Gas vs. Diesel

W

wapiti11

Guest
I have always had gas rigs, looking at getting a diesel truck.
What do you guys think? What about maintenance on the diesel vs. the gas truck?
Thanks..
 
I have had 8 diesel trucks over the years and I just bought a gas truck to save a few buck and my next one will be a diesel. They have way more power and better mileage. The only thing I don't like about them is the smell on your hand when fueling and the cost when something breaks. Hope this helps. I would be glad to answer anymore question you have have on them.




"Let's keep things in perspective.I mean for Peet's sake there are kids in Africa that don't even hunt....hello" Jimmy Big Time
 
I've been driving a diesel for 14 years, once you switch its hard to go back!!



ridgeline outdoors prostaff
blacks creek guide gear prostaff
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-09 AT 09:25AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-09 AT 09:24 AM (MST)

We don't have self service out here.... clean hands.

IF you get a good one, maintenance is few and far between. I have a 99 7.3 crew cab.
All of them are heavy on the front so things will wear out.

for me:
Ball joints every 100,000
Brakes every 110,000
clutch @ 150,000

currently 260K, no leaks. interior is pristine and no rattles. You'll never be able to justify the initial cost of the diesel on paper but most owners don't care. Each model and year combo will have their own quirks so do your homework. All the new ones have the afterburner in them.
 
Thanks guys...as I said I am a rookie when it comes to diesel trucks. One thing I noticed is the miles one can put on a diesel vs. a gas engine. I noticed oil changes cost more than gas, does this mean you can put more miles in between changes? I have always changed my own oil, is changing the oil on a diesel done the same way? And the big question is What about cold weather starts? I have heard some negative on this.
I am looking at mid to late '90's ford crew 7.3. and what would be considered high miles on a diesel, seems like 200k is no big deal.
Thanks again........
 
Yuck fords, lol j/k to each his own. Mine is a 2000 dodge cummins, 6 speed. When things break on diesels it does cost a lot more. But the longevity of a well maintained diesel is undeniable. I pull a big enclosed trailer every day and my trucks up to 275000 and still gets 18 highway with the trailer. I still can get 25 highway without the trailer. Breakdowns are few and far between. Mine also has the FASS pump, larger injectors, edge chip. One thing I can say is when something breaks its worth the extra money to buy a better part.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-09 AT 01:37PM (MST)[p]
I change oil 3-10K miles.
Cold is no problem but you need to treat your diesel from now till March or so. Plug it in if it's below zero. The station guys are liars when it comes to treated fuel.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-09 AT 03:44PM (MST)[p]Ya treat your fuel! You change the oil the same way. It just takes more oil I change mine in my duramax every 5 to 6 thousand. It takes a little over 10 quarts of oil but if you watch for sales on oil and do it yourself it costs about 10 bucks more than a gas pickup.

The power difference is amazing! Once you make the jump there is no going back.

Look into a 12 valve cummins. You can hop them up easy and cheap.
 
Diesel oil changes are about 10 qts. of oil= 2x the price $ 70. You also have to replace fuel filters more often = 7500/10000 mi. and are kind of pricey $30. Diesels provide much more torque & horsepower for hauling and are usually more fuel efficient than big block motors. Diesel motors usually last over twice as long as a big block motor due to being more heavy duty and much more compression. As a diesel engine wears it will lose compression but has a lot more room for wear as it has 15-20:1 psi compression vs. 10:1 in a big block v8. As a diesel engine wears it's mileage will improve as there is less mechanical resistance. Most diesels are also turbo charged and huge torque and horsepower gains can be easily achieved w/ power chip modifications. Once modified you must monitor exhaust temperatures to prevent engine damage and may lead to transmission issues. Basically if you are pulling a heavy trailer often Diesels make more sense. If you are not it does not make as much sense. If you can afford it and you don't need it but you want one because of the versatility they provide , get one. My mileage is 14 City 17-19 Hwy and avg 17.5 at around 70-80 mph. Towing 6-7k avg. 10-11 mpg mixed terrain at 50-65 mph. I bought an aux tank for longer trips, when towing you would have to fill up at a rediculous pace without extending the range. Long beds have larger fuel tanks.
 
As an owner of an auto dealership, I have seen first hand that a lot of people who buy diesels don't need them.They buy them because they are trendy! If you pull a trailer day in and day out that weights in excess of 8k lbs than a diesel is a good way to go.Consequestly, diesels are expensive to repair and ride like a buckboard, and when compared to a half ton GMC, they don't get all that great of gas mileage.They are also about 6k more than a truck with a gas engine. Now if you have to have a 3/4 ton for towing purposes, and you are trying to decide between a gas or diesel engine than it's a no brainer....get a diesel.I have nothing against diesels, I have sold plenty of them at my dealership. Unfortunately, there is a lot of money wasted for the sake of being trendy.
 
one thing Ive noticed in renting trucks and driving them pulling loads across the USA is: The dodges seem to pull everything with less RPM's on the engine. It doesnt matter how much I pull they always seem to stay in the 2,000 rpm range. When we have used the fords they were always in 3,000 and up shifting all the time. The fords were also louder and not as comfortable to drive IMHO.

I also like the new 6 speed transmissions and engine brakes in the new dodges.

I am not a truck guy but in my mind having a gasoline converted engine to diesel is not how I would build a truck. the true diesel engine has less moving parts. 6 big cylinders in the dodge vs 8 in the fords and chev's.

So having less moving parts, operating at less rpms should mean less wear and a longer lasting engine IMHO
Also my dad owned ford stock growing up so we always drove or pushed the broke down vehicles. I cant even tell you how many transmissions we went through.


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Archery is a year round commitment!!
 
Speaking of diesels, how many guys are still panhandling the local fry cooks for used cooking oil to take to the home refinery? That was all the rage awhile back but now you never hear about it.


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LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-09 AT 07:55PM (MST)[p]I don't know what you guys are seeing, but I have seen and heard of a lot of fuel injector issues on the diesels. I have seen this every 80-100K miles on Fords and Chevy's. While you can get it done cheaper a dealership is going to hit you for at least $4,500 to get injectors replaced, and if the injection pump goes out that will be another $2,000.

When they added the afterburner to reduce emissions the fuel mileage started dropping. Models that previously were getting 24-25mpg are now around 20mpg or below.
I also know that the EGR motor on the Chevy's is a weak link that can cause problems.

I was completely set to buy a diesel until I started seeing the repair costs, for the price of a set of injectors installed you could replace the entire engine in a gas truck.

That being said, I have owned the 8.1 liter gas Chevy 2500 and would NEVER buy another one. The 6.0 will do everything the 8.1 will and will get better mileage doing it.(and you don't have to worry about the oil consumption!)
 
Ford v 10 is a great way to go. Longevity,good mileage and way cheaper to buy and repair. On my second one now with 230 k and still purring!
 
Don't know what what kind of trucks you are drivig to have a 6.0 do everything the 8.1 will.

8.1 outpowers the 6.0 bigtime, that tranny they put behind the 6.0 is worthless with wieght. 6.0 reminds me of the Vortec 454.

I have had both and would not trade my 8.1/Allison for the 6.0 EVER.

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The best way to help you is what are you going to use the truck for? my 98 reg cab tacoma is better for me than my 06 dodge cummins. and I paid 1/8 the cost lol.
towing? what and how much does it weigh?
reg cab, ext, crew
PRICE, you will pay more for the diesel engine
how long are you wanting to keep it for?
off road use?
 
WapitiBob,
No injector issues on Fords recently?
Stop at any Ford dealer & you'll see a pile of power jokes waiting to be repaired.
Cracked radiators!
Cracked EGR tubes!
Injector troubles!
Turbo troubles!
Glow plug trouble!

I'm not knocking Ford but it's time they pull their head out & get a decent engine in them F series trucks once again!
And yes I know the older 7.3 engines are way more reliable!
It's kinda funny,they usetacould build a decent diesel,kinda funny the newer 6.0 power jokes will be gone before long,thank god!
I've also noticed some guys have them that have never had a seconds bit of trouble with them,but for the most part they are the most unreliable POS on the road,whats up with that?
And talk about pizz poor mileage,waj!
If I was looking at new Diesel Trucks and knew some of these newer smogger versions only got 12-14 mpg they could keep that POS!
Kinda funny how the 2000 thru 2004 cummins were getting excellent mileage but these newer ones don't.
 
Wow, thanks for all the interested comments. I have had the 6.0 chevy in the past and did notice some tranny problems before I sold it.
Sounds like a pain in the butt when there is a mech. problem with a diesel. Do injectors need to be replaced as a preventive maint., because $4,500 to do this is to much for me.
 
Long time diesel owner; 2 fords and 2 chevys- the most recent is a 06 Chevy Duramax LLY with Allison tranny

As someone knowledgeble stated above,the emissions they are putting on the new trucks is killing the mileage advantage of the diesels. If I HAD TO HAVE a diesel I would look for an 07 with low miles- plenty of deals on these.

Talked to a guy who only got 7 mpg towing his big trailer with a new 09 diesel- his older 06 diesel got 12 mpg with the same trailer on the same road.Not a scientific study but inspires one to do more research.

A buddy of mine [who finds these trucks for folks] just got 2 crew cabs for a buddy for $40k [one Dodge one Ford- 20k and 30k miles]



"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences"
Robert Green Ingersoll
 
So what if the diesel engine has longevity over a gasoline engine. All the other stuff breaks before the gasoline powered truck has beeen wore out. Heater cores, windshields, tore seats,exterior paint the list goes on.
 
02 dodge cummins, quad cab, 6 spd stick, southbend 550 hp clutch, 180 hp injectors, fass 150 fuel system , high horse injection pump,super b turbo, k&n filters, cold air intake, ats arc flow intake, 4 inch ss exhaust, superchip downloader, edge 5 stage chip 22 city 26 hwy, towing makes no diff with 35" bfg mudders, 210 k miles tires, oil changes by me ,ball joints ,rear main seal ,2 set of brakes, 1 clutch, 1throttle poss sensor ive got no complaints i wouldnt own another full size gasser!!!!!


CUMMINS POWER
 
With the new Ford diesel, if you have injector or starter problems you have to take the cab off the chassis to work on it. Since I work next to a ford dealer, I went over there and asked them. Well they just happened to have one in their shop at the time, and its true. You have to remove the cab to do any fuel system work on the motor. 13 hours labor just to change the starter.
 
Right on shedfinder!
I forgot to mention that part.
One more reason not to buy/own a Fricked Over Rebuild Dog!
I can still see the engine when I lift a hood on a Cummins!
Pull the cab,good gawd a mighty!
 
you have to pull the cab on the 08 and newer fords to do a lot of engine work. its no big deal really. we all thought it was gonna be a big thing when we heard that in training. but its not. a good mechanic can have the cab off of a truck in an hour and a half. most guys will pull the cab off of 6.0 trucks now too. its easier than working in the cab. 6.0 motors still have injector problems. the injection system uses pressurised motor oil to fire the injectors. if i owned one i would reccomend doing oil changes at least every 5000 miles and runnung 10 w 30hd in the winter time. i believe poor maintenance is the reason for a lot of diesel breakdowns no matter what truck theyre in.
 
Come to think of it you can do both. I drive a diesel but I have gas all the time. Just ask fireball.
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I'll reiterate what's already been said. I bought my first diesel in 2005. If I had to do it over again I would of bought gas. For pulling, and running the road on long trips you can't beat them. They are absolutely not an off road vehichle, you have to be extremely careful when you are off road. Diesel fuel is higher, oil higher, need to treat fuel, and etc. If you do alot of towing and highway running then a diesel might be worth having, otherwise stick with gas.
 
The 7.3 International was/is a good strong motor I still have one. If you get a diesel change the fuel filter regularly, I change mine every 10,00 - 15,000 miles, the glow plugs in the 7.3 are as easy to change as a spark plug, put new glow plugs in every few years and start up in cold weather is no problem, the 7.3 has 2 batteries in it, it's a big motor, when you need batteries get good ones like Motor Craft or Cat don't put cheap ones in, it takes a lot to roll a diesel over in cold weather and cheap ones wont do the job for long. I have had a set of Cat batteries in the 7.3 we own since 02. If your going to pull trailers or a big camper get a diesel. Good luck.
 
Diesel all the way! i have a 97 F-350 Crew Cab with the 7.3 Powerstroke and wouldn't trade it for anything. I will probably never own another gas powered truck. I do a lot of hauling and can out tow ANY standard gas rig over the pass. (and most other diesels as well).
Eric
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Ultra liberal, wolf loving, illiterate, gay, hippie midgets on crack piss me off!!!!

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No Doubt the older Fords are way more reliable than these newer Jokers.
But dang polarbear,you've never had a Dodge make you enhale?
lol!
 
This question is very relevant today. It seems to me that from the economic point of view, diesel engines are much more economical both in maintenance and in operation. I work with technology and can compare which is better. Recently I was looking for diesel engine parts, then I can say that I found on the yanmar diesel engine parts catalog where you can find a spare part by number and buy it much cheaper than I would have had to service a gasoline engine.
 
I've had really good luck with my Model T. Should I upgrade to the new Model A? Is the extra cost worth it?
 

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