29 replies to this topic

[smlobx]

I’ve had a variety of Diesel engines since the early 90’s and have to agree with the consensus here.

Fortunately my construction equipment was exempt from the emissions requirement (CAT) but the newer trucks with the downstream emissions equipment has been pretty problematic.

 

I had a 2006 F-350 (Pre-emission) that I had bulletproofed like the video above and once that was done it was a great truck. The only reason I sold it and bought a virtually identical one with the 6.7L was that the new trucks were much quieter and my wife liked that. Plus like many we tend to keep our vehicles for 10 or more years and the 6.0 already had almost 200K on her. The 6.7 is also much more powerful.

[camelracer]

After watching that video I'm going out to give my 5.9 Cummins a big hug. My only problem with diesel is the price of fuel compared to gas.

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Between all the problems their diesels had, plus the spark plug issues their gas engines had for nearly a decade, I don't trust ANY new Ford engine.  I'm running an F250 with the 6.2 gas engine, but I only bought it AFTER it had been out for a few years and was known not to have any outstanding problems.

 

I see all the excitement about Ford's new 7.3 gas engine and I just shake my head.  Who wants to pay big money for the privilege of being a beta tester of a new design?

[Foy]

After watching that video I'm going out to give my 5.9 Cummins a big hug. My only problem with diesel is the price of fuel compared to gas.

Feeling much the same about my 2002 7.3 F350 diesel.  She's getting lots of TLC this Spring in preparation for a 6,000 mile road trip in August, situations permitting, and I think she'll take miles 280,000 through 286,000 in stride. Although I've been extremely happy with this truck for a long time (and, tomorrow, May 2 is the 16th anniversary of the purchase), for the many reasons stated above, I doubt I'll ever purchase a post-DEF diesel pickup. Hoping Mr.Sagebrush's situation gets resolved long-term soon.

 

Foy

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I picked up up the truck this afternoon, and with fingers crossed and prayers said...  Big Ruby seems to be running correctly, and with no weird turbo howl.  I’m still worried, but the fifth turbo (factory new, not a remanufactured turbo) seems to have done the job.   
 

For anyone with a 6.7L Ford, if you have a turbo failure, insist on a new replacement part.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

The latest chapter in worries and woes.   I needed to run an errand in a nearby small town, so fired up Big Ruby and did a roundabout route to the destination.  At about 30 miles since getting the truck back, she threw another check engine light, and went into protective reduced power mode, with extraordinarily rough idle.

 

This morning, I fired the beast up to move it out to the street in case I needed a tow truck.  Surprisingly, the old girl ran smoothly with the check light still on, so off we went to the dealer.   They scanned the code, and there was a TSB on it saying the Engine Control Module required calibration.  The cal was done, and we are home without incident.

 

I am thinking about a couple of belts of sipping whiskey for courage enhancement, then trying for that errand again.  Fingers crossed...

[Rdy2Roam]

i bought a 2006 ram 3500 with the 5.9 turbo diesel and love it.(114.000 mi) the guy i bought it off of said his son was a engineer who worked on developing the cumming engine and told him if he was going to buy one he should by it now and that was 2006. he said the next year there going to start adding all the emission crap and there going to have all kinds of problems..

[ntsqd]

I deliberately bought a mechanical diesel. Partly because it was the cut-off year, next year models need to be KA emissions checked.  I wouldn't mind the check if the State wasn't so autocratic about the whole thing and charging exorbitantly for the experience. And also because those just work, and have been doing so for decades.

 

I know that in doing so I give up both power and economy, but 17.3 for the 458 miles that we drove last Saturday without the camper and 16.8 for the 458 miles that we drove last Sunday without the camper, but with a car on a U-Haul trailer is nothing to sneeze at. And I never felt like I didn't have enough power for the grades on 395. We've pulled better than that out of it with the old, smaller camper in place (~19 avg.), but that's not a fun way to drive.

Edited by ntsqd, 12 May 2020 - 02:45 AM.

[Zoomad]

I see enough diesel emissions related repairs of all of the big three in our shop that solidifies my choice to stick with gas.  The complexity is far to much to deal with right now.   Yes, given a few more years they might come up with the technology to get the lowered emissions without band-aids like diesel exhaust fluid and diesel exhaust filters and EGR systems.  Heck if somebody told me 20 years ago we'd be working on trucks that had that equipment I would have thought you were joking like saying get me some muffler bearings or blinker fluid.  

 

Nope the truth is stranger than fiction.  

 

The reality is the main penalty of going with a gas engine is the fuel economy I'm ok with that.  Compared to the crappy economy of emission laden diesels now that gap is closing up anyway.   The maintenance is going to be cheaper with a gas engine.  The gas engine reliability is far better right now with the lack of that extra complexity so the possibility of a emissions related repair out of warranty on a gas engine that would cost you thousands of dollars is far lower than any modern diesel out there.  

 

There is no denying if you are running a heavy combo of truck plus camper plus a trailer full of other gear you just need to stick with a diesel.  But if you aren't bringing a trailer along, keep it somewhat light a gasser 3/4 ton or heavy 1/2 ton with the right gas engine can do the job and save you money in big emissions related repair bills later and high maintenance costs.  That savings can go right in the fuel tank for your adventures.  

 

Gas engines have only 3 main emissions related systems now on most trucks. All required by federal mandate.  Catalytic converters, Evaporative emissions systems (think fuel vapor off of the tank itself) and Positive Crankcase ventilation system. It's not to say none of those systems can't fail either, but outside of the catalytic converter failing most repair costs will be well under the costs of replacing anything in a diesel's exhaust aftertreatment system or EGR system.  

[Vic Harder]

I agree on the maintenance costs; however, I went with an older diesel this time for range per tank reasons, not just fuel economy.  Yes, my diesel gets almost 2x the mpg that my gas truck did.  That wasn't enough.  I can buy a 62gal diesel tank to replace my existing tank, and get waaay more distance between fills.  If that option had existed for my gasser, I would never have switched.