I want a diesel truck, help me decide whic one

yodaman88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2008
Location
Wilmington, North Carolina
I want to get a diesel truck. Not an older one, 01 and up chevy/gmc would be at the top of my list because i like the way they ride on the street the best, the motor makes good power, and the alison transmission is by far the best for stock use. I'm also a chevy guy. What i don't like is that the transfer case has the pump rub issue which could cause the thing to grenade itself (our suburban did this.)

The 99 and up f250 seems alright, but it rides like shit, and doesn't really feel like it has much power stock. Don't know much about their tranny, but the rest of the ford is alright. What are some problems with them?
Could possibly do excursion too. There's a 7.3 and 6.0. I've heard a lot of people complain about the 6.0, but not much bad about the 7.3.

Then there's the dodge, 12 or 24 valve, don't know too much but i know a cummins is a good motor, but the dodge tranny sucks. Also, the rest of the truck is still mopar/dodge and quality isn't the best. But the power seems to be decent. What are some issues with this.


so if you wouldn't mind helping me learn about the different trucks and your experience and the problems you know of so i can make a better decision that would be great.
 
They all have their problems and you'll get a different answer from each person.IIRC the early Duramaxes had some inj issues,the Cummmins have a crappy trans behind them,and I dont think the Ford auto's are much better.For me it's the 7.3 PSD w/a 5speed.The one I have now has 377K and has been very reliable and I have been looking for another 7.3 truck to replace the one I have now.The main reason I'm not looking at a Dodge is that I need four real doors and the ones that have four real doors is out of my price range.I'm sure I'll get flamed for this but IMO the PSD 7.3 are every bit as good of an engine as the Cummins.
In a perfect world they would make a cummins powered 1ton truck w/a Allison automatic behind it,but it would probably be $60-$70K
 
The 7.3 is a great engine. I think they need better airflow than factory. The first 6.0's were trouble, but the newer ones are good. The trans can be a problem so look for one that has been rebuilt or budget for a rebuild. Can't speak for any of the others.
 
I am a duramax man. I own one and work on alot of them. I would stay away from 01 models but 02 and up you cant go wrong. All the different year dmaxs have their quirks but there are fixes for all of them. The pump rub is an issue on all years but there is a 20 dollar fix for it.

I like the 7.3 and they are pretty reliable but the mileage isn't that great and the power sucks. The 6.0's make great power and get good mileage but you will have to take certain steps to make them reliable which is not cheap.

Cummins is a great motor. 12v are great and easy to work on but the auto tranny's are junk and the manual tranny's are hard to find and expensive. 24v Vp trucks are good but the injection pumps are junk. CR motors are great as long as they dont drop a valve seat or melt a piston. If you buy any dodge get a manual tranny and expect the poor quality of mopar as the truck falls apart around the motor.
 
Well, I've owned cummins trucks since 99 and have had either 5 or 6 speeds behind them. For the money, you can't go wrong. Right now I have a 2005 3500 with a 6 speed with factory 4.10's. 158,000 miles and I've put a water pump on it. Thats it. (probably should'nt brag, tomorrow is a new day!!) I looked at both ford and chevy's, but price is what steered me towards Dodge. To me, chevy's ride more like a car than a truck and the fords ride like crap. Just my 2 cents.
 
BullfrogJohnson said:
I am a duramax man. I own one and work on alot of them. I would stay away from 01 models but 02 and up you cant go wrong. All the different year dmaxs have their quirks but there are fixes for all of them. The pump rub is an issue on all years but there is a 20 dollar fix for it.
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What is "pump rub" and what would be the symptoms?
 
John B. said:
What is "pump rub" and what would be the symptoms?
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Don't remember all the details but it's the oil pump in the transfer case that goes out and burn up the case.
 
Pump rub is a metal clip that sits in the Tcase housing that works its way loose and rubs a hole in the t-case housing. Only symptoms are the case will start leaking and by that time its too late you will have to buy a new housing if you run the tcase out of oil then you burn it up.
 
I can't really comment on the Chevy or Ford. I can however say I absolutely love my 05 Dodge QC cummins 6speed. Only have about 67k on it but the only thing that been replace on it was a drivers side door weatherstrip. It has plenty of power and I am getting 20mpg. I was a chevy man so getting a Dodge was a big step that I didn't take lightly but I am glad I did.
 
BullfrogJohnson said:
I like the 7.3 and they are pretty reliable but the mileage isn't that great and the power sucks. The 6.0's make great power and get good mileage but you will have to take certain steps to make them reliable which is not cheap.
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Everybodies opinion of good power and good mileage will vary.Mine gets 18-20 mpg empty and will run 80/85 all day if I want and get about 10-11 pullin my trailer/blazer to Harlan.I'm sure mine is down on comp some due to the mileage it has but it's still does the job pretty well.You hear people say they get 30+ mpg out of a 1-ton pickup and I say they are full of BS.
 
Diesel auto trannys are a time bomb.
Early Duramax trucks have issues.
7.3 Powerstroke is a great engine.
Nobody comes close to a Cummins.
 
allways had fords and can say the 7.3 is an awsome motor.some say the power is not there,and if you want to dragrace stoplite to toplite it's not,but if you want to use it for what it was built to do it does as good a job as the cummins i have now. i know i said i always had fords but the
4x4 4 door dually i have was $44600 with $10000 off so $34600 verses $52000 for the same ford changed my mind about fords. IMO dodge is not near the truck ford is but for the price differnce i'll take the dodge.
 
I vote manual tranny, and Dodge or Ford (don't like IFS). I like Fords better because the truck is overall just a nicer truck. I have a 99' 7.3 w/ the 6 speed and love it, great power (60hp chip, exhaust, intake), good mileage (15 towing, 19 empty), and seems pretty reliable (only 92K miles on it though).

I have a friend with an 01 Excursion for sale, has about 150K miles on it. Let me know if you think you might be interested and I'll give you his contact info.
 
GONOVRIT said:
Diesel auto trannys are a time bomb.
Early Duramax trucks have issues.
7.3 Powerstroke is a great engine.
Nobody comes close to a Cummins.
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Seems the first year or two of any car/truck has issues.I was considering a 6.0 PSD and my reasoning was that the first years of them are getting a little age on em and the bugs should be worked out,but after reading on the PSD forums that they need another $4-$5K spent on them to make them reliable I'm back to a 7.3.Anything newer than about an 03/04 is outta my budget anyway.
 
Tacoma747 said:
I have a friend with an 01 Excursion for sale, has about 150K miles on it. Let me know if you think you might be interested and I'll give you his contact info.
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A 7.3 Excursion is hard to find in my neck of the woods.
 
braxton357 said:
Maybe, but I would kill myself if I had to drive your truck in traffic. :flipoff2:
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Between the power and you not knowing how to drive a stick I believe it:D Get that tranny back in yet:flipoff2:

A close friend of mine has borrowed my truck to pull his race trailer through the mtns. Said he didn't like winding his '97 F350out in 3rd gear just to keep whatever momentum he had.
I've got over 200 additional HP in my CTD for much less than what he could buy a set of injectors for.
 
all three are good trucks..
Dont like the ifs of the chevy
Dodge is a nice motor but thats about it...
the 7.3 rocks...
Id go with the ford...Only reason i might go dodge is if i could find the crew cab cheaper due to the shear amount they put out.
 
If you think the Ford rides shitty, you won't like a Dodge either..

I love how everyone hates on the IFS of a Chevy tow rig. All of the "big 3" trucks use unit bearing hubs, so it can't be that. The ring gear is plenty big (1/4" smaller than a Dana 60), and if you follow wheeling rule #1 (NEVER wheel the tow rig), what benefits does a straight axle really have at the end of the day?

If you want to lift it and put big tires on it, that's another story, but we have other vehicles to screw up the suspension and ride on...
 
Here's a rundown:

Dodge
94-98 12 valve
-Killer dowel pin-cheap and easy fix if it hasn't came out already and busted the timing gear housing
-Auto tranny is junk
-NV4500 5 Speed is a good tranny but 5th gear nut gives trouble
-Easy to work on, no computer control on engine
-Injectors are cheap, you can add 50+ hp for free
-Bigger turbo is needed after about 100-150 hp increase
-Dana 70 rear in autos, Dana 80 rear in manuals, Dana 60 front CAD in all 4wds
-3.55s or 4.10s
-No doors on extended cab unless you find a mid 98 with a 12 valve and a quad cab which is very rare
-These trucks pretty much came from the factory with the clear coat peeling off of them
-Fuel system will support about 800 hp stock, not the injection pump, just the lift pump

98.5 to 02 24 Valve
-VP44 Injection Pump WILL go bad, aftermarket lift pump needed to keep it alive
-Injectors cheap, wide variety of chips and programmers available
-Auto tranny is junk
-NV4500 5 spd 5th gear nut problem
-NV5600 6 spd only found in later model HO trucks
-Same axles and gear ratios as 94-98
-Later model trucks I believe 00 and up were available with disc brakes on rear but not all had them
-The dash WILL crack and fall apart
-Exhaust manifold is likely to crack
 
I'm not as well versed on Chevys but I know that the early duramaxes had injector problems. The 04.5 and 05 LLY motors are bad to overheat.
 
I drive a 06 dodge 4x4 3500 6sp with a cummins. I hate the dodge steering and ball joints. I fixed that with carli uppers and lowers and a dynatrac free spin kit. It has alot of aftermarket parts like dual cp3 pumps, injectors and the like. I love the cummins. I would drive a toyota trundra if it had a cummins. Cummins makes the truck to me. I have to comment on the ifs chevy. Rides great but I don't see having a tierod the size of my pinky finger on a fourwheel drive.
 
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