Diesel Trucks

cowboydoc · Dec 21, 2002

I agree totally splitfire. In my opinion the manual is the only way to go with one of these diesel engines. Even with that new allison from Chevy they are having problems with it. Not until they go with a real auto will they be fit for towing behind these high hp and torque diesels.

jtn · Dec 21, 2002

Why is that? What is the difference in "feel" between the two?

Bob,

The same things that make a diesel better for towing make it better for driving light IMHO. For one thing I have plenty of torque and never have to downshift climbing hills and can get decent acceleration in any gear. Also the diesel has much better engine braking; if I let off on the accelerator I slow down, even going down hill. I guess maybe I have just gotten used to it and like the way it handles now. I also find the accelerator much easier to modulate as the diesel has a slower response than a gasser. Last, and certainly not least, the purring of the engine puts my wife to sleep on long road trips so I can go 80 mph without getting nagged!

JT

jtn · Dec 21, 2002

cowboydoc,

Going to post a picture of your new wheels? Did you get the 7.3 or the 6.0 engine? I forgot if I mentioned it earlier but I test drove a truck with the 6.0 and liked it. Of course I was not towing anything which is the real test. The 5 speed auto seemed to shift well but I am definetly getting the manual in my next truck.

JT

jtn · Dec 21, 2002

Rat,

I just blew the E40D tranny in my truck a couple of months ago. I got a rebuilt from my Ford dealer. It had a 50000 mile warranty and was reasonably priced. I also have heard good things about Jasper, but the local place that installs Jasper wanted twice as much for labor as my Ford dealer.

I heard from a Ford engineer that with the 7.3 you should add a second tranny cooler in series with the one form the factory and change the trans fluid every 10000 miles.

JT

Trev · Dec 21, 2002

Sounds good, JT!

I also find the accelerator much easier to modulate as the diesel has a slower response than a gasser.

This would be great for me. I have a weird neurological condition called "Benign Essential Tremor." It means my hands and feet shake a bit. Not really wanting brain surgery, I just live with it. But on a lot of cars, I have trouble accelerating smoothly.. the right foot shakes a bit and sometimes that means a rather "rapid" and jerky start from stoplights. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif The diesel might be just the ticket.

 Last, and certainly not least, the purring of the engine puts my wife to sleep on long road trips so I can go 80 mph without getting nagged!

I'm lucky in that regard.. my wife says I'm the only driver she has ever ridden with that she feels comfortable enough with to go to sleep while I'm driving. Her ex was a maniac, drove a BMW 740i, and wanted to prove to everybody that he could out-drive them. I'm more the sort who says, okay, you want to pass me.. go for it. What do I care? /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

I'll probably start test-driving some diesels soon. In the old days, I didn't want the noise, but I gather they've gotten around that problem somehow.

Thanks for the info!

Bob

RedDog · Dec 21, 2002

I didn't read all 4 pages of this thread, so maybe somebody already mentioned this.

You may want to check out www.pickuptruck.com

They had a nice article about all of the big3 diesels. Tested them loaded and head to head with manual trannies!!

Very good article, the best I have seen.

RedDog 97 Chevy Crewcab Dually 4x4,, SUPERCHARGED 454!!

Kiohio · Dec 23, 2002

Reddog, I can see you behind the wheel of one of those new Fords already. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Anonymous Poster · Dec 23, 2002

Cowboydoc, the main problem with auto trannies in these trucks is that people use them like they are Kenworths. 30,000# with the trans hunting for gears and 520 ft/lbs making it go don't add up to longevity. GM isn't doing themselves any PR favors with the way they are pushing that "allison" trans for towing. It may have been drawn up by allison, but by the time Chevy lightened it up for thier specs, it's a stretch to call it that anymore. Probably less of a problem than those aluminum heads will be in the long run though.

cowboydoc · Dec 23, 2002

I agree completely but why not make a transmission that will hold up? Guys would pay for it. I know of hundreds of guys that are willing to take a brand new truck and get a real transmission or upgrade theirs to one that will tow and not break down. If you offered guys a choice between a beefed up six speed auto or the pos that they put in them guys would pay for it.

BTW it's not just the guys towing a bunch that they go out on. There are alot of trucks that haven't towed anything or have only towed well below the recommended levels and still had the tranny's go out. My truck only had 3000 miles on it and the tranny went out. It had never even towed anything up to that point.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 23, 2002

Two reasons autos have not held up to this point..cost and size. A real Allison is big and heavy. Expensive, too.
I drive a new Dodge gas for work (have to hold my nose every time I get in), it constantly shifts up and down on the slightest grade at highway speeds with nothing behind it. That has got to create tons of heat, which is the main enemy of automatics. It drives me nuts and makes me wonder how people can stand to tow with 'em.