diesel trucks

Anybody out there got one of those new 2011 F250/350 Superduty with the Ford built 6.7liter Powerstroke ? The frontend of those things are intimidating looking.

bcfatvs wrote:

Anybody out there got one of those new 2011 F250/350 Superduty with the Ford built 6.7liter Powerstroke ? The frontend of those things are intimidating looking.

i had one friday for a test drive took it back saturday morning. It not for me. But it was really quiet and had lots of power. the interior was great but i didnt like the way it drove. Other than that seemed like a good truck. Oh yea they have that pee tank on them.

I plan on getting one of them in a year or two. I want to make sure that new motor is as good as they say it is. I love the fords! They rock!

I just realized something.......... Now that fuel prices are high, you ought to be able to get a good deal on a truck soon. If trucks start to sit like they did on the last fuel increase, these dealers will start to heavy discount. Especially on a diesel.

TBONE21 wrote:

I just realized something.......... Now that fuel prices are high, you ought to be able to get a good deal on a truck soon. If trucks start to sit like they did on the last fuel increase, these dealers will start to heavy discount. Especially on a diesel.

yea unless your trying to trade in a truck it wont be worth anything.

i think i might get a new dodge diesel what do you guy think about them???

Dodge has the best motor! I like them. I would try the new body style one. They are all pretty decent. I just know how the fords are built and in our company we have owned them all. Chevys could not stop the loads....older dodges didn't have a transmission and the fords did great. If u watch "the truth about trucks" on YouTube it will tell u tons about them. Since we have owned Chevys and dodges, they have improved a ton. I still don't see them built like a ford. With me it's ford or nothing. If i was forced to pick soething else it would be the new dodge. I like cummins!

I know there are guys diehard on here about their brand, I'm just saying what I found when we ran them all. Heck they have all gotten close to each other over the past 5 to 7 years. They all are nice and u should buy what u like. I'm all ford! All the rest are chasin it!

You can't beat a Cummins. Every person I've talked to that has one loves em. Its sounds like they require way less maintenance in long run and are easier to work on than a Duramax or a Powerstroke (look under a hood of a newer Ford/Chevy V8 diesel...its a mess). If I got a diesel, it would be an early 2000's 7.3L Powerstroke.

I agree with you TBone as I am a Ford guy too. BUT Ford struggled a whole lot with their diesel engines (International Powerstroke) from 2003 to 2010 with the 6.0 and 6.4 liter engines. International had a hard time adapting all the new emmission standards on their engines in those years and it resulted in a lot engine failures due to EGR problems. This is why Ford split up with International and decided to build their own diesel engine in-house(6.7L). It sounds like Ford has got a winner with their new engines, as it was designed to adapt to all of this emmissions garbage, but only time will tell. IMO their 7.3L was the best Diesel V8 ever made period.

7.3 was def the king! We never had a one to give trouble. I will admit my personal truck is the 6.0 and I love it. A lot of my friends had trouble with theirs. Some of my friends didn't have any trouble like me out of my 6.0. I like the farmall! Haha that new engine is def awesome! I know that will be my next truck. For now I'm so happy with my 6.0 that I'm going to keep going!

It would have to be a new duramax or cummins for me, We have a fleet of Ford 550 and 450s with the 6.0 and nothing but problems, maybe the new 6.7 is better but I would be afraid of it for at least a year or so. GMC to me is the nicest looking truck of them all, then the 250 is in a close second. I do however like my Ram 1500 with the Hemi, it pulls my 30ft camper real good but time will tell just how good it really is.

If buying new, I wouldn't buy any that took government money so if you want to buy American, buy Ford. If you don't mind a foreign owned truck, Toyota makes a great truck.

In the used diesel market, it's not even close. Go get a Dodge with a Cummins. Ford and Chevy guys like to say that the Cummins engine is great but the Dodge truck falls apart under it. That simply is not true. I've owned them all and I have owned 3 Dodge trucks and they have all been excellent vehicles, and have been on the cutting edge of innovation. I've owned 4 Chevy/GMC trucks all had severe shortcomings (brakes, electrical systems, and axles). BTW, I'll clarify this and say that I'm not a Dodge guy, I'm a guy that buys what has proven to work well for me. The reason I'm on my 3rd. I sold the first 2500 as it was a gas truck. The 2nd one I still own, but I wrecked it recently. The 3rd one is sitting in the garage now. Both of the last 2 have Cummins in them and both run great. The 2nd one was a fire breathing monster, just needs a facelift around it right now.

If you think Dodge doesn't have a good auto, you haven't driven a truck with the 48RE in it (03-07). It is outstanding and can have a simple build to more hp/tq than any of the others period. Even the 47RE which can have issues in the older trucks in stock form can be built simply and inexpensively into a beast. The fastest Duramax truck in the world runs a Dodge 47RE and runs in the 9's in the 1/4 mile. He couldnt' get an Allison to hold together at that power.

It will be interesting to see how the new Ford built diesel works out. It is the only one I'd buy in the new market. Ford does built a very good truck, and they did not take bailout money. I wouldn't spend that money until it is proven reliable though.

The 7.3 may be the king of Ford diesels (for now), but not even close on the diesel market in general. Ford has had such poor follow up diesles with the newer International diesels that the 7.3 looks like a champ. It has it's own inherent issues (injection control modules), but overall a pretty good diesel. Only problem there is they are getting some age and miles on them so they will be problematic going forward. I've got a buddy who has an 08 6.4l truck and it rides great and the power is decent. He has some issues early on, but I think most of the problems got ironed out. Haven't heard much about this engine in a while so it may be that they got these on track with their latest software flashes. Ford makes a nice overall truck and I like the size of their crew cab. The newer models drive much better than the old ones as the older 7.3 era trucks drove like parade floats in my estimation. I'm sure that could be improved with a little shock and spring improvements though.

The biggest problems is that the newer diesels generally get poor fuel economy. 14 or less is what I generally hear. My brother just got a new GMC Duramax truck and he is telling me he is getting 18-21 with it (computer console observed so it could be off). I'm shocked honestly. It does have the urea tank so that may be the difference between the previous DPF (diesel particulate filter) truck that are always burning more fuel in the regeneration process. Duramax trucks overall seem to be pretty decent. They had some years with some injector issues. Allison in stock form seems to hold up pretty well. Just seems like I've always had a lot of little nit picky things with the GM trucks I've had some I'm not a big proponent.

My advice,.....well, right now you might just want a gas truck with the stupid fuel prices ( I saw 3.81 this morning for diesel). If you want a diesel, buy an 03-07 Dodge with the 5.9. That engine is nearly bullet proof. If you want older buy an older 98 and earlier 5.9 mechanically injected (p-pump or p7100) Dodge.....they are bullet proof.

Bottom line, there some holes in the lineup of each manufacturers line up. Each have some good ones, but some have some models prone to catastrophic failures. Do your research and buy what you like. Just throwing out my experience and what I've seen.

TBONE21 wrote:

7.3 was def the king! We never had a one to give trouble. I will admit my personal truck is the 6.0 and I love it. A lot of my friends had trouble with theirs. Some of my friends didn't have any trouble like me out of my 6.0. I like the farmall! Haha that new engine is def awesome! I know that will be my next truck. For now I'm so happy with my 6.0 that I'm going to keep going!

From what I see on internet forums regarding the 6.0, it sounds like owners either get one that is really good or just flat out sucks, theres no happy medium if you know what I mean. I've heard there are some things that can be done to a 6.0 to keep it from being a headache. Aftermarket High Flow EGR coolers and High flow oil coolers will supposedly eliminate a good portion of the problems that 6.0s have. Only downfall is it will cost you about $1500 to have those 2 things done. I had thought about getting a used Powerstroke last year, but I simply just don't do enough towing to justify buying one. My 07 F150 (5.4) does just fine. I know one thing, even though the 6.0s get trashed talked a lot, you sure do see a bunch of em on the highway.

Well the 03's and 04's had the problems. That is a great motor. The problem was it was rushed to production too early. The duramax "which is another great motor"
came out and was taking customers from Ford. Ford had king of the hill and then chevy rolled something out to go after them. The 6.0 came along from those class 10 international trucks and boy was it not tested. Problems galore. Mine is an 05 and our Ford rep here said the problems were solved. All of my friends except 1 that had a 03 to 04 has had problems. Myself and all of my other friends that have 05 to 07's have not had the first problem. I love mine!

I am mainly after the Ford though. Best built truck on the road. IMOP!

oh i'm not bashing your 6.0 at all TBone. Believe me I'd love to have one. Just can't justify buying one. Its funny you mention the 03 and 04s. I got a friend of mine who bought one of the very first 2003 6.0s. Its got 140,000 miles on it and all he's done to it besides oil changes and a new battery is it had a recall on the computer when he bought it and a sensor went out at 120,000 miles. He tows about 4000 to 5000lbs, 3 to 4 days a week.

I have to say that I don't know a single person that has had a 6.0 that didn't have tons of problems. One with an 04, one with an 05, and one with an 06......figured by 07, everyone knew better (fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me). Turbo's, injectors, head gaskets, etc. The egr system is supposedly the culprit which affects the others. These are expensive problems on an already expensive truck. I've seen articles in Diesel Power of how to help improve the issues and they were geared toward the egr system.

It's not that the truck doesn't run and pull pretty decent when running, it is just a reliability thing.

I didn't bring up the 6.0 earlier because I figured everyone pretty knew about it by this point. Didn't want to beat a dead horse.

I did meet a guy who told me the problem with the 6.0 was that folks were babying them around town trying for better fuel milage during the last big fuel crunch. He said he was told to drive it like he stole it, the engine was made to pull and tow hot and heavy and that it would thank you for it. Now that said, he had just bought the truck and that is what the dealer told him. I'll take what I know to be true from personal friends over that. Well, that and I know for a fact that folks were having a ton of problems before the fuel crunch.

More recently I was a trade show and after talking to the guy and figuring out I was a diesel guy he was begging me for contact info for a diesel mechanic to help him with his fleet of 6.0's. He said they were constant trouble makers.

The bottom line: the rumor that they fixed the problems in later models, is just that; a rumor....started by the dealers to try to sell trucks.

Please don't think I'm picking on Ford. I am not. I actually have grown up kind of a Ford guy. Now I'm just one that buys what is the best for my needs and value. I'm just pointing out what I have consistently seen accross the board. Ford does make a very nice truck otherwise. The recent International diesels have been a thorn in their side though. Well, the EPA hasn't helped with the new standards for emissions. I hope their knew Ford built diesels prove to be reliable in the long haul. I hear good things performance wise about them out of the box.

If you ask how I've come about this information. Well, I'm kind of a diesel junkie. I run with a group that drag races their diesels in competition and have drag raced my own often. You find out about all brands running in these circles. I don't claim to be the all knowing by any stretch and always willing to learn, but I can recognize a trend.

I hope I'm not stepping on toes, that is not my intent. Just to share information I have learned over the years.

PS: The Dodge trucks from 98.5 -02 (24 valve) have their own inherent issues with the Bosch VPP44 injection pump and Carter lift pump. The lift pump is poor at best and can cause the failure of the injection pump. This can be remedied anywhere from about $100 to $500 (or more) depending on how improve the fuel delivery system. The VP44 is still going to fail from about 100k to 175k and you have to buy yourself a $1000 tune up. Not the end of the world, but these are the red headed step children of the Dodge lineup. I have a 2001.5 in this year span. I decided to swap cam shafts and put an old style mechanically driven lift pump from the old 12 valve Dodge/Cummins trucks. No issues ever since. They are supposed to be good for 400k+ and then a simple gasket kit rebuilds them.

bcfatvs wrote:

oh i'm not bashing your 6.0 at all TBone. Believe me I'd love to have one. Just can't justify buying one. Its funny you mention the 03 and 04s. I got a friend of mine who bought one of the very first 2003 6.0s. Its got 140,000 miles on it and all he's done to it besides oil changes and a new battery is it had a recall on the computer when he bought it and a sensor went out at 120,000 miles. He tows about 4000 to 5000lbs, 3 to 4 days a week.

Oh its ok! I have gotten used to the bashing of the 6.0. I really like what Ford does when they build a truck. Thats what I love. Fortunatly my 6.0 has been a good one..."knock on wood" and I will agree with him above. We have some Ambulance fleets that have has NUMEROUS after NUMEROUS problems with it. My 6.0 is stock with the excpetion of a 4 inch turbo back exhaust to open her up! hehe.

If I were to buy a 6.o today, I would get the vin and run the claims at a ford place. That will tell you if its been a good one or a bad one.

On the warranty claims on a 6.0, up until 05 the claims for warranty were very high. After that they dropped off. Ford made big changes to get her to work out and it helped. There are still claims but nowhere near as bad as the 03's and 04's.

Out of our fleet trucks, the 03's and 04's did give a fair amount of trouble. After 05 we did not have anything bad happen to our trucks.

bcfatvs wrote:

oh i'm not bashing your 6.0 at all TBone. Believe me I'd love to have one. Just can't justify buying one. Its funny you mention the 03 and 04s. I got a friend of mine who bought one of the very first 2003 6.0s. Its got 140,000 miles on it and all he's done to it besides oil changes and a new battery is it had a recall on the computer when he bought it and a sensor went out at 120,000 miles. He tows about 4000 to 5000lbs, 3 to 4 days a week.

That might seem to support what the one guy told me that they needed to be run hard every day. Unfortunately most folks don't pull that much every day and running it hard is definitely going to hurt your fuel economy if you are just running around town.

TBONE21 wrote:

If I were to buy a 6.o today, I would get the vin and run the claims at a ford place. That will tell you if its been a good one or a bad one.

That sounds like good advice.

I know there are some deals out there on 6.0 trucks and if you had a rock solid fix for them, it might be worth picking one up factoring the fix expense in. As you mentioned and I agree, the rest of the truck is very nicely layed out and well made.

Or....you could just turn it into a Fummins. That would make a doggone fine truck!

Firepup wrote:

With the 6.0, I would have to agree with what has been said already. We have three of them in our fleet. One has been nothing but a problem child, and the other two haven’t been too bad. The best advice I can give someone with a 6.0 is keep you engine oil changes up to date. That high pressure system doesn’t like dirty oil and will give you problems. The problem with mechanics that work for a dealership, is the warranty makes them parts replacers and won’t pay them to use their skills. They hook it up to a computer and replace what part thru a code. If the mfg. says well pay you one hour to replace a part and it takes them 1.5 hrs. they lost money.

Oh yea I forgot to add that firepup! My local dealership has a diesel tech that did not know too much about these engines at first. When they first came out, nobody knew how to fix them. So the problems got worse not better. Still to this day some of the dealerships do not have a diesel tech and they cannot work on these things.

I remember you and I talking about 6.0's on the fall ride and alot of people have told me that the main way I have dodged trouble is I do all my scheduled maintainence and the oil gets changed VERY often. Heck it even has its own bay in my shop like the fire department where it gets all its work done.

One truth Tiger did say.............If it werent for the EPA none of these motors would give trouble! Thats my story and Im stickin to it!

TBONE21 wrote:

One truth Tiger did say.............If it werent for the EPA none of these motors would give trouble! Thats my story and Im stickin to it!

All I got credit for was one truth?

EPA does mess up a lot of stuff. Just look at the 70's and 80's when gassers were dealing with all the smog pump and catalytic converter crap they required. Messed up gas engines for years. Hopefully the learing curve will be quicker on the emmission requirements for diesel. Maybe the urea tanks will do a good job and be less restrictive. I'll try to remember to keep y'all posted on what I hear out of my brothers GMC with the urea tank.

so far the DEF tanks are doing relatively well! About 3500 miles the alarm will go off needing more DEF. We sell it in our stores and some places have the pumps. DEF was a good way to get better mileage and that it is doing to help.

The ONLY question I have is.....who came up with that idea???

I mean seriously.......did someone one night take a guess and say....."What if we put hog pee in that thing?? Will it make the emissions better??"

The GM Diesel has the best stock transmission-no questions asked, but Cummins makes the best motors....
I tow 2 Bobcat Skid-Steer's every day, with extra buckets, and tracks....So I have to have something that can stand to pull 15,000lbs every day. The only reason I upgraded my Allison transmission to SunCoast parts, was that....I have such high HP numbers, that my torque converter would slip and squeal....keep in mind, I am in the high 600's in RWHP.
I would line-up my hot rod Duramax to any diesel truck to date...a 7.3, a 6.7...anything....
I could care less about the EPA....my LBZ is straight-piped, with DPF blocked.

If I bought a Cummins...I would take it straight to SunCoast to have them build the tranny.

oh heck yea smith!! I am a Ford guy but I know better than to bark up the tree of a duramax. I went to the diesel drags a few months ago and those duramax's on livewire were wicked fast. That motor is a heck of a motor!!!!

I mean for people that use their trucks every day, the GM Duramax/Allison combo can't be beat.....

A good friend of mine just got a new 2011 6.7 F-250...and loves it. I drove it, and could tell.....there is LOTS of power left in that motor, just open the intake, and exhaust up, and turn the fuel up....and it would be a hoss.....just needs a good tranny.


Hey TBONE.....Check out on YouTube.... "One night stand duramax"....or "BananaMax pulling team". I am friends with these guys.

Ok I will check it out! I love these diesel drag stuff. I was thinking about getting a 7.3 and modding it up. One of my buddies has one. He has modded it up so bad that I have not seen anything touch it. Not even a D-max!

I love these diesel motors! Nothing pulls the load up the mountain like a diesel!

I don't know......I would line mine up to it....Keep in mind, I am running twin turbos.
I am considering putting fire-ringed high compression pistons, along with a SoCal Performance Cam.....and maybe even triple Garrett Turbo's!!!

One of these guys im friends with drag races professionally with his Duramax. He ordered a new engine and has 55 grand in doing it up. Its called MadMax. He has a butt load into that duramax and my friend with the 7.3 got him. That black truck named Mad Max with all that into the engine couldnt do it.
That D max and my friends 7.3 are not everyday drivers either. They both get trailered to the strip.

I will stay away then......
I have a friend with a 6.6 DMax.....that has close to 40K in his.....
He has a 7.1 Stroker kit from SoCal Diesel...