Diesel Experts

[legendboy]

I am thinking about getting into a used diesel truck. I understand this can be a bit dicy.

What are some year make model of some trucks that have a great reputation for reliability?

I know 3 guys that have had to spend 7k+ doing headgaskets on the ford 6L.

From what I understand the 7.3L ford is a safe bet

The 24v 98-02 dodge is very good

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Personally I like the older 24V 5.9 Dodges best, but the 7.3L Fords are pretty decent from what I have heard as well.

[Rat Fink]

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[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
Personally I like the older 24V 5.9 Dodges best, but the 7.3L Fords are pretty decent from what I have heard as well.

That's right, the 24v go forever just make sure you don't get a 53 block. Bad batch of castings from 98-01. More info.

http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm

Ford 7.3L very reliable too. Plus old Ford crew cab long boxes with a lift and bigger tires look siiiick!

[SKR]

For reliability's sake, I'd go with a 94-98 Dodge 5.9L. They're mechanical, and there's no electronics. All they need is fuel and air. And they've got a big advantage over the V8s by having fewer parts.

Of all the Fords, the best are the 99.5-03 7.3Ls. Before that are the lower power 7.3/6.9s, and after that are the live grenade 6.0 and 6.4s.

I think the Duramax gets better with every generation, but the 06-07 LBZ might be the best of the bunch. More power, improvements over previous generations, 6 speed Allison versus 5 speed, and no DPF.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duramax_V8_engine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerstroke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cummins_B_Series_engine

[hedge]

Originally posted by Rat Fink
7.3Ls are decent but its getting tough to find a good one (2002 and older). 6.0L Fords are decent but its all about keeping up with maintenance on them. If you get one where the previous owner went way past the oil change intervals you might as well be prepared to buy 8 injectors among other problems. They did have headgasket problems and overall it can be an expensive engine. On the other hand, I have seen 6.0Ls with over 500,000 kms that have never been cracked open before. I know of guys who buy a 6.0L and install an EGR delete kit, better air intake, and exhaust and have no problems with them after that. The problem is most people buy a diesel to tow a boat twice a year. The rest of the time they are commuting in the city with them and can't be bothered with "expensive" oil changes or fuel filter changes. They pitch off their problems to someone else and it snowballs into a costly deal.

The 6.4L is one I would stay the fuck away from! They are a damn nightmare and its the reason why Ford punted International from their relationship and went to a Ford designed engine. The 6.4L is a complete fucking turd and as they are starting to get older we have seen entirely new ways for them to fail. Think of any possible way a 6.4L can fail and it's happened. LOL. Any time you sneeze on a 6.4L you have to lift the cab off and perform some kind of filthy repair.

Whatever diesel you end up purchasing, make sure you are diligent with your oil change intervals and replace your fuel filters regularly. running cetane additive in the fuel helps as well. Make sure you run the proper coolant in your truck as some diesels require coolant that has nitrate additives for higher corrosion protection and to protect against cavitation (air bubbles) that can cause damage to parts.

I have no idea where you are getting this info. The 6.4 is far superior to the 6.0 and has way less issues. The 6.0 is the reason for the split and is the one with all the problems.

BTW, my brother is a Ford master tech that specializes in diesel work so I've heard all the stories.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

I know of many more 6.4's that have failed compared to the 6 liter. I work on a ton of diesels sadly.

I've condemned more 6.4 head's then 6's for sure.

They are both turds. I like the 7.3 as mentioned, but its loud as fuck and the trannys are less then robust.

If you can find a 7.3 with a manual gearbox you're gold.

The Cummin's isnt invincible either, they have expensive injector failures and can suffer from piston failures.

It all depends on the history of the truck.

I'd try to find a older person who owned the diesel for towing a trailer or motorhome.

Stay the hell away from retired work trucks.

[S4maniac]

I've had both the Ford 7.3L and currently the 6.0L. I haven't had any internal engine problems with either.

However the 6.0L did get the dreaded HPOP leak. Fuggin costs $2,000+ to replace a .50 o-ring. That being said, I recommend both engines without hesitation. I put on a lot of km's and other than the leak, they both are solid.

Side note: On my last commute Calgary to Victoria I averaged 27 mpg with the 6.0L.

[corsvette]

I own a 2006 F350 with a 6.0l as well, overall its been a trouble free engine and has required no major repairs to date. I have had cold run issues in the past that was fixed with a reflash from Ford (though the problem just recently resurfaced) other than that it runs strong and get very decent fuel economy for such a big truck. I've only added an intake and some exhaust mods....i resist chipping it just to keep the HG's safe, but i know 3 guys that have chips on their original head gaskets, and 2 that have chipped and blown theirs! roll the dice on this i guess!

Rat Fink is 100% right on the oil change advice, its so very important on these engines to have regular oil changes, this goes for the 7.3 as well. A few diesel techs i've talked to even prefer the 6.0 to 7.3.

I owned a 99 Dodge for awhile, yeah the motors may be great but the rest of the truck is an absolute shitwagon imo. Noisy as hell, rough riding, super cheaply built, poor trannys no matter you get the auto or standard, and its getting hard to find a nice rust free 02 prior model. Im sure the 02 up models have improved though.

I had a 02 GMC LB7 duramax, absolute gem of an engine overall, i had injector lined corrode at 280k, but other than that the motor AND tranny were rock solid. i know a farmer who has 720,000 on his 03 and its never been apart. The GM also rides very nice. They have weak transfer cases and seem to chew ball joints up often. Also the interiors on th 01-06 trucks is kinda blah.Overall i really liked this truck

If you go ford look for a 05 Up 6.0, they had most of the bugs worked out by then and actually had the lowest warranty clainm of all light truck diesels in 05-06.

Gm its best to go with a duramax from 04-06 LLY or LBZ, altough the newer ones are a very safe bet too.

I've heard the best Dodge engine was the 94-98 12 valve, Next was the 24Valve from 98-02 then the common rail to mid 04.

Good luck with your search, its just common sense to look for a well maintained rig. These buggers can cost a fortune to fix if you buy a lemon.

[sxtasy]

Ford diesel - Pass

Dodge - (My experience with my 05) Cummins is great, good fuel economy, lots of power with a good tuner. Auto transmission sucks, manual trans is alright. Driving manual transmission around the city gets old fast, especially with only about 1500 useable rpm. The front end is very weak, expect to do tie rod ends and ball joints every couple of years. Also, upgrade the lift pump. They are fun to drive, sound great and look good, just have lots of maintenance cash on hand.

GMC - (My experience with my dads 06 LBZ) Duramax is much more refined than the Cummins, very good power and Allison transmission is unbelievable, especially with heavy loads. Smooth riding and easy to drive around the city. Other than the crappy turn radius I can't really think of too much I don't like about the GMC

[Rat Fink]

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[corsvette]

Originally posted by hedge


I have no idea where you are getting this info. The 6.4 is far superior to the 6.0 and has way less issues. The 6.0 is the reason for the split and is the one with all the problems.

BTW, my brother is a Ford master tech that specializes in diesel work so I've heard all the stories.

I heard they are lemons as well, and they suck fuel like crazy.

[legendboy]

keep the informations flowing!

[Ven]

Pretty happy with my 6.0. There's a ton of research regarding trouble spots on that motor, and they were all quite easy to apply. Quite a stout engine once the tweaks are done. They're a great value too because of the rep they originally got.

You need to keep in perspective that all the diesels have issues. I hit all the major forums and almost scared myself out of the idea to buy a diesel truck. Horror stories all over, and none of them are cheap. So I picked the 6.0 because of comparative purchase cost, great knowledge base on the trouble spots, fairly easy and cost effective to fix the issue areas, quite reasonable dealer parts costs, and about 4 million kms of fleet rep and experience with my employer using the 6.0. Plus they sound awesome and have a great power curve.

EDIT: And I'm going to side with Rat Fink regarding the 6.4. So far they're somewhat fragile. There have already been 3 full engine replacements. Whereas there has never been a motor lost on a 6.0 since the first truck was purchased.

[SKR]

My brother had an 06 F350 6.0, and one night it lost its mind and burned down. He got home at 2am and everything was fine. At 7am everything was fine. At 8am the lights were on and the windshield wipers were going, and shortly after that it was on fire. Two other local 6.0s had the same thing happen.

I don't know what the fuck goes on there, but that's enough for me to know I don't want anything from that generation. Self-immolation isn't something I'm looking for in a truck.

[legendboy]

Ended up with an 05 LLY duramax crew cab slt.

Not the biggest, baddest or best looking but it is a good solid practical truck. Will tow my new 30' travel trailer no problem.

Super nice interior and very nice ride too. Should be a good hit

Truck was owned by a horse vet that traveled all over AB. Never towed a day in its life. Full service history at shaw.

I had the truck checked over at Dagger Diesel and the only thing worth mentioning was a burned out marker light and a leaky power steering hose.

[corsvette]

Congrats! You will enjoy that truck im sure. BTW was the horse vets name Wayne by chance?

[legendboy]

Chris

[corsvette]

Originally posted by legendboy
Chris

I thought it may have been the truck belonging to a Horse Vet i know, he just sold his super minty 05 Dmax