Which deisel had best track record ? - Car Forums

You have saved this page | See all saved pages

Which deisel had best track record ? - READ ONLY

21 messages, Last post on Apr 28, 1998 at 12:27 AM

You are in the Pickups - Archived Discussions Forum.

Your Host is kcram

This discussion is ARCHIVED. To reactivate the discussion, post a request in the Javascript runtime error--TypeError: obj has no properties-- see logJsError309.html for a stack trace discussion.

#2 of 21 wildcajun by wildcajun

Dec 10, 1997 (8:46 am)

hi dave,and wellcome to the wonderfull world of diesel's. i own a 97 Ford F350 dully w/powerstroke i love it i have a 40ft 5th wheel that i tow all over the US. as my job( i'm a avation contracter).take's me all over. in a lot of differnt conditions. i have no problems, cold or hot weather. a consern that u might consider is the fact the diesel fuel is harder to find than gas. as far as a turbo yes get it very worth the mony. good luck with your hunt randy

#3 of 21 deisel by deisel

Dec 11, 1997 (12:53 am)

Hi Dave,

Forget the chevy deisel!! They have a major injection pump problem to overcome!!!!!!! I am looking at trading in my lemon for a dodge cummins
deisel it is the only one I have not heard any horror stories about. My chevy would not start the night I drove it off the lot!! I spent two months
running back and forth to the dealer getting bad parts replaced Brake relay switch, oil pressure switch, fuel injector pump, and the computor were all replaced!!! It ran very well for a year, but
it has been back in the shop three times in the past month charged the batteries once, started stalling on me while I was driving down the road
after that and a second fuel injector pump was put
in 100.00 deductible on an 1100.00 part!! and last but not least I just (2days ago) replaced both batteries and the alternater.

#4 of 21 deisel by deisel

Dec 11, 1997 (1:27 am)

who makes the most dependable deisel truck with the least amount of sevice and warrenty problems?

#5 of 21 Rich by richflynn

Dec 23, 1997 (8:39 am)

I've had 2 Ford F-250 Deisels. (1986 6.9L and 1992 7.3L) Both have gone through the Eisenhower at reasonable speed. Neither have a turbo. I flat towed a Datsun 310 with the '86. I pulled the trans from drive to 2nd and was easily able to maintain a 35 to 50 MPH climbing West to East.

In the '92, on the Grapevine, in California I'm able to start at the bottom from ZERO MPH and easily top out at 85 long before cresting the top at 4400 feet.

As reliability goes....

On the '92 and over 121000 miles:
Alternator
Throttle position sensor $120
ABS and speed sensor $100
Brakes once at 88000 miles
Tires (Goodyear) twice
Batteries once
I bought a lifetime front end alignment and typically have it in every 3-6 months.
The dealer replaced the auto trans for $50 under ESP warrantee at 99700 due to metal shavings in the pan. (Actually it was a good deal because service was $76. So I saved 25 bucks and got a new trans.)

The three BIG things are:
Change the oil! Every 5000 miles like religion!
Run a good grade of fuel. Flying J or Unocal 76. Buy it from truck stops.
Finally use a good pump lubricator additive in the fuel. I put 2 ounces in every tank. It keeps the water in the fuel dispursed and burnt as teh fuel is used. It will also prevent algae in the fuel system. The stuff is 10 or 12 bucks a gallon at truck stops.

You will hear a lot of 'used oats' from people with their heads in places that don't smell very good about diesels and fuel. The engine is NOT intended to burn Auto Transmission Fluid, peanut oil, used crankcase oil, used McDonald's french fry oil, alcohol nor antifreeze. The engine is designed to burn diesel fuel and a small quantity of a lubricity additive, period. Feed your engine well and your pump/injectors will last 200-250 thousand miles.

My F-250 mostly runs about on the LA freeway system and almost always unloaded. For the past six years, taking the total miles divided by total gallons gives beter than 17.5 mpg!

Rich

#6 of 21 deisel by deisel

Dec 30, 1997 (12:40 am)

Well rich,

I got rid of the chevy, and bought the dodge
cummins deisel 5-speed 1 ton I'm already getting
19 mpg. Dodge does say that the fuel additive
is a good Idea after 50,000 miles but I think I'll
start sooner. Cummins makes their own additive
which I think I'll buy a case of at the time. I
have always taken religious care of my vehicles.
I learned fast being raised by a dealership full
of mechanics ever since I could walk they taught
me well. I hope this truck will last a long time
Got the extended warrenty too.
speaking of the fuel additive why did my chevy
dealer never tell me of this or the owners manuel?

#7 of 21 scsolo by scsolo

Feb 17, 1998 (4:42 pm)

I'm a guy in the telephone industry and travel S.C., Ga, and N.C. programing systems. I need a vehicle that can tow my boat, pontoon, jet skis,etc and help out on my brother's cattle farm on the weekends. I feel that a diesel truck would probably be the best choice. I'm concerned about the v-8s "made into diesels" and am leaning toward the Cummings, but, I like Chevys better. Got any ideas? Is there anywhere I can get reliable stats on historical performance, maint costs, etc? thx.

#8 of 21 mharde2 by mharde2

Feb 19, 1998 (1:34 am)

deisel, What is the additive that you are talking about? Thanks

#9 of 21 richflynn@yahoo.com by richflynn

Feb 19, 1998 (7:04 am)

Mharde2,
I've been using the golden stuff in the clear bottle. I can't remember the name but I usually buy it at a truck stop. It goes for about $12 a gallon. I add 1 ounce per 10 gallons of fuel. (Usually just put 2 oz. into a nearly empty tank.) That is a little on the heavy side but no ill effects in 125k miles. I've used other brands too; SILO (yellow and black can) and Marvel. There are three things the additive should do for you.
1-Dispurse water
2-Lubricate injectors and pump
3-Prevent algae formation
Just read the can or bottle, it'll state everything that the additive will do for you. They're mostly about the same price. Some (like Red Line) are $3-$5 a tank. I've never used one of the expensive ones. Don't use anything that isn't intended to be a diesel additive and start using it after the first 10k miles. That will give the pump and injectors time to wear in.
Rich

#10 of 21 Jon by BigChevy

Feb 23, 1998 (12:32 am)

I'm in the market for a truck. I was thinking about a diesel. What you recomend, power stroke or cummins. Or would you recomend a gas engine.

#11 of 21 GHUTCHIN by GHUTCHIN

Mar 03, 1998 (10:04 pm)

DON'T BUY A CHEVY/GMC
I bought a new a 94 diesel Suburban and the 1st

injector pump didn't last the whole day. Since

then It's been replaced 3 more times. The engine

has been out 3 times and replaced twice. Know one

wanted to take it on trade, wholesale was the

best I could do. I finaly unloaded it

at 70,000 miles with the help of my local Chevy

dealer as GM would never respond to my complaints

or calls. All of these were under warranty (which

is 100,000 miles) and you will use all of it. I

for one will never own another GM product.

Forum Tools

Search Forums

Enter Keyword(s):

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle

Browse by Board

Browse by Topic

View All Topics

Learn More, Do More

Edmunds Community

Explore Edmunds