Anyone else in love with Ford Turbo Diesels?

Anonymous Poster · Jul 2, 2001

LOVE MY NEW DURAMAX!!!! Just traded my Dodge V10 for one, no comparison. Really doubt the head problem post. Go here for great Duramax forum.

http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi

DrDan · Jul 2, 2001

I'm with you Bird - I couldn't afford it either. Got a nice 94 for $11,500. As I have been lead to believe, the 94 IDI engines are much cheaper to buy parts for. No chips or puters and that fits me fine. The pre-94's you can work on!

I priced both Ford and Chevy before I found this used one and we were in the $38,000 to $42,000 category. Hell I only paid $37,500 for my house and 2 1/2 acres of land so I had to skuttle that idea. With everything electronic on the new PS's I think I made the best choice. If I can keep the body going for another 250,000 miles the power train should last.

Don't forget anticavitation additive if ya want em to last!

Dr Dan

Phred · Jul 2, 2001

Dan,

I am with you on this. I have a 93 F250 navstar 7.3 l, XLT, 4WD (see attached). No turbo but a great truck. I recently picked this one up for less than $8K. Granted it needed some work but runs great, and with ~115K miles I will probably get at least a 100K out of it. For the additional ~$30K a new one cost I can do alot of repair work!!
I only wish I had a dually one ton instead, but around here any used 350 that is for sale is either almost new (ie.. $+30K) or worn out. I have seen 350s with blow by and major problems sell for $3500, which is probably just salvage value.

The ford diesel web page is a great resource http://www.ford-diesel.com/. I wish more folks would read the archives on towing. It is amazing what I see folks trying to do with a 1/2 ton gas burner.

Phred

cowboydoc · Jul 3, 2001

Ernie,
Nope Ford doesn't make the diesel engine. It is still made by Navistar/International. In fact Navistar is coming out with a new inline 6 cylinder to make better mileage and more power for the 2003 model.

cowboydoc · Jul 3, 2001

Dan,
If you're looking for a new diesel right now is the time to buy from Ford. They are in a price war right now trying to sell as many trucks as possible to win the most trucks sold. They are selling at some dealers for $1000 below invoice. I saw the sale and called them just to see what the price would be and it was a little over $30k loaded with just about everything. I guarantee you won't be disappointed with the Ford. They are as bulletproof as they come. My family and myself have owned them since they first came out in 83. We still have some of the original ones on the ranch with over 500k on them. Personally I would stay away from any new design for a year or two to let them get all the bugs worked out of them on the Chevy and Isuzu diesel.

cowboydoc · Jul 3, 2001

Something's wrong with his then Bird because the Ford and Dodge have very little difference in fuel mileage.

cowboydoc · Jul 3, 2001

Glen,
The head problem is real. Last time I talked to the Chevy mechanic they hadn't come out for a fix for it yet.

Anonymous Poster · Jul 3, 2001

That’s interesting. Can you give me more specifics? I want to post the info on the Duramax page of the diesel forum. No one there has heard of it and GM techs post to the forum frequently. I sure would appreciate more info.

Thanks
GlenM

cowboydoc · Jul 3, 2001

Glen,
I'd love to give you more information but I'm not an expert in this at all. I have all kinds of mechanics as patients and that is where I get my info. The guy that told me about it was from the local Chevy dealer here. Last time he was in a month or so ago I was asking him about the duramax and he said he didn't know yet. He stated they had alot of little quirks like all new designs but the worst was the head problem and they didn't have a fix for yet. What it is is some kind of noise in the engine and they have traced it to the head but aren't sure how to fix it. He said they had about 20 trucks that had come in with it so far. He said it hadn't affected performance at all, just the noise.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by cowboydoc on 07/03/01 05:43 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

Anonymous Poster · Jul 3, 2001

The depth of knowledge at the following forum is unbelievable.

http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi

It covers the Duramax extensively (Ford and Cummins also). Techs, mechanics, design engineers, and production people all that actually have HANDS ON EXPERIENCE with the motor post frequently to the forum. Hell they even give incident numbers from the GM technical database. Rumors of engine failures are tracked by VIN numbers and exposed if they cannot be substantiated. Of course, real world owners who use the trucks are the best gage of reliability and there are lots of these who post. The noise your friend speaks of (intermittent tick from bottom end) is talked about in the forum. It has been traced and found to be harmless and disappears around 12K. If anyone is interested in some good in-depth info on the vehicle, you should definitely give the forum a look. I was literally 30 minutes away from a Dodge Cummins purchase before giving the Duramax a test drive. This is one very, very, impressive vehicle, especially when mated to the Allison 5 speed auto. Output numbers are higher than both the Ford and Dodge diesels. Having also driven the Dodge Cummins there is no comparison in the level of refinement and sophistication between the two. QUIET, QUIET, QUIET, did I mention it is very quiet also? Yes it is new in production and unproven, I would expect some bugs to be worked out. I am however just loving this vehicle to death. My Dodge V10 was no pulling slouch and this will womp it good, plus 17.6-MPG with just 900 miles on it. If you are however afraid of heights do not even look at the sticker price.