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Choice of diesel

Diesel Motors?

  • 95'+ 7.3L Powerstroke IDI

    Votes: 11 28.9%
  • 00'+ 7.3L Powerstroke

    Votes: 6 15.8%
  • Powerstroke 6.0

    Votes: 2 5.3%
  • 1989-1993 Cummins 5.9L

    Votes: 7 18.4%
  • 95+ Cummins 5.9L

    Votes: 12 31.6%

  • Total voters
    38
  • Poll closed .

GreatWhite

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I was wondering if everyone could give me there non-biased opinion on what diesel would be the best for me to get. I mean obviously maintenance is going to be expensive but out of these diesels listed what motor is most reliable and cheaper to fix.
 


Ozwynn

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are you asking engine or whole truck?

that 95 powerstroke is a direct injection engine

12v cummins and the 7.3 powerstroke for reliability

the cheapest to fix are the older IDI engines like 6.9/7.3 IDI or 6.2/6.5
 

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i dont know alot about diesels but what about the older GM 6.2 and 6.5s and the Duramax?
 

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i dont know alot about diesels but what about the older GM 6.2 and 6.5s and the Duramax?
D-max is now, always has been, and always will be junk. Their power band is too high. They are better for towing than a gasser, but they are easily the worst of the domestic big diesels because they make peak breaking torque almost at red line.

As for reliability, the old 7.3 and the old cummins are kind of a toss up.

The 6.0 isn't as bad as everyone says *if* you get rid of those retarded torque to yield head bolts. Whoever thought those belonged on a diesel should be shot.

The last year of the 7.3 was still a strong engine, it just had a few more bugs than the older IDI models because it got some new stuff. Most of those have been exorcised though.

All in all I'd go for the IDI 7.3 because its just as good as the cummins, but I like the trucks you find them in better.
 

MountainMike

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6.0's are good motors but I've seen way too many broken FICM's for my liking. Not the motor's fault one bit but still iritating. Personally I like IDI 7.3's.
 

93rangerXLT4x4

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i'll probably sound like one those 13yr old kids that talks a bunch of crap about their dad's truck but oh well.. im 21 yrs btw..haha

my dad has a 93 F350 1 ton diesel 7.3L dually.. non powerstroke non turbo but an aftermarket turbo was added before we got the truck... anyhoo its got plenty of power and get up and go when its empty or with some weight in the back..

my dad uses the truck to haul the camper (10.5ft okanagan) and it weighs like 2000-2500 lbs or something and it hauls it fine, he also tows the 8'x16' tandem axle cargo trailer with goats or lawnmowers.. my mom shows goats and my dad and i race lawnmowers. with the camper and trailer its 52ft long, but it does struggle up the hills and it shifts a lot cuz its an automatic. lots of overdrive is used.

diesels are expensive to fix and maintain. but they are nice. if your not doing a lot of towing its probably not worth getting a diesel but its preference too right.. haha..

my sister's boyfriend's parents have a late 90's dodge cummins and its a nice truck, heated leather seats, cd player etc..its a 5 speed, the owner ploughs as a hobby, and him and i went out of town for a couple days and we towed a flatdeck (weighed prolly 2800lbs), a 2 bottom trailer plough (800lbs) and a 1950 Cockshutt trailer (5200lbs) and the dodge towed it fine, no problems at all.. its also 4wd. its geared pretty low, you can go drive through town in 4th gear 2wd at 40kms an hour slow down and get back up to speed with no problems..

its a toss up between the old 90's cummins and the 90's 7.3L.. i dont like chevy, and the duracrap is garbage and even though the 6.0L is ford its garbage too in my opinion..

i used to work in a lumberyard and i've a driven a chevy 3500 reg cab 4 speed 1 ton dually flatdeck with the 6.5L turbo diesel to delivery stuff and it was gutless... couldnt get out of its own way if it tried.. they company sent it on a delivery about 30mins away from the yard and the thing caught on fire, the driver of the truck had to borrow the customer's 100ft garden hose to put it out.. you had to be doing like 40km/hour in 1st gear just so it wouldnt bog out.. complete junk in my books..

those are my experiences with these engines, take em or leave em haha:icon_cheers:

i should add that i've driven my dad's F350 not just ridden in it.. i also know a couple of people that have 1997 7.3L powerstroke diesel F350 crew cabs 4wd and they love them..
 
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Ozwynn

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the 6.0L is ford its garbage too in my opinion..
its a very miss understood engine, Not garbage, just needs some tweaking

i used to work in a lumberyard and i've a driven a chevy 3500 reg cab 4 speed 1 ton dually flatdeck with the 6.5L turbo diesel to delivery stuff and it was gutless... couldnt get out of its own way if it tried. you had to be doing like 40km/hour in 1st gear just so it wouldnt bog out.. complete junk in my books.
something was wrong with yours, mine will bark its tires shifting into second and drive. will hit 98 mph before it defuels and do it by the end of the ramp. I romp on it when I make the turn onto the get on ramp and I actually have to back out of it @70mph so i don't roll it on the corner. I have no lack of power and my small GM4 Turbo has issues and I may have lost my engine due to me cheaping out on the injectors.

now is it the most powerful I have driven ....... not by any means..... but there are guys that regularly pull 15 - 20 grand with theirs. it will get the job done, just don't get it hot or over boost it. For the price, they are a good budget diesel.

i should add that i've driven my dad's F350 not just ridden in it.. i also know a couple of people that have 1997 7.3L powerstroke diesel F350 crew cabs 4wd and they love them.
 
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WNY964x4

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alot of different ones
i have only had experience with 3 Light duty Diesel trucks

the first is a 1998 GMC 3500HD , it has the 6.5L Turbo Diesel and it is a gutless wonder , it could be the fact that it is in a 12,000# unladen weight truck , its a 2WD with an Automatic , it struggles to do 40 MPH , and i hate it

the second is a 1995 F-Superduty with the 7.3 Powerstroke , again it is a 2WD with an Automatic , and that thing just moves , it is my favorite , except it has the famous oil pan leak , and coolant leaks from the water pump area , she is gonna be a bear to fix

and the last was an 1984 F-350 Dually Dump truck , 4x4 with a manual , 6.9 IDI , it was a decent truck , the clutch was shot , and we had to push start it , but she still ran good

but the two i would suggest is the 7.3 TDI , and the 12v Cummins
 

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I vote for the pre-98.5 CTD.
 

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Cummins or Powerstroke and you cant go wrong. the older models will cost a little more to upgrade as they are more mechanical. with newer models all you have to do is plug them into a computer and upgrade, with a few minor mechanical changes if needed. i personally like the 98.5-04 CTD but the 98.5- is still a powerful engine.

i like my powerstoke but it needs to be regeared for my tires and with the lift it only gets 11 mpg. yes it needs some work but what engine with 192,000 miles doesnt?

my 6.9 is by far my favorite. it doesnt go fast, put she will pull anything put behind her without fear. fun to drive and simple to maintain.
 

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its a very miss understood engine, Not garbage, just needs some tweaking
Amen. The 6.0 isn't garbage, it just has some design flaws, that can be overcome.

Originally they put torque to yield head bolts on them which causes some compression issues as they slowly stretched out. Those were replaced in an updated part (not sure if it was ever a recall) with the good old cast iron ones that don't do that.

The FICMs do go out more often than they should, but that is due to their placement. For some reason they decided to place the unit on top of a valve cover where it is prone to over heating. If you are good with wiring you can move it by extending its harness and bolting it to the bay wall and that tends to alleviate the problem. What it really needs is a bigger heat sync (similar to the Xbox 360 for those of you who are familiar with its issues with RROD). I think there is an aftermarket unit out there that takes care of the problem, but I can't remember who makes it, I want to say Banks or Bully Dog, but I'm not sure.
 

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I vote for the pre-98.5 CTD.
Agreed. The 12v Cummins is the BEST diesel ever put into a 3/4 and 1 ton truck. They are highly modifieable and can make insane power.
 

Ozwynn

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Amen. The 6.0 isn't garbage, it just has some design flaws, that can be overcome.

Originally they put torque to yield head bolts on them which causes some compression issues as they slowly stretched out. Those were replaced in an updated part (not sure if it was ever a recall) with the good old cast iron ones that don't do that.
I would replace with ARP studs personally and get a coolant filter. I would also get a 1 or 2 micron fuel filter somewhere before the injector pump, and I would only buy 1 with a hand shaker..... I have seen too many on the side of the road with a transmission failure (keep in mind I would rather have an automatic in most application over 7200 GVW). What else needs to be tweaked

The FICMs do go out more often than they should, but that is due to their placement. For some reason they decided to place the unit on top of a valve cover where it is prone to over heating. If you are good with wiring you can move it by extending its harness and bolting it to the bay wall and that tends to alleviate the problem. What it really needs is a bigger heat sync (similar to the Xbox 360 for those of you who are familiar with its issues with RROD). I think there is an aftermarket unit out there that takes care of the problem, but I can't remember who makes it, I want to say Banks or Bully Dog, but I'm not sure.
I would heatsync this part and relocate it to inside the front bumper like we do with the PMD for 6.5 turbos
 
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Blackdog455

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my dad has a '93 F250 4x4 7.3 turbo diesel. I love driving it! soooo much power and the thing hauls. Gets decent mileage too.
 

Ozwynn

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my dad has a '93 F250 4x4 7.3 turbo diesel. I love driving it! soooo much power and the thing hauls. Gets decent mileage too.
maple valley? isnt that were sir mix-a-lot lives? or does he live in Black Diamond?

My in-laws live in EnumClaw.
 

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