Icom HAM radio, 91 Gal. Aux fuel cell, Diamondback HD bed cover, Warn Hubs, dual steering stab, Step2 Bed steps, Warn FF, Airaid, 4" t/b exhaust with Aero turbine muffler, backup buddy lights, Mag-Hytec diff cover & tranny pan, SGII, 6.0 T Cooler, ELF7405 with oil By-Pass, IH bellowed ups, Gen 2 FRx, HPx, CAT ELC, ez down t-gate, Fumoto drain, Rev/Cargo LEDs, 4 pillar gauge with ISSPRO, Tuner)

One of the more important questions you need to ask yourself is how much do you like to work on your own truck. Love my 7.3 but it does take a regular schedule of work to keep it running in top shape. If you like to work on trucks and have a good set of tools, get an older diesel and fix it up. New trucks are nice (if you like adding cat piss to the fuel) but older trucks are a little easier to work on. Also, make sure a diesel is in the budget as fuel is often more expensive than premium unleaded and I have seen many who end up selling their truck because the cost of fuel is so high. Good luck

 

[oughtsix]

Just to be clear, be sure you don't add the urea directly to the fuel. DEF runs through an entirely separate system.

Oh, and 7.3 IDI rules. Injectors: $150 as set. Injector pump: $400. Horsepower: 186 big ones, BABY! 325K miles and lights up in 3 turns down to the single digits farenheit.

 

[shooterrdy]

I just bought a CTD 2007 with 80K so far so good and It runs great the Jake brake is a good feature and I like it so far not nearly as loud and the 5.9 trucks. I had two duramax's and no problems with either of those sold them at 128K but all was good the real deal is clean fuel keep it clean and keep clean filters on them.

 

[rhildy77]

If you can find a 5.9 cummins I would go that route. Not to nock of powerstroke or duramax they are both good motors but you can't beat the inline 6 of the 5.9 with the torque it puts out stock or even better with a few mods. I drive a 07 quad can 5.9 6 speed manual trans and there is still some powerstrokes and duramax that can't keep up.

 

[Pester]

I appreciate all the input guys. I test drove several different new trucks yesterday by the big three (dodge, ford, GM). I'm not buying new for a diesel though, the prices on these new trucks were crazy. One was $57,000 loaded up.

I did see both a 2011 Dodge and Chevy at one lot with between 25-30k on each that were well priced. The Dodge has a better body style but the GM drove much better. Bunch of used Fords but I didn't drive one because none were crew cabs like I'm looking for.

WV,
Not sure there is a big a difference between the big 3 however the condition of a used one should be the key decision point. Pulling loaded stock trailers with and for folks we use a lot of different trucks. Personally we are on our 4th Dodge and they have all been great. Friends that are mechanics say a good rule of thumb is that the old square dodge had a 1,000,000 motor (really wish I was still driving one), the next gen (rounded version) was a 500,000 mile motor and most of the newer ones are 250,000 motors.

I dont think I will ever sell the '06 3500 6spd I have now however when it comes time to buy a new one(based on using all 3) I would lean towards the Ford. For me, its the best balance of everything.

Good luck on the decision, have it checked by an reputable ind mech, change the fluids more often than recommended and dont lug/baby the engine. And besides, nothing better than the smell of diesel on your hands at 5:30am while eating the donut you just got while filling up.

 

[ssgp2]

Anyone use biodiesel?
Homemade?

 

[redhooker]

Anyone use biodiesel?
Homemade?

That's alot of work, and comes with alot of problems.

I have a preference for the duramax/allison combo. Smoothest running package of the 3. Cummins can be tuned for the most power, but that is the loudest rattling can of a motor on the street. If you buy a duramax, get 2008 or earlier. 2001-2004 had injector issues, and the injectors are inside the head making them a bitch to replace. If you find one with the upgraded injectors it is a GTG motor tho. The LLY of 2005 is a coveted block for performance builders, and the first half of 2006 LLY as well. The LBZ was the last good motor pre-DPF crap.

Now, this would not be legal for street use, but you can take a new LMM and pull the sensor wires off the exhaust, purchase an LBZ exhaust (or aftermarket 5 inch pipe) and remove and save the DPF exhaust and run a tuner to delete the regen codes. Guys doing this are getting unbelievable power from a stock motor and getting MPGs in the 20s.

 

[oughtsix]

The 7.3 IDI is old and underpowered, but it will run on any compression-ignitable fluid. I've run it on waste motor oil, hydraulic fluid, ATF, gear oil, veggie oil, rendered hog fat.... I filter my waste oil through a whole house water filter driven by an oil pump from a small block ford and an old electric motor. Not really a lot of work once you have a good source and a transporting/filtering setup. But that's not everyone's thing and I get that.

 

[diverdon]

and why isn't the DPF a $25/5 minute job the owner can do?

If you can open a can and poor using a spout then you can add your own DEF.

 

[1911fan]

If you can open a can and poor using a spout then you can add your own DEF.

Yes, that's true. However, I was referring to the DPF, Diesel Particulate Filter, not DEF, Diesel Emissions Fluid.


1911fan

 

[diverdon]

Yes, that's true. However, I was referring to the DPF, Diesel Particulate Filter, not DEF, Diesel Emissions Fluid.


1911fan

My bad. Sorry that I misread your post and replied with the wrong information. I think that the DPF's are all made by Corning glass and as a GLW stockholder I am glad to hear that they are using there monopoly to good effect.

 

[steveptr]

Either a 7.3L Powerjoke or a 5.9 Cummins and dont look back.
you can get a 05 Dodge and up to a 03 7.3 ford

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Watch this! it will help you decide. LOL

cummins pulls Chevy. Then takes it too far - YouTube

In all seriousness I have a 94 and a 01 Dodge. They have been through a lot and still are running well. 94 has over 250,000 and 01 has over 150,000. I now have a 05 6.0 Excursion that I like. After the EGR stuff was removed I now get 18.3 with it. Keep my fingers crossed that I got a good one on the 6.0.

 

[my human host]

Another hijack..

I've got a 2007 F250 Lariat with a 6.0 with 40,000 miles on it. Truck is stock except for an Afe air cleaner. Will going to an aftermarket 4 inch exhaust cause problems with the EGR system? I'm guessing it will lower exhaust gas temps a bit, just not sure if it's gonna cause any problems.