diesel or gas

[69MyWay]

By the way - just to beat a dead horse...quick google search and this was right on top - dude getting nailed for $10K on this Dodge - actually not a bad deal considering what it could cost.

http://forums.automotive.com/70/4574...ems/index.html

[WSSix]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I met a new neighbor last night and he has an 07 Dodge with a cummins. He said his turbo has been out once or twice because he's not driving it long enough at highway speed. Dodge gave him a DVD and said he must drive it at 55mph for at least an hour continous every two weeks. Take it for what it's worth.

That has to do with the new emissions stuff I believe. My last job we had two 14 passenger church type buses that we would run on his one route that had very few riders. Anyway, the buses lidled for long periods. SES light came on often. Finally the Ford dealership figured the problem out. The solution was to drive the buses more. So the drivers would come in 30 minutes early and drive on the loop around Athens to get everything hot and cleaned out. Problems went away.

This is why I am sticking to pre-emissions diesels so 07 Classic Silverados and older. No emissions BS to deal with.

[PhilR]

I haven't seen any mention of the tunability factor that diesels have. Why shouldn't your truck be as fun to drive as your hot rod? There is a HUGE aftermarket for Dodge, GM, and Ford diesel trucks. It's not too difficult to increase power & torque 25% - 50% and more with readily available tuning boxes. That power should come with some additional supporting modifications to the fuel system and transmission, but big power comes relatively cheap with newer diesel trucks.

For reliability, most of the weak spots in diesel trucks have been found and can be easily addressed. Poor fuel filtration damaging expensive high pressure fuel injection systems was mentioned. This is a pretty easy fix with aftermarket pumps and filters. Do your homework and you can get a fast, fun, and reliable diesel truck.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I met a new neighbor last night and he has an 07 Dodge with a cummins. He said his turbo has been out once or twice because he's not driving it long enough at highway speed. Dodge gave him a DVD and said he must drive it at 55mph for at least an hour continous every two weeks. Take it for what it's worth.

Good points Todd -- Diesels were not meant to be your daily commuter truck 5 miles one way to work... They want to do "work".

I've only had ONE issue with my Ford 6.0L (a computer that died a month ago - replaced in a couple hours and $1200) -- which everyone says is a POS.... and the reason for that, I BELIEVE, is because the 85K miles on it are almost all hiway and towing... and I have the Banks system which also includes the brake controller (like a jake brake). The truck gets used and used hard -- I give it no breaks (or brakes either!) going up or down the hills... and because of this - I think the exhaust gets burned clean - which keeps the injectors clean - and I have it serviced religiously! I don't want problems when I'm on the road... so I'm very pro-active with the services. I use AMSOIL synthetic diesel oil and I change it every 3000 miles -- and I use a Pure Power cleanable screen SS mesh filter.

BTW -- 85K --- and never changed the PADS on the brakes! Thanks to the Banks Brake! I rarely use the brakes... I'm telling ya - they have that down pat! Since I typically haul long distance - the miles add up without touching the brakes. If I was doing stop and go - I'd be on a the second set of pads and probably a rotor change. I've had the tranny fluid changed at least twice - with flushes - and ditto the radiator... flushed and new coolant. Belts have been changed and I had the radiator hoses changed at 75K.

I did have the entire front suspension rebuilt... again --- being pro active. I thought it was getting a little sloppy so just had them replace everything. It was 3 grand - but I want my steering up to snuff --- and I don't want to find out it's not, while I'm in a corner with a trailer pushing my butt around!

The only other thing I've learned is to periodically change the turbo pressure side hose (from the turbo to the intake)... it gets saturated with oil and will blow off just about the time you're really putting the boots to it... and putting that on while leaning over a hot motor SUCKS! So I now just change it out and use the good silicone turbo hose. I even discussed this personally with Gale Banks at this years Grand Nat show when I met him at the NHRA musem, and he told me they have seen the same issue... the hose just gets hot oil blown into it until it is "gone".

[wmhjr]

Originally Posted by 69MyWay

You will just have to trust me on this. I can't release actual statistics from my work - but the numbers are overwhelming on these failures and the impact it is having.
.

Sorry. Can't just trust you on this. For every example you bring up where somebody is having a problem there are thousands of trucks out there running hundreds of thousands of miles. Let me be more clear.

I own a 230k mile normally maintained '04 Cummins Dodge. The only driveline repair is - a water pump. Cost me $59, replaced it myself, not including going ahead and changing rad hoses and serpentine belt.

Most of my truck driving friends have either Dmaxes or Cummins. Sure, there are issues once in a while. Let me tell you sometime about my 5.3 Silverado issues sometime. Now THAT will make you cringe. For the most part, nothing out of the ordinary.

The Cummins is the heaviest built, stoutest diesel in the light truck fleet (meaning anything 1 1/4 ton or less, non-commercial). Note I didn't say the "best", as that's a different definition depending on your perspective. The Dmaxes are far easier to modify and can run like banshees. However, how about in your "research" you take a hard look at all the Cummins out there with over 300k, 400k, even 500k miles on them. Then talk to me about the "serious issues that neither Ford nor Chevy have". In your research, put a rod from a Cummins next to a rod from a pstroke or dmax. Hell, put it next to one of each. It's massive.

Here's a secret. Many of the issues that "diesels have" are around 3 different areas.

1) Guys using Biodiesel, especially without modifying their filtration systems. Asking for trouble.

2) Guys really beefing up the diesels with all kinds of modifications - ESPECIALLY those that can affect injector performance, such as increasing rail pressure, etc. A prime cause of injector failure is improper atomization, ie, air, at the tips. This is often the result of either modifying rail pressure and/or improper filtration. If you're gonna mess with rail pressure, YOU HAVE TO UPGRADE YOUR FUEL FILTRATION AND PUMP SITUATION!

3) New emissions crap. Urea. All kinds of crap. BTW, GM is absolutely having issues as well right now with their dmax due to this.

So, no, I can't "just trust you on this". Maybe after I put ANOTHER 230k miles on my '04 we can talk. Pulling 8000-9000 lbs getting an average of 17mpg fully loaded. On cruise, with the air on. At 70-75mph. Uphill. In the summer. With 4 adults in the cab. That pretty much paints the picture. At what I paid for the truck used, and what I've already saved, I can buy another 5.9HO CR engine and drop it in and still probably be about $5k ahead of the game.

[wmhjr]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I met a new neighbor last night and he has an 07 Dodge with a cummins. He said his turbo has been out once or twice because he's not driving it long enough at highway speed. Dodge gave him a DVD and said he must drive it at 55mph for at least an hour continous every two weeks. Take it for what it's worth.

Buddy of mine has a brand new dmax chevy. He's been told something similar from gm. It is emission related. But it wasn't that he had to drive 55mph, just that he had to drive it to get the EGTs up enough and then use it for an hour or so once every 2-3 weeks.

[GregWeld]

Bottom line on all these trucks (and cars too!) is you have to take care of them for them to be able to take care of you. All brands are good these days. I steadfastly refuse to say one is better than the other... they've all had issues and they've all had good engineering working on fixes. I had two Cummins Turbos in my boat - and they never failed me and if you want to work a diesel hard - put it in a 25 ton boat and run 'em at 2200 RPM for hours on end. That's max torque output spinning 28" 4 blade wheels... In a boat - there is no "coasting" like you do in a car/truck.

Just change your filters - and oil - and run 'em hard. Diesels do not like being coked up.

[ALLSPEED01]

Do they make "real" trucks that aren't diesel? Go diesel for sure! In my opinion the Dmax is best all around, Cummins best for all out towing, and the Powerstrokes will do the job especially when modified a little bit. There is a ton of aftermarket goodies for all of them.

[Vegas69]

Originally Posted by wmhjr

Buddy of mine has a brand new dmax chevy. He's been told something similar from gm. It is emission related. But it wasn't that he had to drive 55mph, just that he had to drive it to get the EGTs up enough and then use it for an hour or so once every 2-3 weeks.

Yep, Jeff's is a late 07 and that's when it started according to him. He also mentioned the fluid for GM I believe.

Just to add lots of fuel to the fire....
http://www.chevrolet.com/hd-to-hd-truck-comparison/

[TreySmith]

I don't see how anything can be better than the cummins. Been driving an 05 3500 6 speed and the damn thing gets 23mpg city. I haven't filled the damn thing up in weeks but I can't say the same for my lifted F250.. And the 6.0 isn't so bad, mine has minor egr issues but overall it's been very trouble free. Not to mention it's funny as **** launching on corvettes and stuff. Hell with the programmer on the Dodge it gives them a run for their money to the top end. If I floor it in 4th at about 45mph it will spin the tires.

I love my 6.0, I just wish the gas mileage wasn't so terrible or it would be the perfect truck. Yeah the interior of the dodge kinda sucks but when you are knocking down high 20's highway with towing gears, you can't really bitch. Not to mention it's just as fast as any sports car on the road. I'd say it's comparable to my 99 WS6.