I can't help there, but you can have this Unicorn poop.
Posted on 05/13/2012 8:41:05 AM PDT by waterhill
My 02 GMC has 200k+ on her now, she is showing signs of old age. I want to upgrade to a diesel. Just wondering what the FReeper World thinks is the best diesel 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck.
I am not picky about brand names. I could go with a Ford for political reasons......
Much as garcias....
Those 7.3 non turbos do 350,000 miles as an after thought,i’ve seen them with a lot more miles than that.
I worked on a friends late model Dodge truck, it belonged to his daughter, somebody sugered her gas, had to remove the fuel tank to clean it, had to replace all the fuel injecters.
Dodge does NOT have a fuel filter, just a strainer screen in the tank, I retro-fitted a high pressure frame mounted filter for them.
You could not give me a Dodge vehicle, they are designed in an alternate universe.
I certainly would,nt want anything without a dip stick,that’s just stupid in my book,one of the reasons i’ll just continue to build my own stuff.:)
Being a diesel mechanic I can say this, if you have a diesel and you are in very cold weather you must stay on your toes, you have to religiously monitor your fuel or you will gel it up. And frankly I prefer a gas engine in cold weather, they start easier for one thing and the torque band is better suited for icy roads.
But if I had to haul any real weight the diesel is the only way to go, the Fords are arguably on top of the game with GM behind and stumbling. I love Cummins engines but I totally despise the Dodge frame, electrical and driveline, the Chinese can make better knockoffs.
Don’t forget the DEF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_exhaust_fluid
And no cheating, you can’t pee in the tank
My fiancee’ has a custom Dodge 2500 diesel with a Cummins engine, 4x4 and 6 sp manual tranny. He has had no major malfunctions with it. He did have to replace the clutch recently but he just did it himself.
We talked to a lot of people and did a lot of searching online before buying our F-350. We hope to have a large 5th wheel in the next 1-2 years and everyone pretty much said go with Ford.
I can't help there, but you can have this Unicorn poop.
Dodge is doing a complete redesign of their 2013 Models. Not just the sheet metal, but the platform as well.
I heard you only got those if your a bundler for Obama?///////
On the starting issue, aside from gelling issues in winter, do you find that the new ceramic glow plugs (the new ‘extreme’ heat type) compensate well?
I’m convinced the no dip stick thing of the last few years is a plot for planned obsolescence.
Chrysler has been plagued with transmission problems for decades and the build quality of the body, trim and interior leave something to be desired. It remains to be seen what Fiat does with them, as odd as it sounds I actually like what they’ve done thus far and they do seem committed to building them up and taking them global, but there is a long way to go. Cummins makes a good diesel engine, but the rest of the vehicle could be an issue.
Like many, I see far more Ford diesel pickup trucks on the road, even old ones, so I suspect that’s the way to go if you plan on keeping it for a while and racking up the miles.
I have no experience with any of the latest doo dads on trucks built after 2002. I have a fleet of concrete mixers without glow plugs, the Duramx might have what you described and the truck it replaced was a 1994 Ford F350 with a 7.3 International diesel that ate glow plugs like candy corn.
Second worst diesel for a light truck was the 6.2 GM diesel, worst of course was the Olds 5.7 diesl conversion.
The Duramax in Alaska also goes through batteries pretty bad, I have replaced the dual batteries three times in the last 10 years.
I use an Optima dry cell battery for my 8100 Vortec. Works fine even at minus 40 in Alaska. Plugging in is mandatory for the diesel along with synthetic oil.
Let me say again in detail, on the Duramax I have NEVER had any glow plug issues, I suspect they are those ceramic heaters and they seem to be trouble free, possibly and thats with a wink they might be too good and stress the batteries a tad too much, like they draw TOO much current.
Why do I want diesel?
My next million miles. I am a roadrunner. I go places. I need something that will last me to my last breath. I want to buy the last truck I will ever need. I put alot of miles on my vehicles. I am 41, and I don’t know how many years this body has, but I want my truck to last as long.
Got it?
Baby pickup with a three cylinder diesel and a variable ratio transmission. This leaves the engine at it's optimal RPM and what is normally the gas pedal is used to vary the ratio of the transmission.
Viable? not viable? any one doing this now? thoughts?
Do a Google search of what is the most popular diesel truck in Australia.
A far and different world from what you commonly see in America, and what we should see.
What I am implying is that in America we are hobbled from buying very powerful efficient small diesels in light trucks and 4x4’s. Diesel won’t get any cheaper.
Unless you have access to some bio diesel of used cooking oil the cost of diesel I say may double within a year.
Look into a Gear Vendor under/overdrive unit.
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