What diesel trucks to avoid

[RayCo]

Exactly, interior bells and whistles don't get the loads pulled down the road. if i want to ride in luxury I will borrow my dads Caddy !!!

My wife had a Lincoln Navigator, and I have to say that they really didn't do a good job at all at disguising the fact that it's a truck. It rode like a truck, but with air conditioned leather seats. I really didn't like that vehicle, but when I used it to tow 1000 pound garden tractors on a 1500 pound landscape trailer, I never knew the trailer was there. With my 95 Dakota, even that light of a load would push the truck around a bit.

Cadillac, on the other hand, did things totally differently. I had an STS, and I loved that it was its own car. It wasn't just a Chevy Impala with some fancy trim or something like that. It was a Cadillac from the ground up. Of course, I'm not really making a fair comparison here, since to do so I'd have to compare the Navigator to the Escalade. But, I have no interest in such vehicles anymore since my daughter was born. If I have money to spend, I'm spending it on her, not a freaking car payment.
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[skargo]

I'm partial to my 1998.5 dodge ram 4x4 quadcab, of course.

I have the engine hopped up to over 500rwhp and 1100 lb/ft, but despite the performance, it's dead nuts reliable.
I did replace the trans with a rugged race trans.

The doors are garbage, and a poor design. Mine are rusted to ****. I run a body shop and won't even consider fixing them. My bed is starting to rust around the arches too.
But I don't care, I bought it 4 years ago instead of getting something newer.
I'll run this bad ol' truck into the ground, enjoying 18 mpg daily driving it and having the power to surprise many, if provoked.

Once you get a diesel, you'll not go back to a gasser I would bet. Regardless of make or model. Because as we know, OUR trucks are the best!

 

[coobie]

Dodge makes a good truck but it is a know fact that the bodies just dont hold up as well as the GM or Ford's. At least in my part of the country where they salt the **** out of the roads. Also the 4 speed tranny if looking at a auto leaves alot to be desired in that era of truck.

I know you will think I am biased but the Fords I love have weak points also like ball joints. The GM's are a little shy on brakes so they all have good and strong points. The thing Dodge has going for it is that motor. The Cummins is legendary.

Chris

I am going on my 5th winter(bought in dec of 2003) with my 2004 dodge 2500 3/4 ton pickup 5.9 cummins diesel and the body and everthing else on the truck is in excellent condition.I live in Southern Michigan and they salt the PI$$ out of the roads here.The 48re auto tranny is a excellant tranny IMHO.coobie

 

[scesnick]

the Quad cab is perfect for kids and bigger kids. it isn't so big that it fees like you are driving a bus like the crew cab fords or the Mega cab Dodge. It is a perfect fit if you aske me. And they have plenty of room back there and room to grow also...

 

[Crash101]

I hear and read often of remarks concerning the Dodge body and transmission problems and certainly believe the reputation is well deserved. That well deserved reputation however is based on earlier models and does not apply to the current generation Dodge truck. To suggest this model Dodge is in any way inferior to a GM or Ford (both very fine trucks) is to confirm one probably doesn't know what he/she is talking about and is speaking based on opinions or influence from someone else. After 40 years of buying a whole lot of vehicles (never a Chrysler product until 2002) if I were to buy a new truck and intend to work it for a million miles, I guarantee that smooth riding GM or that nice looking Ford would be second and third choice. My bias is not without a good deal of personal experience, much of it from those other brands including a few I looked forward to being rid of.

 

[chh]

Once you get a diesel, you'll not go back to a gasser I would bet. Regardless of make or model. Because as we know, OUR trucks are the best!

Nope, had the best, a '97 2500 4wd Dodge diesel. Traded it in this year for a F 350 C/C with a V-10. I wouldn't have one of the new 08' diesels at all.

 

[skargo]

Nope, had the best, a '97 2500 4wd Dodge diesel. Traded it in this year for a F 350 C/C with a V-10. I wouldn't have one of the new 08' diesels at all.

I agree with not wanting a newer diesel, the old ones for me please!

 

[Baranx4]

I presently have a new chevy diesel LMM motor crewcab 4ws and am very happy with it. Right now I have just over 10,000 miles on it and get 17-20 mpg with mostly highway it should get better as the engine loosens up. I haven't done straight city driving with it so I can't say. I bought it this past January and can tell you that the new engines start right up without plugging them in when it's cold. With winter fuel I think my worst tank was just under 16 but as I said I do mostly highway with it. I've done minimal towing with it other than a few short runs with towing stone or my boat. I've read posts of owners with worse and better mpg. Honestly the fuel mpg is better than I had expected. I've read quite a few posts at thedieselplace.com about how a programmer with power increase actually helps fuel mpg.

I'm surprised that I didn't see anyone post about staying away from the ford 6.0 engines as the early ones had a boat load of issues related to the injection pumps and cold starting and the new 6.4 engines have poor mpg. The 7.3 engines got great mpg and the engine was known to last. For towing its power isn't near what the new ones have but how much power do you need.

The dodge 5.9 cummins is probably the main reason that diesels at at the power level they are today. The cummins is almost bullet proof and expect 300,000 miles before major overhaul. It says alot when ford used to put the 5.9 cummins in their higher gvw trucks. Fuel mpg varies with them as well. When the torque wars started the mpg between the big three took a nosedive. I think 98 was the year they changed to a 24valve head. The only problems I see with the dodge is they rust badly here in northeastern Pa. It's a state that uses rocksalt on the roads. I'm not sure yet with the 2004 and newer body style yet. I actually had a deal in place for a 2007 dodge megacab leftover when the dealer started playing games. Turns out he was working a deal on a truck that was already sold, just in case the other guys financing fell through Then tried to get me to buy the only other one they had. I wanted a 5.9 cummins and wanted to stay away from the 6.7 cummins. It was it's first year out and on the dodge diesel sites there were a fair amount of posts with complaints of mpg and other issues

I suggest you go to a few of the brand specific web sites to look over posts there. Good luck

 

[ultrarunner]

A little different tack...

A lot of the service guys have gone to Dodge Sprinter Diesels and like em...

The Sprinter is basically a re-badged Mercedes...

In Europe, that model is know for reliability.

One of my neighbors is a lifelong Dodge Service Techs and he said even with Diesel over $5 a gallon in CA... the Sprinters are still selling. He also said, empty or loaded they get 20 mpg... the dual is one ton and get slightly less.

Anyone here have any experience with one?

My old Chevy G20 Service Truck with a 305 gas engine is 23 years old and I'm not sold on the new models from Ford or GM

 

[browns40]

It was more "horsepower wars" than torque wars, and EPA demands that choked the economy out of the diesels.

Daily commuters (not haulers) wanted a quieter vehicle that accelerated/responded more like the gas engine they were replacing, and the EPA, well.... political commentary is not something to go into.

Dieselplace, DieselGarage, Brand-specific forums will give you a lot of verbage on the different diesels, but like here "mine is best" rules. If you have time to look through, you will see the common issues & questions that keep surfacing regarding each truck/motor.

Good luck!

 

[RayCo]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Chances are, I'll wind up doing nothing, but I always like to look. If I did make a move, I'd wind up with something that I don't really want. As much as I would want a pickup, it'd be too expensive to get one that can tote a carseat around. So, I'd wind up with a 99 Suburban or an Excursion. I'd actually probably quite enjoy a diesel Suburban, but it still wouldn't be a truck. I guess if I happen to run into someone on the street who wants to do a straight-swap, I'd do it. But, that won't happen.

 

[RollingsFarms]

if you're still looking, a guy my friend works with has a '97 regular cab 4x4 Ford F-250 with the 7.3 powerstroke in it. he told me the guy is the original owner of the truck and that it only has 153,000 miles. Body and paint is in great shape according to him, and it's two tone blue I think I remember him saying. the truck is also a 5-speed manual. guy is asking $9,000 but my friend told me if someone showed with $8,500 the truck would be theirs with no problem.

 

[bdeboer]

One I've noticed about the Dodge Sprinters that FedEx uses locally is that they already have a fair amount of rust showing on the bottom of the rear doors. This is central ohio where road salt is used, and I suspect they have a fair amount of miles on them, but I would expect that on a 10 year old vehicle not on a 3 year old vehicle.

 

[ultrarunner]

One I've noticed about the Dodge Sprinters that FedEx uses locally is that they already have a fair amount of rust showing on the bottom of the rear doors. This is central ohio where road salt is used, and I suspect they have a fair amount of miles on them, but I would expect that on a 10 year old vehicle not on a 3 year old vehicle.

Interesting and something I would not expect from the one's I see here in California and Mercedes being from Germany where they also salt the roads.

 

[browns40]

It's always difficult to say how a fleet vehicle gets cared for compared to an individuals... some companies may be spot on on regular washing & maintenance, where others... well it's a 3/4/5 year turnaround on them.

In Maine we are using that god-awful CaCl on the roads and it's chewing everything up: my 2005 Altima with 35000 miles had the right rear brake pad completely eaten away in 3 winters, and already the oil pan has some spot/pack rust showing... I wonder if automakers have conspired to get that stuff on the highways?

I am sure regular washing & upkeep plays a factor on a 3 y/o vehicle going punky so fast... but the de-icing offerings sure aren't helping any!

Oops, diesels to avoid: GM 6.2, 6.5, 2003-2004 Ford 6.0 without headstuds/gaskets/coolant filters!

 

[artfull dodger]

I take exeption to avoiding the 6.2 and 6.5L diesels. While not near as strong as the PSD or Cummins, With a little research and proper build up/maintance, my 6.2L has been dead nuts reliable. Main issues are poor fuel filtration, and guys thinking they can flogged the crap out of them like a cummins and not have it break. When I had my fresh 6.2L built for my truck, I had ARP head studs, ballanced bottem end, main stud girdle, and Mahle pistons that are made for turbo use, but also lessing cylinder wall scuffing. I can find parts at most autoparts store when I am on the road, cheap to fix and I get a solid 23-24mpg running light on the highway with the cruise on. The main issues on the 6.5L were the electronics and those can be dealt with effectivly. If you want a 6.5L suburban, check out the diesel page and other other GM diesel forums. Also you willl want the one issues of Max Torque Magazine as it shows how to build a 6.5L td powered suburban towing rig that can hang with a second gen cummins or first gen Powerstroke diesel without overheating and blowing up. Now the old 5.7L olds v8 diesels are quite a boat anchor, but most are long gone now and they were only avaible in the 1/2 ton trucks. You can actulay get a 6.5L block from GEP now that has all of the weaknesses fixed now. The block and heads are cast by Naviastar now, no longer have the cracking issues they were once prone to. The HP is turned up now as the Military needed the extra HP for the up armored hummers in Iraq but also needed the engine to last. I prefer the older diesels that have no electronics on them, GM 6.2L or 6.5L, Ford 6.9, 7.3 idi non turbo, and the 12v cummins. Let us know what ya get. Mike

 

[RayCo]

I take exeption to avoiding the 6.2 and 6.5L diesels.

You don't have to defend it just because you own it. Although, I have to say that seeing your avatar there, your opinion now outweighs EVERYONE else's! I miss my Wheel Horses.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I hear and read often of remarks concerning the Dodge body and transmission problems and certainly believe the reputation is well deserved. That well deserved reputation however is based on earlier models and does not apply to the current generation Dodge truck. To suggest this model Dodge is in any way inferior to a GM or Ford (both very fine trucks) is to confirm one probably doesn't know what he/she is talking about and is speaking based on opinions or influence from someone else. After 40 years of buying a whole lot of vehicles (never a Chrysler product until 2002) if I were to buy a new truck and intend to work it for a million miles, I guarantee that smooth riding GM or that nice looking Ford would be second and third choice. My bias is not without a good deal of personal experience, much of it from those other brands including a few I looked forward to being rid of.

The Dodge five speeds used to "lose" fifth gear when a nut came loose and the gear worked out of the splines. Standard Transmission for one makes a fully splined shaft that cures that. The torque monster is tough on an automatic but there are aftermarket cures for that as well.

My 97 5sp called for Castro Syntorq fluid which was pretty pricey when I last purchased some. I had run Amsoil for awhile but it came out kind of milkey when I did the 5th gear fix so I went back to Syntorq.

I bought my 97' used in 99' and washed it maybe once or twice a year if it needed it, lol! Up until I moved last winter, it was always covered in PA salt. True, I have a couple of rust spots but overall the body is pretty solid considering. I don't feel that it is any worse than any other make.

No matter what I tried, my carpet still gets wet (another Dodge quirk) so I ignore that as well. Overall, I figure at 215k, the truck owes me nothing.

 

[deere755]

I am in no way a Ford man when it comes to trucks, but I have to say I know a guy who bought one of the original 7.3 powerstroke diesels and it now has over 400,000 on it and the only major work was a new transmition at 275,000. He is a farmer and uses the heck out of it. I rode in it the other day for a short distance and it still runs very well. I asked him when he was going to trade it off and he told when he wears it out. I have a friend who bought one of the new 6.0 diesels and was sick. He ended up selling it and buying and old 7.3.

 

[john_bud]

Cummins 5.9 is a good engine. Problem is finding one with less that a gazzion miles on it. Most are worked long and hard. Neighbor puts 30-40,000 on per year and has for 10+ years. It's still purring. Auto trans was weak in them. Not the trans' fault as they pack a lot of torque. The manual trans was good.

The Later Ford 7.3's are good too. The early 6.0L has had a lot of problems documented and is the largest warranty black hole ford ever had. The 6.4l is supposed to be pretty good, but emissions kill the mpg's. Folks I know with steeper gears get low teens to low double digits empty. One guy traded in a V10 gas for a 6.4 and LOST 2 mpg. Talk about pissed. The 6.4 is already obsolete. No matter how good, that would scare me away.

The 2001-2002 Duramax had injector issues. The 2003-2004.5 has them to a lesser degree. I have a 2003 and it is on original injectors and has returned 17.6 mpg overall mpg since new. Empty on the freeway it gets 21-22.5. It tows 10k about 5000 miles a year. Get's 11-13 towing with speed and wind being the big factor, the weight is nothing. Trip to yellowstone last year (2400 miles+) averaged 20.6 mpg and that's with western freeway speeds. 75 mph.

The rest of the duramax family is quite good, but with more power and more emissions stuff, mpg's are down. The newer ones with the 6 speed allison get some back, but the mpg kings are the ones with the weak injectors. Go figure. The replacement injectors are "supposed" to be better. Still, you can leverage that into a 2k price drop and store the money. You can do the injectors but it's a 8 hour chore.

If you can get a duramax with the 6 speed manual those are supposed to be 1-3 mpg better than the allison, but don't hold your breath on finding one.